Barefoot And Pregnant

4 Weeks~

6/24/11

I suspected it for a day or so, but last night I took a test and it was positive!!! This morning I took a digital one and there it was "Pregnant"! It was beautiful. Having a history of miscarriages, I know that just because I am pregnant, does not mean I will have a baby in eight months. This tiny life inside of me is precious and I must treat every minute of this as just what it is, a blessing. I am having a bit of spotting, which worries me a little, but so far it is nothing too bad. We plan to announce it at about six weeks providing everything goes well.

6/25/11

Started using the Brewer's Pregnancy Diet Plan today. It feels like a lot of food, but it is all healthy and good, so I guess it is OK. I may have to work my way up to it though. I wrote up a check list to make it easier to follow. I didn't nap with Bunny today and now it is 6:30 and I am pooped. Feeling a lot of action (pregnant feeling) today, and I am no longer spotting (Thank you God). In life group we had to write something that we were giving God on a piece of paper, then tear it up to show that it is not our problem anymore. I wrote "This baby and pregnancy". As a follow through I have decided to go on as if I will actually have this baby in March. If I end up miscarrying, I will know that I did nothing to cause it and God knows the whole plan.

6/26/11

Broke down and put bunny's big sister shirt on her for church today. It was kinda fun waiting see who noticed it. Only a couple got it so we ended up pointing it out to a few others. I called Mommaw and wished her a happy birthday and that I have a great present for her. She guessed it right away. I am feeling kinda pukey and tired so I think I will take a nap.

6/27/11

Feeling pretty good this morning. Lost 7 lbs in one week just by eating healthy. Should have started months ago haha. Bunny was awake for a bit last night but she didn't try to get out of bed. She just rolled around and nursed on and off for about an hour. Heading to Mama's for playschool. ... Took a long hike with the littles. Feeling tired, but good. Nap time. ... Feeling sleepy tonight. Heading to bed to dream of this baby while surounded by my loves.

6/28/11

Woke up this morning to the pukey feeling that I love (no really, I love the fact that I have morning sickness). However, when I went to the bathroom, I found that I was spotting again. I hate spotting. It reminds me of a time in my life that I do not wish to relive with Sprout (Baby's name for now). I am praying hard, but knowing that He knows best. Even if it is not what I want now, it is what I would choose if I knew the whole story. I just hope that the whole story doesn't call for me to lose this baby. ... Not spotting now, and hope to stay that way. ... I think I may have figured it out. Just like when I was pregnant with Bunny and I would spot after... umm... certain things that can cause you uterus to contract, I now spot after nursing Bunny for extended amounts of time (this can also cause you uterus to contract). So I hope this is just how I work and it means nothing for Sprout. I hope. I love being pregnant!

6/29/11

Bunny had a bit of a teething fever and was up through the night some. I finally gave her a Calms Forte' tablet and she went back to sleep. In the midst of all this, I realized that my underwear were wet and sticky. I nearly had myself convinced that I had misacarrried, but when I went to the bathroom it was just cervical mucus. Yay! I am begining to wonder why I worry so much about it. I mean, I have only had one for sure miscarriage (with the other one, I was never 100% sure), and it was with the pill in my system. I have not used the pill since and am just returning to "normal" cycles (well, normal for me) since having Bunny. So why worry? Because I am a control freak and I have absolutely no control over miscarriage. I mean I am eating healthier than ever before, and staying away from things that are not good for Sprout, But none of that can 100% keep me from miscarrying. I can do nothing other than what I am already doing, and it drives me crazy. In the end, I gave it to God. I can't get it back even if I wanted to. It is gone. So I guess it is time stop grasping at the air.

6/30/11

I was pretty sleepy today. Napped with Bunny. Feeling pregnant, but in a good way. I have a four day weekend, so I am going to get the house deep cleaned before I hit the exhaustion of pregnancy. After trying out Meagan's, I decided to buy an Ergo for Bunny. This should help make walks a bit easier. I am still doing very well with healthy eating. Heading to bed soon. I will be 5 weeks tomorrow!

Barefoot And...

Barefoot

and

PREGNANT!!!

A Peek~An Enchanted Childhood Playschool

Today we wrote a quick little note to the parents of the children in our Playschool as well as took the camera on a walk with us... Here is a peek at both!

An Enchanted Childhood Playschool News

It has been forever since we last sent out a “newsletter”, and this is only a short version!

We are loving summer—lots and lots of outside time—long nature walks (with mud slides, berry picking, and learning all about God’s amazing nature), spending time in Poppaw John’s garden (so far we have eaten strawberries, blueberries, carrots and peas) and CREEK play!!

