35 weeks

New pics... Mama's getting big. Papa wanted to try something a lil more creative this time with the mirror, I like how they turned out, though hard to see the girth of this big belly so I included the others too.

Also, hair freshly cut by baby's god mama Chenoh... My hair was almost down to my butt, and the bangs I've had since 2001, are officially grown out. Sort of enjoying not having bangs, but the real reason I got rid of them is because I would just have to cut them too often to keep up with their speedy growth. I'm also, really hoping my hair doesn't all start to fall out in clumps after I have the baby (which can happen to new moms with the hormone changes - and isn't talked about much but pretty common actually)... If it does, I'm lucky to have a great stylist, and know that it will grow back if I do lose a lot. Honestly, as long as I can keep up with my supply of milk, I'm not too concerned how I'll look those first few months haha (apologies in advance papa J- not that you've ever made me feel like I had to put on a glamor show for you to make me feel beautiful when we're together, I love you! ).

I also want to include a majorly HUGE thank you to Grammy Pam and Grandpa Mike for our subscription to the Diaper Squad cloth diapering service! This is a huge gift, that will help us out in these first few months with baby, so much more than we probably even realize just yet. And we already feel such a weight lifted from our role of new parents, not having to deal with washing or running out of clean diapers. It means so much! We love you and can't wait for your visit next March to meet your newest family member! Tons of family play time, holdies, and kisses. Thank you so much, feeling so loved.

Labor Necklace

A friend of mine who I went to UCSC with, Keren, asked me if I would have a labor necklace for my birth, and with her sweet gift package she sent me from Seattle, she included a tiny satin box, that included a tiny folded up note with blessings and a small cranberry bean with a tiny hole drilled through it. I had NO idea what this "labor necklace" business was, but I loved the thoughtfulness, and spiritual symbolism behind this unusual gift, so I asked my midwives, and I looked into it some more, and found the whole idea really beautiful.

A labor necklace, is a collection of "beads," or items that can be strung together on a cord/piece of string/etc that is given to the birthing mother from her closest family and/or friends. A lot of women who put together "labor necklaces" request bead contributions as blessings for their birth and to help welcome their new child. Some woman ask their friends and family who attend their baby showers to bring a "bead", or have something called a Blessingway which is like a baby shower, but rather than focusing on silly games, gifts, and cake, its more of a spiritual gathering to welcome the new baby. If my family were closer I would be all over the Blessingway, 100% hippy, sage, and moonbeams love event, but with being halfway across the country from my "spiritual family and mothers" inviting some blessings to be sent via post sounded incredibly appealing to me.

I wrote to some of the women in my family and Jason's back in California, and requested their participation in sharing a blessing bead that I can bring with me to my birth. I explained this idea of a labor necklace and how having the tangible items to hold, and look at during labor can provide a focal point to redirect the laboring mother's attention during strong contractions, and having these small, special tokens from loved ones can be a great comfort through the pains of labor. For me, this idea is a beautiful way for me to have my family close, even during this private time of going through labor, regardless of how far across the country me and my new baby are.

So one by one, I've been receiving these labor necklace contributions, and stringing them together into a powerful statement of the love that is awaiting my daughter. Looking at these "beads" to me also is a reminder of the strength that I am capable of, because of the women in my life who have sent these reminders, these blessings, and small tokens of tangible love. 

After asking about the labor necklaces in my centering group, and well, being the group's, "Type A" personality who of course took it upon herself to take diligent notes from all our centering sessions and post the "minutes" on our forum, I asked if the women in our group would want to participate in a bead exchange with each other (after recapping the info about it from our session). All of the other 4 mamas said they were interested, so I organized for us to bring beads to our next session (next Thursday), and our group's midwife assistant (Michelle) also said she wanted to participate, which is so awesome! Going through all of these classes, and sessions together have really brought us together along this journey and if nothing else remind us that the 5 of us are not alone. All of us are first time moms, and many of us also regularly go to the yoga classes together which feels so great to have this kind of familiarity and sense of community. I feel so thankful to have this kind of support available to me, because of the Birth Center, and knowing that if I need it, pushing myself to get out and attend some of the post natal classes will provide me with the friends I will crave and need as a new mom, surrounded by other new moms. No matter how far my family may be, there is such a strong, loving, supportive community here for me, if I just get out and welcome it in- just knowing that its there relaxes me. So much love for the Birth Center!!!

