Orion's First Bath

Today Orion is a week and a day old, and we figured it was time for his first bath. The Birth Center doesn't bathe new babies like a hospital does, so he had some days to soak up the rest of the vernix and what not. However, we decided it was time and got him in his little tub on the sink. He wasn't too sure if he liked it or not, but mostly cooperated with us.
After wards we rubbed a teaspoon of walnut oil over his body, including scalp, as it's good for his skin and full of Omega 3's, which he'll absorb into his system. That's good for his brain and eye development!

I'm a Tarheel born, I'm a Tarheel bred...

Orion went out today in his Tarheel gear!

Russell is a Good Daddy

Russell has really been enjoying having a baby boy to love!
He has been wonderful during the long nights, changing Orion and burping him while I nurse. But he's also had a lot of fun playing with the cloth diapers, especially the set of all-in-one Tiny Tushies diapers that my mom brought home today. He likes picking out clothes for him, too - today he matched the socks to the outfit he chose, which he also picked out at the Red Hen - brown pants with a brown and blue striped shirt with Winnie the Pooh on it. He likes to carry Orion around or wear him in the Ergo carrier. He loves for Orion to be on one shoulder and me on the other to sleep, with his whole little family in his arms.
The other day in Laurel's office, we were surrounded by folks from the Wellness Alliance in Carrboro, and another young mother said it was "good to see a loving daddy." Granted that says a lot about her experience; however, I feel like that's an experience that many women and children are sadly accustomed to. There aren't really a lot of men like Russell out there, and I count myself extremely lucky.
The real crowning example of Russell's devotion to his son occurred today, when Russell was sitting with Orion in his arms. He was looking at our sleeping baby, and said he couldn't wait till Orion was a toddler, or various other ages. He then paused and looked at me to say, "I can't wait for every day of the rest of my life."
I couldn't help but smile at that. I have such a great partner.

The Bathroom Rant

TMI WARNING!
I have never in my life been a terribly high-maintenance girl. Generally getting prepped to go somewhere doesn't take me long. I don't wear make up, or use a lot of products, or even put on much jewelry these days. However, this past week has been the most bathroom-intensive of my life. I read that it was sort of a pain in the ass postpartum (pun intended!) but I couldn't have expected the step-by-step process that a simple pee break now requires.
In the morning I start off by prepping a pile of pads with witch hazel and then freezing them. So my first step is to hit the freezer and grab a cold compress pad. Then up the stairs to the bathroom, where I run the tap and fill the perineum bottle with warm water and a few drops of lavender oil. I then tear off a square of nori and run that under the hot water and set it aside.
Finally it's actually time to go; I've made the mistake several times of waiting too long and having to dance around at the sink while I prep everything. It hurts still, so I have to breathe through it and try hard to relax and not push, which only makes the burn worse. While I'm doing that I change out the pads. Then I take the bottle of warm water and spray everything down, which fortunately feels pretty good. Then I've got to dab-dry everything off, which is easier to do standing. I hit myself with the Earth Mamma/Angel Baby "New Momma Bottom Spray" (a wonderful combo of cucumber, peppermint, witch hazel, etc. with nice cooling and healing properties). Finally I set the nori strip over the site of the stitches, get my pants up, and set the pad carefully - the cold witch hazel feels really great, especially now that the nori guards the tender spots.
I've gotten better at the whole production, so much so that Russell was impressed I finished it up after only about five minutes. Still though, what a piece of work. And that's not even considering what taking a shower is like, which includes that same rigmarole plus skin care for the stretch marks and getting my hair braided and out of my way...
Postpartum fun continues!

(Some of) Orion's Ancestry

Orion shares his birthday, May 22nd, with his maternal great-grandfather, George Denison. (Thanks Matthew, for being the new Denison family historian, and passing that information on to me!) Though I never met George, he was married to Ivy, who I do remember as my wonderful great-grandmother on my mom's side. If we had had a girl, "Ivy" would have been her middle name, as it is mine. As it is, Orion's middle name is "Colie", a family name from Russell's father's side of the family.
Ivy's brother, known to me as Uncle Harry, has a daughter by the name of Diane. (That makes her first-cousin to my Great Aunt Winnie... and this family stuff can be complicated!) Diane found this great photo of George, Ivy, Harry, Winnie, and some unknown family friends and sent it to me, and here I'm sharing it with you!