As you have noticed we do less “inside” activities during the summer, but have been doing a little study of animal classes—mammals (nurse their babies), birds (have feathers and lay eggs), amphibians (live in water when little and on land when grown up), reptiles, fish, and insects.

NEWS and NOTES—

We have altered our daily schedule to better fit the higher physical activity level of summer—breakfast is now at 8:00 (if you child arrives after 8:15 be sure they are fed 1^st), lunch is now at 11:30, and rest time begins right after noon.

We are NOT working THIS Friday (July 1^st) nor Monday (July 4^th).

Kerri will be taking 1+ weeks off in the near future (anywhere from mid July-mid Aug) for the birth of Meagan’s baby.  Parents of *Kerri’s kids* please have stand by plans made for the care of your children.

Mark on your calendars—we will taking our vacation Friday, September 16th-Sunday, September 25^th.

We love you all!

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Father's Day ~ Part Two

(You don't have to watch, just listen.)

When I was 14 I met the boy that would later become my husband. He was a blue eyed, brown haired, crooked smiled, 15 year old. We fell fast. So fast, that I really didn't even realize that was what it was until I was already head over heels, in love. It wasn't aways easy. Sometimes it was the hardest thing we have ever done. But we pressed on towards our dreams.

It has been almost seven years since we first met. I can honestly say that I love him more today than I did then. I've watched him grow from a boy to a man in so many ways. I've seen him accept Christ, get baptized, walk away from a childhood full of hate and lies, to start a new life built around love and trust. He works hard to provide us with money, and he works hard to provide us with a leader.  He has become a man that most people never knew he could be. But I knew.

I always knew that The Hubs would be a good dad. He was always kind and good with children. When Bunny was born, he was so determined to give her the things he never had as a child. I am not talking about money, or toys, or clothes. I am talking about family. I am talking about being here. I am talking about making a home and a life together. He strives for these things everyday. He gives it all he's got, he loves with all he has, and he if he ever stumbles, he has HIS FAMILY there to catch him.

Dear Kyle,

Thank you for always being my hero and my best friend,

 for being an amazing papa to Bunny, 

and for being the leader of our family.

I love you. Happy Father's Day!

Love, Hannah

Happy Father's Day ~ Part One

(You don't have to watch, just listen.)

As a very young girl, I can remember laying on my back looking at the clouds. Wishing that I could just reach up and touch them. Alas, my three year old arms were too small. Even if I stretched them as high as I could. I remember that my dad walked by and asked what I was doing. As he stood over me, tall and strong, I had a sudden thought. While I was small, he was big. I looked up at him and said, "Daddy, can you reach the sky?" I really believed he might do it.

When I was around nine or ten years old, my dad decided to learn to play guitar. I am not sure how much he learned, but the only song I remember him playing is A Love Without End, Amen. We would sit down every evening for weeks, singing and playing together. And then one day, we just didn't. No one was upset or anything like that. My dad is just a project guy and that project was over. As the years went by, my dad could do anything he set his mind to do.

At the age of fifteen, I realized that the only thing my dad couldn't do was let me go. I was quickly falling in love with a certain neighbor boy. Dad made it his new project to torture said neighbor boy every chance he got. Thankfully, that project ended too (well mostly). Neighbor boy became The Hubs and he and my dad actually get along really well. They do many projects together. And after Bunny was born, The Hubs told me that he understood why my dad was so hard on him. I guess it is just a dad thing. I keep having this mental image of the two of them teaming up against Bunny's future fella. Poor guy, whoever he may be.

Turns out that, not only does a father's love never end, but it actually grows and extends on into the next generation. I watch Dad holding Bunny, and I see him look at her the way he looked at me while I laid in the grass that day so many years ago. Sometimes, I think he forgets that she is not me. I am just waiting for the day when she asks him if he can reach the sky. I really believe he just might do it.

The Upside Of Hand-Me-Downs

Oh boy! Hand-me-downs!

My sister, Meagan, who is pregnant with her third child (another girl!), just brought me FIVE boxes of little boy clothes.

Before I go any further, let me just say that I am not pregnant with a baby boy. Nor am I pregnant at all. My sister is just done having children after this one. So...

I (who am not done having children and never know when I will end up with a boy/boys) get all of the hand-me-downs from her son, Monkey, who is now 3 years old, wearing size 5/6 (geesh he is a bog boy). I, in return, give her all of Bunny's hand-me-downs for Birdy (12 months) to wear and then pass on to the new baby girl, Bee, when she is born. Once Bee is done with them, they will once again be handed down to me for my future baby girl/girls.

