The Bump

So what was keeping me so busy over the last week?

I decided to take advantage of an absent husband and this "nesting" desire that's completely taken over me lately and tackle a good amount of the "things to do" on my never-ending list.

So here's what I managed to get done:

• KITCHEN: scrubbed all major appliances, cleaned all cupboards and reorganized contents, got rid of everything that is not being used regularly, scrubbed all surfaces, painted the door and cut out protective plastic coverings on door windows.
• MASTER BATHROOM: thoroughly cleaned every inch including under his & her sinks getting rid of what we don't need/use and organizing what remained. Washed all towels and mats. Put up clean curtains.
  
• HIS & HER CLOSETS (in master bedroom): I left "HIS" alone :) For mine, I took EVERYTHING out, this covered my entire bedroom floor and was a VERY intimidating project! I think I stored everything but the kitchen sink in there :-/ My closet now houses my clothes and shoes, Justus's small dresser, and other random boxes of stuff like "skinny clothes" and family photos. I have now made a section for little Dew Drop since I've begun picking up the random little baby item here and there :) I also have my "birth bin" in there, and am realizing I need another one!
  
• MASTER BEDROOM: stripped the bed and washed all bedding, took everything out of my dresser and reorganized my drawers. Cleared and organized my sewing desk.
• CHILDREN'S BEDROOMS: They helped me a bunch with their rooms because I think it's important for them to be responsible for their space and belongings. We thoroughly cleaned foors, organized closets, cleaned out dressers and put clothes back neatly.
• CHILDREN'S BATHROOM: Same as for mine, cleaned everything out. We have a really beautiful mirror/cabinet that goes over the toilet, I had hope to put it up while he was gone but it was too heavy and required tools I didn't have. I'll have him do this sometime this week.
• LINEN CLOSET: emptied it completely separated what I want from what I don't and refolded and put everything back in neatly.
  
• VACCUMED all floors upstairs and down (thank you Christine for letting me borrow your super-duper vaccum cleaner!) but WOW is it heavy for a very preggy mama to be carrying up and down stairs repeatedly! :) Worked awesome, though!
• WASHED WALLS both upstairs and down, and mopped floors.
• LAUNDRY ROOM/LAUNDRY: washed about 17-20 loads (I lost count at about 12), folded and put everything away, donated what doesn't fit anymore, mended what needed mending, threw out whatever was in bad shape.
  
• DONATIONS: 4 bags of clothing went out to the Goodwill
  
• GARBAGE: all garbage and recycles went out to the dump (thanks William!)
  

I managed to completely re-do my dining room in 2 days :) It was a lot of work taking off the wallpaper! My hands were raw, blistered and swollen from all of the scraping. Little by little I've been ridding the house of all the peach everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE! It must have been the previous owner's favorite color *gag*

It's hard to see the color in the picture (below), since I had to use my webcam, but you'll get the idea. I chose a deep red called "Awning Red" for the walls, and a pure white for the trim up top. The white on top and red on bottom really opened up the room and makes it look bigger. I took down the blinds (I *hate* blinds) and put up a new curtain rod and hung sheer white curtains. I also spot cleaned and washed all of the fabric on the chairs and bought that little plant in the middle of the table (the "money tree") as a gift for Ivan. It looks brand new :)


You would think everything was done right? Here's what's left to do before baby arrives:

• Put up that mirror/cupboard in the children's bathroom
• Paint master bedroom
• Put up curtains in master bedroom
  
• Paint front hallway and upstairs hallway (again)
• Paint kitchen
• Paint Eric's room & put up new window dressings
  
• Paint Julie's and Sera's room & put up new window dressings
  
• Buy new chairs for the dining room
• Replace table and chairs in kitchen
• Decorate the master bathroom (most probably my birth space)
  

That's all I can think of at the moment but I'm sure there's more LOL

All in good time. For now, I'm gonna rest and enjoy the fruits of my labor. Best of all... we pick up our new stove this week (hopefully today!) which will feel like a reward for all our hard work.

