8 months old & Helmet Decision

To contact us Click HERE

These sisters are 8 Months old!!

Mandy

This girl is going to crawl at any time!   I'm waiting!


She is eating her finger foods really well.  Here was one of her meals:

She has now eaten pancake, shredded cheese, diced turkey, crackers, muffin, banana bread.....you  name it she will eat it.

She is such a big girl!   I weighed her yesterday and she was 18 lbs 12 ounces


She will be getting a helmet in a few weeks....more on that below.


She is attached to me at the hip!    Some days its hard to do anything because she wants me to hold her all the time.   This is difficult when there are 2 babies.....luckly Emily isn't wanting me to hold her 24/7 otherwise I don't know what I would do.  


She goes to bed between 5:30/6:00.  I can't seem to make the bedtime later because she is beat by then.   She is up at 5:00/5:30 am.  Blech.   BLECH!!!!!!!!!!!!
I refuse to get her up until 5:30.   It sucks but I am more of a morning person than a night person so its not totally horrible, its just 6:00 would be so much better, just 30 more min!!!!!!   Its just even SOUNDS better!!!!

We weaned her from her last middle of the night feeding.    If she wakes up she gets water only.    I do think she is having separation anxiety from me at night....she wants me to hold her and little girl that is not happening so we have had to cry it out a few times.  

Emily

She weighs in at 14 lbs; 1 ounce


No interest in finger foods.   Not much appetite for her purees either, she eats a few spoonfuls and then she is done. 


Does not try to crawl or get on her knees...content to just sit but she does get frustrated if a toy is out of reach and she lets me know it.

The past few days she has started to be more vocal.  Her whole body gets rigid, she straightens her arms and schreeces....its pretty darn funny.


I am still letting her have a middle of the night feeding because of her size.   Not sure when I will try to wean her, I'll talk to my pedi about it. She goes to bed between 6:00/6:30 and wakes up with the birds also.   5:30!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cassie


Little girl.....just because your sisters get up at 5:30 doesn't mean you have too.   BUT she does.   She used to sleep till 7:00 but now she wants to get up with her sisters.   Sigh.....some day I will sleep in.  


Helmet

After our visit at Children's Hospital we had decided to wait and see with Mandy for a helmet.  Well, we decided it wasn't getting better so we would helmet her.  We went last week to Cranial Tech, I had heard great things about the women there.   I DID NOT like her.   Maybe she was just having a bad day but I totally felt attacked by her.   She was on my case saying we are late in the game with a helmet and Mandy has torticollis that should have been taken care of at 2 months.   I TOOK HER TO HER PEDI AT THAT AGE AND HE SAID SHE DID NOT HAVE TORICOLLIS!!!!

After her tearing into me I asked her if she was saying doing a helmet right now would yield no results and she said "No, you will see visible results".  Then lady.....take a chill pill!!!!!!! What the heck.  I went on to their website afterwards and it says they treat kids up to 18 months old and I read stories from other parents who treated at even a later age than Mandy and had great results.  

I was just not happy with how she went about things.  I was ready to cry at one point and that is so not like me.  She made me feel like I was a bad Mom.   After all I went thru with Cassie's medical issues,  for this lady to make me feel like I was a horrible Mom because of a flat spot on the head that will be corrected and a tight neck muscle really ticked me off.   I know she is passionate about her work but that was uncalled for.  

We go next Wednesday for the casting and a week later she gets fitted with it.  I already orded her decals for the helmet today.   I'm not worried about her adjusting to the helmet....from everything I have read babies don't mind them at all and Mandy is pretty easy going. 

How do you know when you're done?

To contact us Click HERE
a.k.a.Stop at Four or Have One More?
The question of being done having children never came up until this pregnancy. Eric is more than happy to close up shop--and he's volunteered to have a vasectomy whenever I ask. I don't have a strong feeling either way. We both grew up in big families. Eric was one of 7 children, and I was one of 5. I've always had this magic number in my head of a nice, big (but not TOO big) family. 3 kids definitely seemed way too small, 4-5 was just about right, and 6+ was way, way too many.

It's strange to think of being at the end of my childbearing years. I feel like I barely started! I know some women who absolutely know they're "done" and never look back. I don't know if I'll ever have that strong feeling. Instead, I'm just going to have to decide and go with it, as bittersweet as it might seem. I mean, it's really sad to think that this might be my last pregnancy, that it might be the last baby I ever nurse. 

I've really enjoyed the years of not trying and not preventing between Zari's birth and now. After "preventing" for 5 years, we then "tried" for several years before I got pregnant with Zari (up to and including IVF). I didn't mind being on birth control, but I hated those years of trying. My body naturally spaces children between 2 - 2 1/2 years apart, so we haven't felt the need to do anything in particular until now.

But I am definitely not okay just "letting things happen" indefinitely. My mom is turning 60 this year, and she STILL hasn't hit menopause! So I can't assume that my fertility will naturally wane in the near future. 

So it might be time to stop. I'm 34, Eric is 38. I don't feel old, but I certainly see the benefits of being a younger parent and grandparent. Eric is ready to move on to the next stage of our life. I'm not 100% certain that I am, but I am willing to take more long-term preventive measures in the meantime.

Here's our short- and long-term plan:

• Have an IUD placed some time before my fertility returns (probably around 8-10 months postpartum). I don't want anything I have to think about: no condoms, no pills, no diaphragms, etc. I'm definitely leaning towards the Mirena over the copper IUD. I really don't want heavier periods & cramps, which often happens with the copper IUD. 
• In a few more years, when we're really, truly sure we're done, Eric will have either a vasectomy or--if it's available by then--RISUG/Vasalgel. (RISUG is 100% effective, less invasive than a vasectomy, and reversible. Clinical trials have been going on in India for many years, and they will likely start this year in the U.S.) 

So tell me how you knew you were "done"? How did you and your spouse/partner come to this decision? What methods did you use for birth control? Did you change your mind down the road?

You're invited to my Blessingway!

To contact us Click HERE
I hope you can be a part of my Blessingway! I've decided to host a virtual celebration before the baby comes. Then after the birth, I'll have a gathering at my house for friends and family to welcome the baby earthside.

I hope all of you can join in helping me prepare for this baby's arrival by sending a bead, a note of encouragement or wisdom, and something to decorate my birthing space. If you can't send something by mail, please email your contributions, and I will print them out for you. I'll be keeping everything I receive to put into a memory book.

Please send your blessings as soon as you can. I have a jewelry maker friend who's going to help me put the necklace together. I'm a day away from being 35 weeks--yikes!--so time is short for her to collect all the beads and then ship the finished product to me.