The Parenting Adventure Begins!

Orion is sound asleep on my chest as I write this; quite the balancing act to type and nurture at the same time!
In some ways we're lucky that he's such a mellow baby. He rarely fusses or cries, and generally only does that when he's got a burp he's working out. He does like to 'talk' and murmur and coo when he's awake and happy, though, which is really cute.
His generally quiet nature did cause us some trouble to begin with, however, as he was so sleepy - too sleepy. It was a three-ring circus here trying to get him awake and nursing. He wasn't waking on his own or initiating feedings, so we had to get him to wake up and then stay awake long enough to nurse. It doesn't sound that bad, but trust me, it was torture. We'd have to really upset him to get him to wake up, including undressing him, putting him down alone, turning on all the lights, loud music, and moving him around - both bodily and his limbs. Once we got him up (and usually crying or fussing after all that) we had to get him situated and then fight to keep him awake. This involved me holding him while Mom and Russell tickled him, moved his limbs around, put cold cloths and then eventually ice on him, and talked to him constantly. It could take up to an hour and a half to get him to nurse for 20 minutes total. Then he'd fall asleep, and we'd have to start all over again an hour or so later. It was exhausting and very disheartening, and I broke down and cried once or twice. I expected to have to calm a crying baby, but not to have to make him cry just to get him to eat. It was so hard to pick up my sweet, sleeping, adorable little guy and harass him until he ate enough.
And he still wasn't getting enough, even after all that work to get him going. On Monday morning I called the lactation consultant associated with WIC, but before she got back to me the nurse from the Birth and Wellness Center came for our home visit. We were lucky in that they've had so many births and new folks coming in that our home visit was done a day early; Becky's arrival was an important turning point in our frustration with getting Orion to eat.
He was looking good in most areas and I checked out fine, as well, but he had lost too much weight; over 10% of his birth weight. It went from 7lbs, 8.5ounces to 6lbs, 8ounces (6lbs, 12ounces was the minimum he should weigh). This was concerning for several reasons, dehydration and the possibility of jaundice being two of them. Becky recommended that we feed him every two hours for at least 20-30 minutes, and scheduled us to return to the Birth Center the next day to check his weight again. She also gave us two plastic syringes, one with a tube attachment and the other with a long, curved, thin nozzle on it. These would prove to be life-savers! We continued the three-ring-circus feedings for the rest of that day, but before we went to bed we got out the breast pump and fed him with the syringe and a finger in his mouth for sucking on. We continued that all night, which was easier for a couple of reasons. The most important was that we didn't have to keep him awake and working as long to get enough milk, as it only took him a couple of minutes of sucking to drain a couple syringe-fulls, and then we knew he was getting enough in a feeding. This eased my mind quite a bit, even if I was up most of the night attached to a machine and feeling much like a dairy cow.
The real benefit of the syringe-and-finger-feeding was that he got enough calories in his system and started perking up a bit as some of the lethargy passed. This made it easier to put him back on the breast, and by morning I was giving him a syringe and then getting him to nurse for a while before falling back asleep.
Tuesday morning, the wonderful cranio-sacral practitioner Laurel Wilkinson came to our house to work on Orion. The type of therapy she practices is a little hard to explain, but it's both body- and energy-work related and helps to get things flowing and the body responding properly. She worked on me a few times during the pregnancy and it really helped me to move and sleep better. In Orion's case, she helped get a twist out of his body that he acquired during labor, which also helped get his energy moving more steadily. We saw a marked difference that afternoon, as he was awake and alert more, fed more, and actually cried for the first time wanting to be fed.
Later the same day we went back to the Birth and Wellness Center, and Orion's weight gain was good - up to 6lbs, 14ounces, which was above the 10% line and meant he was doing ok. He was a touch yellow from jaundice, but it wasn't yet to the point that we'd have to take him to the hospital. We had a really helpful consultation with Nancy, the lactation consultant, which also helped me get a better grasp on how to do this breastfeeding thing. It's surprising how difficult it is to feed a baby; you'd think it would be a natural, easy thing, but instead it hurts and can be hard to get a handle on. However, after the consultation and the purchase of a pair of nipple guards, we're doing a lot better at it.
Tuesday was an important day and it really helped get us back up to square one... That night Orion marathon-nursed most of the night, and each night has been a little bit easier. I haven't had to use the pump again, and he's now initiating his own feedings every couple of hours or so, which is as it should be.
The only down-note for me at this point is that I'm having some trouble with one of the tears, as I'm still quite sore and swollen and the stitches have been very tight. I'm on couch detail today, not allowed to move around much (hence this lengthy update!) while I rest my poor bottom. I was concerned enough that I called the midwives last night, and got to talk to Allison, which was convenient as she was the one who stitched me up. She suggested that we get some nori, the seaweed wrappers used for sushi, and create a compress/poultice out of them by wetting them down and pressing them on to the sore spots. Russell went right out to get some nori, which is fortunately available at the grocery store, and I started using it immediately. What a difference! The swelling went down and the nori seemed to draw some of the yucky stuff out, while the compress itself guarded the stitches and kept them from rubbing on the pad. I'm feeling a lot better now, though I'm still not moving much and looking forward to a nice herbal sitz bath here soon...
In other news, things are going quite well. We started the diaper service today and Orion is in his first cloth diaper. We'll see how long this one lasts! Mom and Jo Ann have had some shopping fun and came home with more clothes, a baby tub, and a lamp. We also picked up some more all-in-one cloth diapers (genius things, those) and some mommy-care products from the Birth Center Boutique. On that note, I'd like to say that I really like every product we've tried from the Earth Mamma, Angel Baby line - the sitz bath herbs, the sore bottom spray, and the nipple butter have all been great.
Yesterday we had our first big outing, as we had another session with Laurel, then stopped in to the Red Hen, and actually ate out at Breadman's. Orion slept through his first restaurant experience in his car-seat carrier in the snap-and-go stroller. Everyone thinks he's just a cutie pie!
Russell has continued to be just awesome - he's changed the bulk of the diapers and does everything he can to support me through midnight feedings. He's just as snuggley and nurturing with Orion as he is with me and I am with the baby, so we're a pretty happy and well-bonded little family. He also loves to pick out Orion's clothes, and the ensemble in the above picture was his doing; Orion's first day in 'separates'! My mom has been really helpful in keeping up with laundry and helping us clean up, or just holding Orion so we can get up and move around. He's barely been put down since he was born... Jo Ann has been great, too, especially about making sure we're all fed. We've also had some fun visits from family and friends, and more little gifts and flowers have been arriving in the mail. It's wonderful to feel so supported, and our little guy is obviously loved. It's a good feeling!

