36 Weeks 5 Days!

Here are my 36W5D belly shots!

True Belly Shot:

Shot with Shirt (which actually doesn't cover my entire belly anymore, I have to stretch it down to cover, and this is a maternity shirt!):

I remember at the beginning of the pregnancy thinking how far off this stage of pregnancy was... It has actually gone by very quickly!

This week I have been feeling a lot of emotions about how much time we have left before our little girl is here.... 4 weeks give or take a week or so! Which seems like NO time at all. That is going to fly by! I am feeling excited, anxious and scared.

I can not wait to hold her in my arms and see her for the first time. However, the reality of the upcoming pain to get to that point is setting in for me. Especially given that we have chosen a home birth... there is no epidural just set aside to be administered should I break down and want one! Im just going to have brave it, breathe and get through it. I know with Seana by my side this is possible, Im very blessed to have her, however, the fear sneaks in a bit here and there trying to psych me out with the what ifs. I just keep thinking about what I CANT WAIT for: Our little girl. That seems to help release the tension.

As for time, there really isn't much time... it's actually less than 4 weeks now. I have this list in my head of what I want done before she gets here.... Maybe it's the nesting instinct kicking into ultra high gear... The hard part is some of the stuff I want done, I can't actually do.... Like move my nursing chair upstairs. Seana would kill me if I didn't kill myself trying to do it alone (keep in mind Pre-Pregnancy MJ would have figured out a way to do it alone just for the challenge of it!)

Here is my list:

Move Nursing Chair

Put together Birthing Kit

Prepare freezer meals for 1st couple weeks postpartum

Put together baby first aid & medicine kit

Set up Diaper Station on main level

Put together Nursery Art

Wash the New Outfits for 0-3 months

Deep Clean House

Get Carpets Shampooed

Finish putting together guest room 1

Finish putting together loft

Finish organizing office

Finish legal paperwork for our estate planning

Work on Seana's adoption paperwork and requirements (i.e. get background check)

I guess wish me luck or rather US luck... I am still missing quite a few of my elves so we've got our work set out for us!

Home Birth Headaches

I dont know why I have insurance... We end up paying so much out of pocket it's like we are throwing money down the drain for insurance coverage. But then again, I haven't had an emergency room visit in a while, that is when it pays to have insurance.

If you are thinking of doing a home birth be prepared for your providers to not be covered by insurance. I just spent part of my day talking to our insurance company, by the way the reps are great and very easy to talk to, but their answers were disappointing to say the least.

First off, I am attempting to get In Network Exceptions made for my chiropractor and our midwives.

The chiropractor. The chiropractor happens to be out of network, but also happens to be 1 of 2 chiropractors with a Diplomat in Pediatric and Prenatal Chiropractic care in our state... This is a post graduate certification. None of the In Network Chiropractors have this certification, conveniently, the insurance company doesn't believe this differentiates this chiropractor from the 250 other chiropractors that are in network and within a 50 mile radius of me. One thing I do know is seeing this chiropractor has been night and day in comparison to the one I was seeing who was in network. I went from 3 visits a week to just 1 thorough visit a week. The attention she provides is amazing! Her technique so well magical. I don't want to ever see anyone else! It is 35.00 a week, and we are on a tight budget. So my attempt to get an in network exception for her was declined today, but the rep gave me the address if I want to write a letter of appeals regarding the decision. Guess what I will be doing later...

The midwives. The midwives we have chosen are Lay Midwives they are not Nurse Midwives as they offer different services and have different certification. Our insurance doesn't have any In Network Lay Midwives in our area (they do have a category for lay midwives in the "Search for a Provider" link on their website). So I called to see if an In Network exception could be made, the first rep I spoke to did some research on my request, contacted a local branch of our insurance provider who gave her a list... but I verified the list these are nurse midwives. I decided to fight the battle another day. But this first rep called me back because when I asked her if these were lay midwives she said yes, but then found out they weren't. So she called back to clarify which I appreciate! Unfortunately, she said lay midwives have no benefit. Of course, right after I hung up with her, my brain clicked on and questioned whether that meant that lay midwives wouldn't be considered out of network. So, I called and spoke with another rep, who did some research, she said that because of their certification and stature. Lay midwives would have no benefit, which means they would not be covered at all. This includes out of network coverage. She also said that birth center births are allowed, however, there is no mention of home births and if it is not listed in the benefit it is not covered.

