Happy Birthday Oaklen!

Oaklen is 3 years old today!

Ostentatious - Oaklen is very social and is not shy. He is quite the entertainer!
Always smiling - He has a contagious smile that will make anyone happy.
Kissable - Those cheeks are so kissable! He's so easy to love, even though he's a turkey at times! :)
Little - He may be a "big" three-year-old but as he says "I'm still little!"
Excavator - He is really into big trucks right now, he loves his garbage truck and his excavator shoes.
Non-stop - Oaklen is always doing something...eating, reading, playing... sometimes when he isn't supposed to. Guess who was the first one up this morning and already in the refrigerator? Yep, Oaklen!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Cake

This recipe is derived from The Amazing Wheat book by LeArta Moulton. I have made some notes and changed the recipe name so it's easier to search on search engines. (In the book it's called "Anything Goes Cake" on page 170.)

Whole Wheat Chocolate Cake
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups brown sugar or succanat OR 1 1/2 cups honey**
4 T carob powder or cocoa powder
2 t baking soda
1 T salt
3/4 cup cooking oil (I used canola)
2 T vinegar (probably apple cider vinegar, but I often use white vinegar)
2 t vanilla (a trusted friend told me to double the vanilla in recipes...always, so I did 4 t vanilla)
2 c liquid, mashed fruit or vegetable*

Mix dry ingredients, then add liquids. Mix together. Bake in ungreased 9x13 inch pan at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. For 24 cupcakes, fill into cupcake liners, bake 350 degrees for 17 minutes.

*To this basic cake recipe, just about any leftovers can be added. Try tomato soup, mashed potatoes, vegetables or fruit, squash, etc. (The consistency will be a little different if the the fruit or vegetable is more liquid or solid, but it doesn't affect the taste. The main difference would be either a light fluffy cake versus a brownie texture.)
** NOTE: When I use mashed bananas, they are already sweet so I just put in 1 cup of succanat instead of 2 cups. (Judge according to your taste buds. You can eat this batter since it has no raw eggs!)

Homemade Enchilada Sauce & Bean Enchiladas

A few years ago, I found this recipe for Enchilada Sauce here. I've used it when I don't have a can of enchilada sauce on hand (which is almost always.) It's cheaper to make this stuff plus it's usually healthier.

Enchilada Sauce

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce (I used "no salt added" tomato sauce)
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Heat oil in large 2-quart saucepan; stir in flour and chili powder; cook for 1 minute.
2. Add remaining ingredients bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Makes 3 cups sauce.
This is enough to make one enchilada casserole in a 9x13 dish.

Bean Enchiladas
When I make enchiladas I usually like to fill them with a bean mixture. Last night I used the following:
1 can kidney beans
1 can olives
1 small can of green beans (hide them and no one will know!)
1/2 package tofu
mexican seasoning (I used The Spice Hunter brand, and it's great!)
onion powder
a dash of garlic hot sauce (I found at Dollartree.)

Spray 9x13 casserole dish. Add a layer of enchilada sauce. Fill 8 tortillas with bean mixture and place in dish. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over tortillas ensuring to get all parts of tortilla. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top and decorate with green onions or chives.

Place in pre-heated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Broil for a few minutes afterward if desired to get the cheese crispy.

When I make this again I'm sure it will be different. The filling is never the same. You could add cheese to the filling to make it extra good but it's also extra fattening and costly. :) If you don't have canned beans you could grind dry beans and cook with boiling water to get a bean spread.

Bob & Wendy

Oaklen has taken on a new identity and he's brought me & the fam with him.

Oaklen = Bob the Builder
Heather = Wendy
Darrell = Rolly
Salem = Scoop
Ezril = Muck

He often calls me Wendy and won't respond to me when I call him Oaklen, I have to call him Bob. This is rather funny since we have a neighbor named Bob and another neighbor named Wendy. I've told both of them our situation just in case they hear those names being called out and it's not implying them. :) It's a little embarrassing at the store when Oaklen calls me Wendy as I'm giving the cashier my credit card with "Heather" written on it; but so far, no one has raised an eyebrow.

I thought it was appropriate that Oaklen calls Ezril "Muck" since he watches me change his diapers. Darrell is usually Rolly but sometimes gets called other names from Bob & Wendy's machinery. Salem is usually Scoop.

We have been given a few Bob the Builder movies and he's watched them a few times; he mainly knows Bob the Builder from a few books that we have. One is an audio book so he gets to hear all the sound effects (much better than what mom or dad could do.) We also watch a youtube clip that has the theme song.

