Family of 4

We had our last outing together as a family of four. I am really excited to meet this baby and bring him/her into our family, but at the same time I will miss these times with my husband and 2 little girls. Life is about to change in a really big way and although I don't know how it's going to affect each one of us individually I know there will be growing pains along with immense joy. I pray that Maddie and Charlotte handle the changes well and that they'll love their new sibling as much as they love each other. I'm not really looking forward to going through labor tomorrow, but I'm anxious to meet this baby and really excited about becoming a family of five!!

Charlotte's fashion photo shoot: wool

Charlotte has always been exceptionally easy to photograph. She likes to get her picture taken, she likes to make funny faces and pose and wear costumes. She also takes direction really well. I've been making wool pants out of sweaters that I bought at thrift stores. These are used as natural fiber, breathable and waterproof diaper covers over cloth diapers. These pants have been in the works for some time now which means that I've had bits and pieces of dismembered sweaters lying around the house for some time now. Charlotte being my fashion girl, pieced together a lovely and might I say fashion forward outfit from sweater pieces. And then of course she needed her picture taken. What really surprises me in this set of pictures is how grown up Charlotte looks. Is it just me? Cause she's seriously looking like a big girl in these shots. I'm also blown away by how beautiful she is. We are seriously going to have our hands full with these girls of ours!!

Maddie's photo shoot with Mr. rat

Maddie has always been difficult to take pictures of. She is so incredibly beautiful (I might be a tad bit biased) and I love to photographer her, but the girl does not like a camera pointed at her. She really hasn't liked getting her picture taken since she was around 18 months old. When I set my viewfinder on her she turns around, runs away, or makes a weird face. Kinda reminds me of me! lol I've been lucky enough throughout the years to capture some really lovely shots of miss Maddie, but most of my pics of her are funny rather than artistic or beautiful. The other day my oldest daughter asked for me to do a photo shoot of her.......and her stuffed pet rat. If you know Maddie at all, this is totally her. So, here are a few of the pictures that I got during our "photo shoot" with Mr. rat. Oh, and the reason there are only a few.....she does not sit still when in front of a camera. I think she is under the impression that spastically moving around is what models do. lol

This is such a classic Maddie face!

Baked macaroni and cheese

As you may well know, I have been busy cooking and freezing meals for the past couple of weeks. I did this while pregnant with Charlotte too and it made life so much easier in those weeks following the birth of a new baby. Dan and I counted and thus far I have 12 casseroles which easily will be 36 meals since there is no way we could polish off a casserole in one sitting. I have intentions of making 6 more casserole dish meals between now and Thursday.....unless I have this baby sooner! I've done this process 2 different ways: devoting specific cooking time solely to making these meals, and also making a meal for dinner but preparing an extra to freeze. I have to say that the latter is the easier and makes more sense and in the future that's what I'll do exclusively.

Tonight I made Perfect Baked Macaroni and Cheese.......it's a Martha Stewart recipe. I was able to get one whole dish in the freezer and the other one we ate for dinner, and will eat a few more times this week. It was really easy, and really delicious. VERY cheesy! Charlotte is totally my little foodie and loves to help with whatever she can in the kitchen. I let her help me grate the cheese and was pleasantly surprised with how well she did. She was actually able to grate the cheese and she didn't grate any of her fingers! Awesome. She also did a good deal of cheese thievery. Girl loves her some queso!




Here's the recipe if you're interested:

PERFECT MACARONI & CHEESE

Serves 12
6 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar
2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated pecorino Romano
1 pound elbow macaroni

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread pieces in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into the bowl with bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

2. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
3. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup pecorino Romano. Set cheese sauce aside.

4. Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup pecorino Romano; scatter breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve.

Manic Monday

Yesterday was not a good day. I had my OB appointment scheduled for 10:30, it was pouring down rain, the dogs escaped from the door being left open and I backed into the garage door on our way out. It didn't start well, and it didn't get much better.

I had my final ultrasound to check for placenta location and although it was nice to see our baby and his/her chubby little cheeks, I was devastated to find out that my placenta had not moved. At all. It is still at 1.7 cm from my cervix. I tried really hard not to cry, but I just couldn't hold it together. My doctor came in and basically told me that I was going to have to have a c-section. He tired to make me feel better about the whole thing, he answered all of my questions and gave me as much information as he could, but he was not hopeful that things would change in the 9 days leading up to my induction date. He did tell me that he would call Duke and get a second opinion but neither of us had very high hopes of getting a different outcome.

I went home in tears. Dan took the rest of the day off and I basically spent the next few hours holed up in my bed crying. Here's the deal with me......I know that there are valid medical reasons to have a c-section rather than a vaginal birth. I totally get that in emergency situations drastic measures need to be taken and I think it's good that we have the ability to save the lives of mamas and babies through surgical birth. But I think that the medical community has gone a little crazy with c-sections. They are being done more and more out of convenience and to protect doctors and hospitals from being held liable for anything and everything that could happen. And once you have a c-section you are put into a category where all future babies need to be delivered by c-section.....you know, because of the liability of possible complications. I understand that low lying placenta is a valid medical issue and could be a problem during delivery, if I had placenta previa (where the placenta is completely covering the cervix) there would be no question that I would need a c-section, but I don't have that and although there could be complications, there also could be no complications. Where do you draw the line? If c-sections are supposed to be done in an emergency situation then I don't qualify because I am not in an emergency situation.

