Introducing James Benford Fair!

Less than 1 hour after he was born.

First night with James, a few hours after he was born (and Louis, the kitty).

Robert (and Angela, the midwife) weighing James.

Robert cutting the cord.

James a couple of days old. Entertaining already!

After almost 41 1/2 weeks, James Benford Fair decided to be born! He weighed in at 8 lbs. 12 oz., and measured 21 inches long.

James was born naturally and peacefully at home on June 2, 2009 at 9:27 PM after a 4.5 hour labor and delivery. He would have probably been born 2 hours sooner had he not had a "nuchal hand," which means that he was born with his hand up by his face. A little more painful for me, but I was thankful that it slowed things down as our lost midwife didn't arrive until I was pushing (Note to self: Put up a sign at top of driveway next time!)!

James was perfectly healthy, and was very alert right from the get-go. When he was born, he carefully surveyed each person in the room! He spent his first 4 hours in the outside world awake, not crying, and just taking it all in.

We are posting pictures both here and on a picture site: http://www.jamesbenfordfair.shutterfly.com/

41 Weeks Pics

Here I am at 41 weeks pregnant! We thought we'd take a couple of us together since we won't have the chance to take these pictures again!

One of the things I will miss most about being pregnant...

40.3 Weeks Update

Our "guess date" has come and gone, and the baby is still comfy inside Mommy!

We learned that the average gestation is 41.1 weeks long, and "overdue" or "late" is not until at least 42 weeks. The 40 week timetable (which is a bit antiquated, anyway) is just an estimation, a guess. Babies are rarely born on their "guess dates!" So don't think that the baby "should be here" or is "late" until at least June 8th!

Robert and I are doing very well. Robert is so excited, and can't wait to be a daddy. I am so happy that my baby is going to have such a wonderful, loving, and hands-on dad (and I tell the baby this often)! Baby continues to be active and healthy, and we are letting him grow as much as possible without worrying too much about when he'll come or thinking about any unnecessary invasive induction methods. He will be here when he decides that he's ready (Hey, labor and birth are hard work for him, too! He needs to gather his strength and be good and ready!).

We have asked friends and family to start calling us on our cell phones instead of the home phone, since we are going to labor at home and would like as few interruptions as possible! :)

My little guy has been such a great belly friend that I am actually in no hurry to get him out! People are always saying to me, "I bet you wish he was out already! You must be SO uncomfortable!" But the truth is that I am pretty comfortable, and aside from being really tired, not being able to roll over in the bed (like a turtle!), and the normal aches and pains that come from pregnancy, I am still enjoying this miraculous process!

Natural Born Babies-Video

(Our cats, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong)

Our Midwife, Lorri (http://www.southcoastmidwifery.com/), has put together a wonderful documentary on natural birth entitled “Natural Born Babies: A Modern Birth Story.” This is the “rough cut,” but is still excellent, and so worth watching. It is on YouTube in two parts.

All those interviewed are clients of our Midwife, and don’t forget to watch the very end of the second part to see who they are and what they do for a living- it may surprise you!

Part One: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7DrP4-po5U

Part Two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvONLKYfaIA

37 Weeks Pic (Full Term!)

Well, I am offically considered "full-term," which means that the baby can be born anytime and is fully developed. Wow, I can't believe how fast time has passed! By the way, I would have worn the shirt that is in every other picture, but I couldn't find it!

35 Weeks Pic

This picture marks the end of my 35th week, and the entrance to my 36th. I can't believe that I am already in my 9th month of pregnancy-- wow, time sure flies!

Robert and I have been trying to enjoy every precious moment of alone time before baby comes, knowing that these last few weeks are the last of just the two of us!

This last month is proving to be a bit trying- I am very tired, have trouble getting comfortable while sleeping, and have some aches and pains (all par for the course). But, still, I am enjoying pregnancy much more than I ever thought I would!

32.5 Weeks update

The baby continues to grow within perfect limits, and each time I've seen the midwife, he has been head-down (which is wonderful!). At this week's appointment his bottom was under my right ribs (his FAVORITE spot), his hands and arms were mid to lower abdomen, and his legs dangled over in my left abdominal area. He was posterior (facing front, aka "sunny side up"), so I am doing daily exercises to turn him around (the desired position for birthing). However, babies can turn during labor as well, and the most important thing is that he is, and remains, head-down.

On Tuesday morning (March 31st), I awoke to a rhythmic kicking from the baby. I immediately recognized it as the hiccups, and they lasted about 10 minutes! They felt like kicks, but in a pattern (like every second or two). I felt them again this morning, and Robert and I could see my tummy moving up and down each time he would hiccup. So cute!

