Felix Ames: Birth Story

Contractions! The perfect time to snap a pic ;)

This moment...wow.

Felix Ames Bushong

1/26/15 @ 2:30pm

7lbs 9oz

Home Birth: Success. And wow...it's been sort of hard to describe just how amazing of an experience it was to have our little boy at home. Very personal, loving, and natural. It sounds cheesy, but it was just so special and all about us and bringing our babe earthside. Now that I've experienced both a natural hospital birth and a home birth it's really crazy how different the two were. The hospital was very business like. I was a name on a list of people to be seen. I tell yah, after this home birth experience I would love to do it again (but I am not crazy sooooo) ;)

Now, onto my little guys story. After a night of absolutely zero sleep due to our loving little toddler, we were up for the day at around 6am. I don't know what it was, but I just knew. I knew it was going to happen on a day when Silas chose to go buck wild at night and not let us sleep a wink. And there we were. Around 6:30am I had my first "holy shit" contraction. Now, with Silas I had horrific back labor so this felt like a minor little blip on the chart compared to things with him. But I knew it was the real deal so I told Nick I didn't think he was going to go into the office that day. So, what does he do? He goes ahead and starts getting ready to go to the office. After my "WTF are you doing look?" he took me seriously. I decided to get into the shower to alleviate some of the pain and once I was in there Nick definitely knew that this was going to happen. We called my midwife Heather and put it on her radar that it was going down! Nick started setting up our birth tub and I chilled with Silas and kept track of my contractions every so often. Around 11am I put Silas down for a nap. Yes...ME. It was sort of hysterical because I was willing him with my mind to fall asleep ASAP while clutching his headboard during my contractions. He actually fell asleep pretty fast and after that I finally felt I could relinquish control to my labor and I think that's when it really started getting intense.

There are two things that I tell myself during contractions. 1) Allow yourself to feel this pain. This is normal pain. Accept it. 2) Don't fight it. I really try and allow it to spread over my body and do it's thing. Every contraction gets me just a little closer to seeing my baby. And every contraction has a purpose. I really believe in positive affirmations. It's amazing how much your mind set can affect your labor.

Of course, this is hard to do when you feel like you can't take it anymore, but that is why I cannot stress enough how important it is to have people on your support team. We had two doulas; one for Silas when he woke up and then one for myself. Between those two ladies, my two midwives, and Nick, I could not have asked for better support. Yes, I said out loud a few times that I couldn't do it, but I was reassured that I was doing it and it was what I wanted.

Around 11:30 my midwives and Doulas showed up and set up their supplies, monitored the baby and myself for a bit, and then I was told I could get in the tub. I was in active labor now so the water was absolutely glorious. Let me mention that it was a blue sky, gorgeous day at 63 degrees. So we had the window open above the birth pool and between the breeze flowing over my face and the water I could not have asked for a better way to manage my pain. And this is where it ends kids, it went fast. At 2:27 my water broke and holy sh*t if that baby didn't just fly out. Seriously, I immediately needed to push. I pushed for exactly 3 minutes and at 2:30 I lifted our sweet little angel out of the water and held him for the first time. It was the craziest, best experience of my life. When Silas was born I was so exhausted at the end and this time I felt so alive and energetic. It was truly amazing and special.

Fri-daze

The weekend! Definitely doesn't have the same thrill as it used to ;) My poor, poor, hubby is working all weekend which is bringing a tear to my eye. I miss that guy so much. He is so hard working and I am truly lucky to have married someone who just wants to provide the best life possible for his family. On a separate note- my sister is watching Silas tomorrow while I sneak in a yoga class! I am so excited to really turn yoga into a regular thing for myself. I felt so amazing after some vinyasa last week and my goal is to get to 3 classes this week. After yoga it's going down at the splash pad. Silas loves the water, but mainly stays on the perimeter due to the crazy big kids (they are actually pretty mean, it's so awful). We really need to get outside, with the 90 degree days looking like they are sticking around I have to try and get this kid out of the house. I am so ready for fall!