The Family Bed

We've always had the kids in bed with us from birth until somewhere between 2-5yrs old. Usually it is the birth of a younger sibling that will initiate the transition of the older child moving to a different sleep location. Good thing about a large family is that no one is EVER sleeping alone! If they can't sleep in bed with us, they will go find a sibling to share sleep with and feel very comforted and satisfied doing so. The children are split up in 3 bedrooms but it is not uncommon to find them all huddled in one room with make shift beds all over the floor when it's sleep time. I have a hard time saying no to this because, well, this is what we do and it works for us. Sleep time seems to be bonding time for the children. They can go at it all day roughing each other up and claiming to care nothing for each other but then bed time comes and all of a sudden they can't live without each other :)

Since Ivan's been gone we decided we would all sleep in mommy's room and take turns every night with who got to sleep in the bed. First night the girls were in the bed, second night the boys and we keep rotating this way. They have enjoyed it SO much! One night I played music and we all just quietly listened for about 2 hours before they started dropping off one by one into sleep land. It's been such a blessing, especially for the older children who hardly ever have the opportunity to climb in bed with mommy and daddy because they're HUGE now and really don't fit LOL

Eric (11) was at a birthday party/sleepover last night and Julie (10) and Jason (8) decided they wanted to sleep in the boys room, of course because they wanted to stay up late and talk, but that's ok, so I had Justus (1) Seraphina (4) and Lucius (5) in bed with me. This meant I basically slept on about 8 inches of space when it seems my body now needs at least 3 times that much! Even still, it was such a blessing to have them so close :) I've learned this week that Lucius talks A LOT in his sleep! He seems to be talking to Eric mostly. So cute. And the boys seem to rotate into a sideways position every night while the girls stay nice and straight :)

I do miss hubby though, and will be overjoyed when I have him stealing my blankets again.

Pregnant in America

A friend posted this on Facebook, I've seen it before and thought I would share it here:



"Pregnant in America examines the betrayal of humanity's greatest gift--birth--by the greed of U.S. corporations. Hospitals, insurance companies and other members of the healthcare industry have all pushed aside the best care of our infants and mothers to play the power game of raking in huge profits.

His wife pregnant, first-time filmmaker Steve Buonaugurio sets out to create a film that will expose the underside of the U.S. childbirth industry and help end its neglectful exploitation of pregnancy and birth.

Pregnant in America is the controversial story of life's greatest miracle in the hands of a nation's most powerful interests. "

Nothing like a peaceful homebirth...

to get your day going :) When she brings the baby up to her chest I just started crying happy baby tears! So beautiful.

Hubby's Gone

For a week that is.

Most people would be upset about that but I'm not at all :) You see, with him working at home and us being a homeschooling family I don't get those chunks of undisturbed time most people do daily to get their everyday chores done. I often use him as an excuse to stop whatever I'm doing and have a little chit chat. It's truly a blessing I never take for granted. But it can also be an excuse to not do what needs doing! So I figure I'll look at this week as an opportunity to get things in order here (still nesting like crazy!) and have them nice and together for when he gets back :) There's so much I want to focus on, like the superficial housework kinda stuff, but also some heart and soul work. I've been paying such extra special attention to my mind and my body this pregnancy and am aware of the areas in which I would love to see growth and change. To be quite honest, I often times feel like the real me is tucked away quietly somewhere waiting for the chance, or freedom, to come out. The truth is, it is me who holds back, not anything or anyone else. For whatever reasons, some obvious, some not so much, I am not allowing myself the liberty to embrace every part of what makes me *me*. Sometimes I think it can be as simple as the every day monotony of life causing me to function on automatic and I forget to be present and conscious in every moment. There is a cure for this :) It's like the old saying "take time to smell the roses". I need to take the time to be more proactive and less reactive in situations. I need to slow down and simply be, just for simplicity's sake. I need to be more intentional about what parts of myself I want elevated and enhanced and what parts need to be discarded like something no longer useful or valuable. I just need to sloooow down! :)

That is something that will take practice. I was trained very well to do everything in a New York minute. I rush to shower, clean, cook, everything! I have plenty of reasons and even encouragement to continue in that path. There are hungry mouths around me at every given moment, there is always a baby or toddler needing my attention RIGHT NOW! lol There is even the pressure I feel from within to be super efficient and fast at every thing I do. Still... there's that quiet *me* in the background... waiting to emerge and embrace the silence and simplicity of life, where even the mundane tasks are performed with a rich appreciation for the blessings that they truly are.

Everyone seems to think I need company or rescuing from being left alone here this week. It's quite the opposite really :) I'd like to rest in the peace and quiet so that I can just breathe! I don't want to have to worry about answering the door or entertaining anyone and losing this opportunity to catch up with *me*.

