He's walking!
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: Mama Notes

See for yourself! Video of him... Walking

Yaaay! He's been taking steps for awhile now but is really getting on the move thses days :)

1 year old!!
Mood:  happy

Okay so actually he's 13 months as I write this, but I'm a little late haha... He is taking steps and eating more solid foods now, but still loves and needs his BOOB! :D He is growing so fast in all ways, I just want to freeze time so I can fully enjoy this stage before he becomes a full-blown walkin talkin toddler! *sniff sniff* *tear* His latest antics include spitting, copying sounds and actions that we do, gecko hunting, nature walks, LOUD lectures & speeches, running around pushing whatever walker he finds (laundry basket, upside down play table, boxes, rolling cart), and more.

Here's a video of him playing with a box: My Video

Happy 10 month birthday Every!
Topic: Mama Notes

Isn't he CUTE???? That's his first time in the grass! A friend just reminded me that my little baby boy is going to explode into a walking talking toddler in no time at all! I am absolutely loving this stage in his life. He is crawling all over the house at full speed and climbs up on all kinds of stuff. He likes standing, cruising along the couch, bathtub or even the toilet =) hehe. If we "chase" him he loves it. He gets all excited and "runs" away as fast as he can. We loooove tickle fests and Every giggles the most when he and daddy are "wrestling" and having funny face/sound competitions. When I ask Every if he's hungy or if I flash my boobs at him his eyes light up and he comes racing over to attack me. He loooves nursing and so do I. Nothing is sweeter than having your little babe want to retreat back to mama for some milkies when he's hungry, sleepy, cranky, or hurt. When I pull him to my breast he is determined and excited, pulling at my shirt and patting my arm in anticipation. When he latches on, everything calms and his eyes roll back in satisfaction. Nourishment, comfort, cuddling, relaxation, for both of us. It is so precious and I can't imagine what the day will be like when he weams himself (not anytime soon I hope!). I love my baby boy!!

Almost 10 months
Topic: Mama Notes

We just got tooth #8 in!!! ARRGGHH. Damn teeth. So many so fast. Every is taking it pretty well, except for this tooth, he's very cranky. He had a fever and diarrhea last weekend and has been sooo clingy all week. I've been carrying him a lot and just trying to give him lots of love. :)

We just moved into my grandma's house last weekend (Father's day) and are finally getting settled in. Robby is going to go part time at his job now that he got a raise and he will be trying to take classes towards his own certification. We'll be gardening and such at my grandma's but are still looking for our own plot of land to really work on.

 I got my business license!!!!!!! yaaaaaaaaaay! Fruit of the Womb is official now! Check out my website at http://fruitofthewomb.tripod.com

Okay, thats the update for now! Gotta run!

Shell

Pictures!!!
Mood:  cheeky
Topic: Mama Notes
Here's us about 8.5 months


Where's lunch?? like my teeef?


just analyzing my ABCs


us at Nuts & Grains!


playing with Lily and Aidan, his cousins


us at Lang's (he's about 6.5 months here)


hehe, wasnt in a good mood for auntie lang


man it's bright here!


we love sleeping on the family futon ;)


beautiful sunrise one morning at my parents' house


us again


mmmm Grandpa's shirt


miss Lily


puttin on diapers is harder and harder since mobility happened


I WILL get up there!


Here I come!


Nursing in the Mei Tai


playing in the ergo after a walk


on the potty (he actually prefers standing now though)


dad, Lily and Shane (my brother)


right before we left CA, after Robby cut off his loong hair!


tongue! (still in CA)


Robby when he was a baby!!

catching up
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Mama Notes
Okay....Every is 9 months old now, so i have 4 months to catch up on!!! Well...we moved from California to Guam, which was a pretty huge transition! We were staying at Robby's mom's house for a month in Gilroy, CA, and now we've been at my parents house sinch March, in Talofofo here on Guam. :) About 3 months I guess. It was soooooo hot when we got here, and now that "summer's" here its even hotter. but at least we are getting into rainy season now.

Robby is working at Pacific Modair as an aircon technician and his 3-month probation will be up soon, which means he gets a raise! yay! I'm soooo proud of him, he really is the love of my life. :) We bought my mom's 98 Civic and have been scouting out land and stuff for our organic farm, which we are very very VERY excited about!! I'll write more details about that later though.

I've been helping my mom at her store (Nuts & Grains) and today we are training a new employee. I have also been working on starting my own little business on the side ;) It's called Fruit of the Womb and I will be selling my artwork (photos, paintings, baby clothes), "natural" gift baskets for moms and babies (including slings, cloth diapers, books on natural parenting, and after-birth necessities for mama and baby), and once we get more stuff growing, our organic produce will be for sale as well.