Orion's foot prints and vital stats!

More photos...

Birth Story

We're just settling in, but I know you're all curious to know how it went, so here's the scoop:
My water broke at 11pm on Thursday, May 20th. After having sporadic contractions all night, my labor 'stalled' in the morning and I had very few contractions during the day on Friday. I kept in touch with the midwives, started taking a cohosh tincture, and working on the labor and delivery pressure points of the body, but still nothing much was happening. We assumed that my body was sort of waiting for my mother's arrival from Colorado, which can happen. She had to get her ticket changed and jumped the earliest flight out of Denver, arriving here at around 1pm with the aid of Jo Ann and Colie, Russell's mom and brother.
At that point we called the midwives again, and they decided to have us come in just to check on things. Orion's heart rate was absolutely perfect and he didn't look at all like he was under stress. While hooked to the monitor, I even had a couple of contractions, which was interesting to see on the feed out. Since I wasn't having regular contractions and things were looking fine, they sent us home to wait it out. According to their protocols, we had 72 hours from the time the water broke before we had to go to the hospital to be induced, so long as his heart rate was good and my temperature was stable. On the way home, we even stopped at Cameron's in the U Mall to get some nice candles, which I really wanted for the birthing.
We spent the evening at home, had a wonderful dinner with Jo Ann, who was kind enough to bring some food over, and continued to wait it out. The contractions started coming more regularly and more intensely, but were still very spaced out, coming around 10-15 minutes apart. We weren't going to head back to the birthing center until we met the 4-1-1 rule, which is 1 minute contractions 4 minutes apart for an hour. Since mine were very spaced out and even seemed to be slowing down again, we decided to go to bed and try to get some sleep, resting up for the work ahead. For a few hours we dozed in between contractions, which got frustrating to me after a while, as they were quite painful and I was tired of getting up and down. They were getting closer together, around 10 minutes apart, but I really didn't want to spend another night like the one before. I finally decided to just get up and start pacing, hoping that might get things moving a bit, and boy was I right. The contractions went from about 10-15 minutes apart to 1-3 minutes apart immediately, and they were quite intense. After 20 minutes of that, we decided to call the birthing center. It was about 1:30 in the morning by then, and no one was at the center because the midwife on call was finishing up a birth at UNC hospital and hadn't returned. They paged her and she called us back after about another 20 minutes, during which I'd had about 10 more contractions. Kate suggested taking a shower to (hopefully) help slow things down a bit, since it got so intense so quickly. The shower seemed to speed things up, and was a tough place to be while having contractions, as I didn't really have anything to hold on to. We heard from another midwife, Sara, who was the back-up on call, and she was on her way to the BC to open up for us and wait on Kate to get back from the hospital. We woke my mom up and headed over to the BC at around 2:30 in the morning. By then I was having some real contractions, having to breath and howl through them - which was NOT comfortable in the car. Fortunately the BC is close by!
We got there and got settled in, and with some help from the midwives we got settled in. From that point out, things got pretty intense and involved, and I don't necessarily even remember a lot of it! I had no frame of reference for labor, so I wasn't really sure if what I was feeling was in the 'normal' range of intensity or pain. Apparently the midwives were somewhat concerned because I was having a hard time with the contractions, getting very tense and using a lot of energy to get through them. We tried getting me into the tub, which was nice because in between contractions I was able to relax completely and sort of slept. However, I kept feeling like I needed to use the bathroom and was getting in and out of the tub enough that it was sort of a pain. By then I was very tired, and really wanted to just lie down and sleep, but the contractions were right on top of one another and I didn't really have the option.
I had learned about the phases of labor, but wasn't really aware of being in one phase or another once we got to the birthing center. I know I went from early labor to active labor pretty rapidly in the night, but have no idea when transition started.
