I have Joined the Gang.. of mothers

Three weeks ago I felt a love I have never experienced before.

I was automatically enamored with my baby's every move from the moment he was placed upon my chest. The love I now  have for my husband and son is over flowing and I cannot believe that I have more love to give and receive.

But on the real, I look like a freshmen after their first week of exams; baggy eyed, hazed out, and constantly concerned (except now it is for my son and not my future as a college student).

A close friend of mine had her first baby three months prior to me; I thought it was funny when she had said to me, " I always wondered why mothers are so busy, but now I realize it is because babies eat and poo all day", now that I have joined the gang of mothers I too understand why we mothers are constantly busy.

Speaking of gangs, joining the band of mothers is way more intense than joining any other gang.

• For one, most gangs initiations don't take over your body for nine months. 
• Two, Gangs tend to haze as part of the initiation, which at most lasts only a few hours, but labour (my labour to be exact) can take as long as 24 hours. I have read that a women even had a 75 day labour. Story of woman's amazing 75 day labour (aka Super Mama)
• Three, gangs tend to take people 'out', but becoming a mother is way more difficult for we bring people in. 
• Lastly, gangs often take people under their wings and teach them their ways, most of which are bad, but we mothers take the long and hard route by giving our children our very best with the hope that they seek the right ways.  

 Intense, yes joining the gang of motherhood is, and it is the most amazing kind of intensity. 

Things in life will be intense, that is inevitable.
It is up to you to decide if the intense experience you are being faced with is good or bad. Your experience's 'goodness' is determined by its intent.  For instance, joining a gang is extremely bad if the gang's 'intent' is to destroy lives for self gain; on the other hand, joining the gang of mothers is extremely great because our 'intent' is to create lives and to give of ourselves. 

We have all heard the cliche phrase: no pain no gain, and here it truly applies. Three weeks post-partum and I am not writing this to flatter the world with lies about the ease of parenting, but I am here to revel with others about the joys of beholding the fruits of our labour. Nothing has given me a greater respect for my parents and every generation that has come before me. Love is the intent of parenthood: thats what makes this 'gang' so great. 

Crochet Baby: Bow Tie & Diaper Cover with Suspenders.

I am a pinhead ( someone who spends way to much time on pinterest ). 

I get trapped in pinning countless things and then only do a handful of them. As for the things I have made, my latest pinning addiction has been finding cute baby items.

One particular baby outfit I found was this: 

I straight up took this picture as a crochet challenge! 

First I found a video on how to make a bow tie: 

This video is good for any level crocheter. 

Plus, I am huge fan of this woman's video. 

Here is My finished product of the bow tie. 

This is the first one I have ever made, 

and I must admit I don't think it is 

to shabby. 

Second, I made a diaper cover. 

I followed the same woman who taught me

how to make a bow tie. There are tons of 

videos on youtube for diaper covers and bow ties, 

but I have always found her to be very clear and 

straight forward. Here is the video I followed to make

a  crochet diaper cover. 

Thirdly, I made up a pattern for the suspender part ( which is a minor big deal for me as a newbie crochet artist). The pattern I used was beyond simple and any one could do it. 

The suspender pattern is chain 3, and then single crochet in those three for about 10 inches worth. Then, chain three and slip stich to create a small loop to attach to the button. Lastly, I  sewed the two buttons onto the diaper cover. 

This is my diaper cover and suspenders: 

I also made a matching hat and slippers, but that will be

for another post. I cannot wait for this baby to here, so I can 

dress him up in the fun crocheted things I have made him. 

What are your favorite crochet baby items on the pin? 

Binkie Clothes Clips

As a newbie sewer, I have been finding fun easy projects for baby man. My latest accomplishment is a  binkie clip. This project is super easy and instantly gratifying.

The supplies you need:
 1.Wide Ribbon or Cloth Scraps ( I used scraps)
 2. Suspender/Mitten Clips
 3. Hair band
 4. Sewing Machine


I followed this video on you tube:

  I did not have ribbon at the time, but I think my project would have been slightly easier and come out more clean cut if I did. Either way, I found this video super easy to follow. 

The only thing I really did different was use scrap fabric. Here are the results of the first two I made.

Hula Hooping beyond the due date!

Hula hooping while pregnant is a relaxing and joyful way to exercise.
Yet, Hula hooping in the third trimester adds more of a comic relief to your life than your average exercise.

 Comically I am still trying to maintain an exercise routine of some sorts. Exercise or just forcing myself to move has been beneficial mentally and physically. With all that said, I must not hide the realistic humours facts that exercising this far along has it's challenges. For one, I constantly feel like I have to run to the bathroom. Two, hiking is now waddling, or my preferred name pregnant strutting. And three, the heat ( last week felt like July ) creates swelling; the cure to swelling is drinking water, which brings me back to issue number uno.

  Back to the note of hula hooping past the point of ready to pop, I am grateful that I have learned to do more than just hula hoop around my stomach. Stomach hooping is more challenging than ever and I often spend more time picking it off the ground than actually hooping when attempting the normal hooping methods. So, I have resorted to working on my arms, chest, upper back, & my sides.

 Halos are my best friend. This exercise is when you twirl your hoop with your hands like a halo above your head [hence the name]. There are various ways you can do halos; right hand, left hand, prayer hands, and hand off position. Each of these positions tone a different part of of your upper body.

   Passing, a bit more challenging at this stage in the game but definitely do able. Passing is exactly what the name means. To pass, you literally just pass the hoop around your body from one hand to next.

  Upper body, chest, shoulder, and neck are also great ways to avoid tummy hooping. These movement burn lots of calories and get your heart rate up. Lately, I have been trying to master Babz Robinson's trick tutorial, Should Duck Out, that is a great way to utilize the skills learned with these movements.  

