Peltzer Pumpkin Farm

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Madeleine's fourth month

Life for Madeleine became much more exciting and interesting this month. Along with laughing out loud and "singing" with Mama & Dada when they sing, Madeleine successfully learned how to roll-over, jump in the jolly-jump, sit assisted by the Boppy, is working to produce her first tooth and can now sleep through the night =). In the month of October we attended Joyy Gritten's wedding as she joined in marriage with Sonny Lopez. We also visited the Peltzer Pumpkin Farm with the Fish family. Mama also went back to Weight Watchers this month and is working to get back to goal weight. Dada went on a strike team during the first week of the month leaving mama and baby lots of time to play. Dada and Mama also thought the cooling weather would be perfect for replanting the yard. A few days and some 4 bags of wood bark later the front planters and backyard are being reshaped. With a soon-crawling baby, we are preparing for our future of a pool fence; Daddy is spending lots of time considering re-landscaping for safety. We will probably pull out most of the back planters to concrete them. It will make a nice deck to have behind the spa and create more of a gazebo area when kids are in the pool. (I'll post pics next month that will explain better). MJ dressed as a lion for Halloween to match Mommy's "Dorothy" costume- even Daddy brought out his costume! I am so enjoying this season of life and I can't wait to share November with MJ. She is a joyful, easy baby who is an utter blessing to our family. We have much to be thankful for, and we thank God on high who allowed us to create her with His help.

Madeleine's third month

MJ has been on more family vacations in her first three months than any other baby I know! Our family hitched up Baby Bu (our boat) to Chuck (our Chevy) and headed up to Lake Powell via Zion NP. Tim drove from Temecula, leaving at 12am, to Zion NP arriving 7 hours later. Unlike the Lake Mead trip in July, we only stopped once to feed her on the way there. We spent one day in Zion NP camping for the first time in tents with Mads. She didn't nap too well, but she did stay happy watching the breeze through the trees. After a long nap for Daddy we took the tram through Zion Canyon up to the north end of the park where the "Narrows" starts. I love carrying Madeleine around in the Baby Bjorn, not only is it handy, but it is a great experience in human behavior. As we headed down the trail you can just watch all the eyes turn adoringly toward Madeleine and people whisper, "Oh, so cute" or "Look honey" as they pass. I also noticed that in younger couples it was usually the female who looked adoringly and pulled the attention of her man towards our baby. But in older couples, men as well as their wives were interested in looking at her. I wondered if this was because older men now understand how swiftly the time passed for their own children, or if they have grandkids at home who have softened their hearts, but I noted this and Tim and I commented about the interactions while we walked. We hiked the Riverside Trail which is an easy 1 mile out and back trail. We were all pretty tired from the traveling and it was still fairly hot in the canyon, so we avoided any rigorous trails. Plus, you don't want to get 3 miles out and realize that your baby will no longer be accommodating to your plans =) We had a fun time wading in the canyon- we didn't want to fall with MJ, so we only went a little. A great way to view the park is the watch Beautiful Places in HD, a video podcast- the creator recently did Zion NP. After our little outing, we shuttled into Springdale and ate at a great pizzeria called Pizza & Noodles. In November of 2006 my family had gone there on a little vaca, and the pizza was just as good this time as it was then. Mads and I had a rough night in the tent because it got cool and we had a thunderstorm come through. Tim, who was sleeping outside, had to climb into the truck to sleep- so we were all a little tired when we headed out the next day for Glen Canyon NRA and Lake Powell.
We launched on Saturday with my parents, Risers, Hinrichs boys, Simpsons and Bauers. We set out for the San Juan River arm and had a great time. We were gifted with the big back bedroom which allowed for MJ to be in her pack-n-play for naps, and she did a great job keeping to schedule. She even slept through the night one night out there. We had incredible meals, great swim time, sunshine, fun games (including Dutch Blitz!) and a great group of people on board. Thanks to my parents for giving us their room and sleeping on cots for the sake of Madeleine's comfort.

