Belly Casting

Yes...I am still pregnant! Only 3 days until my due date, yet I feel way overdue because this is the longest I have ever gone in a pregnancy! Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be sitting here on April 27, 2008, still pregnant. I've been having TONS of contractions every day for the past week or so, but things always end up stopping and real labor has not kicked in yet. At my last dr appt (last Thurs) I was 4 cm dilated and 100% effaced. This has been a lesson in patience for me, although I am starting to lose my patience now. If I did not have so many things planned, I guess I'd be better about waiting. But, the boys have more testing this coming week, which my Mom is going to have to take them to because, honestly, I am afraid to drive more than 20 minutes away for anything...what if I go into labor and get stuck somewhere?? I am hoping I have this baby before I have to go back to work on May 6th (we happen to be off meetings this week...which is convenient) and there are just so many things going on with the kids. So, Baby...hurry up and come!


Here is my belly cast! Before my Blessingway on April 12th, my friends, Terri and Pidge, came over and helped me create a great looking belly cast. We got this Rigid Wrap casting material from Michael's craft store. It hardens in about 20 minutes or so. You paste it on to your belly and when you are done, you have an awesome looking belly cast....for memory sake. I did this also when I was pregnant with Kateri. So, it's fun to compare the 2 belly casts. It's a very easy process, although you do need someone to help you with it, and help hold on the cast material while it hardens. And, before we started, we put olive oil on my body to make sure the cast did not stick.


My sister Kathy models my belly cast from Kateri, which was done 5 years ago. The belly casts are pretty similar in size. The main difference is that I added my hands into this new belly cast, to give a little different look.

Some updated photos....

Here I am at almost 39 weeks!


My due date is in about 5 days....can you believe it? I actually feel overdue, since all my babies have come much earlier than this. This baby is stubborn and does not want to come out...even though I am now already 4 cm dilated and totally effaced! I had a doctor appt today to confirm that. I just can't believe Baby has not come out yet. Overall, I have enjoyed this pregnancy, and really do not have much to complain about. I have not been sick at all, everything has gone healthy and as expected, and it's fun to have this little life growing inside...just wondering who this little person is and who they will become. It's pretty amazing at how strong the mother-baby connection is. Once Baby is born, I am instantly attached to this Being...doing all in my power to console, nurse and love this little creature...and there is an instant bond. I guess there always has been though.

We've been busy lately with all sorts of fun events. Last weekend was my Grandma's 94th Birthday! I had a few cousins come in from out of town, and we had a big party for her.
Grandma with Luanna and Kateri, celebrating her 94th birthday on April 20th!

This is my mother's Mom....and here is my Mom (smack in the middle) with all her siblings...there are 7 of them (6 girls, 1 boy).

For Earth Day on Tuesday (April 22), we spent the day with homeschool friends at the park. The kids played in the forest, made an awesome fort and made Earth Day beaded necklaces and bracelets.
Kateri, making an Earth Day beaded necklace.

Luanna, having a great time on the tire swing at the park.

The 3 boys at the park on Earth Day.

Me and Jeremy leaving the park last Tuesday.

This week, Isaiah has been going through his annual OAT testing (Ohio Achievement Tests), which most school kids have to do...and we have to do with our homeschool program that we follow. But, not all homeschoolers do this testing though...it's really optional. Next week, Jeremy is doing testing.

The 3 boys have also all started Soccer season! Last Saturday was their first games, which was nuts, since Oliver played at 11, Jeremy played at 12:30 and Isaiah was at 1:15...so we are at the fields all day long it seems, and they play at 3 separate fields, of course. Besides that, all 3 boys have also started Baseball season practices. So, between soccer games and soccer practices, we have to schedule in baseball practices (the baseball games will start in late May). It's hard to keep track of it all, but the kids LOVE sports and since I love for them to keep active and healthy, it's worth all the crazy, busy schedules.
Oliver, the cutie, at his first soccer game last Saturday.

Isaiah and Oliver after Isaiah's game.

Well, it would be nice if the next posting is full of photos of Baby T, but we'll see what this weekend has to offer.....Baby or not? With this Baby's track record so far...I am thinking I'll be able to post again before the birth, but who knows. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

Update: Still pregnant & Fatsy's teeth

Well, for all of you who are wondering...I am still pregnant. No baby yet. I have been having a ton of contractions and nights where I have questioned, "Am I in labor...is this it??" But, no....it's been a long wait. My actual due date is not until next week, April 30. But, since all my other pregnancies have never reached the due date, I am not expecting this one to either. So, who knows? I still have 7 days. Maybe this baby is different and more stubborn.

