Our trip to Valdez-

So hubby and I decided to take a weekend for a last fling of summer adventure before the bambino arrives. Hubby was amazing and planned the whole trip, which was a relief since I was in the middle of a new position at school and it was the first week with students....always a busy time. We found a great lodge to stay at since my camping days are behind me for a bit, nine month pregnant and an air mattress just doesn't work for me. The lodge had a hot tub with the perfect pregnancy seat....my feet were in but most of my body was out...so no overheating there. It also overlooked gorgeous mountains and a lake that we were able to kayak. Our goal was to pick blueberries on the way, kayak the Duck Flats in Valdez Bay and Robe Lake and catch some fish. Everything went according to plan except not much in the fish catching area. I got some great photos so I wasn't too bummed but hubby was really hoping to get a few silvers from his kayak. Last year we were too late and the silvers weren't biting any more and this year we were just a few days early....

Kayaking was awesome. We were lucky to have clear flat conditions on the lake and the ocean. The weather, which is almost always rainy in Valdez, even broke and gave us some sunshine on the last day. The Dutch people who were also staying at the lodge were all amazed I was kayaking at 9 months pregnant but I felt it went pretty easily...I mean I am sitting down. I was for sure using a different set of muscles than normal and getting out of the kayak was a hilarious sight I am sure...not my most graceful moments.

The best thing about the trip, right up there with fried halibut from the Halibut House...mmmm, was that hubby surprised me with a gift. He said he wanted to give it to me before the delivery because I had worked so hard already for 9 months already and delivery wouldn't change that. He gave me a talisman necklace from Pyrrah that I love. Each piece of Pyrrha wax seal jewelry is cast in reclaimed sterling silver or bronze from a 19th century wax seal and is handcrafted in Vancouver, Canada. It is an old design and created using old materials....totally perfect for me. He had lots of options to pick from but went with the handmade wax seal necklace that features a pelican feeding her young. She is a symbol of maternal devotion, nurturance and virtue. She is also on my birth place's state flag...Louisiana. The pelican is also their state bird. My brilliant, loving romantic hubby researched this all and picked the best gift. The necklace will be a lasting reminder of this maternity period and the love hubby and I share that created Ocoee. The sweetest thing is he did this all with little fanfare, putting the effort into the thought and downplaying how sweet and romantic a gesture it was. I love wearing the talisman and it is giving me the strength to make it through these last few weeks.

Best baby shower ever!

So I am not an expert on baby showers by any means. I usually send a nice expensive gift and avoid going. My friends have all been very helpful in this effort of mine to avoid showers by having babies out of state of where I am living at the time. So when it came time for me to have my own I felt so relieved when my good friends Kathleen, Staci and Shelly took the reins and I was able to just attend. What a concept. GIving up control was actually easy because if there is one thing these ladies know how to do it is throw a party. There was amazing food (example. home made foccocia bread with rosemary, and grapes along with a french cheese fodue for dipping), a uber cool and tasty homemade cake, plenty of wine, vodka and homemade lemonade, and non-alcoholic drinks for me, and best of all good friends who made me feel so special and loved. It all made me so excited to be bringing a child into this amazing life I live.

Some highlights were the eco friendly gift wrap contest which was won by Shelly who sewed juicy fruit packages together to make a beautiful bag....she needs an etsy account she is so crafty! Other gave her a run for her money and in the end there was very little trash to throw away, so I felt good about that. The girls also got together and wrote the wittiest quiz for hubby to take and that made me laugh and cry. My friends who could not be there sent gifts and love and my mother in law arranged for my hubby to get me flowers and a bottle of post delivery champagne.....knowing she was thinking of me makes me smile....she is going to be the best grandma!

Each and every gift was thoughtful and perfect. Some were homemade and heirloom quality others are going to be used over and over and will be lifesavers. Overall it was an amazing day and I feel like a lucky lady to be the recipent of such love and generosity! Ocoee has a well stocked nursery and we are ready for this new adventure and journey.

