Mini Kitchen Makeover Part 1

I hope someday we get to the part 2 of this project. We are two maybe three months into this project and it seems like it is never going to end. Poor Pete has done 90% of the work and it was all my idea. In my defense I thought this project was a good idea before I found out I was pregnant/sick. I'm still glad we took it on and now it just needs to be done. We have put about five coats of white paint on all the cabinets and now we are working on a project under the kitchen island. I found free pallets on ksl back in April and decided I wanted the boards torn off to put under the island as a sort of bead board effect I guess. It is turning out better than I had first envisioned which is exciting but it has also a been a bigger pain. Here are the pictures of the progress we have made. We now only need to finish the new molding around the pallet wood under the island, it's up and just needs touch up paint and clear coat. We also need to add a clear coat to all the cabinets, Hang them back up, and add new hardware!

The kitchen island before we added the pallet wood.

Once we put up all the pallet wood we framed it in with new white molding on all sides. It looks really nice. And can I just say I love using power tools. Nail guns have to be one of my favorites things right after paint!!!

The Business of Being Born

I just finished watching "the business of being born" for the second time. Loved it even more this time. I'm feeling so empowered and want so badly to have a natural childbirth with this baby. My hope this time is to find the perfect balance of letting my body do what it was made to do naturally, while not being ignorant to the amazing medical advances we have today at our disposal. My fear is having to have another cesarean where I'm not the first person to hold my baby, in fact I was probably the tenth person with Parker. My fear is having another cesarean where I remember next to nothing because of the amount of drugs in my system. My fear is having another cesarean where I don't get to hold my child for at least an hour or more after birth. My hope is to have a delivery where my body is so aware of what is going on and being able to remember some of the details later. My hope is to be the first person to hold my child that has just come from my body. To hold this new being close to me, skin to skin, and always be able to remember that moment. I guess I feel a little robbed because I definitely got none of that with Parker. With Hannah I remember more but still had to wait a long time to see my baby girl. I'm so thankful both of my babies were delivered alive and pretty healthy. But I can't help but wonder what the other experience is like. So I have finally decided on a birth plan that I will plan and discuss with my OB on October 5th and I can't wait. My doctor and his wife had I believe 10 children so I hope he will share my excitement in my plan.

I would like to have an in hospital natural childbirth. I would like to spend as much time at home as possible in early labor. I want to have the comfort of my own bed, my own bathtub, my own surroundings I'm comfortable in. I would like to arrive at the hospital in active labor and to deliver my baby naturally. I feel like because of my history it is important to be in a hospital because I do understand that complications do arise and thank goodness for modern medicine. Otherwise Parker and I probably wouldn't be here today. I'm going to look into Hypnobirthing as a form of extreme relaxation to use during labor. But I want an OB there to help me deliver my baby.

Any of you soon to be moms should watch "the business of being born" I loved it. It was such a beautiful and informative documentary. (but just a heads up I totally forgot that it has the "f" word in it. I hate that! It ruins a perfectly good movie!!! Sorry) It's once in the middle for no good reason, and again at the end when a mom is in extreme pain in natural childbirth in a taxi cab. There you can watch at your own discretion or not at all. Sorry.

-I couldn't believe this fact below that just blew my mind.

*did you know that in Europe and Japan more than 70% of all births are done with the help of a midwife.

* in the united states they attend less than 8% of births.

on my mind

i can't stop thinking about.....

1. birthing plans, natural childbirth, hypnobirthing, or another dreaded scheduled c-section. i'm all sorts of confused, but really really leaning towards an in hospital natural childbirth with the help of a midwife/hypnobirthing specialist.

2. cloth diapering. this really appeals to pete and i. you probably think i'm being sarcastic but i'm not. really the only thing pete dreads about this new baby is the diapering. he hates no actually loathes everything about disposable diapers. mostly the waste, he can't stand it. and the cost really drives him crazy. he was the first one to buy something for the baby. he came home one day from costco with eggs, milk, and a huge box of diapers. gotta love the guy and feel bad for him. he was so upset that he had to pay $35.00 for those diapers. so our solutions is to cloth diaper our new baby while were at home and when we venture out of the home to use disposable diapers. this really has put both of our minds at ease for being a little more eco friendly and spending less on those awful disposable diapers. there are some really amazing products out there. we all ready have a set of g-diapers left over from hannah that we will use. but we are also looking into goodmamas line of onesize fits all cloth diapers. they look amazing, and so cute.

3. breastfeeding. i'm thinking of maybe breastfeeding longer then the recommended 12 months. GASP!!!! now that you are over the initial shock of that statement, i'm being serious. the average weaning age in the world is 4 years old. yes i am aware that i live in america. i'm not thinking four years but maybe a little longer then a year or whatever feels right. i know i'm crazy but it just seems like the best natural option to me. we will see how i feel in 18 months when its time to make the decision.

4." babywearing". this really appeals to me and seems like such a no brainer. almost to the point of asking the question of "does it really need a title and definition?". i mean doesn't every mom do this? i don't know. i think our babies spend to much time in carseats and other contraptions. swings, bouncers, saucers, jumpers, strollers, and on and on. i think we should avoid carseats and strollers as much as possible and "wear" our babies close. i all ready have one baby sling and am going to attempt to make my own ring sling here soon. but does it really warrant a name and is it really a way of raising your baby that is all that different? i don't know, but i have been reading some really interesting stuff and am definitely going to try out some of the things i have read.

*i've got baby on the brain big time and am really getting excited to get ready for this new little member of our family. have any of you looked into any of the above mentioned less then conventional options but i believe more natural? i would love your input if you have!