Motherhood talk

Today at church, I spoke in sacrament meeting. I wrote my talk so I figured I'd copy and paste this here. I didn't read it word for word, and I said things differently but here is the jist of it. The end only has notes since those were my extra things to say if I had time, but I did, in fact, have more time. (The Bishop asked me to speak on 'Finding joy in Motherhood.')

In the April 2008 conference, Elder Ballard spoke to the Daughters of God. I remember the beginning of this talk well since he got a few laughs when he said the following:
This afternoon I want to focus my remarks primarily on mothers, particularly on young mothers.

As a young father, I learned the demanding role of motherhood. I served as a counselor and then as bishop for a period of 10 years. During that time we were blessed with six of our seven children. Barbara was often worn-out by the time I got home Sunday evening. She tried to explain what it was like to sit on the back row in sacrament meeting with our young family. Then the day came that I was released. After sitting on the stand for 10 years, I was now sitting with my family on the back row.

The ward’s singing mothers’ chorus was providing the music, and I found myself sitting alone with our six children. I have never been so busy in my whole life. I had the hand puppets going on both hands, and that wasn’t working too well. The Cheerios got away from me, and that was embarrassing. The coloring books didn’t seem to entertain as well as they should.

As I struggled with the children through the meeting, I looked up at Barbara, and she was watching me and smiling. I learned for myself to more fully appreciate what all of you dear mothers do so well and so faithfully!

I think about what he said often when I’m sitting in church with my children. I was pleased when he mentioned cheerios since that is sometimes my sanity here in sacrament meeting. You’ve heard poems and other talks that spell out the word “Mother” like “M is for the many kinds words you say…, etc” but instead of using the word “Mother” today, I’m going to use the word “Cheerios” since that is one of the ways that I find joy in motherhood. Plus I figure if the apostle of the Lord can talk about cheerios, then so can I.

C is for Cherish – We must cherish each moment that we have with our children.
There is a poem that used to hang on a wall in my childhood home that said “Cooking and cleaning can wait ‘til tomorrow for babies grow up as we learn to our sorrow. So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep, I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.
Elder Ballard said:

I am impressed by countless mothers who have learned how important it is to focus on the things that can only be done in a particular season of life. If a child lives with parents for 18 or 19 years, that span is only one-fourth of a parent’s life. And the most formative time of all, the early years in a child’s life, represents less than one-tenth of a parent’s normal life. It is crucial to focus on our children for the short time we have them with us and to seek, with the help of the Lord, to teach them all we can before they leave our homes.

I try to think about that when I’m struggling with a hard parenting situation. This moment is such a small percentage of their lives. Elder Ballard quoted an author Anna Quindlen and stated “I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.”

H is for Hair – Yes I know what you’re thinking, what? Hair? What’s that all about? I chose “Hair” for my H because of my son Oaklen. He loves my hair and is always running his fingers through it. I have tried numerous tactics to get him to stop playing with my hair since sometimes it hurts but so far nothing has worked. I’ve decided to embrace this (as much as I can) and let him grow out of it. We’ll be reading a book and he’ll reach up and grab some of my hair for just a moment to “reconnect to mom” and then let go.

I liken this to our relationship with the savior. How many times do we need to reconnect to the Lord? Do we always have a prayer in our heart? Are we thinking about what would Jesus do in this particular situation? As a mother I need to ask myself those questions. Am I including the savior in this child rearing? Elder Ballard said:

Pray deeply about your children and about your role as a mother. Parents can offer a unique and wonderful kind of prayer because they are praying to the Eternal Parent of us all. There is great power in a prayer that essentially says, “We are steward-parents over Thy children, Father; please help us to raise them as Thou wouldst want them raised.”

E is for Example – Mothers should be good examples. President Hinckley always spoke highly of his mother, and he shared a few lessons that his mother taught him in various talks and books. There are many people in the world that start off a sentence with “My momma used to say…” or “My mother taught me…” I hope to live my life so that my sons will one day say “my mother taught me…” or “my mother always used to say…”

We think of the adult always setting the example, but I’m also thankful for the good examples that my children are to me. They are always quick to forgive, have incredible faith and often remind me of a commandment.

E is for Essential – Elder Ballard said “There is no role in life more essential and more eternal than that of motherhood.” Motherhood is essential to the Lord’s plan of happiness. What we learn in this life, will help us through the eternities.

One of the joys of motherhood is to watch your child become self sufficient. Heavenly Father also is overjoyed when we become self sufficient through provident living.