So in the end, two sets of clothes will be worn by a minimum of four children... Not counting any of my future children. Talk about reusing... Go Green! Woo!

I sorted out the things that I don't want to keep...

This is one of the only times will see Spongebob
 in my house or on my blog... Yuck!

 Then I picked out a few things for Bunny to wear now...



Rocking the camo pants!

  And I boxed up the rest to be stored under the house until needed...


I ended up with four boxes!

 I love hand-me-downs!

A Sunscreen Safe Summer

Have you ever gotten a sunburn while wearing sunscreen? I have, and I know a lot of others have too. I always assumed that I was doing something wrong, or that the SPF wasn't high enough, or it had been too long in between applications. But this might not have been the case.

My research started just before our beach trip last summer. Bunny was not quite four months old. I had read on many different brands of sunscreen that they should not be used on a baby under six months old. On the other hand, I didn't really want to risk a bad sunburn. So my research began. I wanted to know why young babies shouldn't use sunscreen. What was the difference between four month and six month skin, to all of a sudden be able so use it? Was the sunscreen worse than sunburn itself? As our trip grew nearer, I skurried to find the answers. Then I came across an amazing amount of info at:
http://breakingnews.ewg.org/2011sunscreen/inlist=Y&utm_source=2011sunscreenfull&utm_medium=email&utm_content=image&utm_campaign=toxics

Things I learned:

~Turns out that some sunscreens have dangerous ingredients that can even cause skin cancer. Crazy, right? Others can contain poisonous ingredients as well as synthetic hormones. Some sunscreens claim to have a high SPF, but only protect against UVB rays, not UVA rays that are also bad (also the idea that we are protected leaves us more likely to stay in the sun too long).

~The best thing is a hat and shirt. The next is to find a good, safe sunscreen: http://action.ewg.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=YQG%2B2vEcWvSEwvXYTyQ6XaI8JqzFfIAx

~Babies under six months of age SHOULD NOT WEAR SUNSCREEN, OR GET SUNBURNT. Young babies lack the melanin in their skin that protecs them. Keep them in the shade and clothed for saftey.

~Folow these saftey tips: http://action.ewg.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2FFloUAF6BnbAEltHuCY64%2F2W3a%2FBM4WR

I am very proud to say that, at 14 months of age, Bunny has NEVER used sunscreen or gotten sunburnt (I haven't in that time either)! I keep her out of the sun or covered. And we do not go out in the heat of the day. It does take some planning, but it is so worth. I hope to continue this as long as possible.

Bunny wearing a rashguard bathing suit to keep the UVA/UVB rays at a minimum.

 Why do we all not know about this???
The FDA has been putting off making sunscreen regulations...
For over 32 years!!!

Take action!
Follow this link to sign a petition to the FDA about sunscreen regulations:
http://action.ewg.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1923&utm_source=2011sunscreenactionfull&utm_medium=email&utm_content=first-link&utm_campaign=toxics

In the mean time do your own research and be safe!

Catching up: A Sunday Escape

(I seem to have gotten behind on some posts. Either that or I have gotten ahead of my self on others. Either way, I have some catching up to do.)

We began this Sunday morning like every other. We woke, dressed, and grabbed breakfast before heading to church. On the way there, looking out the car window at the beautiful sunshine, I had a sudden urge to run away. To just spontaneously take off for the day. With no plans and no rules. Just go. Spring fever at it's finest. I stifled it down in the name of responsibility.

We arrived at church and were greeted by loving faces and warm hand shakes. We do love our church family and chatted quite a bit with several people. We were just settling into our seats when we suddenly realized that we had forgotten the diaper bag. We could have gone home and gotten it, but by then we would have missed about half of church. The Hubs must have caught the fever too, 'cause I looked at him and he whispered "Let's just go".

We left church. Our hearts racing with anticipation of what this day might hold. I buckled Bunny into her car seat and we were off. At first, we thought we would just go home. Then I found a diaper in the car, so we figured we would go somewhere. We just couldn't go too far. After we drove for a few minutes, Bunny fell asleep. So we just kept on driving. We ended up at Falls Mill.

It was a glorious day. The sun was shining and the birds were chirping. Bunny didn't make a peep until we pulled into the parking space. We took a walk up the steep path to the overlook. The water below us was higher than I have ever seen it. It rushed violently over the rocks and poured into a calm pool. We winded around the rock face and down to the other side. Bunny all the while smiling and looking around with great excitement. We walked down to the waters edge. Bunny and I sat in the grass and played while The Hubs skipped rocks. We would have stayed there all morning if the bathrooms had been opened. But as it was, after a while, we made our way back to the car. I changed Bunny's diaper (the only one we had), and nursed her in the car before we left.

