It's hard to believe we've been back in the midwest for three months now! And while the first weeks/months involved a lot of uncertainty, trying to find a new routine, and a general feeling of waiting for things to happen, the sensation now definitely seems like one of forward motion. A few of the highlights...
-Having become certified as a nurse-midwife in Iowa, I've attended my first homebirth here and also several prenatal and postpartum visits. I'm loving the flexibility, creativity, and laid-back atmosphere of this kind of work, especially compared to the hospital; and the feeling that my beliefs and instincts are working in harmony with my job, rather than aggressively having to swim upstream all the time. The sense of relief is indescribable.
-Matt has started work at the natural foods co-op, and couldn't be happier with it. As readers of this blog know, we've longed for a way to participate in the sustainable/organic food movement (beyond just our purchasing dollars) for a long time, and short of growing our own food, this is the best way we've found. He too is enjoying the opportunity to work for an organization of like-minded individuals, who both love food (!) and truly care about it in the same ways that we do. Another bonus: our purchasing dollars go that much further with Matt as an employee, which is an enormous blessing in these transitional times. I've always adored shopping at the co-op (the selection, the crunchy atmosphere) and fantasized about the time when most if not all of our food could come from there--organic produce, humane and local meats--and I'm delighted to say that Matt's job has made this a possibility.
-I'm 34 weeks pregnant tomorrow--this baby could be here in as little as a month! Although when I was pregnant with Eden, who was born 12 days early, I felt bursting at the seams long before this point--and with this pregnancy I don't. So I wouldn't be surprised if this baby hung in there a little longer than she did. But only time will tell!
-We can tentatively say that we seem to have found a place to rent, starting in late summer. While we've loved living with my parents, and Eden especially has thrived with the close proximity to her grandparents, we're respectful of the fact that a growing (and noisy) family of four, which includes a rambunctious toddler and a soon-to-be-newborn, is a lot to combine with a bed and breakfast. Not to mention melding the habits and households of four adults, two cats, and two dogs. I'm happy to report that it's been mostly smooth sailing, but Matt's and my jobs seem to be calling us to a slightly different geographic center than where we're currently located--one that would allow us to resume, if not our folding bike lifestyle, at least one that involves more walking and less driving than we're currently able to maintain. Our new place will also provide ample room for us to have bona-fide "kid-free" spaces, which we haven't had in a long time--meaning we can spend a lot less of our time, uh, helping Eden remember to stay out of things. With another baby on our hands, that can only be a good thing.
-By way of update on Eden herself: she's a lovable, delightful, intense handful. And I do mean handful, complete with terrible-two-worthy tantrums on a rather disturbingly frequent basis. On the other hand? She's pretty much exactly the child I expected to have. Quite honestly, the easiness and straightforwardness of her infancy struck me by surprise, and the current set of circumstances is more like what I'd envisioned from a child of mine. Anyway, on a more fun note, she's becoming more talkative all the time, although it's mostly intelligible to those who spend a lot of time with her and can use context to interpret the words that often sound puzzlingly similar. Some of her more popular homophones:
"MiMi"--can mean music or Mickey (Mouse), both of which she fervently adores.
"Papa/Buppa"--sound similar and can mean Papa (my dad), Grandpa (Matt's dad), pockets (which she also loves), bubbles, potty, apple, and her godmother April
"RaRa"--can refer to my sister's boyfriend, Reggie; water; or flowers
"Eese"--can mean alternately kitties, please or cheese; or, cheese, please
"Nun"--can mean either nuts (which she's absolutely crazy about) or nose (more like "noan," but again, heavily dependent on context).
"Beeps"--can refer to my sister Rebecca, whom we all call Sneebs; to grapes (can sound more like "bapes," but see again above); or to her desire to walk by herself (rather than being carried) up the "steps."
She still uses a fair number of signs to clarify her meanings (thank goodness); some of those include the signs for more, outside, kitties, milk, grapes, potty, etc.
She loves to spend time outside (whatever the weather), to listen to books, and make animal noises (her current favorite comes from a book called "Say Hello to the Snowy Animals," and is her impression of a caribou saying "Huff, huff," which is absolutely adorable and which I really need to get on video soon).