I hope you can all be a part of this celebration!

Kyla's 21st Birthday!

To contact us Click HERE
April 27, 2011! Even though Ben and I were busy with school and work and church, we still had some fabulous Birthday celebrations! I have this sewing machine, but no table to put it on. Ben bought me a table and chair for our extra room. Now I have a sewing table (HORRAY!!!). 

Then, for dinner we went to Pita Pit. Small and simple Birthday, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!

Honor's Graduation!!!

To contact us Click HERE
Ben has been working so hard at school. He is finishing up his last semester in his Senior year and moving onto a Concurrent Masters program next year. He has been in the Honor's program and has just completed it. For those of you who don't know what Honor's is...I'll explain a little. It's pretty much doing extra work in about 1 class a semester. This not only gives Ben more experience in the classes he is working on, but also helps him create relationships with the Professors and expand his horizons.

Mechanical Engineering is already a really time consuming and difficult program at Utah State, but doing Honors on top of that adds a lot of pressure. The people in the Honor's office were surprised to see that Ben was still in Honors at this point. They said they couldn't remember another Mechanical Engineering student who had not dropped out of Honors by their Junior year. So...not only is doing Honors a difficult thing, but it is almost impossible in the Mechanical Engineering program to graduate with Honors. Ben has stuck to it and really done a great job.

Last week (Wednesday April 18th) was Honors graduation. This was a night to honor those all those at the University who graduated or will be graduating with Honors from Fall 2011-Summer 2012. They had a really yummy dinner, a slide show presentation highlighting the accomplishments of each Honor student, and awards.

Here are some pictures from the evening:



Ben is WAAAAAAAAYYYY in the back. (Sometimes he forgets he's a little bit shorter than his older brother Joe. Haha) 

One of the ladies who works in Honors even remembered that we were having a baby boy in June. She gave us a special gift of a little newborn onesie. This shirt has a little bit of a background story. Utah State has some game day shirts that say "We are HURD" In the "U" the is the word "State" for Utah State. The Honors department decided to make a little spoof off of these shirts for their students. These shirts say "We are NURD" This little onsie says "NURD in training" haha! We love it! 

Here is Ben with his Honors Diploma and his medal that he gets to wear when he walks for graduation.


Way to go Ben!!!! I am so proud of all the hard work you are always doing! Way to stick through the program and graduate as one of the only Mechanical Engineering students to graduate with Honors from Utah State!

You're invited to my Blessingway!

To contact us Click HERE
I hope you can be a part of my Blessingway! I've decided to host a virtual celebration before the baby comes. Then after the birth, I'll have a gathering at my house for friends and family to welcome the baby earthside.

I hope all of you can join in helping me prepare for this baby's arrival by sending a bead, a note of encouragement or wisdom, and something to decorate my birthing space. If you can't send something by mail, please email your contributions, and I will print them out for you. I'll be keeping everything I receive to put into a memory book.

Please send your blessings as soon as you can. I have a jewelry maker friend who's going to help me put the necklace together. I'm a day away from being 35 weeks--yikes!--so time is short for her to collect all the beads and then ship the finished product to me.

I hope you can all be a part of this celebration!

Pregnancy: Month 6

To contact us Click HERE
The month of December was busy preparing for family to visit. We repainted the upstairs hallway, back staircase, and master bedroom. That may not sound like much, but we had to repaint all of the baseboards, doors, crown moldings, and trim before we could paint the walls. That made everything take ten times longer. Plus we take forever to choose paint colors. I like that Eric cares about home decoration--but it definitely slows the process down!

I'm currently working on painting our living room. A few days ago, I decided that I really wanted the room done before the baby arrives, preferably by this coming weekend. I've painted all the baseboards and some of the crown moldings. It's a pain to be up on the stepladder, and I can only do so much before I get dizzy.

So this quilt square helps me remember my sixth month of pregnancy. I named it "Painting." 
 

What they don't tell you about Newborns

To contact us Click HERE
What they don't tell U about Newborns?

1. Suck blisters from thumb sucking,
2. Baby girls can have periods in their pee,
3. Immature Reflex system and startle system seems like baby is having seizures,
4. U may be able to see their pulse in their soft spot(s),
5. If baby is overdue it's skin gets pickled in amniotic fluid & vernix coating which looks like huge dandruff flakes has to be removed with a washcloth for a week or so.
6. They can look cross-eyed sometimes because Vision isn't fully developed.
7. Hairy backs incl. Swollen genitals and baby breasts due to hormones in both   genders,
8. Coughing up stuff like amniotic fluid few hrs after birth,
9. Overly long and weird shaped fingernails,
10. Babies can be born with Teeth,
11. Babies can pop a blood vessel in their eye due to pressure and tightness in birth canal,
12. The first poops are black and sticky like tar.
13. Uric crystals! they are an orangy pink substance that form in the diaper just after birth. It is amniotic fluid crystalizing in the kidneys and coming out in the urine and it is nothing to worry about,
14. Both boys and girls can have breast milk for the first couple days,
15. Some babies have "grunting baby syndrome". They think they need to push their bowel movements out so they're constantly straining and grunting, it lasts first 3 months,
16. Blocked tear duct in the eye for the first few days it can cause oozing eye, squirting some breast-milk into it and washing with a warm cloth towel helps,
17. If you breastfeed your baby will have poop free days. It can be normal up to 10 days for them not to poop,

IMPORTANT NOTES;
Fluid leftover in the lungs can lead to uneven breathing problems in newborns & eventually pneumonia, get that checked thoroughly!
The web all the way till the bottom of the tongue won't allow the baby to suck on anything, doc may need to check and cut if extra.
If the baby holds his/her breath, just gently blow into their face and they will take a gulp of air and start breathing again.
-If your baby lays on one side of their head too much, it can become flattened. Sometimes you have to prop their head with a pillow/blanket so it can be "rotated" and rounded back out. Happened with my first, her head became flat on one side.
-If baby wont burp, gently lay him/her down on their back (on your lap while holding them), and then lift them back up to your shoulder (in one swift motion) and try again, you can also gently bounce them on your knee.
Oh and another one...'I called the nurse and the bundled him up tightly and put him on my chest and moved his body up until his head was tucked right into my neck and chin area...voila,.....he didnt cry anymore! He was just used to being tight in the womb and having his head tucked in the birth canal.'

A ton of Chamomile in your diet to avoid acid reflux in babies,
No one told me that wiping with a warm wipe can stimulate their rear end and make them poop again... on the spot... in your hand...
Newborns don't need to be bathed every day, but be sure to take a wet wipe during diaper changes and wipe under their neck folds. They accumulate stuff there like crazy, and it can get all crusty and make their skin bleed from irritations.

