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Alden Leon Chester - 10 months Likes: the cats, mom and dad's food, independence, pushing things, feeding himself, warmth, Christmas tree, putting things in/taking things out, drinking from a big boy cup, brushing teeth, dad, his "uncles" OE and Matt, being the center of attention Dislikes: the Korean winter, hats, being tired, not sleeping in his bed, being ignored, tummy aches What's new: Alden has traveled to a new country! We visited South Korea for Thanksgiving and found that he is fairly lenient in schedules outside of his normal routine. He no longer fits in the 80-cm clothes (Japanese sizes) so he's now in 90-95 cm. That's equivalent to 18 mo American sizes! His giant clod-hopper feet are infant size 13. He's a tank of a child. He loves his cats, his parents, and his tower family. He gives hugs and kisses, he dances to music, and he says "Gyoom" or "dyoo" sounds

Alden Leon Chester 9 months Likes: riding in or pushing the wagon, pushing the grocery cart, basically anything daddy does, the cats, pushing elevator buttons, eating what mom and dad eat, drinking from cups Dislikes: sitting still in the grocery cart, puréed food, seeing mom or dad leave, not being able to watch us cook What's new: BOY HOWDY! What isn't new? He is far more active than we could have expected! Alden can pull up on anything, stand freely, squat to pick things up, and manipulate his surroundings. He is a very curious baby with lots of energy. His smile and laugh can light up a room! We love watching him explore and grow.

Alden Leon Chester - 8 months

Likes: Yogurt, trying mommy and daddy’s food, standing, exploring, being held, Winslow :3

Dislikes: Not being able to walk freely, getting stuck in places, eating pureed baby foods, laying on his back

What’s new: Babbling: “dadada” “nana” “yayaya” “ha!” “ka!”, extremely quick to stand up, creeping on hands and knees, discovering toilet paper, drinking from cups (not bottles or sippies), waving (mostly at the cats!). Still teething! No teeth...

Alden Leon Chester - 7 Months Likes: his newfound mobility, cats, dogs, people, trying new foods Dislikes: separation from parents, learning to sleep on his own, getting stuck as he explores an area What's new: over the past month, Alden has developed more rapidly than I ever imagined possible! He went from crawling (tummy on the ground) to pulling up on furniture to letting go and free-standing for a second or two!! This month has brought us many adventures. Alden met a dog for the first time and LOVED her! He met several dogs and has found them all to be hilarious creatures. He got to meet more family members, too. He has started experiencing separation anxiety, even when I just leave the room out if his sight. He flew in a plane for the first time and did great :) Our 6th-7th month has been my favorite month so far!

Alden Leon Chester

6 Months

Likes: Crawling, eating/terrorizing the cats, squealing, eating solids, giggling, getting into things (we have to baby-proof now), smacking things with his hands, going on walks, sitting in laps, eating what grownups eat, being spoken to, seeing new faces, getting into plug outlets, going to the pool.

Dislikes: the vast emptiness of the crib, not being able to move his body how he wants to move it, not being able to reach something he wants

New Developments: Has begun the low-crawl and pulling himself up on things. He is a feisty, energetic boy with lots of plans! It’s nice that he can really entertain himself for much longer these days; we just have to keep an eye on what he wants to entertain himself with… it’s not always safe. When he doesn’t get his way, he squeals out of frustration.

Gluten-free Lactation Cookies

The secret to lactation cookies is two ingredients: the brewer’s yeast and flaxseed meal (both available on Amazon.) *Note that brewer’s yeast cannot be substituted with any other form of yeast.* These two nutrient-dense ingredients give the body a nice pump of vitamins and minerals that would otherwise be available in trace amounts. The production of breast milk is determined by what the woman’s body provides in nutrients and water: if she has all of the ingredients in surplus, more milk can be made. If she lacks anything, the breast milk will be in lower supply. These cookies supposedly help you lactate more by providing more nutrients that humans don’t always get in a normal diet, even those of us who eat lots of fruits and vegetables!

“What if my husband eats a lactation cookie?” Your husband won’t turn into a woman. In fact, he will also get a boost of vitamins and minerals that every human needs and will benefit from it.

“But aren’t cookies bad for you?” Some are, yes. It really depends on what ingredients you use to bake said cookies. This particular cookie recipe uses much more wholesome ingredients, so eating them regularly is just fine.