R is for Respect – I have a deep respect for all mothers, we are all different and unique. Elder Ballard says:

“There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. The choice is different and unique for each mother and each family. Many are able to be “full-time moms,” at least during the most formative years of their children’s lives, and many others would like to be. Some may have to work part-or full-time; some may work at home; some may divide their lives into periods of home and family and work. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else.”

I is for I Love You – Those three words are so beautiful; I never get tired of hearing them or saying them. When I was in High school, I went to an assembly hosted by the Community of Caring. I don’t really remember what the assembly was about except that they were talking about being loved. My friend sat next to me and whispered “Do you hear the words ‘I love you’ at your house every day?” I said “Yes, of course.” And she said “Oh, I don’t.” and she thought it was weird that I did. I was so used to hearing those words from my mom that I didn’t realize how blessed I was. I’m sure that my friend was greatly loved in her home, but to just hear those three words makes all the difference. Please, if you don’t already say “I love you” to your loved ones, start doing it!

In the proclamation to the world about the family, Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. We hunger for this nurturing and love. The greatest example of love is our Savior. Elder Hales from his last conference address spoke these words:

“But as children of God, our deepest hunger and what we should be seeking is what the Lord alone can provide—His love, His sense of worth, His security, His confidence, His hope in the future, and assurance of His love, which brings us eternal joy."

O is for Over and over – As a mother, how many times do you say “tie your shoes, wipe your nose, go to sleep, etc.” You’re saying them over and over again.

We learn by repetition. We come to church and learn the same things over and over, but we still need to learn it again.

S is for Sanctity – Motherhood is a sacred calling.

While serving as First Counselor in the First Presidency, President Gordon B. Hinckley said:

“I remind mothers everywhere of the sanctity of your calling. No other can adequately take your place. No responsibility is greater, no obligation more binding than that you rear in love and peace and integrity those whom you have brought into the world” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1993, 79; or Ensign, Nov. 1993, 60).

Speaking to mothers, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said:

“Yours is the grand tradition of Eve, the mother of all the human family, the one who understood that she and Adam had to fall in order that ‘men [and women] might be’ [2 Nephi 2:25] and that there would be joy. Yours is the grand tradition of Sarah and Rebekah and Rachel, without whom there could not have been those magnificent patriarchal promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob which bless us all. Yours is the grand tradition of Lois and Eunice [see 2 Timothy 1:5] and the mothers of the 2,000 stripling warriors. Yours is the grand tradition of Mary, chosen and foreordained from before this world was, to conceive, carry, and bear the Son of God Himself. We thank all of you, including our own mothers, and tell you there is nothing more important in this world than participating so directly in the work and glory of God, in bringing to pass the mortality and earthly life of His daughters and sons, so that immortality and eternal life can come in those celestial realms on high” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1997, 48; or Ensign, May 1997, 36; see also pages 44–45 in the Marriage and Family Relations Participant’s Study Guide).

[After I said all of this I had more time so here were a few of my 'extras' notes.]
********
Elder Ballard:

The third question: What can children, even young children, do? Now, you children, please listen to me because there are some simple things you can do to help your mother.

You can pick up your toys when you are finished playing with them, and when you get a little older, you can make your bed, help with the dishes, and do other chores—without being asked.

You can say thank you more often when you finish a nice meal, when a story is read to you at bedtime, or when clean clothes are put in your drawers.

Most of all, you can put your arms around your mother often and tell her you love her.

***********
President David O. McKay (1873–1970):

“[The] ability and willingness properly to rear children, the gift to love, and eagerness … to express it in soul development, make motherhood the noblest office or calling in the world. She who can paint a masterpiece or write a book that will influence millions deserves the admiration and the plaudits of mankind; but she who rears successfully a family of healthy, beautiful sons and daughters, whose influence will be felt through generations to come, … deserves the highest honor that man can give, and the choicest blessings of God” (Gospel Ideals [1954], 453–54).

*******
"To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world."
*****
Discipline not of children but of yourself (Hinckley)
********
Bloom where you are planted
*********
Family scripture, song & prayer never have a child go astray
*******
Happiness is… and gratitude journal
*******
The Family is of God
1. Our Father has a family. It’s me!
It’s you, all others too: we are His children.
He sent each one of us to earth, through birth,
To live and learn here in fam’lies.

2. A father’s place is to preside, provide,
To love and teach the gospel to his children.
A father leads in fam’ly prayer to share
Their love for Father in Heaven.