The above are some scary notes and pointers collected from various websites and contributed mostly by moms on babycentre.

Kyla's 21st Birthday!

To contact us Click HERE
April 27, 2011! Even though Ben and I were busy with school and work and church, we still had some fabulous Birthday celebrations! I have this sewing machine, but no table to put it on. Ben bought me a table and chair for our extra room. Now I have a sewing table (HORRAY!!!). 

Then, for dinner we went to Pita Pit. Small and simple Birthday, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!

Honor's Graduation!!!

To contact us Click HERE
Ben has been working so hard at school. He is finishing up his last semester in his Senior year and moving onto a Concurrent Masters program next year. He has been in the Honor's program and has just completed it. For those of you who don't know what Honor's is...I'll explain a little. It's pretty much doing extra work in about 1 class a semester. This not only gives Ben more experience in the classes he is working on, but also helps him create relationships with the Professors and expand his horizons.

Mechanical Engineering is already a really time consuming and difficult program at Utah State, but doing Honors on top of that adds a lot of pressure. The people in the Honor's office were surprised to see that Ben was still in Honors at this point. They said they couldn't remember another Mechanical Engineering student who had not dropped out of Honors by their Junior year. So...not only is doing Honors a difficult thing, but it is almost impossible in the Mechanical Engineering program to graduate with Honors. Ben has stuck to it and really done a great job.

Last week (Wednesday April 18th) was Honors graduation. This was a night to honor those all those at the University who graduated or will be graduating with Honors from Fall 2011-Summer 2012. They had a really yummy dinner, a slide show presentation highlighting the accomplishments of each Honor student, and awards.

Here are some pictures from the evening:



Ben is WAAAAAAAAYYYY in the back. (Sometimes he forgets he's a little bit shorter than his older brother Joe. Haha) 

One of the ladies who works in Honors even remembered that we were having a baby boy in June. She gave us a special gift of a little newborn onesie. This shirt has a little bit of a background story. Utah State has some game day shirts that say "We are HURD" In the "U" the is the word "State" for Utah State. The Honors department decided to make a little spoof off of these shirts for their students. These shirts say "We are NURD" This little onsie says "NURD in training" haha! We love it! 

Here is Ben with his Honors Diploma and his medal that he gets to wear when he walks for graduation.


Way to go Ben!!!! I am so proud of all the hard work you are always doing! Way to stick through the program and graduate as one of the only Mechanical Engineering students to graduate with Honors from Utah State!

What they don't tell you about Newborns

To contact us Click HERE
What they don't tell U about Newborns?

1. Suck blisters from thumb sucking,
2. Baby girls can have periods in their pee,
3. Immature Reflex system and startle system seems like baby is having seizures,
4. U may be able to see their pulse in their soft spot(s),
5. If baby is overdue it's skin gets pickled in amniotic fluid & vernix coating which looks like huge dandruff flakes has to be removed with a washcloth for a week or so.
6. They can look cross-eyed sometimes because Vision isn't fully developed.
7. Hairy backs incl. Swollen genitals and baby breasts due to hormones in both   genders,
8. Coughing up stuff like amniotic fluid few hrs after birth,
9. Overly long and weird shaped fingernails,
10. Babies can be born with Teeth,
11. Babies can pop a blood vessel in their eye due to pressure and tightness in birth canal,
12. The first poops are black and sticky like tar.
13. Uric crystals! they are an orangy pink substance that form in the diaper just after birth. It is amniotic fluid crystalizing in the kidneys and coming out in the urine and it is nothing to worry about,
14. Both boys and girls can have breast milk for the first couple days,
15. Some babies have "grunting baby syndrome". They think they need to push their bowel movements out so they're constantly straining and grunting, it lasts first 3 months,
16. Blocked tear duct in the eye for the first few days it can cause oozing eye, squirting some breast-milk into it and washing with a warm cloth towel helps,
17. If you breastfeed your baby will have poop free days. It can be normal up to 10 days for them not to poop,

IMPORTANT NOTES;
Fluid leftover in the lungs can lead to uneven breathing problems in newborns & eventually pneumonia, get that checked thoroughly!
The web all the way till the bottom of the tongue won't allow the baby to suck on anything, doc may need to check and cut if extra.
If the baby holds his/her breath, just gently blow into their face and they will take a gulp of air and start breathing again.
-If your baby lays on one side of their head too much, it can become flattened. Sometimes you have to prop their head with a pillow/blanket so it can be "rotated" and rounded back out. Happened with my first, her head became flat on one side.
-If baby wont burp, gently lay him/her down on their back (on your lap while holding them), and then lift them back up to your shoulder (in one swift motion) and try again, you can also gently bounce them on your knee.
Oh and another one...'I called the nurse and the bundled him up tightly and put him on my chest and moved his body up until his head was tucked right into my neck and chin area...voila,.....he didnt cry anymore! He was just used to being tight in the womb and having his head tucked in the birth canal.'

A ton of Chamomile in your diet to avoid acid reflux in babies,
No one told me that wiping with a warm wipe can stimulate their rear end and make them poop again... on the spot... in your hand...
Newborns don't need to be bathed every day, but be sure to take a wet wipe during diaper changes and wipe under their neck folds. They accumulate stuff there like crazy, and it can get all crusty and make their skin bleed from irritations.

The above are some scary notes and pointers collected from various websites and contributed mostly by moms on babycentre.

How do you know when you're done?

To contact us Click HERE
a.k.a.Stop at Four or Have One More?
The question of being done having children never came up until this pregnancy. Eric is more than happy to close up shop--and he's volunteered to have a vasectomy whenever I ask. I don't have a strong feeling either way. We both grew up in big families. Eric was one of 7 children, and I was one of 5. I've always had this magic number in my head of a nice, big (but not TOO big) family. 3 kids definitely seemed way too small, 4-5 was just about right, and 6+ was way, way too many.

It's strange to think of being at the end of my childbearing years. I feel like I barely started! I know some women who absolutely know they're "done" and never look back. I don't know if I'll ever have that strong feeling. Instead, I'm just going to have to decide and go with it, as bittersweet as it might seem. I mean, it's really sad to think that this might be my last pregnancy, that it might be the last baby I ever nurse. 

I've really enjoyed the years of not trying and not preventing between Zari's birth and now. After "preventing" for 5 years, we then "tried" for several years before I got pregnant with Zari (up to and including IVF). I didn't mind being on birth control, but I hated those years of trying. My body naturally spaces children between 2 - 2 1/2 years apart, so we haven't felt the need to do anything in particular until now.

