Easter celebrations

We've been so lucky this year with a mild winter and warm spring. Since Easter fell early this year I was worried it'd be too cold or rainy for any outside festivities but we ended up with beautiful weather the past 2 weeks which was perfect! Last weekend we went down to Matt's parent's house for our traditional Easter Egg Hunt and egg dyeing. The kids always have so much fun searching their yard for eggs and I love that the egg dyeing doesn't happen at my house! We've done the big community egg hunts in the past but it just ends up being so crowded, chaotic and quick while only going home with a couple eggs. These quiet hunts are much more our style. The kids get a chance to really search the yard, take time to enjoy each egg they find and there isn't a mound of other random children knocking them down. 

 They quickly filled up their buckets and headed inside to see what they got! Grandma always fills the eggs with fun treats (almonds, granola bars and goldfish crackers) while Grandpa usually sneaks in some money. The kids, obviously, love it all.

 Our egg dyeing was probably the cleanest we've ever done. I usually like to do it outside so if we spill any dye it just goes in the grass but it started raining right after our egg hunt so the kitchen had to do this year. But, the kids waited so patiently (shocking, I know!) for the eggs and loved choosing which colors to use.

 Beautiful eggs!

 This weekend we had my brother and sister-in-law over for a pre-Easter dinner the night before. Then, it was time to fill the baskets before we headed to bed. I don't like to go overboard or get them a lot of candy so we chose a new movie, jump rope, sidewalk chalk, socks and some pencils. Their one request for candy was a chocolate bunny this year.

 When they woke up we talked about what the real meaning of Easter was (just to remind them before the excitement of that chocolate bunny went to their heads!). Lucy, clearly, just wanted to see her basket. Haha!

 We got ready for church and even had time to take some pictures outside. They looked adorable in their new clothes.

 Church was fun crazy. I volunteered to help teach the preschool class with 2 of our other small group friends but when we saw the herd of little ones running down the hall, Matt graciously offered to stay and help. Thank goodness! At the end of the hour he asked if that was a typical Sunday (since I teach that class once a month).  Yep, pretty accurate! I think he found a new respect for all the teachers and instead of hopefully recruiting him for next year, I think we scared him away. Oh well!
We came home, gave the kids a nice long nap and then prepped for another egg hunt in our backyard. I had to get a pic of a little egg with our sweet little baby though. 29 weeks!

 One of the best things we've done is color coordinated eggs. That way we can find harder hiding spots for Carters eggs and they end up with the same amount at the end.

 They still like to help each other out when they spot them but it makes for a much happier hunt for everyone.

 At the end of the day we relaxed with a family movie, simple dinner of burgers and roasted veggies and some quality time together. It was the perfect Easter!

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2nd trimester, birth centers and love.

I said it with my other pregnancies but this time it's even more true...why is time going by so fast?!? I'm already 24 weeks, feeling great, feeling this baby kick, kick, kick and enjoying every little moment of this pregnancy. 

I mentioned in a previous post about a new delivery method for me this time. My first 2 babies were born in a hospital, with an OB, 1 with an epidural and 1 completely unmedicated. They were great, wonderful, beautiful births.  But this time I wanted something a little different.

Today I had another appointment with my midwife. Yep, an out of hospital midwife at a birth center. It has been such an enjoyable experience, one that I didn't necessarily see myself in 5 months ago. I started this pregnancy knowing I wanted to see a midwife but having such a strong medical background (and a nervous husband) the best fit seemed to be a hospital-based midwife group. The first appointment went well but after learning my insurance wouldn't cover them I had to make a big change. And quick.

I called and called around. I talked to friends. I thought long and hard about what I really wanted for this pregnancy. After learning the frightening statistics of epidural rates with local OB groups and knowing I was seeking an unmedicated birth I decided to interview the birth center. Matt was hesitant while I was nervously excited. 

Well...it went amazingly well. Everything I was seeking for this birth was part of their standard of care. Relationship building was a central factor. Low interventions. Focusing on health and nutrition during pregnancy. Really thorough postpartum support. It had it all and I was sold!

Fast forward 16 weeks or so and my experience continues to be positive. Today I got to chat with my midwife for almost an hour and never felt rushed to leave. My blood pressure was taken at the end of the appointment. I never have to get on a scale, rather just tell them my weight based on my home measurements. Lucy was just as much a part of the visit (Carter was at preschool) as I was and was encouraged to help the midwife use the doppler to hear the heartbeat.  Good nutrition was a key conversation. Balance, trust, support, positive energy and focusing on what I really want is central. It's just amazing! I'm so happy I chose to deliver at an out of hospital birth center this time.

20 weeks

22 weeks

 24 weeks

Don't get me wrong. An out of hospital birth is not for everyone, for a variety of reasons. And I totally respect that. I love supporting women at work, personal friends and friends of friends who are birthing in a variety of environments, in a variety of ways (medicated, unmediated, home birth, c-sections, whatever!). Birth is amazing and miraculous no matter what.
But for me, for this baby, this just feels so right.
Things will be different than a hospital birth. I will have no access to any medications. I will have intermittent monitoring. No IV. Able to eat and drink freely. Access to a bath tub and water birth, if I choose. Snuggling in bed with baby and Matt right after delivery. And....going home just 2-4 hours after I deliver to rest in the comfort of my own bed with a home visit from my midwife 24 hours later to check in on us and perform all the normal routine checks that a hospital would provide.
And, during this whole process, we have chosen to have a good friend capture every beautiful moment. As we head over to the birth center so will our birth photographer! She'll stay with us the entire time and photograph some of the eventful moments for us to cherish later on. I'm so excited for these images (especially since we don't know the sex!) and will post them once I deliver.
So....after writing a novel....that's where I'm at! Happy, healthy and absolutely loving this pregnancy.

