On This Father's Day

I wanted to wish a special Happy Father's Day to someone who will be a father in about one month.

Chris, I know you will be a good father because:

You are a very very hard worker

You can make people laugh even when they're not supposed to

 Kids already love you

You will teach our kids good manners

You sometimes take after your dad

You work hard at making sure your family is safe

You are patient

You play games with family even though you know you may lose

You make people laugh when they least expect it

You may have an idea of what you are getting yourself into

You love your God and your religion

You make people laugh when they least expect it

You teach kids how to fly kites 

You love your country

You will teach our kids good manners

You are sooooo strong

You like doing things with family

You like to explore

You make people laugh when they least expect it

You like doing things with family

And.....

You will for sure teach our kids good manners

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! I LOVE YOU!

Just Beautiful

This is my most favorite birth video. I cry every time. 

Names

While trying to figure out a middle name for little Kaden, Chris came up with some zingers. I stopped laughing when I realized he was serious. 

- Chris: "How about Kaden Gregory Bateman? Or Kaden Garrett Bateman? Or Kaden Gary Bateman?"

- Me: "Why this obsession with G names all of a sudden? We don't know anyone with those names, it seems kinda random."

- "Think of how cool it would be if his initials were KGB!"

- "KGB? As in the Russian secret service?"

I was just thinking of a middle name like Christopher, for no reason in particular. Sorry kiddo, I guess mommy's not as fun as daddy. 

We're not even Russian.

TMI Part II

Warning: If you are extremely... dainty, don't read this. You will probably think less of me if you do. 

Being over 34 weeks pregnant has its advantages...  For instance, the baby is so big you can really interact with him while inside the tummy, which can be super cool!

But it also has its disadvantages. One of these is the lack of storage space that you have to deal with. Specifically, space to store your farts.  If you gotta let one go, it's comin' unless you try really really hard to wait for a more opportune time... but, seriously, it can be exhausting to try that hard all the time.  And if a mom tries telling you that pregnancy didn't make her fart more, like a lot more, she is lying.

So, unless I'm at church or something, I have just stopped caring as much. I'm already pregnant, how much more unsexy can I get? Don't answer that. The result:

I have farted so loud that it startles the baby. 

Yes. There. I said it. I know this because it usually happens when he is completely still, maybe even sleeping. Then he jumps up at the exact same time wind is broken, and then he'll be completely still again. It's actually quite hilarious. 

Then, there are times when I fall asleep before Chris, and he may stay awake next to me doing work on his laptop.  One particular time, he told me that I was farting so much in my sleep that it was like listening to a pod of whales.

A POD OF WHALES.

For those of you who need to be reminded... here is an example of what a pod of whales can sound like. 

To which I slowly respond while half awake: 

"Imagine if I was swimming in water... then I could propel myself."

His loud laughter woke me up the rest of the way. 

And the best part of the story?  It hasn't even happened yet... because I'm having a water birth.

TMI

There can't be anything quite as anti-climatic as having to go to the bathroom so bad that you feel like your bladder is going to explode...

And only peeing about 2 Tablespoons worth.

Because somebody has to use my bladder for extra cushion.  I guess having it be the occasional punching bag wasn't enough.

Why Yes, I'm Planning on a Home Birth....

...and If I hear one more person tell me how brave  I am, I just may lose it.

 When people tell me that I'm brave for doing a homebirth, I know that they mean well, which is why I am not confrontational with them. But honestly, a girl can only take so much. While someone may mean it as a compliment, it can easily be taken as an insult, because more often than not,  telling someone that they are brave usually can only be interpreted as:

Wow, you are so brave... I could never do something like that. 

To which I want to say:

"Oh really? Why is that?"

Well, because it hurts more and it's not as safe, right?

Actually, no.... it is more often than not quite the opposite.

I am not birthing at home because I want to show everyone just how tough I am, and I am not trying to make any kind of point.

******

What's even more irritating is when someone tells me:

 "Well, I just want to have my baby in the hospital just in case something happens and there's an emergency."

Here's how I see the conversation playing out in my head (which is far from what really happens):

Me: "Oh, you know, with all this planning that I did for my home birth, I guess I completely forgot about the fact that something might happen. It didn't even occur to me, I guess I will do a hospital birth then. Thanks for enlightening me."

*or*

Me: "So either you think that I don't love my baby as much and I am willing to put him at risk by having a home birth,  or you think that I'm a complete idiot by not taking advantage of all of the medical advances of the time, ensuring a safer birth, right?"

*or*

Me: "Oh, is this from all the research that you have done on the pros and cons to hospital and home births? Or is this just what you think is better because everyone does it? Just like how everyone chooses to enjoy the occasional fast food lunch... because it's not bad for them either, right?" 

Here's the reality:

To birth at home requires planning. Lots and lots of planning.  It takes initiative.  It takes courage to go against the social norm for reasons that you know are best for you.  It takes making your own decisions, and not letting others make it for you. It takes prayer. It takes telling people what you want and not being told. It takes doing lots of your own research, from weighing the pros and cons to hospital birth, to finding the right caregiver, to choosing who you want to attend the birth, to what kind of home birth you want (because there are many), and much more. 

I am not blogging to tell you all the reasons why I chose a home birth over a hospital birth, because I would end up writing a book, and you need to do your own research (but if you want I can provide some insight, just let me know). I am blogging to tell you that I made this choice based on completely educated and meditated decisions.  To completely disregard someone's informed decision just because you think it's not the best option, even though you've done no research of your own, is insulting at best.

Just so everyone knows, I did not always want a home birth. I grew up always wanting a hospital birth with an epidural and everything. Only recently, when Chris and I began thinking about having children, did I begin doing my own research and finding that the best birth option for me was not in the hospital.  

With that being said, I believe hospitals are absolutely wonderful when they are necessary. We are blessed to live in a time where we have such medical advances.  The problem is relying too heavily on these medical advances that we completely lose faith in our own bodies to do what they were divinely designed to do.  

If you want a hospital birth, or have had a hospital birth, great. I am not going to tell you that you are brave, or that you are stupid, because I trust that you made your own educated and informed decisions as to what was best for you and your baby.  All I ask is that you in return respect the educated and informed decision that others make to have a home birth.    

For everyone who is curious, women who chose home births love to talk about why they chose it. If you want to know why I chose a home birth, ask! Just don't tell me that I'm brave :)