When we got home, I think we were almost ready to be done vacationing. However, we managed to squeeze in one last trip to Big Bear with Keith, Lori, Elijah and Abbie. We hitched up Baby Bu and headed up the mountain to Serrano campsite. We intended on spending two nights there. The days were beautiful, a perfect early autumn day in the mountains. We walked along the shore and just relaxed under a tree at our campsite. Lori made dinner that night and we enjoyed smores. The night was very cold! I bundled Mads in a sleeper, a jacket, socks and a hat but I still feared she would get too cold as we slept in the back of Chuck. I was freezing all night, and I even slept in my Ugg boots, in my sleeping bag. We had another hard night car camping. The sun was amazingly warm in the morning, and I nursed her under her cover in the sun to banish any night chills. We then packed for a day out on the lake. We launched with all the kids and -our two dogs- and cruised around the lake. Keith, Tim & Lori all tried some sort of watersport. Lori even attempted wakeboarding! I was so impressed that she would even get in the water. I, on the other hand, was chicken of the cold water and unwilling to board on such choppy water. As we ate lunch we decided that we didn't want to spend another night in the cold with the kids (apparently, the Trask air mattress deflated during the night, and Eli and Abbie are getting sick.) So we all decided to enjoy the day and leave after dinner that night. We spent some more time just tooling around on the water, but eventually went back to camp to give the kids time to rest and nap. After my chicken tortilla soup dinner, we made smores again and then headed down the mountain and slept in our own warm, soft beds.

Now here we are, it is autumn and I am ready for the weather to cool down. I have indulged in two pumpkin spice lattes already and have beds to be planted, pumpkin bread to be made and holidays to look forward to...I hope the weather listens to my request =) CBS class has started and I am looking forward to some sense of schedule and routine as we head into one of my favorite seasons. I feel a renewed sense of urgency to clean, organize, plan and decorate...but the weather is sapping my motivation. Maybe as I continue to exercise and lose weight I will be energized- I returned to weight watchers last week and have already lost 3.6 lbs in one week. I am so encouraged because my good friend Christina is getting married early (Jan-Feb) next year, and I don't want to be the fat bridesmaid. As I lose weight, Mads continues to put it on. She is now over 15 (probably closer to 16) pounds and is about 27 inches long! My mom and I were looking at my baby book; the height and weight MJ is now at almost 4 months, I did not reach until 7 months! It is no wonder I think she looks so grown up already! The changes this month have really made me miss the newborn stage. She won't let me snuggle and cuddle her anymore. She wants to play games, move around and observe everything. From two weeks old, I have used the signs MILK, CHANGE and SLEEP. Because of her interest in the fans overhead, I have started using FAN and CAT. She is mesmerized by the cats. She likes to watch them and listens while they meow. Every time they meow, I say CAT- MEOW accompanied by the sign for CAT. I am going to also introduce the signs MOTHER and FATHER to her (substituting the vocally "Mommy" and "Daddy" ). She reaches for objects, holds her head up 90 degrees on her tummy and will sing, screech and coo. She is getting ready to roll over, but nothing yet. Every day she understands more and more; I bought a Baby Einstein exersaucer and she is enjoying the sensation of standing- she is now interacting with toys and enjoys playing. She is drooling excessively, but I didn't get my teeth until 6 months, so we'll see what happens. She also likes playing a little rough- I shake toys in her hands fairly vigorously and she laughs. I rock her up and down while laughing into her neck and she squeals- such a fun age! Daddy also talks and sings with her and she loves to watch him and smile that adorable toothless smile. I adore hearing and watching them interact.

