The Season of the Chicken - A Family Update

So... hello there? What do you say when it's almost been a year since we've last spoken. I missed you? How've you been? All legit questions but it just feels awkward and insincere. This blog was my baby. And speaking of babies, I have six now. That's where the hashtag #momofmany comes from because I can't keep changing the number with each new addition.


My littlest guy is 8months today and has quite the few polka dots going on as you can see.

But he's still pretty happy about life.


You have no clue who this is do you? This is Z and he was born at home. Read his birth story here.

So how'd this happen? It's all my fault apparently. I came down with a rash that wouldn't go away. At first I thought it was a bug bite gone wrong but then these little blisters formed and I couldn't believe it was shingles. As a kid I don't remember getting spots plus when I asked my mom she couldn't remember either. I was vaccinated so maybe I couldn't gotten the shot as an older kid, who knows but I had the shingles and since then we've been put on self quarantine.

 

One by one we've had one case at a time that last roughly 3wks... 

March - mom gets shingles

April 4th - C gets chicken pox 6

April 19th - then G 4

May 7th - then J 8

May 21st - then N 2

June 5th - now Z 7mos

With each case I was sure it'd be the last... 15wks later and we're just trying to just roll with it.

In my perfect world we all would've gotten it 12 wks ago and been done, but we don't live in that world apparently. The thing is these kids aren't letting life pass them by but I will be mighty glad when this silly, nasty, put your social life on pause virus (which really wasn't as bad as it could've been) is over. Spring/Summer has been full of family trips to grandparents and watching the littlest learn new things, the 4 and 6yo learned to ride 2-wheelers and life is good.

Hey, come see me on IG/twitter/facebook.

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It's been a while...

Wow! Has it really been nearly 6 months since my last post? This sounds a lot like a confessional, doesn't it? Well this momma has been busy running a household that blogging just hasn't been top priority. I really don't know how I used to post daily (sometimes twice a day, gasp!) oh I remember, I had 2 less kids. How sweet the past can seem? I seem to post most on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook in short, sweet, to the point ideas, pictures, etc. I'm posting this from my phone and not from a pc or laptop like usual. I mean really? Like I have office hours, HA! I've already been interrupted 3 times sitting here on the couch and its movie time.

All that to say, 'Hi! I'm back. Have you missed me? No? Oh. Well I've missed this.'

My kiddos are all growing like weeds. Aging from 9 to 1 and our homeschool grades range from 4th grade to kindergarten. Consistency is our goal for the day/week/month/year really. We started back in  September but have a second start in January after all the family holiday breaks to go strong until May. Follow our school adventures on Facebook (www.facebook.com/christyhomemom) and @ChristyHomeMom everywhere else socially.

I promise, I'll post here again soon. Hopefully sooner than half a year.






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Happy Birthday (kLOVE)

He was my first son. In the beginning I just new he was a HE. I felt stronger, like superwoman. Actually, I found out I was pregnant while playing on my church's coed softball team. He, to date, was my most painful labor (because he was sunny side up). Because of that he made me feel stronger.

He is a total sweetheart, my forever Valentine. He steals kisses and hugs when I least expect them. He makes up silly words, like 'Back-ugh-boook. He plays the drums by ear and if there are no drums around he bangs on his trucks or his sisters tea set. Music is everywhere.

He created and leads our family meal prayer. He will be a mighty man of God, a sound worshiper, a caregiver, a leader.

(I guess I really love this pose)

He will always steal my heart with that smile...

... just like his daddy.

I just hope the next four years don't fly by so fast. Happy Birthday sweet boy!





(His aliases on this blog are lil man, lil dreamy, princeC and now kLOVE :)

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DIY Water-Birth:A Peacemaker is Born

She's Baaaaaack!!! Well, not fully or totally but I'm still kicking. Our family welcomed our 7th member Oct. 3rd and life has stayed crazy. I can't say it got crazierrrrr, because we were already there. So crazy is our new normal and we're back to normal after a few hiccups. I've been a horrible mommy blogger by not posting pictures and videos but I've got them archived and will hit you up proper in the months to come. I'm tempted to just vomit them all out in one post to get it over with.

We had our 2nd unassisted water birth and it was amazing. Now let me define amazing before you think I had a zero pain, candle lit, orgasmic experience. Amazing to me means none of the above. This was my 5th birth, here's a quick recapp of the previous four... and all that amazing was not.

