tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71847974630353356402024-03-05T21:36:02.663-05:00Do Snails Need Doulas?LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.comBlogger150125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7184797463035335640.post-56364789024185332412016-08-25T17:38:00.001-04:002016-08-26T17:07:49.212-04:00Twenty questions - 2016 edition! This series has been so much fun over the years and now we get to add Casey to the mix!! Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<i>**Disclaimer - I know my boys talk about 'chicken nuggets' and 'chocolate milk', but as they're being raised on a plant-based diet (damn they failed to mention that!) they actually mean "fake chicken nuggets" and "chocolate almond / cashew milk". If only they knew they had to clarify that they don't eat animal products... :) **</i><br />
<br />
Thomas:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xnVMOQgV0e8" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
Tyler:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4aPahHBZPhI" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
And introducing... Casey!:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qwi6ccmTmxI" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
You can find the old videos here:<br />
http://dosnailsneeddoulas.blogspot.com/2012/08/20-questions-for-three-year-old.html<br />
http://dosnailsneeddoulas.blogspot.com/2013/08/20-questions-for-four-year-old.html<br />
http://dosnailsneeddoulas.blogspot.com/2014/08/twenty-questions-for-five-year-old-and.html<br />
http://dosnailsneeddoulas.blogspot.com/2015/08/20-questions-for-3-and-6-year-old.html<br />
<br />
Ahhhhh, babies. They grow so fast!<br />
<br />LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7184797463035335640.post-34302990552170137522016-08-25T17:38:00.000-04:002016-08-25T17:40:43.087-04:00Twenty questions - 2016 edition! This series has been so much fun over the years and now we get to add Casey to the mix!! Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<br />
Thomas:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xnVMOQgV0e8" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
Tyler:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4aPahHBZPhI" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
And introducing... Casey!:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qwi6ccmTmxI" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
You can find the old videos here:<br />
http://dosnailsneeddoulas.blogspot.com/2012/08/20-questions-for-three-year-old.html<br />
http://dosnailsneeddoulas.blogspot.com/2013/08/20-questions-for-four-year-old.html<br />
http://dosnailsneeddoulas.blogspot.com/2014/08/twenty-questions-for-five-year-old-and.html<br />
http://dosnailsneeddoulas.blogspot.com/2015/08/20-questions-for-3-and-6-year-old.html<br />
<br />
Ahhhhh, babies. They grow so fast!<br />
<br />LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7184797463035335640.post-50911242793199552522015-08-13T15:54:00.000-04:002015-08-13T15:54:32.000-04:0020 questions for a 3 and 6 year old!It's that time of year again! Here for your viewing pleasure, 20 questions for my beautiful babies. I wonder how many years we can keep it up!<br />
<br />
Thomas, age 6:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7aBkGwAWHoo/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7aBkGwAWHoo?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
Tyler, age 3:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/h7ELLZn5_mQ/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h7ELLZn5_mQ?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
Previous years include:<br />
<a href="http://dosnailsneeddoulas.blogspot.com/2012/08/20-questions-for-three-year-old.html" target="_blank">Thomas age 3</a><br />
<a href="http://dosnailsneeddoulas.blogspot.com/2013/08/20-questions-for-four-year-old.html" target="_blank">Thomas age 4</a><br />
<a href="http://dosnailsneeddoulas.blogspot.com/2014/08/twenty-questions-for-five-year-old-and.html" target="_blank">Thomas and Tyler ages 5 and 2</a><br />
