Hypnobirthing

What is Hypnobirthing: A style of childbirth that focuses on relaxation, visualization and mediation. This allows a woman, her body, and her partner the opportunity to have a calm, drama-free and safe birth experience.  Hypnobithing can be thought of as a 'birth management' technique.  Acknowledging each step in the birthing process that the baby must go through to enter the world, respecting that advancement and not rushing through the process.

Hypnobirthing teaches you to trust your whole self, your inner strength, and your primal instincts.

Why J and I chose Hypnobirthing:  Since we got pregnant, we knew that we wanted a natural birth, or as close to one that we could get.  When you decide to go against the 'normal' way of birth (ie an epideral, OBGYN and a hospital bed), you need to be educated and prepared.  So, we began to educate ourselves on the different styles of birth, pain management and outcome - we found a comfort in the idea of Hypnobirthing.  A shared experience for us, as we become a family of 3.

J and I also decided that we wanted to have a Doula.  Some people said "Well, isn't that his job...?" (which was extremely annoying to hear)... but were first timers and want a great birth experience, so a little gentle, encouraging wisdom is needed and welcomed.  We decided that Elizabeth, who teaches Hypnobirthing and is a practicing Doula at Creating Your Calm, was a great fit.

Now we have two Hypno classes under our belt with 3 more classes to go.  We have been given a fair amount of homework; learning the different breathing styles, thinking of birth plans and practicing visualization techniques.  All of which are very exciting and give me many reassuring thoughts :)


xoxo,
kristen

belly shot: 24 weeks

Still not feeling those baby kicks...

I have been dying to feel this little one kicking lately, and it's just not happening. I have felt a thump or flutter here or there- but nothing consistent or obvious!

This week, however, I will be trying a few different ways to get this baby moving. I will keep y'all posted in how that goes ;)

Does anyone have any tricks or tips on this subject??

xoxo,
Kristen

Belly Shot : 21 weeks

xoxo,
Kristen

Baby Lessen!

J and I had our 20 week ultra sound this week!  As many of you know, we don't want to know the sex of the baby...but man, it is getting tough!  J told the UltraSound Tech in the very beginning...no matter what she (being me) says, we DO NOT want to know.  He knows me so well, I definitely had a few moments of weakness during the appointment.  The Tech even offered to write it down and mail it to my best friend, which was a little far - but I appreciated her enthusiasm. 

Baby Lessen is very healthy; all fingers, toes and limbs.

Anyway, the pictures aren't very clear... apparently we have a mover and shaker on our hands :) 

 

Here they are! 

xoxo,

kristen 

Belly Shot: 19 weeks

Were growing!

xoxo,

kristen

Recipe #1: Beef and Broccoli

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients
1 pound boneless beef chuck roast, sliced into thin strips
1 cup beef consume
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons sauce from the crock pot after being cooked
Fresh broccoli florets (as many as desired)
Hot cooked rice

Directions
1. Place beef in a crock pot.
2. In a small bowl, combine consomme, soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, and garlic. Pour over beef. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
3. In a cup, stir cornstarch and sauce form the crock pot until smooth. Add to crock pot. Stir well to combine.
4. Add broccoli to the crock pot. Stir to combine.
5. Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes on high (the sauce has to boil for it to thicken).
6. Serve over hot cooked rice.

This was so easy to throw together for our impromptu dinner party!  I really recommend it!!  

xoxo,
kristen 

Halloween

I will make this one short and sweet.  I was a victim to the zombie baby...busting out of my stomach.  I made my costume with a little help from J.  

At work, I heard a lot of interesting comments on my costume.  Some people loved it & some people (mostly other women) thought it was 'just wrong.'  

