The Be Good Tanyas

On Wednesday evening, our little family, Nana, Grandma and Grandpa headed to the Woodland Park Zoo for a concert. One of Mama's very favorite bands, The Be Good Tanyas were playing a concert. Mama tried to go see them the summer that her and Daddy met, but she wasn't able to and this was the first time they started touring again. There music is a mixture of folk, country, and bluegrass.

The Be Good Tanyas were opening for the Carolina Chocolate Drops, an old-time string band. This was our first time hearing them play and we really loved their music, too. Our little family plans to buy some of their music very soon!

The Be Good Tanyas

Grandma and Sienna

Our little family listening to The Be Good Tanyas.

The little photographer took a few snapshots of everyone at the concert ::

Grandma

Grandpa

Nana

Mama

Daddy

It was another very eventful night for Sienna! She loves dancing and listening to live music. But, her favorite event of the night was riding the carousel for the first time.

Sienna's very first Carousel ride!

Going around. Yes, that's Daddy riding a horse, too!

It was a beautiful evening!

Festival of the River, Part 2

Today our little family drove up to the Stillaguamish River for a day of fun. We arrived just in time to see some birds of prey before the Pow Wow began.

We liked this sign.

The Pow Wow begins.

(If you look closely, you can see a bald eagle, a golden eagle, and a falcon.)

Frybread Power!

Sienna fell asleep while we listened to some blues music.

Salmon

Sienna starting to wake up...

Our little family

Sienna dancing to blues music.

Self-portrait

Daddy and Sienna

We can't wait for our next concert on Wednesday!!

Festival of the River

Yesterday evening, Mama and Papa headed up to the Stillaguamish River for a little musical festival. Mama was very excited to see Buffy Sainte Marie! She sang the song Cripple Creek on Sesame Street in the late 1970's and even breastfed her baby Cody on the show. Mama thinks she is pretty groovy.

Festival of the River

Mama and Papa

One of the best birthday gifts ever! Thanks, Nana.

In the evening, Big Brother and the Holding Company played. They played one of Mama's favorite songs ever, Me and Bobby McGee. Just wish Janis could have really been there!

By the light of the moon...

We didn't stay for the very last show, which was Canned Heat. But, we would have loved to hear Going up the Country, one of both Mama and Papa's favorite songs. We can't wait to go back for more music and a Pow Wow today. This time the little one will be joining us.

Mama is 31!

We celebrated Mama's birthday by going on a four mile walk in the morning. We've been doing that a lot lately! In the evening, we ate delicious cheesecake with strawberries homemade by Nana.

Mama, 31 years old

Homemade Cheesecake

(Sienna calls it "cheese pie" like in Angelina Ballerina)

Making a wish.

Nana and Sienna

(Sienna had her eyes on that cheesecake!)

"Wishing you sunshine, songbirds, and blue skies.

The green life is the good life."

-From the Tree of Life necklace from Nana

Thank you for all of the many thoughtful birthday wishes!

I had a peaceful day and I am looking forward to a beautiful year ahead.

Mama's Birthday Celebration

Mama started her birthday celebration a little bit early. The day began with our regular Sunday rhythm of pancakes with maple syrup and dishwashing. Sienna decided to capture our morning with photos.

Mama and Daddy in the kitchen. (by Sienna)

Chai Guy (by Sienna)

After breakfast, we ventured down to Nana's house and picked her up for a day at the zoo. Nana asked Mama what she wanted to do for her birthday and she chose to go to the Woodland Park Zoo.

Giraffe

Our little family

An elephant that was doing a a little dance.

She loves the zoo!

Daddy and Sienna

Our little family with two sleeping grizzly bears.

Sienna and a snoozing brown bear.

Mama's favorite part of the Woodland Park Zoo is the Northern Trail, where some of her favorite animals live ... brown bears, snowy owls, moose, eagles and wolves. Sienna really loves going to the zoo, too! We are thinking about buying an annual pass very soon. Thank you, Nana for a great trip to the zoo and lunch.

Tomorrow is Mama's real birthday. She will be turning 31 and Nana is making her a delicious, homemade cheesecake to celebrate. Can't wait!!

Miscarriage Journal

A few weeks after my miscarriage.

I've been meaning to journal about my miscarriage for some time and finally today, I actually felt like sitting down and writing. It all began some time in the beginning of March. Our little family had decided that the time was right for us to make Sienna a big sister. I knew before I took the pregnancy test that it would say positive. I had bought Sienna a purple shirt that said, "Big Sister." Before David came home from work, Sienna put on the shirt to announce that we were going to be welcoming a new little one into our lives. We were all very full of happiness. A few weeks into the pregnancy, Sienna even gave up nursing so her brother or sister could have "Mama's milky."

I made an appointment with a midwife right away and had my first examination. I had decided that I wanted to have the little one in a birthing center instead of the hospital. At the appointment, the midwife said my cervix was closed, which was a good sign this early in the pregnancy and that the mild cramping I had been experiencing was completely normal.

A few weeks later, I experienced some light spotting and the cramping persisted. The midwife told me that I needed to start coming in for a blood draw every few days, so that they could monitor my hCG levels. I also went to the hospital to have an ultrasound. The ultrasound showed a gestational sac and the technician also thought she saw the beginnings of a fetal pole. She said it was measuring about a week earlier than what was our expected due date.

The hCG levels were continuing to rise, but not at a normal pregnancy rate. The spotting continued and in early April, I had another ultrasound, which showed no growth from the first ultrasound. Soon after, the bleeding became heavier. The midwife told me I had a "blighted ovum." This meant that the embryo had never started developing. She thought that my miscarriage should pick up soon after and if it didn't, I might want to see a doctor and have a D&C procedure. I knew that I wanted to have my miscarriage naturally and without intervention, but I went ahead and made an appointment with an Ob/Gyn.

The Ob/Gyn was very receptive to my concerns and shared the belief that this was something I could do naturally and at home. She put me on a plan of "expectant management." This basically meant I could have my miscarriage naturally, but she would monitor me for signs of infection. After about a month of waiting and returning to her office only to find the gestational sac was still there every time, I decided that I wanted to try herbs that the midwife had mentioned and it just so happened that the midwife called me to see how I was doing. She told me to come into her office and they would make up an herbal tincture of blue and black cohosh.

In the beginning of May, I started taking the tincture and within a few days my bleeding and cramping was much heavier. I also began going on a three mile walk every day with Sienna. After returning from our very first walk, I saw something that I knew was the gestational sac. Both the midwife and Ob/Gyn had described what it would look like. A few days later, I made an appointment with the Ob/Gyn and she confirmed it with my last ultrasound. She told me it might take a little while for my cycle to return to normal and we should wait at least one cycle to try having another baby.

I knew that we wouldn't be trying again for some time though. We still haven't decided when we will try again, but I do know now that we probably won't tell Sienna until further along. It was very hard explaining to her that the baby wasn't in Mama's tummy anymore. We told her that the baby wasn't ready to meet us and that s/he will come back again one day. Often she still talks about what our baby boy or baby girl will be named and she asks if she is the big sister. She can't wait to have brothers and sisters. Both emotionally and physically, I feel back to normal now although it did take a little bit of time. Someday, we will have more children when the time is right and Sienna will be a big sister. For now, we are happy with our little family.

Sienna