3. A mother’s purpose is to care, prepare,
To nurture and to strengthen all her children.
She teaches children to obey, to pray,
To love and serve in the fam’ly.

4. I’ll love and serve my family and be
A good example to each fam’ly member.
And when I am a mom or dad, so glad,
I’ll help my fam’ly remember:

[Chorus]
God gave us families to help us become what He wants us to be—
This is how He shares His love, for the fam’ly is of God.

Oaklen's math

Oaklen surprised me the other day...he sat down on the chair and started adding! I hadn't realized that he knew this and was pleased. :) I got the camera and had him do it again for me so I could share with all of you. (See video below.) We're still working on his speech ("free" instead of "three" and "foi" instead of "four") but hey, at least he knows his math! Atta boy...

From weeks to months

Today Ezril is 2 months old. I now have to start using months when referring to his age rather than weeks. He's growing up too fast!

Happiness is...Volume 2 Part 2

Happiness is...
* A soggy sandwich. (Yes, really!)
* Ezril starting to smile and focus in on my face.
* Oaklen trying to close his eyes.
* Beautiful and fragrant spring flowers on my kitchen table.
* Pink blossoms.
* The pink magnolia tree outside the library's front doors.
* Watching our two squirrels chase each other between our trees in the front yard.
* My baby's duck-farts :)
* Oaklen's happy noises when he's eating something he likes.
* Salem reading a book through a microphone on the stage for the ward talent show.
* Singing a hymn or primary song before family prayer each morning & evening.
* Darrell spending every possible moment to re-do our laundry/mud room.
* Oaklen calling me Wendy (I'll explain in another blog post.)
* Darrell getting his own blog. :) (Ask him the address if you're curious, I don't want to link.)
* My pink woobie.
* Cheerios on sale when I'm down to my last box. (Can you believe I let my stock get this low?)
* Oaklen's expressive eyebrows.
* Salem making cards for me and other loved ones.
* Tagless shirts
* A nice foot soak
* Healing herbal tea
* Darrell posing for the camera and showing his beautiful smile & blue eyes.
* Baby snuggles
* Salem writing a letter to the Easter bunny telling him that the eggs are in the fridge and then posting it on our front door.
* Oaklen wearing the big ear muffs for noise and his making his cheeks more chubby.

Inside outside upside down

Darrell took this picture of me without me knowing. (It's not the most flattering.) I downloaded it today and had to do a double take, I look quite pregnant! I'm carrying Ezril in my ring sling and the sling is up over his head for support, his chest is toward mine. This is how I would look if he were breech and still in the womb. GEEZ!

I love my slings and baby carriers I need to do another post when I have more time to write about babywearing.

Birthday Monkey Business

Today I'm 29!

If you know me, you'll know that I love sending cheesy e-cards to people. Here is one of my favorite birthday cards. You might have gotten this one from me in the past...now I'm sending it to myself!

http://www.123greetings.com/birthday/birthday_fun/friends1.html

How do you get to the moon?

Salem once asked me "How do you get to the moon?" I told him that he needed to do a lot of math so that he could go to the moon.

Well, that's been Salem's motivation as he's been doing math. We do it for fun during mom & me time and both of us like doing math more than many other things. I'd rather do math than color a picture, do some craft, or play dress-up.

Here's to many happy times doing math, and maybe someday we'll reach the moon! :)

Happy Easter

May you remember the reason for Easter and rejoice in happiness.

Innocent Mischief

Oaklen is still my little munchie. If you remember last year, I had to get a fridge lock for Oaklen since he kept getting into the fridge. Now he knows how to open it and I am always catching him helping himself to food. Luckily there hasn't been too much damage, but he's just so funny.

Here are some recent stories -
Eggs in dough - A week ago I had made some pizza dough and had leftovers so I put the dough in the fridge. The next day I put it on the counter (in a bowl) to let rise again. Oaklen got the eggs out of the fridge, got the stool and successfully cracked 3 eggs into the dough. When I got to him he was poking the dough and trying to mix it. Since some dough recipes call for eggs, I just kneaded the eggs into the dough with more flour and made calzones.

Granola Bar - During general conference on Saturday I got out our 72-hr kits to rotate our food. I decided that we only needed to rotate the snack packs and the peaches and to leave the rest in the kits. Today I was vacuuming and when I was done I saw that Oaklen had gotten into Salem's 72-hr kit and eaten the granola bar.