So, since I've had a couple requests to share my labor necklace once pieces have been received... here are some pics. I also made these little gift bags for my centering group out of old newspapers that I usually just recycle. I think they turned out really sweet, it was my first time constructing them, and had a lot of fun with it. Definitely never going to buy a gift bag again, totally just going to make my own! I got each lady the same bead, and hope they enjoy them!

Here's a good shot of the tiny gift bags (they are only 2 inches tall):

These are my labor bead gifts to my centering ladies - Handmade ceramic rose beads from Peru (from Tesoros - my Office's retail shop):

Form left to right (small silver tube beads are from my beading kit to space them out, as well as the silver/turquoise beads around the abalone on the left): Beach abalone shells (mom), raw Turquoise piece, Cat charm, (both Sandy), Cranberry bean (Keren), Zombie's old dog tag (my Mama dog!), small vial of big river beach sand (My mom sent the sand from my home town to me years ago - I think when I went to college, I put some in a tiny vial), Red I think coral? bead (Sandy), Evil eye for protection (I bought from my office's retail shop), Amber and turquoise bead (Sandy), Celtic knot and amethyst charm (Aunt June), Raw amber bead (Sandy), My mom's hospital bracelet from her first birth (Mom- from birthing my sister), and a jalapeño charm from my husband, the lover of all things spicy. Also a large silver diaper pin from my mom. 

Still Awaiting a couple more additions before I attach the end clasp, and there are a couple items from my own grandmothers that have both passed away that I want to include, though I already feel such a calming, soothing, strengthening power from holding and looking at these special tokens that I'm incredibly grateful for. Endless gratitude to me and my baby's moms, aunts, and grand-moms, so many thanks for your contributions, and I'm looking forward to bringing these blessings with me to my birth! I look forward to sharing this necklace with Jocelyn when she's older and telling her about the power and love of each of the women who have contributed to making her birth story full of love (regardless of what may come during labor), and why she is so lucky to have each and every one of you in her life.

Gramma Jill's Flight Booked!

Just got my mom iten' today for her flight out to Austin this October through beginning of November. SO EXCITED to have my mom out here!!! Grandma Duty! This will be her 10th grandchild, so she knows the routine by now. I know I'm far from this being the kind of excitement of her first grandchild's arrival, but Jocelyn will be her first for double-digit Gramma status! So there's excitement in that for sure! And I'm sure I will be in excellent love and care, I love you mom!

Yoga last night with Sara, the new teacher was really small, just 3 of us there, which was kind of nice. It's definitely a harder class to get to, being that its at 7:30 (rather than 7) so my motivation to leave the house by that time after work is battling with my strong urge to take off all my clothes & makeup and lay on the couch until bedtime. I did force myself out, and it was worth it! (I know if I don't feel like going to yoga, that's when I need to get myself to go the most)! She's also subbing for Cat this weekend, and then I'm going to miss Cat's class the next two Tuesdays for the doggy Bringing Home Baby session with our dog trainers, then my cloth diapering class at the birth center... I'm gonna miss her! But so happy there's the Thursday class so I can still get my practice in at least twice a week, and having Sara also means there's a sub now for Cat when she needs some time off. She's also a student midwife, and on call half the week delivering babies. A real super woman! Sara is really cool too, and has a 9 month baby whom she delivered at the birth center. She also started teaching the post natal classes that I will be in, soon enough! so I'm looking forward to getting to know her better too. I'm glad she works us- its a more active class, not all just restorative. Which I appreciate!

So excited to have Monday off! Been really starting to get more tired at work these days...