Here are my plans for the week:

Tackle one room a day and get it organized and cleaned up.
Play with my children as much as possible.
For relaxing *me* time, I plan to continue in my daily yoga practice, cuddle up with my new book "Painless Childbirth" and drink it all up slowly.
Then I'll have ALL of my children set up a sleeping spot in my room and we'll go to bed together, EARLY!

Sounds awesome to me :)

A Final Word on the Subject...

Circumcision

Foreskin is not a birth defect

source: http://www.birthandmotherhood.com/circhurts.html

Circumcision rates in America are dropping as people realize that babies should be left the way they were born. In America about 56% of children are still being cut at birth, that means close to half of boys do have foreskin. I do not support the amputation of boys OR girls. It is a crime to alter a baby girls genitals, boys should have the same protection.

What is the big deal? It's just a piece of skin.

It's a piece of skin that was intended to protect a boys penis. Removal of that skin is unnatural and completely against the design of the human body. Made from tissue similar to your eyelid, the adult foreskin laid out flat is about the size of a 3x5 index card. It's not little and it's not just a piece of skin. Between 10,000 and 20,000 nerve endings, Several feet of blood vessels, and Sebaceous Glands; which lubricate and moisturize the foreskin and glands, are all lost when you cut the foreskin away.

The big deal is that it protects an infant boy from getting feces on the head of his penis. The big deal is that the foreskin was designed to smoothly glide over the glands on the penis. This makes intercourse gentle, smooth, and pleasurable for both men and women. The big deal is that you are performing a life altering cosmetic surgery on an infant. Baby boys are born perfect. Look at that tiny penis on your newborn baby, it is perfect. He is perfect. When asked many parents of newborns said that they never even saw their newborns penis before part of it was cut off.

I suggest that if you do decide to have this barbaric procedure done then watch it be done to your new baby boy. I hear parents all of the time talk about how they didn't want to watch and it just shocks me. If it's too disturbing to watch then perhaps it's to disturbing to do.

My Body Was Designed To Heal By Shauna

I've had ear infections, but no one cut off my ears

I've had sinus infections, but no one cut off my nose

I've had a toenail infection, but no one cut off my toes

I've had a cyst under my eyelid, but no one cut off my eyelid

I've had vaginal infections, but no one cut off my labia or clitoris

Why are people afraid of "foreskin?"

Doctors Opposing Circumcision

This is a very fascinating and educational video used by doctors as part of medical school curriculum. I encourage everyone to watch the full video. I learn something new each time I watch it.

I know circumcision is a hot topic, but it wouldn't be me to shy away from a controversial subject now would it?

For me, the bottom line is this... the penis belongs to the baby, let him decide if he wants it cut or not when he is old enough to make that choice. We are so quick to mutilate our sons in the name of hygiene or religion or "looking like dad" that we forget to look at the overwhelming evidence that this is a barbaric and outdated procedure with no benefit to a boy whose penis was healthy and intact. It is a painful procedure often done without any anesthetic. I believe if parents had adequate education about the function of the foreskin and the truth about circumcision there would be MANY baby boys saved from genital mutilation. I, for one, would love to see the end of this senseless violence.

Painless Childbirth Is Possible

Birth Dreams

I've had two so far. Both dreams included circumstances that I am obviously bothered by in real life. Fears even. This is the work of pregnancy, being able to recognize the obstacles that stand in your way and working on getting them out of the picture, or learning how to change your thinking so the obstacles are no longer an issue.

In these particular dreams, the actual birth is a perfectly normal and beautiful process, there is no pain and I'm totally excited about the baby joining me on the outside. But *BOTH* dreams included my MIL who out of panic or thoughtlessness sabotaged the post birth period by either calling her friends to let them know I had given birth to a premature baby at home without assistance or letting the authorities know that I had just given birth at home and they should come take a look at the baby :-/ The dream I had this morning resulted in a hospital transfer of the baby and me left behind trying to figure out how to get myself to the out-of-state hospital they took him to. I was walking on foot, trying to get on buses and trains, all the while knowing that they were giving him bottles and I would lose the chance to establish a breastfeeding relationship with him if I didn't make it there in time.