Cheese - He and I were upstairs reading a book, when we finished he said "Mom, now you go somewhere." I wondered what he was up to, but I decided to obey his wishes and go help Ezril for a moment. He jetted downstairs, got in the fridge, and took out the block of cheddar cheese. By the time I got to him there were perfect teeth marks in the block of cheese. He said "I'm eating cheese mommy!"

String Cheese - Yesterday morning he woke me up and he had string cheese in each of his hands. He's able to open them but he still hasn't figured out how to push the wrapper down. He ends up just sticking his finger in until he can't reach the cheese anymore then asks me for help. He woke me up just for that reason.

Egg on the counter - Friday morning he rushed downstairs and got out the eggs. There was one egg cracked on the table. I was able to salvage it and cook it, I'm thankful for that.

Strawberries - We were at my mom's house and were going to eat fresh strawberries for dessert. The container of strawberries was out on the counter but we were going to wait a little bit before washing and preparing them. His cousin Megan was looking at the the strawberries to get them but she didn't get them. A few minutes later we turned to look and Oaklen had opened the container and was already on his second strawberry. We told him that we needed to wash and prepare them first and that he would get to eat them very soon!

Whipping Cream - I had a half-full container of whipping cream in the fridge, Oaklen thought it was a carton of milk. One morning he came downstairs minutes before Darrell did, and got out the whipping cream and a straw and started drinking it. He quickly learned that it wasn't milk! See picture below:

Things I forgot about newborns

It's been a while since I've had a newborn and it's amazing how quickly you forget things. As I stare at my 2 1/2 year old and 5 1/2 year old every day, I realize what's going to happen (all too quickly) to my newborn...he'll grow up! I feel like I'm cherishing these "baby moments" a little more this time around.

Things I forgot about newborns:
New baby smell - I know every mom will know what this smell is, but I never really noticed it until now. When Salem was born, seasoned moms would hold him and say "Oh I love that new baby smell!" I now will probably start saying that when I hold a newborn.

Yellow baby poop - This could be part of the new baby smell, but I strangely like the smell of yellow baby poop. Breastfed baby poop has a distinct smell that is not smelly but almost sweet. This "mustard" is difficult to remove from stained clothing but thanks to my mom and Oxyclean, I've been able to manage the stains so far. :)

Number of outfits per day - This small baby may be tiny, but he contributes his fair share of the laundry. (I give kudos to those cloth diapering mama's out there, you are doing laundry all the time!) Newborns go through a couple outfits per day due to spitting up, or diapers leaking or overflowing.

Blankets & burp clothes - You can never have too many blankets and burp clothes. I have some in almost every room in the house now and always need one.

Quivering cry - Both Salem and Oaklen had a little quiver in their cry those first few weeks. I figured that all newborns do that (and I think most still do) but Ezril has never done the quiver. A few times his little chin has moved up and down like getting the chills (yet he wasn't cold) but he never made a noise with it.

Quiet cry - As a new mom with Salem I thought his little newborn cry was loud and would bother people if he happened to cry during church or at the grocery store. One lady came up to me at the grocery store and commented on the cute little newborn cry that Salem was doing. I though "huh?" Now I realize what she meant. The older the child gets, the louder the cry. There have been times where all three of my boys are crying and the oldest child is the loudest, followed by the 2nd oldest.

Nursing all the time - I nurse Ezril on demand, which means that I don't watch the clock. I just nurse him when he needs it. That means I could be nursing him for 20 minutes then doing that same thing 10 minutes later. (By the way, I prefer to always use the term "nurse" rather than "feed" or "eat" since babies don't nurse just to eat, they need that nurturing, suckling time too.)

Sleeping all the time - When he's not nursing, he's sleeping. Adjusting to 3 children has been challenging but I think it's easier at this stage since he sleeps anytime and anywhere, rather than later when he'll be awake more.

Diapers - They're so little! We go through more diapers with newborns than with toddlers. You also use a lot more wipes.

Curled up in a ball -Newborns still want to be tight and curled up. I think it's adorable when you pick them up out of a swing, car seat, or sling and they still have their legs tucked up underneath and they "stretch" with their little arms above their head and move their head from side to side.

Squeaks - Ezril makes all sorts of noises & cute squeaks. Both when he's awake and asleep.

Cross-eyed - It's cute when newborns try to focus in on something then go cross-eyed trying to do it. Those first few times when Ezril has focused in on me has melted my heart.

I'm racking my brain thinking of other things to write and I have probably forgotten things already! Ezril is starting to smile in his sleep and a few times I've caught some half smiles while he's awake. I can't wait for those genuine smiles coming soon!

