37 week photo shoot

Remember when I took self portraits of a mama pregnant with Adelaide? Click here to see them.
Today Myles took some photos of us in our living room. I'm really feeling urgent about getting things done like pictures, baby clothes washed and ready etc. The only thing I have left to do now is a belly cast. I hope she waits for me! I know I should have a good 3 weeks left...but I'm starting to really wonder.



Lazy Winter Days

For the past few days I have been feeling STRANGE. It could be because Adelaide and I are sick. Almost every kid we know has had Croup over the last few weeks, and of course Adelaide woke up the other night with a barking cough. Luckily she is a strong and healthy little thing, and only coughed a few times and we haven't heard it again since. She does have a runny nose though and a scratchy voice. I also am feeling under the weather. My chest is congested and I'm having a hard time breathing. I never know if it's an illness, or from all of the fires in our wood stove leaking smoke, and the dry air from the heater....and from this baby pushing my lungs up into my throat...it could be anything really!

But I am also SO TIRED. My iron levels are fine so I know it's not that. I just feel like I want to sleep for hours and hours and hours. Even when I get to (like all weekend because Myles is so awesome and gets up with Adelaide so I can sleep in!) I still feel tired. And today I'm feeling light headed and dizzy. I need to drink more water and keep resting. Gosh it's so hard to rest with a 3 year old!....

Speaking of - Adelaide is so amazing, and really such a stinker these days. She will do everything opposite of what you ask her. She has stopped cleaning up messes like she used to, she refuses to get dressed or to cooperate at all when we need to get ready. Basically she does what SHE wants to do and that's about it. I know it's normal for her development and sometimes it's actually really funny, but it sure takes a lot of energy to do ANYTHING. Oh boy I hope I get my energy back once this baby is born. Lord knows I need it!

Jumping Jacks

"This is how I do jumping jacks"

Day with the midwives



Today our midwives came over for our home visit. That is one of my favorite things about a home birth...when they come over and do a prenatal visit at your house. Adelaide was so happy and excited to have them here. She even got out her Dr. mask from her dress up clothes (I don't know why because the midwives don't wear those masks?!) and her ribbon to measure my belly. She was such a show off and big part of the whole appointment. This little sister is going to have to be tough!



Maybe we have a future midwife on our hands??

This is Adelaide with our midwive Melissa.

And here is her strong heartbeat!



Here is a link to our home visit when I was pregnant with Adelaide. http://eliskasblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/another-home-visit-and-refinance.html
Is it me, or do things seem a little bit more relaxing?

36 weeks

Myles took these after my blessingway....I was one tired mama!!

Mama baby blessing

I have grown and changed so much through this pregnancy. I am feeling strong and feminine and so lucky to know such amazing women. My sweet friend Megan put together a blessingway ceremony for me and I was so honored. I was feeling bad for ourselves for not having a babyshower. Sometimes I'm so good at feeling sorry for myself, when in all honesty we really don't need very much for this baby anyway. I just really wanted to know that someone else was excited and anticipating this baby as much as our little family does.

Megan is the perfect person to put on a blessingway, and I'm so lucky to have her in my life. I have been very much into ceremony anyway lately as you might be able to tell by my blog. On the morning of this blessing I was very nervous, not only to accept the love that I might recieve, but also because this means that our sweet girl will be here so soon. I'm feeling anxious and tired, am I really ready for what lays ahead? I can not wait to see her bright eyes and sweet face, but part of me really is nervous about such a big change and what it will mean to our family as a threesome. Either way, there is a very strong spirit inside of me and I'm enjoying every moment these days of sharing my body with hers. I know these special times go much too fast so I'm trying to really soak it in. It's hard to spend the time I did when I was pregnant with Adelaide. We already have the room set up how it will continue to be, already have the tiny clothes, swings, and diapers all ready. Things are so different the second time around.

I am crushed because (just like at Adelaide's party) I had planned to get a photo of all of us girls together, but totally forgot and then everyone was gone and it was too late.

For those that don't know, a blessingway is a very intimate circle of friends who gather to give love and courage to an upcoming birth. I felt that the ceremony was perfect and so beautiful. I felt so loved and lucky to be surrounded by friends.

There were 8 other women besides myself at my blessing. We sat in a circle. In the middle I had laid out our "birthday cloth" and friend brought flowers and plants from nature to put down. I also put out the little hat and booties that I knitted for our sweet baby, as well as some baby pictures of Myles and I, and a photo of my great grandmother Alice, because our baby is due on her birthday, and I feel like she might carry her spirit.

In a typical blessingway ceremony the women go around and introduce themselves by saying "I am -----, daughter of -------- granddaughter of ------ and on though the mother line for as far as they know. Because I don't have a mother I wanted to do things different. So for my blessing I started by lighting 3 candles, for past, present and future, and then I read the ancestor blessing from Tami Kent's book. It was a tearful but powerful and special moment. I felt the power of my ancestors behind me.
Next the women went around in a circle and said how they knew me. There were a few girls I've known from my San Diego days, one from Chico, and several from Portland. It was fun to go back and remember what brought us all together. As the blessing went on each woman light a candle for the next, gave me a special bead that they brought for me and explained what it meant and why it was important, and we all looped a red ribbon around our left wrist along the circle, until the end when we were all connected as one. Next we cut the ribbon and everyone tied it to their wrist. The purpose is for them to keep the ribbon on until my baby is born, each time noticing it they can send me love or strength. It was beautiful. There were several moments of tears in mine and others eyes. It was special. It was love. Oh - and each girl wrote a blessing to me and the baby on a pretty card and then went around and read them to me. They were beautiful and empowering messages.

