what day is this??

Oh I think it's sunday. I can tell by the weekend mess around the house.

How many weeks pregnant am I? 30 or 31 or something like that. I don't know the time passes so quickly and I am so busy with the other kiddos, I just don't have much time to focus on it. When I notice this baby wiggling around, it is a nice moment. I feel like I want to talk to him or her, cuddle, and I do feel a sense of "aww I want my baby!" but usually I'm like "hey! don't think about comin early or you won't have a name!" The summer is getting hotter making it so hard to get through each day. My kids wear jackets around the house right now. I am so looking forward to the winter months. Even some fall weather would be nice. But who am I kidding. It is almost july right?

I have been doing pretty well with keeping up my other commitments. UCHOUSTON is going to have our first meeting in almost a year next week, I am taking on a low cost/free client and hoping to open up the truth about birth for her, and we have been doing at least one water activity every week. My tan is lookin pretty good these days, as long as you don't look at my legs. my belly blocks the sun from those. But from the chest up I look like a bronzed babe! I am also committing to finishing up all of my coursework for "She Births". I have decided to step back from Facebook until this is finished. I spend so much time looking at the Links people post and chatting and answering updates and stuff, I could be spending that time doing my internet research and putting together my resource list. I have to read "Women of a Thousand Generations" again and compare it to a mainstream book which I will have to read again as well because I haven't read a crappy mainstream pregnancy book in.... well over 8 years!! So I have quite the work lined up for me over these next couple months. I decided that I am officially a Facebook addict and that needs to change because there is serious word to spread out there, and even though its a great place to share information, there is more I need to be doing.

I learned to crochet as well! (like I don't have enough crap to be doing). I needed something to escape to sometimes. to destress with. I also want to make things for this baby because I don't want to pay for a wool coccoon or wool longies and shorties (and skirties if this is a girl). There are also so many things I can make for people, and yes it takes time, but it's enjoyable time and it will save bookoo bucks! I am still mastering the technique, and actually only know how to single crochet right now, but I will learn more once I get really good at that. I am also looking forward to teaching Skylar how. She did really well at knitting so I think she will pick it right up. My great grandmother was a crocheting wizard and I never was interested in learning while she was alive. I so wish I had, it would have been so much easier when I was a kid than it is now.

This upcoming birth seems so close but so far away!!! I have really been entertaining the idea of a squatting land birth instead of a water birth this time. A friend of mine went to a seminar at The Trust Birth Conference where water birth was discussed. The midwife who taught the seminar said that water birth washes away all those post birth smells that help mom and baby bond. It was interesting to me. So I decided that I want to try it. It's always a very messy clean up with the water birth too (I know I have cleaned up after many a waterbirth at the birth center I worked at) , so I feel like it would be easier to deliver over some disposable pads and just throw them away and then have a nice peaceful herbal Leboyer bath with my little one a few hours later. I guess a Leboyer bath is technically immediately after birth, but I want to wait awhile. I really want to relish everything during this birth since it will be my last time. Birthing is something I truly enoy (crazily enough- much more than pregnancy) and I want to remember every memory.

But who know- when those contractions hit, I may say screw it and get in the tub!!! we will just have to wait and see!

Kissaluvs contour hybrid diaper review

so it's been awhile since I have done a product review.

When I first found out that I was pregnant with Bebe # 4, I decided I wanted to get one size diapers so that I could use the same diapers for both babies and have everything the same.

As most of you know(if you know me) I try to buy local when I can, which is originally what drew me to Kissaluvs Cloth Diapers. I used the old school Kissaluvs with Lexi and had some contours with Cyrus that were bought for me by the wonderful Brandi Nippert and Gabe Ohlson. I just didn't upsize when he grew out ofthem. Well about 5 months ago I noticed the new product on the website and HAD to have them. I loved that they have the option to use your own closure system but the legs are elasticized to hold in messy poops. I also liked the one size option since I will have multiple kids at different ages in diapers. So I finallybought some last week- and this is what I think of them.

THey are SUPER soft like the other kissaluvs diapers. There is a sewn in doubler that is a little bit long so that you can fold it under for extra protection. I really like that. The doubler is also only sewn in at the back of the diapers instead of all the way down the middle which makes for extra dry time.