And so the battle begins. I want to go ahead and appeal this decision as well, since they have a search function for lay midwives for In Network Providers on there website. I have seen a list of insurance companies that have paid for home birth's and our insurance is listed on it. Plus, insurance companies are known for saying no at first (how many NOs follow through with the appeal process easy cost savings) but if you appeal there decision enough they will usually end up paying for your claim as they should have.

So this was a bit of a boring post. So I will do Seana style take aways.

Take Aways:

1. Research your In Network Providers and insurance coverage before getting attached to a provider.

2. It pays to be polite and well natured when talking with phone representatives, It's not their personal policy they are communicating and angry words in their direction doesn't do anyone any good.

3. Document your calls with a call log, get a name, reference number and time and date of call.

4. Don't give up if you are told NO by your insurance company, that doesn't mean they should NOT be covering your care.

5. Always Appeal, the worst that could happen is you are out a little time, a stamp, and your told NO once more.

6. Keep copies of all documents sent to the insurance company as well as their responses.

34 Week Prenatal Visit

We have now officially had 2 prenatal appointments with our Midwives. I have to say, I really like the extra attention. Each appointment with them has been well over an hour, and we discuss my pregnancy, my health, the baby's health and our plan. It's not a quick check in and then we are on our way. Every question they ask, is discussed, and they explain the why's which is really great.

They still evaluate me medically, most of their questions are medical, they take my weight, I have to pee in a cup. But they review the results right away. So at yesterday's appt we learned that I am starting to get a UTI (urinary track infection), which is very common during pregnancy. I don't have any symptoms yet really or they are being overshadowed by my pregnancy aches and pains. So they gave me a list of holistic methods to clear it up before it takes hold. UTI's can lead to pre-term labor so addressing it is important.

It's very interesting how Seana and I are in our appts, it's kind of like we trade places. Seana is on the defensive quite a bit as we discuss things. I think it is mostly because it is a holistic approach which is different than a conventional medical discussion which we are both used to. My mom has always been a fan of holistic methods so I don't think much of their suggestions, but Seana is quick to question it. She wants to protect me which I think is cute. I love that she is willing to question them for my safety.

Im looking forward to our next appt, it will be at 37 weeks, it is supposed to be a 36 week appt but schedule conflicts pushed it out. Anyway, our next appt will be our home visit. They actually will be coming over for dinner and a prenatal. By this appt we have to have all of our home birth supplies on hand, and they are bringing their supplies so that we are ready to go should I go into labor!

I think we will do cheese fondue for dinner, who doesn't love cheese??

34 Weeks 3 Days=Huge

So here they are my 34W3D belly shots... I have to say I feel huge and I still have 6-8 weeks to go and these last weeks are when she really puts on the pounds so if I am feeling huge now God knows how I will be feeling as these last weeks go by.

True Belly Shot:

Shot with shirt, but it actually doesn't cover my belly completely anymore... and it is a Maternity shirt! YIKES!

The Quilt from a VERY excited Grandma!

In a previous post I wrote about how my Mom makes quilts for new babies and weddings for our family members... I'm pretty sure I mentioned how I was excited that we would be getting one of her special quilts for our little one.

Well at the baby shower we received not only the beautiful quilt but 6 homemade receiving blankets!

Here are some pictures of the quilt and a shot of the receiving blankets!

The very excited Grandma to be:

Mom and I showing off her handy work:

Close up of the stitching on the border:

A close up of the Heart pattern:

The backing of the quilt:

The quilt displayed on the crib:

The Receiving Blankets:

People say that every quilt has a story as does this one.