Right on time Adelaide and Jai ran through the door with big sunflowers for me. It was so sweet of Myles and the perfect way to end the blessing. Then we all got to feast on the potluck that was brought, and then everyone went home. It was just what I needed and I feel so lucky to have been blessed by so much love.

Adelaide and Jai

Jai is Adelaide's favorite friend of all. We don't get to see them much because they moved a few hours away, but they came up for my blessingway and Myles took Adelaide and Jai out for a few hours. You should see her face when she talks to him on the phone! It's the sweetest most innocent love ever and I just love to watch them grow together.

Blocks

Look at this amazing Tower that Adelaide made all by herself out of blocks! Maybe she will be an architect someday?

Paul Bunyan

Here is Adelaide posing with the GIANT Paul Bunyan statue in Portland. It's BIG!!!

Bean Monster

Adelaide picked out her clothes today and I thought she looked so adorable and colorful. She is such a silly girl at dinner time.

35 Weeks

Mama's weight - 167  (up 21 lbs from pre-prego weight)
Fundus Height - 35 cm (perfect!)
Baby's heart rate - 130's
My bloodpressure, labs and everything else look perfect!
Mama is feeling good, but very tired all of the time. Adelaide will NOT nap, so mama doesn't either.
Highlight - next week is our home visit with the midwives!!!

Also - sweet girl is moving around SO MUCH. She never changes position, but really loves to stretch her feet and knees out as far as she can. I swear one day she is going to poke right through my skin!

Rocking chair song

Adelaide was rocking her Tigger, Pigglet, AND her frog prince.

Knitting

Here is a little hat and booties that I knitted for our sweet baby girl. I also knitted up some mittens to match, but they weren't done when I took the photo. I have tried so many bootie patterns, and am happy that I finally found one I actually like!

Adelaide wrote her name!

Adelaide and Phoenix

Don't they look like twins?

Twinkle, Twinkle

Adelaide's favorite restaurant has an accordian player. That's why it's her favorite restaurant! Her granny and grandpa took us out to dinner for her birthday and she got to sing along.

Sweet Family pictures

There is nothing I love more than pictures of us all together! Here we are, Myles, Adelaide, Me, BABY in the belly, and my dad.

What's with the accent?

3rd Birthday Party!

Adelaide actually had a HUGE party, but we didn't really get any pictures of it =( It was a bit crazy and overwhelming...and next year I really need to remember that smaller is better. Either way, it was a blast and we are so lucky to have so many friends and amazing families who had to travel so far to come celebrate with us! Adelaide always feels so special on her birthday, and that's because she gets so much love. How blessed we are!

Adelaide got to pick out her cake. She choose Rapunzel of course!

Laurie and Grandpa Jerry watching her open her pin the tail on the donkey game from Laurie

After the party she got a special gift from Granny, a dollhouse!

She looked like a little princess in her fancy birthday dress

Here is "take two" of her blowing out the candles. The first time we all sang to her, but she was overwhelmed and broke down in tears!! Later she told me it was because SHE forgot to sing (maybe because we started singing without her and she felt left out??) Or maybe because we had her standing on a chair in front of everyone, and neither Myles and I were there with her....so after she calmed down she wanted to blow the candles again, but this time with no birthday song.

Birthday

Adelaide is SPOILED by all of her family out of town!

                                           

                               She woke up to a whole bunch of balloons and a party hat on her pooh bear

                                          

We went to Janzen Beach to the Carosel, just like last year

And after dinner she got to eat some cake!

Adelaide at THREE!

Where does the time go? My baby is such a big girl now, and changes every single day. First off,  here are her stats at 3 years old:

Height - 37 inches (50th percentile)
Weight - 30 lbs (50th percentile)
Her big head is 49.9 cm (75th percentile!!!) So she has a big head!!! No wonder she's so smart =)

Adealide is so full of energy and so happy. She never stops talking and is really into pretending that she is differnt animals and characters. Right now her very favorite things are Tigger (and anything Pooh related). She is also very into Disney's Tangled movie and all of the characters. She often times pretends that her other toys are the characters from the movie. She still really likes to dress up as well. She is getting better at playing independently and can keep herself busy for quite a while sometimes. She really loves to color and draw. She can recognize all of her letters (upper and most lowercase) and numbers up to 12 or so. She loves to practice writing letters. We have little workbooks that we work in where she can trace the letter and then write it herself.

She loves to bounce and jump on two feet. Right now she is taking a dance class, which is the highlight of her week. She really loves to dance! She is also very outgoing and confident. The shy little girl she used to be is a thing of the past, and now she will sing and talk to any and everyone that gives her attention.

She has stayed with her friend Jacory for a few hours twice now, and doesn't even flintch when I say goodbye. I think she would love to be going to preschool at this point, however that is not financially possible. She also like to practice sewing on her sewing cards, and LOVES to do puzzels. She is getting very good at them.

Overall she is such a happy and outgoing child. I can really tell that all of the work and attachment parenting that Myles and I have practiced is paying off. She is confident and secure, and such a little sunshine. I can't wait to see her as a big sister. I know she will be the best big sister that anyone could ever be!