Here is a picture of my "newborn" yet he doesn't look like a newborn anymore!

Friday Frugal Tip - Be frugal for rainy days

Be frugal for rainy days...is your umbrella ready? - This frugal tip is one that really hit home for me and my family this month. Two days after Ezril was born, Darrell received a phone call from his employer (since he was on vacation leave) telling him that he was laid off due to company downsizing. This put a damper on our "new baby" vacation as we began our job search and wondered what was in store for us.

I was very glad that we were already frugal people so that we didn't have to change any extravagant lifestyles to accommodate our diminishing pocket book. At this stressful "rainy" time, I felt somewhat at ease since we had "our umbrella" with savings and food storage. (I also didn't have to figure out how to use my food storage since I already use and rotate it often.)

Well, I'm happy to report that we were blessed with a new job exactly 3 weeks later! We are very grateful that it was a short time being unemployed. It was a wake-up call for us to be even more frugal with our spending and savvy with our saving.

March was an interesting month for us.

Adventures of the flying garbage can

I've mentioned before that Thursday is Oaklen's favorite day of the week because he gets to watch the garbage truck pick up the garbage cans.

Today I happened to grab the camera right when the garbage truck came. Oaklen and I were looking out the window as we witnessed the garbage truck accidentally pick up two garbage cans (the blue recycle and the green garbage) instead of one green can. The blue can (that had already been emptied previously) went flying over the truck and landed on the other side.

Oaklen immediately started crying. He was very concerned about the blue garbage can. After the garbage truck finished emptying our two green cans and went on it's way, I was able to see that the blue can was across the street, laying on it's side. Oaklen was still quite disturbed so I reassured him that the blue can was okay. I went outside and "rescued" the blue can. Now there is a dent at the top of the can, but other than that it looks okay. I'm surprised that the garbage man didn't stop to check anything. I'm glad that there wasn't a car parked across the street, there could have been damage done.

Now Oaklen likes to talk about the flying garbage can. Ask him about it sometime. :)

Here is a picture of the green and blue can just before they were picked up. (The image is bad since I was taking the picture with a window.)

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2009

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Greetings from the tooth fairy

The tooth fairy made a stop by our house last week. Salem had his first baby tooth come out! He put it under his pillow and in the morning he received a dollar and a nice note from the tooth fairy commending him for taking good care of his teeth.



Here's to many more years of tooth fairy visits in our family! :)

3-1-9... Introducing Ezril Windsor

It's a boy!
Ezril Windsor Hendriksen
3 hr labor
Born at the comforts of home on Sunday 3-1-9
6:12 AM
8 lbs 11 oz
20 inches long

It's been 5 days since the birth and I've finally finished this blog post. My nose is almost back to normal (no longer hugely swollen) and Ezril's cord fell off today so he officially has a belly button! For those who just need a quick reference, I've posted the stats above. Anyone interested in the long birth story, read on! (Note the picture slideshow at the end.)

Ezril's Birth Story
Saturday night Feb 28th I was irritable and anxious wondering when the baby would come. I felt like I was going to have a March baby (due date was March 6th) and March was soon approaching. We had dinner as a family (our classic garlic & oil pasta family staple) and after eating a little, I asked to be excused from the table since my back was hurting. I got on all fours and after 20 minutes felt better.

Since Oaklen's labor started while my friends Candace & Eli were here, I jokingly told Darrell that we should invite them over tonight. :) Well, the spirit must have prompted them because Candace called a little later and asked if she and Eli could stop by. I was more than willing to welcome them into our home. :)

We put the kids to bed and Candace & Eli arrived about 8:15 PM. We had a nice visit and had a few good laughs. They didn't stay too long and left our house before 10:00 PM. As they were leaving I jokingly said "We'll call you in a few hours when we have the baby!" (Little did we know what was going to happen.)

Darrell and I were asleep in bed by 10:45 PM, but just before we retired my back started hurting again. Throughout the next few hours my back seemed to still hurt no matter what I did. I didn't think it was labor since it was just a constant ache like I had been having with my hips for the past month. I got up to go to the bathroom at 3:11 AM and still was hurting. I finally started pacing my room and the walking seemed to help my back. I did this for about 5 minutes then laid back down in bed.

It was then that I felt the first real contractions. They were pretty low in the belly and I remember the contractions being a little higher in front with Oaklen's labor. I wasn't able to sleep; the contractions were coming pretty often so I rolled over to view the clock and started timing them. They were about 4-5 minutes apart. It was about 4:00 AM by then and I wondered what I should do first. Wake up Darrell? Call my midwife? Call my mom? I decided to wake up Darrell.