Tim is working to make up or pay forward shifts, so I am trying to be productive at home. After a jog in the meadow with the family last night, I was in the pool thinking about productivity. I tend to procrastinate; I also have lots of ideas, but little follow-through. I think what I will attempt is something I enjoyed on my run: Tim gave me small manageable goals for my running. He would point to a mark and tell me to jog there and back. Then he would point to another mark and tell me to sprint there and back. Then he told me to do two guy push-ups, I would attempt them and then be done. What he was doing was setting a short, achievable goal for me, and I would willingly do it knowing that it would be short, manageable and if I got tired, rest would soon be available. At home, I tend to crowd my time with so much to do that I crumble under the weight of my own ambitions. I am going to try setting short, manageable goals. I will do them immediately and finish the task before moving on. This blog was the first goal I set. Hopefully my new plan will work well for me.

Proverbs 14:23 (NASB)
In all labor there is profit,
But mere talk leads only to poverty.

-Lord, it is my prayer to use the time you have gifted me wisely, and for your glory. May my plans today be pleasing to you, and may I recognize when you are guiding me towards your plan and away from mine. Let me not be so busy, or dedicated to self that I cannot see ways you may want me to give away the gift of my time. May the desire of my heart be manifest though the work of my hands.

Love, Lauren

Madeleine's second month

We have been a busy family- usually we take multiple vacations throughout the summer. We took Mads to Lake Mead in July, she was 5 weeks old. It was in the 100s and although baby did great, it was harder on me nursing so frequently in the heat. I was also still healing which meant no skiing for me behind our new boat. Tim was able to wakeboard and he says the pull is awesome. Can't wait to try it myself in September on Lake Powell.
Madeleine is a happy baby! She is cooing, putting vowel and consenant sounds together and laughing spontaneously. She likes to be up and active and really likes being outside (good thing for us.) She loves the water and floats on her back all day in the pool with help from Tim. She has also discovered the dogs and likes to watch them walk around her. She is filling out, since we finally got breastfeeding down!!! It has been a long, hard road but I think she's good. I keep worrying about my milk supply, but everytime we weigh her at Pickles and Giggles, she is up about a pound a week. She now weighs in at 12lbs 2 ounces and is 25+ inches long. She is not sleeping through the night yet, but I don't think she can because she seems so hungry at her 3:30ish feeding. We'll see what she does in the next few weeks.
I am still healing after a visit to the doctor, but I'm easing back into working out. I've been hesitant to do anything that would compromise my milk supply. It's humbling to be dying on the elliptical machine, doing on 20 minutes when I used to run 4 miles almost every day, but at least the Lord is giving me the ability and time to do that. I am enjoying reading and I have big dreams of planning a menu and actually making food for our family...but I still can't find the time. Moms out there, how long did it really take for you to find time and a rhythm? Also, how long were you in your maternity clothes???!!! I'd be curious to find out =)
Gotta keep it short, but I did post some pics for you to enjoy. Hope you are all well!
Check out new pictures at picasa

Madeleine month 2

Love, Lauren

A Life in Pictures: Month 1

Madeleine's first month

I don't know how everyone finds time to blog...

Madeleine is back to breastfeeding and I can't be happier, hopefully things will continue to progress smoothly and she will gain weight through breast-feeding only. Thank you for all your prayers. Our little squish is growing up fast already, here are her "week" shots- unfortunately I missed week 3.

Week 1: June 9 (blissfully unaware of the gorilla)

Week 2: June 16 (a little apprehensive about the gorilla)

Week 4: June 30 (bored with the gorilla)

1 Month: July 2 (just plain creeped out with this guy)

Love, Lauren

Madeleine Jael Arrives!

