Thursday, August 28, 2008

5 Years

Kari and I have been married for 5 years this Saturday.
To some of you, 5 years may not be a very long time when it comes to marriage. I mean, some of us have shoes that are older than 5 years right? Well, to Kari and I, 5 years has been both a long time and a short time.
In the grand scheme of things, 5 years compared to the all encompassing forever is not long at all. It's just the jumping off point. The waning beginnings of a much longer journey together. But as I look back on the last 5 years, it seems like we have jammed a lifetimes worth of memories in there already.
Tonight, Kari is assisting a birth, so Chaco and I are sitting in bed quietly by ourselves. Kari texted me earlier to tell me the baby was here and all went well. I started to think about how proud I was of her. I cannot believe I have married such an amazing person. I don't know if all marriages are like this, but I can honestly say I am taken back by Kari on a regular basis. She takes all of life by the reigns and does as she pleases, all while making an adventure of it.
Sometimes, when Kari and I are together, and no one is saying anything, it's just quiet, I will say "I love you" to her. When I think about it, I say that alot. Some people would probably get tired of hearing it I guess. But, I say it not to fill the silent spaces of our time together. I say it because she deserves it. I say it because no other words even come close to explaining how I feel about her. In the last 5 years you probably couldn't count the number of times I've said it. But she has deserved every one. She spends so much of herself letting others know they are cared about, that I hope she knows how much she is cared about.
She gave me a magnet not long ago that says this; "To the world you may be one person, but to one person, you may be the world." I have it up at work and read it every day. It reminds me that even though we face our own challenges, we have each other to come home to. We have each other to share the frustrations and joys of life with. We have each other to share this adventure together with. There is a reason we have taken on the motto "Life is an Adventure". For 5 years there hasn't been a boring moment, as long as we've had each other. For 5 years, even the quiet moments are a time to let each other know that we amaze each other. And for the infinitely large amount of forever that we will spend with each other, we will continue to live this adventure. And I will continue to love Kari. Happy Anniversary KJ.

Sleep is overrated?! Ahh..Pregnancy.

Sleep - is it overrated?! I don't think so. I wish I was off in the Snoozeland right now. But I'm not. Ever since I've been pregnant, I've had trouble sleeping. It's either the need for regular bathroom breaks (nearly every hour or two), the bedroom is too hot (i know it's pretty cold with the AC, 2 fans blowing on me, and a frozen neck wrap around my neck), or I'm just plain hungry. Most of the time I can just toss and turn or remedy the situation and grab a couple more hours of uninterrupted sleep.

But then there are the times when I realize - there's no use I'm just wide awake. It's those times that I make a snack, turn on the TV, curl up in a chair with Chaco, and either play on the computer or stare at the TV screen on the wall in hopes that the tiredness will catch up with my body and mind and force me to stumble back to my pillow.

Let's see what do I know that I'm awake at this hour...It's not raining, there's no traffic at 5 am, and Obama is the democratic nominee for president. Hmmm...I think I could have figured out this all on my own without the help of Channel 4.

I try and remind myself that there is a newborn on the way, and I'm just getting ready for "those nights." I hope that the little one doesn't think that this is play time even though I've decided it is.

I would love any suggestions or ideas that those who have traveled this road can give. Or any related stories that could ease my sleepless mind.

To All a Goodnight!

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Be BOLD

I received this website from someone yesterday, and I wanted to pass on the goodness. It's a quick trailer/film on what BOLD is. BOLD stands for Birth On Labor Day. From what I understand, a woman gathered birth stories from women and has created a play to educate women on birth. Take a few minutes to watch this film, and if it sparks an interest, peruse the website.

Film Link

http://www.boldaction.org/mediacenter/bold_film.html

Website Link

http://www.boldaction.org


Prenatal Care

For many women deciding on prenatal care is a big choice. Ryan and I have still not completely decided on where to give birth. Being a doula and a huge advocate for educating women on options for birth and prenatal care my obvious choice is a midwife. If there's an emergency, then I don't mind a doctor seeing me. But as long as everything is ok, I trust my body and my birth to a midwife. There's no doubt in our minds about that. It's just deciding who and where.

Many of you know that I've traveled to The Farm in Summertown, TN, for a childbirth education training and midwife assistant training. These world-renown women/midwives are AMAZING!!! My favorite book for women to read about childbirth is Ina May's Guide To Childbirth. Also, Spiritual Midwifery is a beautiful book on childbirth as well. I feel very blessed that these women are not that far from our home.