Happy weekend! xo

Oh, and I can't forget...Happy World Breastfeeding Week! :)

Juice junkie pt. 3

My poor, little vitamix. Now, we do not own one of those fancy ones that heat stuff and make ice cream or whatever. Ours is old. Old and yet, still very much a coveted item in my kitchen. People get a little jelly when you tell them you have one! I feel cool. Sorta. Anyways, this vitamix has been put through the ringer. I made sunflower seed butter in that old thing. And it took forever and I will never do that again. It sort of made some weird noises and I could tell it wasn't happy with me so I put her in the corner and there she sat for what I believe was a much needed rest. Moving on. I have been lacking in the juice/smoothie making department as of late. Why? Because I'm lazy. "It's so easy though!", you say. I know. But I am lazy, like I said. This past week though I had an epiphany. It went a little something like, "Stop eating bread for breakfast or you'll gain __lbs during this pregnancy like the last." Hit me hard. So I decided some yummy juices and smoothies would be a better choice than say, sourdough with a bunch of avocado spread on it and siracha delicately displayed on top. Here's what I've been making...

My rule: Keep it simple. It's tempting to throw about 100 things into a smoothie. I choose to not do that. Sometimes I add omega-3 + DHA oil into them, especially if Silas is going to have some. I no longer use maca since becoming pregnant, but I miss it's energy boosting effects and I recommend it for sure!

1) Kale. Chard. Lemon. Blueberries. Banana. Maca. Filtered H2O.

2) Kale. Lemon. Strawberries. Ginger. Coconut H2O.

3) Watermelon. Grapefruit. Ginger. Carrots.

Happy Juicing! xo

Red curry lentils

Wow. That is what I have to say about this dish. My mind was blown. So easy. So delicious. I made a slight change to the recipe which I noted. It can totally be made vegan, although I went the non-vegan route. This is a must make recipe. You will not regret it!

Ingredients

• 4 cups regular brown lentils (I used 2 cups green, 2 cups brown)
• 2 onions, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger (I grated mine)
• 4 tablespoons butter (optional)
• 5 tablespoons red curry paste
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1½ teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoon sugar (I used 2 tablespoons of an apple chutney; amazing!)
• a few good shakes of cayenne pepper
• 2 cans tomato puree (29 ounces each) ---> (I used only 30 oz and then water)
• 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
• ½ cup coconut milk or cream
• cilantro for garnishing
• rice for serving

Directions

Rinse your lentils and put in crockpot. Dice onion, garlic and add to pot. Throw in spices and then add your tomato puree. Stir and then set it on high for 6hrs (I turned it off around 5). Throughout the cooking process, check back and add more water if needed. Around 4 hrs check for doneness. You don't want it to turn to mush! The lentils should still have texture, but definitely not crunchy or raw. Cook up some rice to serve with. I added a dollop of yogurt and cilantro on top and served with warm naan. Delicious and easy!

*original recipe can be found here. Changes have been noted

Pictures from the weekend

 This weekend gets an A+. It felt like we got a lot of family time in even though we only really have 1 full day with each other. Nick is working Saturday afternoons (BOO!) at the moment so we only get to see him in the morning for a few and then before bedtime. We ended up going out to dinner and our little boy was an angel! I can only imagine how hard it is for him to sit still while we eat dinner out, but he did it like a champ. He made some friends with the table behind us and these two 4yr old twins kept him busy so that Nick and I could actually eat and not stuff our faces in a hurry. Made me verrrry excited for his sibling. Everyone keeps telling me how nice it is for them to have a buddy to play with and how nice it is for the parents as well.

He was covered in strawberry juice and dirt after. It was adorable.

Strawberry + Rhubarb deliciousness

Sunday morning we woke up and went strawberry picking! It was so much fun. I love that we live the city life, but that we can head 15 mins out of town and be in the country, surrounded by farms. After an amazing lunch at the farm we picked at, we hauled our 6lbs of berries home and I of course had to bake a strawberry rhubarb pie. It was so damn delicious. I was so sad for the weekend to end. Nothing makes me happier than when my little family is out and about together. We miss Nick like crazy during the week. But this week/weekend is looking just as great...baby #2 appointment with my midwife which is always something to look forward to :)