Calendar Countdown

My calendar is getting exciting! Most notably for the next two Mondays that DO NOT have "WORK" on my agenda! Labor day, will be dedicated to a Farscape marathon with my husband (we are almost done with season one and totally obsessed). The following will be dedicated to doctor's appointments, and general errands that have to be done M-F that I never am able to do with my work sched.

Braxton Hicks

My Braxton Hicks have started. Yesterday I kept getting these strong side aches, that felt like a stitch in my side as if I just ran a mile after downing a bottle of water too quickly. It was a full on side ache, that I thought was weird to have first thing in the morning, then it went away, and came back several hours later at work.

I brought it up in yoga, when we go around the room and say our name, how many weeks we are and what's been going on with our bodies, and Cat told me, "Sounds like you've started having Braxton Hicks contractions," I was so excited to hear this haha. "Oh! That's what those are! YES! So excited!" Its getting closer and closer, and my body is getting ready for the main event. Baby is also already pointing head down (hasn't dropped yet though), and I'm still waking up with leaky boobs, so my milk is also getting ready to feed my lil one. The body is an amazing thing!

And speaking of, yoga was incredible. Of course! This time a couple dads showed up (only one stayed), which was cool to have some partners join us mamas as well. Cat was so touched that I brought her a lil gift bag, I can't wait to hear how she liked everything in there for her next class I go to on Saturday (before my haircut with Chenoh!) Some exciting weeks coming up, and I also just found out that my office is going to be closed on Monday for labor day after all (though I was told it is not an official holiday - so they might not pay me - though I'm salary... so we'll see). Whatever, will be great to have a day off! I haven't taken any off since Christmas when my mom was here in Austin.

I'm using another day of PTO the following Monday for my own appointments with the midwives, but also so I can take Holden in for his appoint with the orthopedic surgeon. Tonight Christina is coming over to give his acupressure therapy, so hopefully that will help him in the meantime. This surgery is going to have to happen sooner than we had planned, and will set us back with our debts that we've been trying so hard to get on top of before baby's here... but he's one of our babies too, and at least there is a good payment plan option at Dr. Hulse's office... we'll know more after our consult in a couple weeks. Sending lots of love to our Houdini boy.

Thursday I will have the first yoga class with the new teacher (last week I was too tired after work and didn't go). Looking forward to it! Not sure if it will be more strengthening, stretching, mellow, or what... but I really liked meeting the instructor when she was at one of Cat's classes a week ago, and anything to get me out of my head and really into my body embracing all my internal changes for an hour is what the doctor ordered!

Other than that, I feel pretty good. Sleep is still more and more uncomfortable, my nausea is back almost in full force when it was at its worst in the 1st trimester, but I'm powering through. We've had a couple cooler days (mid 80s) that have been teasing me with autumn's arrival, but tomorrow supposed to be back into the 100+ temps again... Appreciating every moment as an experience all my own, and looking to the future with excitement and love in my heart (and reminding myself that gagging every morning is only temporary). Yoga helps keep me balanced as well, mind, body, soul! Sending love out to the universe for me, my baby, and all my loved ones near and far.

Yoga Yoga Yoga!

I'm so excited for yoga tonight. I had to skip last Saturday's class to take Holden into the vet's because he's started limping again. We have his acupressure lady (more like wizard!) coming over to our house tomorrow night to do another treatment, cold laser, and massage for him, but we also set up a consult with Dr. Hulse who she recommended for surgery, and our vet's called in his xrays :( Our poor big red dog, and his poor big red arthritic hips, and he's not even  3 years old yet. We love you Holden Houdini, sending healing thoughts to you big bub.

Though skipping yoga was much needed to take the cosmically aligned last minute open Saturday vet appointment, missing one of Cat's classes made me really appreciate all she and her classes do for me, my baby and all of us Austin Women who attend. Since I'm also inching closer and closer to full term, just in case I go into early labor, I wanted to be sure to thank her before baby arrives and I completely forget. So tonight I have a little gift bag that I will bring her, with some treats from my work's retail shop. She's always writing in her journal before class starts so I got her one of these milagros journals:

And then I also put a couple other little magical goodies in her bag too, the heart is the size of the palm of your hand, comes in a little red velvet bag and has a magical sounding bell that rings inside when you shake it. The other is a Turkish Evil Eye, that's meant to ward off evil and offer protection:

I also had some of these left over from my baby shower, so I threw one of my tea bag lavender sachets that I made and wrote her a lil thank you card for doing all that she does for us pregnant ladies at AABC. I'm so grateful that she started the Yoga Program, and honestly have no idea how anyone can go through pregnancy without. So much love! Excited for class tonight, to let go of stresses, stretch, strengthen and breathe.

