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Last night we headed off to the first of five birthing classes we are attending. They are taught by one of the midwives from our clinic. I was excited for the evening and wasn’t sure what to expect. I feel like I’ve been reading a lot and have a fair knowledge of the birthing process but I know there is more I could learn. Last night only affirmed that I do know what I’m talking about and that we’re are on the same page with our midwives as far as birthing techniques and philosophies go. Lucas even felt like he knew everything that was being discussed thanks to The Miracle of Life video he saw back in 7th grade.
We will now meet for the next 4 Wednesdays for 2 hours each time. Our final meeting will include a tour of Princeton Medical Center and the birthing suite where our little one will be born. I can’t wait to check out the room, jacuzzi tub, and other things offered during labor.
In case you’re interested here is a link to our midwife clinic we are going through, Princeton Midwifery. You can look up our midwives from this site and check out everything. Overall we have been really pleased with the interactions we’ve had with each of the four midwives. At first I wasn’t sure I’d like rotating between them all but it is nice to have different perspectives and plus we’re not sure when I’ll go into labor and who will be on call so it is good to build a relationship with each one.
On the reading end of things I thought I’d share some book I’ve been reading…
The Mother of All Pregnancy Books by Ann Douglas – Good for basic conception/pregnancy information
Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin – Given to me from my midwife clinic. A mix of birth stories and a guide to childbirth. I love this book and have found it really empowering.
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League International – Lots of good information on breast feeding and again it has been very empowering to read this.
Also I use BabyCenter.com for a lot of random questions I come up with along the way.
As we approach the due date I’ve also been turning to more parenting/baby books. I quickly realize that the birth is really only one day and then we’ve got to take care of this baby forever! A book I’ve enjoyed in this area is…
The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp – Helps with methods to soothe your baby during those first few months.
There are so many books out there so send any other ideas you have my way. It’s always nice to find out what others have read but I also know that our baby will come with its own way of doing things so we’ll just take it one day at a time.
-Shannon
With Derek’s recent visit and his wife Katie’s growing belly, I just had to pass on some baby goodness. However, Derek was passing through at the beginning of a 6 week trip through the States. Needless to say he didn’t have a lot of room to haul around baby stuff. So what better than to make a Shannon classic…mini-baby album tin…
I was really happy with my paper choices on this one…especially since it had to be gender neutral since Derek & Katie are waiting to be surprised come mid March. Hopefully they can use this for some little pictures of their Little One. I know I can’t wait to see the pictures that this tin will hold. :)
-Shannon
“Welcome outside of your mother’s womb, I know that it’s frightening but now there’s more room. Just think of all the great things you’ll do, just by you being you.” -Lori Chaffer
Hannah Grace Smith
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 @ 12:52 a.m.
7 lbs, 7 oz
20 inches
Last night around 5:30 I got a call from Abby saying that after her routine doctor’s appointment she had been admitted to the hospital to wait the arrival of their baby girl. Soon after I got off the phone with her things started progressing along and by early morning Hannah Grace had arrived!
Lucas and Spencer also had time to talk last night before Hannah’s arrival and it’s a good thing they talked them because I’m pretty sure Spencer is going to be spending a lot of time holding his little girl.
We are over the moon for them and can’t wait to meet Hannah someday. As Abby and I have said, Hannah and Nacho will either be best friends or lovers. :)
Abby is doing really well and I was even able to sneak in a early morning phone call before heading to work. With all this excitement it made me even more ready for the day we will meet our little one. I can’t wait for my turn!
Until then, I’ll enjoy pictures of Hannah Grace…
Congratulations Smith family!
Love,
Shannon, Lucas & Nacho
When I visited Missouri last week, the first thing I did was go and see this little guy…
He was celebrating his 3 month birthday and thankfully I was there for the festivities. Ok so there weren’t any festivities but we did have some fun.
He is getting really strong and can hold his little head up for awhile…
I thought this little expression was pretty funny…
Eli- It was great to finally meet you and next time we see each other you will have a new cousin to play with!
Love, Aunt Shannon
In less than 5 days I’ll be heading home to Missouri for a baby shower for me! My parents graciously offered to fly me home and my friend Mandi, my Aunt and my Mom are hosting the shower for me. I can’t wait to see some friends and share in the excitement. Plus many of my friends who are coming are either pregnant or have had babies since I’ve seen them last. So I’m sure there will be lots of mom talk. I’m actually flying in next Wednesday and on Thursday my mom and I are going to make a little side trip over to Boonville so I can finally see our house in person. I can’t wait to look around the place that I soon call home and I’m sure I’ll have more than a few pictures to share after that.