Both of my parents have been wanting to be grandparents for years now... My Mom actually started making the request to both my brother and I around when I turned 20.... I am 31 now... so you can only imagine the years of bottled up anticipation and excitement.

It's very easy for me to forget that our little one is not only going to be the center of our world, but soon, she will be the center of my parents world as their very first granddaughter. I was reminded of this at our baby shower when Seana and I opened this gift from my Mom, at that moment my Mom was basking in the lime light of being an expecting Grandmother FINALLY!

This quilt and the receiving blankets tell the story of my mother's aching desire to be Grandma all these years.

For our little one this quilt is the gift of Grandma Thornton. With the "I Love Grandma" Backing and the heart patterns that represent Grandma's birthday, Valentine's Day, This quilt is an "I'm your Grandma and I will spoil you rotten with my warm love" declaration!

Thank you Mom, I'm positive that your granddaughter is going to love and cherish this quilt as much as she will love and cherish her moments with you!

The Changing Table is DONE!!!!

As you all know I decided a couple months ago to refinish a changing table that was given to us to match the color of the other nursery furniture. This project was a collaboration of many helping hands. My cousin Dustin started the project by disassembling and sanding all the big pieces during a visit from Michigan. Then my parents who came to visit from New Mexico helped finish the project. They sanded along side with me, and then took over to do the staining and polyurethane finish so I wouldn't have to be around the fumes! I did get to help paint the shelves white with NO VOC paint. My parents also handled reassembly and my brother lugged it upstairs and set it up in the Nursery! What a group effort!!! Here are the pics!

Here is a before of the changing table:

The first sanding:

It taken apart to keep sanding:

Here is me hard at work sanding the smaller sides:

My Dad putting together a work bench for my parents to sand down the smaller pieces:

My Mom sanding away:

The wood NAKED:

The staining begins:

My paint job on the shelves:

The polyurethane finish stage:

The finished product!


Once I get my nursing chair upstairs the Nursery will be complete! I can't believe it!!!!!

License to SHOP!

Well now that we have had our baby shower, I am now free to shop for what we still need! The past few weeks I have wanted to go baby stuff shopping but was told I had to wait until after the shower.... So YAY for me and my shopping spree!

As you all know we decided to go the cloth diaper route, ironically, this is the one area where we didn't get anything for at the baby showers. I think this is because most of cloth diapering supplies are best found online and buying cloth diapers doesn't sound like fun... Luckily... I love online shopping and I have really loved picking out cloth diapers!! They are like another accessory.

We have been saving up for our cloth diaper investment and boy am I glad we did! I decided to go with gently used diapers as they are half the price of new ones, and I shopped around to make sure I wasn't over paying for all the additional supplies... Even then I spent almost $500.00 on getting all the diapering supplies!!!

It seems like a lot but these supplies will cover the first 6 months of our little one's life. It ends up being cheaper than going disposable over time! Plus if we maintain them well, they have resell value!

Here are the items I bought:

24- Kissaluvs Fitted Size 0

8- Newborn Prorap Covers

1- Baby Bits Wipes Solution (3 oz box which makes 50 cups of wipes solution)

24-Kissaluvs Cotton Cloth Wipes

2-Kissaluvs Antibacterial Diaper Pail Liners

1-Kushies "On the Go" Wet Bag Large (2-pack)

1-Mini-Shower- Bidet & Multi Use Hand Held Sprayer (this is attaches to your toilet so you can spray off poo before you put the diapers in the wash)

1-Allen's Naturally Laundry Detergent (1 Gallon= 512 loads)

1-Dispensing Pump Allen's Naturally Laundry Detergent (it measures for you!!!)

I also got these which are not related to diapering...

2-Bravado Washable Breast Pads (6 pack)

A photo of the swag!!

Now I just need to finish refinishing our changing table so I have a place to put all this!