We're all still waiting for Eva's arrival, but please don't worry!

We are anxiously waiting to meet our lil girl, but we understand that growing babies take time! especially super special creative beautiful ones like our Eva ;)  So please don't worry about us or lil Eva, she is doing fine, and feels all the love & support from all of our loved ones.  Its very common for babies of 1st time mama's to be late, up to 18 days after their expected due date.  So she has up till June 6th till we would start to induce, & but that won't happen because she will be born all natural & at our waterbirth center, not a hospital!  In the meantime, we have been doing certain natural things to help "induce" her into this world, such as acupuncture, eating certain foods, exercise & other activities.   Tomorrow if she's not here yet, we will unfortunately be getting an ultrasound  mostly to put other people's minds at ease that everything is ok.  I am though excited to see baby Eva tomorrow even if its just on a screen :)  Thanks for all your kind words, love & support, you all mean so much to me!

Eva! Eva! Eva!

C'mon lil sunshine, show your beautiful face!  We can't wait to meet Eva.  I had some acupuncture today by the lovely Katya and hope that it helps bring labor on sooner.   I also am still getting over this cold, probably the worst one I've had in years.  I'm usually only sick for 2 days tops.  This has lasted over a week now.  Its only really bad at night & in the morning.  I'm taking it real easy lately, just reading mostly, and eating well, walking, taking vitamins & elderberry syrup. I hope to feel better for labor, but think I'll manage through just fine.  Alot of the hypnobirthing we're doing is based on your breathing, so I hope to be able to eventually breathe through my nose again!  My mom's flight was cancelled today, so she'll be in tomorrow night.  We're hoping Eva will be here soon so Grandma K will have more time to bond with her new granddaughter.  So c'mon Eva, we all want to meet you!

Mama's ready, c'mon lil Eva La Roo!

She's taking her time, but that's ok.  She still has time.  Its not till around June 2nd that we need to start trying something else to get her to come on out.  Our midwives had advised this probably would happen, as most 1st time mom's babies come later than their estimated due date, and its perfectly natural.  I think Eva is waiting for me to be completely ready & feeling better, as I've been fighting off this cold.  She's very conscious of others I can feel.  She will be a very loving & caring person I just know :)
Our midwives suggested Andy & I make "due date dates" around her estimated due date, so that we have other things to look forward to, or to keep us occupied instead of worrying or anything if she doesn't arrive exactly on time.  So we've been taking advantage of our alone time & eating out at restaurants.  Last night, we ate at Bay Leaf Vegetarian restaurant, which is now one of our top 3 favorite restaurants in Portland.  Our soup type meals were served in this sizzling kettles, and sooooo amazingly yummy.  The food was so healthy & nourishing, exactly what we needed.
Then I finished my birth collage, I'll be posting a photo of it soon.  We edited my Ipod birth playlists too, so we have our music picked out for labor.  So finally, I'm ready.  Do you hear me Lil Eva? Your mama's ready for you! and so is the rest of your family, we can't wait to see you!!

Still no Eva! but a Gemini she is!

We are awaiting our little goddess still.  She teased us this morning around 4am with some braxton surges.  It was really hard to breathe, which scared me more than the cramping hardness that you feel.  They lasted less than 5 min, and went away when I laid down.   We feel she's coming soon though, and she appears to have dropped even lower.  I've been feeling alot of love & support from everyone, I can feel your positive vibes from all over the country!  Thank you all! I appreciate all your kind words & support.  Its definitely helping me get through the surges.  As well as all the unconditional love from Andy & my 2 kitties.  They were all by my side this morning & all through the night, purring & sleeping right under my head & next to me.  I wish I could have got a picture of them all :)
Now for today, we're going to try to finish up some last minute things, but going to the park & practicing breathing is top priority.  We'll keep you posted!

Still no Evie!! 4 more hours & she'll be a Gemini!