Teach Me How to Breast Feed, Teach, Teach, Me How to Breast Feed

I love this so much!

Dreams

Still  having incredibly vivid dreams, and last night with the full Blue/Red/Green Moon I really had some weird ones. It was a strong full moon, so I'm glad I remembered to charge my crystals! Especially my large chunk of moonstone and adventurine that I plan to take with me in my birthing bag for laboring.

So my weirdest dream, starred Jocelyn. I was in some small convenience store seemingly in the middle of New Mexico (there were tumble weeds and lots of sand outside the window) when I went into labor, and had to deliver right there in their back store room closet. It was really quick, and there was no time to call Jason, so he couldn't be there for the birth.

After I had her, the oddest part was that I had given birth to a fully clothed 12 year old girl. She was petite for her age (age being 12) probably only 3 feet tall, but proportionate, and she could walk, talk, and was even wearing chipped gold nail polish. I was in such disbelief that this was my daughter, and everyone told me, "I know, isn't it incredible! You made a new life!" And I just couldn't believe she was mine... haha. So odd. She had some great conversations though, and we sure did get along.

Perhaps my intuition is reminding me to slow down and appreciate every moment, because she will grow up before I know it.

Time Capsule in Photos

I still have two more months to go, and am constantly being amazed at my body's transformation. Looking back to early photos, its so hard for me to believe that I really thought I was getting "big" back then! HAHA, and I STILL have a ways to go... so I am probably going to think right now I'm not even that big come October. I didn't premeditate a cute theme, outfit, or pose for my series of pics... but you can still get the idea. Here we go!

And here I am today: 33 weeks! My baby app tells me, my lil punkin is now the size of a pineapple!

 Tryin to stay cool! 7 more weeks and counting...

Natural Birth at a Birth Center (Video)

This is a video that was posted to my centering group's forum, and I think it is so beautiful and really shares all the love and how positive an experience of a natural, birth center child birth in water can be. Only click the link if you are prepared to watch a video of natural childbirth. For me, this video shows exactly why I want to have a natural birth, with midwives, and preferably in water. I love how much trust is given to the laboring woman, and her body, which is so beautiful. I am so looking forward to my own birth story, though I don't expect mine to be as quick as hers, who knows, only time will tell...

http://vimeo.com/sharonblueyes/waterbirth1

Interesting Articles Read Today

Here are two articles that I read today that I found really interesting, and worthy of reposting on my blog:

Why are American's Postpartum Practices so Rough on New Mothers?
This article discusses how in the states woman are taken care of and given attention during pregnancy, but as soon as the baby is born all attention and care are immediately redirected to the baby, and the woman is expected to immediately bounce back - to receiving visitors, go back to work, clean house, be in shape again (mind, body, and soul) immediately after delivery. There are no shocks here, especially when it comes to woman's healthcare and maternity benefits (or lack thereof) in this country, but a really interesting read to give some insight and fuel to the discussion of nurturing new mothers, just as much as new baby as she takes her time to recover from her labor.

and

For Whites (Like Me) On White Kids
This article discusses how teaching your white children the empty blanket phrase, "We are all equal" when questions about race are brought up- doesn't actually have any substance or help make progress against racism. Really interesting read, and something to keep in mind, when raising my own child - to truly be loving and accepting of others, and celebrate individuality and differences, as valid identities, rather than blow them off without further thought.


And also another beautiful photo shared on The Skeptical Mother's facebook page, of a hospital water birth. This is so gorgeous, had to share as well!

Hiccups!