But I am definitely not okay just "letting things happen" indefinitely. My mom is turning 60 this year, and she STILL hasn't hit menopause! So I can't assume that my fertility will naturally wane in the near future. 

So it might be time to stop. I'm 34, Eric is 38. I don't feel old, but I certainly see the benefits of being a younger parent and grandparent. Eric is ready to move on to the next stage of our life. I'm not 100% certain that I am, but I am willing to take more long-term preventive measures in the meantime.

Here's our short- and long-term plan:

• Have an IUD placed some time before my fertility returns (probably around 8-10 months postpartum). I don't want anything I have to think about: no condoms, no pills, no diaphragms, etc. I'm definitely leaning towards the Mirena over the copper IUD. I really don't want heavier periods & cramps, which often happens with the copper IUD. 
• In a few more years, when we're really, truly sure we're done, Eric will have either a vasectomy or--if it's available by then--RISUG/Vasalgel. (RISUG is 100% effective, less invasive than a vasectomy, and reversible. Clinical trials have been going on in India for many years, and they will likely start this year in the U.S.) 

So tell me how you knew you were "done"? How did you and your spouse/partner come to this decision? What methods did you use for birth control? Did you change your mind down the road?

You're invited to my Blessingway!

To contact us Click HERE
I hope you can be a part of my Blessingway! I've decided to host a virtual celebration before the baby comes. Then after the birth, I'll have a gathering at my house for friends and family to welcome the baby earthside.

I hope all of you can join in helping me prepare for this baby's arrival by sending a bead, a note of encouragement or wisdom, and something to decorate my birthing space. If you can't send something by mail, please email your contributions, and I will print them out for you. I'll be keeping everything I receive to put into a memory book.

Please send your blessings as soon as you can. I have a jewelry maker friend who's going to help me put the necklace together. I'm a day away from being 35 weeks--yikes!--so time is short for her to collect all the beads and then ship the finished product to me.

I hope you can all be a part of this celebration!

Kyla's 21st Birthday!

To contact us Click HERE
April 27, 2011! Even though Ben and I were busy with school and work and church, we still had some fabulous Birthday celebrations! I have this sewing machine, but no table to put it on. Ben bought me a table and chair for our extra room. Now I have a sewing table (HORRAY!!!). 

Then, for dinner we went to Pita Pit. Small and simple Birthday, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!

Honor's Graduation!!!

To contact us Click HERE
Ben has been working so hard at school. He is finishing up his last semester in his Senior year and moving onto a Concurrent Masters program next year. He has been in the Honor's program and has just completed it. For those of you who don't know what Honor's is...I'll explain a little. It's pretty much doing extra work in about 1 class a semester. This not only gives Ben more experience in the classes he is working on, but also helps him create relationships with the Professors and expand his horizons.

Mechanical Engineering is already a really time consuming and difficult program at Utah State, but doing Honors on top of that adds a lot of pressure. The people in the Honor's office were surprised to see that Ben was still in Honors at this point. They said they couldn't remember another Mechanical Engineering student who had not dropped out of Honors by their Junior year. So...not only is doing Honors a difficult thing, but it is almost impossible in the Mechanical Engineering program to graduate with Honors. Ben has stuck to it and really done a great job.

Last week (Wednesday April 18th) was Honors graduation. This was a night to honor those all those at the University who graduated or will be graduating with Honors from Fall 2011-Summer 2012. They had a really yummy dinner, a slide show presentation highlighting the accomplishments of each Honor student, and awards.

Here are some pictures from the evening:



Ben is WAAAAAAAAYYYY in the back. (Sometimes he forgets he's a little bit shorter than his older brother Joe. Haha) 

One of the ladies who works in Honors even remembered that we were having a baby boy in June. She gave us a special gift of a little newborn onesie. This shirt has a little bit of a background story. Utah State has some game day shirts that say "We are HURD" In the "U" the is the word "State" for Utah State. The Honors department decided to make a little spoof off of these shirts for their students. These shirts say "We are NURD" This little onsie says "NURD in training" haha! We love it! 

Here is Ben with his Honors Diploma and his medal that he gets to wear when he walks for graduation.


Way to go Ben!!!! I am so proud of all the hard work you are always doing! Way to stick through the program and graduate as one of the only Mechanical Engineering students to graduate with Honors from Utah State!

What they don't tell you about Newborns

To contact us Click HERE
What they don't tell U about Newborns?

1. Suck blisters from thumb sucking,
2. Baby girls can have periods in their pee,
3. Immature Reflex system and startle system seems like baby is having seizures,
4. U may be able to see their pulse in their soft spot(s),
5. If baby is overdue it's skin gets pickled in amniotic fluid & vernix coating which looks like huge dandruff flakes has to be removed with a washcloth for a week or so.
6. They can look cross-eyed sometimes because Vision isn't fully developed.
7. Hairy backs incl. Swollen genitals and baby breasts due to hormones in both   genders,
8. Coughing up stuff like amniotic fluid few hrs after birth,
9. Overly long and weird shaped fingernails,
10. Babies can be born with Teeth,
11. Babies can pop a blood vessel in their eye due to pressure and tightness in birth canal,
12. The first poops are black and sticky like tar.
13. Uric crystals! they are an orangy pink substance that form in the diaper just after birth. It is amniotic fluid crystalizing in the kidneys and coming out in the urine and it is nothing to worry about,
14. Both boys and girls can have breast milk for the first couple days,
15. Some babies have "grunting baby syndrome". They think they need to push their bowel movements out so they're constantly straining and grunting, it lasts first 3 months,
16. Blocked tear duct in the eye for the first few days it can cause oozing eye, squirting some breast-milk into it and washing with a warm cloth towel helps,
17. If you breastfeed your baby will have poop free days. It can be normal up to 10 days for them not to poop,

IMPORTANT NOTES;
Fluid leftover in the lungs can lead to uneven breathing problems in newborns & eventually pneumonia, get that checked thoroughly!
The web all the way till the bottom of the tongue won't allow the baby to suck on anything, doc may need to check and cut if extra.
If the baby holds his/her breath, just gently blow into their face and they will take a gulp of air and start breathing again.
-If your baby lays on one side of their head too much, it can become flattened. Sometimes you have to prop their head with a pillow/blanket so it can be "rotated" and rounded back out. Happened with my first, her head became flat on one side.
-If baby wont burp, gently lay him/her down on their back (on your lap while holding them), and then lift them back up to your shoulder (in one swift motion) and try again, you can also gently bounce them on your knee.
Oh and another one...'I called the nurse and the bundled him up tightly and put him on my chest and moved his body up until his head was tucked right into my neck and chin area...voila,.....he didnt cry anymore! He was just used to being tight in the womb and having his head tucked in the birth canal.'

