Sandy Hook Benefit Auction

As some of you know, I am from Connecticut.  Hearing that 18 babies just a year or so older than my Nicolas were murdered only an hour or so away from our home just broke my heart.  I cannot even imagine the horror, grief and pain these poor families feel during a season where we are supposed to be celebrating the birth and life of our Savior.  To add to the grief, these families now have to pay for a funeral.  Having worked in a bank before I had children I know that most parents do not have life insurance on their children so many of these families may be faced with over $10,000 in funeral fees and have no means to pay.  That is why I set up a benefit auction for them on my facebook page Knit in the Womb Designs.  Please head over and consider purchasing or even just sharing the sale so we can earn as much as possible to give back to these hurting families.


https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/media/set/?set=a.484055328312361.144810.278122108905685&type=3

Annual Family Photos

This year we ended up waiting to get our family photos done until after our precious little Leah arrived.  It was pretty cold so we didn't get tons of photos but we got a couple with everyone in them and that's all that matters.  I feel like these capture the activity and (just barely) controlled chaos of our growing family very well.  Love all these guys.

 

 

A special thanks to LA Photography for being patient and giving us these beautiful photos to treasure.

 

Apple Cranberry Dinner!

I know this is not "birthing" or Christian family related but after just giving birth I'm in search of healthy and easy (translated: fast) to prepare meals.  We had some leftover apple cranberry wine from our local orchard and while meandering around pinterest one evening this idea hit me!  Apple Cranberry Pork Loin.  It was so yummy.  We were so eager to eat it since the whole house smelled AMAZING that I never go a photo of the completed product.

Ingredients:

1 pork loin

1 apple (we like granny smiths but any kind will do)

1/2c of Apple Cranberry wine

A handful of craisins

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions:

Cut slices into your pork loin about halfway through.  Slice your apple into 16 slices.  Place your apple slices in the pork slits and any extras around the sides.  Top with the handful of craisins, salt and pepper to taste.  Pour the wine over the top.  Cover and place in the oven at 350 degrees for appx 20mins per pound or until the internal temperature is 180 degrees.

 



 

I served this with broccoli and home made cranberry sauce.  The cranberry sauce recipe I use is on the bag the cranberries come in but instead of water or orange juice I use apple juice.

 

Very tasty and low calorie.  You leave the table full but not feeling like you "missed out" on anything.

Week 32 and Lots of Catching Up!

I know, I'm way behind!  What can I say, 3 kids and a small home business take a lot of my attention.  Things are plugging away nicely.

I have a very slight iron deficiency but at last check I was able to keep it in check with a meal using bison meat once a week.

I also was measuring behind by about 3wks but upon ultrasound we found our little girl to be measuring about a week ahead with plenty of fluid.  Her position is a little funny though.  Her feet are resting on her forehead (which by the way, she is head down!).

Week 21

Week 23

Week 23 - my oldest wanted a picture of his tummy to!

Week 24

Week 27

Week 29

Week 30

Week 32

 

Sciatica Pain! - Oh, the joys of sciatica pain!  Many moms deal with it the final trimester and once it rears it's ugly head, it won't go away until after your baby is born - perhaps not for several weeks.  I use yoga specifically aimed at back care for pregnancy.  Don't sit or stand in the same position for too long.  Don't be afraid to see a massage therapist or a chiropracter.  They can help you and it is safe.  If you experience sciatica pain after giving birth you should see a chiropracter and/or massage therapist to  "reset" what has been moved and pinched during pregnancy.  Also, if you haven't experienced back pain before tell your care provider to just make sure that it is not pre-term labor related.

Week 20

Busy, busy here.  This week we found out the gender of our little one!  We are so thrilled to be welcoming another little girly-q.

Week 19.  What will it be?  Boy or girl?

Week 20.  It's a girl!

Love me some baby feet.

Face and if you look on the sides of the face are her little hands which were in and out of her mouth during the entire ultrasound.

Profile (kind of).  Neat how you can see her brain, heart, and little fingers by her face.

Tip of the Week - Between 18 and 22weeks your ob/midwife will send you for a routine fetal scan.  At this ultrasound you can find out the gender of your baby if you choose.  Only a little over half of all parents choose to find out the gender of their baby (waiting until the birth is making a come back!). 

Want to know what the ultrasound technician is looking for during the ultrasound?  The tech will take several measurements of your baby.  Arm and legs, head and torso circumference, spine and brain, are there 2 kidneys, 4 chambers in the heart, 2 lungs, a stomach, 2 hands, 2 feet, does the cord and placenta look healthy - just to name a few!

Want to know what the tech is looking for in terms of gender?  Well, for little boys there are...we'll say boy parts ;) while for girls the distinct absence of boy parts and 3 little parallel lines.

This is a good example of a boy...

...and this is a girl.

Week 18 Photo Journal

18 weeks and feeling great!  Loving my growing bump and the precious little one that's making it bigger.  Another active Morse baby, just like it's brothers and sister.  I guess this baby has the desire to keep up with the others already.

Taking advantage of our yard.

Taking advantage of our tiger lilies this week.  They bloomed just in time for this shot!

Tip of the week:  Have you started an exercise program yet?  Exercise is important as you prepare for labor.  You'll want to start slow and listen to your body more now than ever.  Don't forget, you're breathing for 2!  Some great exercises are walking, swimming and yoga.  I personally love my Holy Yoga video since it's yoga exercises but it is rooted in worshiping Christ.  Exercise and worship all at the same time! 

Being in better shape (usually) helps your labor be easier to tolerate and perhaps faster.  People have known from pretty much the beginning of time that the better shape a momma is in, the more likely (not necessarily BUT more likely) your labor will be faster and easier. 

For Biblical proof look at the first chapter of Exodus - "The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 'When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.'  The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, 'Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?'  The midwives answered Pharaoh, 'Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.'  So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own."  (Exodus 1:15-21)

Similar to us knowing for sure that Christ was definitely NOT in the tomb because the pharisees made up excuses for why He wasn't there instead of saying, "Um, no, he's still there."  We know the Hebrew women were definitely stronger and in better physical shape than the Egyptian women or this excuse would not have been accepted.

Of course, as with all things, be sure to talk to your ob/midwife about what is okay for you to do.  Certain conditions may require more or less activity.

Week 17 Photo Journal

Busy, busy here.  Getting our modest home ready for a 4th baby.  Doing lots of rearranging and tossing of unnecessary things so we have enough space for growing little ones.  We're trying to get as much done now, in the second trimester, while I'm still not huge and have some energy.

I also started feeling little thumps and bumps (aka quickening).  I so love feeling the little one's doing their gymnastics.  So precious!

Week 15

Week 16

Week 17

Tip of the Week:  Feeling your baby move for the first time is oh, so precious.  This movement it also known as quickening.  Most mom's feel their baby move for the first time between 16wks and 22wks.  If this is your first baby, expect to wait until after 20wks to feel those first kicks.  If this isn't your first, you may feel your baby much earlier (some women actually feel movement before 16wks!)  What do early baby kicks feel like?  Well, it could feel like butterfly kisses on the inside of your tummy, bubbles popping, tickles and they will eventually move up to solid thumps, kicks, rolls, and pokes as the baby gets bigger and stronger.