Jocelyn got the hiccups today, and it was the first time I've felt her with them! HAHA so funny! My poor lil hiccuppy pumpkin!

On My Mind

Wow, only 7 more weeks until my EDD. Time's sure ticking by! Since I've recently realized how I am completely a "Type A" personality (I always previously attributed my "Type A" traits as "Nerd Traits"), I'm okay to announce how much making lists relaxes me. So here we go, This is what my mind looks like right now:

• Get through the work day, Friday is finally here! Feeling pretty tired, a sleepless week
• Hope for more rain today! Last night was awesome, I love all this weather in the 80s.
• Lunch break- Call Chenoh's salon to book time for a trim. Hair is so long, grows so fast these days! Only a few Saturdays left before my due date, better book now!
• Yoga tomorrow morning
• See if I have enough $ in my budget for a pedi (can no longer reach my own toes to polish)
• Costco run, all out of frozen fruit/berries for morning kale smoothies (as of this morning)
• Track my breast pump that was ordered earlier this week
• Go over finances.
• Drop off two returns to the UPS store.
• go to Tesoros to cash in my store credit and buy beads for my centering group and their labor necklaces, also pick out something (or browse for something) to get for Cat the yoga instructor
• find/buy some cord for my own labor necklace, already receiving some beautiful blessings (will share here soon after all are collected)
• Write the last couple thank you notes that I haven't written yet, mail.
• Mow the backyard
• Cut Jason's hair
• Next week new Yoga class up North, Thursday nights at 7:30, yay another weekly after work sesh!
• Don't forget, 9/3 "Bringing Home Baby" dog training session at home with Tara and our dogs, to help properly introduce Jocelyn to our other "babies."
• 9/10 Cloth Diapering Class after work at North Center. Go there straight after work, have Jason feed dogs that night.
• 9/21 Birth in a Nut Shell 3-4 hour class with Jason, go to the class after morning yoga.
• 9/26 (one week before due date), go to my eyelash Tint Appointment with Stacey (gotta look good for labor day in the birth tubs). 
• Call about Baby CPR class, and sign up (also for choking hazard training on infants).

Break in the Heat!

Last night on my drive home from work, the temperature gauge only read 88! Such a sweet breath of fresh air to have a drop from the past 13 (or 14?) straight days of being 100 or above. Third trimester club in Texas Summer! Doing this!

I'm noticing now that I'm bigger, I am getting more people asking me if I need help. Either to pick up a jar of curry paste on the bottom shelf while shopping at whole foods, or if I need help out to my car etc. Which is actually nice, though of course I never accept anyone's help (one of the hardest things for me to do, I'm so stubborn). I also have been getting more people staring at me these days, but at least no rouge hands reaching out to touch me (ahhh! That's worse than clowns!). I am really loving feeling her move, and am so used to it now, that I'm sure I'll miss parts of being pregnant when its over. My nausea coming back however hasn't been too fun, I will not miss that!

So aside from only getting about 5 hours of sleep each night, because of the heat, because of discomforts of my big belly rolling/over to each side, and getting up to pee and drink more water every hour etc, Holden has found a new fun habit of barking in the middle of the night for the past week probably cutting my "sleep" in half this week. He really is having fun yelling at whatever critters he sees through our downstairs sliding glass door. Last night Jason finally brought him upstairs and locked him in our room for the rest of the night, which quieted him down, but I think all of us are really looking forward to the weekend to hopefully try to catch up on some sleep - if that's even possible for me. "Sleeping in" these days is going to bed at midnight, and waking up at 7:30am I guess its all in good preparation to caring for a new baby. However, when I have her, I will luckily not also be working, so I won't need all the brain power I do now as an accountant. My goodness, its coming up so soon! I can't wait to meet her!!

I will say that the sleep that I am getting, is chock-full of the most vivid dreams I've had in a long time. Adventure dreams, detailed, vibrant, and filled with time spent with wonderful Jason, Jocelyn, friends, family, and strangers I may eventually meet one day. Consistently vivid dreams. I really should be journaling them, if only I wasn't so tried when its time to get out of bed for work and get the dogs fed and ready for the day. I don't think I'll ever get a good night's sleep again. At least not until she's 18.