Alright so 4 more hours till she's officially a Gemini!  Even so though, she'll have alot of Taurus in her.  She's still taking her time, wondering if tonight will be the night though.  I didn't sleep much last night, the anticipation is getting to me! I was telling Andrew I feel like I've been waiting in line for a roller coaster that may fall off the tracks, and it'll be painful but I'm already up at the top of the line, and there's no turning back.  Plus its getting uncomfortable waiting in the line...the only thing is that giving birth to Eva will be completely worth it! And the experience of a lifetime!
Another great thing that happened for us, is our amazing friend Vaughn took our prenatal photos today for free!!  He shot over 350 of them!  We chose the best ones, and we'll even have some really cool green screen shots of us floating in space, in Egypt, and in a rainforest.  Can't wait to see them! It was a sunny day & so the outdoor shot turned out as well.  We'll be sure to post them on here once he gets them to us!

Still no Evie!! 4 more hours & she'll be a Gemini!

Alright so 4 more hours till she's officially a Gemini!  Even so though, she'll have alot of Taurus in her.  She's still taking her time, wondering if tonight will be the night though.  I didn't sleep much last night, the anticipation is getting to me! I was telling Andrew I feel like I've been waiting in line for a roller coaster that may fall off the tracks, and it'll be painful but I'm already up at the top of the line, and there's no turning back.  Plus its getting uncomfortable waiting in the line...the only thing is that giving birth to Eva will be completely worth it! And the experience of a lifetime!
Another great thing that happened for us, is our amazing friend Vaughn took our prenatal photos today for free!!  He shot over 350 of them!  We chose the best ones, and we'll even have some really cool green screen shots of us floating in space, in Egypt, and in a rainforest.  Can't wait to see them! It was a sunny day & so the outdoor shot turned out as well.  We'll be sure to post them on here once he gets them to us!

Today is the Estimated Due Date....but she's taking her time!

Eva has decided to wait for her arrival so far.  We're still checking things off our to do list, so its not that bad that she's taking her time.  We had a prenatal appointment today & everything is good.  Eva's heartbeat is going strong and we're so excited to hold her in our arms & kiss her face off!  :)

We know that she'll come when she's good & ready, and probably when she knows I'm good & ready.  We'll keep you all posted.  Roxy, Jesse D, and Scott are going to be calling people when we go into labor, so people can light their candles & send good vibes.  If for some reason our 3 friends are unable to make the calls, our Doula Nichol said she could make the calls.  We've also signed up for a Meal Registry we were told about that lets your friends come over & meet your new baby as well as bringing some food for the Mama & cub in recovery mode & the Papa & Gma who's taking care of them.  From May 25th till June 8th will be Gma Kathy's time to be with Eva, so we'll have people over after the 8th that want to visit.  By no means does anyone have to bring food with them to meet Eva after the 8th.  

Right now I'm finishing my labor photo collage that I'll be hanging on the wall at the birth center for during labor.  It'll have pictures of family & friends who have loved & supported us over the years, as well as pictures of our new family.  Andy's painting me a little painting with a focal point on it for one of the visualization techniques.  I also have a bag of yummy food to be taking in case I'm hungry & for post natal time.  I'm taking our aromatherapy oils as well as candles.  I've also made several different playlists for our Ipod that will be playing.  We've hung Eva a banner & intention rings from the ceiling below the baby cards we've got from the shower & the since the pregnancy.  We started our 1st family home video as well to document some of the time before Eva joined this world.  Andy's also almost finished with her mural painting for the bedroom :)  

Now for tomorrow, we've got a few last minute things, like getting our prenatal professional looking photos done by our friend Vaughn.  I'm making brownies & cookies for the birth team too! 

Its the Eve Of Eve!