I love my mother-in-law dearly but this is not so out of character for her. She is a very fearful person and worries about every little thing. She also lives downstairs :-) We've been trying to come up with a solution to the issue of her being in the house when I have the baby and even for a short while postpartum so we can have a peaceful and private babymoon. There's the possibility of her visiting her family in England for a while and so far that seems the best option. Even she is not wanting to be around for the actual birth. She knows she can't handle the idea of my being in labor without worrying her head off and disturbing the peace. But this is a burden that I can't keep walking around with. I need to think through why I am so concerned with this issue that it's messing with my sleep time, kwim?

On another more positive note... in both dreams the baby was a BOY! :)

My Birth Hero

Laura Shanley!

Around 8.5 years ago when I was pregnant with Jason (baby#3) I was told by my best friend how interventions at the hospital cause many of the problems we see in childbirth and that I should consider a homebirth with a midwife. I thought she was insane! I mean, didn't she realize my first born nearly DIED at birth and the doctors at the hospital heroically saved his life?!?! What would I have done in that situation if I were at home?! Well, after doing some research I learned that the complications we encountered were in fact brought on by the myriad of interventions that same doctor who "saved" my baby had given me. I continued on my hunt for as much information as I could find about the differences between a homebirth and hospital birth and how they lined up statistically. The more I found out, the more I was convinced, I needed to stay home! Shortly after searching for a home birth midwife I would discover this was not an option in NY. In NY, midwives are CNM's (certified nurse midwives) which can often be just another name for an obstetrician who is not qualified to perform a c-section. They must work in the same practice under the supervision of an OB and they do not provide homebirth services. Having no idea how to seek out a DEM (direct entry midwife), I was out of luck. What to do, what to do? Well... convinced there must be another option I began searching on the internet for anything homebirth related. That's when I found Laura Shanley's "Born Free" website. I was immediately fascinated by the information about the normalcy of childbirth and couldn't stop reading. I spent hours and hours just taking in birth from this radically different perspective. Could this all be true? Could birth be a beautiful intimate experience as opposed to a medically terrifying event? I read story after story after story, and before I logged off her site I realized that I *was* unassisted birth, and all of the beauty that entailed, I simply hadn't had the experience yet.

One of the reasons why I love Laura Shanley's take on childbirth is because she focuses on how important our thoughts are and the power the mind has to affect the body. This was something I could totally relate to with my previous 2 pregnancy and birth experiences. I was what a doctor would call "high risk", I suffered from "preterm labor" beginning at 27 weeks. Believe it or not, during my second pregnancy, I was told by my midwife that my body "can't hold a baby past 27 weeks" so I should consider not having any more children. I spent the second pregnancy on bed rest with a turbuteline pump injected into my thigh (IV style) pumping medicine into my body every four hours. I had to strap myself to an external fetal monitoring machine for one hour 3 times a day and send the report through the phone line immediately afterward. If I had more than 5 contractions an hour, I was to mega-dose with the pump and start the process all over again! If this occurred 3 times in a row I was sent to the L&D at the hospital and was put on a "mag-wash" (magnesium sulfate, otherwise known as HELL ON EARTH! ouch!) for a certain amount of hours and then stay for observation. I wasn't a very good candidate for a homebirth, no less unassisted, or was I?

You see, I was dealing with some very emotionally stressful times back then, and my minds way of dealing with it was this very dramatic pregnancy. I don't remember doing it at all consciously but somehow I knew deep inside that this was the external manifestation of the pain and suffering I was going through silently. When I decided I wanted an unassisted homebirth, I realized that I needed to create a peaceful environment for myself. One in which I could focus on the positive and prove to myself if I really did have control over how "high risk" or not I actually was. The changes I made were dramatic. I moved out of state, left all of the negative influences behind me and began my journey of surrounding myself with peace, joy and love. I learned to love myself during this time. I began to appreciate my own body and dealt with all the hidden shame I felt about the functions of my body and how it looked. I would spend time in the mirror looking at my not-so-perky breasts and falling in love with them. I would say good things about my body and the amazing journey it had been on with me throughout my entire life. I started practicing prenatal yoga, and putting music on at random times of the day and dancing without care. I would rub cream on my belly, breasts and legs and take care of every inch of my body. It was a very healing time for me. I even growed my underarm and leg hair just so I could learn to love myself that way! And I did! I shaved as soon as I accepted myself naturally (a personal preference!) but it felt good :-)