I gently nudged him and said "Darrell, I'm in labor." He calmly woke up and said "How do you know?" I told him that I was having regular contractions about 4-5 minutes apart. He then smiled and said that he remembered his dream! (He never remembers his dream so this was quite an occasion. He ended up not telling me his dream and later I asked him and he had already forgotten the dream.) Anyway...he got out of bed and turned off the alarm. I knew then that things were going to be happening since he wasn't planning on going to his Sunday morning meetings.

He asked me what I wanted him to do so I told him to start preparing the bed and to get the hose. (Hose? You're probably wondering...our midwife brought a blow-up birth pool/tub a few weeks prior for us to use if we wanted and so he needed to get the hose from our car trunk since I purchased a new hose.)

I started walking around and stopped when I had a contraction. I swayed back & forth and was dancing on my tip toes to help with the contractions. Darrell kept coming in and out of the room with more stuff and wanted to help me with the contractions but I just kept telling him to prepare everything. We got a plastic drop cloth and draped it over the bed and put another sheet on top. I helped with that between contractions and also managed to have Darrell snap a picture of me one last pregnant time.

Once the bed was ready I laid down and rested since I was getting tired. At 4:45 AM Darrell called Rebecca, our midwife. She woke up to answer the phone and asked if we wanted her to come now. I (always indecisive) wasn't sure so she talked to me on the phone to see if I could talk through a contraction. A minute later a contraction started and I wasn't able to talk since I needed to focus on breathing. That was all that she needed to know so I handed the phone back to Darrell and she said that she would be there soon, but wouldn't rush. If we felt like we needed her to rush then to call back and tell her.

We decided that getting out the tub/pool would take too long and might not be worth it. But just in case I felt like I really needed the water, I told Darrell to go rinse out the tub to ensure it was clean. After he washed the tub, he wanted to lay on the bed with me and hold my hand; for some reason I didn't want to move and wanted my hand where it had been for the past while. I'm sure he felt helpless but he was (and is always) a big help, and very calm.

By about 5:30 AM the contractions were quite strong and I had the urge to push. I was excited to get that urge since I knew "transition" was over and that it would somewhat be downhill from there. We called Rebecca to see where she was and she was 15 minutes away.

With each contraction I pushed slightly even though Darrell told me not to push since Rebecca wasn't here yet. I knew that it would take me a while and I felt relief pushing a little. I had Darrell get a warm wash cloth to put on me and he stroked my hair. He wanted to go downstairs to check to see if Rebecca was here but I told him that I needed him here with me instead. Rebecca rang the doorbell and we called her cell phone to tell her to come in and up the stairs. She brought in her gear (oxygen, necessary medical supplies, etc.) and scrubbed up.

We heard Oaklen awake. He must have awoken with the door bell although it wasn't uncommon for him to wake up at that hour on any other given night. Darrell went to greet him and instead of putting him back to bed, we let him play in his room quietly. Darrell called my mom to tell her that I was in labor and that we needed help with the kids.

I was still lying on my left side on our bed and Darrell and Rebecca had to lift me to make sure that I had the disposable bed pads underneath me. I didn't want to move, I made them move me.

I grunted with each contraction and Rebecca encouraged my low-pitched noises. Darrell continued to hold the warm wash cloth and stroke my hair. Slowly they could see something start to come out. Later I learned that it was part of the bag of water still in tact that first came out. His head came next and after his head was completely out, Rebecca unpeeled the sac off his face and Ezril took his first breath of air. Next came the shoulders and I had to move my leg up to help that part come out. I didn't want to move so Darrell and Rebecca basically did it for me and held up my leg. It was quite the burning sensation but I was told if it burnt too badly then to hold off a little on the pushing. I did a few mini-rocking pushes and finally Ezril was fully born a 6:12 AM. It was such a relieved feeling when I could feel his body slide out.

He was immediately place on my bare chest, skin to skin, and then Rebecca put a warm towel on the both of us. Darrell quickly left to get Oaklen and wake up Salem to meet their new brother. They came in and climbed up on the bed. The cord had finished pulsating and was ready to be cut. Prior to labor, I had thought about cutting the cord myself since Darrell got to do it last time but since the boys were with us, we gave Salem the opportunity to cut the cord. That was a pretty neat experience for him.