PrincessT was born in the hospital after I was violently induced because my water had been broke for 12hrs and hospital policy required it. I wanted med free (like I knew what the heck I wanted back then) but hadn't researched any breathing techniques and I was miserable. I can compare the experience to being hit in the stomach with a bat when I was ten except it happened over and over and over. Did I mention my husband's entire family showed up to the hospital, 20+ people coming in and out of the delivery room anticipating their first grandchild.
Being hit in the pregnant belly... Not Amazing.

PrincessT & Princess J

PrincessJ (The first enforcer) was born at home. We didn't even own our own home but rented and our midwife came to us with her trainee (doula) who wouldn't let me pee in peace. She was just doing her job, but I didn't know her. I was relieved to push when I wanted but tore in the process. Dang 10lb babies :) She was also sucking her finger and had her lovely elbow in the way and got stuck a bit but we got it done no problems.
Better than the hospital but... Not Amazing.

Lil Dreamy was born at home with the same midwife a few weeks early, too early for me but he was the smallest. Smallest, shmallest he hurt the worst, this guy was posterior (sunny side up). This lovely little position caused me the most back pain equaling what I experience in the hospital. He only weighed 7lbs 7oz and was born one day before Valentine's Day.
He's still my sweet heart, but that was Not Amazing.

Lil Dreamy & The Enforcer2

The Enforcer was born at home and was our first go at unassisted. I was super scared but confident, worried but at ease because I'd done this. I thought, 'I got this.' I did everything I'd done in the past except this time I wanted to let my baby push his way out instead of forcing it. I did so well until the final moments and I felt the head crowning. This guy weighed the same as our first 8lbs 4oz. The momma monster in me pushed that baby out and I tore causing a lovely ER visit later that evening to get stitches from an anti homebirth nazi. She was horrible, let me just say every stitch was NOT sewn in love.
Stitches from a Nazis... Not Amazing.

The PeaceMaker (I hadn't thought of a knickname until now) came into this world mostly on his own. This time I challenged myself to enter a place where I wouldn't get in the way of my own body. It was created to birth and I wasn't going to rush or slow that process down, though I don't know how you could possibly slow it down. With every contraction I breathed, moaned, groaned, and towards the end yelled but never felt pain. This birth was manageable. I love that word manageable, this is the word that will help me define amazing.

Amazing...

• I stayed in control, except for that time I thought hubby rubbing my back would be a good thing.


• I prayed and trusted God that he made my body just for this. I stayed connected to friends and family in between contractions and felt their prayers lifting me up.


• I tuned out everything that was wrong with the other births, other people.
  With Baby #
1. too many visitors, hospital policies, taking a drug to manage a drug, not in control
2. The Hubs and doula were joking and carrying on (I do not like laughing while I'm in pain)
3. I could hear my other kids (more laughing) and loud grandparents (annoyed)
4. Again but in a 2 story home I could hear my other kids (again with the laughing) hubby wasn't near me and nearly missed the entire thing.

So I tuned all of that out with earphones. Voila! I felt like a genius. I turned the volume up as loud as it could go and sung my baby out. With every contraction or wave feeling I first hummed along to the music. Towards the end and when hubby could tell the baby was coming I groaned the baby down. I only pushed when it felt better to, when the groans weren't enough.

I believe this lil guy was also posterior from the way I felt afterwards, he came out so quickly after crowing, no one could confirm his position. Maybe because my body is getting older and I'm now in my thirties I don't recover afterwards as well but I couldn't hold him for a few hours and felt so major pain then. I have to say even though i lost 20lbs in 2011, I'm still carrying a good amount that has messed up my alignment in a major way.

This was an experience I can actually look back on and smile because I now know, I can do this. I'm proud of the process from start to finish and I did everything I could and was rewarded greatly. Every birth I've had an experience I learned from, so really the previous 4 are what makes 5 so Amazing.

And again to the lovely question if we'll have anymore...

ehhhhhh as I shrug my shoulders.

And for the lovely man I've been Makin' Babies with, here's what he has to say about homebirths. It was his idea from the beginning, mind you I was more than willing to pass the torch so he could. But I woman'd up and jumped on this chance to be a light unto the world about a cause that's so dear to me.





PS - I had all intentions of posting this video to motivate myself to jump back on the fitness bandwagon but instead wrote the birth story I've needed to post for the past three and a half months :)

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Welcome the newest member of our family!

Since I don't share real names on my blog I'll have to think of a nickname for this one...It's a Boy! Preg Story coming soon... you're gonna want to read this! I guess today marks the beginning of my vacation or hiatis from Home-Mom. I'll miss you guys and you'll still see me just hopefully not too frequently. Today has been a roller coaster I don't neccesarily want to ride again but would never not have gotten on.

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