Erik's birth

I realized that I never shared my birth stories on my blog...and it has always been something I've wanted to do. Rather than write a huge post about all 6 births I thought I'd break it up. So this is the first of 6 (7 yet to be born:)
I think some might be interested to know that I haven't always had home births. 4 were at the hospital, only 2 at home.
I had just turned 22, fresh out of nursing school, and newly married when I had Erik. This is how it began...
2 weeks before my due date, my sister Betsy and I walked around Carousal mall in the hopes that I would go into labor... With slight contractions all evening that finally got regular, I knew we were on our way~ I had labored most of that night lying next to Erik's Dad and trying to get rest in between contractions. By early am they were 5 min apart and I went to the hospital, saying goodbye to Betsy and my best friend Chris, as I came down the stairwell. I did some more walking at the hospital and dilated further, but my water hadn't broke, so they took care of that. I went from "Oh, this isn't so bad" to "Whoa! I need to start my breathing". Well,... my contractions weren't 'strong enough' for the doctor's taste, so they suggested a Pitocin drip...and what did I know??? Boy was I in for a surprise! I had taken a birthing class and knew I wanted to go 'natural', but that made it really hard!! That stuff is brutal. (Ive never had it since!) I had to step it up from just 'breathing' to really 'getting in the zone'. Mom helped me alot by rubbing my forearm in a rhythmic movement that helped me keep time with breaths. I had to tell her slow down or speed up~ and bless her heart~ she stood by bed like that for hours!! I did accept a dose of STADOL thru my IV. A drug that is supposed to "take the edge off". Somewhere in there I vomited the orange juice they let me drink. Fun times again! After about 6 hours of labor I had the urge to push and I was told they were prepping the birthing room and to hold on! Don't push yet! I remember being wheeled down the hall with a sheet over me, my arms holding my legs to my chest and gently pushing as we sped. Now I'm in a cold delivery room, feet in stirrups and I was told to push now. After several good pushes the doctor told me to open my eyes, look down, grab the baby and pull him out! So I did! And that was the best part! I slid my hands under his armpits that were still tucked inside me and he slid out as I pulled him up onto my stomach. He weighed 7 .9 lbs. I kept saying "My baby~my baby~ Oh my very own baby" over and over... I was so in love with him! I couldn't believe they let me leave the hospital with him though. As If I wasn't qualified enough to care for him. He hadn't even really nursed well yet and had gotten very jaundice. I didn't read any breastfeeding books (yeah- that was dumb) and just expected him to latch right on. After all my mom nursed all 4 of us and it looked easy. He and I eventually did get the hang of it. Amazingly, I just fed him when he was hungry, and that was all. He plumped up a bit, but never was a big eater, still to this day! I went back to work at 6 mo and wasn't pumping ( I didn't know any better) and my supply went down so I started formula for his dad to feed him. By 7 mo we were done. I find that so sad now...
I hope this wasnt TMI and too long-winded!

Ready, Set,...go?

I have no idea what week this is for my lil plants! I've totally lost track! But they are ready and waiting to be planted. Don't you agree? I had to replant them from the peat pots as the roots had grown thru and spreading out! I replanted the pumpkins grown in the egg shells also. They were tall and crowded in that lil shell. To do those I cracked the bottom of the shells so the roots could expand and re potted them, shell and all. I plan to put them in the ground like that as well. I enjoyed the look of those shells so much that I will use them next year for starters instead of the peat pots.

Update on my raised beds...My husband is currently rototilling the 'garden' spot for the raised beds to be built there. Soon, I can say go!

Fiddleheads

Tonight I cooked up some Fiddleheads from my Ostrich ferns out back.
Amazingly Erik, Will, Griffin, and Breanna tried them!

Will had a handful and Erik said he would have had more, but he was saving them for me.