The Humpty Dance

Happy baby Hump day! A few related things:

The Humpty Dance...

This picture of a mama posted on The Skeptical Mother facebook page makes me so incredibly happy. After I posted that I wanted to bring a hip hop play list with me to my birth, and twerk through my contractions haha (jokingly), and then having nay sayers tell me I wouldn't even have time for music during my labor, let alone dancing or singing (they DO realize me and my baby are FOSSES right?! haha), this photo was perfectly timed and posted after I needed some positive, music loving, dancing mamas to back up my desire to bring in my baby with music and dance. Its about the love and light-heartedness, ESPECIALLY during the challenges that are to be expected with birth. What's the use in fear-mongering? Its about loving and supporting each other as women, and not telling someone they can't have fun- even if child birth might not be the first thing you think of when you think, "Fun Times!" haha. I'm excited for the experience, discomforts, challenges, stresses, blood, shit, and all that is childbirth, I feel that its about celebrating and embracing this amazing right of passage, and welcoming a new life in with love, and not fear, or negativity. I've been mentally preparing myself for this experience, and have been visualizing the pain and hardships that may feel overwhelming as something larger than me, and to release and accept (humor is part of this for me), rather than stress or fear them.

The Skeptical Mother, is a great page. All of her posts are wonderful in regards to childbirth, motherhood, and all related, super positive, strengthening and beautiful... Seeing this laboring woman move and dance through her contractions fills me with so much love, so cute! And of course I am not thinking that I will be pulling out a choreographed jazz routine once I go into transition (though I might want to listen to The Time Warp and dance like a transvestite), but I do know that for me, there will definitely be some Fosse hips circling, jazz hands moving, and perhaps from jazzy shoulders helping through the contractions. There is no way in heck that this body (or this baby) will let me sit or lay still in silence during labor. Dance it out girl!

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall....

So earlier this week, on my walk back from lunch I totally fell down. It was completely embarrassing, but luckily I caught myself in my hands, and only slightly scraped one of my knees - belly was safe. This center of gravity thing is constantly changing, and now that I can't see my feet when I walk, I especially need to slow down and not trip over myself or cracks in the pavement, because that is not fun, or flattering. Haha. Totally sucked.

And my favorite, is my big, growing belly hump!

She is getting bigger than ever, and moving so much stronger. Those arms and legs are really dancing in there! I've been woken up by her a few times now, not really "kicking," as much as it feels like she's slowly, and strongly, pushing out! A leg, an arm, like morning stretches, rather than rapid or violent kicks. Sometimes she'll give me a quick poke or nudge, and usually that makes me gasp haha, but mostly it feels like she's practicing her hatha flow routines in there.

Speaking of yoga, its been so wonderful to have the free classes at the birth center. I feel like they have been the glue holding together my body, mind, and soul through all these changes, while I continue through my work weeks and the hot texas summer. I've already started to think about some small gift ideas to give to Cat for all of her encouragement and wonderful energy and instruction in her classes. Really, I don't think I can even begin to express how much the yoga offered at AABC means to me. Every birthing woman's medical bill should have free yoga included for wellness! So thankful for the birth center. I can't say it enough.

And speaking of awesome free love for mamas, I just ordered my free breast pump, an electric medela advanced that my insurance covers 100%. One of the gals in my centering group mentioned that her insurance offered this for her, so I finally called my own to see if mine did too, and they do. So awesome. All the help we can get! Finally getting all the pieces together in preparation, just a few more things to cross off our list...

I've been starting to feel my energy boost from my second trimester slowly dwindling. Little things are starting to feel more strenuous and take more of my effort to accomplish. From standing up off the couch (whoa center of balance! haha), to walking from my car to the grocery store in the heat.

For the most part I still feel pretty good, regardless of it being the middle of the Texas summer. I'm still able to work my full time shifts, take my afternoon lunch walk over to whole foods (though I now pee before I leave, once I get there... eat my lunch, pee again, walk back and then pee at the office), then sit in my fan full blast and drink more ice water I carry with me every day in one of my two thermoses.