We're almost there! Tomorrow is Eva's due date! We're so excited.  I'm still feeling good and as if I'm not really having a baby yet, like I felt in the 2nd trimester.  I'm thankful for that, at least I'm not in pain like a lot of mama's usually are around this time.  Eva & my body has treated me well these past 9 months, I will be forever grateful to her :)  We are still getting ready for her arrival, practicing our Hypnobirthing techniques, doing yoga, making food, cleaning & getting our home ready.  I still have a stack of books that I'm reading & hope to finish. So we won't mind terribly if she decides to be late.  But if she has all this Taurus in her stars like her birth chart we did tonight says she will, if she's born in the next 3 days, she's probably be on time tomorrow!  Alright time to get some rest, and try to fight off Andy's cold that's he's passing on to me...

4 days to go possibly!!

We're getting really excited for lil Eva to join us in this world.  We are still getting ready, it seems never ending all the things parents can do to make your home comfortable & an artistic environment for a little one.  We're trying to use lots of colors to decorate, and Andrew's painting for Eva is coming along amazingly.

We're also practicing our Hypnobirthing, getting ready for the big day.  Its pretty astounding how it works.  Our Doula used Hypnobirthing for her 3 pregnancies, so she can help us during our labor, which we'll appreciate immensely.  Parents can also use the techniques in Hypnobirthing for help raising your children.  When things get stressful, or a bit crazy, you can use the deep relaxation tips to help calm you, thus making you able to cope with things better, which will help you be a better parent!
What's Hypnobirthing you may ask? http://www.hypnobirthing.com/FAQs.htm#what 
But what's hypnosis?  http://www.hypnobabies.com/mylink.php?id=3804


We'll keep you posted as things progress!  If we end up going into labor earlier, we're making a phone tree to let everyone know when to light their candles that I made when labor starts so you can keep us in your thoughts that day (or days if goes that way).  The flickering lights lit for us will be an added source of strength & comfort.  If you were unable to come to the baby shower, you can still light a candle in our honor & send us your good thoughts.  I'll also be wearing the birth bead necklace that I made from the beads that friends gave me at the shower.  It will be a constant reminder of the blessings and support from my friends.  Thanks to you all who are still wearing the yarn bracelets from the shower as well, those symbolize the inter-connection and solidarity shared with me, and to remind you to send me your support during labor.  I'm not sure if I'll have time to post on here when I'm in labor, so you may want to email me asap if you want to be added to the phone tree to know when we go into labor.  


"It is not only that we want to bring about an easy labor, without the risk of injury to the mother or the child; we must go further.  We must understand that childbirth is fundamentally a spiritual, as well as a physical, achievement...it must be understood that the birth of a child is the ultimate perfection of human love..."-Dr. Grantly Dick-Read, Childbirth Without Fear, 1953

Only One Week To Go!! Nest building in full swing now!

Wow, only one week remains possibly!  We're getting ready and have been building our little nest for Eva Roo. I've been really wanting to decorate, cook & bake, and make as much memorabilia as possible lately.  Yesterday, I made us a Greek dinner, with homemade Tzatziki sauce for the falafel.  I was inspired after my Mama's Day dinner date Andy took me on at the famous Nicolas Restaurant last Sunday.  I've made so many new dishes during this pregnancy, I feel I should have made a foodie blog and took pictures of all the meals, but of course, there was not enough time!  My other favorites have been the gluten free vegan pizza, the veggie lentil soup and the oatmeal peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.  I'm excited to keep up on experimenting with new foods even after the pregnancy, to keep our taste buds happy & enthused.
I feel like my inner green vegan Martha Stewart is coming out.  I'm also feeling the creative urges from the divine feminine energies surging through my body.  I just wish my realistic 'list setting' mind could let my creative mind take the leads and come out to play.   Andy doesn't really understand why I feel I "need" to do all these things on my list, but he's been great helping me accomplish the tasks.  Sometimes "the list" is stressful to think about, but my Doula, Nichol, gave me some great advice the other day when she came over for our 2nd prenatal with her.  She recommended I only choose 6 of the things off my list that are the highest priority, and focus on finishing those.  Then if and when I check those off the list, I can take 6 more off the longer list to try to finish.  It makes the list way more manageable for me, and not so overwhelming.  Finally, feeling better about getting everything done, just in the knick of time right!  Andy has started Eva's painting for above her co-sleeper in our bedroom and the sun is shining so he's painting outside, so I think I'll join him now & read some of the Birthing From Within book that I've really been enjoying.  Have a great day!

