Pandesal In The Oven

It's part pandesal, pedaheh, and crumpet? The adventures of AEther and Baz as they start a family.

[thefrillyhermit]

New mom problems...

I may need to build our daughter a climbing wall…. she climbed up 4 feet of a shelving unit to try and get to the TV and the PS3… so I started bringing her into other rooms and putting her in a high chair… then she realized that if she bounced up and down and swung her body in a particular direction she can make the chair move where she wants it to go. Our 9 month old can quickly climb vertical obstacles without knowing how to walk on her own and can accurately DRIVE a high chair. WHAT IS HAPPENING?! #firsttimeparent #noadviceinbabybooks

[pandesalintheoven]

The Hug That Ruined My Son’s Birthday Party

"Seeing my son required to hug his relative felt wrong. I don’t want him to learn that it is okay to force physical touch."

Seeing my son required to hug his relative felt wrong.

[beautifulquote-deactivated20160]

Beautiful Quote #NewPost [4]

[pandesalintheoven]

Old Navy in the clearance area. $1.97.

[sewartandcraft]

I made a ring sling a while back. These are so super helpful!

[pixiehollovv]

Born of laughter, clothed in cheer, happiness has brought you here.

[kawaiigoods]

I love been a mommy. xD

[mikedugans]

[pandesalintheoven]

Adorable! xD

[pandesalintheoven]

Hockey

EV keeps crying during commercials... because hockey isn’t on the screen... LOL

[pandesalintheoven]

thebanalone you too?

[pandesalintheoven]

Two months old and my daughter is watching a Disney Fairies movie. She keeps trying to talk to Tinker Bell, whenever she appears on screen! LOL!

[artofdisneyfairies]

The Pirate Fairy: Director Gift (for John Lasseter) by Leon Ingram

—Please, don’t remove credit—

[pandesalintheoven]

Mothers are more often than not left out of a Disney character's tale. Which of this rare breed of mommies are you most like? I'm Andy's Mom, Emily.

[pandesalintheoven]

HOME!

I'll tell the details later, but our baby is home and healthy! And for some reason Papa Roach's songs seem to soothe her. Not sure if I should worry about that... then again, my dad used to play Black Sabbath for me when I was little. :P

[pandesalintheoven]

Cravings, food, and fitness...

Last months cravings during this pregnancy: SALAD and fresh fruit. I can't stop. I am voracious for raw greens, with or without dips and dressings. Problem I am finding with it is that I need more red meat for the iron (since broccoli and spinach greens don't help alone). I find myself eating around the meat in a salad, LOL. I have to catch myself and force myself to eat it. At least I am doing my best to eat healthy during my pregnancy, it is just unfortunate that eating healthy is so expensive these days (especially pregnant). Getting that 8-10 servings of fruits and veggies during winter can be difficult when my husband and I prefer to buy local produce. Canned foods carry too much salt for us to handle too. 

Envy is setting in as I stare at my husband being able to eat low carb meals and do chin ups in the doorway with an uncanny fluidity, with ease, and speed. Watching him get ripped admittedly still fuels my attraction to him even more so and I am so proud of him being able to push at it to get healthy. But I still get these thoughts in my head that I should be doing that too and here I am in bed, only able to do stretches and a few minimal yoga poses (mostly due to carpal, pregnancy lightening, pelvic pressure, and strong BH contractions).

He tells me that I shouldn't feel bad because I am growing a beautiful baby inside me and that should exhaust me enough. I start to tear up, lip quivering, and he knows that "I feel so fat" look on my face. He kisses me and tells me that in whatever shape I still look gorgeous and promises me that when I am okay to start working out again he will push me as hard as he can to be able to workout as tough as he is doing. It's one of the few things that can stay my tears. To hear that he still loves me and that he will help me to push myself to be the best me I can be.

I used to love going to the gym with him because every time I looked over at him working out, I would tell myself "He is still going, so I should keep going." and he would look over at me from afar and think "She is still not finished working out. I can keep going too." We wouldn't stop until the both of us looked like hell and felt great. Then the post workout smoothies with a snuggle always made everything wonderful. 

I want that back. I want our daughter to see us that way. In love and in health. 

I also still want more salad... 

[pandesalintheoven]

Getting my hospital bag ready! Going to use my wheeled school bag. Sorry Vader-Bag, you once housed books and essays, now you will carry feminine supplies waiting to be bloodied by birth! I hope you don't get stained, but ya know... Sith happens. :P No promises.

[pandesalintheoven]

The Business of Being Born

 and

My response to the movie and knowing what we want with this birth:

 Despite it being bias, I do like this movie a lot. When I watched it years ago it put me on a desire to research from both sides and gather my own opinions. It made me realize that it isn't only just "my body, my choice" it is "my baby's well being" and "trust in my body". I am at low to medium risk, so I can do this. Midwives don't take any chances when you have a history of pertinent medical problems.

 I am especially blessed that I have a husband who is willing to be the second half of the decision making and he is on board. This is his daughter too and what is best for her is our priority. This is why we are doing a natural birth with a midwife, but having the safety of being in a hospital birthing centre in case anything should go wrong. (Which we hope nothing will.)

 On a personal level (aside from our daughter’s well being) is pain versus the feeling of being drugged/drunk/unaware. I absolutely hate that feeling more than I do the feeling of pain. I don’t like being in any chemical induced state where I cannot make the conscious decision to choose the direction in which my mental faculties are going. I’ve known always that alcohol and medications have done that to me. I would rather know and still be aware of what is happening to my body than being disconnected to what I am feeling.

 I've still had many people (who have given birth, by being medicated in hospitals before) put me into a panic about the pain and the hardships of their labour, and I don't understand why they are all so fearful for me. It puts me into a panic and causes me to second-guess myself and my capabilities as a woman. For those who I’ve spoken to, who have had a natural un-medicated birth and women who have had both before, are all very supportive  and are keen to empower us in our decision. They are truthful and kind with their advice. Being mostly home now, I don’t have that support system as I did in my first and second trimester, but it is giving me time to get to know myself internally and what I want out of the last bit of my first pregnancy.

 This is all a learning process and a discovery that my husband and I as first time parents need to go through and be aware of each milestone and transition. I may not want the same thing in a second birth, or I may not want a second birth at all, I can’t know what I want or what he wants until we achieve the basic goals we have set out for this birth and beyond. For now we want to do this naturally and without medication, and we know the best thing for us is to put aside any doubt and nay-sayers (no matter how good their intentions may be) in favour of our own mental and physical health. In the last two week stretch till our due date (which at 38 weeks she is already ready to go) we can only allow positive feelings into our environment (as difficult as it can be). We just have to do our best and look forward to seeing her first breath, first smile, and every other moment that makes life with her precious.