He had so much fun decorating the "Tuss-muss" tree, he kept asking to do it again for days.
When we got to Grandma and Grandpa Noall's house, they had one for him to decorate himself, with unbreakable ornaments. I wish I'd gotten a picture of it--after he was done, it was very bottom-heavy. So cute. :)
I like this picture.
He had a bow on each shoulder, and of course, this is the closest I got to capturing it--him removing the second one. :)
Jamie had a Thomas the Tank Engine/Sesame Street themed Christmas. On Christmas Eve, he got to open his Elmo slippers. We and Grandma and Grandpa each got him a new Thomas "set"--tracks with different themes, kind of--and Janelle got him a Thomas jigsaw puzzle that came in a cool tin lunch box thing. He also got some nice clothes from Grandma and Grandpa, and his first real Legos from Uncle Justin.
I also got a very exciting new toy for Christmas:
The Silhouette Cameo!!!
Jason faked me out so good. He totally made me think I was getting something else, though I had no idea what. I was so shocked when I opened it!
This isn't actually a picture of mine--I've only used it once on a test run. I'm waiting to get the vinyl and other stuff I ordered. (Plus I hardly know where to start, after wanting one for 2+ years!) So now I just need to bust that baby out and get to work creating! There are definitely "Big Brother" and "Little Brother" t-shirts in my near future.
One of Auntie Janelle's and Jamie's favorite things to do together while we were there was "flipping" on the couch or a bed. This boy LOVES to jump, flip, throw himself over and off of stuff, etc., so he was in his element.
Overall, it was a very nice Christmas spent with family. I know Jamie had a great time and got tons of love! Now we're glad to be home, getting ready for Jason to start a new semester and entering my third trimester.
Speaking of which, I've made a decision that would never have crossed my mind when I was pregnant with Jamie. I've decided to at least attempt a natural, no-drug birth, and I've switched to a midwife. I'm even planning on doing some laboring in water, which is supposed to cut the pain in half, at least.
The reason I would do such a crazy (I would have thought so up until a couple months ago) thing?
A lot of it is what I learned from watching this incredible movie:
I have a friend who had an all-natural, at-home birth recently, and she recommended this movie to me. After she told me how wonderful the home birth was, and after I heard from her husband (who is your average lawyer who works a lot) how nice, peaceful, and family-oriented it was, I decided to watch this movie.
Quite honestly, I felt like I was enlightened and I'll never be able to go back. The movie is not about conspiracy theories; it puts forth good logic and statistics from respected, knowledgeable people (such as the former MD over maternity and pediatrics for the World Health Organization) who are suggesting that birth doesn't usually need a doctor, because it's not a sickness. My baby's birth will take place in a hospital, with all the medical interventions I could possibly desire nearby--if I need them. But unless I do, my baby's birth will be assisted by a Certified Nurse Midwife, and I'm so excited about that!
As usual, as verbose as I am, I still don't know how to describe exactly what I feel. But I prayed a lot about the feelings watching this movie inspired in me, and I've felt peace about going this route. A lot of the reasons are too personal to share here, but one way to put it is that I want this baby's birth to be personal, and I want nothing in the way of my being able to immediately bond with him. I also don't want to risk the possibility of any drugs that could hurt him or me.
Sound crazy? I don't blame you for thinking so. I'd been an epidural enthusiast since I had Jamie. All I can say is, watch the above preview if this is an area that interests you at all. And if you feel the slightest bit of intrigue, PLEASE take an hour or two of your life and watch the whole movie. (It's on Netflix instant queue, or I believe you can watch it on YouTube.) I've watched it three times and showed it to Jason. (As we were watching, he said, "I don't know why you want to know my opinion. Everything they're saying makes sense.") I'm so grateful for what I've learned--or really, just the perspective I've been able to switch to--since watching this.
And let me know if you do watch it. But please don't post any comments telling me it's not a good idea, or that I'll fail, even jokingly.
I'm also not knocking those who go the drugs route, so don't be offended if that's you. Heck, I did it, and I may end up doing it again, but it's important to me to try this for my own reasons.
Okay, that was a good tangent. But I've become rather passionate about this subject, and you know how that is--you want to convert others. :)
Hope everyone has a very happy new year!