Happy Mama's Day!

 I have the best mom in the whole world.  She loves me so much & always thinks of me & is there for me.  She has the most fun personality of anyone you'll meet.  She can always make me laugh.  My mom is always thinking of other people before herself, she is the most self-less person I know.  I am thankful to have been blessed with such an amazing mother, and have learned so much about being a good person from her.  I will continue & teach our little girl these same characteristics and she will shine!  Motherhood is going to come natural I feel since I had a good role model and she even did it all by herself!  My mom is also one of the most strongest women I know.  I don't know how she did it!  Truly amazing she is.

I am grateful to have such a dedicated partner to help raise our little girl, making my job as a mother much easier.  I want to thank Mom Rossi for raising such a caring man as well.  She did a wonderful job teaching him compassion for all and to see the good in everything.  Her optimism, wonder & amazement of all things great & small will continue to be passed down to our little girl as well.  Eva is fortunate to have such amazing Grandmothers' to take after & look up to.  Thanks Moms!!! We love you!!!  And Eva this mama loves you so much and is excited to meet you in about 11 days!!

About 12 days to go!

Eva has been kicking about & I think she may have run out of room in her temporary home!  She's been doing a wave like motion the past few days, but she's still head down, ready to go.  Our Midwife says she's in a perfect position for birthing.  I'm alright with her taking her time arriving here, since we still have so many things we'd like to do to prepare, so I'll gladly take the extra days if she decides to be late.  I'm getting a whee bit tired of the swollen feet & stinging numb hands that wake me up at 2:30am, but other than that, its been pretty easy.  My energy level has been steady, and I've been able to still participate with the Radical Cheerleaders.  Last night, we had our benefit for the Blue Mountain Biodiversity Project and Northwest Ecosystem Survey Team.  Raised $160 for each group after the venue was paid.  Fun filled night of great music, dancing, cheers, yummy vegan food and amazing compassionate forest defenders.  We bought a bottle of yummy homemade organic wine to celebrate Eva's birthday.    Felix, my friends 4 year old, an aspiring radical cheerleader for animal rights, cheered with us for our messages cheer, and she came up with her own message that same day when I was babysitting her! So precious she is.  There's video footage of this mini vegan radical cheerleader that I'll try to post later on.  Now I'm going to take a nap, so Eva & I can go hear her daddy sing at his last show tonight till his birthday show in July!

About 17 days to go!!

Today was wonderful.  I received a free hour long session Watsu Treatment, which is one of the neatest feelings I've ever felt.  Watsu is a form of aquatic bodywork offered in a pool heated to near body temperature.  Its like getting a massage underwater.  The best part is that it was free for this mama!  I won a raffle at the Earth Day Festival a couple weekends ago!
I felt like a baby duckling & the mama duck was moving me around & holding me.  The pool was so nice & warm.  There was peaceful relaxing music & dim lighting.  Robin has great energy as well, so it was an all around good experience.  I'm pretty sure Eva was enjoying it as well.  Robin said she could feel her move around a little during the session.
Here's Robin, the bodywork therpists' link if you are want to check it out:
http://www.bodhitherapy.com/watsu_aquatic_therapy.php


Afterwards Andy & I went out for yummy vegan thai food.   Then walked around in the warm sunshine we had today.   For dinner, we made our favorite Vegan Gluten Free Pizza from scratch, with Daiya cheese....yum.....Great day for this mama!

19 days to go!!

We've entered the teens!  WOW! The homestretch is upon us now.    
     

Happy May Day! Don't forget the Anarchists whose lives were cruelly cut short by the US government in 1886, in the struggle for the 8hr work day, for which this holiday commemorates.

And Happy Beltane, the midpoint between spring equinox & summer solstice! They say this is time for fertility too, Evie may arrive early...stay tuned...