Also, consider this: The main ingredients that we’re identifying as the nutrient-dense, milk-boosting stuff are the brewer’s yeast and flaxseed meal. You don’t have to eat them in cookie form to get their nutritional value! Try making a fruit smoothie and putting 1 teaspoon or so of each in the mix. If that doesn’t do much for your milk supply, try 2 teaspoons of each. Continue to eat a nutritious diet consisting of fruit, veggies, healthy fats, and quality meats. You’ll still see a boost in your milk supply.

Here is the gluten-free recipe that I make. I like them a lot better than wheat-flour cookies because they don’t make me feel bloated and gross after eating them.

GLUTEN-FREE LACTATION COOKIES

Wet ingredients:

2 T flaxseed meal 2-3 T water 4 T coconut oil, melted 1/2 c sugar 1 T vanilla extract 2 eggs

Dry ingredients:

1/4 c coconut flour 1 T tapioca flour 1/2 t baking soda 1/4 t salt 2 T brewer’s yeast

Optional Extras:

1/3 c of your choice: chocolate chips, raisins, nuts, etc.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a non-stick cookie sheet. You don’t need to grease the sheet, but you can line it with parchment paper if you want. 2. Combine flaxseed meal and water in a small dish. Set aside to soak for about 2 min. 3. Melt coconut oil and pour sugar in to dissolve. Mix this oil/sugar mixture with the remaining wet ingredients from the list above. Be sure to add the eggs last, mixing in one egg at a time. 4. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients from the list above. Using a measuring scoop, add about 1/3 cup of the dry mix at a time to the wet ingredients and mix together until well-blended. Continue slowly adding the dry mixture to the wet mixture until it’s gone. 5. Fold in the extras: I chose semi-sweet chocolate chips. 6. Roll the dough into 2-inch by 2-inch cookies and place on the ungreased cookie sheet about 1/2 inch apart. Bake for 8-12 minutes. 7. Remove from the oven and let them cool for about 10 minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer them to a lined cooling rack for further cooling.

Makes about 15 cookies. Eat 2 at a time for a lactation boost!

Alden Leon Chester : 5 months!!

Oh my gosh... how the heck did we get to 5 months already?!

Likes: rolling back-to-front (he’s a rollin’ fool), sweet potatoes, avocados, petting the cats, swinging toward someone’s face, playing peek-a-boo, going to the pool, grabbing things in his arms’ reach, holding “conversations” and smiling

dislikes: tummy aches, constipation, carrots, being tired or hungry, being left alone for too long

new things: scooting around, sleeping better, can put himself to sleep, and he’s developing a real personality! He’s stubborn, tenacious, and impatient. He’s extremely energetic and ready to be able to crawl or walk independently. He’s curious and loves discovering new things. Alden is a joy to be around :)

Alden Leon Chester - 4 months Likes: playing with his hands and feet, chewing on everything, acrobatics, giggling at Daddy's funny faces/noises/tickling Dislikes: an upset tummy, being left alone for too long, too much tummy time, the car seat, being tired, and being hot New tricks: can suck his thumb and toes, chews on everything, drools everywhere, is much more playful, can roll f-to-b and working on b-to-f, can lull himself to sleep, has a hearty giggle

Alden Leon Chester - 3 Months Old!

Likes: Being held, mirrors, bath time, eye contact, music/singing, the cats, rough-housing with dad, his feet

Dislikes: nap time, not being part of the conversation, putting sleeves on, being in the car seat (alone in the back of the car)

New tricks: can roll front-to-back, can hold his head up when placed on his tummy, can make a bunch of coo noises, can giggle, can direct his hands, discovered his feet!

TWO MONTHS OLD

Likes: Baths, monkey chair, going outside, music/singing, having “conversations,” front-facing carrier and seeing what’s going on around him

Dislikes: Being bored, not being a part of the hubbub, putting his sleeves on, missing a nap.

What’s new: He fits in most of his 3-6 month clothing already! He can coo far more and even holds “conversations” with mom and dad. He can say “goo” and “ahh!” He can almost laugh, too. He’s becoming more needy for activity - and he’s a handful because of it! We go on daily walks and run errands to get out of the house because he hates being still for too long.

ONE MONTH OLD

Likes: Baths, monkey chair, going outside, new faces, Dad's face, music and singing

Dislikes: Being hungry, the first 5 minutes of being swaddled or put into the front carrier, losing his binky in the car seat

What's new: He can hold his head up for a substantial amount of time, he has grown almost 2 inches, he is in size 1 diapers, he is grown out of newborn clothes, he can push his head up when lying prone, he can track objects, he turns his head at noises, he smiles and has a cute laughing coo.