<br />LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7184797463035335640.post-77535830741537290382015-07-06T21:51:00.000-04:002015-07-06T21:52:17.988-04:00Casey's birth story<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">OK, let’s just start at the start and see where we go. This pregnancy and birth is so hard to define. Knowing it was the last time that we would bring a new baby into our family was tough for me and I longed to feel worse so I would be OK that I wouldn’t have to do it again! “Trying” to get pregnant got super stressful third time round as month after month the pregnancy test would come back negative. Who knows why this baby took a long time coming, but finally he decided the time was right and just like that, just like Thomas and Tyler, I *knew* before I knew I was pregnant.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
I embraced this pregnancy with all my heart. The first trimester fell during the busy holiday photography season and I spent days out in the fields making children smile for their festive family photos before spending evenings and nights sleeping and feeling worn out with no energy left for anything else! We found out in December that we were having our third boy. I wanted to know - with it being our final baby - to be able to process the feelings of not having a girl, if that was going to be our destiny. I didn’t expect the onslaught of “I’m sorry” comments and messages and it made me sad to think this baby would always be viewed as the ‘not a girl’ baby. The idea of three boys was amazing to me and I wasn’t sad like I had always assumed I would be. Bring on three boys! How amazing is it going to be having three men standing by my side as I go into my older years?!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_6AyqwUvEHAFJi7ytQ_GNuptDWcC7umHDqoNEBJptkY_Xh2YR5ZzKfSib_JB3kSLQyq7CKXeixzKcMndEmRkOyjT0eqFHWHLt1DP0v8oK3ky44kGx85eduHG0F1CnFVRhpLvor2MVjSQ/s1600/IMG_0943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_6AyqwUvEHAFJi7ytQ_GNuptDWcC7umHDqoNEBJptkY_Xh2YR5ZzKfSib_JB3kSLQyq7CKXeixzKcMndEmRkOyjT0eqFHWHLt1DP0v8oK3ky44kGx85eduHG0F1CnFVRhpLvor2MVjSQ/s320/IMG_0943.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
My pregnancy was amazing. After crazy cravings for cheese and eggs in the first trimester, I pretty much embraced a plant-based diet for the second and third trimesters. Running around after two boys and a dog kept me active, and monthly acupuncture sessions, cranio-sacral therapy and the occasional pedicure / massage all contributed to the healthiest of all my pregnancies. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKgjyBn_Bj9oUMiSafJ1NdBOPJdaQcQ1e6uFjmP9gITQFOgsNlEgm_ZzPWhJdGJqSU6MQFHh5w_Zy6Pqcrkkl9pZmeJCrzZ8zRDHGNApxqc6gciUHuL7ZCLSEdfU9pqeNsUXvTbpye2I/s1600/Lindsey-Maternity-107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKgjyBn_Bj9oUMiSafJ1NdBOPJdaQcQ1e6uFjmP9gITQFOgsNlEgm_ZzPWhJdGJqSU6MQFHh5w_Zy6Pqcrkkl9pZmeJCrzZ8zRDHGNApxqc6gciUHuL7ZCLSEdfU9pqeNsUXvTbpye2I/s400/Lindsey-Maternity-107.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
In late May I had my Blessingway and spent an afternoon casting aside the feelings of sadness over my final pregnancy and walked a labyrinth to prepare for the enormity of life with a newborn and other family members to care for. I went into the final weeks of pregnancy feeling loved and surrounded by people who cared for me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKO5SmyXNVZmHPcjZguFmVYuZNHCYoQLQeqtbalEfzoED3QcawNWRriUCw6MhAc8JGD7vxDhVrLSmb0IAWA10jl3oqFAzvWAkuaUBn2McfUkx7zpkrQP0fkGKm2tznI8Rvi4qN7psAVds/s1600/IMG_0430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKO5SmyXNVZmHPcjZguFmVYuZNHCYoQLQeqtbalEfzoED3QcawNWRriUCw6MhAc8JGD7vxDhVrLSmb0IAWA10jl3oqFAzvWAkuaUBn2McfUkx7zpkrQP0fkGKm2tznI8Rvi4qN7psAVds/s320/IMG_0430.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPop4ZBCziSuBCZ2KRDU1Sgxn2S-ljvWdmsKsZUK7X6ruJ71mwXWJeVhHV800kuH2gVEBYUIsi79g7HVgwUBZM585_cM-gYX2326wuhYptBwPvqv9cDWaqKRSWk346B38VqWfo7YCccck/s1600/IMG_0528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPop4ZBCziSuBCZ2KRDU1Sgxn2S-ljvWdmsKsZUK7X6ruJ71mwXWJeVhHV800kuH2gVEBYUIsi79g7HVgwUBZM585_cM-gYX2326wuhYptBwPvqv9cDWaqKRSWk346B38VqWfo7YCccck/s320/IMG_0528.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