All in all, while each day has its joys and especially its challenges, I think we all feel like we're growing more and more toward the life we're meant to live. Together. And there really isn't anything better than that.
-Having become certified as a nurse-midwife in Iowa, I've attended my first homebirth here and also several prenatal and postpartum visits. I'm loving the flexibility, creativity, and laid-back atmosphere of this kind of work, especially compared to the hospital; and the feeling that my beliefs and instincts are working in harmony with my job, rather than aggressively having to swim upstream all the time. The sense of relief is indescribable.
-Matt has started work at the natural foods co-op, and couldn't be happier with it. As readers of this blog know, we've longed for a way to participate in the sustainable/organic food movement (beyond just our purchasing dollars) for a long time, and short of growing our own food, this is the best way we've found. He too is enjoying the opportunity to work for an organization of like-minded individuals, who both love food (!) and truly care about it in the same ways that we do. Another bonus: our purchasing dollars go that much further with Matt as an employee, which is an enormous blessing in these transitional times. I've always adored shopping at the co-op (the selection, the crunchy atmosphere) and fantasized about the time when most if not all of our food could come from there--organic produce, humane and local meats--and I'm delighted to say that Matt's job has made this a possibility.
-I'm 34 weeks pregnant tomorrow--this baby could be here in as little as a month! Although when I was pregnant with Eden, who was born 12 days early, I felt bursting at the seams long before this point--and with this pregnancy I don't. So I wouldn't be surprised if this baby hung in there a little longer than she did. But only time will tell!
-We can tentatively say that we seem to have found a place to rent, starting in late summer. While we've loved living with my parents, and Eden especially has thrived with the close proximity to her grandparents, we're respectful of the fact that a growing (and noisy) family of four, which includes a rambunctious toddler and a soon-to-be-newborn, is a lot to combine with a bed and breakfast. Not to mention melding the habits and households of four adults, two cats, and two dogs. I'm happy to report that it's been mostly smooth sailing, but Matt's and my jobs seem to be calling us to a slightly different geographic center than where we're currently located--one that would allow us to resume, if not our folding bike lifestyle, at least one that involves more walking and less driving than we're currently able to maintain. Our new place will also provide ample room for us to have bona-fide "kid-free" spaces, which we haven't had in a long time--meaning we can spend a lot less of our time, uh, helping Eden remember to stay out of things. With another baby on our hands, that can only be a good thing.
-By way of update on Eden herself: she's a lovable, delightful, intense handful. And I do mean handful, complete with terrible-two-worthy tantrums on a rather disturbingly frequent basis. On the other hand? She's pretty much exactly the child I expected to have. Quite honestly, the easiness and straightforwardness of her infancy struck me by surprise, and the current set of circumstances is more like what I'd envisioned from a child of mine. Anyway, on a more fun note, she's becoming more talkative all the time, although it's mostly intelligible to those who spend a lot of time with her and can use context to interpret the words that often sound puzzlingly similar. Some of her more popular homophones:
"MiMi"--can mean music or Mickey (Mouse), both of which she fervently adores.
"Papa/Buppa"--sound similar and can mean Papa (my dad), Grandpa (Matt's dad), pockets (which she also loves), bubbles, potty, apple, and her godmother April
"RaRa"--can refer to my sister's boyfriend, Reggie; water; or flowers
"Eese"--can mean alternately kitties, please or cheese; or, cheese, please
"Nun"--can mean either nuts (which she's absolutely crazy about) or nose (more like "noan," but again, heavily dependent on context).
"Beeps"--can refer to my sister Rebecca, whom we all call Sneebs; to grapes (can sound more like "bapes," but see again above); or to her desire to walk by herself (rather than being carried) up the "steps."
She still uses a fair number of signs to clarify her meanings (thank goodness); some of those include the signs for more, outside, kitties, milk, grapes, potty, etc.
She loves to spend time outside (whatever the weather), to listen to books, and make animal noises (her current favorite comes from a book called "Say Hello to the Snowy Animals," and is her impression of a caribou saying "Huff, huff," which is absolutely adorable and which I really need to get on video soon).
All in all, while each day has its joys and especially its challenges, I think we all feel like we're growing more and more toward the life we're meant to live. Together. And there really isn't anything better than that.
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