Our Birth Story

I have been meaning to update our blog with the story of Alden's birth. Well, here we are a month later and I have finally remembered AND found time to write. (I think... I hear Alden through the monitor right now...)

On Saturday evening (24 Jan) I started getting contractions that were just a little bit tighter than usual. I had been experiencing contractions for a solid month by this point, so it wasn't anything unusual for me. I started measuring them and realized they were 5 minutes apart and lasting about a minute each. I took a nap on the couch and woke up still experiencing them. David and I crawled into bed at 11:30pm, but my brain wouldn't let me sleep. My mind was all over the place, so I figured it was time to pack up and go to Yui Clinic. We called our translator, Asako, and our doula, Sarah, then headed to the clinic.

By 1am we were comfortably settled in our L&D room. The room was simple: a tatami mattress (think of a futon mattress sitting on the floor), a yoga ball, a stool, and a bathroom with toilet and tub. I spent the first part of labor breathing through my growing contractions while everyone else sat around in waiting. By 6:30am, my contractions grew very mild as if labor was coming to a stand-still. I was worried that this activity had been false labor, but I was determined that I would be going home with a baby in tow. So we waited. David slept behind me, my doula slept in the corner, and my translator slept in a neighboring room. Nurses poked in to measure fetal heart rate and uterine contractions and the Mama san brought tea, smoothies, and other snacks for me to munch while I had free time.

By 9:30 or 10am, my contractions came back in full swing. I had the uterine contractions that were pretty fierce, but this round of labor brought a hurricane force that I wasn't expecting: back labor. Back labor is when every muscle in my lower back and around my hip-girdle tensed to its fullest extent whenever I had a uterine contraction. Let me just say that the uterine contractions were intense, but I could have breathed through those and achieved a calmer birth than what I ended up having with back labor. Still, I attempted to breathe and visualize my cervix opening the way I practiced for so many months. I spent time in the tub to relieve some of the pressure, which definitely helped! Also, our midwife, Humiye, did some pretty earthy/spiritual things that I thought were neat: she brought us a quartz crystal to keep in the room to help with labor, gave me sugar with special properties to speed up labor and to give me energy, and she cleaned my aura. One of the best parts of that horrible back labor was having two massage therapists there, working on my legs and feet to distract me from the intensity of my contractions.

I was progressing very slowly and the doula kept suggesting that I stand up to help the baby move down through the birth canal. I was so exhausted that I really couldn't even hold my own weight, much less stand or walk for minutes at a time. So I kept laboring in the tub or on the mattress. Finally, by hour 19 I went absolutely crazy and started shouting that people were lying to me. I was NOT dilating and my baby was STUCK. I needed a C-section to get him out! My doula attempted to keep me calm and remind me of my birth plan, but poor David wasn't convinced... he heard my plea and asked for the OB, Dr. Fumi, to be called in. The Japanese ladies in the room were all chatting at each other that I had reached the swell of the tsunami. They said they knew that I was going crazy because it was time for the baby to make his appearance.

I started feeling the urge to poop and my brain latched onto that idea: it's the poop's fault! If I get this poop out of me, my baby will finally start working his way down! DUH!! In the meantime, a midwife checked my dilation and said I was only 8-9cm... but my body was starting to push the baby out. I was told to breathe deeply and don't push yet, but I wasn't pushing! My body was - not me! I was kneeling on the mattress with a doula digging her hands in one hip, my translator digging into the other hip, and David supporting me in the front. With a mysterious feat of strength, I threw everyone off of me and declared, "I HAVE TO POOP!" I marched right into that bathroom and sat on the toilet with fervor, grabbed David's hands, stared straight into his eyes, and my body pushed. After 30 seconds or so, I felt the baby's head crowning. Everything came to a crashing halt in my mind and I sighed, "Baby's coming!"

Everyone in the room snapped to attention and I was told to get back on the mattress. I assumed the same position we had been in - David squatting in front of me, and me kneeling on the mattress with my hands around his neck for support. Dr Fumi had just arrived ...and just in time! The head came out nice and slowly, and I was told to pause and breathe so the doctor could check him. A few seconds later, I was told I could resume letting my baby work his way out. With one push, he literally fell out of me. And BOOM! Just like that, we had a baby.

Alden was very attentive and alert as soon as he was born. It was magical! I loved the way we chose to have birth, I love Yui Clinic, I adore the staff and support team I had with me, and I would do it all over again (minus the back labor).