Every is full-on crawling now for over a week (he did the army commando inchworm deal for about a month) and is becomming a climber. He pulls himself up on everything (couches, chairs, our legs, the door, boxes, the walker, etc) and tries to "climb" up. It is sooo hard trying to babyproof my parents house because i cant just go rearranging everything, ya know? Anyway, he loves us to "walk" him now, holding his hands. he gets better every single day. his absolute favorite thing to do nowadays is chase this ball around the entire house. he especially loves if we "walk" him around chasing it so he can play soccer with it. hehehe. he is just so cute. of course he is babbling up a storm and is very opinionated and vocal about what he does and doesnt like to do.

we have been almost diaper-free when we are at home (with an occasional puddle here and there), which is oh-so-freeing. I love ECing. :) Every will pee outside standing up now. He's growing sooo fast!!

Okay, there's my update, I'll post some pics :)

Every smiling at 5 months
Topic: Mama Notes
what a happy little dude!!

Nursing
Mood:  amorous
Topic: Mama Notes

I love my son!
Mood:  amorous
Now Playing: classical music (Every is sleeping)
Topic: Mama Notes
Breastfeeding can be so difficult at times, but it is usually the most wonderful feeling. Warm, calm, nourishing, satisfying, sweet, beautiful, gratifying, giggly, MAMA MILK!!! Every looks up at me, latched on and determined to get that milk out. He knows it's in there, he smells it. =D Plus, I really didn't think I'd be all that surprised at how he just keeps on growing, because, uh...that's what babies do right? And breastmilk is the best facilitator of that growth right? I'm still amazed...that MY body is feeding him, and it is all he needs to survive the first two years of life!

I wonder when he will wean himself...not for a long time I hope. But whenever he is ready is fine with me.

::::Update::::

Every is 5 months old now and is almost going to start crawling, once he builds up some more arm strength. This shouldn't be long because he's grabbing everything in sight now, swatting things, swatting US (hard!), and pumping his arms up and down throughtout the day. He enjoys being on his tummy on the floor, provided he's got something fun to look at and/or gnaw on (pretty much anything will work...). Every also loves us to support him as he stands up, or sits on our laps.

We are getting pretty adept to using the different slings we have. I have the Baby Bjorn, a Kangaroo Korner Adjustable Fleece Pouch, a Hemp ring sling, and 2 Mei Tais. And I am glad I have every single one of them, although I haven't used the ring sling much for some reason. Maybe as he gets older. Robby has used the Baby Bjorn numerous times and enjoys carrying Every around. =D

Afterthoughts of Birth (4 months postpartum)
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: Why Unassisted Birth?
WOW!!! I would like to start off by saying that I am 100% thankful that I stuck with my gut instincts! Everything happened as it should have. Here is my Birth Story....but to summarize (because it's pretty lengthy):

My labor was just over 9 hours, and Robert Every was born at 1:12 pm, August 30, 2005...we are estimating his birth weight to be nearly 8 lbs, length 21". He was transverse (sideways) for most of the labor, for almost 2 HOURS of pushing! Little Every had one hand by his face and once his head emerged, he grabbed Robby's finger and with the next couple pushes, slid right into daddy's arms. It was extremely tiring, but we were thrilled with our new little angel. It took about a week for me to be able to move around half-normally, and by two months, I'd say that I was functioning pretty normally. Now, at 4 months postpartum, I feel like ME, and I am loving life. I got hit with some baby blues here and there, but I'm pulling through quite successfully. Healthy food, vitamins, water, mild exercise, sunshine, laughter, some cannabis, and a loving relationship with Robby are the keys to my sanity.

Every is doing new things all the time. Teething for about a month now, he is a drool monster. His tongue is getting creative and he "talks" up a storm, especially when he really needs to prove a point (like when his diaper is wet). His back is getting stronger and he loves standing assisted, rolling over, holding his head & shoulders up, and kick-kick-KICKING!!! He is a noisy little dinosaur. And we love him. Daddy can make him laugh more than I can, but........Momma's got the milk, and you CAN'T beat that! =)

We are staying at Robby's mom's house until we move back to Guam (YAEEE!!!!) in the spring. I am sooo excited to go back HOME. It'll be such a relief! And of course, my parents are dying to see their new grandson. I'd also like to meet my niece, Lilly already. My plan is to slowly take over my mom's health food store (Nuts & Grains) while Robby and I build up our farm.

Things are going good (with bumps ALL along the way!), and we are just trying to get home. Unassisted birth (birth & motherhood in general) has changed my life for the better and I hope all future births have the same opportunity. =)