Michael, Jaspenelle and Damian in Riverfront Park, Spokane.
(This is a little bit of a deviation from the usual square format I use in my photoblog. My father actually took this photo, but I want to put it in a 5×7 frame I have so I spent some time modifying it in GIMP. I am really pleased with the final product.)
Windigo is definitely competing for cutest pose in this shot…
His eye infection is mostly cleared up by the way. The anti-viral cream, which actually turned out to be a dietary supplement, works well. We have to keep it up though or it comes back within a couple days.
I don’t care how they flavor any cat medication by the way, my cats will never ever lick it off my finger. Does anyone’s cat take medication willingly?
We are long gestators in my family so when I lost my mucus plug at 3:30am on June 6th, 2008, 10 days before my due date, I didn’t think too much of it. When the contractions started an hour later I still thought it was false labor, even though they were regular and noticeable, unlike my braxton hicks. My husband and I were both awake at that point though and starting it get a little excited. We started timing the contractions and when they were about 7 minutes apart we called my midwife, Linda, to let her know what was going on, it was about 7am. We also called my mother-in-law, Kim, who assisted us in the birth (and for a couple days afterwards.)
I stayed home until around noon and then we went to the birth center, which is just 15 minute away from our home. I was bubbly and excited still at this point and also still was having a hard time believing I was in labor! Kim met us when we got there.
Linda checked me and I was at 3cm and the baby was fully engaged. The 3cm was a little disappointing but I know that we can labor long in my family. Linda was very encouraging and I felt we still had quite awhile to go before the birth so we went home for awhile. Kim and Michael made me spaghetti for lunch and then Michael and I took a nap. He woke to sooth me through my contractions, especially as they started to get longer and stronger.
At three I went to the bathroom and fluid went all down my leg and on the floor during a contraction. Thinking my water had broken, we called Linda and she had us return to the birth center. She gave me a vaginal wash since I had group B strep (I opted for that rather then IV antibiotics.) She also checked me while she was doing that and I was still only 3cm, my bag of waters was still intact as well (I’d simply wet myself at home.) I did stayed at the birth center from that point on though.
Time passed, I napped on and off. Linda came in a few times to check on us a few times, Michael was pushing on my lower back for every contraction at this point and I felt the need to move around quite a bit in between them. I really wanted to get into the tub but I had to wait till I was 5cm before I could (or else it can slow your labor.) I am glad I didn’t hop in the tub right away though or else I would not have discovered the birthing ball. So comfortable to lean over! Still, I wanted the tub and finally at 7pm I hit 5cm, so I got in. It was bliss! Michael got in behind me to rub my back. It was intimate and wonderful. We whispered encouraging words to each other between contractions. I was getting more low-tone vocal during my contractions and they were also starting to get more and more intense. I ultimately got out of the tub and returned to my (beloved) birthing ball for the rest of labor.
Around nine my midwife gave me another vaginal wash and checked me. I was 6cm and we found my bag of waters was still intact. I was so tired and just wanted to sleep but my body wasn’t having any of that! We discussed break my water, and ultimately decided to do that. Linda broke my water at 9:15pm.
Almost immediately after my water was broken I went into transition, Michael knealed behind me and leaned on my back for the whole time. When Linda came back in and checked me she found (a little to her surprise) that I was pushing. I had actually been trying to fight that urge because I thought it was a bowel movement and didn’t want to poo in front of anyone (I am a bit of a type-A personality. Not being in control? Not an option!) Michael reminded me I had to let go so that the baby could come. I finally surrender to my body and felt the strong urges to push rush over me like waves crashing on a shoreline. I hard hardly started pushing when Linda told me the baby was crowning and I got to touch his head. Knowing he was coming out opened up a huge well of inner strength and gave me the power to keep going. The feeling of him coming out of my body was orgasmic.
I don’t remember sitting back, or ending up on the bed, but I found myself holding my baby boy against my chest, his pulsing cord connecting the two of us. He only screamed for a minute before looking at me with his beautiful big eyes. We laid like that for what seemed like no time and forever, skin to skin, my baby boy was perfect in every way. According to my husband, the single word I uttered in that time was a simple soft “wow”. I had never even held a baby under a year in my whole life but it felt so natural. I have never felt such a deep feeling of connectivity, devotion and love. Michael snuggled beside us on the bed and we just sat there in that place of ultimate bliss.
When Damian’s cord stopped pulsing, the midwife left me cut it and she took him briefly to weigh and measure him, 8lbs 8oz, 21 inches long! She never left the bedside with him, he never left our sight and as soon as she was done we was right back in our arms. Michael finally got to hold him while I delivered the placenta and then got checked and dressed. I tore a tiny bit but didn’t need stitches. I felt as if I was floating from joy.