Headin' into the teens tomorrow!

Hard to believe it'll be just 19 days tomorrow till our Lil Eva Roo could be here!  Amazing how fast its gone by...Going to keep this short since I've got a to-do list a mile long still :)

Please be sure to check out the new photos, links to websites, and handy dandy poll taking place on the right hand side of the blog!  There's also a email signup if you'd want to get these posts of mine directly into your inbox :)

Hope you all are enjoying your day!

About 23 days or 552 hours to go! :)

Wow, when you think about in hours it really seems close! We're so excited.  We had such a fun weekend celebrating Earth day, thought I'd write about it.  Every year I go to the City Repair Earth Day Celebration, and its always a great time.  We couldn't have had a better day, the sun was shining & drying out our wet Pacific Northwest bones, which felt so good!  It was about 70 degrees out! I think that when Mother Earth is happy with us (for caring about her & showing her respect), she gives us good weather.  When she's upset, she gives us natural disasters & not so good weather...
There was a couple of music stages that were powered by solar panels, as everything there was running on renewable energy, hooray!  So Eva (the name we've been calling lil roo) & I  danced to the groovy tunes which were about the positivity, the earth and our connection to her, and loving one another, of course.  Andy met me there after he was finished painting a flower mural at a florist shop, so he got to run around barefoot with us.  He really enjoyed sitting & feeling the Tibetan singing bowls play us a tune.  I even received a free 15min massage & a free acupuncture session!
I ran into several friends at the festival, and that always makes me happy.  We even saw one of our midwife apprentices, who will be at our birth, she was there buying her seeds.   I felt a strong connection to all the good lovin' people who were their celebrating this beautiful planet.  Across the street, at the vegan mini-mall, there was a vegan bake sale, where all the donations went to 2 local animal sanctuaries.  So Evie & I made sure to get a to go box of treats, the to go box was made out of biodegradable material of course.

We then went to eat some yummy vegan food, took a nap, then went to our friends birthday party, which was themed a Mad Hatter's Unbirthday Tea Party.  Everyone was in costume & sipping tea, mine was without alcohol of course.  Andy & Evie both won prizes, her 1st prize!  Andy won a Mr Potato Head & Evie won the Alice in Wonderland movie.  We all got wildflower seeds to plant as well.  A great ending to a beautiful day indeed.  Hope you all had a wonderful weekend as well.
PS.  Happy Birthday to Grandpa Rossi, today is his 75th birthday!

We're having a GIRL!!

To our surprise, we are having a beautiful little girl!!  We are so excited to meet her, as she may be here in less than 27 days!  We were both wanting to wait on finding out if she was a boy or girl, but when the chance came for us to find out, we couldn't resist.  I cried tears of joy when I saw her precious face for the 1st time on the ultrasound.  We swear that when the technician pointed out her face, at that very moment, she opened her eyes and looked right at us!  She is absolutely the cutest baby I've ever seen, surely what every Mama says right.  Andrew is very happy as well.  He has a bunch of ideas of how she'll be the coolest lil girl in town, playing music with her papa, wearing lots of glitter, jewels and all.