Summer: Now & Then

The weather this week in Portland is going to be nothing short of amazing. Lots of park time is the plan :) It's crazy to look back at what life was like last year around this time. Our summer this year is shaping up to be quite different. Silas is walking/running all over the place and it's just so fun to watch him explore. Load on some sunscreen, pack a bag with the essentials and off we go on an adventure outside. Last year it was a frantic "Do we have everything?" moment before we left the house. And believe me, we not only had everything, we brought everything. I am throughly enjoying this moment of motherhood and the stage where Silas is at. He's no longer this fragile little being, but turning into an independent little boy. I like the fact that I can sprawl out on our blanket at the park and let him wander (not too far!) and discover some things on his own. It's freeing for me and I'm sure it is for him as well. I'm so proud of this little person. I can't wait for him to experience all that Oregon has to offer this summer!

I'm happy.

I feel like I've found my rythm as a mama. Finally. It only took a year. I do very well with routine...so it just felt so awkward for me to not have a plan for my day to day. With a newborn it's just so unpredictable and new that I feel like you're scared 80% of the time to even move. So you just kind of sit and wait it out for a bit. It took me awhile to get comfortable leaving the house, loading Silas in the car, and just going about my day like a normal human. Here I am though. Living like a normal human. haha. To most, my day probably seems mundane or maybe even ridiculously boring. But I have found that I really enjoy being a stay at home mama. Like, really enjoy it. And part of me feels guilty admitting that. Our society doesn't really see that as the norm anymore so when I say it out loud I feel a little judged. People automatically assume that I'm lacking fufillment or something for myself. But all of this; my baby, the household day to day stuff...it is fufilling to me. Just like some people get enjoyment out of crunching numbers at a desk all day, I get enjoyment out of cleaning my floors with murphy's oil soap (seriously, love that stuff.) and cooking dinner for my family. To each their own I say! Anyways, I'm feeling good right now about how I've somewhat got my shit together. Of course, I'm sure next month or maybe even next week could be a different story. And of course there are things that I would like to accomplish for my own personal self at some point, but I really don't feel a rush at the moment. I like enjoying my baby all day everyday and I like the spot I'm in. And I'm more than sure that I'll get to the point where I spread my wings a bit, but not now. This place just feels too good to leave.

He helps me clean. I swear.

This is my arm workout.

I love my little buddy.

Here's to loving your life and enjoying right where you are. XO

Teething remedies

As I had stated in my previous post, last week was hard. And I mean so hard that I contemplated just sitting in the bathroom and crying for a few hours. But, alas I could not. I had a baby to comfort and soothe like no other. Silas is getting teeth! woo hoo. I'm sad to see his gummy smile go, but happy that this is finally happening. The kid is 11 months so it's been a constant "when is this going to happen" deal. And what's really funny is that it's his top middle two that are coming in, which if you're and expertise in baby teething you know that it's usually the bottom two that come in first. Anyways, onto the methods that I've been using to help my babe feel comfortable. Now, some doctors out there claim that teething really has no impact on a baby. They are full of shit (in my book). My kid is miserable. And I mean M-I-S-E-R-A-B-L-E. It started a few weeks ago while we were in Michigan and kind of took off from there. The first sign was a constant grab at the mouth that accompanied a very intense whine. Now, imagine this happening for 10 hrs straight. I wanted to run away. Of course, being a new mama I was a frantic basket case because I had no idea what to give him. Tylenol was a big no no for me so I turned to some homeopathic remedies and they really seemed to take the edge off. I've listed them below (with a picture to correlate!) and unfortunately, I included some Tylenol (boo!), but sometimes you just have to do it.

(left to right)

1) A thermometer. Silas had a fever that reached 103 two nights in a row. He was nursing a TON and had normal diapers so I was sure that it was nothing to worry about, however I did call our pediatricians office to talk to a nurse on call just to be sure. If you are ever unsure though, call or take your child in immediately. I am glad that I had this on hand though. I checked his temp about every few hours.

2) Tylenol. Now, I really used this as a last resort. I have been adamant with myself that I would not give him Tylenol unless it was absolutely necessary. I caved and ended up giving it to him twice. Both times were at night and I halved the recommended dose. Also, they now make is DYE free which I found to be an absolute must. Unfortunately, the idiots don't make it flavorless so we had a puke episode due to the disgusting "grape" flavor.