Before I knew it, I was 27 weeks pregnant... remember, that was my magic number, right? As soon as I realized I hit 27 weeks I began to have contractions. I couldn't help but to wonder if it was my looking at the calender that brought on those contractions. I decided I was going to have a little chat with my mind. I told myself that the contractions weren't necessary unless they were happening to prepare my uterus for birth. I told myself that I didn't need to let the world know I was hurting through a broken pregnancy, but that I could use the pregnancy to show myself and the world that I am healed inside, and out. Wouldn't you know... no more scary, non-stop contractions! I did notice however that my body did have more than 5 contractions an hour sometimes and that was simply a normal thing for me, no need for concern. So there it was. All the confirmation I needed that my mind was this VERY powerful force that I had given in to, and allowed my circumstances to sabotage my pregnancy and birth experiences. I thought about how this is not only related to birth but to all aspects of our living. This is how worrisome people can turn into cancer patients, and stressed out people give themselves heart attacks. This is about me controlling my mind and not allowing my mind to have control over me. Some women are all too happy about their fears of birth. They cling on to their fear based thinking as if it's a wonderful thing because they are terrified to consider the possibility that if they let their guard down they may just find out that "safe" place they want to give birth isn't really safe at all.

So that was where my unassisted birth journey began. And that is why Laura Shanley will always be a beacon of light to me when it comes to overcoming fear, shame, guilt, worry and moving towards a state of empowerment and peace. I've never had the pleasure of meeting Laura in person, though we've corresponded through email over the years and belong to some awesome birth-y yahoo groups together, but her influence will be with me forever. I have used the tools I learned from her and have transformed every area of my life dramatically for the better. Here I am... planning yet another unassisted birth, having had several wonderfully simple ones under my belt already :-)

You will always be my birth hero!

Juuust in case....

...anyone was going crazy trying to figure out what very expensive baby gear I totally don't need but would love to have... Look no further! LOL I fell in love with this set last night :-)

So... you know... just in case ;-)

Damn Etsy!!!

Hey Janice...

I'm wondering if in my ignorance I too quickly dismissed your suggestion that I might be dealing with yeast :-/ Sorry about that. I suppose I was hoping it would be more something more simple... like NOTHING lol :) I plan to find out next week at my ND appointment if she can write up a prescription for the Newman cream.

Not long after I posted that entry I started having shooting pains at random times of the day when he wasn't even latched on. I'm thinking, that's probably not just a pregnancy hormone thing, huh?

If I have any questions, I'll be coming to you!

A Beautiful Video

There's a lot of nakey-ness, so if you can't handle that... don't watch!

Abbreviated Birth Story

Can you tell your Birth Story in Abbreviated Form? Give it a try, tell your birth story in only 6 words!

Here's mine:

Eric ~ machines, doctors, interventions, baby born blue.

Julianne ~ sneaky induction, four hour labor, cheated.

Jason ~ planned homebirth, unnecessary transfer, no drugs.

Lucius ~ candlelight, music, intimacy, baby swims out.

Seraphina ~ useless midwife, sleeping husband, flu, exhaustion.

Justus ~ confidence, empowered, birth pool, heart healing.

That was tough! :)

Mama Milkies

I'm one of those women who never seems to have any issues with breastfeeding. I've never had supply issues, mastitis, thrust or anything else. I've never had problems establishing a solid breastfeeding relationship even when the newborns latch is less than ideal. I've had good, healthy, on demand eaters. So I think maybe I've gotten a bit spoiled.

Recently I started experiencing sensitive nipples when Justus latches on, obviously due to pregnancy hormones. OUCH! The "sensitivity" had turned into full on HURTING over a couple of weeks time. It got to the point where I was dreading him signing "milkies" because as soon as he would latch on, my whole body would get zapped with a lightning kind of pain and even though he wasn't, it felt like he was nursing with all of his teeth! Yeah, lovely. I would check... and nope... his tongue was right where it should be so there were no teeth touching my nipple, just extremely sensitive skin that's all.

