Thoughts on being pregnant: Meet Ada

This morning I woke up because I thought I had peed myself. After finding that there was no urine in my underwater, I felt my heartrate rise. Had my water broken?! Quickly I changed my underwear and waited in the bathroom to see if any more mysterious fluid would appear. Yep, I was pretty sure my water had broken. Jeremy was just as shocked once I told him and we started preparing to go to the hospital.

When we go the the hospital they confirmed that yes my water had indeed broken. By this point it was a pretty steady trickle.  I was also 1cm dialated and I let them know that on Friday baby was breech. I should have known something was up when after the midwife nurse left I kept hearing "ruptured breech" being whispered in the hallway.

By 7am I was taken upstairs, given an IV and my doctor confirmed that yes, baby had not turned and was still breech.  What this ment I was not prepared to hear. Since my water had already broken I would need a c-section, and since I had eaten some breakfast before coming in I would be scheduled for noon. Oh boy. This was not part of my birth plan. I was supposed be having a natural birth. My plan had me avoiding an epidurl, I never imaginged anything beyong that. A c-section ment a spinal, major surgery and intense recovery.

Since I was having steady contractions my doctor checked me again to see if I had dialated any further. I was now at 2cms. My doctor left the room for a few minutes and came back with the nurse anesthesis and told me that since I was progressing they would be doing the c-section within the hour so that I couldnt dialate enough that something could go poorly for the baby. After a whirlwind of information I got prepped and before I knew it, I was numb from the chest down and laying on an operating table. I will not go into detail concerning the procedure, however I will say it was one of the most terrifing things I've ever experienced. Jeremy and my nurse-anesthesistis got me through it and for that I am thankful.

Weirdly Jeremy had a more in depth birth experience. He saw the procedure (he had now seem more of my body than I have). He coached me through my tears and fright. He anounced that we had a baby girl, and to cut part of the ambilical cord. He got to hold her.

Reality started to set in once the numbness wore off and I was able to hold and keep our daughter. Every movement hurt, but our little Ada was healthy. Holding her skin to skin is something I will charish forever and is the memory I am trying to burn into my memory from this experience.

Welcome Ada! It's going to be a wild ride.

Thoughts on being pregnant: week 37

Pregnancy has been pretty boring thus far. No morning sickness. No weird cravings. Baby's heads down. I was feeling.pretty good about things. This week changed that.

Two weeks ago I measured small. Then last week I measured small again, so my doctor had me go for an ultrasound. I went in  on Friday and baby measured fine - about 5.5 pounds. But contrary to what I had been told, baby was sitting breech. And I was low on ambiotic fluid. Wait, what? These were two unexpected findings. The doctor was worried that I was leaking fluid, so I had to get tested that day and come back for another ultrasound on Monday. If for some reason I was leaking fluid, or my water had broke without me realizing, I was told that I would be induced. Good news is there was no leak. Had my water broken I would have been scheduled for a c-section that day, and lord knows we were not ready for that.  But that still didn't explain the low fluid. Should I be worried? How low can I be before it is dangerous? Do I just need to drink more liquid? And the baby is breech, does that mean I am going to need a c-section regardless? Is there still time to get baby to turn?

So much left unknown.

Thoughts on being pregnant: week 36

I'm now at 36 weeks and it definately feels like our baby is on the way. My back and hips hurts all the time   and I'm pretty sure I've started "nesting". The problem with my nesting is that it isn't in my nature to keep an area clear of clutter for very long (I am a horizontal organizer) so I keep tidying up the same things over and over again. But have also organized all out baby things and clothing as well as started to pack my labor bag. I've also been trying to make space for all the new things for baby, which has been quite the challenge in our 600sq foot apartment.

This week will be our last baby class and we will also take a tour of our birthing center. The classes have been really helpful with what to expect during labor and postpardum, but I must admit I am nervous for when baby is actually here. What will our baby be like? How will I know what it wants? Will I be an emotional wreck? Will I be super protective?

I guess we will find out soon enough!

The Northern Lights came to Milwaukee

It is nights like this when I wonder what we ever did without social media.  If it weren't for Facebook I probably wouldn't have even known that there was a chance of seeing the Northern Lights in Wisconsin.  If I has not searched Instagram and found hundreds of amazing pictures being posted of the lights in real time from around the world I probably wouldn't have ventured out to see if I could actually catch a glimpse.  I'm so glad that I did.

It's unusual for the Northern Lights to dip down as low as Wisconsin, let along be seen in a city with as much light pollution that Milwaukee has. I truly had my doubts, but I went with a friend to the darkest spot in the city I could think of and what do you know, there they were.  Of course they

Thoughts on being pregnant: week 33

I've gotten to the point in my pregnancy when things are starting to get uncomfortable and challenging. I need help with my socks and shoes. I get stuck when trying to roll over in bed. My calf muscles are in knots. And I have to hold my abdomen during every sneeze. All this being said, pregnancy is still a fascinating and surreal experience.