My parents were due to arrive five days before my due date. My mum was present at the birth of both boys and it felt right to have her here for my third baby so we planned in advance, and made as good a guess as we could for when the baby would arrive! My first, Thomas, was ten days past his due date, and my second (Tyler) came on his due date, so we figured this baby was unlikely to come early and more likely to be around the “estimated’ date. During week 39 the braxton hicks I had experienced for weeks seemed to ramp up a notch and there were a couple of days where I started to think I was in early labour, so much so that I called the midwife to tell her that things were possibly happening… I think we all willed the baby to stay in that week and were very grateful when my parents’ flight took off and labour still hadn’t started! The rest of that week passed quickly with trips to stock up on necessities and an impending excitement that things were going to happen soon. My due date came and went… and my mum started to stress that the baby wouldn’t arrive before she left! This baby was quite content to stay inside just a little while longer, and once I made peace with the idea that maybe we hadn’t timed it right this time, and maybe my mum wouldn’t be here for the birth, things started to happen…</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYZbRZVuwI89CH9IEWDn5aSbdtpE9HwbMDQil_IDEgB_wWquEauRytyeumSDPLEvB1ieCizsiodDUHMuUBZZLHqQHPhYFPNjHfJjLYlAaJOCYD0RuPgu70fcxNVxYRVTDf9DtnDf0y8k/s1600/40plus4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYZbRZVuwI89CH9IEWDn5aSbdtpE9HwbMDQil_IDEgB_wWquEauRytyeumSDPLEvB1ieCizsiodDUHMuUBZZLHqQHPhYFPNjHfJjLYlAaJOCYD0RuPgu70fcxNVxYRVTDf9DtnDf0y8k/s320/40plus4.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">40+4 weeks! Last pregnant picture!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Wednesday morning, June 24th, started like any other - Thomas and Tyler on each side of me in bed, ribs relieved from lying down all night, check for baby movements and up we get! That day we pottered around, buying more last minute food necessities and taking my parents to the mall. As I was walking through the shopping mall I felt a braxton hick coming on - this was nothing new, the endless walking caused BHs to happen pretty much endlessly in the last few days, but as I carried on walking I realised that maybe, just maybe, this one felt slightly more… contraction like? That feeling of “ohhhhhh, *now* I remember what contractions feel like” came upon me and I smiled to myself but didn’t tell anyone. This happened again two hours later, and again another two hours after that. Contractions two hours apart, I thought to myself, this is going to take some time!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
We went to bed around 10.45pm and I played a last minute game of Words with Friends and Candy Crush [don’t judge me!] and as I moved my leg into a more comfortable position, I felt a small pop and warmness. Was it bloody show or water? I thought to myself and as I struggled to an upright position, I realised water was spilling down my leg! Not a gush like Tyler, just a trickle. I started to laugh to myself. A good friend of mine in the UK had recently shared her birth story and she had also remarked how her last labour began with her water breaking first, something that had never happened to her, and here I was having the same thing happen! I decided to leave David sleeping but dutifully called my midwives, knowing how quickly Tyler had come in the middle of the night. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
I wasn’t having contractions so I knew that there were two possibilities - contractions were going to start up pretty quickly, or I could go another few hours or more before anything happened. I still hadn’t had any other signs of imminent labour so I planned to go to bed and get some sleep and see what the night brought. Well, contractions started about 10 minutes later so that idea didn’t last long! I still didn’t wake anyone and I decided to time them to see what was going on. I think I dozed on and off during this time and I was surprised when I looked the next day and saw how many times I had logged a contraction! 8 minutes, 8 minutes, never anything more, never more intense, doze, contraction, doze, contraction. Then around 1.30am I started to get more uncomfortable with the contraction and was needing to moan. I decided it was time to wake up David and get him to call the midwives. My mum was still sleeping and I told David not to wake her yet, I wanted her to get as much sleep as possible, knowing that someone would need to look after the boys tomorrow.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
