the Midwife!

Well, I got to visit the midwife this week, and I am so excited! She is very supportive of the kind of birth I'm looking for: no drugs, minimal techno/medical interventions, and personal support throughout labor and birth. One of my big questions was: "What if I go past my due date?" and she was so in line with my own desires in her answer.  If I get to 41 weeks, they will do a biophysical profile and a nonstress test, and make sure everything is OK with Elijah and me, and there are no signs of an aging placenta - which can cause serious problems for the baby. If everything looks OK, they'll keep monitoring me every other day or so until 42 weeks, and if I stay pregnant that long, I will need to have a repeat c-section, since the risks of a Pitocin or prostaglandin induction, including uterine rupture, are too great. So, if I make it to 41 weeks, I will be trying every natural method to induce labor that I can find!!

My midwife is partners with an OB/Gyn, and they cover each other's births. He is supportive of her and her patients' birth plans and will not try to push me to take an epidural, induce or augment labor with drugs, or jump to a c-section at the drop of a hat. On the other hand, if a c-section is MEDICALLY NECESSARY, then he will be on hand to perform it, and the hospital has an anesthesiologist on staff 24/7, and is always ready for an emergency c, should it prove necessary.

I am trying to continue to eat healthy, get exercise, stay active, read about the labor and birth experience and pray. I am praising God that Elijah is head down (the ideal position for vaginal birth) and that I am measuring "just right" for this point in my pregnancy, and that our insurance company will cover either the midwife or the OB and the hospital!

Thanks to all of you who have had supportive and challenging things to say as we seek "Our Best Birth." I am so excited to enjoy this blessed event in our lives!

Baby Prep and the Move Toward Being a Hippie

Well, I'm 27 weeks pregnant today, and almost to the 3rd trimester! I've been reading and researching a lot since Micah was a scheduled C-section due to being breech, and I would like to attempt a VBAC (vaginal birth after ceasarean) with boy #2 (who, incidentally, does NOT have a name yet, we are having a really hard time with that). In my studies, I watched "The Business of Being Born" - a documentary by Ricki Lake (yes, the talk show host - she's quite the advocate for birth and women as a result of her own experiences). It opened my eyes to some interesting information about the American health care system, hospital birth and obstetrics, and midwives. I then read Ricki and Abby's book, "Your Best Birth," and I am just starting "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth," a book by America's most famous midwife. These, along with a lot of internet reading (taken with a grain of salt, of course) are causing me to lean toward a birth with a midwife and possibly even natural birth (without pain meds!).

I have to admit, I'm feeling like a bit of a hippie all of a sudden. I've never been one of these granola types before. Although, as I think about it, I have been a recycling nazi for some time; I've been composting our veggie waste and yard trimmings for as long as we've had our own home; I've been trying to buy organic, free trade, etc, whenever it makes sense and is relatively convenient for me; I've purged my home of chemical cleaning products and started taking natural vitamins; I've been trying to eat a lot more whole foods and green things; and my sisters will attest, I only shower as often as a lot of hippies (lol)... I guess my move toward being a hippie has been in process for some time. I still drive a gas powered car, but I have dreams of a hybrid minivan; I still use a lot of electricity, but I dream of a home with solar panels or geothermal heating and cooling...and now, as I am on a journey with Something Edmund and his impending birth, I find myself thinking about leaving a great OB practice and a hospital and delivering "for real" for the first time with a midwife! I know there are those of you who are going to feel, and maybe express, deep concern for this type of decision. I encourage you to communicate with me about it, and do some research of your own. I definitely recommend watching "The Business of Being Born" to start.

26 weeks

More soon, as I continue to process this information and take more steps on my journey toward birth #2. :)

Citizen Sudhoff #2 on the way, remembering Grandpa Don

Hey blog world, sorry it's been OVER A YEAR since I posted a blog entry... yikes! Well, I'm trying to get back into the swing with this one.

We are very excited to welcome Citizen Sudhoff #2 around Thanksgiving this year. I'm about 18 weeks pregnant right now, and I'm feeling pretty good! We will find out if we're having a boy or a girl on July 12th (assuming Citizen #2 is as cooperative as Citizen #1 was). We're taking the whole family to the ultrasound, and Micah is excited to see a "video" of the baby in Mommy's belly.

Last Saturday, we went to the Milwaukee County Zoo to participate in the Vince Lombardi Charitable Funds Walk/Run to raise money for cancer research. We walked in memory of Andy's dad, Don, who went to be with Jesus in November 2008 after a long battle with cancer. We raised $340 including our own registrations and a matching gift from one donor's company, along with many individual and family donations. We are so grateful to all those who donated! Here's a few pics of our adventure at the zoo. We had a great time, and Micah had as much fun running up and down the ramp by the giraffes as actually looking at the animals. :) We decided to put off the zoo pass for a year. ;)

Micah loved the Safari Train - we got to ride with the steam engine AND the diesel engine!

Chrissy sponsored one of the water tables in memory of Dad/Grandpa Sudhoff.

Watching the steam engine come down the track!










Chrissy and Micah looking out the window of the train. So cute. :)

The shade was perfect for this pic! Micah had such a sweet setup in Grammy & Papa's wagon. He was chillin' all day. :)




Here's the fam, decked out in Hawaiian gear in honor of Don.
Chrissy, Micah, Andy, Nicole, Janece, Nathan, Craig.

Mother's Day

So adorably, on Mother's Day, Micah climbed up on the couch, climbed into my arms and laid on me and said "hug." He has never done this before (without me prompting him to "give Mommy a hug)! I was so excited. What a great gift for me. :) Andy got me some great tulips, too! My favorite. :)

updates!

Well, I changed the layout again... I just wanted something fresh, I guess!! So Happy St. Patrick's Day, a couple of days late. Like I said, always posting on holidays! ;)

I have big news. I am (re)starting my business as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator! I am now booking workshops and accepting memberships in my Crafty Chicks club! Our first meeting will be April 3rd, a Friday night. I'll post pics soon of potential projects.

Groundhog's Day!!

So, it appears holidays are my posting time - and Groundhog's Day was yesterday. My Dad started a silly tradition in our family one year, that we would call all the aunts and uncles on Groundhog's Day. It was super fun, and a good "excuse" to be in touch with loved ones.

Things are so great here. Even though we've lost a grandpa and two dads in the last two years, we feel so blessed to have all the relatives we do have, and such a wonderfully peaceful and meaningful life. God is so good to us.

Micah is growing all the time, and learning new things left and right. He took his first steps all on his own on Christmas Eve - what a great gift to us! Last year, he smiled on Christmas, and this year he walked! He has lots of words, baby-talk though they be, which he relatively effectively uses to communicate with us. His favorite sign - "more" - is used for more, please, I want, and sometimes other purposes. He also signs "all done," but that doesn't prevent him from whining to get out of the high chair. He loves to read, and he loves to "wok, wok, wok" holding onto two fingers. As he sits in our laps, he will find our hands, and grab a finger from each and squirm to the ground to go walking. He loves going up and down stairs, and he loves animals. He also loves "Yo, Gabba Gabba," "the Wonder Pets," and all kinds of books.

I'll try to post again soon and this time, some pics!!

Christmas

So I have been thinking about Christmas, and I'm very excited this year!! Micah is obsessed with our tree and the "aga" (lights) and the "tar" (star) on top, so I have had the chance to share with him about Jesus being born, coming to earth as a tiny baby, just like Micah!! What a wonderful truth to share at Christmas when so much of what is happening is all about presents and Santa.