After I got out of the tub finally, Kate wanted me to get the hook-up for the IV in, just in case I needed it at some point. This was difficult, as I was having contractions fast enough that there wasn't really a good time to do it. I didn't watch them do it, but something went a bit wrong while I was mid-contraction and I bled all over the place before they managed to get it set.
Kate wanted me to get on the bed for a while and rest as much as I could, because she was concerned about how much energy I had used and how tired I already was. I needed to save some energy for the final phase, pushing, and the tension I was experiencing made it seem like I was going to be a while in actually delivering Orion. I did my best to focus and rest while on the bed, but lying down was really not a good position for me to be in and I was in even more pain that way. This made it very hard to focus and I wasn't using my breath very well, though I did managed to sleep a bit in between the contractions. I started feeling a lot of downward pressure by then, but was getting to the point where communicating clearly was a bit beyond me. Kate recommended that I try to pee, as a full bladder can cause unhelpful pressure, so they got me on the toilet backwards, with a pillow on the tank for me to rest on. That felt immediately better, and I tried and tried to a while to void my bladder with no luck. However, I was comfortable there and felt like things were more productive, so I stayed like that for a good long time.
While that was happening, Kate went to rest since she had already delivered two babies in her 24-hour shift and I was her third mamma-in-progress (and not being an easy one to deal with, either!) Someone had asked me if I was feeling the urge to push yet in between contractions, which I wasn't. Maybe I had misheard them, because I couldn't help but push during contractions and was much further along than anyone realized, even myself. But the contractions were becoming wildly intense, with a huge amount of downward pressure, and I could feel myself opening up. I was still in my animal/instinct-brain and wasn't able to communicate well, but finally just reached down and discovered that I could feel the top of Orion's head. My mom came in right about then to ask me a few questions, and I told her he was coming. She asked how I knew, and I said I could feel him. She went out to get Kate, who popped right up and came in ready to go. It took a couple of people to get me to the bed, and then we got down to the business of delivering our little man.
I was so tired, and this part was hard, but we managed to crown him gradually, so although I tore a bit I got through it without too much damage. Despite how tired I was, we got him out pretty easily and much more quickly than anyone expected. At 8am the midwives and nurses changed over, and we had a fresh support team come in to catch Orion, who was born at 8:17am.
It was amazing to see him and have him on my chest after all that pain and effort, but all I could do was stare, as my brain wasn't processing anything very clearly. Russell and my mom were right there, and Russell's mom was outside waiting with some food for everyone. I was not quite done yet, though, as I still had to deliver the placenta and get some stitches. I had to have a shot of pitocin at that point, too, to help the uterus contract in spite of the fibroids and hopefully stop any hemorrhaging. I think that made it harder to get the placenta out, though, so I didn't have as easy a time with that as most people do. I also started shaking all over, which was making things difficult for everyone to get anything done. It took a team of folks to get me moved to the end of the bed so that I could get some stitches, and I couldn't get away from feeling super-sensitive, making it hard for them to even identify where the tears were. Finally they decided that a shot of morphine was in order, and that managed to calm me down a lot. Russell did a great job distracting me by asking me good leading questions about Burning Man while I was getting stitched. I told him about when I first met our good friend Crash, and we talked about the Fire of Fires temple burn from this last year.
Actually, I have been remiss in mentioning Russell's roll in our birth. He was an absolutely amazing birth partner and coach. He didn't leave my side, he was always helpful and encouraging, and really helped me accomplish birthing our boy. I was really amazed and proud of him afterward! He's a wonderful partner and has been an equally great daddy.
Once I was cleaned up and covered, Jo Ann came in with some food and we settled down to eat, including Orion, who had his first nursing session. He was a hungry boy! And a very mellow baby. He was relaxed and quiet pretty much the whole time, unlike a new baby who arrived very soon after ours next door, who was very vocal!
After some time napping and a few check-ups, we finished the requisite paperwork and got to go home around 2:30pm. It was very good to get back in our own space and settle down.
And now we're new parents, with a sweet and beautiful little boy!