We've been very busy though every day. Isaiah has testing this week, Ohio Achievement Tests, on Mon-Wed-Fri of this week, which we do, even though we are homeschoolers. Jeremy has testing next week on Mon and Wed. For Earth Day yesterday, we spent the afternoon at the Metroparks with a lot of our homeschooling friends. The kids had a blast playing in the woods and hiking. We are planning on meeting with our Homeschool Gym class tomorrow, either at the gym or Metroparks. The weather has been sooooo nice lately.

One of our dogs, Fatsy, our fat, little beagle, had her teeth cleaned yesterday at the vet. Her teeth have been soooo bad, and I knew they must be a source of pain. We adopted her 2 yrs ago from our rescue group. She was about 5 yrs old when we adopted her, and the vet had told us at that point that her teeth were horrid, and whatever she had been eating in her first years of life had destroyed her teeth for good. We had them cleaned a couple years ago and they took out about 6 teeth then, but told us to get them cleaned again in another year or two. So, we set up the appt for yesterday, and expected a few more extractions. Well, to my horror, they ended up taking out 19 (yes, NINETEEN!!) of her teeth yesterday!! She only has 4 teeth left...the 4 canine fangs. Poor thing! The vet said her teeth were so bad, that there was puss coming out of all her teeth and gums and her teeth were literally falling out, as they were cleaning them. Ugh! I feel so awful for her. I was so worried when I picked her up yesterday, wondering how she could survive with only 4 teeth. But, we have been happily surprised in just one day....she is doing awesome!! She seems to be feeling great and she is eating better than ever!! I think her teeth had been causing her too much pain and now the pain is gone. The vet said she thinks that having this done has actually saved her life, because tooth decay in dogs can be fatal...causing heart attacks and major infections. She is like a different dog, even though she's basically toothless, she is much more spunky, happy and feeling great. I took her on a walk tonight and there she was, toothless and happy, with her tail held high in the air, feeling great! Pretty amazing.

Metroparks Fun!

We are lucky enough to live very close to a Metroparks. The kids and I often go there when the weather is nice and just being there makes my kids love nature like they should. Today, we met a large group of homeschoolers there for the afternoon. The weather was beautiful and warm, at 78 degrees! The boys had fun playing in the creek with their nets and buckets, catching a ton of minnows...and then had fun letting them all go before we left. The girls also had fun running in the creek and skipping rocks. By the time we left that afternoon, all 5 kids were soaking wet, tired and happy.

I am in my 38th week of pregnancy now. Less than 2 weeks to my due date, and I feel so ready to have this baby. I can't imagine waiting another 2 weeks. But, we'll see what Baby has planned. I've been having contractions every day...well, mainly in the evenings, and know my body is ready soon. Many people in my family have predicted me having Baby this coming weekend. On Sunday, April 20th is my Grandma's 94th birthday and we are having a big party for her. We have a lot of relatives coming in from out of town to celebrate this. It would be kind of neat to have this baby on her birthday as well. It is also fun just not knowing when Baby will arrive. Each day I wake up thinking...will this be the day?
Patience, patience....

Betsy's Blessingway

Last night, my good friends, Terri and Pidge, planned and arranged a Blessingway for me at my home, with some of my good friends and family members. It was an all female event, celebrating birth, womanhood and friendship/family. Blessingways are actually derived from a Native American birth ritual event, so many of the customs and cermonial things in this are Native American. It is supposed to prepare and honor the mother, in preparation for the upcoming birth. It was such a unique and memorable event. All 5 of my dogs also hung out and participated in one way or another...which added some comedy to the situation. I want to thank all my friends and family who participated in this event.

Ken took the kids out for the evening and went to the Lake Erie Monsters hockey game, with Christy's husband, their 3 kids, Kathy's husband, Jeff and my Dad and brother. So, the gals got to hang out alone at home, until at least about 10:30pm or so, and then all the guys ended up crashing the party with us. It ended up being a fairly long ceremony, and wow...I can not describe all the things that happened. You will just have to view some of the photos and see for yourselves.

Here are some fun pictures from last night's Blessingway!

My sister Christy, crowning me with a wreath of flowers!

My Mom bringing a photo of me at age 9...and telling a funny story.