We drove the winding road about 15 minutes to an outlet mall. Where, with the fever at its peak, we bought a pack of gas station disposable diapers. Bunny wears cloth diapers, and I normally loath even the idea of putting her in disposables. But I didn't even care that they were cheap, plastic, "fake" diapers. We ate lunch at the Chinese buffet. Bunny ate bananas and mandarin oranges, along with organic puffs that I keep in the car. She was so pleasant the whole time. She kept looking around and smiling at us like she was so happy to be on this adventure with us. We walked the side walk at the outlet mall and window shopped. We went in the bulk foods store and bought some organic whole grain pasta and a bag of chocolate cover raisins. Then Bunny started getting sleepy, so we headed back to the car and changed her into one of the disposable diapers, nursed her, and headed home. She dozed off within minutes.

The drive home was warm and cozy. The Hubs and I chatted and Bunny slept. As we pulled into the driveway, I glanced at the clock expecting to find it late in the day. It was only 1:00pm. The rest of the afternoon was spent taking a walk, Bunny and I watching The Hubs shoot his bow, and hanging out with family. Bunny took a late nap, but got up early. So we were back on track for bedtime.

Feeding My Soul

All my life, I have been a night owl. I used to lay awake in bed for hours, doing nothing. These days, however, I find myself becoming a morning person. I never understood the appeal when my mama would sneak downstairs for some quiet time. I always wondered why she didn't just sleep as late as she could. But these days, I find myself unwrapping Bunny's sleepy body from mine and tip-toeing away for a few moments before she wakes. It feeds my soul. I use this time to catch up on things. I talk to God. Sometimes, I read. Sometimes, I drink hot tea. Sometimes, I just sit and do nothing. Today, I am blogging.

Blogging is another one of those things that feeds my soul. It gives me an outlet for all my rantings and interests. When I first started, I didn't think I would love it so much. I thought I would just post when I felt like it, and not all the time. But I feel like it all the time. When I don't post, it is because I am busy living it. As soon as life slows down, I am right back at it. I love it.

The great outdoors feeds my soul in more ways than I can write. Especially when it is warm. Gardening, playing in the creek, taking a walk, swinging, searching for that first small, purple violet in the cool green grass, watching a bird build its nest, teaching a child about worms and what ones are good for gardens and what ones are bad (molly grubs, we feed to the chickens), bare feet in mud, tiny baby footprints all over our pebble beach, clouds that look like things, the list goes on and on and on. I love the fact that I don't mind getting dirty, that I am a tomboy, and that I get to relive all of those enchanted childhood memories, playing outside with Bunny.

My family feeds my soul. I could have all the me time in the world, but I could never be full without my family. Those moments of dream come true perfection, the little ones that happen everyday. You just can't get those by yourself.

I love my life!

What feeds your soul? Leave a comment telling about it...

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. Photos - no words - capturing moments from the week. Simple, special, extraordinary moments. Moments I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moments' in the comments for all to find and see.

 

 

The Song Of A Whippoorwill

I was rocking Bunny on the front porch just before bed, when I heard it for the first time this year.

The very distinct, "Whip-poor-will, whip-poor-will, whip-poor-will." It made me smile and think of this song. I sang it to Bunny as she went to sleep. I thought you might like to listen to it too.

I thank God that I live in the county and that Bunny will grow up here.

Learning and loving it the way I do.

Come Along With Us On An Enchanted Childhood Adventure!

It has been a while since I wrote up our weekly doings at our Enchanted Childhood Playschool, so I carried my camera around today on our adventures so the children could share with their parents a bit of what we have been doing!

Introducing Mr Jeremy Fisher (from the tale written by Beatrix Potter)

Bathroom Break!

 

Running down the Nature Path!

 

Brayden found a "pet"--Silly Sally Salamander

 

Playing on "Two Tree Mountain" and "Two Tree Mountain Slide" YES we name everything!

A colony of tiny butterflies!!

Stopping by the creek to give Silly Sally Salamander a drink.

If you look closely you can see the butterflies surrounding the children--very magical!

The children can hardly take two steps without making another discovery--some kind of insect this time.

Then off to Poppaw John's garden to see the chickens....

And search for strawberries! 

Poppaw John surprised us with the 1st carrots of the season!!

How appropriate since we had just read The Carrot Seed this morning.

And finally off to the creek!

 

  Luke is the champion crab catcher!