Some of you may remember Jesse Bartke's post about he-nesting as he waited for his son. Here's his partner Ashby's story of their water birth!

Ashby and Jesse welcome their son, Miles

"You look beautiful when you’re in labor,” I heard my midwife say from somewhere far away. Looking back now, I wish I had been present enough to thank her, to smile or to even recognize that I heard her words. I did hear them, somehow, from the soft blue place I floated. I heard them but they hovered somewhere outside me, like the lights and the noises in the hallway and everything except my belly and my breath and the water.

Continue reading "A water birth story" →

Shadowboxes and scrapbooks are excellent ways to hang on to those little items, photos and knick-knacks that we hold so dear. This kitschy, simple tutorial that I spied over at Giddy Giddy is all of those things wrapped up in one… plus it doubles as fantastic wall art!

Continue reading "DIY Scrapbox Memories Tutorial by Giddy Giddy" →

A couple months into my pregnancy, my mom gave me and Andreas a gift certificate for 12 hours of private Hypnobirthing training with a certified instructor. The initial lessons were challenging, not because the practice itself was all that difficult (both Dre and I have had lots of exposure to and belief in focused breathing exercises, guided meditation, etc) but because the program felt, well, sort of silly…

Continue reading "Hypnobirthing isn't really hypnosis, and it's not just for birth" →

I'm a recent follower and avid reader of Holly Neufeld's craft-tacular family blog, {creat*loves}, and when I saw this DIY Baby Mobile tutorial go up I immediately contacted her about letting us borrow it to share it with you awesome folks!

This tutorial is actually ultra simple and uses just a few inexpensive crafting supplies that you may already have laying around: felt, buttons, embroidery hoops, yarn, needle and thread. And don't stop at flowers… think of spaceship shapes, circles and triangles, bugs and birds, monsters, jungle animals. There are just SO MANY possibilities!

Continue reading "DIY Baby Mobile Tutorial by Holly at create*loves" →

Jenah Crump Photography

Last Friday, while at drop-in gymnastics, Oliver and I had stopped at the water fountain to get a much-needed drink of water. (I am aware that any germ haters in the audience are starting to get a little squirmy here). After Oliver was done his drink, I found myself starting into the face of a (really cute) silent little urchin (we'll call him Timmy), who seemed to be indicating that he needed me to hold the fountain button for him. So I asked Timmy (the little imp) if this was indeed the case. Timmy nodded so dramatically that I thought he must be dying of thirst. I started to hold the button down.

Just as little Timmy was bowing his head to drink, I hear from behind me a loud and (I'm not even exaggerating here) prolonged:

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Continue reading "A germy affair" →

I'm a hyperemesis gravidarum "survivor." I hate using the word survivor, because hyperemesis gravidarum isn't a permanent condition. The physical effects only last as long as you're pregnant. It's more of a painful waiting game.

When I found out I was pregnant with my first daughter, I was elated — and to celebrate, I went out to eat. I got the biggest burger you're ever seen and happily ate the whole thing, thinking this was the sort of decadence my newfound pregnancy can guiltlessly afford me.

I was wrong.

Moments later, the whole thing came up. Everything after that came up as well…for months. I went to the ER once and was told it was just severe morning sickness and it would pass. I spent my first trimester and half of my second lying in the floor puking in a bucket. I could not move. I had to be carried to the bath and washed. Standing was impossible and walking was worse. I was so hungry, but unable to even think of eating. I lost 30lbs with my daughter. Luckily, she was born two weeks early a healthy 7lb 11oz little miracle. I felt as though I'd earned her. I had faced some sort of horrible trial and now was ready to face motherhood.

I eventually joined the Navy, where I met my current husband. He is a wonderful partner and a miraculous father-in-training to my now almost 4 year old daughter. We decided to conceive our second child a few months before he left for Qatar, and with very little time, we did. We were totally ecstatic! We went to our appointments and told our closest friends and relatives, giddy as can be.

Then I hit week 7.

Continue reading "Marijuana might have made me a healthier mom" →