With that said, receiving prenatal care from them became a definite option in our search. When I was down there in June for a training, I had a quick prenatal meeting with a midwife. Ryan and I set up another meeting this past week. Ryan took the day off, and we traveled down to The Farm for a Day O' Fun!


The Farm Clinic



The Farm Store - They were out of their homemade ice bean.


We met Pamela at The Farm Clinic. We talked and had our meeting for an hour and a half. It was so relaxed and enjoyable. Pamela took the time to discuss vitamins, supplements, diet, and exercise. She even offered to ease my ignorance of a pressure cooker by giving me lessons when I come down again. Yes, I peed in a cup...a dixie cup. And she taught me how to use the litmus paper and read the results. I hopped on the table, and she showed us how to feel the baby in the sack already. It was so much fun for Ryan and me to actually be taught how to feel the baby.

She also took time to get to know Ryan which I appreciated. They talked about park ranger stuff and beautiful national parks. After the meeting, she sat there and let us ask any questions we had. We gave ourselves a self -tour of one of the birthing cabins. All in all - It was a very nice prenatal visit.

We had already decided before we took our little road trip that we would definitely make use of the beautiful weather and the swimming hole at The Farm. We made a quick stop at Target on the way down, so I could get a prego swim suit. After our meeting, it was off to the swimming hole. And it was cold and fun!!!


How do you like my sexy swimming dress?!


Ryan being so cool in the pool.



Prenatal Care at its finest.



Our Day O' Fun!!!

Monday, August 11, 2008

Is That Poo On Your Face?!!

Would you be so happy if you had poo on your face first thing in the morning?!!
Dogs are awesome.

This morning I let Chaco outside. She was crying to go and out she went. When I let her back in, it took me a couple of minutes to notice some "dirt" on her face. Thinking it was funny and imagining what she would have been doing to bust into some serious dirt, I giggled and thought we must go show your daddy.

We went into the bedroom and thank goodness I caught her before she planted onto the bed...I raised her up to show Ryan her "dirt" mishap and then "the wiff of Lucifer" crossed my nose...."Oh gaw. Ryan it's poo!" Trusting my heightened sense of smell, he thought it was time for a bath. We came up with a few different stories of how exactly poo was smashed into her white neck, but Chaco wasn't handing over any answers.

So, Ryan and I started our much anticipated day together washing poo off the dog. The pleasures of having a furry child. Chaco didn't seem to mind, so I guess we'll let it go too.


Friday, August 08, 2008

It's Business Time.


If you're familiar with Flight of the Conchords, then hopefully, you're singing the title of this blog.

For those of you who don't know this, I felt like it was about that time to sit down and blog about it. A couple of months ago, my friend, Maranda and I went out on our own and started our own business. We both felt like it was about that time for us to take more responsibility for our careers. We have a similar vision about birth services and with us both doing massage therapy as well - we felt like we would make a good team and we would be answering a call for a much needed business around town.

We have a small, cozy space on Music Row called Gaia Rising Massage and Healing Center. Our website is www.gaiarisingnashville.com if you'd like to learn more about "Gaia" and what the name actually means. It has a two fold meaning...one for the massage side of things and the other for the birth services side. Ryan is helping us design and get the website up and running, so please be patient - It's up, but it's not finished yet.

We found the spot, painted, decorated (a great deal of help from family and friends), and then we were off and running. We're still working on logistics with the accountant, gift certificates, merchant services, advertising, the list is never ending...but it's been such a great experience learning how to get a business started.

On the massage side - In a nutshell, our vision is to provide a space and services that allow people to take a break from their busy lives and go inward. Allow them to take time for themselves and rest and heal their bodies, so that they can be of service to others.

On the "mama" side - we want to provide services to families who are going through the transition to parenthood. For the mamas, taking time to relax and connect with their babes...also, the birth assisting...educating and empowering women to make informed choices about their birth experience and then providing the physical, emotional, and informational support they need before, during, and after labor. Women love having a calm presence with them during this time and the partners love it too. The partners don't have to feel like they need to know what happens next or what to do...we get to help them both through the experience, so they can be present for the birth of their child.

There's a lot more info on our website, so come and check it out.
www.gaiarisingnashville.com

I would love to hear any suggestions that you have about the site.

Monday, August 04, 2008

NFL - Shows up everywhere.

Today- Maranda and I were meeting with the guy who will be setting up our merchant (credit card) services for work. I got his name from Choyer who uses them and is very pleased. So, I called a few weeks ago and from an hour phone conversation felt like his company would be the right choice. He taught me so much about how the credit card transactions work. He's very personable and seems trustworthy. We've passed a few emails back and forth, but today he came in to meet with us.