As for the pregnancy, we just reached the 9 month mark :)  We had our 1st (& hopefully only) trip to the hospital about a month ago, when I started having contraction type pains on the right side of my stomach and it was hard to take deep breaths.  These bolts of intense pains kept us up all night, giving us a taste of what pre-labor is probably going to be like.  Andy was great during the whole thing, right by my side, helping me throughout.  We decided to go to the hospital the next day if the pains hadn't gone away, so off we went.  The doctors & nurses did not find anything to be wrong except maybe a torn ligament or muscle.  The also found a slight case of arrhythmia, that we are monitoring, but they say it usually goes away by birth.  Just in case I've given up the little bit of caffeine in teas & chocolate I've been consuming.  I did give up coffee though since the beginning of this pregnancy, & replaced it with Dandelion Root tea to help my liver.  About a month ago, she weighed about 5#, so she's right on schedule to be around 7# I believe at birth, which I can cope with ;)  The only other complaints have been the swollen hand & feet, only on my right side, but so intense around 2am that its been waking me up every hour till I get up around 10:30am feeling not so rested.  I think my growing body & hers are also making me a little tired, so we've been slowing down somewhat.  
I'm still active with my Radical Cheerleading squad thankfully.  We just participated in a demo at the Oregon Zoo, asking the zoo when will it give Packy, the elephant who's spent his life of 49 years in confinement, his extra acres & move him & his friends to the off-site center that was promised back in 2008 when the zoo got 125 million dollars of our tax dollars.   We also performed at the Kick-Off party for World Week for Animals In Labs 2011, and then a demo at Oregon Health Science University, protesting their cruel & unnecessary animal experiments.  We are planning our next fundraiser for Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project & N.E.S.T. on May 6th.  There'll be a vegan bake sale, crafts & music, with all proceeds going to the mentioned organizations.  Some have asked me how can a mama who's 9 months pregnant still have the energy to be going to protests & shakin' her pom poms?  I'm amazed at how much you can do while being pregnant, but I know that it's my strong connection to the earth & all her beings that helps gets me through.  I would not be as peaceful & relaxed if I wasn't doing something to help this planet daily.  Ignorance is NOT bliss for me, and I will not be silent when I see the injustice happening around me.  I will speak up for those without a voice when they are being abused or tortured and I encourage you to do the same.  We are all here for one another, to love not kill.  Happy Earth Day everyone!  Yes, its everyday, but lets all celebrate together today:)


"Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect." ~Chief Seattle, 1855

I Can See Clearly Now

Here's a video we made for my Mom on her birthday this past February.  Its my Mom & I's song, and it always cheers us up.  We did only learn this song in a few hours & then recorded it, so it could use a little more practice...

Love is all you need!

As much as I'm trying to focus on that motto, its becoming harder to ignore what my brain is telling me.  I know I'm just hormonal & my motherly protection instincts are coming on full force.  I want to give our Lil Roo everything he'll need, not all this fancy stuff with bells & whistles, but just the basics.  However, these basics are pretty expensive, especially when you are trying to do the right thing & buy organic, cruelty free things.  I'm worrying more & more about not having a larger space, like a house with yard and an organic garden.  Since one of us has bad credit & owes a lot in taxes, it'll be more challenging to buy a house if they need income & credit history from two people.  I never thought this kind of stuff would be important to me, as I've always wanted to just buy a piece of land with a community of people & build a cob structured home out of dirt & straw.  I try to just go with the flow & trust that everything will work out.  I do have faith, and believe in the laws of attraction, but part of my logical mind tells me I need to go get these things rather than wait for them to come to me.  Not to mention, needing a car that actually works in case we need to take Lil Roo to the doctors or what have you.  I know we could take public transit & eventually ride my bike with a trailer & Lil Roo in tow, but for emergencies I'd like to have a reliable car as well as when we take him out to nature & go on hikes. The timing of being laid off couldn't have been worse, I was not expecting to be jobless after working about 4 years with such an amazing group of people who had never led me to believe I was going to be let go of.  It was very shocking, as I'm just now, 2 months later able to think about it without crying.  Well, almost.  I just wish I could have worked a few more months to save up some money for our Lil Roo.  Change & transition is never easy, as I know from experience, but this extra hormonal time in my life has made the challenge of accepting, letting go & moving on a little bit harder.  Andy being self-employed is wonderful as he'll be around a lot more than someone who works a full time job, but also has its downfalls, like never knowing if or when money will come in.  That is something I'm not used to, as I've had a job since I was 15, with steady paychecks coming in every 2 weeks.  I know I'm learning a lot of about life right now, in various ways, and this is a growing opportunity for me that I can appreciate.  I am so fortunate for all that I do have, a caring partner whom I'll be raising a child with for the rest of our lives, a family who gives me unconditional love & support always, and a new family that I'm excited to be a part of & get to know better.  I'm also blessed to have clean water, air, & trees all around me, and a healthy body & baby growing inside me.  There are so many people & animals suffering all around the world, I feel selfish complaining about what I "don't" have, when really I have everything I need to be happy.  LOVE!  
P.S. Sorry for a downer type post, but I wanted to share my thoughts & feeling that I've been having honestly, rather than keep them to myself or sugar coat them when I'm talking to loved ones on the phone which is often easier to do.  As I've said before, the hardest thing so far about this whole pregnancy has been dealing with all the emotions & feelings that you go through.  Everything else has been a walk in the park, kinda.