A ton of Chamomile in your diet to avoid acid reflux in babies,
No one told me that wiping with a warm wipe can stimulate their rear end and make them poop again... on the spot... in your hand...
Newborns don't need to be bathed every day, but be sure to take a wet wipe during diaper changes and wipe under their neck folds. They accumulate stuff there like crazy, and it can get all crusty and make their skin bleed from irritations.

The above are some scary notes and pointers collected from various websites and contributed mostly by moms on babycentre.

How do you know when you're done?

To contact us Click HERE
a.k.a.Stop at Four or Have One More?
The question of being done having children never came up until this pregnancy. Eric is more than happy to close up shop--and he's volunteered to have a vasectomy whenever I ask. I don't have a strong feeling either way. We both grew up in big families. Eric was one of 7 children, and I was one of 5. I've always had this magic number in my head of a nice, big (but not TOO big) family. 3 kids definitely seemed way too small, 4-5 was just about right, and 6+ was way, way too many.

It's strange to think of being at the end of my childbearing years. I feel like I barely started! I know some women who absolutely know they're "done" and never look back. I don't know if I'll ever have that strong feeling. Instead, I'm just going to have to decide and go with it, as bittersweet as it might seem. I mean, it's really sad to think that this might be my last pregnancy, that it might be the last baby I ever nurse. 

I've really enjoyed the years of not trying and not preventing between Zari's birth and now. After "preventing" for 5 years, we then "tried" for several years before I got pregnant with Zari (up to and including IVF). I didn't mind being on birth control, but I hated those years of trying. My body naturally spaces children between 2 - 2 1/2 years apart, so we haven't felt the need to do anything in particular until now.

But I am definitely not okay just "letting things happen" indefinitely. My mom is turning 60 this year, and she STILL hasn't hit menopause! So I can't assume that my fertility will naturally wane in the near future. 

So it might be time to stop. I'm 34, Eric is 38. I don't feel old, but I certainly see the benefits of being a younger parent and grandparent. Eric is ready to move on to the next stage of our life. I'm not 100% certain that I am, but I am willing to take more long-term preventive measures in the meantime.

Here's our short- and long-term plan:

• Have an IUD placed some time before my fertility returns (probably around 8-10 months postpartum). I don't want anything I have to think about: no condoms, no pills, no diaphragms, etc. I'm definitely leaning towards the Mirena over the copper IUD. I really don't want heavier periods & cramps, which often happens with the copper IUD. 
• In a few more years, when we're really, truly sure we're done, Eric will have either a vasectomy or--if it's available by then--RISUG/Vasalgel. (RISUG is 100% effective, less invasive than a vasectomy, and reversible. Clinical trials have been going on in India for many years, and they will likely start this year in the U.S.) 

So tell me how you knew you were "done"? How did you and your spouse/partner come to this decision? What methods did you use for birth control? Did you change your mind down the road?

You're invited to my Blessingway!

To contact us Click HERE
I hope you can be a part of my Blessingway! I've decided to host a virtual celebration before the baby comes. Then after the birth, I'll have a gathering at my house for friends and family to welcome the baby earthside.

I hope all of you can join in helping me prepare for this baby's arrival by sending a bead, a note of encouragement or wisdom, and something to decorate my birthing space. If you can't send something by mail, please email your contributions, and I will print them out for you. I'll be keeping everything I receive to put into a memory book.

Please send your blessings as soon as you can. I have a jewelry maker friend who's going to help me put the necklace together. I'm a day away from being 35 weeks--yikes!--so time is short for her to collect all the beads and then ship the finished product to me.

I hope you can all be a part of this celebration!

Kyla's 21st Birthday!

To contact us Click HERE
April 27, 2011! Even though Ben and I were busy with school and work and church, we still had some fabulous Birthday celebrations! I have this sewing machine, but no table to put it on. Ben bought me a table and chair for our extra room. Now I have a sewing table (HORRAY!!!). 

Then, for dinner we went to Pita Pit. Small and simple Birthday, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!

Honor's Graduation!!!

To contact us Click HERE
Ben has been working so hard at school. He is finishing up his last semester in his Senior year and moving onto a Concurrent Masters program next year. He has been in the Honor's program and has just completed it. For those of you who don't know what Honor's is...I'll explain a little. It's pretty much doing extra work in about 1 class a semester. This not only gives Ben more experience in the classes he is working on, but also helps him create relationships with the Professors and expand his horizons.

Mechanical Engineering is already a really time consuming and difficult program at Utah State, but doing Honors on top of that adds a lot of pressure. The people in the Honor's office were surprised to see that Ben was still in Honors at this point. They said they couldn't remember another Mechanical Engineering student who had not dropped out of Honors by their Junior year. So...not only is doing Honors a difficult thing, but it is almost impossible in the Mechanical Engineering program to graduate with Honors. Ben has stuck to it and really done a great job.

Last week (Wednesday April 18th) was Honors graduation. This was a night to honor those all those at the University who graduated or will be graduating with Honors from Fall 2011-Summer 2012. They had a really yummy dinner, a slide show presentation highlighting the accomplishments of each Honor student, and awards.

Here are some pictures from the evening:



Ben is WAAAAAAAAYYYY in the back. (Sometimes he forgets he's a little bit shorter than his older brother Joe. Haha) 

One of the ladies who works in Honors even remembered that we were having a baby boy in June. She gave us a special gift of a little newborn onesie. This shirt has a little bit of a background story. Utah State has some game day shirts that say "We are HURD" In the "U" the is the word "State" for Utah State. The Honors department decided to make a little spoof off of these shirts for their students. These shirts say "We are NURD" This little onsie says "NURD in training" haha! We love it! 

Here is Ben with his Honors Diploma and his medal that he gets to wear when he walks for graduation.


Way to go Ben!!!! I am so proud of all the hard work you are always doing! Way to stick through the program and graduate as one of the only Mechanical Engineering students to graduate with Honors from Utah State!

Kyla's 21st Birthday!

To contact us Click HERE
April 27, 2011! Even though Ben and I were busy with school and work and church, we still had some fabulous Birthday celebrations! I have this sewing machine, but no table to put it on. Ben bought me a table and chair for our extra room. Now I have a sewing table (HORRAY!!!). 

Then, for dinner we went to Pita Pit. Small and simple Birthday, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!