Our meeting lasted nearly two hours. Like I said, he's very personable. We talked, and he shared stories about his wife and kids. I really enjoyed meeting with him. We signed the papers, and he was finishing up one of his last stories. By this time, I was very hungry and had started to slouch in my chair from all the business and story telling - zoning out for sure...when I heard him say he was from Cincinnati.

As a die-hard Steelers fan, those words perked me up. Could this kind man love my rival?!! Certainly, not. But he's from Cincinnati - he has to be. As my mind went back and forth, I knew I couldn't let him leave without asking. I just needed to know if I was doing business with a Bengals fan. I wiggled and squirmed in my chair and asked him if I could pose a simple question (definitely before we shook hands).

"Since you're from Cincinnati, does that make you a Bengals fan?"

He smiles and seems to enjoy my question. "Yes, of course."

He can tell by the look on my face and my body language that I wasn't thrilled. He tries to stutter his way out of it by saying he's a Titans fan these days as well. And he can still tell that I'm not satisfied. He asks me - "Are you a Cleveland fan?"

"No," I speak firmly and forwardly...suggesting he try again.

"What other rival do you have that would make us doing business questionable?"

"Steelers," he lets quietly slip off his tongue.

"Yes!!!"

Then, we proceed to discuss Chad Johnson's role as a player and Carson Palmer's anger towards the Steelers. He just had to get in that the Steelers broke his leg on purpose during the playoffs a couple years back in order to kick them out.

"Well, that's your side." I laugh. "Good thing I've already signed those papers."

We continued to joke for awhile. He fills me in on his bestfriend being a Steelers fan (trying to win me back, obviously). He admits that when the Titans are playing the Bengals, he cheers for the Titans. Hmmm, I think to myself...well, then he couldn't be too much of a fan. I guess business will be ok. I tried to remember how much I liked his business before I knew his dark secret, and I reassured myself everything will be alright. We shook hands and both silently understood that we both love NFL Football, and I'm sure he knows deep down that the Steelers are the best. I know he felt it in my handshake. Next time I serve him water, it will be in a Steelers cup.

Here we go Steelers! Here we go!!

I Love Another Man!!

Yes. It's true. Ryan knows about it, and he's ok with it.
It probably helps that he's just 6 months old.


If you've been keeping up with our blog, then you know my bestfriend, Jody, had a baby boy, Bodie, back in January. I was there the evening he was born, but I hadn't been around him since. I've been keeping up through pictures and phone calls. Jody, being true to her adventuresse (check February's blog to find out what an adventuresse is) self, packed up and brought Bodie up here to Nashville last week for a visit. When they arrived, I felt like I was meeting him for the first time. And he is something else. He's so adorable and good little man at that. I asked him if he wouldn't mind speaking to the little one growing in my belly and offer suggestions on how to be so cute and so good. I guess we'll see how he did in due time.

I enjoy watching my friends be parents. They are so good at it. They've all blown me away as they become mamas. Watching their transition and how they get in this flow of motherhood brings me into this state of awe. Jody and I had so much fun. The first evening Jody was preparing the rice cereal and discussing something to the effect/affect?? of how the whole feeding thing is tedious and how she's still in the process of figuring it all out (it was something like that - "pregnesia" as i call it has caused me to forget the details). Right after she had taken the time to brew up and concoct this yummy rice cereal/applesauce thing, she turned away to get something and Bodie reached over and flipped the bowl onto the floor. SPLAT!! - ever so nicely cereal and applesauce splayed out across the floor. Bodie's Masterpiece. I'm sure he was entertained as two women on their hands and knees at his feet clean and wipe up the floor. We just laughed.

Like I said, I'm totally having pregnesia, so I've kind of forgot what we did. We talked and talked. Played with Bodie. I showed her my work. We visited a friend who lives up here who had also just had a baby. We cooked dinner. We watched a movie. We had special Popsicles - Las Palatas. We went out to dinner and had pizza. We drank coffee. And of course, reminisced.


Bodie enjoying Uncle Shooter's Camelback

I'm so glad they came to visit. It flew by. On Friday morning, I admit I teared up at breakfast and our goodbye. It's been five years since we've been in different states, and we questioned when or if it would ever get any easier. We didn't come to a conclusion.

On a lighter note, I must share another humorous story. After bath time, Jody was drying Bodie off on the bed with his cute hooded towel when I hear - "Oh no!" Walking in the room, I had just missed his sprinkler spraying all over the bed. Another time for laughter!

I don't know how to end this blog, so I'll just stop typing.