I got a call yesterday evening from my doctor. He said that he had contacted a perinatologist at Duke like he told me he was going to. I really didn't think that anything would come from it because the medical community usually agrees with each other on things like this. But.....he told me that the specialist said there has been a lot of debate going on in regards to low lying placenta and how many centimeters really are necessary between the cervix and the placenta for a vaginal delivery. For a long time it has been standard that 2 cm was needed but recently the number has changed to 1 cm as long as there hasn't been bleeding during the pregnancy. I have had zero bleeding this pregnancy and at 1.7 cm I am closer to 2 cm than to 1 cm! My doctor told me that after speaking with the specialist he feels comfortable letting me try for a vaginal delivery!!!! I will be induced because they want me in a controlled environment to monitor me for hemorrhaging and I will have very little lee-way when it comes to bleeding......pretty much any abnormal bleeding and they are going to do a c-section. But I'm totally ok with that! If there is a necessary medical reason to do a c-section, do it! If there's not, then put your scalpel away!

So, I went from getting really bad, heartbreaking news to getting awesome, sigh of relief news.....all within a few hours. Roller coaster day! I know I may seem overly dramatic to some in regards to my feelings about c-sections, but it's really not about me wanting my "perfect" birthing situation or even an ultra natural hippy dippy no intervention, no drugs birth. I look at it from the standpoint that a c-section is major abdominal surgery.....there are lot's of medical complications that can arise from the surgery alone not to mention the recovery time being much longer and the complications that can come from the healing of the incision. The bonding/breastfeeding relationship is delayed and can be affected. And there are often respiratory problems for a baby that has not been squeezed through the birth canal. And one of the biggest issues for me is that I'm not necessarily done having kids and a c-section with this pregnancy could change our family planning. I don't take it lightly thus my big reaction yesterday. If I NEED a c-section, by golly I'll have one, and it will be fine and we'll heal and move on, but I am so grateful that I get the chance to deliver naturally. October 7th is the big day, mark your calendars!!!

For your viewing pleasure......
Baby Schultz
He/she is measuring @ 7.5 pounds.....WAY smaller than my last 2
We'll see! :o)

Bring it on

Dan and I were chatting last night about how unbelievable it is that we are going to have another baby in a mere 10 days! It does not feel like 9 months have already passed by! Where did the time go? I think because this pregnancy was so easy for me and other than some nausea in the beginning and now the last couple weeks feeling huge and uncomfortable I've really felt great pretty much the whole time! Feeling good apparently makes time pass by faster. We are ready for this baby. In all the ways that parents can prepare, we are prepared! Clothes and diapers have been washed, neatly folded and put away in drawers.....they've been ready for weeks. Linens and towels and baby blankets have been laundered and organized. Boppys and bouncy chairs and swing covers have been cleaned and set up. The co-sleeper is set up in our room and ready for bed sheets and then a baby! We are set.

But it doesn't feel like it should be baby time already. I mean physically I'm ready to not be uncomfortable, not be waddling around and incapable or bending over to pick things up. Emotionally I feel like we're ready to meet this little baby, to get to know him or her. So, I guess its just the mental aspect that's tripping me up. I know how hard newborns are, how exhausted we are all going to be, how hormonal I am going to be and I just feel like I could wait a bit longer to jump into all of that. Things have been running so smoothly in our household for such a long time, it is hard to imagine going back to square one and doing it all over again! Don't get me wrong, I know this baby is coming.....and soon.....and I am over the moon excited, but it's a little bit scary to be doing the baby thing all over again, a little bit scary to think about having 3 kids four years old and under.

I am so blessed that I have such great moms who are willing to come and help out! My mother in law is going to be here to watch the girls while we are at the hospital. Maddie and Charlotte love their grandma and I know it will make them feel secure to have her here while we are gone. She is going to stay with us for about 5 days and I know that having her here when we bring the new baby home will be so incredibly helpful both with entertaining the girls and with an extra pair of hands for holding our tiny newborn. My mom is coming out on October 20th and she will be staying with us for one whole MONTH!!! I am so looking forward to seeing my mom, it's been since May that we've seen her, and I miss her. She has come out and stayed with us after each birth (the visits have gotten subsequently longer with each kiddo) and I can't imagine not having her here during the early weeks with a new baby. I don't know how I'm going to manage 3 kids on my own, but I don't have to figure that out for quite some time with all the help we'll have!!

So, we're ready! I have my OB appointment on Monday and we'll find out if I'm dilated, if my placenta has relocated and what the game plan is for having this bambino. I'm praying that everything is a-ok and that I'll be able to have a natural birth.....if you have a minute, send a shout out to God for me, I could use all the prayer I can get! Until then we're living life, cooking, cleaning, sewing, playing and generally trying to stay comfortable. I'll keep everyone updated as things progress!

Approximately 10 days till baby Schultz!! OH MY GOODNESS.

The babe will be in our room for a while
Here is his/her dresser (next to my side of the bed)

Changing table (in the same old spot)

Top of dresser with accessories
Burp cloths, shoes and booties, medical things, diaper doublers, prefolds

These little drawers have our nasal bulbs,
thermometer, snappis, butt cream, babylegs, lanolin cream etc.

Doublers for extra absorbency in cloth diapers
(my MIL and I made the colored ones and I dyed them!)

Dyed prefold diapers

XS diapers, covers and wool

Small diapers and covers

0-3 month onesies, pants and shirts
I have boy/gender neutral and girly things segregated
but all in the drawers....we'll just pull out what we can't use

0-3 month outfits

0-3 month pajamas

Sleep sacks, sweaters, jackets, OS pocket diapers and wool longies

Shoes and booties

A whole drawer full of socks!!! There are a zillion pairs.

Hats

And by request (Cheri!) here is the free Ikea dresser we got off craigslist
It is bigger than Dan's old dresser so he gave the baby his old one and now uses this one.
We are planning on stripping it and staining it red.....eventually.