Happy (Belated) Birthday, Silly Girl!

So, we had a big birthday last week-- Silly Girl is now 4!  She had a lot of fun at her Strawberry Shortcake party, and was especially glad to have Grandma and Grandpa here to celebrate with her.  I wish I had time for a longer, more detailed post, but frankly, I'm lucky to get a shower these days (and not today)....  Here are a few pictures:

Blowing out the candles!

Opening presents.

More presents-- a huge Polly Pocket Jet from Grandma J! 

It's a Boy!

Sorry it's taken me so long to announce... I've been a little busy with this:

Asher Tyrell Simkins

born May 23, 2009 at 6:33am

7 lbs, 21 inches long

I'll be sure to post the details later, but long story short: preeclampsia, hospital, pitocin induction, magnesium sulfate, wonderful doula, NO epidural, short labor, beautiful baby BOY. Here are a few more pictures...

39 Week Update

High blood pressure and protein in urine... it's like deja vu all over again.  Had liver enzymes and platelets checked last night, and they were normal, so we avoided an induction at the hospital... for now.  I go back in today to have my BP and urine checked again, so hopefully things are a little more normal.  Yesterday was really hot, so hopefully that had something to do with the high BP. I guess we'll just have to see....  Otherwise, I feel fine, just tired of being an incubator for a toddler (seriously, this baby is going to walk out).  That's what so weird, I feel really good, just normal pregnancy swollen and tired.  

Anyway, that's the update.  Just need baby to come and then we'll be good to go!  So, positive thoughts and prayers our way are appreciated-- adopt the family motto "Out baby, OUT!"

38+ Weeks

Still pregnant and grown out of 90% of my maternity clothes.  Muu muu until delivery.

Ah, Another Semester Down

Sorry, no pictures.  We've been pretty busy winding up our semesters, all three of us.  Doc rounded out his first year medical courses (hooray!), I got another semester of prereqs under my belt, and SillyGirl is all finished with her first year of school.  After the end of last spring semester, we can pretty much handle anything, so this year was pretty much without incident.

Doc will start his second year in a week, so his break is pretty short for now.  He'll get August off, so we just have to push through until then.  He has big plans for the attic and the yard for his one week break, so we'll get started tomorrow by hopefully planting our garden (if it doesn't rain all day).

I'm taking the summer and the fall off of school so that I can be home with the baby.  I hope I survive.  Being a stay-at-home mom with SillyGirl was really hard for me, so I'm trying to gear up for a couple months of home improvement projects and maybe even quilting and scrapbooking.  That will mostly start in the fall when SG goes back to school, we have big plans for the summer, even with a newborn in tow: Lugnuts games, the beach, trips to Utah and Virginia, and lots of time outside in our yard.  Summer in Michigan is the BEST!

SillyGirl will be attending preschool again in the fall at a Montessori school run by the school district.  I'm sad she won't be able to go back to the program she was in, we really loved it, but it's only open for parents who are students, which won't be me.  She's looking forward to the summer off, too.  She has big plans to pick "dondilions" and water the flowers that she planted. She also has a birthday coming up in June that is already planned, and Grandma J then Grandma V and Grandpa P will be visiting in May and June.

Other than that, we're just waiting oh-so-patiently for baby to come.  A recent ultrasound showed the baby was no longer sitting transverse, but is head down and ready for delivery.  My blood pressure has been a little high, and my feet are unrecognizable, but I'm feeling fine and just trying to drink enough water and stay off my feet.  We have a few more things to get ready... laundry, maybe a dresser for the baby, pack a bag for the birth, and find a sitter for SillyGirl to be on call if the baby comes before Grandma J gets here, which is actually what we're hoping for.  (This baby is HUGE compared to SG, it's time to get OUT!)  

So wish us luck!  I'll update again soon, maybe about baby, but probably not quite yet....

Ricki Lake - My Hero?

Who'd have thought in a million years that Ricki Lake would become an outspoken advocate for birth options in the U.S.? She has done such an awesome job advancing the cause of choices in childbirth over the last few years. Here's a link to a recent interview with her about her new book. If you haven't seen her documentary, "The Business of Being Born," you should!

I am of the same opinion as Ms. Lake: women should be informed of their choices and be supported in that decision by her family, her caregivers, and her insurance company. Regardless of the choice, hospital, birth center, or home birth, every mother deserves to make an informed decision that is best for her, and her growing family.

In any case, I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to be at The Greenhouse!  I look forward to the birth of our baby in a caring, quiet environment, with no unnecessary interventions.  

Almost 4

Here's my baby!  Well, the first one.... Isn't she pretty?