Andrea, the midwife assistant, showed up first and I knew then that everything was going to be OK! I remember saying “Andrea is here! Now we can have a baby!” :) I was still stressing that I had called everyone out too early. The contractions were still 8 minutes apart and were getting more intense but weren’t getting closer together. I laboured on the bed on all fours, burying my head in a pillow to moan through a contraction. My mum woke up around this point and I remember I kept telling her to go back to sleep, that it was going to be hours before anything happened and she didn’t need to stay up… She didn’t listen to me, haha!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
Nannette showed up around 3am (I think) and asked if I wanted to go in the bathtub. I had mentioned a couple of times during prenatals that this baby seemed to be drawing me to water. I had not liked the birth pool with Thomas, the intense back labour had made me unable to get comfy in the water, and Tyler’s birth was just too quick! Earlier in this pregnancy I had a need to go and see the ocean, and the last couple of weeks we had the luxury of the swimming pool to take the weight off my baby-laden body. The tub sounded amazing, and Nannette and Andrea got to work filling it for me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsTPLkWLOh526hY9cdMm-bX4BjohDtsKUydmi4zETFx7B2n8rRxHEk11tnlRdRkMbPCseX-KH7we5kcd7QhdQju9dFxyd9aOTuq_V1VJLVysGDQ0ELYN2Y2Lm9toQyMSx_tR5cC5Oca8/s1600/IMG_0731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsTPLkWLOh526hY9cdMm-bX4BjohDtsKUydmi4zETFx7B2n8rRxHEk11tnlRdRkMbPCseX-KH7we5kcd7QhdQju9dFxyd9aOTuq_V1VJLVysGDQ0ELYN2Y2Lm9toQyMSx_tR5cC5Oca8/s400/IMG_0731.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
Nannette asked if I was OK with Grace, the student midwife, being present and that was fine with me. By that point, I was getting to labour la-la land and I didn’t really know what I wanted any more! I got in the tub and the relief was immense. People had always told me about this relief from contractions that they felt in the water and I had never experienced it. Now I understood. It felt so good. Contractions were still 8 minutes apart, although I think everyone had stopped timing them now. I kept exclaiming “we’re having a baby!”. I remember feeling so excited, we had waited so long, and finally we were going to meet this little man. I got concerned that I had got in the tub too early as the contractions didn’t seem anywhere near as intense. Andrea was sitting to the side of me and once I vocalised this to her, she pointed out that maybe I was just getting more relief from the water, and after that the contractions seem to ramp up and become more frequent (I *think* this is when I told David to call Jacqie, my friend and amazing photographer!).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkudUklq6wAUQGpZNZS5dbSwjt6InMp3wMhQcXoqAs82MFAzFIndl_ksyjSr771LjL-JPxWMjcuXcPWetVZJZMq4Y7ECe9X8a7XJijS3ASp3G1DT4jMbhT5CakDqgQDjePbgw9w2bFFsY/s1600/IMG_0733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkudUklq6wAUQGpZNZS5dbSwjt6InMp3wMhQcXoqAs82MFAzFIndl_ksyjSr771LjL-JPxWMjcuXcPWetVZJZMq4Y7ECe9X8a7XJijS3ASp3G1DT4jMbhT5CakDqgQDjePbgw9w2bFFsY/s400/IMG_0733.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
David was in front of me the whole time; he was my gate keeper, my protector. Nothing mattered beyond him. I knew I was safe, and I knew I could trust this team of birth keepers. My amazing mummy who had witnessed the birth of Thomas and Tyler, the beautiful Andrea who held the birth space with so much grace, and the midwives who knew when to be in the room and when to leave. I was surrounded by love, as well as affirmations from my Blessingway, my Blessingway candle and I had even put on my beaded necklace! The friends who had come and shared that sacred space with me were all around, and my heart felt like it couldn’t be happier. I was so open and so vulnerable and yet felt so strong. I talked to my baby “come on baby, we can do this, I love you”, I moaned into David’s arms, he stroked me and gave me water and when I started to sweat, he mopped my head with a cooling towel. This was intense. This was birth.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnm9ACFhr6Zf1eQCeC5HovSPLrErwmkyiwQ90N0VEvm-LU75_QeTRYqkTHJMajHCzmppPLNt4_HvoHARqgCv6fV774uIWKpZxK_gCq6rMag75FxkYq76j_4TFs8nezzrKH9xvBtQ9zIdo/s1600/IMG_0738.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnm9ACFhr6Zf1eQCeC5HovSPLrErwmkyiwQ90N0VEvm-LU75_QeTRYqkTHJMajHCzmppPLNt4_HvoHARqgCv6fV774uIWKpZxK_gCq6rMag75FxkYq76j_4TFs8nezzrKH9xvBtQ9zIdo/s400/IMG_0738.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