Ezril was very vocal and kept whimpering. We tried to nurse and he seemed not quite ready yet. His head and face looked perfect since he was cushioned being born in his sac. His coloring was a wonderful pink at the 5 minute mark. I delivered my placenta and all was well.

My mom came not too long after Ezril was born and the boys were quite excited to tell Grandma that they had a new brother. It was like Christmas for them since they woke up to a fun surprise.

Ezril laid on my chest for the next hour and we learned that he pooped on me twice! It’s not surprising since I pooped three times after birth before they weighed me and Darrell gave his Dad a nice squirt. :)

Darrell finally got to hold him, then he and Rebecca weighed and measured him: 8 lbs, 11 oz. (after pooping) and 20 inches long.

I got up to take a shower and felt great. Afterward, the family and I watched Rebecca do her exam on Ezril and he was a happy healthy boy. After a round of pictures and hugs, she packed up her things and left the house by about 9:00 AM.

The boys and Darrell sang Happy Birthday to Ezril; Oaklen looked at my belly at first to sing to it but then remembered that he was in Daddy’s arms now. :)

Darrell, the boys, and my mom went downstairs so Ezril and I could rest. We had many visitors later that afternoon and evening and throughout the next few days. Thank you to everyone for your visits, meals, gifts, friendship, and support!

Ezril remains to be happy, healthy, and nursing well! We love you Ezril, Happy Birthday!

Frugal Friday Tip - Pregnancy stuff

Today I'll feature my Friday Frugal Tip with pregnancy stuff. I'm sorry for this boring subject for most of you, especially men, but hey it's my blog and I can do what I want. :) You can't tell what's on my mind huh? (I hope this is my last Friday being pregnant this time around, we'll see.)

Belly Band - There are many companies coming out with "belly bands" or "belly socks." They were called "unit belts" in the 80's. :) I re-invented them by just taking an old shirt (tight baby-tee) and cutting the top off with pinking shears. The bottom is still good to be seen and there is no reason that I have to hem the top since it's always covered with another shirt. I've been able to extend the use of my normal jeans & pants by unzipping and just covering up with the belly band. It's also a good trick for those shirts that are too short. I use it later for nursing to cover up my after-pregnancy blubber while my shirt is raised to breastfeed.

Rubber-band trick - Before you start using even the belly band, the rubber band trick is good for those first few times you start realizing that you middle is expanding. Simply tie/loop a rubber band onto the top button hole of your jeans and then fasten onto the button. It gives you that extra inch that you need. I googled a picture here.

Midwife - I chose to use a midwife for these last two pregnancies. Our insurance covers her just the same as an OB/GYN. She could techinically cost the same as just the doctor's bill, but often times she asks me before she performs any tests. If something is not necessary for me, then we don't do the test, and it ends up not costing me. A doctor would probably just do the routine tests anyway. Because I'm not planning on using medical interventions, using a midwife should be cheaper. We won't have to pay an anethesiologist fee, or even a facility fee for this planned home birth. I also feel that in this case, cheaper is better. A midwife gives you quality time for non-complicated births.

Cravings - I am fortunate to not have crazy pregnancy cravings. There have been a few times that I've wanted something that could classify as a pregnancy craving though. Instead of quickly jetting to the store or restaurant, I try to make something else at home that's hopefully cheaper and healthier. I wanted a Wendy's Frostie and instead I got a frozen banana and blended it with homemade yogurt. It was tasty and satisfying! Also, drink water! If you have a craving, drink a tall glass of water first and then see if you're still hungry. (P.S. - For those pregnant ladies who crave dirt, eat a potato!)

Clothes - I've gotten most of my maternity clothes for free or very cheap.

• I'm grateful that my mom purchased some of them and my sister and I have shared the clothes between our 5 pregnancies. Some are getting quite worn out though.
• I've gotten a couple bags of maternity clothes from freecycle. Many people give away their old maternity clothes, and if you can find the right size for you, it's a great deal to get the whole bag of free clothes.
• Kid-to-Kid has a section for maternity clothes. I've gotten a few clothes there. I actually ended up taking some of the free clothes I got from freecycle that I couldn't wear (like the short shorts and tank tops) and trading them for maternity clothes more modest. They paid me for the clothes I donated and gave me a little extra if I used it as in-store credit.
• I've gotten a few maternity clothes at thrift stores, particularly Thrift Town. They do 50% off for certain colored tags each day and there are often $3 off $10 coupons out there from ValPak. I got some cute maternity jeans and a basic white shirt for $3!