Our Babies' 1st Party is this Sunday, Spring Equinox!

I'm getting so excited for Lil Roo's party this Sunday.  It'll be nice being in a room full of feminine energies honoring our lil baby on the 1st day day of Spring!  It means a lot to me for those who will be at our special event, but also for those who will be skyping with us from other cities.  If you haven't responded already to the evite, please do so, even if you can't make it or will try to skype so I know how many to look for on skype.  I'm hoping to get a count since there will be special lil somethings given to all the guests.  Also post if you are planning on making something vegan for the potluck, its not required or anything, but will gladly be eaten ;)  In case you don't know of any good vegan recipes, one of my favorite websites for recipes is http://vegweb.com/ you will be amazed at all the yummy vegan foods you'll find on there, or foods that can be made vegan.  On another note, I hope that friends will still come if they can't afford a gift or don' t have time to make one, its more important to me that you presence is there, not your presents!

Mama Slowin' Down

My heart goes out to all the people of Japan, their families & friends, as well as to all the animals, who have been killed or injured in the latest earthquake & tsunami.  Another reminder of how powerful Mother Nature is & why we all need to respect this earth & fight for her preservation & help stop the destruction.

As for us, we're all doing great!  Andrew is back from tour, which he had a good time, and got his music out to the peoples.  The Pink Snowflakes also played 2 fun shows, 2 days in a row, right when they got back.  Had a blast dancing the night away to Morning Teleportation, who they opened for at the Doug Fir.  Lil roo has been moving around & dancing a bunch!  Feeling & seeing his movements is so neat.  We had a prenatal appt a couple days ago, and everything is good, all my levels are good, & my test results are negative for Gestational Diabetes.  The most exciting thing since being able to hear his heartbeat, is that Andy got to feel his head!  He said it was about the size of an orange.  Not to worry, our midwife said squeezing his head gently feels like a scalp massage for him.  Lil Roo is breached for now, which means hanging out upright in his home.  His head is right under my ribs, which explains the slight discomfort I've been feeling near my ribs.  My tummy is 30 inches, right on schedule for my 30 weeks.  In about 5 weeks we'll have our 1st ultrasound to make sure he's not breached still, & also have the opportunity to find out his gender, if we decide to.  But we've waited 7 months already, so whats another 2?  

As for mama here, the 3rd trimester has started to wear on me now.  I'm finding the days to feel shorter, as I'm tired by 5pm, but still manage to stay active till late into the evenings.  There's still so much to do! in addition to my already busy schedule.  I didn't think my schedule would be as packed as it is having been laid off/unemployed for 2 months now.  I'm trying to take advantage of this time before Lil Roo arrives & all my energy & attention goes to him.  This body of mine has been aching more, my ankles swollen, and its not as easy bending up & down, or going from sitting to standing.  Sleeping on my side hurts my hips from time to time, but using pillows has helped a lot.  As well as elevating my feet when I can, & taking calcium & magnesium supplements.  If only I could get massages on a regular basis like I used to.  I still think this pregnancy has been a breeze, despite a few complaints here & there.  