I have always known that babies live and grow surrounded by fluid, however it hasn't been until recently that I connected all of our babies movements to that fluid. When I am standing baby is sitting

Thoughts on being pregnant: 30 weeks

We found out in the beginning of September that we were going to have a baby.  September also marked our third year in Milwaukee and the start of a new job for me working at an elementary school. In October, my doctor confirmed the pregnancy and announced that I was already 12 weeks along. That was a surprise!  Of course we kept tradition and didn't let anyone know until 20 weeks.

It has been funny tracking my pregnancy with the school year. When I was hired, I was my normal self, but as the weeks went by, changes in my body started to happen.  I remember the day that it started to become uncomfortable to ride my bike to work...oh nooooooo!  However, it was now mid-November and the winter

Thoughts on being pregnant: 25 weeks

"Are you expecting?"
"Nah, it's just a new diet I've been trying."

It's becoming more apparent now that I am pregnant, but I am also still small enough that people still wonder. It is interesting how many people comment about my size or ask me how I am feeling.  I don't mind these questions at all, but I know that some women find them annoying or invasive. The more questions people ask me, the more I come to reflect on what is actually happening to my body. 

I am currently at 25 weeks.  I've gained 10 pounds and my waist size has grown from 28 inches to 34. Like I mentioned before, most

We're expecting!

I am 20 weeks pregnant!  Baby A will be making it's debut in late April 2015. 

Riverwest 24

Since moving to Milwaukee in August 2011, we kept hearing about Riverwest 24 (RW24). Our friend Ivan was the first one to tell us about it. It is a bike race the goes for 24 hours through the neighborhood of Riverwest. The point is to raise awareness, build community and to have a hell of a good time. Instantly it was something we wanted to be a part of even though we lived four miles outside of the neighborhood.

2012 - we went to the Czech Republic during the RW24.

2013 - we were riding our bikes across the country. We were somewhere in Eastern Montana during the RW24.

2014 - Jeremy is in Nigeria, plus we completely missed the sign-up day.

But I was going to go anyway considering we now lived in Riverwest! It's a huge community event with around 1,000 riders and  a few thousand spectators. Block parties, costumes, cheering, music, and bikes. All for 24 hours straight. Oh RW24, how grand you are!

Mid-July garden update

It's mid-July and things finally look like they are growing and we, or shall I say I since Jeremy is in Nigeria, are having our first yield. Just this week it stopped raining everyday and I started picking peas, kale, beans and a tomato. Thankfully our friend Sam was willing to take the tomato off my hands so I didn't have to deal with not wanting to eat it, ew. Hopefully none of the other tomatoes will ripen until Jeremy returns.

Gardening in raised beds and containers is fun, and I'm thankful to have fresh produce. However, I can't help but want more. We have ten bean plants, three feet of pea plants, we will be lucky to get 20 onions, four potato plants, a row of carrots, a small lettuce box and a handful of pepper plants that may

Jackie gets a bath

Bath time was bound to happen, so with it being 94 degrees in our apartment I figured why not. Both of us would dry in no time and maybe it would cool her down.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, Jackie is the best. Bath time went way better than expected. She let me put her in the bathtub with the only protest being more of a whimper than a meow. I poured water all over. Again some meowing and a little squirming, but no claws, no climbing up me or out of the tub. I think the worst part was the soap and mostly because she wasn't just wet but now all bubbly. A good rinse and out of the tub and wrapped into a towel. She did scute away more quickly than usual, and with a funny little hop.
I have never bathed a cat before and I had only heard horror stories about claws, water everywhere, and angry kittys. There was none of that. As Jackie licked herself dry,  I assisted in detangling her fur by giving her a good brush down. She loved it, plus all her fur stuck to the brush rather than going airborne.
The best part is as I type this Jackie is laying on my like nothing ever happened. I gave my cat a bath and she still loves me. Success.

Scrap-wood table

I love our back yard. It's sunny. It's shady. It's the best. We have hosted a number of backyard parties, which have been great! But they always seemed to be missing something: a table. We folks, my wish came true this afternoon when I noticed that our neighbors across the ally had tosses a set of wooded picnic table legs. Just my luck! I scurried on over and brought them over. I had picked up a number of pallets which have been waiting patiently to be part of my next project, it was not time!

Materials:
- picnic table legs
- pallet
- screws
- my new cordless drill
- (2) burlap coffee bags
- sheet of plastic

New addition to our garden

This spring/summer has been pretty chilly and you can tell just by looking at our garden. I swear our pepper plants haven't grown an inch since I planted them outside. Sure our peas and carrots are taking off, but that's about it. So I decided it was time to finally use those windows I picked up about two months ago. You got it, it's greenhouse time! But I don't want to name my pepper plants, so I made an a-frame style warmth catcher that will also block the wind that rips through our yard, but will also have air flow. I guess we'll see how things turn out!