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one big photo dump.

In an effort to update the blog, get pictures off my phone and not spend all afternoon writing post after post, here is an extra big photo dump from the last few weeks of our lives. In no particular order....

Game night - the kids got a few new games for Christmas and have been so excited to have family game night (or morning or afternoon). A few Friday's ago we decided to pop some popcorn and play Trouble, Candyland and Hi Ho Cheerio. It's so fun now that they have a longer attention span and understand the "real" rules of the games.

 Lucy and I sportin' our Seahawks gear before the NFC Championship game...go hawks!

 I had a special date day with Carter a few weeks ago. He is so good about recognizing when he needs a little one-on-one time and isn't afraid to ask for it. So, his request was to go to Costco for a hot dog lunch. Simple kid. Plus, I got to do a needed Costco run while we were there!

 Lucy is big into having her nails painted lately. And, she's getting better about sitting still for 10 minutes after they are painted to wait for them to dry (most of the time). One night she wanted to paint mine for me...not bad!

 When Carter is at preschool we get to have all sorts of fun going to bookstores, Target, parks, and snacks at the local grocery store. Berries were a hit this day!

 Later that morning we walked to the pet store nearby to see all the animals. This one is so great because they have a doggy daycare on site that you can just watch. I think we stood here for 25 minutes just watching, waving and "playing" with the dogs.

 About 4 months ago Matt and I bought tickets for the kids to see Disney Live "Pirates and Princesses." We knew it would be on the same day as the NFC Championship game but at the time the Seahawks weren't doing so well and thought we'd be safe to not have double plans that day. Four months later we were wrong! Matt ended up at the game and his great mom came with me and the kids for an afternoon of Disney. It was so fun to see the kids get excited over their favorite characters. And lucky for us, the show ended just in time for us to get home and see the last 2 minutes of the greatest game ever.  Win win!

 On MLK Jr. day we took the kids over to Mukilteo beach to play in the rocks and explore for a while. Carter was in heaven searching for crabs and other little critters while Lucy just cuddled up in my arms with a blanket to enjoy the view.

 Had to run to Babie's R Us one day and while we were there she spotted this room design. And didn't want to leave! It's a little too much pink, even for me. Sorry Lucy....not a chance.

 Dress up one day.

 And another princess dress.

 We officially registered Carter for kindergarten in January. How did my baby get to be so old?!? He is so excited and as sad as it is to see him grow up, I'm so excited for his next new adventure.

 Lucy is right in the middle of gymnastic lessons right now and loving every second of it. She is the cutest little gymnast and is so good about listening, following directions and taking turns.

 Practicing her forward roll.

 Me with a pic of baby #3!

 Superbowl 49 (before the incredibly sad loss at the end)

 We have had the most mild winter this year. I'm a little sad the kids never got to see snow or really even wear their winter coats but the extra sun and Vitamin D have been so nice! We love spending our days outside when we can!

 Another gymnastic lesson.

 His huge haul of goodies from his preschool Valentine's Day Party. And 2 weeks later we still have everything (minus the candy, of course) and he's made it known we will never be throwing the valentines cards away.  Hmmm....

 Our delicious cookies we made for all the neighbors and hand delivered. Love our little tradition!

 The morning of Valentine's Day Carter told Matt he wanted to get up early and go right to the store to buy me the freshest flowers they had. It was so cute to see how excited he was when they got home.

 Our heart shaped pancakes for breakfast, yum!

 We spent Valentine's Day in the city, going to the museum and running around the fountain. Such a fun, simple day as a family.

And that's it...the beginning of 2015 in pictures!

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ultrasound.

Last Friday we had our 20 week ultrasound for our 3rd little peanut. It is always to amazing to see how far a baby can develop in such a short amount of time. And even though I can feel kicks and squirms throughout the day and night I love watching exactly how the baby is moving. Our baby was plenty active, mostly moving its arms to block every good shot of the face. This was the first time we were able to see a 3D image and it was absolutely beautiful. 

We decided early on in this pregnancy that we were going to keep the gender a surprise until I deliver. Since we already have so much for a boy or girl we thought this would add a little more fun to the big day. I was surprised that I didn't actually give in though, once we were in the room! The ultrasound tech had to look to be sure development was right on track so we turned our heads and closed our eyes. But, nothing was written in my medical chart so even my midwives won't have a clue until delivery. I am so excited!

Our baby is weighing exactly 1 lb. (about 6 oz. above average at this gestational age) and measuring long in the arms and legs (another tall baby!). 

Just for fun, here are Carter and Lucy's ultrasound pictures. And at the bottom is baby #3. Any guesses on gender??? I'm noticing the lips on baby #3 match Carters, but the forehead match Lucy's. Hmm.....

Sorry for the horrible picture quality...it's a picture of a picture. But, still a beautiful baby!

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