Well, I broke down about a week ago and bought him a bottle. He'll take a sippy cup but not for rest times or comfort times. I kept trying to tell myself that it was no big deal, I mean, what's the difference between a bottle and a sippy cup right? I said this to myself over and over feeling less convinced each time. Well, by the second time he reached for the bottle instead of coming to mama for our nursing/cuddle time I BROKE. I ripped the bottle from his hand and swooped him up into my arms and exposed my breast allowing him to take it if he wanted (of course, he did.) The pain was still there, it lasted a second and then all gone. I nursed him for about twenty minutes and we just enjoyed snuggling up together. Once again, all was right in our world.

I have to say... the second or two of discomfort when he latches on is FAR LESS painful than the thought of him weaning prematurely to some artificial source of comfort.

This experience has really given me a refreshed outlook on our nursing relationship and a renewed passion to protect our bonding time. He's still my little baby, even though there's another on the way. I can't ignore his needs to satisfy the needs of another. It's a balancing act. One that I am quite familiar with having such a large family. I can do this!

:-)

*** Oh, and the absolute cutest part that I forgot to mention... When Justus nurses he rubs my belly for the entire session. It's the sweetest thing! He doesn't really understand a baby is coming but he sure knows my body is changing. It melts my heart.

Trying to Eat More Protien, Help!

But I'm having a hard time trying to figure out how to get more of it into my diet. Here are my issues:

Meat - makes me sick, constipated, bloated, crampy. Especially chicken and beef. So as of right now I am only eating fish as a "meat" and I'm really sick of it already!

Seeds - don't like em'. I sneak about 10 of them into my oatbran and those 10 bites ruin the whole meal for me.

Nuts - trying to stay away from them due to Ivan's nut allergy and the high risk of passing something like allergies or asthma to this baby if I consume them while pregnant.

Beans - again with the major belly aches. Sometimes even worse than eating meat. The bloating is to painful to deal with.

Milk/Dairy - see meat and beans.

Tofu - this one I like only a couple of different ways, but I don't see how I can meet my daily requirement on it.

Eggs - I like, but at 6 grams per 1 med. egg it'll take a LOT more than an egg to reach my goal which is somewhere between 80-100 grams. It's a high # but that is due to other health issues.

I *hate* smoothies so protein shakes/smoothies are out. What do I do??!?!

Happy New Year!

Last night the hubby and I talked about what kind of changes we would want to see happen in our lives in the new year. I could think of only 2 things that would really make a much needed difference in my life. Decisiveness and consistency. If I could focus on those 2 things I believe amazing transformations would begin to take place.

As far as the pregnancy goes. I need to be more consistent with... well, just about everything! I seem to eat right for half of the day and then get bored/tired/hungry/unprepared and eat whatever. I am getting increasingly annoyed with food as I still seem to be suffering (sometimes really bad) with bloating and cramping pain. Now that I'm pregnant, when I get bloated it feels like someone is blowing up a balloon behind the baby and there isn't anything I can do about it :-/ I had a plate of white pasta w/ a garlic, basil and coconut oil sauce and I felt like I was going to explode from the inside out. I felt instantly lethargic and had a hard time breathing for a couple of hours. WHAT is up with that?

I also get lazy with my vitamins. After the first 10 pills of the day I feel like giving up. It's pretty annoying to have to fill my belly with a huge glass of water whenever I eat so that these pills will go down. So... gotta work on that too.

And lastly, I need to exercise more often. I use a treadmill, rotate between several pregnancy workout videos, prenatal yoga and most recently, belly dancing :-) Working the body is something I thoroughly enjoy and simply need to carve out more time each day to do it. Right now I don't have any set routine so it kinda happens when it happens and don't when it don't.

Something I'm very excited about is my birth bin and birth binder. My birth bin is where I'll be collecting all of my birthing supplies. I made up my supply list last month and have been throwing things in here and there as I remember to pick them up :-) So much fun! Then there's my birth binder, which I will walk you through with pictures as soon as I get my ink cartridge refilled. My binder is filled with all sorts of cool stuff like food planners, vitamin schedule, inspirational birth related articles, Information regarding pregnancy or birth I want to keep on hand and stuff like that. My intention is to build it up over time and pass it on to my daughters when their time comes.

I also have sewing projects coming up. Hubby gave me a new sewing machine for Christmas and I am so excited that I'll be sewing again!!! I'm going to make 2 new diaper bags, a large one for long outings and a small one for shorter ones. I also plan to make a new pouch sling and a birth quilt. Yay!

So there's lots to look forward to in the New Year! I can't wait :-)