Andrea commented “Lindsey, are you starting to feel a bit pushy?”, “maybe” I replied… Apparently the labour sounds had shifted a notch and I was needing to bear down more at the end of each contraction. My body felt wide open, the pain of each contraction was breath-taking and I had to remember to keep my jaw soft and to keep the frown from my face. Soft, Lindsey, soft. Keep everything soft and open. I felt down to see if I could feel anything but there was nothing there. Nannette asked if I could feel anything, “no” I responded and then felt this wave of immense sorrow wash over me. I cried, briefly. I don’t *think* I said “I can’t do this” but I know I felt it! And with that cry and that immense emotion, I felt him move down in the birth canal. I reached down again and felt his head.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
This part to me is the most amazing. I remember it so vividly, even though I know I was in a primal place. I remember his head, I remember the fear of not being able to do this again. I felt like I needed to do a big poo! but my logical brain told me “Lindsey, you’re having a baby”. I needed to be sick, “Lindsey, you’re having a baby”. I needed to vocalise all of these things in order to allow my body to do what it needed to do to get my baby to come down. I knew he was going to be a big baby. My other two boys were big and this pregnancy had been so similar, with rib pain for the last month as he had no room to move. My mind needed to let go, but I also needed to have a little bit of control, so I didn’t force him out too fast. I breathed into my cheeks, softly, Lindsey, softly. I felt him coming, so slow. There was no need to push, my body and my baby were working together to come out. And all of a sudden, with a flash of pain and an allowance to get over that ‘ring of fire’, his head came out. It felt like the world paused. I felt his shoulders rotate, one then the other and as he came out, I sat back and caught my baby in my hands. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe_8ZVTLuK8y-c-v65eJMzyspEU41csGdz74NETMpB3KlxohjgX1p0UrMcCWFNzBLxtJzkHc5qUV5YCKGIJEP4qPa5RzuKRMeC3Ho0rP-B_V4-6Fvmy0TTIf4L5uKdbLki24oP5yPRAwI/s1600/11665912_10100355522871633_1780751226_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe_8ZVTLuK8y-c-v65eJMzyspEU41csGdz74NETMpB3KlxohjgX1p0UrMcCWFNzBLxtJzkHc5qUV5YCKGIJEP4qPa5RzuKRMeC3Ho0rP-B_V4-6Fvmy0TTIf4L5uKdbLki24oP5yPRAwI/s400/11665912_10100355522871633_1780751226_o.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">{<a href="http://www.jacqieq.com/" target="_blank">Jacqie Q Photography</a>}</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The cord was wrapped around his neck so Grace helped me untangle it and I brought him out of the water. I did it! We had a baby! He was real and perfect and healthy and covered in vernix. There I had been, wondering how I would ever top Tyler’s amazing birth, and here I had the perfect birth. No interventions, no-one touching me, an amazing birth team holding my space and allowing me to birth my baby. What an incredible powerful experience!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
I had to breathe into little man Welch’s face to stimulate him to breathe a little better and it wasn’t long before he was pinking up and testing out his lungs. The placenta didn’t take long to come out and then we were finally two. No more pregnancy. I was done.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
David took the baby for some skin-to-skin and I got out of the bath. My iron levels had bordered on the ‘low’ end of the scale during this pregnancy (and do in general) and we were very aware that a slight excess in bleeding may necessitate pitocin. This did end up happening but at least the baby was out and it was better to stop the bleeding than risk my iron levels dipping too low to come back up easily.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