Overall, it was a very nice Christmas spent with family. I know Jamie had a great time and got tons of love! Now we're glad to be home, getting ready for Jason to start a new semester and entering my third trimester.
Speaking of which, I've made a decision that would never have crossed my mind when I was pregnant with Jamie. I've decided to at least attempt a natural, no-drug birth, and I've switched to a midwife. I'm even planning on doing some laboring in water, which is supposed to cut the pain in half, at least.
The reason I would do such a crazy (I would have thought so up until a couple months ago) thing?
A lot of it is what I learned from watching this incredible movie:
I have a friend who had an all-natural, at-home birth recently, and she recommended this movie to me. After she told me how wonderful the home birth was, and after I heard from her husband (who is your average lawyer who works a lot) how nice, peaceful, and family-oriented it was, I decided to watch this movie.
Quite honestly, I felt like I was enlightened and I'll never be able to go back. The movie is not about conspiracy theories; it puts forth good logic and statistics from respected, knowledgeable people (such as the former MD over maternity and pediatrics for the World Health Organization) who are suggesting that birth doesn't usually need a doctor, because it's not a sickness. My baby's birth will take place in a hospital, with all the medical interventions I could possibly desire nearby--if I need them. But unless I do, my baby's birth will be assisted by a Certified Nurse Midwife, and I'm so excited about that!
As usual, as verbose as I am, I still don't know how to describe exactly what I feel. But I prayed a lot about the feelings watching this movie inspired in me, and I've felt peace about going this route. A lot of the reasons are too personal to share here, but one way to put it is that I want this baby's birth to be personal, and I want nothing in the way of my being able to immediately bond with him. I also don't want to risk the possibility of any drugs that could hurt him or me.
Sound crazy? I don't blame you for thinking so. I'd been an epidural enthusiast since I had Jamie. All I can say is, watch the above preview if this is an area that interests you at all. And if you feel the slightest bit of intrigue, PLEASE take an hour or two of your life and watch the whole movie. (It's on Netflix instant queue, or I believe you can watch it on YouTube.) I've watched it three times and showed it to Jason. (As we were watching, he said, "I don't know why you want to know my opinion. Everything they're saying makes sense.") I'm so grateful for what I've learned--or really, just the perspective I've been able to switch to--since watching this.
And let me know if you do watch it. But please don't post any comments telling me it's not a good idea, or that I'll fail, even jokingly.
I'm also not knocking those who go the drugs route, so don't be offended if that's you. Heck, I did it, and I may end up doing it again, but it's important to me to try this for my own reasons.
Okay, that was a good tangent. But I've become rather passionate about this subject, and you know how that is--you want to convert others. :)
Hope everyone has a very happy new year!
4 comments:
Looks like such a fun Christmas! Super jealous of your Silhouette! That's so awesome! I can't believe how big Jamie is getting. I remember when I took a picture of him and Chloe next to each other...they were so little and that was only a few years ago. :)
I definitely won't knock you for going natural. I had high expectations when I went into labor with Chloe. Going natural is not an easy task, but for all the stuff I went through, I can at least say I did it, and that I won't ever do it again. haha! I think it is good that you are keeping an open mind. So many things can go wrong when you have a baby. You may not be "sick" so to speak, but it is possible to have complications. You are smart for still having the baby in a hospital. I think at home births are great, but I would never try that knowing what I know now about my body and the assistance I need to have kids. You will rock it! Just exercise a TON and eat right and prepare for it. If your body isn't prepared you won't be able to push that baby out on your own :)
Even though I'm not anywhere near pregnant or even headed in that direction the idea of a water birth has always intrigued me. So I hope it goes well for you! :)
Awesome Kristina! I'm glad that you saw this movie. I watched it about a year ago on Netflix & it was very eye opening to me as well. Scary to think that American women have NO clue, we want to believe that our Dr's have OUR health in their best interest but that isn't so. It's all about MONEY. Sad. I will pray that you are able to feel EMPOWERED & have the strength & endurance that you'll need! :)
Go girl! You can totally do it! I'm emailing you what worked for me and maybe you will find some inspiration. And congrats on the Cameo, you'll LOVE it!!!
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