Letter to Ocoee-33 weeks

Dear darling little Ocoee

I feel so connected to you as I writes since your moving and squirming inside my belly to some secret dance that only you know the steps to. Remember this love of movement and don't let your daddy tell you that like your mother you dance like a white girl or Elaine from Seinfield....it is a good way to get laughs around the house though. Last night I laid in bed sick and sniffling, not sleeping, with the first cold of my pregnancy. And I imagined you. I think it was the sock order I put in on babysteals because I was thinking to myself, I will have a baby, my baby to put these ridiculously small little socks on. I could see your feet in my head. The were pink and had the same freckle on the bottom that I have and my mom had as well. Genetically speaking your are doomed to huge feet, but this will give you as Bob Dylan says, "a sturdy foundation when the winds of changes shift".

Your pops is in a hurry to get you here. I on the other hand am content to let you bake as long as you need. Sure it can be uncomfortable with this big belly at times but you will be rushed your whole life to go here, do this, get dressed, and dang it reel that fish in! Why start now. Enjoy the peace you have inside doing whatever little, upside down floating Ocoee wants to do. We are pretty prepared for your arrival but take your time sweetheart. I reserve the right to change my mind about this in a few weeks :)

Speaking of being ready for your arrival, I have a baby shower coming up in a week! Very exciting. It is like the first party for you. You will get gifts, eat yummy food and be the center of attention...and you haven't even taken your first breathe yet. I can't wait!!

Pregnancy 4D!!!

Today during the new Harry Potter movie I had my first Braxton Hicks contractions. It was a 4D showing....which I was told is even better than 3D. It was my first movie experience in any extreme D and Ocoee was kicking and contractions happened. Quite an eventful movie...oh yea and Harry killed Voltamore, or whatever his name is :)

I am 31 weeks and feel great. My back aches have gone away and I even got a good nights sleep last night. Ocoee is still busy kicking up a storm in my belly and has even had hiccups several times. Last night as I laid down I could feel the constant beat of her hiccups and this left me feeling very connected to her. It seems amazing that I have been carrying her around for 7 1/2 months....so much of life has been about her and she doesn't even know it. I really do feel so much love already which is unexpected and wonderful.

I bought my first cloth diaper, just to see what they were like. I am hoping to receive more at my shower but I wanted to hold one and imagine all those diapers I would be changing. I offered a little minilesson to hubby as well, can't help that, it is the teacher in me. I actually watched videos from the fuzzibunz website to show me how to do it! I am such a nerd.

Here in Alaska we are in the heart of fishing season. My house smells of smoked salmon which to me, along with salt water, and the fresh clean breezes of Alaska has become the smell of summer. It is an important time since we eat the smoked salmon, frozen fillets and halibut all winter. Brodie alerted me of another activity that will fill my late summer months by spending a good amount of time hunting for raspberries. He loves them so much. I let him have all the ones in the yard that are at his level since we have so many bushes of them in the back part of the yard. We actually just finished our final jar of jam from last year. Soon my fingers will be stained from endless picking.

The nursery is done!

The biggest project of the summer is officially done. I am so excited to have it ready and waiting for little Ocoee. I put a lot of time, effort and precious energy into the nursery and I am estatic with the results.

The theme is Eco-friendly winged creatures. Eco-friendly and organic mean a lot to my husband and I and we wanted little Ocoee to have a green, safe and healthy space that didn't leave a huge footprint on the earth. The winged creatures are owls, birds and butterflies which all are found in nature. Of course we had to throw a few moose in their as a nod to our own Alaskan backyard.

The bedding is organic from pottery barn kids and looks hand made. The main colors are brown and green, the inspiration from the window outside. Then I layered on pinks, blues and creams. The wall color my husband, who worked at a paint store in high school, picked out. It is called "blonde beauty" and is really the perfect color. It looks yellow at times, soft green at others all while remaining a neutral backdrop to the other colors.