Our Wish is Granted!

At 11pm this evening, as I was getting into bed, I felt a 'pop!' and made a bit of mess on the sheets!
As you can guess, my water has broken. Contractions haven't started yet, so it's going to be a while. We're going to hit the hay here soon and try to get some rest, but expect Orion to arrive sometime in the next 24 hours. We'll head to the birthing center tomorrow morning-ish, once things get going. Orion's moving around a bit, so he's doing ok - hopefully getting ready to slide right on out of there.
Please send good thoughts, love, and light our way!
Much love, Sachi & Russell

Orion, We Can't Wait to Meet You!

Today I had another appointment with our fabulous midwives at the Birth and Wellness Center. It was quite a day for them; lots of birthing going on! The midwife I was supposed to see, LeAnne, was one of the ladies on call, so my appointment got moved around a bit and she was pretty tired by the time I got to her. Still a kind practitioner and a good appointment, even so.
At this point in the game, my appointments are mostly just to check in and make sure Orion and I are doing ok. His heartbeat is still 130-140 bpm, and he's still head down (though not quite engaged yet). A quick internal exam showed that I'm 2 centimeters dilated and 60% effaced, which means things are getting ready for Orion's arrival. This in no way means I'm in labor (or even that close to it), but it is a good sign.
I also found out today that I will have some minor interventions during labor and delivery in order to get ahead of the fibroids. A shot of pitocin as Orion is born and an IV will help keep me from losing too much blood. It doesn't sound that bad to me, and I'm glad they have an idea how to handle the possible side effects from the big bludgers hitchhiking on my uterus!
I also asked if she thought it was ok for us to go down to the beach tomorrow, and she was enthusiastically supportive of the idea. I'm very happy about that, because I really need a day by the water. Just that one day will do a lot to recharge my spirit and clear out some of the pent up energy from all the work exhaustion and what not. It may mean some uncomfortable time in the car, but I think it's well worth it. I'm really looking forward to smelling some salt air, getting my feet wet, seeing some friends, and maybe getting a good Flaming Amy's meal in besides! I've been asking Orion to just sit tight until next week, at least, to give me time to finish up work and get my beach day in. Hopefully he'll comply! He's welcome to arrive anytime after we get home on Sunday, as far as I'm concerned! We're ready for him!
Tomorrow is my last day at Trader Joe's before I go on maternity leave. As much as I love working there and think it's a great company, I also am very ready to be off my feet, get some rest, and finish up some miscellaneous things around here before the baby comes.
Wish us luck!

Just For Fun!

Russell and I as babies!
I plan on getting a photo of Orion and framing the three of these together...