Three hours after he was born, we were buckling him into his carseat and listening to Linda give us the run down of things to watch for over the next 24 hours (when she would come check on us at home.) I sat with Damian in the back seat on the way home, I couldn’t take my eyes off my beautiful baby. I had such an overwhelming feeling of love filling my heart (I still get this feeling when I look at him.) When we got home exhaustion finally did hit, like a hammer, and Michael and I crawled into bed with our most beautiful gift ever.
So that is my birth story with Damian. I was hard, yes, but worth every moment. If I had had drugs or doctors hovering over me waiting for something to go wrong I think I might have felt robbed of the birth experience and not have been able to bond with my baby so instantly. To have those present listen to me and trust my body as much as I did was empowering. This was my first birth, a natural childbirth, and the only way I ever want to give birth.
Let’s see, in the past three and a half weeks I’ve given birth, got a bladder infection (remember to stay hydrated people!), the van has broken down, Damian and I have gotten thrush and now Windigo has an eye infection, it looks like Aos is getting it too.
Seriously, is financial stress part of parenthood? Why does everything seem to go expensively wrong at the same time.
The gas pump died on our van a week ago and apparently a former owner replaced the fuel line with normal hose so it has to be replaced too (since it was leaking.) $700 for that. We broke down in a parking lot on our way to my two week midwife appointment, that was fun in the blistering heat. Our friend Shannon came and picked up Damian and I though (bless her) while Michael waited for the tow truck.
Damian and I have thrush at the moment (it is basically a yeast infection in his mouth that got transfered to my breasts.) I get chronic yeast infections so it is not too surprising but it is certainly not making the nursing experience pleasant. We are treating it though and it is starting to improve. I feel guilty for giving it to him, though I know it is really not my fault. though I could cut more sugars out of my diet (which hasn’t been the best this past few weeks…) I had forgotten till now how much my physical and mental self suffers when I do not control my diet better. It is more stressful emotionally then financially. It is making Damian’s bowel movements irregular, it is hard to see him struggle. I have been wearing him in the sling most of the day so that he feels secure, it seems to be helping.
I called the vet today and explained that we really couldn’t afford to bring the cats in but that I know what is wrong with them (they get this thing about once a year, it is a reoccurring herpes eye infection. They get it when they get stressed.) I said we would bring them in if we had to though, they are part of our family after all. Luckily the vet was really understanding and though he can’t give us the antibiotic without seeing them, he can give us an anti-viral gel. Michael is picking it up after work. We have never used this treatment on them so fingers crossed that it works.
Does anyone else has this problem with any of their animals? Is there anything preventative you do for it (other then trying to keep them low stress?)
The +90F heat isn’t helping any of this. We don’t have screens so we can’t open the windows to get a breeze going (we only have AC in one room) the cats would get out if I opened them as is. I called the landlady about it today and tried to be as polite as possible. She was also understanding (I am thankful for all these small miracles) and is going to see what she can do about it.
I am wondering what will happen next and how we will get through it. I know we will, we always do, and if anything this makes Michael and my relationship stronger because it shows us how much we need each others support. I am quite an optomistic person but this is even dragging me down I guess.
This will probably be amusing to some, but when I am feeling down I love listening to Walking in Memphis to calm my mind. It is such a beautiful song. Marc Cohn has such and amazing voice. Music is a force more powerful then the darkest mood in my life.
(My super sexy husband! I took this photo of him yesterday when we went up to make sure the trail we are probably cleaning up next weekend wasn’t under water.)
I had an appointment with my midwife yesterday ans she asked me to get an ultrasound as soon as possible so that we can figure out the baby’s position. Normally Linda can tell how he is positioned by feeling around my belly but the baby is being very mobile and uncooperative lately (wow, didn’t expect him to manifest some of my more “endearing” personality traits so early… hehe!) She thinks he is breach again.
I’m a little concerned, I know Linda would not ask me to get an ultrasound unless she found it absolutely necessary. I am glad she is erring on the side of caution though. If he is breach there are still things we can do to get him back into the head down position, it will just get more difficult to do it as time passes (he is almost out of room in there!) She will deliver breach babies, but naturally there are more risks associated with that kind of delivery which we will have to be carefully considered. She has been very upfront about all that. So anyhow, I am shooting for being able to get an ultrasound early next week, before my next appointment.
I have the most horrendous heartburn today but otherwise I feel okay, still a little moody, but okay. I received a nursing bra via my Amazon Baby Registry today. It didn’t say from who but it is comfortable and really cute too, I love it. Thank you!
After my midwife appointment yesterday, Michael and I drove around to look at the local flooding, the Spokane River is above flood stage right now.
This is the Spokane River downtown near the falls. The river bed normally completely dries up in some places come summer time. No one has seen it this high since 1997 though (which is the last time we had widespread flooding.) The are saying the river will crest sometime this weekend.