Honor's Graduation!!!

To contact us Click HERE
Ben has been working so hard at school. He is finishing up his last semester in his Senior year and moving onto a Concurrent Masters program next year. He has been in the Honor's program and has just completed it. For those of you who don't know what Honor's is...I'll explain a little. It's pretty much doing extra work in about 1 class a semester. This not only gives Ben more experience in the classes he is working on, but also helps him create relationships with the Professors and expand his horizons.

Mechanical Engineering is already a really time consuming and difficult program at Utah State, but doing Honors on top of that adds a lot of pressure. The people in the Honor's office were surprised to see that Ben was still in Honors at this point. They said they couldn't remember another Mechanical Engineering student who had not dropped out of Honors by their Junior year. So...not only is doing Honors a difficult thing, but it is almost impossible in the Mechanical Engineering program to graduate with Honors. Ben has stuck to it and really done a great job.

Last week (Wednesday April 18th) was Honors graduation. This was a night to honor those all those at the University who graduated or will be graduating with Honors from Fall 2011-Summer 2012. They had a really yummy dinner, a slide show presentation highlighting the accomplishments of each Honor student, and awards.

Here are some pictures from the evening:



Ben is WAAAAAAAAYYYY in the back. (Sometimes he forgets he's a little bit shorter than his older brother Joe. Haha) 

One of the ladies who works in Honors even remembered that we were having a baby boy in June. She gave us a special gift of a little newborn onesie. This shirt has a little bit of a background story. Utah State has some game day shirts that say "We are HURD" In the "U" the is the word "State" for Utah State. The Honors department decided to make a little spoof off of these shirts for their students. These shirts say "We are NURD" This little onsie says "NURD in training" haha! We love it! 

Here is Ben with his Honors Diploma and his medal that he gets to wear when he walks for graduation.


Way to go Ben!!!! I am so proud of all the hard work you are always doing! Way to stick through the program and graduate as one of the only Mechanical Engineering students to graduate with Honors from Utah State!

How do you know when you're done?

To contact us Click HERE
a.k.a.Stop at Four or Have One More?
The question of being done having children never came up until this pregnancy. Eric is more than happy to close up shop--and he's volunteered to have a vasectomy whenever I ask. I don't have a strong feeling either way. We both grew up in big families. Eric was one of 7 children, and I was one of 5. I've always had this magic number in my head of a nice, big (but not TOO big) family. 3 kids definitely seemed way too small, 4-5 was just about right, and 6+ was way, way too many.

It's strange to think of being at the end of my childbearing years. I feel like I barely started! I know some women who absolutely know they're "done" and never look back. I don't know if I'll ever have that strong feeling. Instead, I'm just going to have to decide and go with it, as bittersweet as it might seem. I mean, it's really sad to think that this might be my last pregnancy, that it might be the last baby I ever nurse. 

I've really enjoyed the years of not trying and not preventing between Zari's birth and now. After "preventing" for 5 years, we then "tried" for several years before I got pregnant with Zari (up to and including IVF). I didn't mind being on birth control, but I hated those years of trying. My body naturally spaces children between 2 - 2 1/2 years apart, so we haven't felt the need to do anything in particular until now.

But I am definitely not okay just "letting things happen" indefinitely. My mom is turning 60 this year, and she STILL hasn't hit menopause! So I can't assume that my fertility will naturally wane in the near future. 

So it might be time to stop. I'm 34, Eric is 38. I don't feel old, but I certainly see the benefits of being a younger parent and grandparent. Eric is ready to move on to the next stage of our life. I'm not 100% certain that I am, but I am willing to take more long-term preventive measures in the meantime.

Here's our short- and long-term plan:

• Have an IUD placed some time before my fertility returns (probably around 8-10 months postpartum). I don't want anything I have to think about: no condoms, no pills, no diaphragms, etc. I'm definitely leaning towards the Mirena over the copper IUD. I really don't want heavier periods & cramps, which often happens with the copper IUD. 
• In a few more years, when we're really, truly sure we're done, Eric will have either a vasectomy or--if it's available by then--RISUG/Vasalgel. (RISUG is 100% effective, less invasive than a vasectomy, and reversible. Clinical trials have been going on in India for many years, and they will likely start this year in the U.S.) 

So tell me how you knew you were "done"? How did you and your spouse/partner come to this decision? What methods did you use for birth control? Did you change your mind down the road?

You're invited to my Blessingway!

To contact us Click HERE
I hope you can be a part of my Blessingway! I've decided to host a virtual celebration before the baby comes. Then after the birth, I'll have a gathering at my house for friends and family to welcome the baby earthside.

I hope all of you can join in helping me prepare for this baby's arrival by sending a bead, a note of encouragement or wisdom, and something to decorate my birthing space. If you can't send something by mail, please email your contributions, and I will print them out for you. I'll be keeping everything I receive to put into a memory book.

Please send your blessings as soon as you can. I have a jewelry maker friend who's going to help me put the necklace together. I'm a day away from being 35 weeks--yikes!--so time is short for her to collect all the beads and then ship the finished product to me.

I hope you can all be a part of this celebration!

What they don't tell you about Newborns

To contact us Click HERE
What they don't tell U about Newborns?

1. Suck blisters from thumb sucking,
2. Baby girls can have periods in their pee,
3. Immature Reflex system and startle system seems like baby is having seizures,
4. U may be able to see their pulse in their soft spot(s),
5. If baby is overdue it's skin gets pickled in amniotic fluid & vernix coating which looks like huge dandruff flakes has to be removed with a washcloth for a week or so.
6. They can look cross-eyed sometimes because Vision isn't fully developed.
7. Hairy backs incl. Swollen genitals and baby breasts due to hormones in both   genders,
8. Coughing up stuff like amniotic fluid few hrs after birth,
9. Overly long and weird shaped fingernails,
10. Babies can be born with Teeth,
11. Babies can pop a blood vessel in their eye due to pressure and tightness in birth canal,
12. The first poops are black and sticky like tar.
13. Uric crystals! they are an orangy pink substance that form in the diaper just after birth. It is amniotic fluid crystalizing in the kidneys and coming out in the urine and it is nothing to worry about,
14. Both boys and girls can have breast milk for the first couple days,
15. Some babies have "grunting baby syndrome". They think they need to push their bowel movements out so they're constantly straining and grunting, it lasts first 3 months,
16. Blocked tear duct in the eye for the first few days it can cause oozing eye, squirting some breast-milk into it and washing with a warm cloth towel helps,
17. If you breastfeed your baby will have poop free days. It can be normal up to 10 days for them not to poop,