The long-awaited debut of Bump! has happened and here is her birth story:

Like most births, this story is fairly graphic, so just be warned that I'm telling details:

I went into "labor" Sunday night. I never experienced the contractions that you could actually walk/talk or function through (latent labor). From the start, my contractions took concentration to relax through and they kept me up. Tim and I labored together all through the night, I even tailor-sat on the ground, propped up in bed and on the toliet nodding off between contractions (about 4-10minutes) for about 10 hours. When the sun started shining around 6am my contractions decreased and eventually lengthened to 20-30min. apart. We decided to do some errands, take the pups to the park and go to the mall for Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Sale. I wanted a scent my Bradley instructor had rubbed on my hand during a class because it was so fresh and relaxing (Juniper Breeze). I would have a contraction every now and then, and even then I would have to hug Tim or stop to work through it. We visited his parents for a little, then we grabbed Rosa's Cantina for dinner and headed home. Labor then started up again around 9pm. I would have working contractions 10 min, then 7 min., then 5 min. apart. They were lasting 1-3 min. in length. I was working on breathing deeply but they were already intense (in my mind). Tim called my Mom to come to our house around 8am. We had called my midwife, Anne Sommers, and after describing the contraction pattern to her, she thought the baby was posterior and needed to turn. We called Dr. Cody Masek from Complete Health Chiropractic and he came to our house to adjust me. He is amazing and if you are looking for a chiro, he is the one to see! After that, my midwife came to check me and told me I was at a conservative 4cm, and she could stretch me to 5cm. I labored on my birth (exercise) ball with my mom while Tim set up the pool the midwife brought. My contractions started to slow again which was really discouraging, but I drank some beet/carrot juice with some calcium magnesium and took a heart-boosting supplement and they picked back up again. Finally, around 2pm I was able to get in the pool and it helped SO MUCH!

 

The warm water and the zero-gravity factor cut the intensity of the contractions in half. I kept working through contractions in the pool and the midwife continued to monitor baby with a doppler. My midwife checked me and she said I was at 6cm but she could feel a cervical lip which was catching the baby. She also felt that the baby still wasn't lined up to descend which is why my labor, though intense, was fairly unproductive in moving the baby down onto the cervix which would signal the hormones my body needed to receive in order to expel baby. I kept it up in the tub, but I was starting to slip into a different state. I don't remember time or details of the room everything became very surreal. Around 4pm I thought I felt the urge to push, but looking back, I think I just wanted to start pushing. My midwife checked me and I was to 8cm but she was hesitant to let me push because if you push with a cervical lip you can swell the cervix and then the baby might go into distress. She had me climb out of the tub and labor on my left side to try and get the lip to release.

 

This was one of the most uncomfortable times in labor for me. Side-lying is one of the most painful positions for me, even during the previous night I had to get up off my side because I felt like that position increased the pain; thus, I was propped up trying to labor, or on the ball which relieved much of the pressure. Anyways, here I was at 8cm and my midwife is telling me to go labor on my side, I was none to thrilled. Tim and my mom helped me get into bed- I have no clear memories of this time, but I know that Tim was there helping me every single second. He never once left me when I needed or wanted him. If he was needed elsewhere (to set up the tub) my mom was there to help me breathe. After forever, I got back in the tub and headed into transition. I remember looking at Tim and my mom and the midwives (at this point the second assistant showed up) and saying "Please help me." All you Mommies know what I mean when I say that I was under no ability to control what my body was doing. Even though I was only 8-9cm by midwife told me that if I wanted to push I could try. I gripped Tim extremely tight and started pushing around 5pm. After about an hour of pushing in the tub, my midwife called Dr. Cody again because my progress was slow. She also told me I needed to get back on the bed so they could "alley-oop" my legs back and get better force out of the water. Dr. Cody came AGAIN and Anne had him work on my sachrial tibia in order to open my pelvis. He also did this crazy pubic bone adjustment because Bump was getting caught on the pubic bone too. (She just didn't want to come out!) He had me lay on my back with my knees up and press my outer thighs against his palms, he then pushed really hard and quick against me and we all heard a loud POP! (I heard some gasping- maybe my mom) I guess it released my pubic bone for her to get out. All the while, Bump!'s heartbeat was very strong and never distressed. Pushing contractions were upon me and I pushed so hard I thought my butt was going to rocket off my body. When I wasn't contracting, Dr. Cody was trying to get that muscle in my back left and right thigh to release, this meant that I was once again on my side laboring (this made me very unhappy). Because he would work until the next contraction, I had to push on my side too; I didn't like this position, I would have rather been in a modified squat, but I needed to have the ligaments release. After about 1 1/2 hours of side pushing, I finally rolled my legs back and was able to crown Bump! I was given oxygen to perk me up and revitalize me, but I was breathing through my mouth, and I honestly didn't really feel it, maybe I needed a higher feed. At this point in the pushing stage, everyone kept saying I was getting close and they could see her head and they were all excited. Coley (the other midwife) even had me touch her head coming out, but all I touched was about 2cm round of her hair- after that, I didn't want to see pictures or look in a mirror because I was very much ready to have her but it still seemed such a long way off. I pushed until she rocketed out and the midwife quickly grabbed at her, saying "Tim, get the baby!" because she came out SO FAST! I don't know if anyone realized how hard I was pushing to get her out, but her speed of departure might have made everyone realize how much pressure I was exerting to get her out! Her cord was very short and she didn't quite make it to my chest, but Tim laid her on my mid-section and was crying and kissed me.