When coming home my parents offered to fly me directly into Springfield but I opted to fly into KC so I could finally meet this little guy…
Let me introduce you to our nephew, Eli. I can’t wait to meet him and see the rest of the Endicott family during my quick time in KC. Back in August Lucas was able to meet Eli but I wasn’t there to share in the fun…
You can guarantee there will be a baby photo shoot going on while I visit with them. :) Congrats again to Todd & Angie…what a beautiful family!
-Shannon
Recently I asked some of my friends who are moms a couple questions…what are the top 10 things you would recommend to any new parent and what are the top 10 things that you could’ve lived without? I asked this as Lucas and I are starting to think about registry stuff and what we “need” for this baby. We are definitely taking a less is more approach not only due to the one bedroom apartment we live in but also because we think stuff is just stuff. We realize certain items can be very helpful when having a baby but others are just not necessary.
I was very interested to find out what my friends would recommend getting and what items we should pass on. I’ve made two lists with all the items. The first is the list of recommended items. I placed the most highly recommended items first and worked my way down. If an item was suggested more than once I added a star by it as well. The second list contains the items deemed unecessary by some. I also used the same method of adding a star by those mentioned more than once. It was interesting to see some items made it on to both lists. :) But overall there were some standout items that are needed and others that are not needed.
So without further adieu I present to you the lists…
Items Recommended
- Swing ****
- Swaddlers *** (Swaddle Me Brand, Miracle Swaddle Blanket)
- Bouncy Seat ***
- Cloth Diapers used as Burp Cloths ***
- Car Seat Cover for winter ** (Bundle Me)
- Lansinoh Breast Cream & Pads **
- Boppy Pillow **
- Halo Sleep Sak *
- Lots of onesies *
- Target Brand Diapers *
- Multi-Use Baby Pads
- Sling
- Glider
- Nursing Cover
- Nursing Tanks
- Sleep Nursing Bra
- Zipper Sheets
- Umbrella Stroller
- Babywise Book
- Fisher Price Booster Seat
- Diaper Genie
- Pampers Swaddlers for Newborns
- Use Cloth Diapers
- Use Cloth Wipes
- Books
- Bath Propper
- Blackout Curtains
- Secrets of the Baby Whisperer Book
Don’t Recommend/Didn’t Need
- Blankets *
- Wipes Warmer *
- Regular High Chair *
- Baby Shoes *
- Crib Bumpers *
- Diaper Genie *
- Coat before 6 months
- Nursing Cover
- Excersaucer
- Bottle Warmer
- Baby Detergent
- Target Diapers
- Baby Hair Brush
Well there you have it. Thanks to all my friends who added to this list and gave me their input. I think the most encouraging thing to hear was that every baby is different and with all of this stuff you still need lots of patience and love…that is what really matters.
-Shannon
This post comes to you from c jane enjoy it, a blog I thoroughly enjoy. This particular post touched me…especially because I’m pregnant and emotional myself. :)
-Shannon
On How We Became Pregnant, In Three Parts
from c jane enjoy it by c jane
I.
In Twin Falls Idaho there is a massive crater-like canyon that runs through town. Like the earth’s flesh was cut open, leaving a deep scar of rocks and shadows. Looking into the canyon is like peering into the core of our planet. It intimidates me, it thrills me.
I stood on the threshold of that canyon, spiritless and humbled two years ago. Five years had not given me a pregnancy. Not even a hint or breath of a conception. Sometimes I wondered if a miscarriage would be a welcomed experience. A reassurance of possibility.
Instead, I gathered up all my hopes for motherhood and sent them over the cusp of the canyon, rolling past the dark volcanic rock, splashing into the cold Snake River and sinking down into the depths of the earth. To be buried forever by mud and sediment. They were too heavy to carry around, they obstructed my path to present happiness.
Heavenly Father, I will stop asking for fertility to make me happy. And I will be happy. Right now.
Two weeks later I found out I was pregnant.
II.