Maiden Voyage

David got me a cherry red Kitchen Aid mixer, which I took on a little spin this afternoon :) Her maiden voyage was a complete experiment and turned out to be a success! Score!

A few weeks ago, I learned how to make a non-wheat all-purpose flour. It's super easy: pick a grain source (ours was coconut flour) and pick a starch source (we did equal parts tapioca and potato starch). All you do from there is make a mixture of 60% starch and 40% grain. It was math that I haven't had to use in a while, but so much stinking fun to figure it out. Anyway, I bagged it up and saved it for future use...

AND THAT USE WAS TODAY!

David wants to get back on track with eating and working out, so we are back to our clean eating. For that reason, I made him a non-wheat bread for leftover turkey and ham sammiches. I took that there all-purpose flour and converted a paleo bread recipe to use it. The paleo bread called for almond butter and coconut flour. I've made a recipe like that before and it came out dense as all get-out. Needless to say, I didn't like it. A good bread requires starch, folks. Here's my adaptation:

Wet: 6 eggs 1/4 c melted coconut oil 1 tsp apple cider vinegar 2 tsp honey

Dry: 1 1/2 c all-purpose coconut flour 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt

Mix the wet ingredients together on medium speed until well-blended. Add all-purpose flour 1/4 cup at a time to the wet ingredients and follow with the remaining dry ingredients.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking pan with greased parchment paper or just use wax paper. Spread bread batter evenly in baking pan. Place in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Pull the pan out and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes, then remove the bread from the pan. Be careful to remove the parchment paper or wax paper from the bread - pull slowly to prevent sticky spots from ripping chunks of bread out. Place the bread on a cooling rack until completely cool. Store in a ziploc bag or tupperware container.

Japanese OB Care

David and I recently switched our OB prenatal care and L&D care so we can go off-base. (OB = obstetrics and L&D = Labor & Delivery for my friends/fam who are not familiar with the lingo). I'm not going to go into detail and complain about it, but we'll tell you the main reasons why we really weren't pleased with our care at Naval Hospital on base:

1 - Red tape took us forever to get seen for the first ultrasound. 2 - Most of the appointments are maybe 20-min long, where you are asked the same questions that you already filled out on the inbound paperwork. 3 - I felt rushed through my appointments because there are a lot of pregnant women on Okinawa, and I was just one tiny fish in an ocean of patients. 4 - Hospital staff are medically-trained, so they push medicine. I don't want all that much medical intervention and I don't want to have to argue my options for a more natural birth. 5 - Too many dropped or cancelled appointments, oh, and they lost my medical records at one point, too. Sheesh.

David and I got plenty of tips to check out a few different clinics, but the first one and most popular was Yui Clinic. It's about 15 minutes from our house, making it a more convenient location than the hospital. We had a tour of the clinic where we heard their description of care, but we also got several first-hand accounts of the relaxing experience Yui provides. Here's why we chose this clinic in particular:

1 - Natural methods are standard here. Perfect for what David and I envisioned! We don't have to push our expectations and we don't have to explain our reasoning. We just get the level of care we desire, nice and easy. 2 - The clinic itself is extremely serene. We have been several times now because we also signed up for a birthing class there with an American doula who believes in natural methods. Everything welcomes you into the clinic: the fountain out front, the beautiful wooden structure, the rooftop garden, the quiet and calm atmosphere, and the simplicity of the L&D rooms. There's a mattress, a yoga ball, and a stool in the main room, then a bathroom with toilet and large tub. No medical devices with wires and straps and beeping and needles. (They have those things on hand, of course, in case of special circumstances. They just don't keep them in the L&D rooms to taunt me!) 3 - The people care so darn much. Japanese people love pregnancy in general and find it very exciting! Our initial appointment was extremely thorough because we started at 30 weeks and had my previous records to go over. Doctors are ready and willing to answer all of your questions, and then some. Not only did we get an ultrasound at this appointment, but we also got to take it home on DVD. I'm not just a number to them; I am a special patient who deserves individualized care. 4 - The things Japanese culture believes about birth are pretty cool. One of the spiritual traditions surrounding birth in Japan is that the parents should be the first people to even touch the baby. Either David or I will receive the baby the day he's born. That's pretty stinking legit. Also, I get massage care as part of my prenatal and postpartum package. YES PLEASE. They have a standard of 5 days postpartum care where nurses and midwives wait on you, help you breastfeed, make sure you get plenty of rest, and ... oh yeah ... home-cook meals for you. What the what? Am I in heaven? 5 - In the case of a medical emergency, this clinic would be able to provide any of the same measures a hospital would. Peace of mind, yes, but it won't be necessary.