 

She was so warm and pink and was crying as soon as she hit the air. 

Tim cut the cord and I just held her for a while.

 

Then I said, "Hi Madeleine, hi baby girl."

 

She was born June 2 at 7:39pm and weighed 7lbs. 15 1/2 oz., she was 20 3/4 in. and she is perfect. People have asked me if at any point I wanted to be in a hospital or if I wanted pain medication. I did not once think that I wanted to be in a hopsital, there was a point in time when I thought I might end up at the hospital and that scared me so much. In my mind, the labor was going poorly and I didn't want to have to go in for an emergency c-section. I guess things weren't as bad as I imagined because being at or going to the hospital never came up. Tim also asked me if I would have taken medication if it had been offered. Again, I never once thought about having a drug to help in pain management, but if I had been offered one, I would have taken it. I think for me, being at home where there was no option of drugs was best because it kept me from taking one during a time when I had little control over my faculties. There was a time when I felt totally out of control, but even during those times God gave me the strength to be kind to my husband and mom and be glorifying to Him, so I couldn't have been so out of control that I wasn't able to use my rational mind which chooses good. All that to say, even at the worst, had I been offered drugs, I would have had to use my rational mind to choose to take them. I would have known what I was doing and I had made a choice long before to birth Madeleine without drugs. I don't know if in that time if I had been offered drugs, if I would have stuck to my original choice. (Does that make sense?) For what it is worth, my midwife said this was the hardest labor she has birthed all year. So why do it this way? I guess there are a few things I have learned in choosing to labor for 30+ hours and deliver at home without pain-reducing drugs. The first thing I learned is that my God is one of power and faithfulness. He created me to do what I did. I certainly wouldn't choose to initiate contractions if it were of my own accord, but God knows just what it takes to deliver a child and he created my body with the ability to do it. He was also faithful, faithful to give me the strength and ability to deliver our baby safely. It was He who oversaw what happened that day and He in whom I can trust to deliver me safely from my sins. I also learned that my husband is an absolutely amazing man. He labored with me through everything and I could not have done it without him. He didn't just create a child with me, he created an experience and memory for all time. He loved me, looked me in the eye, breathed with me, held me, danced with me, fed me, let me almost tear his arms off in the birth pool pushing, cleaned up after me, cried with me, told me he loved me and basically helped carry me through our birth. There is no way I could have done it without him and there is no way I would have chosen ANY one else to be my husband and the father to my baby. He is so tender and kind and during these hours, I know God was calling him to be Christ to me in a unique way. I also learned that my mom has the heart of a servant. I know it was hard for her to watch me through some of the birth, but she was there happily to share with and support Tim and I as we delivered. She joyfully played the go-fer in every instance. I'm happy we chose to do it at home and thankful that God saw to bless us.