I took some footage of the river yesterday as well since photos don’t even begin to capture how fast the river is moving (here are some of the still photos though.) Michael needs to teach me how to get the video from the video camera, to the computer, to the blog, so no video today, hopefully I have one up tomorrow.
(Taken last June in Coeur d’Alene, ID.)
Today is Michael’s 25th birthday (a quarter of a century, woot!) He is the reason I have such a nice website to put this birthday post on (and that I have three other websites too!) Yes, I suppose I did marry a geek but luckily I caught one who shares my passion for the outdoors and the environment. Mother Nature is giving him a healthy dose of snow as a gift today though…
We have known each other for several years though I only moved to Spokane in September 2004. We had a civil union in December 2004 and were handfasted last June. As you all know, we are expecting our first child in June, which is very close to the date of our handfasting in fact, which somehow seems beautifully symbolic. I think he is going to make one of the most amazing fathers, just as he is a wonderful and caring husband.
I don’t think there is any other person who I connect with as well as I do with Michael. Of course we do not always agree, but we can overcome those things easily because we communicate so well. I don’t think anyone can make me laugh as much as he does either, or put my mind at greater peace.
So happy birthday my Love, I look forward to spending them all with you.
(Michael and I at Twelfth Night yesterday.)
The greatest blessing is having someone to come home to who loves you for all that you are, especially on those days when nothing goes right.
~~~
My tea’s gone cold, I’m wondering why
I got out of bed at all
The morning rain clouds up my window
and I can’t see at all
And even if I could it’d all be grey,
but your picture on my wall
It reminds me that it’s not so bad,
it’s not so bad
I drank too much last night, got bills to pay,
my head just feels in pain
I missed the bus and there’ll be hell today,
I’m late for work again
And even if I’m there, they’ll all imply
that I might not last the day
And then you call me and it’s not so bad,
it’s not so bad and
I want to thank you
for giving me the best day of my life
Oh just to be with you
is having the best day of my life
Push the door, I’m home at last
and I’m soaking through and through
Then you hand me a towel
and all I see is you
And even if my house falls down,
I wouldn’t have a clue
Because you’re near me and
I want to thank you
for giving me the best day of my life
Oh just to be with you
is having the best day of my life
- Dido: Thank You
Taken from Zyleeth (she is an awesome artist, you should check out her stuff.)
1. What are your first names?
- Michael and Jaspenelle
2. How long have you been together?
- Since September 4th, 2004
3. How long did you know each other before you started dating?
- Since 2001 maybe?
4. Who asked who out?
- It was mutual, but I think he initiated it.
5. How old are each of you/were you?
- He was 21 and I was 18 when we got together. Now he is 24 and I am 22.
6. What are your astrological signs?
- He is a Taurus/Aries cusp with a Leo moon and Leo rising
- I am a Capricorn with a Capricorn moon and an Aries rising
- Yes, I feel slightly geeky knowing that off the top of my head.
7. How tall are each of you?
- He is 6′3 and I am 5′4″
8. Who’s mother do you see the most?
- Michael’s as they only live an hour from us.
9. Who’s siblings do you see the most?
- Michael’s as they only live an hour from us.
10. Do you have any children together?
- Kind of? Pregnant with our first!
11. What about pets?
- Yes! We have furbabies!
12. If so, what kind?
- Two cats, Windigo and Aos.
13. Which bill is the hardest on you as a couple?
- All them? 
We budget very well though.
14. How do each of you work?
- He works Accounts Payable for a Charlie’s Produce and I work part time in a parking lot and have a craft business.
15. Is that what you went to school for?
- Neither of us have been to college.
16. Did you go to the same school?
- N/A
17. Are you from the same hometown?
- Nope! I grew up mainly in Europe and he grew up mostly here in Spokane, WA.
18. Are you from the same town now?
- Yup! Spokane, WA.
19. Who is the smartest?
- Me!
- Actually we both compliment each other with intelligence in different areas of study.
20. Who is the most sensitive?
- Him, though pregnancy is making me far more unpredictable.
21. Where do you eat out at most as a couple?
- Grocery store parking lot? Hehe. Or Subway.
22. Where do you shop the most as a couple?
- Grocery store (so sexy…)
23. Where is the furthest you have traveled as a couple?
- Indianapolis, IN (though I was living there at the time.)
- From Spokane we have traveled to Kalispel, MT and Seattle, WA. I am not sure which is further. I think we were in the traffic jam between Seattle and Tacoma longer then the total time it took to travel to both places though… hehe.
- I want to go to Yellowstone the most at the moment.
24. Who has the best group of friends?
- We have mostly the same friends.
25. Who has the craziest exes?
- Me, unfortunately.
26. Who has the worst temper?
- Probably me, when I finally blow it is not pretty or rational. We fight so rarely though it is impossible to really know, and I like it that way!