The only reason I had the nerve to do this, was our midwife appointment the day before.  Baby Lessen had an outstanding review :)  

xoxo,
kristen 

Belly Shot: 17 weeks

I am not talented enough to take my own profile picture, one handed & smile.  :)  17 weeks

xoxo,
kristen

Baby Gear Fairy Dude

J and I are really lucky to have such good friends!  An Army buddy, Baby Gear Fairy Dude, of J's drove down from Virginia this week and brought us a CRIB, SWING and CARRIER.  All gender neutral and in excellent condition.  

We can't thank y'all enough & we will see you in a few weeks for the girls birthday party :)

xoxo,

kristen 

ps - all donations welcome :) 

Since we don't have a microwave.....

We have to do things the old fashion way.... 

All for a craving! :)

xoxo,

kristen 

Adventure #3: FESTY

As most of you know, J and I LOVE live music... which means -- it can't get much better then a music festival!  Especially a low key but lots of fun bluegrass fest put on by The Infamous StringDusters (insert swoon) in Charlottesville, VA! Titled: The Festy!!!!  

This fest was so relaxing!  We were camped in a prime spot; in the tree line for shade, visuals of the entrance & of the car, and with some of the worlds greatest Duster Fans...no joke -  one of them was announced as Fan of the Year during the last night.  He was so proud :) And the other ladies are such good fans, that now they are friends with the band....jealous. 

Kirkland drove over from Lexington on Saturday to hang for a bit.  Spending time with her is always amazing!!!

Nuff' Said

It was beautiful there - settled in the Blue Ridge

We camp light, this is our little grey tent.  It gets cozy in there...
This Momma is going to need a bigger tent soon!  

xoxo,

kristen 

Belly Shot: 13 weeks

I look very pregnant in this picture, but I am only 13ish weeks! My sister said I am going to be a 'big momma'

xoxo,

kristen  

Happy Anniversary!

Happy 2 Year Anniversary!  These are my lovely flowers from J! :) 

xoxo,

kristen

Adventure # 2. Dever part 2

I am just posting a few pictures instead of a real blog post! Bronto got a limo for our Denver dinner @ Vesta Dipping Grill in LoDo (the hip area of Denver).  I had an amazing time with great company.  I highly recommend it!

Bronto...always in style :)

the craziest limo I have ever been in... 

Steak toast with Brontonation at Vesta Dipping Grill was priceless. Look out for us on Travel Channels' Food Paradise someday!

4 fellow Bronto's, enjoying their delicious margaritas...





xoxo,
kristen 

Adventure # 2: Denver. Part 1

My new favorite city...Denver, CO.  It was beautiful!!  Everyone was friendly and welcoming.

I was sent to Denver for work, Bronto Software participates in an annual conference called Shop.Org.  (more described in next post)

As SOON as I found out about the trip, I immediately decided that I was going to go a day early and go to the ZOO!  :)  I have heard that the Elephant exhibit @ the Denver Zoo is amazing...so naturally, I convinced a co-worked that it was a good idea to fly out a day early.  Luckily, she loves Giraffs, so it was pretty easy to get her on board.  

Here are some pictures from our adventure!! 

xoxo,

kristen 

Heart Beat Central!

Well, we had our first MidWife appointment,@ Durham Women's Clinic, on September 5.  It was emotionally intense and information overload!  Started with the new usual; peeing in cups, blood pressure, WEIGHING (I stood on the scale backwards), and health interrogation.

And then something magical happened.  We were walked into an ultrasound room!!  Of course, she made sure all of my 'bits and pieces' were good to go - then showed us our little nugget!!  I mouth fell open and I gasped.  J just smiled and squeezed my hand.

And it got better, much better.  She turned on the speakers and let us hear the heart beat!  Tears were streaming down my face, it was the most powerful sound I have ever heard...

Ms. MidWife let us know that we were 10 weeks and 3 days long, and our due date is 3/31/13 - Easter Sunday.  Amazing. 


xoxo,
kristen  

Knowing early...

