Five Years

Five years ago, we started talking every night while he worked in a fire tower. I was teaching summer school, but we would still stay up all night talking on the phone until the early hours of the next morning. Then, one day he flew from California to Washington to meet me. We went on little adventures together when he visited. Took ferry rides, went to the Space Needle, drove to Mt. Baker. 

 On a ferry ride ...

the Space Needle at night 

and Mt. Baker ...

He took two trips to Washington and during the second trip, I flew back to California with  him. We planned to marry secretly while I was there with him and later, have a wedding with all of our family and friends. He was going to be moving up to Washington with me the next month. So, on September 3rd we married and explored California together. Some of the places we visited during our adventure were Yosemite, June Lake, Burney Falls and Grover Hot Springs. At the end of our trip, I flew back to Washington and we waited for a month to see each other again.

Yosemite 

Burney Falls 

the Sundial Bridge

 The end of September, I flew back to help him move to Washington and along the way, we conceived. We spent the next year really getting to know each other and experiencing the beauty of pregnancy and birth. And now, five years later, we are a family of four. 

Our little family

We spent our anniversary with our little family, dreaming of our next adventures. Exchanging simple gifts ... roses from the garden and pottery for our home.

Forest's Birth Day

Hello, friends!

Our little family has been busy with the arrival of our wee one, Forest. 

Forest arrived on July 6th at 5:58pm (two days past his due date). I just finished writing out his Birth Story, which I decided I will not be sharing on the blog. It is personal to me and something I will share with our family only. I thought I would share some photos from his "birth" day though.

 After being admitted into the birthing pavilion. 

I was 5-6 cm. dilated at this time, according to the triage nurse.

Sienna was there to see Forest arrive into the world. 

Daddy, Sienna & Forest 

Mama, Sienna & Forest 

Our little bear 

Sienna, the big sister! 

Sweet boy. 

Getting Forest ready to leave the birthing pavilion.

Forest's Baby Shower

I've been meaning to write this post for a week now, but the end of the school year activities are keeping this mama busy! 

Sienna and I had a fun time together at Forest's baby shower. We ate a light lunch, opened gifts together, and ate yummy chocolate cake.

Mama & Sienna 

Sienna opening Forest's gifts. She liked the froggy bottom! 

Her favorite gift of the day! A velveteen rabbit to go along with the book The Velveteen Rabbit. We read the book together at bedtime and she loved the story.

Now, we just can't wait to meet little Forest!

Showering Mama

Later today, Sienna and Mama will be going to a baby shower for Forest at Mama's work. On the way home from work/school yesterday Sienna began asking lots of questions about baby showers. She asked if they were going to give Mama a shower and get her clean. We talked a bit about what baby showers are and I told her we would look at photos from her baby shower later. I thought I'd share a few of those photos with you today. Mama thinks her and Daddy look very young! It's funny to think that was 4 years ago!

Welcome, Sienna! 

The staff room at Mama's school. 

Mama & Daddy opening gifts together. 

Lots of little girl clothes! 

Sienna can't wait to share her baby board books with Forest! She organized the basket for him this morning.

We'll share some photos of Forest's baby shower very soon!

Wee One * 9 weeks

Hello, friends.

We are now 9 weeks pregnant.

9 weeks, 4 days - Taken 12/3

Sienna putting her Lucy dolly under her dress.

9 weeks with Lucy.

Feeling/Experiencing: lots of morning sickness/nausea, sleepiness, very sore milkies

Wee One: the size of a grape

Weight Gain/Loss: I haven't really been weighing myself, but I will when we see the midwife.

Our little family goes to the midwife on Wednesday for my first real examination with this pregnancy and to hear the baby's heartbeat.

Wee One

Well, hello friends!

It's been a few weeks since I've last blogged, but I have a little news to share with you all. We will be adding a wee one to our little family come this June/July. Our estimated due date thus far is July 4th.

One of my regrets during my pregnancy with Sienna was not journaling and photographing each week of pregnancy. I would really love to do that this time around. I may or may not be able to blog every week, but I will try.

8 weeks - Taken on 11/23

Feeling/Experiencing: lots of morning sickness/nausea, sleepiness, very sore milkies

Wee One: the size of a kidney bean

Weight Gain/Loss: None yet. I do feel very bloated (I feel like I'm already showing!)

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

May Days

Happy May!

I thought I'd share a few photos of our May days ...

Sienna is really loving balls! A fenced backyard will definitely be a priority for our next move.

Playing catch with Daddy.

A very happy Sienna.

Yay!

What Mama's been up to the last few days ...

Herbal tincture prescribed by the midwife.

Mama and Sienna are also sorting through things. Simplifying feels so good.

"Live simply so others may simply live."

-Mahatma Gandhi

Simplifying.

Quiet

So, I've been rather quiet in this space, but I assure you I am still here and I will begin blogging more again very soon.

Most of you know some of what has been going on with our little family. In March, we were filled with joy as we learned that we would be welcoming a new little wee one in November. Then a few weeks later, the news changed as we learned we actually had a blighted ovum. (I plan to write a more detailed blog about my miscarriage very soon!) I opted to have my miscarriage naturally, but my body seems to be taking its sweet time to complete. Sometimes it feels like the "never ending" miscarriage.

In other news, we are also moving ... once again! Our apartment complex has decided to start charging an outrageous amount for water, since there are not separate meters on each apartment. We paid less for water in every house we have lived in! So, in May we will be moving and I will be taking you on a house tour, once again.

Before I say goodbye, I do want to assure you that with all of the heaviness going on in our home there is also a perfect balance of silliness, too!

Sienna and her Chai Guy.

Chai Guy all dressed up in Sienna's shirt.

I promise I will be back very soon! See you sometime next week.