June garden update

It's mid June and after a long, cold winter/spring our garden is in full swing! Here's what we will expect to harvest later in the summer and into the fall:

Peas
Carrots
Green beans
Bell peppers
Tomatoes
Onions
Zucchini
Potatoes
Kale
Basil
Cilantro
Parsley
Dill
Chives
Lettuce

Potatoes in a bucket

So back in February I was rooting through our pantry for some potatoes only to find that there was only one very lonely forgotten stud that had decided it was time to make something of it's life. I have seen on many occasions potatoes sprouting in our pantry. Generally I cut the growth off and eat the rest. This time was different. I wanted to know how long it would grow for out of soil. So I let Jeremy know that the potato was my experiment and put it next to the sink.

Not much happened with my potato for about a month. Then out of the blue these itty-bitty leaves formed and things really took off.  There where two main clumps of growth, so it was at this point that I cut them a part and stuck them in soil. Small pots at first, and then finally into 5gal buckets when I loved them outside.

Today makes 4.5 months since I found my sprouting red potato, and I got to celebrate by harvesting a few new ones.

Box-o-perennials

So at work there are these three great flower beds filled with perennials. Some natives, some generic flower bed flowers. Regardless, they are beautiful beds, they just need some TLC.

Today, to my horror, I saw compost being dumped on the beds, still filled will flower! I get it, we are a farm, but WHY on earth wouldn't we take the time to remove the perennials, lay down cardboard to cover the weeds AND THEN put down the compost for our plants?! I asked a co-worked if I could dig some up to save, and after getting the "go-ahead" me and other co-worked started digging out any remaining flowers.

Here is what I brought home with me:
- Columbine or Granny's bonnet
- Lemon balm
- Tulips
- unknown plant

There are a number of places I want to plant flowers in our yard, so with this round of free plants I started working on the space between the house and walkway. It is hard to mow vegetation there, plus after a closer look there are already some cool flowers growing. 
The next step will be getting my hands on some woodchip!

Road trip: Green Bay, WI

This weekend the blue grass band that Jeremy is in played a barn raising party in Oneida, WI. Oneida is just southwest of Green Bay, so we decided to check out Green Bay with Kent and Ellie (Jeremy's bandmate and his wife) before the show.

Green Bay reminded me a lot of Erie. It has a bay. There are two brewaries. There are trains that run through each. The size is pretty much the same - around 100,000 people. And get this, both cities have a small amusement park with a cool wooden roller coaster.

Being from western PA and cheering for Steelers, we always get crap for now liking the Packers. So of course we stopped to point at Lambeau Field.  Jeremy got his picture taken while rambling on in Pittsburgheez about how we should have won the superbowl. It wasn't at all what we had expected, but it was very nice. Not nearly enough Packers stuff in peoples yards as I had anticipated, then again it is the off season.

After going to see Lambeau, Ellie lead us downtown to a cafe she used to work at call Kavarna. Kavarna is the Czech word for coffee shop! We had a delicious lunch there and picked up some even more delicious peanutbutter ricecrispy bricks before heading over to one of the local breweries. It is clear that the downtown does well, as there where shops or cafes in every window.

Green Bay is home to two breweries: Hinterland and Titletown. Hinterland is sold in Milwaukee, so we decided to try Titletown. Jeremy has their Pilsner and gave it too thumbs up.

Our last stop before heading to the blue grass show was Bay Beach, which is Green Bay's amusement park. This was my favorite part of our trip. Jeremy and Kent went on the Zippen Pippen, which just so happened to be Elvis' favorite roller coaster. Build in 1912, it was relocated to Green Bay in 2010 from Memphis, TN. Cool.

Garden update: We have soil!

This past week our down stairs neighbors must have though we had become some weird hoarder people with all the random stuff that was accumulating in our back yard: pots, wood, cardboard, a tarp. But it all came together on Saturday!

We got our soil/compost on Thursday, which we had to move quickly so we could park behind our house again. We built another raised bed and with the help of a friend we were able to get woodchip to mulch around our two bed. I think if we stay in Milwaukee I would like to add atleast one more bed.

On Saturday we also planted our peas, beans and carrots. Today I think I am going to start transplanting our peppers and onions. The bed needs more soil still, but we have plenty of containers that would work for now.

First harvest of the season

Today we had our first harvest! Yay! Sadly, the next one won't be for awhile. With the cold weather, and lack of soil,we haven't put much in the ground. Our lettuce and spinach also fell prey to the mighty lawn bunny or squirrel. I can saw which, but they were definitely a fan of red velvet. Oh well, such is life. I threw down some more seed in the bed, so there will be more soon enough!

Worm bin experiment

Worm bins are great. You can get rid of your veggie waste AND the castings are the perfect fertilizer. Plus you have tons of worms doing their thing: eating, pooping, reproducing - baby worms are super cute!

We check our bin daily to make sure everything is doing alright, and every so offer I'll find something growing. First it was potatoes and more recently peppers. This got me wondering, couldn't I start plants in our worm bin? It's warm, humid and dark, sounds perfect for seed germimation.

So this morning I filled a container with some castings, added some tomato seeds and plopped it back into our bin. I guess we will see what happens. The container will make it easy to remove the seedlings from the bin, since they will need sunlight once they sprout.