Good luck moving around!

Energetically 40 weeks and counting

 This last Tuesday marked my 40th week of pregnancy.
It is still shocking to me that any day now my son will make his grand entrance into this world. Thankfully, my energy level has risen along with my anticipation.

Energy, I feel like super women lately. I wish I had this much energy when I was in college. Normally this energy would be attributed to the half a gallon of coffee I drank, but this natural perk of being a pregger is amazing. I highly suggest the drug companies get a hold of this, or when in doubt of your body's ability to give you energy just add a dose of 40 weeks pregnant to your drink.

 This sh*t is crazy, I wake up about every couple hours through out the night. Each time I awake happier than the next. Yes, it is a minor hassle finding the bathroom in the dark, but for some reason I am filled with joy and a surge of energy. When I finally arise for the day, I could not be more excited to get out of bed at unusually early hours: like 5 am!

 I cannot claim to be a night owl, for I pass out intensely when I do fall asleep. For example,  as I woke up for my 2 am bathroom regimen I realized my bra was still on and I needed to brush my teeth.

 All this energy, has brought me hope in my body's ability to conquer the next couple of weeks as a First Time Mom. I know our baby can arrive at any moment now and I pray to God that I will still have this energy to pull me through those first couple of days and weeks.

Ultimately, I would classify this week as anxiously energetic. I am beyond anxious to meet the little man my body has nurtured for 9 months, and I am the energizer bunny when it comes to prepping his new home.. our home.

Modified Bed Rest 35 Weeks

    I have been having one of those weeks that if my family and I make it out alive we wil have to celebrate. I don't feel like going into full detail, but lets just say I could not be happier it is Friday!

 It has been a while since I updated my weekly splurge about being pregnant, and I am going to give you a quick catch up to the point of modified bed rest.

 In the past few weeks I have been fervently enjoying my time working in the outdoors as a Teacher Naturalist. I love every minute of my job, leading school groups & teaching them about the great outdoors. Then, on Monday night, I started to get an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach. I tried the ol'e ignore the feeling technique as my stomach hardened and I sprawled out on my bed in the position a flying squirrel is seen to be in mid air.

 Annoyed and queasy, I was unable to address the issue at hand, for Monday's troubles (aka my car is still in the shop thanks to the large medal rod that decided to cross the street on our way to birth class) did not allow us time for that.

 Tuesday, I called my mom (which is part of my daily routine) and told her about my symptoms. Thanks to my mother, I decided it was time to give the midwife a ring a ding ding. Low and behold I have an irritable uterus, personally I thought she was doing a fine job not being to fussy, an effacement reading of 80%, and a captain baby explorer has found his way to the lowest parts of his encasement.

All in all, I was told for the next two weeks (till I am fullterm) I have to take it easy. Which if you know me at all is a challenge, but when it is added with my innate desire to prepare the nest for this baby bird it is altogether borderline comical.

I am in that mental place where I restlessly make lists, read books, finished all baby shower thank you notes, pinterest every last baby thing possible, and now trying to map my way out of the black hole of youtube.

 This week, I went from having zero energy to feeling like I did lines of coke on our new stroller. All my wonderful energy &  desire to walk blissfully in the long awaited warm sunshine was put on a halt, so here is a fair warning: expect to see more post from here until 37 weeks.

Bring on a Full Term Baby!

 As a result of this weeks pondering,  I would like every one to take a moment and think of their mother gratefully & respectfully. Then, I would like to give a shout out to all the mommas and papas sacrificing themselves selflessly for their babies. These beautiful people are signs to all of us that unconditional love surronds us, so when you are in doubt that true love exist go find yourself a public place and watch the families taking care of one another and know it exist in all of us. 

Fears of Hula Hooping Pregnant

 


            Through out my pregnancy, I have heard many people adress their fears of Hula Hooping during pregnancy. Sensibly so,no one wants to hurt their precious baby and spinning a hoop around your stomach can often seem threatening, but the truth is that your baby is well protected in the amniotic fluid. Like any work out though, you should check with your dr. or midwife before you start.

   My midwife advised me that it was okay to hula hoop through out pregnancy and that it even had many benefits. Some of the benefits I have found are:

• Hula Hooping lightens up my mood & relieves my stress  { It's enjoyable }
• I am able to raise my heart rate & energy levels 
• Strengthens my abs & core 
•  Strengthens my floor muscles in preparation for birth 

   When I am grumpy, bloated, & overwhelmed I often get stressed out and sleepy. But, I have found that if I find something to take my mind off my negative thoughts I am able to overcome this temptation. Hula Hooping, is my favorite way to lighten up. I am able to escape from reality for minute, workout, get some endurance, & dance. I love that Hula Hooping changes my mood and and relieves me of stress. 

  Raising my heart rate now that I am 30 weeks pregnant is no challenge. This is so much so that one should watch their heart beat while hooping. Hooping has proven to be a great way for me to bring my heart rate up without having to worry about over working my body. As with all workouts, Hula Hooping gives you more energy ( not that won't be tired.. especially in your third trimester ) but you will maintain healthy levels of energy. 

    A common fear of us preggers is that we will let our bodies go to the waste side, yet with Hula Hooping I am able to maintain strengthened muscles fairly easy. I find it empowering to be able to enjoy working out during these special months ( even if I cannot afford to swim all winter). 

   Theses are the benefits I have recognized as important, but if you are a hooper please share with me your findings. I hope that this little excerpt released your fear about hooping pregnant and empowers you to embrace whatever your heart seeks. 

On the note of whatever your heart seeks, if Hula Hooping is not your thing, I would love to know, as I have shared with you, what is and why?