Russell is an Amazing Partner

Everyday I find new reasons to appreciate Russell, or am simply reminded of all the reasons that I love him so dearly.
For instance, today he had to miss work because he had a jury summons. He went up to Hillsborough for the court date, and they sent him right on home. This was somewhat frustrating, as he could have worked today and the loss of pay was no fun. However, he still had the option of going in for the afternoon - but he decided against it. Instead, he stayed home and did a bunch of cleaning, got the shipment of furniture from my grandmother situated, finished what was left of the unpacking, ran errands, went grocery shopping, and still found time to bring me lunch at work. I came home to a clean and uncluttered house. This would be nice for anyone to come home to on any day, but for me right now this was a huge relief. I've been so tired lately from lack of sleep and feeling really overwhelmed by everything. He understands that, but more so takes charge and does what I need him to do to help me feel more at peace. I can't thank him enough for that. I always feel secure and well cared for with him, and it's made a really huge difference in my life. A lot of the anxieties that I've struggled with for years just don't come up in this relationship. They no longer have any power. That is nothing short of life-changing.
He's so caring and in tune with me and the world we try to make for ourselves... I can't think of or imagine a better partner for myself. I'm so excited that he and I are having a baby together, and I know Orion will always have an awesome dad. That also means a lot to me.
I try to find ways to reciprocate and show Russell how much I love and appreciate him. This entry is one of them... I hope it has the desired effect!

Birthing From Within

Last evening we attended our last Birthing from Within class, facilitated by the fabulous Natalie, wonder-doula. Check out her site (linked to this post's title).
Birthing from Within is an interesting practice based around emotional self-knowledge, breath awareness, and creative/symbolic exercises. I read the book, by Pam England, before the class started and enjoyed the concepts and exercises, though I found it strongly biased toward natural/home birth and very anti-c-section. I struggled with that at the time because I wasn't yet sure we weren't going to have a scheduled Carsarian birth, and it made me feel frustrated and angry.
I hoped and assumed that the class wouldn't be quite so slanted, and I was correct. The classes, running one session a week for six weeks, were held at the Red Hen in Carrboro. (The great maternity/baby consignment shop.) There were two other couples in the class, so it was nice and intimate. I felt like I got to know the other folks in the class pretty well, and we all had enough time to speak, share, commiserate, question, and practice.
The various activities we did were really helpful; things like pain-coping techniques (with ice and breath), art work expressing our concepts of birth, baby wearing techniques, and couples' coaching methods. I came out of each class feeling a wonderful appreciation for Russell, more than anything else, but I also often felt a comforting sense of confidence. Sure, birth sounds hard, but I also regularly felt like I could handle it. Honestly, I was more anxious hearing about how one gets and epidural than I was about hours of contractions. Since we're still planning on having a natural birth, I am very happy to have experienced that level of confidence.
Last night, being the final class, was a bit special in that we had a couple with their four month come tell us their birth story, and then the soon-to-be mommas shared their birth bundles.
The birth bundles contained three objects that represented the mother, the father, and the mother and baby's combined efforts of birth. I chose a cowrie shell to represent the mother, as this is a classic symbol of women and fertility. I chose a hawk wing to represent the father (especially Russell as a father) since the hawk is his totem animal. Finally, I found a great piece of petrified sediment from inside a shell (the shell long since having deteriorated) that forms a spiral. I chose this to represent birth because of the spiral shape, which symbolizes the course of life.
The couples also exchanged an expression of their appreciation for each other. I created a sort of card with a photo of the Orion nebula on one side. On the opposite side I attached a poem I wrote many years ago about a hawk, which I found recently during the move, and fit Russell perfectly. I decorated it with some stars, buttons a la Burning Man, and glitter. I was pretty happy with the result! I also included Russell's name on the side with the nebula in metallic orange ink...
Russell typed me a sweet letter on his cool vintage typewriter, including a heart design (that was apparently pretty difficult to do on a typewriter). It was very sweet, and I was especially excited because it's the first thing he has written to me from the typewriter - which is a fairly infamous piece of equipment!
It was sad to have the class end, as the group was very supportive and it was nice to have an outlet. However, I think we'll be glad to clear the schedule a little bit more. We have been busy bees lately! And we'll all get together for a potluck once the various babies have arrived, which can only be fun.
We drove home in the rain (the first we've had in a while) and found a tree frog sitting on our front door knob. I gently tried to coax him off the knob, and he jumped onto me. My efforts to remove him only caused him to climb up my sleeve - he was a very friendly and unafraid frog! I finally managed to get him off me and the door, but it took some work before we could get into the house. I posted a note about the frog event on Facebook, and my mom linked to an animal symbolism website that defines 'frog' as fertility, birth, and transition... A sure sign of baby coming! And coming soon...
To wrap up the evening, Russell gave me a good foot rub with some mentholated mineral salve and then bathed my feet and scrubbed them with a eucalyptus salt scrub. It was very relaxing! This was supposed to be part of the last class, but we ran out of time. I was glad we got to do it at home, because I was very comfy in my gliding chair, and it was nice to feel connected in our new house!
It was a good night. Now we're that much more prepared, and that much closer, to meeting Orion.