The Radical Cheerleaders for Animal Rights & I had an amazing turnout at our benefit for The Out to Pasture Farm Sanctuary & Ananda Animal Rescue & Sanctuary.  We raised about $350 for each farm, after the venue was paid, by selling arts & crafts, yummy vegan food & treats (made by each of us), as well as the 3 bands performing & movie viewing.  It was a success & the farms were very grateful for our contribution.  Our new cheer, I love animals ( in the tune of Joan Jett's I love rock n roll) was a hit!   We've all had the lyrics stuck in our heads for months now, its pretty catchy.  I'm very grateful that I was able to help organize & be at practice, staying active & a part of the squad still, for the past 7 months.  I was even able to go out to the farm with the squad for a work party the weekend before the benefit.  Shoveling/raking manure isn't that bad when you're hanging out with some fun peeps.  I've been apart of this group for over 6 years and I'm very proud of us & our commitment to the animals & those who help them.  

Also, I've been adding photos to the slideshow on the right hand side of the blog, so check them out. You can click on the photo itself & it will open it up so you can see them larger.    Also, I've taken off the setting that makes you unable to comment unless you have a blog, so please feel free to leave comments after my postings.  I'd love to hear from you!  <3

3rd Trimester!

We made it to the last trimester already!  Less than 12 weeks to go, oh my! Time went by so fast, still there are so many things to be done to prepare for the arrival of our cute lil bundle of joy.  I had a dream last night that I met him & he was so beautiful. It felt so nice to hold him in my arms & shower him with love.  
I'm feeling a little emotional this week, as my love has left for his tour down the west coast, and will be gone for a week.  Andrew is an amazing, dedicated partner & helps me out in so many ways, I couldn't do this without him!  I love that man so much.  <tears of joy> I'm thankful that he'll only be gone a week, and this time will be good for me & Lil Roo to get somethings done.  Top of the list, using the gift certificate that my friend (& my chiropractor) got for me at Zenana Spa, who specializes in prenatal massage! My growing body has been yelping at me to get a massage in such subtle ways like electrifying leg spasms that attack my knees, a swollen ankle (just one) who magically appeared this week right when I hit 28 weeks, along with some swollen fingers so I can't wear my promise ring Andy got for me, and the usual chronic neck & jaw pain that I've had for years still showing me they need some attention.  I also want to take Lil Roo swimming in a salt water pool, which will help my aching joints.  We may even try to Prenatal Swim class, we'll see...
Not to complain too much though, as I think this pregnancy has been pretty darn easy.  Much easier than some of the pregnancies I've read about for sure.  I believe I have my vegan diet  to thank for that.  I'd also like to thank my daily walks, yoga & meditation, support from my lovely mother whom I talk to everyday, my friends who check in on me, all the animals in my life who give me endless affection, and my strong connection to mother earth & her magnificent ways of showing me what true beauty is.  

Our New & Exciting Path!

We love our Lil Roo so much already!  We are really excited for this new unexpected path we are on.  We were not planning on having children, instead wanted to adopt or foster, since there are so many children in need of homes!  Also, we are both earth-friendly nature loving folks who are concerned with our impact on this already overpopulated planet.   I'm also excited in having a healthy vegan pregnancy & a healthy vegan baby so that I can be a resource for those out there choosing a compassionate vegan lifestyle especially during pregnancy, when it really matters what you put into your body & their lil' bodies.  You are what you eat, so why not have it be healthy & cruelty free that is good for your body, the soul, the animals & the earth?  Everyone is free to make their own choices however, and I respect every individuals freedom of choice.  I have strong values & ideals that I promised myself I wouldn't lose when we decided to bring another being into this world, because they help shape who I am and who I love.  We are on an amazing journey & I'm happy to be able to share my thoughts & feelings with you all along the way!

Mama & Roo at 25 weeks on 2/7/11

Mama & Papa

Greetings!

Welcome friends & family! Here is the blog dedicated to a special lil' someone in our lives, Lil Roo, Lake, Claire, or Quido as some may call him/her.  I hope to post frequently, as this pregnancy has just flown by!  I've been wanting to keep you all updated for some time now, so here it is! Hope you enjoy.