2) Teething tablets. I found that a combination of these and the homeopathic orajel were my savior. Together they did the job. The tablets dissolve quickly and he took them so easily. I usually popped one in and then nursed him.

3) Lavender oil. This is such a soothing scent. I mix it with a bit of coconut oil and give him a nice soothing massage after a bath. I actually do this on the regular, but when he was teething it seemed to calm him some.

4) Orajel. Now, this is homeopathic and not the regular stuff. With babies you want to really stay away from benzocaine which is found in normal and baby orajel. This can be found right next to the regular stuff! A little swipe seemed to be efficient at eliminating some of the pain.

(not pictured)

*Breastfeeding. I can't speak for the bottle thing, but breast feeding was our #1 go to. Silas wanted to nurse almost every hour and I let him. It shot my milk supply up through the roof (and now I have to deal with the side effects; hello leaky boobs!), but it calmed him down and I know it felt good on his gums. And no, he does not bite me.

*Camilia. These little drops can be found at Whole Foods or probably any natural food store. They really helped us out and were so easy for him to take (flavorless!).

*Amber necklace. Unfortunately, we left ours in Michigan. I will vouch for their effectiveness though. I would put it on him as soon as we woke up and it seemed to take the edge off.

* I am not a medical professional and everything you give your baby should be talked about with your doctor. 

Vegan + Gluten free chocolate cake for the win

 Hi! I'm back. Sorry for the intermission (not like I'm thinking a lot of people really care), BUT the past week has been pretty damn rough. My child is teething and it is not going well for us at the Bushong house. 103 temp 3 nights in a row was the cherry on top. Anyways, chocolate cake. I love it. I love chocolate. So, gimme! I also love the thought of allowing my child to indulge in a cupcake, a slice of pie, those yummy gooey brownies every once in a while because he's a kid, and childhood should be full of delicious things. But, lets get real here...I am not about to load him up with sugar and dairy. Two reasons: Sugar for a 1 year old; no. And dairy makes Silas cranky in the most unpleasant way (bless my husband who is usually the one to handle those diapers). I've been racking my brain trying to figure out what I can make my handsome little babe for his first birthday. Ta-da! My lovely cousin post a vegan chocolate cake recipe on her blog. Perfect. All I had was gluten free flour in my house so I subbed out the regular stuff for it and there you have it, a vegan + gluten free chocolate cake. It taste amazing. And yes, it has sugar. You can't win every battle. Enjoy! xo

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour (I subbed out same amount of gluten-free all purpose flour)
• 1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp of xantham gum (only if you are using gluten-free flour. Otherwise, omit this ingredient)
• 3 Tbsp. cocoa (unsweetened)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp.  salt
• 1 tsp. white vinegar (I used apple cider)
• 1 tsp.  pure vanilla extract
• 5 Tbsp. vegetable oil (I used coconut oil; melted.)
• 1 Cup water 

Directions

Heat oven to 350. Grease your baking pan or cake pan. Mix all ingredients together (you're supposed to mix it all in the dish you bake it in, I went ahead and used a separate bowl). Poor batter into pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 25 minutes. Check a few minutes prior to that time and use a tooth pick to check for doneness (?). Do not over bake! When done, cool on a rack completely before frosting.

Chocolate frosting:

I came up with this on a whim because cake absolutely needs frosting! In a bowl whip together 1 cup of organic (non-gmo!) shortening, 1 smashed ripe banana, 1 tsp vanilla extract, coco powder (however much you like, I like it super chocolatey), and agave (although, I would have preferred to use powdered sugar). Whip until light and fluffy. Taste to make sure it is sweet enough, you should be using unsweetened coco powder.

*original recipe can be found here and my cousins blog can be found here.