The Newest Addition to the Family

Toodeloo!
(That's just fun to say, don't you think? It's hard not to smile!)
You may be thinking, wait, I thought Orion was the newest addition? Well, he's the most important one, but a different species of baby beat him to the bunch - our little Red-Eared Slider turtle.
Last week our neighbor stopped by for a while and we offered him some of the heirloom tomato seedlings that Russell had sprouted on the back deck. I believe this prompted him to return a little while later with a baby turtle in a dish. He asked us if we wanted her, and I stood there for a second, thinking "Have I lost it? I'm about to have a baby - I don't need another pet right now!" But my mouth said, "Yes!" and Russell agreed.
I just love turtles, and this little girl is only the size of a quarter - very hard to resist. Besides that, I'd been thinking lately that I kind of wanted a fish tank. I'm not sure where the desire was coming from, but there you go. Also, as Orion grows and gets more interested in the world, he'll have a turtle that's growing along with him to watch. I also think it's really important for kids to have pets, and we already used a lot of turtles in the toys and decor in Orion's room - so perfect!
Russell came up with the name "Toodeloo" (from the Grateful Dead tune "Mississippi Uptown Toodeloo"), and I immediately agreed that it was a great name for a turtle. It's just plain affectionate! And she seems to like us as much as we like her - or at least she knows who feeds her!
She lived in a plastic bin for a few days with a big hunk of amethyst, but after a week or so we found a cheap (and complete) tank set-up on Craigslist and got her home started. A trip to the pet store fleshed it out with fake and live plants, plus a couple of fish companions (which she may well eat, at some point). We just added a flower pot full of stones with a large scallop shell on top for her to bask on, so she can get out of the water and into the light.
I'm really enjoying having a tank in the house, as it's very relaxing to hear the water gurgling out of the filter while watching the fish and turtle swimming about. It's also very visually attractive, with the shells and colorful plants all over.
Maybe it was a moment of insanity, but I haven't regretted doing it at all!
Russell has big plans for a larger tank in a year or two, once she's grown up a bit, with a full-on terrarium style set up - sand bank, live plants, a few fish, etc. She's going to be a spoiled girl, for sure.
Hopefully she'll be a part of the family for a long time (they can live up to 40 years) so that Orion can grow up with a little turtle pal!

The Name Conundrum, Solved!

After some thought and a pile of input from friends and family via Facebook, we decided to become the Denison-Woods family, wherein all of us will hyphenate and take both names. We feel like this is balanced, creates a solid connection to both families for each of us, and just plain sounds good. I'm really happy with the decision! It's not traditional, but what about us is, anyway? We set out to do this on our own terms, and I think this is a really positive example of that!
Now for all that paperwork...

What's in a name?

Getting married and having a baby requires a lot of big decisions, other than 'what color should we paint the nursery?' or 'who should DJ the reception?' So far we've fielded a lot of the baby-related decisions without much difficulty or confusion. We've got a lot of support, have received a lot of good advice, and fortunately have access to great facilities in our area.
Getting married has been a little more difficult to figure out. We have yet to set a date, because we're a bit overwhelmed by the idea. Sooner or later? Spring or Fall? Conflicts? Location? Lucky for us, we don't have to make a decision right this minute, and will likely wait until after Orion's arrival to make any further plans.
One of the biggest questions I have to answer is what to do with my name. Again, this can wait a few months, or even a year. My options, to keep my name, take Russell's name, or to hyphenate, all have pros and cons. I know I'd like for our family to all have the same name, which would pretty much require me to take Russell's name, or to mess around with hyphenation and middle name organization. But Russell is so open-minded that he offered another option, which is for all of us to hyphenate and be the Denison-Woods family. I kinda like the sound of that, but it does create quite a bit of 'name' for all of us, and hyphenation as a practice doesn't really carry that well through generations. I've been thinking about it, though none too strenuously... Until now.
We have to decide on Orion's name. We've got the first and middle name down, Orion Colie, but now we need to decide what we're going to do as a family. So should his name be Orion Colie Woods, or Orion Colie Denison-Woods?
I'm just not sure what I think. It is also a big dose of reality to have to make a choice like this! It makes him really real and present with us to put his name down on official papers!
Feel free to comment on this if you have any thoughts... I may not agree, but I'm curious to see what you think!