If there was more he would have eaten them....So he says.
They do have an 'earthy' taste to them. A crunchy 'bite', but very pleasing to the palate. Some websites say like asparagus. I'd say they are stronger in flavor than that! I sauteed these in canola oil and fresh pressed garlic. Delicious! I have since learned that you should steam them first for 10 min, then saute. There may be a toxin released if not cooked thoroughly. Some ferns are not edible, but the Ostrich and cinnamon fern are very safe. I have a large crop of organic Ostrich ferns in my back yard!!

They are high in potassium,vitamin A and C, iron, and Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids!!

And how nice they look on your plate as a compliment to the meat. I paired them with grilled potatoes and pork. They are so beautiful to look at!!

Here's a good website with more info. If you are interested in recipes with fiddleheads rather than just butter and salt click here.

lil' Pumpkins

Day 1- Aren't they soo cute!

Day4- Don't they grow quickly!?

St. Patrick, Mosquitoes, Ginger Ale, and more!

We have renewed vigor and are moving forward with momentum! There were many days I didn't feel like doing any work... and so we didn't! But now, with the end in site, we press forward!

We got a slow start with history this year, and it took us awhile to cover Ancient Egypt. I just wanted to be thorough and incorporate a timeline with Biblical history and figures as well. They completed a lapbook, which you see here in my pictures.

In March, for the first time ever we studied St. Patrick. With the help of library books and a literature unit study, St Patrick's Day in the morning. They all enjoyed this one as we played Sweetshop (involving treats and money), tried ginger ale from real glass bottles, and made charts from the math we did with jellybeans!

Aside from our regular Math and English studies I plan on doing some fun, less structured, unit studies mostly involving science and nature study.Spring is such a great time for getting outside and doing nature study with note booking and journals.

As you may have guessed, we studied seeds, parts of the seed, and the young plant. As part of studying plants, we learned more about the Sun, its parts, and how it affects our world.

I am excited to start the Outdoor Hour Challenge: Crop Plants. It has activities related to Clover, Corn, Strawberries, Pumpkins, Tomatoes, to name a few. I have purchased notebook pages to go along with this challenge. Here is a sample, in case some of you are interested.

Maybe I am being too ambitious, but I also want to do this lesson from the Outdoor Hour Challenge Summer series: Mosquitoes and World of Smell.

We only have about 5 weeks left of school, so I better get a move on!

Seedlings wk 3

As you can see, one of our bean plants has taken off!! I don't know what to do with it... Should I replant it in a bigger pot?... as its too early to be outdoors. Maybe I should take a small wooden dowel and stake it? Would it start to climb the dowel? I don't know... My starter pots are shallow, they cant possibly make for a good root system? Then we have our newest additions... Aren't they so cute? We have pumpkins seeds in them. I saw it in the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Comstock and fell in love with it! (As a side note, I follow another homeschooling mom's blog which uses that book for the Outdoor Hour Challenge and many other activities such as nature journals! ) I really hope the seeds do well in my sweet egg pots. A friend of mine asked me what the benefit was to them... I'm not sure. She wondered if it added extra calcium to the soil once you transplant them. I saved the shells one morning when I was cooking eggs for breakfast. Carefully I cracked each one. Then took a needle and pierced the shells along the crack lines. That made it easy to take the tops off. If anyone has any helpful hints on raised gardens, Id appreciate the suggestions! Mike has staked out the area and is beginning to price lumber. Its the fill that will be expensive we feel, and are trying to cut down on cost. I suggested we look into the town soil and get a truckload dumped. What have you done?

Seedlings- wk. 2

I was behind in my blogging, so week 1 and 2 got posted a day from each other! No, I don't have miracle grow plants...

I promise I wont post this weeks growth till after next Friday:)

Our Bean, Squash, and Cucumbers have taken right off!

We already decided to increase the size of our garden this year, but now are debating if we want raised beds or not?...

Mike has been very encouraging, and really wants me to have a nice crop this year.

(Mostly in his efforts to save money, I think;)