IMPORTANT NOTES;
Fluid leftover in the lungs can lead to uneven breathing problems in newborns & eventually pneumonia, get that checked thoroughly!
The web all the way till the bottom of the tongue won't allow the baby to suck on anything, doc may need to check and cut if extra.
If the baby holds his/her breath, just gently blow into their face and they will take a gulp of air and start breathing again.
-If your baby lays on one side of their head too much, it can become flattened. Sometimes you have to prop their head with a pillow/blanket so it can be "rotated" and rounded back out. Happened with my first, her head became flat on one side.
-If baby wont burp, gently lay him/her down on their back (on your lap while holding them), and then lift them back up to your shoulder (in one swift motion) and try again, you can also gently bounce them on your knee.
Oh and another one...'I called the nurse and the bundled him up tightly and put him on my chest and moved his body up until his head was tucked right into my neck and chin area...voila,.....he didnt cry anymore! He was just used to being tight in the womb and having his head tucked in the birth canal.'

A ton of Chamomile in your diet to avoid acid reflux in babies,
No one told me that wiping with a warm wipe can stimulate their rear end and make them poop again... on the spot... in your hand...
Newborns don't need to be bathed every day, but be sure to take a wet wipe during diaper changes and wipe under their neck folds. They accumulate stuff there like crazy, and it can get all crusty and make their skin bleed from irritations.

The above are some scary notes and pointers collected from various websites and contributed mostly by moms on babycentre.

Getting the Nursery Ready for our Baby Girl's Arrival

To contact us Click HERE

My New Video Blog Series starting this Week Subscribe for the Latest

In this video I show you our messy spare bedroom which will be transformed into a beautiful nursery for our new baby girl. She is our tax day baby, due on April 15, 2012! It is a mess! I have my work cut out for me as we try to clean it up, paint, and decorate it. I am somewhat of an artist, so I plan to paint a cool mural in there.

Do you have any good ideas for a Mural in my little girl's room?

I NEED YOUR SUGGESTIONS, please submit your idea in a comment to this post, and thanks :)

I was thinking rolling hills with fun trees, blue sky with puffy clouds and a smiling sun setting, with animals, birds, and sleeping moon with a nightcap in the distance faintly showing in the sky with the sparkling stars coming out. I thought since the sun is setting the black sky will start to show towards the upper part of the wall and that could continue onto the ceiling. It would be really cool with glow in the dark stars for decorations.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions
~Justin

Shop CornerStorkBabyGifts.com

26 Weeks Pregnant - Painting Baby's Room!

To contact us Click HERE
We thought very carefully on what color we wanted our Baby Girl's Room to be, and after long deliberation, actually my wife Nikki just decided for us :), we went with "Violet Eclipse." Nikki loves purple and this is me painting it on:


Baby Girl - Pregnancy - Nesting - Painting Baby's Room

My wife is now 26 weeks pregnant today. My baby girl is now 14 inches long, as big as a English hothouse cucumber! She now weighs 1-2/3 pounds she is really starting to make my wife's belly move when she moves! The nerves in her ear have grown to be more intricate now so they say she can hear conversations and she is getting used to the sound of our voices.

Also, her lungs are preparing for breathing by her actually inhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid into the developing air sacs in her lungs. She does this to practice and strengthen her chest muscles so when she emerges into the air she can take a gulp of air and continue through the rest of her life.

This week we're really starting the nesting process. I'm finishing painting the baby's room tonight and we will be starting a 6 week long Lamaze class in a couple weeks. Things are really coming along :) This week we've been busy reading and watching movies and I'd like to make a couple of recommendations to help with the process toward being a mother and father...

Recommended Movie:

This week we also watched a movie which I highly recommend! It's "In the Womb," a National Geographic Movie that uses revolutionary 3D and 4D scans to follow a birth from the moment of conception to the day the baby is born. It's so interesting and very educational for Mom and Dad to be.

Recommended Book for Dad:

My wife found a wonderful book which I'm reading, it's "The Expectant Father" - Facts, Tips, and Advice for Dads to Be by Armin A. Brott and Jennifer Ash
It's a great read so far and has a lot of helpful insight for real dads to be during each stage of the pregnancy.

Sympathy Weight Update: Wow, finally lost a couple pounds, I'm now 205 lbs, my sympathy weight gained stands at 20 lbs so far! This is probably due to how much work around the house I've been doing. Maybe "Honey Do" lists aren't that bad...

Well that's all for now, next week my baby will be as big as a Head of Cauliflower, believe it or not!

See How My Baby's Growing at 26 Weeks

See What's Happening Inside the Fetus this Week

See how big my baby is getting week by week, now it's a English Hothouse Cucumber!

Shop CornerStorkBabyGifts.com

What they don't tell you about Newborns

To contact us Click HERE
What they don't tell U about Newborns?

1. Suck blisters from thumb sucking,
2. Baby girls can have periods in their pee,
3. Immature Reflex system and startle system seems like baby is having seizures,
4. U may be able to see their pulse in their soft spot(s),
5. If baby is overdue it's skin gets pickled in amniotic fluid & vernix coating which looks like huge dandruff flakes has to be removed with a washcloth for a week or so.
6. They can look cross-eyed sometimes because Vision isn't fully developed.
7. Hairy backs incl. Swollen genitals and baby breasts due to hormones in both   genders,
8. Coughing up stuff like amniotic fluid few hrs after birth,
9. Overly long and weird shaped fingernails,
10. Babies can be born with Teeth,
11. Babies can pop a blood vessel in their eye due to pressure and tightness in birth canal,
12. The first poops are black and sticky like tar.
13. Uric crystals! they are an orangy pink substance that form in the diaper just after birth. It is amniotic fluid crystalizing in the kidneys and coming out in the urine and it is nothing to worry about,
14. Both boys and girls can have breast milk for the first couple days,
15. Some babies have "grunting baby syndrome". They think they need to push their bowel movements out so they're constantly straining and grunting, it lasts first 3 months,
16. Blocked tear duct in the eye for the first few days it can cause oozing eye, squirting some breast-milk into it and washing with a warm cloth towel helps,
17. If you breastfeed your baby will have poop free days. It can be normal up to 10 days for them not to poop,

IMPORTANT NOTES;
Fluid leftover in the lungs can lead to uneven breathing problems in newborns & eventually pneumonia, get that checked thoroughly!
The web all the way till the bottom of the tongue won't allow the baby to suck on anything, doc may need to check and cut if extra.
If the baby holds his/her breath, just gently blow into their face and they will take a gulp of air and start breathing again.
-If your baby lays on one side of their head too much, it can become flattened. Sometimes you have to prop their head with a pillow/blanket so it can be "rotated" and rounded back out. Happened with my first, her head became flat on one side.
-If baby wont burp, gently lay him/her down on their back (on your lap while holding them), and then lift them back up to your shoulder (in one swift motion) and try again, you can also gently bounce them on your knee.
Oh and another one...'I called the nurse and the bundled him up tightly and put him on my chest and moved his body up until his head was tucked right into my neck and chin area...voila,.....he didnt cry anymore! He was just used to being tight in the womb and having his head tucked in the birth canal.'

