This afternoon, I napped while Julian mopped the mold off of our bathroom ceiling and cooked dinner. I thought that was pretty nifty.
The two of us are really enjoying our holiday time without traveling (out of state, out of country, etc.). It's different than what we are accustomed to, and it has been so relaxing! Yesterday we met up with J & C, who were in town visiting from Ann Arbor, and we all lazed around Berkeley. Then we picked up a load of used cloth diapering stuff on our way home. And finally we enjoyed a yummy dinner with the neighbors. Jiaozi (fried Chinese dumplings), Chinese style veggies, and a veggie curry dish.
If you want a good, healthy recipe, try this! It's easy and super yummy, from the Moosewood Cooks at Home recipe book:
curried vegetables with dahl served with coconut basmati rice
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Holiday Honeymoon
We're back from Yosemite. Check out our Holiday Honeymoon slide show for photos of our trip. We enjoyed the relaxing time away in the mountains and fresh air! We are tired and can't think of more to write... so check out the photos :) Hope you all had a Merry Christmas! xo, K&J
Friday, December 21, 2007
Yosemite Bound!
We're heading to Yosemite tomorrow morning for our holiday honeymoon. Woo hoo! We're hoping for snow, though the forecast is for temperatures warm enough to melt the lovely white stuff. Snow or no snow, we're determined to have a fun time in one of the most beautiful mountain areas in California. We already have plans for some hiking, a horse-drawn sleigh ride, and massages. :)Merry Christmas to everyone! We'll be back...
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Yay for Midwives!
If I could offer any bit of advice to someone who would like to easily have a natural birth, it would be this: Do not become pregnant with multiples.
Julian and I, upon learning that we were pregnant, decided immediately on a home birth. We know folks who have birthed at home, and we've done a lot of reading on the pros, cons, and stats of birthing in various places - hospitals, birthing centers, home, cars, etc.... And heck, most humans have birthed at home for, well, most of human history! And yes, my own grandmother birthed one of her babies at home.
And so, here we are, exploring the possibilities of birthing our twins at home. We have been tolerating a less-than-ideal OB GYN group for 21 weeks now (I'm sure there are wonderful OBs out there, though ours cannot be counted among them!). OBs, however, like C-sections, epidurals, and deliveries in the OR for twins. We only like these things if they are absolutely needed. And frankly, the idea of birthing in the OR surrounded by 12 medical staff just 'in case' something goes wrong immediately fills me with a tremendous amount of anxiety. And so, we started the midwife search.
We received recommendations from friends and acquaintances for which midwives to contact, and so far we have found two who seem very promising. We met with one of them last night. IT WAS WONDERFUL. She spent an hour talking with us (yes, at no cost!), seems very solid in her medical background with 30+ years of experience in nursing and home birthing, and is a very put-together, inspiring, empowering woman. She has ideas for a midwife team for the birth of our twins, and would work with us to ensure a safe and happy birth at home. As long as our pregnancy continues to progress well, the babies cook for a long time (minimum 37 weeks), and they have their little heads towards the ground (send good vibes, all!), then the stars have aligned and we should be able to birth at home.
We meet with the other midwife at the end of the month, and then we'll make a decision on which way / with whom to go.
I am so so so happy and relieved to find the kind of birth support that makes the most sense to us.
The Business of Being Born
Study on the Outcomes of Planned Home Births
Julian and I, upon learning that we were pregnant, decided immediately on a home birth. We know folks who have birthed at home, and we've done a lot of reading on the pros, cons, and stats of birthing in various places - hospitals, birthing centers, home, cars, etc.... And heck, most humans have birthed at home for, well, most of human history! And yes, my own grandmother birthed one of her babies at home.
And so, here we are, exploring the possibilities of birthing our twins at home. We have been tolerating a less-than-ideal OB GYN group for 21 weeks now (I'm sure there are wonderful OBs out there, though ours cannot be counted among them!). OBs, however, like C-sections, epidurals, and deliveries in the OR for twins. We only like these things if they are absolutely needed. And frankly, the idea of birthing in the OR surrounded by 12 medical staff just 'in case' something goes wrong immediately fills me with a tremendous amount of anxiety. And so, we started the midwife search.
We received recommendations from friends and acquaintances for which midwives to contact, and so far we have found two who seem very promising. We met with one of them last night. IT WAS WONDERFUL. She spent an hour talking with us (yes, at no cost!), seems very solid in her medical background with 30+ years of experience in nursing and home birthing, and is a very put-together, inspiring, empowering woman. She has ideas for a midwife team for the birth of our twins, and would work with us to ensure a safe and happy birth at home. As long as our pregnancy continues to progress well, the babies cook for a long time (minimum 37 weeks), and they have their little heads towards the ground (send good vibes, all!), then the stars have aligned and we should be able to birth at home.
We meet with the other midwife at the end of the month, and then we'll make a decision on which way / with whom to go.
I am so so so happy and relieved to find the kind of birth support that makes the most sense to us.
The Business of Being Born
Study on the Outcomes of Planned Home Births
Monday, December 17, 2007
Big Kick!
Are the babies moving? Yes, they are! Sitting on our *new to us* futon in our nursery room, we just saw a BIG KICK or headbutt or punch or... ? The first time Kara saw her stomach move, she was sitting in a meeting at work and couldn't help but immediately think of the cantina scene from Space Balls, where the lizard-like alien bursts out of the dude's belly and then performs a soft shoe routine to the tune of "Hello my Honey". Hopefully our babies will be that musically talented upon birth...
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Weekend Warriors
To heck with relaxation! Now that we've decided that we'll be staying in CA for the babies' arrival, we have spent the past two weekends cleaning house... um, cleaning out the house? Rearranging bedrooms, selling a few items and donating others to various causes (the kids next door, the man driving down the street in the pick up), and picking up second hand things to fill in the spaces that we cleared (futon, changing table, co-sleeper, etc.). The bedrooms look good, but the living room is a holy nightmare - we'll leave it for now.
And so we've cleaned out, we've shopped, we've even wrapped YOUR Christmas presents - and with any luck they'll arrive for you all to open in time! It's now Sunday night and time for us to get some rest. And for Julian to massage somebody's sore back :P
And so we've cleaned out, we've shopped, we've even wrapped YOUR Christmas presents - and with any luck they'll arrive for you all to open in time! It's now Sunday night and time for us to get some rest. And for Julian to massage somebody's sore back :P
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