My Mother in Law, giving me a nice necklace, with a family tree and inscription on it.

My friend, Terri, drumming and singing, during the Blessingway ceremony.

The ceremonial circle of women at the event...dogs included.

Here is everyone gathered around me during the ceremony. My sister, Megan (not pictured), took the photo.

My shrine of candles, with the program for the ceremony.

Me with my midwife, Pam. The next photo you will see of me with her, will be at the birth!!

This is me with some great friends, Pidge, Lori and Terri.

My brother, Brian, modeling the lovely Belly Cast that my friends helped to create with me before the Blessingway!

My sister Megan, my Aunt Barbara, friend Bessie, me, sister Christy, sister Kathy, sister Mandy and Mom.

Ken and Betsy...possibly days...or short weeks before welcoming Baby #6.

The last weeks...

Here we are, at 37 weeks. This pregnancy has flown. I am trying to appreciate and cherish these last weeks, but to be truthful, I am very big and uncomfortable...but I am also having fun with this all. I saw my midwife today and things are progressing well, and baby and I are staying healthy and strong. I have been having a lot of contractions this week. In fact, I thought I was in labor yesterday, even though it would have been a little early (3 weeks before due date). I was having contractions all day, and called my midwife. We waited things out a bit...and things slowed down eventually. Pam, my midwife, says that the more babies you have, the more "false" labors you get. Oh great. I hope I eventually know when it's real...in time for her to get there. Pam says I will. Watch...I'll probably go to my due date with this one or even be late...after all this thinking and worrying that I'll be early.


Pam gave me the "Birth" rock to take home. When Pam's clients are close to giving birth, she gives them the "Birth" rock to hold on to. It's a symbol that birth is coming soon. I remember I got it right before Kateri was born. I took a photo of Kateri with the rock next to her shortly after her birth.

I am having my family give me their guesses on the baby's sex, weight and birth date. It's a neat list I am compiling to save for baby in the future. I did the same thing with the other kids. It's fun to see who gets the closest guesses. Most people are guessing boy...probably about 70-80% are. I am actually switching my guess to girl now...because of that and also because I think I need to stick with my original guess...way back in the first trimester when I thought it was a girl. I can't wait to find out. Either way, this baby is going to be welcomed into a big, loving family that can not wait to wrap their arms around her/him! I am glad that I am starting to get very excited about the birth....labor pains and all!

Welcome Spring!!

Here I am today....at 37 weeks pregnant!
Today was a beautiful day with blue skies and warm temps...about 65 degrees. Aaah...the smell of spring! We were talking about that today and I was saying that when I smell spring, I just feel like giving birth. No joking, since all my bio-kids were born in the spring. I am like a deer...I birthe in the springtime.

We spent the afternoon at Ken's parents house, which is a great place to be on a nice day like today. They have about 3 1/2 acres of land, and the kids spent the day outside playing baseball, flying their Air Hog plane and exploring the woods. We celebrated Ken's dad's birthday (who just turned 65). Today also happens to be my Aunt Barbara's birthday...Happy Birthday Bubu!

We found out today that Ken's brother, Chris and his wife, Sarah, are expecting Baby #2!!! We are so thrilled! Their first child, Henry, is only 10 months old, so he will have a sibling close in age to him, which is awesome! Sarah figures that she is due sometime around Thanksgiving. This will be the 10th grandchild for Ken's parents, and the 7th cousin for my kids. It is so fun to see the families growing and seeing new babies being born. I am also glad that our baby #6 will have a few cousins close in age to him/her. What an exciting year this will be!

Here are some fun photos of today's adventure at the Grandparents house.
Ken's dad pitching to Ken.

Kateri, hanging out with Morgan in the cool plants/bushes.

Ken pitching to Isaiah.

Kateri swinging on a rope and saying "Nims Island!"

Grandma and Sarah, helping Henry to walk and kick the soccer ball.

Grandpa, getting help blowing out candles.

Chris, Sarah and Henry...the happy family, awaiting Baby #2 pretty soon!

Isaiah's Birthday Slideshow

Isaiah's 11th Birthday was March 31st. I put together a slideshow of photos for him. We celebrated his bday a couple times...first at the Fantasy Baseball Draft on Friday, March 25th and then on his actual bday, March 31st with family. He is a cutie! Enjoy!

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Moving right along....