Last night I had a nasty calf cramp (my 2nd this pregnancy) that woke me up almost shouting. It felt like my calf was literally a knot, and being pulled apart, and was much worse than any of the terrible cramps I used to get in swimming practice. My calf is still a little sore still (and it's 2:00 PM!). Leg cramps are very common in pregnancy, apparently, and no one can say for sure what causes them (some even say it's circulation issues due to the weight and placement of the uterus). I take extra calcium, drink TONS of water, eat well, and get my potassium, magnesium and proper salt, so it's just one of those strange anomalies. Some women have them all the time, so I guess I am actually lucky!

Ella, our girl kitty, has been sleeping on Robert's chest at night, which is very uncharacteristic of her. He says that she knows I have a belly friend, and she wants to be daddy's belly friend!

Grandma Velva Ann Higgins 1915-2009

My grandma (my mom's mom) Velva passed away healthy and peacefully on March 21, 2009. She was 94 years old, and fortunate enough to have a wonderful family of 2 children, 7 grandchildren, and 9 (and a half!) great-grandchildren.

I will always remember her as being strong-willed, opinionated, loving, generous, and funny. Living on Balboa Island, she would take daily walks and loved talking to the neighbors and petting all the island kitties! She was very interested in healing ailments through food and supplements, and made a huge impact on my life and my love of nutrition.

She will be greatly missed, and I am sad that she will never get to meet my son. But I am happy to know that some of her genes will live on through him, and hopefully I can pass down to him some of the wonderful things she taught me in my life.

We had a nice family get together after her service last week. She would have loved it!

(Brother-in-law Tim, Robert and sister Susan)

(Siblings and their husbands: Craig, Maura, Robert, Me, Susan, Tim)

(Tim and my Aunt Paula- Dad's sister)

(My cousins: Gabrielle and Carissa)

(Only some of the 3 generations of family!)

(Nephews Aeon and Nicky with my dad. The photo was totally dark, so I had to lighten it, which accounts for the bad quality!)

The Fruits of Our Labor!

No, I am not referring to the baby... Robert was finally able to harvest a salad made entirely of beets, beet greens, romaine lettuce, mesclun greens, and carrots ALL from our garden! The beets were a bit small, but exceptionally sweet, and it made us really appreciate how much work it takes to be able to eat something as simple as a salad.

Go Red for Ladybugs!

Yesterday, March 14, was Robert's late cousin's 26th birthday. Kyla passed away last year, and at the time was a spokesperson for the American Heart Association's Go Red For Women campaign.

In order to celebrate her birthday, her mom, Aunt Karla, decided to release 26 red (Kyla's favorite color, and honoring her cause of "Go Red") balloons at noon on her birthday. Of course, since Aunt Karla lives in Colorado Springs, we were not able to share in the activity with her personally.

Robert and I wanted to release something, too. Robert came up with the idea to release red ladybugs in the garden at noon on her birthday. That way, the garden benefits, and every time we see a ladybug we can think fondly of our cousin and the wonderful memories we have of her.

Why Ladybugs?

The ladybug is a predator of aphids, mealybugs, spider mites, whiteflys, thrips, and other soft-bodied insects that typically invade gardens and are a menace to crops. A single ladybug is capable of consuming up to 50 to 60 aphids per day!
We purchased a box of live ladybugs from our local farm center, and the box contained at least 1500 live ladybugs. They should lay their eggs in the garden, and when they fly away, a new generation begins to take over the "natural pesticide control" work.

Garden Update- March 2009

Our garden is growing bigger and bigger everyday (much like I am!). We have the following growing: Carrots, beets, onions (different varieties), lettuce (different varieties), garlic, fava beans, cucumber, hot peppers (different varieties), bell peppers, tomatoes, herbs, lavender, rosemary, and avocado and palm trees.

We have had to construct several cages over the garden to protect from the many bunnies, birds, and other critters in our backyard who feasted on our garden with the apparent thought of "Thank you so much for planting this wonderful salad bar for us!"

Most of the cages are not permanent. We simply raise them off the plants when we want to garden, and lower them back on for protection.

A new permanent structure is being built over an empty bed, and that will have doors that we just walk through.

28 Week Pic

Ok, folks, here is my belly at 28 weeks prego! I am in my 7th month now, and it feels good to be in my 3rd trimester and at the 7th inning stretch!

Baby's really moving around, and I've been watching my belly at night look like waves in the ocean! I can't wait to meet this little guy I've been growing in my belly!