And there we have it. Casey Bryson Welch was born on June 25th at 4.15am after five hours of active labour. He was born into his mummy’s arms in the water, weighing in at 10lb 6oz, length 21”, head 15”. Thomas slept in our bedroom through the whole thing and woke up during the newborn exam. Tyler slept in his bedroom all night for the first time in forever and didn’t wake up until 7.30am! We are done, our family is complete and it feels just perfect. All of the feelings of sadness over my last pregnancy have gone and have been replaced by a calm contentment. I feel good. I feel complete. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJSLmVf1PdTsWiZAAk1yHEKdsXg3PF9RFMnQzze-mB30tKXjvHE3pD7E2Si32ffEOWwRHHP6DMmKGg4zrNNzixY9ohYM0IwuXoqO9lFirEFKhtnF0d5857_U-PFOyhLcnLCnz_yUurWY/s1600/IMG_0790.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJSLmVf1PdTsWiZAAk1yHEKdsXg3PF9RFMnQzze-mB30tKXjvHE3pD7E2Si32ffEOWwRHHP6DMmKGg4zrNNzixY9ohYM0IwuXoqO9lFirEFKhtnF0d5857_U-PFOyhLcnLCnz_yUurWY/s400/IMG_0790.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVavF-sbrWvwlnZUIRY9ksb_COewD3jS6AoJPmztJHot94o62sGnEke_VQcdl-BSajIAi2lKdxV7GHIZyzHTDIcrKt4p4y6Nj8CANsNTAGfZa6ThDV5AkXfEacBIFxlJzitUR-BYUbxJw/s1600/IMG_0783.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVavF-sbrWvwlnZUIRY9ksb_COewD3jS6AoJPmztJHot94o62sGnEke_VQcdl-BSajIAi2lKdxV7GHIZyzHTDIcrKt4p4y6Nj8CANsNTAGfZa6ThDV5AkXfEacBIFxlJzitUR-BYUbxJw/s400/IMG_0783.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiauGXDTsa86-uLFPJoxF6ZqGE2j2qThocHYUko3aLWq_tulldvMjeK7XIyDiNuygGHVr2x-mQKrcZYHFMWcYeq5RkXrs0d9ehcJNOZJasLpADW_ziJAozpPrnPT2Gx4bzJtq9va-d_YXk/s1600/IMG_0753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiauGXDTsa86-uLFPJoxF6ZqGE2j2qThocHYUko3aLWq_tulldvMjeK7XIyDiNuygGHVr2x-mQKrcZYHFMWcYeq5RkXrs0d9ehcJNOZJasLpADW_ziJAozpPrnPT2Gx4bzJtq9va-d_YXk/s400/IMG_0753.jpg" width="266" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_J_P3pz8Q893YZBmNwrZUGSi3R8VxVaV9zPDL-sapGo-VEsKQclfet2mFWiF0SHJKT03fc_omFSy8qlTS2pBF1gy7qRA190FUCCkh_4uS5zna1WCbuKvvWcsa0-ZYbfOZucQ971jyrM/s1600/3C0A1802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_J_P3pz8Q893YZBmNwrZUGSi3R8VxVaV9zPDL-sapGo-VEsKQclfet2mFWiF0SHJKT03fc_omFSy8qlTS2pBF1gy7qRA190FUCCkh_4uS5zna1WCbuKvvWcsa0-ZYbfOZucQ971jyrM/s400/3C0A1802.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6HGb74X0wa__WotVp-SBltPR7X8_ssU4xv1hPtgynNweMV3xA1rtYcrFV98ExHqL6sD79pqs1sG8EFzDZfxBF0t2SDQ6p_E_Uc5E8U-qvgcG7hyxIAIL_WOXoTsL4wQutHUZBmsPv5Pg/s1600/3C0A1435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6HGb74X0wa__WotVp-SBltPR7X8_ssU4xv1hPtgynNweMV3xA1rtYcrFV98ExHqL6sD79pqs1sG8EFzDZfxBF0t2SDQ6p_E_Uc5E8U-qvgcG7hyxIAIL_WOXoTsL4wQutHUZBmsPv5Pg/s400/3C0A1435.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbY0xz3x8eTNfvyYvj7QUdspWgVoDkS73dIuzHy5rcYAWl5GBxZiVRCNog9gPTB8_WZ6oANdUyVzKHW6rU7pMLlfvBASNZXZr6OZ4Sqa63rspbEOfkq0jd5zzz8-9qKZqLEahgsAbGAA/s1600/3C0A1419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbY0xz3x8eTNfvyYvj7QUdspWgVoDkS73dIuzHy5rcYAWl5GBxZiVRCNog9gPTB8_WZ6oANdUyVzKHW6rU7pMLlfvBASNZXZr6OZ4Sqa63rspbEOfkq0jd5zzz8-9qKZqLEahgsAbGAA/s400/3C0A1419.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7184797463035335640.post-81489253413674742752014-08-24T20:16:00.001-04:002014-08-24T20:17:07.358-04:00Twenty questions for a five year old AND two year old! These follow on from <a href="http://dosnailsneeddoulas.blogspot.com/2013/08/20-questions-for-four-year-old.html" target="_blank">Twenty Questions for a Four Year Old</a> from last year...<br />
<br />
Enjoy!!!<br />
<br />
Thomas - age 5<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/fmzVH2yieAg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
Tyler - age 2<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/86nSGiXo-RY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7184797463035335640.post-26438621374885528772013-08-15T09:16:00.000-04:002013-08-15T09:16:06.034-04:00Two years on!Two years ago today, right now, I was en route to our new life in the US. I woke up that morning and could barely breathe. I didn't want to leave. I didn't want to leave the UK. I didn't want to leave my family. How could I not see my Mum every six weeks? How would I survive?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLp89PWpWprFPg_2gOo9DiMwSglN4GbwVLgkFAR23tLrxnV9j_qJTUDDYd8k3ChWWqJL8mI2XsZc6WaAaDANsvrQ7i-YFDC_AKMdbqlFTeL2LCSIeufO5as6945HvWU80gJGuJkCkMWUQ/s1600/263354_10150346637156900_5740027_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLp89PWpWprFPg_2gOo9DiMwSglN4GbwVLgkFAR23tLrxnV9j_qJTUDDYd8k3ChWWqJL8mI2XsZc6WaAaDANsvrQ7i-YFDC_AKMdbqlFTeL2LCSIeufO5as6945HvWU80gJGuJkCkMWUQ/s1600/263354_10150346637156900_5740027_n.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />
I didn't know how to 'be' in the US. I felt like I had jumped off the edge of a cliff and was free-falling to a sudden and painful death. I have never been so scared in my whole life.<br />
<br />
Now here I am two years later and I wouldn't change it for the world. I've purposely not gone back and read my "<a href="http://dosnailsneeddoulas.blogspot.com/2012/08/one-year-on-really.html" target="_blank">One Year Later</a>" post. I can't remember what I said and I wanted to think about things without refreshing my feelings from last year. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_hgs-mUFLxogsmnY2YsGlL1TS8FbmQcBjCMqL2fNiUPPNBSNBi6GJ-5-Ovz5T_wglPf4A1JljbgokDpyDK15FCA__0KdCmE2jd5n7GHJZdyJvsD40hRAe8QOEEvrIeYrnHxdWaR_xgy4/s1600/IMG_2234e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_hgs-mUFLxogsmnY2YsGlL1TS8FbmQcBjCMqL2fNiUPPNBSNBi6GJ-5-Ovz5T_wglPf4A1JljbgokDpyDK15FCA__0KdCmE2jd5n7GHJZdyJvsD40hRAe8QOEEvrIeYrnHxdWaR_xgy4/s1600/IMG_2234e.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of<a href="http://www.clareahaltphotography.com/" target="_blank"> Clare Ahalt Photography</a></span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This summer is the first year I've really felt settled. I've made friends, proper friends now, people I can talk to about more than just baby poo and summer activities. I've found a community of birthy people, people who get my passion for pregnancy and birth and don't think I'm a crazy hippy for eating my placenta and having my baby at home! I've done some doula work, which always makes me happy! I'm building my photography business and have had steady work for the last few months. I've started doing birth photography and feel like this is what I was born to do.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQYDEEGwNSnTJzMuFhcmFZ-3BKRjDs1YETafS6Fa5GSkWuOCN2XGx8Gkk4-TxbC9aLSQKBnVXBsd3td9TOos35mag4XpFOefi2rSELsbUpARWB17EuYGBt991NoGAmsjknOqUvUou7Hk/s1600/IMG_7184w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQYDEEGwNSnTJzMuFhcmFZ-3BKRjDs1YETafS6Fa5GSkWuOCN2XGx8Gkk4-TxbC9aLSQKBnVXBsd3td9TOos35mag4XpFOefi2rSELsbUpARWB17EuYGBt991NoGAmsjknOqUvUou7Hk/s1600/IMG_7184w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuWrRFm9nGPkVQeap4GFrAL8Lg25SZ16EDZ5uNKOAiL8MzrwDUrAK0X4uP7aI5ERDSrKP3Wiv3Sj5mvFT0NYb6IMD6mi9UPZ3SvOuxtIZaa3u1oASsJ3bojDHXQy-ydsbUp8GtrAP8HY/s1600/IMG_3048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuWrRFm9nGPkVQeap4GFrAL8Lg25SZ16EDZ5uNKOAiL8MzrwDUrAK0X4uP7aI5ERDSrKP3Wiv3Sj5mvFT0NYb6IMD6mi9UPZ3SvOuxtIZaa3u1oASsJ3bojDHXQy-ydsbUp8GtrAP8HY/s320/IMG_3048.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDXtSqILysmo_vO8GgPjDM44T4pkJ2-s17YkVIdDZn86FfLHKwnkGMu0oy2iM5JxGeZPPe4QxwJjSKm5EEUeohroHfm1mff4wJYN9gK5YEGKYjqoTrxDtFszDIyHB2dYKn-t3eO2wxGNg/s1600/IMG_3076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDXtSqILysmo_vO8GgPjDM44T4pkJ2-s17YkVIdDZn86FfLHKwnkGMu0oy2iM5JxGeZPPe4QxwJjSKm5EEUeohroHfm1mff4wJYN9gK5YEGKYjqoTrxDtFszDIyHB2dYKn-t3eO2wxGNg/s320/IMG_3076.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-L12wMJ6QaO5ASQR34cr2LGSZVHw-vZtVQphu2OqZXNFqtAnIsqS62IGncvbkVKXYraiHUqkKoRgx1jD1sTQ3t6BwaYoFEeK_K4L7ujglmBmUx7VRlPMipFnKiPBM8S1Qv6PlfLLOIKg/s1600/IMG_7500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-L12wMJ6QaO5ASQR34cr2LGSZVHw-vZtVQphu2OqZXNFqtAnIsqS62IGncvbkVKXYraiHUqkKoRgx1jD1sTQ3t6BwaYoFEeK_K4L7ujglmBmUx7VRlPMipFnKiPBM8S1Qv6PlfLLOIKg/s320/IMG_7500.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />
Most importantly my family is happy. My babies are growing up and my heart shines every day to see them smile and hear them laugh. It helps that the sun shines so much here! It's nice to be home with them and see them grow, and it's nice to fill our days with activities and see new things and go new places.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOaziqOH9hUJlTeEaVI0yzS81SA-uvPhyphenhyphenzZhiTB_BXji8hYNJSUIx24jNUNeJg9r-b2UbXQ6b7l3yU0lEPJm8_YOhx2gK60SumfG9sV3k3YL9eNg3Cpl90ngFpGtIpwJ0k5AqeiXgJ5vg/s1600/IMG_6610w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOaziqOH9hUJlTeEaVI0yzS81SA-uvPhyphenhyphenzZhiTB_BXji8hYNJSUIx24jNUNeJg9r-b2UbXQ6b7l3yU0lEPJm8_YOhx2gK60SumfG9sV3k3YL9eNg3Cpl90ngFpGtIpwJ0k5AqeiXgJ5vg/s1600/IMG_6610w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6_oA-YUuMs8IU5hu1LuH4UjtqYcgwHStOiv2vWQ6gMuhgQ7CU7GMJiNW-T0f4Dh681qPzopjWKw1kK2LhFrT1v1tUrt-2Tip-ZJrR7j9VIVN_6OCrYl5HTBePChO-q1CvUFvBmdLHHU/s1600/IMG_7691.