It has extra long wings on the side to wrap around and use your own closure system with. I like to use snappis because I can maneuver them quickly with a wiggly baby, so that is a plus for me. THey do have some stretchiness to them so you can get a snug fit and avoid leaks.

the gussets are great at the legs. I have had 4 poopies that would have been oozing out the sides of my prefolds and probably even a disposable, but I didn't have that problem.

They make for a super trim fit and takes away alot of the bulkiness you see with cloth diapers.

My only issue..... I can't say that it qualifies to be a one size diaper which was a main attraction for me. The rise is just too short for my son. I am still able to use them for him, but it's a bit of a squeeze, which is okay since the fabric is so soft, but we won't be able to use them for him much longer. If the front top of the diaper was as long as the doubler, it would be perfect.

So all in all, for 10.95 per diaper I think it's a great deal, a great product, and hopefully Kissaluvs will come out with a toddler size for the Contour hybrid.

what is this? OH! My neglected Blog!

Haha, so yeah it's been awhile. Things have been very high stress and chaotic around here the last few months and finally things are settling back into their places as they should be. I forget aboutmy blog sometimes, maybe because I don't have that many followers yet but alsobecause I have 3 kids with one on the way and it just makes things busy. The summer is approaching. Our Homeschool activities are at this point based more on fun learning. Not so much academic stuff, but as most of us know, the academics really do come naturally. Skylar taught herself to read this year (with help of course but she really did most of it on her own!)

Lexi's allergies have started getting really bad again. her breakouts seem to be getting more frequent, but we have still been able to keep it under control. I think there really is a link between her allergies and the heat. I think she is very sensitive to her own sweat because that seems to be when she breaks out the worst. So hopefully we can make it through the summer without any trips to the ER!

Cyrus is 14 months old now. He is SUCH a sweet baby! He is very affectionate, and explorative, and INTO EVERYTHING!!!! I really love the way he interacts with babies that are smaller than him, (aside from the eyegrabbing thing) it makes me confident that he will adjust well to the new little one on it's way.

AND THE LITTLE JUMPING BEAN- ahhh this pregnancy is truly flying by me. I am 28 weekson friday which equals 7 months. I am finally starting to really feel connected with this baby which I didn't feel for awhile at first. The excitement is starting to mount, I have been nesting like crazy and trying to get things set up now, so that I can just enjoy the rest of this pregnancy and the summer with my kids without having to worry about too much.

Alex is about to start another session in school. he is about 8 months away from graduating. He is making all As and Bs. He is working so hard to finish up, and keeping up his 40 hours at Baylor. He is the rock in this household.

I am have alot of new developments going on for me. I am currently trying to finish up all of my course work to be a workshop facilitator for "she births", a class that focuses more on the nonphysical aspects of labor and childbirth. It is about telling the truth about birth and includes touching on the spiritual subject of mother and baby bonding, and the connection they have while the bebe is in utero, as well as the emotional journey we take as mothers and what s means to cross that threshhold. Once I finish that up,I willstart holding workshops.

I am also doing some work with Kissaluvs cloth diapers. I am really excited about that!

I have also taken ownership of the UCHOUSTON yahoogroup and I am very committed to getting this group active again so that other women in houston seeking support for unassisted childbirth, have a place to go.

I have recently become a part of a group called 13for5, which is a project started by the Trust Birth Initiative, in which 13 women commit to spread the TRUTH about birth over the span of 5 years. weare just getting started and I am not completely sure what all this group will entail, but at the end of it there is supposedto be a documentary and it is supposed tobe a pretty big deal.

So now, I am also committing to staying updatedon this blog including "birth truths", family activities, our journey as we prepare for the entrance of our new addition, and new baby and natural parent product reviews. I hope to spread awareness aboutnatural parenting, natural childbirth, unassisted childbirth, and breastfeeding.

I do hope to be working with laboring moms again eventually, but right now I am focusing on the other ways I can reach these women while I am raising our small children. I hope our friends and family enjoy keeping up with usthis way!