Plants are around the room to bring the outdoors in and clean the air Ocoee will breathe. The crib is made of sustainable wood and the picture frames are made from reclaimed wood. The dresser is a craigslist find that was repainted, revamped and re-purposed as a changing table. The baskets are ecofriendly rattan grass from PBK as well. The rug is actually 3 different rugs that I attached and am using as one area rug. It is 100% cotton and super soft...as you can see from the pictures the doggers love it. The moose nightlight is LED and rechargable, made from BPA free plastic. The mattress is organic from Amazon. In the corner we tucked a towel warmer for drying diapers and warming blankies. It is an old gift from hubby on Valentines day when we just started dating and I was a southern girl in a cold city and he felt the need to keep me warm...who knew we would be in Alaska years later!

The closet is organized using an old file cabinet and bins I had around the house. I think organization is sexy so this is a favorite spot in the room for me. The glider came from Babies R' US and was a mother's day gift from the hubby. It is so soft and cozy in a warm chocolate chenille fabric. The curtains are blackout lined to control light and temperature and we have a blackout window shade covered by sheer butterfly panels, all from PBK. The shade is a must here in the land of the midnight sun.

Another favorite is the cherry blossom tree. It is a decal because although I can build a fire, hike a mountain and make a mean martini I am not the crafting, painting mother, but the sweet folks at PBK are and they conviently made it into a sticker for the wall!

In Alaska in the summer our windows are always open letting in fresh, crisp air and the sounds of birds and airplanes since everyone is a pilot in Alaska it seems. If Ocoee would have been a boy the theme would have been airplanes for sure since small aircraft buzz by our house all day long.

Overall this was a blast. I love to decorate and making a special place for our little Ocoee brought me a lot of satisfaction. Now all we need is her arrival!!

Counting sheep

Sleep has been a long hard rode the last few weeks. Getting comfortable proves to be ridiculously hard. Little Ocoee is also a night time kicker. She gets really active as soon as I lay down for bed and then also has a disco party around 4 a.m. that wakes me up. Thank goodness it is summer and I don't have to get up super early. I love watching my belly bounce and move and knowing that there is a little baby in there....mine and hubby's creation...how strange and wonderful.

The belly seems to be a world all of its own outside of my world. So far no stretch marks and I also got a maternity support belt that should help with the back pain I have been getting. My belly button is still and innie but I am not sure for how much longer. I am officially 7 months tomorrow.....3 months left...woohoo. It seems to be going painfully fast and slow all at the same time. We have done many of the items on my baby "to do" list. The birth class was more educational for hubby than me since I felt I had read much of the same info in books and online already. We also had the maternity tour and I just kept thinking....this is no 5 star hotel. You would think that the miracle of birth could come with a little luxury! The hospital is highly rated for their nicu unit and professional, high quality staff so I am just being picky.

Last doctor appointment went well. We are now on the every 2 week visit plan and things are looking great. We are heading camping and fishing this weekend which is the first trip for the summer and I hope we make it ok. Camping with a belly this big may be a little much but the fresh Alaskan air and beautiful sea, mountains and wildlife will be worth a little discomfort.

Happy 4th of July. Remember that we are really celebrating the fact that a bunch of rich white men didn't want to pay taxes :)

Cheers
Janelle

Bambino is a big girl!

So after an ultrasound on Wednesday, we found out that Ocoee is a big girl! She has consistently measured in the top 97% for babies at her age of gestation and on Wednesday they said she was already 2 pounds! Most babies are 1.25 by the 25 week. Now we are in week 26 and she is kicking like a she is krumping in there or something. I am glad she is healthy and growing well but the fact that Mike was a 10 pound baby is not making my fear of delivery any less.

Also can I just say that I love Pottery Barn Kids. Not only do they have cute organic bedding that I ordered for the nursery, but they had half the order at my door step in 3 days. Also when the cool cherry blossom decal I purchased went on sale 2 days after I ordered it, I called and they refunded the difference before I even asked. Love that customer service. The nursery is starting to take shape. The hubby flew home early from Nome to surprise me on Saturday and then whipped into handy man mode and put together the crib and bookcase. We also received the organic mattress for the crib yesterday-thanks to Mike's mom Peg! It was nice to open the mattress and not have that weird chemical smell.

We are down to the last few months of this pregnancy and I still have a lot to do....my energy is running low and I am pretty uncomfortable at nights, when bending, and about a dozen other times during the day. I would not trade it for anything in the world though. Can't wait to meet my little Ocoee.