I've decided that knowing so early has its down falls. I feel like this has been a really long few weeks. I just want to fast forward a few weeks and get to the doctors office :) We want to hear that little heart beat....

xoxo,
kristen

Adventure #1: Floyd Fest, VIP style!!

So, the same week we found out we were having a Little Lessen, we got VIP tickets to Floyd Fest!! It was amazing. I took lots of caution; drank at least 80 oz of water, ate balanced meals, napped often and hung out in the shade. It was our 'nuggets' first music festival, how exciting!!!! J & I had a blast, we only took a few pictures...

And, here is a video of me dancing on stage with MICHAEL FRANTI!!! I am the one dancing in the long dress and pink sweatshirt! I love his music. :)

xoxo,
kristen

The doctors office...the moment of truth!

Continued....

Like every week, Monday morning came. I went to work for a few hours - then rushed to the doctors. I KNEW it, but I needed confirmation. As the nurse makes me stand on the scale (yuck), takes my temp, blood pressure.....she said- "so, why are you here," and I said "well, I think I am pregnant," and she said "you gotta pee??" (kinda ghetto, but hey, its Durham)

I was chugging water all morning because I knew peeing in a cup was going to be a mandatory event - and I was ready!!! She passed me my TINY clear cup and showed me the ladies room. I was so clam and collected ....but then STAGE FREIGHT. I got pretty nervous sitting there - holding that cup. Luckily that did not last too long :) I passed the nurse my cup-o-pee and took a seat. Mmmmm, about 2 seconds later the Nurse comes waltzing in and hands me our fate - BOOM- POSITIVE! Again, the words "Holy Shit" feel right out of my mouth. Then, I got very pale and my jaw hit the floor... and then I started giggling. :)

My doctor was so excited for me. I've been seeing her since I moved to NC in 2007, so she knows me pretty darn well. Turns out she is preggers too. I asked lots of questions, got a script for a prenatal vitamin and had some blood work done just to be EXTRA positive.

I called J to tell him the news (he asked for a phone call, or I would have waited until we were face to face...don't judge) and he was speechless :)

xoxo,
kristen

"Holy Shit - Its Positive" echoed from the bathroom...

Those were my exact words to J, "Holy Shit - Its Positive." His exact words "Let me see it."

That was an interesting moment for us. I had taken 2 tests before...both of those were negative. WELL, the first was negative...the second was negative - then I came back - like hours later, and it was positive. However - I immediately got on google, like the genious I am, and decided that it was probably just an evaporation line. I decided to wait 3 more days and take the third test Sunday morning. That was the "Holy Shit" moment.


Luckily, I had a doctors appointment first thing Monday morning...for something completely unrelated. Which meant- I was going to make my doctor help me crack the code. I figured she knew best.

J decided that Sunday morning he didn't want to even discuss IT until I went to the doctors the next day. 2 negative tests and 1 positive test...left a lot of room for high hopes and a lot more room for disappointment if we weren't actually preggers. Which, at the time was a really smart decision. See, there's something about J that you probably don't know... he is going to be an AMAZING dad and he secretly wanted a Little Lessen. He couldn't stand the thought of getting excited and then having that ripped away. I got it - so we went about our usual Sunday business, brunch and bloodies. (I know I know people, but it was only a splash of the good stuff and I really needed to have one last simple Sunday with my hubs)

To be continued.....

xoxo,
kristen

Well, hello there.

Hi y'all! This is my first blog post :) I am really excited to share this blog, because it is about our insanely exciting journey that J and I are about to embark on: our first pregnancy!! Its hard to believe huh!? The two of us, making a Little Lessen! There is a part of me that is FREAKING out & then there is a even bigger part of me that is ECSTATIC for this new chapter in our lives.

My goal of having this blog is to share this awesome experience with our families and friends (and strangers if they care to read it). I will also be typing about our adventures, projects, crafts, fav products, family, cooking and anything else that I feel like sharing! So, sit back and enjoy the reading...

xoxo,
kristen