A ton of Chamomile in your diet to avoid acid reflux in babies,
No one told me that wiping with a warm wipe can stimulate their rear end and make them poop again... on the spot... in your hand...
Newborns don't need to be bathed every day, but be sure to take a wet wipe during diaper changes and wipe under their neck folds. They accumulate stuff there like crazy, and it can get all crusty and make their skin bleed from irritations.

The above are some scary notes and pointers collected from various websites and contributed mostly by moms on babycentre.

How do you know when you're done?

To contact us Click HERE
a.k.a.Stop at Four or Have One More?
The question of being done having children never came up until this pregnancy. Eric is more than happy to close up shop--and he's volunteered to have a vasectomy whenever I ask. I don't have a strong feeling either way. We both grew up in big families. Eric was one of 7 children, and I was one of 5. I've always had this magic number in my head of a nice, big (but not TOO big) family. 3 kids definitely seemed way too small, 4-5 was just about right, and 6+ was way, way too many.

It's strange to think of being at the end of my childbearing years. I feel like I barely started! I know some women who absolutely know they're "done" and never look back. I don't know if I'll ever have that strong feeling. Instead, I'm just going to have to decide and go with it, as bittersweet as it might seem. I mean, it's really sad to think that this might be my last pregnancy, that it might be the last baby I ever nurse. 

I've really enjoyed the years of not trying and not preventing between Zari's birth and now. After "preventing" for 5 years, we then "tried" for several years before I got pregnant with Zari (up to and including IVF). I didn't mind being on birth control, but I hated those years of trying. My body naturally spaces children between 2 - 2 1/2 years apart, so we haven't felt the need to do anything in particular until now.

But I am definitely not okay just "letting things happen" indefinitely. My mom is turning 60 this year, and she STILL hasn't hit menopause! So I can't assume that my fertility will naturally wane in the near future. 

So it might be time to stop. I'm 34, Eric is 38. I don't feel old, but I certainly see the benefits of being a younger parent and grandparent. Eric is ready to move on to the next stage of our life. I'm not 100% certain that I am, but I am willing to take more long-term preventive measures in the meantime.

Here's our short- and long-term plan:

• Have an IUD placed some time before my fertility returns (probably around 8-10 months postpartum). I don't want anything I have to think about: no condoms, no pills, no diaphragms, etc. I'm definitely leaning towards the Mirena over the copper IUD. I really don't want heavier periods & cramps, which often happens with the copper IUD. 
• In a few more years, when we're really, truly sure we're done, Eric will have either a vasectomy or--if it's available by then--RISUG/Vasalgel. (RISUG is 100% effective, less invasive than a vasectomy, and reversible. Clinical trials have been going on in India for many years, and they will likely start this year in the U.S.) 

So tell me how you knew you were "done"? How did you and your spouse/partner come to this decision? What methods did you use for birth control? Did you change your mind down the road?

You're invited to my Blessingway!

To contact us Click HERE
I hope you can be a part of my Blessingway! I've decided to host a virtual celebration before the baby comes. Then after the birth, I'll have a gathering at my house for friends and family to welcome the baby earthside.

I hope all of you can join in helping me prepare for this baby's arrival by sending a bead, a note of encouragement or wisdom, and something to decorate my birthing space. If you can't send something by mail, please email your contributions, and I will print them out for you. I'll be keeping everything I receive to put into a memory book.

Please send your blessings as soon as you can. I have a jewelry maker friend who's going to help me put the necklace together. I'm a day away from being 35 weeks--yikes!--so time is short for her to collect all the beads and then ship the finished product to me.

I hope you can all be a part of this celebration!

How do you know when you're done?

To contact us Click HERE
a.k.a.Stop at Four or Have One More?
The question of being done having children never came up until this pregnancy. Eric is more than happy to close up shop--and he's volunteered to have a vasectomy whenever I ask. I don't have a strong feeling either way. We both grew up in big families. Eric was one of 7 children, and I was one of 5. I've always had this magic number in my head of a nice, big (but not TOO big) family. 3 kids definitely seemed way too small, 4-5 was just about right, and 6+ was way, way too many.

It's strange to think of being at the end of my childbearing years. I feel like I barely started! I know some women who absolutely know they're "done" and never look back. I don't know if I'll ever have that strong feeling. Instead, I'm just going to have to decide and go with it, as bittersweet as it might seem. I mean, it's really sad to think that this might be my last pregnancy, that it might be the last baby I ever nurse. 

I've really enjoyed the years of not trying and not preventing between Zari's birth and now. After "preventing" for 5 years, we then "tried" for several years before I got pregnant with Zari (up to and including IVF). I didn't mind being on birth control, but I hated those years of trying. My body naturally spaces children between 2 - 2 1/2 years apart, so we haven't felt the need to do anything in particular until now.

But I am definitely not okay just "letting things happen" indefinitely. My mom is turning 60 this year, and she STILL hasn't hit menopause! So I can't assume that my fertility will naturally wane in the near future. 

So it might be time to stop. I'm 34, Eric is 38. I don't feel old, but I certainly see the benefits of being a younger parent and grandparent. Eric is ready to move on to the next stage of our life. I'm not 100% certain that I am, but I am willing to take more long-term preventive measures in the meantime.

Here's our short- and long-term plan:

• Have an IUD placed some time before my fertility returns (probably around 8-10 months postpartum). I don't want anything I have to think about: no condoms, no pills, no diaphragms, etc. I'm definitely leaning towards the Mirena over the copper IUD. I really don't want heavier periods & cramps, which often happens with the copper IUD. 
• In a few more years, when we're really, truly sure we're done, Eric will have either a vasectomy or--if it's available by then--RISUG/Vasalgel. (RISUG is 100% effective, less invasive than a vasectomy, and reversible. Clinical trials have been going on in India for many years, and they will likely start this year in the U.S.) 

So tell me how you knew you were "done"? How did you and your spouse/partner come to this decision? What methods did you use for birth control? Did you change your mind down the road?