We'll keep family and friends up-to-date with the pregnancy, of course. This post won't be our last!

Shotgun Blast Update! Part 5 (OCT)

PARTY IN THE USA!!

We took Space-A from Okinawa to California where we had previously purchased commercial flights to get us from Cali to the East Coast. This leg of Space-A could not have been any more perfect! Went off without a hitch. How misleading.

Week 1: Philadelphia with Eden, Dave paid homage to Tun Tavern, a quick day-trip up to NYC to visit Ashley and Maikol, Bev took a national exam and is officially a Certified Therapeutic Recreational Specialist

NYC with Ashley and Maikol. Maikol had to work that night, so he had us visit him for dinner and treated us to some very delicious dinner! Gah, we were spoiled rotten.

Week 2: A 3-day professional conference in Richmond, VA where we made some neat connections and had a good time learning. We got to see extended family one of those nights for dinner.

Week 3: Split half with Dave's parents in Jacksonville, NC and half with Bev's fam in Garner, NC with plenty of time hanging with Ryan and Carissa in Raleigh

My sweet friend, Grace. I love her dearly!!!

There are more pictures from our trip home, and I'll post them eventually. Maybe. I dunno, I'm kind of bad about updating this thing lately. Oh how time flies!

So to finish the story about Space-A ... wellllllll.........

We flew back from the East Coast to Cali via commercial flight, as planned. Got to Travis AFB as planned. There was a "hurricane" over Hawaii, so all flights to Kadena through Hickam AFB were canceled. We found one that was rerouted through Alaska, so we jumped on it! We made it to Alaska where we were not even going to be let off the plane because the plan was to immediately take off again. They made us get off the plane due to safety reasons, so we were shipped to some crappy jump school warehouse with no food except soda machines. We all complained and David pulled the "My wife is 7-months pregnant" card and we got dinner: Smucker's PB&J Uncrustables, Nutri-grain bars, Lay's potato chips, an apple, and Oreos. Every bit of it was sugar!! Either way, we were fed. Then the plane broke down.

We stayed in Alaska for the night, only to find out the plane would not be taking off the next day as planned. We jumped ship and enrolled on a different flight that was going to Yakota, Japan. As long as we could get to Japan, we could buy a $75 plane ticket back to Okinawa, so problem solved. We wait all day, make it on the plane, and we're sitting in our jump seats on the plane all ready to take off ........... when they tell us the plane has a malfunction that needs to be repaired in Hawaii. WAIT A SECOND!! Nothing was going to Hawaii because of a hurricane? Lucy, you got some 'splainin' to do.

We get to Hawaii and get checked in to a hotel (not easily, mind you) and we slept like kings and queens. The plane was not going to take off the next day, as planned. In fact, it wasn't going to take off for another 3 days....... very convenient that this minor malfunction needed a 3-day repair stop in Hawaii, huh?

So we jumped ship and bought commercial tickets from Honolulu airport, through Taiwan, back to Naha in Okinawa. That one worked out perfectly, despite the "hurricane," and we got home only 2 days later than planned. That 5 days of travel felt like an insanely long time... kind of a weird way to end a good trip back home! Next time we know just to do Space-A to the USA, but buy commercial tickets all the way back to Naha.

Shotgun Blast Update! Part 4 (SEPT)

September flew by! We started the month by going on a long weekend trip to Osaka with our neighbors, Matt and Amanda. We did a day of Universal Studios where we saw Harry Potter World, visited Osaka Castle, visited an owl cafe, and had a blast in our super sweet resort hotel. Mid-Sept we started the nursery by applying vinyl stickers to the walls of our guest bedroom. The nursery is still in this stage... haha. We ended the month by going on our trip back to the US of A.

Matt, Amanda, David, and Me in Osaka

Universal Studios!!

Oh my gosh...... my second time going to see Hogwarts! This time I'm in Osaka, Japan :) I was able to sneak my baby-bump on the roller coaster ride, but I was unable to keep my eyes open... again. I will conquer the Hogwarts ride one day!!!!! Mark my words.

We got to pet an owl at Hogsmeade, but we got to HOLD owls later when we visited an owl cafe in Osaka. Those pictures are somewhere and I will find them when I get a chance... but not now.

Osaka Castle - so stinking gorgeous

The nursery in its current state. I have a glider in there now, but we have yet to finish the sticker art :)

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