18 Week Pic

Here is my belly from week 18 (5 weeks ago). It's a little bigger now, but with my brain apparently on a baby vacation these days, I keep forgetting to take another picture!

Crib Bumper Pads Dangers

(The picture above is not my crib- just one I found on the 'net)

I was told by a couple of doctors that bumper pads (the little pads that frame the bottom inside of the crib) are unsafe and not to use them. I wondered about this, since every baby store sells them, and it just seems so normal to use them. It turns out that many infant safety organizations are warning against the use of them (see http://pediatrics.jwatch.org/cgi/content/full/2007/1114/1 and http://parentingsquad.com/crib-bumpers-not-worth-the-risk). Goodness- don't we have enough to worry about as parents?!

The following is an article that I found interesting on the subject.

Crib bumper pads are a very common baby product, and parents often use bumper pads thinking they are increasing the safety of their child's crib. However, many health agencies and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) awareness groups are now recommending that parents skip the crib bumper, saying the need for crib bumpers has passed and that using these products may actually put children at greater risk for suffocation or death.

Why Do We Use Crib Bumper Pads?

Crib bumper pads became popular in older-style cribs where the slats were far enough apart that a baby's head could become trapped between the slats, posing a suffocation risk. Today, all cribs sold in the United States and Canada are required to have slats close enough together that it's nearly impossible for an infant's head to fit through. So why do we still use the crib bumper pads? For some parents, the reason may be as simple as liking the way the bumper pad looks. The matched crib bedding sets in stores are often cute and the package deal makes for a nice coordinated nursery. Other parents are worried about their child's arms and legs sticking through the crib sides, and some worry that the baby will hit his or her head on the crib sides and cause injury. According to Health Canada, it is nearly impossible for an infant to hit his or her head hard enough on the crib to cause bruising or injury. Health Canada also reports that serious injury is not likely when a child puts his or her arms and legs through the crib slats. The baby will either remove their arm or leg from the slats if possible, or make enough noise to alert a parent for help.

Which Groups Have Recommended Against Bumper Pads?

Some major children's safety organizations have recently suggested that parents and child care providers should remove crib bumper pads from baby cribs. The groups include: American Academy of Pediatrics, Health Canada, National Center for Health and Safety in Child Care, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the First Candle/National SIDS Alliance. Some state and regional Back to Sleep campaigns now recommend removing bumper pads, as well.

Why Do These Groups Recommend Against Crib Bumper Pads?

One reason child safety organizations recommend against crib bumpers is that they pose a risk of suffocation. Just like a pillow or thick blanket, crib bumper pads can restrict a baby's breathing if the bumper is up next to the baby's nose or mouth. Suffocation risk is greatest when babies are very young and unable to move themselves away from potential hazards.Rebreathing of air is another concern with crib bumper pads. The bumper reduces the flow of fresh air around baby during sleep. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that some infants, when they are overheated or lack sufficient oxygen during sleep, are unable to arouse themselves enough to prevent hypoxia and death. The AAP states that re-breathing of air may in fact be a contributing factor to SIDS.

Solutions

Since many infant safety organizations now recommend that nothing be inside the crib at all, the safest route for parents and babies would be to remove crib bumper pads altogether. For day care centers, the push for increased sleep safety may soon result in states mandating that child care providers no longer use crib bumper pads. For parents who are still concerned about their child sticking arms and legs through the crib slats, and feel that they must use a bumper pad, there are new mesh crib bumpers on the market today that allow more air to flow through the crib.

(http://babyproducts.about.com/od/recallsandsafety/a/bumpersafety.htm)

Tiny (Break)Dancer

I finally know that I am feeling the baby move now, rather than just thinking that it may be the baby or it may be gas. In fact, I think he just may be break dancing around in there! Sometimes when he moves, I can see my stomach move as well, which is just so wild! Other times, he gets his little head in the corner of the front of my tummy, and I can actually feel it with my hand.

Boy, Oh Boy!

I went in for my monthly check-up yesterday and went over my second trimester screen blood tests and fetal anatomy ultrasound reviewed by the radiologist, and everything is perfectly on track, and my little one is very healthy!

I asked about my due date, and since the earliest ultrasounds are the most reliable, and those dates were just a few days earlier than the May 24th date, they are going to keep my due date at May 24th. I don't expect him to arrive on the 24th, but it's a nice number since both my dad and my sister, Nancy, were born on the 24th (September and March).

So about Bubba- I am not earlier than thought; he is just a big, tall boy!