Yesterday

Yesterday, 5/14/2010, was a big day for several reasons. We started the day with another ultrasound at UNC (I think this was our sixth or seventh, total). The purpose of the ultrasound was to determine whether Orion's 'path out' was obstructed in any way by the two larger fibroids. The big one is basically right under my belly button and is visible due to the lump it makes on my abdomen. The second one is smaller, but is located somewhere in the back. This presents a small problem because it's no longer visible behind Orion, even in an ultrasound. However, the OB/GYN, Dr. Wolfe, at UNC didn't seem to think that there were any problems, seeing as how Orion's head is beneath the big fibroid and he seems to have plenty of amniotic fluid and room to move. He certainly does move around a lot (like right now), so I can verify that.
We also determined that he's now a little over 7lbs, and continues to look like a fat, healthy baby - chubby cheeks and all. He's head-down, but hasn't yet 'engaged' or 'dropped', so we're (probably) still a few weeks away from delivery.
The sweet ultrasound tech tried hard, once again, to get a good picture of his face, but Orion is coy or maybe just camera shy. He also seems to hide behind his placenta, hands, or umbilical cord, and this time was no different. The pic here is of his face with the umbilical cord in front of it. He was sleeping during the ultrasound, but was also making some funny faces and practicing the sucking motion that is soon to serve him so well!
We came home and Russell accomplished things around the house while I napped. I've been sleeping very erratically, so mid-day naptimes have become tantamount to my survival and personal well-being! I just can't seem to sleep at night or for long periods of time, despite making a lot of effort toward doing so. I've been pretty worn out and tired in general, which isn't surprising, considering we're at 37+ weeks now. Besides that, I'm carrying large due to the fibroids, so I actually look/measure as though I'm past-term; around 42-43 weeks. That's a lot of weight to be carrying around, for sure. I'm looking forward to being done with the pregnancy part of this adventure!
In the afternoon we headed over to the Birth and Wellness Center for our weekly appointment. We saw Kate (one of the midwives) and she also didn't seem to think that there would be a problem with Orion getting past the fibroids. As far as she was concerned, it should be all clear for me to deliver at the Women's Birth and Wellness Center, although there was a note a my chart to have 'close supervision' in early labor just to be sure Orion is all right. She put my chart in for review during the regular Tuesday meeting, so there's could be a change of plans still, but hopefully everything will go smoothly and we'll be able to birth at the BC.
As we were leaving the BC, we also received the form to register Orion as a person and a US resident. This sort of blew our minds a bit, as we realized that we needed to make final decisions about his name - including our future last name(s). We put the form aside to think about, as we've got some big decisions to make about getting hitched, insurance, name changes, and other life details.
It appears that our ducks are mostly in a row at this point in the game; Russell even installed the car seat bases in both of our vehicles yesterday, which is an important detail. I still need to pack my birthing bag, but I do have a list made and my iPod updated, so I could do that at any time.
We have one more session of our Birthing from Within class on Monday evening, which should be a good night for us. I've enjoyed these classes, especially how connected Russell and I feel after attending them. It's been a very positive experience.
And now there's just a few weeks to go, anywhere between 2 and 4, but I'm still guessing he'll arrive late this month - around the 26-28. We'll just have to wait and see!

Any day now...

Any day now this happy couple will become a happy new family, with the addition of our little Orion! It's been a long nine months, but we're excited to move on to the next phase of our lives as partners and as parents!
Most of you are familiar with our baby website, but I created this blog to replace it because the available memory was quite limited and I know you're going to want photos galore once Orion is here! I will use this site exclusively from here on out, so become a follower and keep up with our ongoing adventures+baby!
Much love,
Sachi