I had an appt with my OB/Gyn today. Although I am having a homebirth, I have also been seeing my OB\Gyn. Mainly because I think it's nice to have a back-up person, just in case something were to happen and I needed to go to the hospital, and also because I have known my dr since I was about 21 yrs old. So, she feels like a longtime friend and she has been with me since before I even had kids. She is fine with me having a homebirth, especially since I have done this before, and she is very confident and supportive of my homebirth decision, which is nice. Of course, if she was not, I would most likely not continue to see her :)
Anyways, she checked me today and I am already 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. For those of you who have had kids before, you understand this lingo and it basically means....I am moving right along, my body is preparing for the birth and labor could happen anytime soon. Once you hit about 80% effaced or more, labor is immanent and happening fast...at least that is how it is for me. If I do not have this baby in the next 2-3 weeks, I'd be shocked. I have been contracting and cramping a lot this week. I feel like I am in early labor at times...and I guess I probably am, since labor could be a month long process.

I see my midwife, Pam, next Tuesday. I do enjoy my appts with her so much. We usually just sit and chat, and drink tea...and talk about baby. No rush. And, I do notice a huge difference in my appts with my midwife vs. my dr. I love them both, but my dr is more by the book, using technology (ultrasounds, doppler heart monitors, blood tests and doing internal checks) to ensure all is OK, whereas Pam has an intuitive sense about her...she loves to connect with the baby and feel my belly without all the technology and man-made stuff...and it feels as if she seems to know more that way. She can always tell where baby is at, the exact position and has a good sense of the baby's size too...all without any ultrasound technology. Pam also does blood tests and urine tests as well, and she has the all the "medical stuff" if needed....so don't think she is totally not modern or well prepared, but I do think that overall, the care of a midwife far outweighs that of a dr. and the time a midwife spends with her patient is much longer. She takes time at our appts to figure out the emotions of a pregnant woman...not just the physical outcome of the mom and baby, which is nice.

Happy April!

Yesterday, March 31st was Isaiah's 11th Birthday! I will post photos of that day soon. It's hard to believe he is already 11! He is counting down the years until he can drive...he told me "Mom...only 5 more years to go!"

I remember that I was the same way. I could not wait to drive, and on my 16th birthday, my Dad drove me to the Driver's License Bureau where I took the test and got my temp license that day. And, I still enjoy driving!

We celebrated Isaiah's birthday with family last night...grandparents, aunts and uncles. It was a fun time. Isaiah had also celebrated last friday with family and friends at his 2nd Annual Fantasy Baseball Draft. I went over and brought dog cupcakes to everyone there and they sang to him on friday too.

I am losing track of weeks here...all I know is that I have about 4 weeks or less left of this pregnancy! My due date is April 30th...which is Kateri's birthday. In the last couple weeks here, I have grown tremendously. My belly is sticking out in a big way! Even my maternity clothes are starting to get tight. That's when you know it's bad. At my last midwife appt, she estimated the baby to be about 7 lbs already. With a month to go, that could put the baby at about 9-10 lbs at delivery. All my kids were between 8-9 lbs, and they all came a little early, so that sounds about right I guess. My back is hurting a lot, I am often out of breath and things are just overall uncomfortable at this point. In many ways, I am looking forward to delivery very soon! But, in other ways I am not...only because then I know the real work begins! Caring for a newborn is really hard in the beginning...constant nursing, diaper changing, crying, timing my work schedules, rocking, nap schedules..... One big reason we decided to adopt an "older" baby/toddler, was to bypass all the newborn stages like that. So, we adopted Luanna at 2 1/2 yrs old and it was awesome! I did not miss that baby stage at all. So, I have been spoiled with having no tiny babies for awhile and have been enjoying the freedom of being able to take off at any time during the day with the kids, or go to work in the evenings and not have to worry about the kids desperately needing me, and having them be pretty independent in getting dressed on their own, eating on their own, minimal crying episides and no diapers! This will be a whole new ball game for all of us again. Honestly, I am probably enjoying the age where Isaiah and Jeremy are at right now the most...between 9-14 yrs old! It's really fun for me and I love that age group. But, I am trying to get excited here for the new baby and I know once I see that new little face, things will all come back to me and I will enjoy the experience once again. It is also very fun to witness the excitement of the kids...they are constantly talking about the baby, feeling my belly, talking about how fun it will be when Baby T comes and when will my labor start?

So, welcome to April, which will most likely be the month of the birth of Baby Traben #6! Yes, very exciting!