Yep, we had one. Friday night I got to just hang out and chat with my sweet Rachel. Baby Charlie must have really enjoyed our conversation because she was doing some gymnastics on Friday night. It is always fun to feel her move but this was extreme! Saturday we made it to Murray Park, had a little picnic, played in the sunshine, and even broke out the bike and tricycle for the kiddos. The whole family got a great nap and then a visit from some family. The kids were entertained for hours and so grateful of the gifts they were given. It always makes me feel so good to see them show thanks and grateful hearts.

This morning I taught Sunday school and took both kids despite our 11 o'clock lunch date with Nana and Pappa Bob. The kids actually hate to miss church and get a little tiffed if we sleep in and they miss seeing some of their favorite people. Addie loves the ladies who teach in the nursery and Freddie loves the children's director. We skipped big church which was a compromise to go eat pizza with the grandparents, it was accepted! ;) We all got gifts from Nana & Poppa Bob. I got pens, Jason got cigars, and the kids got tons o'candy!! Once again, the kids were grateful and sweet. Even though they get gifts and surprises almost every time they see Poppa Bob, they are still excited and thankful. I told the kids that they have lucky grandparents! Anyway, we got another great nap, I finally went to the grocery store, and I even got some work done that I was behind on from last week. Now I'm watching one of those outrageous medical shows on TLC. It's late, but I'm not eager to start the week. Well, I'm eager for another weekend though! Spring seems to be springing and I couldn't be happier.

I almost finished devouring Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth. I can't believe I didn't read it when I was pregnant with Addie and hoping for a natural delivery. I only read one book, watched one movie (Ricki Lake's The Business of Being Born), read a lot on the internet, and followed the weekly pregnancy guide book...oh and I read a breastfeeding book. That was it. Well, I took a hospital sponsored childbirth class also. Since I've been pregnant with this little gal I've been much more proactive in my knowledge gathering.

Have I told you all that we are seriously considering Charlotte Olivia for baby girl's name? We'd likely call her Charlie. We really like it, and there have been virtually no other names Jason and I have both agreed on. There's always a chance though that the goods were seriously hiding in that first ultrasound and it's actually a boy! ;)

Okay, back to Ina May. She is amazing. Her writing is simple and you can tell she is kind of a nerd about her work (which makes me love her even more, everyone should geek out about things they love). She has educated herself from so many fields and time periods and her resources in this book are astounding. I've never heard anyone speak/write so plainly yet have such rich analysis, story telling ability, presence, and gobs of documented information/statistics to share. I'd love to meet her, and I'd probably have something like celebrity shock if I did! The funniest thing is that although she is a midwife, her nurturing side seems much more matter-of-fact than it does our Southern style of "honey-child" "sugar dumplin' " and such. She just knows women can do this and therefore she nurtures that ability. I want to go to The Farm in TN where she lives on her hippie commune and practices, but the odds of meeting her or that she'd be available seem pretty slim! I know lots of people have been on the Ina May bandwagon way longer than me, so sorry to just be catching on! The feminist in me is just so empowered by her, the things she teaches and believes in, and the women who came before her whom she respects so much. I would recommend reading her books pregnant or not. I'm on to her first book, Spiritual Midwifery, when I finish this one!

I took pictures last month during the big snow and here are a few for your viewing pleasure.

I can't believe how grown up she looks, not to mention boofull aka beautiful. ;)

Love my hubbers.

Baby girl is fine, heartbeat is strong. It's possible she shifted around and is making it harder for me to feel her. At the ultrasound she was feet down so if she is head down or laying sideways I may not be feeling those kicks/movements as much. I feel better though and had no issues with my blood sugar despite the root beer and candy....all the more reason I think it's a conspiracy anyway!

Thanks for the thoughts!

I am downing a Barq's root beer and I've had two fun size candybars in the past 10 minutes. No I have not gone stark raving mad from lack of yummy foods. I just haven't felt the baby move in probably 3-4 days now and it is starting to worry me. When I look at my sugars though, it doesn't surprise me. I have had blood sugar below 100 over half of the time I am checking, poor baby has no energy! ;) Anyhow, I've decided to see if I can stir up some movement with a good sugar shock and if not then I'm calling the midwife. No need to be worried, but I had a pretty good rythm of feeling her move for a couple of weeks so that's the only reason I'm concerned now. There has been a rather sudden slump in her movements almost to nothing that I can recall in the past few days. Cross your fingers that I feel movement and don't go into diabetic shock! ;)