DIY style

Tumeric dyed duvet cover

I've never been much of an artist. My sister, she is amazing. President of the art club, that girl was. My little brother is an artistic genius as well. While I'm no abstract painting genius, I like to think that my artistic gene's have made their presence known with my DIY projects. I like getting crafty, people. When it came time to move into our new apartment I wrote about how Nick and I got rid of everything (here). I decided to be super selective on what we hung up on the walls and displayed. Since we are living on one income so I can stay at home with the babe, I don't really have the luxury of snagging amazing items from places like urban outfitters or anthropologie (although, the sale stuff is gooooood sometimes).

No filter, this is the awesome color using tumeric. I feel if I soaked it longer it would have been more orange-y. Next time!

This piece of driftwood was free at a rebuilding center. Felt hearts were done completely out of boredom and they add a cheesy flair that I kind of love.

Silas's dream catcher.

These cute little cones were picked up on our trip to Ashland. What started as a holiday decoration has become permanent.

So, I craft. And in the end I usually love the result and the look it gives our space. Also, I find it therapeutic and doing these little projects usually gives me a few minutes of greatly needed alone time :) Happy crafting! xo

Bare ankles and Iced dirty chai's

I'm not usually one who gets the itch for warm weather. I love the rain and when winter rolls around I am usually ready for it and I can go awhile without the exclamation of "I am dying for summer!". At this very moment though, I am seriously craving sunshine, dresses and shorts, beach time, river time,  and long summer nights. I'm not sure if this is a reaction to the frigid temps we dealt with on our Michigan trip, or if it's the "late night" (5pm) stroll that Nick and I went on to go get a coffee (dirty iced chai for moi). When we stepped outside it was a) somewhat warm out and b) still light out!  It felt like heaven. 10 degrees warmer and I would have been in ecstasy. Anyways, us kids over here can't wait for this summer and all of the iced coffees and long summer night strolls that are surely to accompany it.

A trip to the mitten

It was brought to my attention this week that I always seem to go home for a visit during the winter. After this was said, we recounted my past visits, and yes...they are always during the winter. Never. again. According to the very much respected elders (haha) in my family, this is the worst winter in Michigan since the 50's. I believe them. It was pretty much impossible to step outside for more than a second the whole 12 days we were there due to the negative temps. And the dryness. Ooooommmmgg. I could not stop complaining about it. Oh yeah, did I mention we got the flu? Yup. The flu. Regardless of all of these ridiculously inconveinent things I really cherish my time when I go home and it was even more special this time around because it was Silas's first trip to the Mitten. Sure, we didn't get to play outside or go do some of the things that were on our list, but he met my amazing girlfriends, hung out with my nieces and my brothers, and lounged around with my mom for 12 days. I call that a good trip. I have made the decision that Michigan visits will only be for summer time from here on out.


Let's get to all of those pictures....

I think every parent is scared for what is going to happen on their child's first flight. I was no exception, but this kid rocked it. A flight attendant at the end of our first flight said she didn't even know he was there. On our flight home the people around me told me they were so impressed. Proud mama over here!

This is what he did. The whole time. Well, and try to pull the ladies hair in front of us but that was a one time deal.

Seeing my girlfriends is a major part of my going home. Some of them I have known since elementary school! I feel so grateful and lucky to have a group of girlfriends who know me so well and would be there for me at the drop of a hat, regardless of the distance between us. We get together and it's like no time has passed and I think that is a tell-tale sign of everlasting friendship.

There were a few nights after Silas went to bed where I finally was able to relax. Fire on, shitty reality TV, and a fridge full of beer. It was heaven.

My mothers house makes me swoon. It's an enormous ranch that she and her fiancee renovated. Can I get a dual fireplace in my house please?

Silas was a teething mess during our trip. He is currently getting the top two and bottom two teeth at the same time. His gums are swollen and he was pretty much attached to my hip the entire trip which made the whole thing extremely exhausting. He's pretty cute though so I forgive him ;)

The two seconds that we were able to get this kid out for some air. 

Bundled up and watching Sean (my moms fiancee) shovel 8 inches of ice off the deck.

Ahhhh yes. My love. Iced Cap from Time Horton's is the only way to end a trip to the mitten.

So aside from Silas teething and all of us catching the flu, our time in the Mitten was amazing. I'm missing my loved ones so much already and I can't help but feel so lucky to have them. We are already looking forward to some Michigan Summertime in July!