Last week I met with my bosses and we discussed my work schedule, and I proposed to use my PTO time, rather than make up my missing hours from my centering meetings, and they said they think that actually works better for them too (ha, of course). It is quite a relief to not have to power through long days without breaks to make up that time, and considering I usually work more than 40 hours a week anyway, I don't even really need to work any extra to still meet their scheduling needs. So awesome! No more "hell weeks" each time my appointments come around.

We also went over the insurance options once I take my maternity leave, which is so ridiculously expensive. Its good to know that I have the option to stay with them, and their plan if I choose to, but I could really find so much better pricing if I went off on my own and looked for myself- which we might do, or depending, might add me to Jason's plan, or at least Jocelyn. What's also great, is that they told me that I would be covered for October, which is one less stress on my shoulders. They also said that if I feel like I need to, once October comes around if I want to go hourly, rather than salary, and cut back on my hours, I only need to work 30 hours to keep my insurance. Totally awesome! I'm helping them find and hire my replacement, and hoping to find someone sooner rather than later, so I can also help with their training before I leave.

Anyway, feeling good, and just trying to stay cool. Yesterday it got up to 106, and with humidity the index was 109. But yesterday also marked the middle day of the summer, so now we on our way OUT of summer (too bad summer lasts until winter in Texas haha). Still, feeling good overall, and the one great thing about being the biggest and most pregnant during a Texas summer? Swimming! There is no feeling greater than swimming with a big big pregnant belly in the cold springs under some hot sun.

Papa's Birthday

Today is Jason's birthday, and after all my reading, preparation for our own birth day, the meaning of someone's "Birthday" takes on a new level of significance. All I can think now is, vaginas! Haha. Its really incredible how we were all born, and not really something that I've ever thought about so frequently. Regardless, happy birthday Papa J!

To celebrate we're going to hide from the heat and go to our favorite movie theater that serves beer (and lemonade if your pregnant), and food (plenty of vegan options). The alamo drafthouse rules! And since it's his birthday, I'm even letting him take me to an action/comic book flick (not usually my cup of tea), and hope that I don't have to get up 123421 times to go pee throughout the show. Should be nice, and low-key and fun.

I also made him a small lavender pillow with the left over lavender from the baby shower sachets, and some nice fabric I had laying around. I also bought him some treats from my office's retail store, A skeleton pin-up shirt, some milagros and love ornaments. Happy birthday my love! Here's to many more great years ahead.

This morning yoga was so awesome! Cat really worked us with a new sun salutation flow, that felt so good, and was a really refreshing challenge. Definitely going to practice those at home (especially the push ups part) to start EVERY day right, and help gear my body up not just for labor, but for picking up and carrying a heavy baby in just a couple more months here!

Its also official, that they will be adding a Thursday night class to our north location, with a new teacher, but that will be so great to have 3 yoga classes available I can go to each week to keep myself feeling sane during the work week, and balance in my headspace, and body. Really looking forward to that. Also, Cat mentioned that they will be starting a post-natal yoga class on weekends for new mamas to come to, for fitness and strengthening post baby! YAY! So stoked on the birth center, especially for these yoga classes. In my next centering session, I need to also look into and sign up for some of the other classes like cloth diapering.

Speaking of, when Pam was here, she told me and Jason that for the first 3-4 months, she and Mike wanted to treat us to a diapering service. This isn't something that Jason or I would ever consider on our own, but as new parents, I'm sure that we will more than completely appreciate this gesture when we're just trying to figure out how to function on never ever ever sleeping again haha, and trying to remember to feed ourselves, and take care of everything else in our house and normal routines. I was looking online and found a company that seems to have a lot of options (to either provide their own diapers, or to just wash our own). I will definitely look into it a little bit more and talk to Pam again to see if she was really wanting to do that for us, or if she was just feeling spirited with her margaritas :) So, so thoughtful and generous, either way :) The Diaper Squad though, I think they're the company to go with, at least from my online research. YAY