In London, England there is a tunneled walkway which takes a traveler on foot from bridge to bridge along the Thames. I followed Chup as he led me towards the Millennium Bridge on a quiet evening. Dampness and darkness pushed us to hurry. We were having dinner over the river, and rain was across the sky.
We reached a concrete stairway which led straight into the rocky Thames. Chup descended and let the waves lap up his feet. I stood away from him, looking up river. My mind floated away with the water, across the ocean, over the rocky mountains to where my baby was sleeping in his crib. He was now a part of me, and being a part from him made me feel less whole.
We desired a dozen more, (two dozen more!) but my fertility record didn’t substantiate anything. And I didn’t want to spend my motherhood in a month-to-month anticipation cycle. It had already started, months after giving birth. And the next one? When? How? When? When? When!
The wind blew and I almost lost Chup with the tugboats to the Thames.
Heavenly Father, I can be happy with one baby. There would be cousins and neighborhood kids for communal siblings. He wouldn’t be lonely, he’d be just fine. One baby. I could be happy with one baby. This prayer I sailed into the wind while taking my husband’s hand for stability.
Two months later I found out I was pregnant.
III.
To create life–this act of man and wife–is sanctified by God as the greatest of man’s ability. To some He gives it freely, to others he tempers with humility and patience. To struggle with procreation is how God chooses to keep my pride in check. I fail, I fail and fail until it becomes more logical to give up. Somehow in giving up, He gives to me.
And that is how we became pregnant.
One of my favorite things during our trip to Vancouver was meeting up with this little cutie…
I was so excited when I found out Levi and Shelley (Avery’s parents) were able to make it to Vancouver to celebrate Levi’s graduation. They are from British Columbia but not Vancouver so it wasn’t a given that they would be there. Thankfully they were and I was able to finally meet Avery and spend some wonderful time catching up with Shelley at Regent. It was simply refreshing to see her again and to see her as a mother to this darling person…
Avery is quite the thinker…she just sits and thinks. But we were still able to get some smiles out of her…
And of course I had to not only take pictures of Avery but with her as well…
A few shots of the beautiful Simpson family…mother and daughter…
…the whole family…
While Avery was mostly calm and thoughtful there was one time when she tried to bite my head off…
It was so good to catch up with Shelley and I wish we would’ve had more time together but I’m so thankful for the time we shared. Shelley, you are a wonderful friend. :)
-Shannon
P.S. – I’ll leave you with my favorite shot of the day…I dont’ know why but this picture just makes me crack up…
When we made our recent trip to Vancouver we were lucky enough to stay with Nathan & Karen, a family from our former home group. When we lived in Vancouver we met each week at their house and they never ceased to amaze with their hospitality. And this trip to Vancouver was no exception. They were so easy going with our crazy come and go schedule and I’m so thankful we were able to spend time with them and their two boys, Luke & Caleb. We knew Luke when we lived in Vancouver but Caleb came along right as we were leaving. It was so neat to see the brothers interact and I can’t believe how big they have both grown.
Nathan, their dad, is a man after Lucas’ own heart. He was raised in the mountains of British Columbia and while he’s a fancy, dancy lawyer these days he has dreams of buying some land and becoming a farmer. A couple years ago for Nathan’s birthday Karen got him a trip to Cowboy Camp. After he returned we celebrated by having a Cowboy Party and Nathan unveiled his rope and “cow”. Well he brought these back out on the occasion of our arrival. The boys (and by boys I mean Nathan and Lucas) spent most of the afternoon roping and I spent my time following around Luke & Caleb with my camera.
Nathan showing Luke how it’s done…
Luke was only interested for so long and went back to playing in the dirt with his dozer…
I followed Caleb around for awhile and loved playing with him. Last time I saw him he was just a teensy baby so it was extra fun to play with him this time…
This is probably my favorite shot of the day…he just climbed up to stand between the two posts and this shot happened…
Another favorite shot of the day happened after I laid down on the ground to get on Caleb’s level. His eyes lit up and he crawled over to and then proceeded to crawl on top of me! I snapped this one of the two of us and I just love it…
Finally a few shots of Nathan & Caleb with Nathan being the horse and trying to buck Caleb off. Good thing Caleb loves it!
Thanks again for letting us stay with you!
-Shannon
When we visited our friends Matt & Tracy up in Ithaca, I couldn’t help but do a little photo shoot with their new daughter Nadya. Here are some of my favorites from our time together…
Yay for cute babies!
-Shannon