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6_oA-YUuMs8IU5hu1LuH4UjtqYcgwHStOiv2vWQ6gMuhgQ7CU7GMJiNW-T0f4Dh681qPzopjWKw1kK2LhFrT1v1tUrt-2Tip-ZJrR7j9VIVN_6OCrYl5HTBePChO-q1CvUFvBmdLHHU/s1600/IMG_7691.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSQByvhHkYKYvsCcqYnJdHC3EGcA50Ox0mKz_hm9Pf8LqYUZFIMYpZQn63clDfgPtmUEg9iH1SNUnRKWPdve3Hq4tgzyxvYuC82VoPSnE4oFSQFA7_QFYyOqT4ZqPrFt0YKlIdkiyiK7c/s1600/IMG_7648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSQByvhHkYKYvsCcqYnJdHC3EGcA50Ox0mKz_hm9Pf8LqYUZFIMYpZQn63clDfgPtmUEg9iH1SNUnRKWPdve3Hq4tgzyxvYuC82VoPSnE4oFSQFA7_QFYyOqT4ZqPrFt0YKlIdkiyiK7c/s1600/IMG_7648.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Of course it's hard sometimes. Finding a balance between working for myself and looking after my boys and finding time for my husband can be challenging. I still miss my Mum like crazy. Yes I can live without seeing her every six weeks, but in a perfect world I would be able to, and it is still the one thing I would change about living here.<br />
<br />
I'm glad I grew up in the UK and got to see so much of Europe and other places around the world, but I'm also happy to see my boys grow up here, for now. This is a good place for my family and I can't ask for more than that!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRpKB9SzdNDXEyJs400atstgB_TDmpVgmMz8IzVnJjWhirtiHtQIWkazPgWoCjWbWtSCl1U7M3OTMam6QMR1Ou6zlslZdIhiD08fNB-3CvVHLHmxLlUYkm1YZM_48ZKrroYq-h7F1XHA/s1600/1025726_10152311339012203_1137459455_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRpKB9SzdNDXEyJs400atstgB_TDmpVgmMz8IzVnJjWhirtiHtQIWkazPgWoCjWbWtSCl1U7M3OTMam6QMR1Ou6zlslZdIhiD08fNB-3CvVHLHmxLlUYkm1YZM_48ZKrroYq-h7F1XHA/s1600/1025726_10152311339012203_1137459455_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Ahhhh, so I read back my first year post and remembered I had made a list of all the differences I have found here! I can't think of any more off the top of my head, but my 'new' thing for this year is realising words that I will never ever be able to say properly. For example:<br />
<br />
Graham - Thomas's new teacher is called Mrs Graham. He laughs every time I say Mrs Graham. It's Mrs Graaaam, I can't say it, it's going to be a long year...<br />
<br />
Squirrel.<br />
Horse.<br />
Hill.<br />
Blueberry. Make that any kind of berry.<br />
Pasta.<br />
Any name with an Anna in it. It isn't Anna, it's Ah-na.<br />
<br />
There are more. I can't remember right now. I'll have to come back and add them later!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7184797463035335640.post-43111206739889215692013-08-14T19:24:00.000-04:002013-08-14T19:24:18.588-04:0020 questions for a four year old...Last year, the awesome<span id="goog_1304838529"></span> Mummy Mishaps<span id="goog_1304838530"></span> posted a vlog entitled "<a href="http://mummymishaps.blogspot.com/2012/08/burton-20-questions-aged-3.html" target="_blank">20 questions (Aged 3)</a>" and I couldn't help but copy her and <a href="http://dosnailsneeddoulas.blogspot.com/2012/08/20-questions-for-three-year-old.html" target="_blank">asked Thomas the same questions</a>!<br />
<br />
Following on from that, it's now one year (and a few days) later, and I sat Thomas down this morning and asked him the same questions now that he is four!<br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/W2vggTmnxwE" width="640"></iframe>LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7184797463035335640.post-44670188903054234622013-06-30T09:01:00.001-04:002013-06-30T09:01:18.116-04:00FirefliesFor every mosquito that lives to bite me, there is a firefly that lives to twinkle for me.<br />
<br />
I wish this photo twinkled like the woods behind my house do every night!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6IGzHo0746j07dT91NGQiRGrvUr2bc9Dfw_1zT9-Z5M-MxJkkCmkDcaoa0HgxMkhKzwU66llT6b8OSxkOaG_UvynkrOiEphqGC2Dj87GGmT4tTOO3QmeGlC9K6TP_FcDXMbGOiJfSrE/s1600/IMG_2420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6IGzHo0746j07dT91NGQiRGrvUr2bc9Dfw_1zT9-Z5M-MxJkkCmkDcaoa0HgxMkhKzwU66llT6b8OSxkOaG_UvynkrOiEphqGC2Dj87GGmT4tTOO3QmeGlC9K6TP_FcDXMbGOiJfSrE/s1600/IMG_2420.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7184797463035335640.post-81736243066889816152013-06-06T18:48:00.000-04:002013-06-06T18:48:31.297-04:00Summer bucket list 2013!It's that time of year again! Thomas is now in a pre-school which operates on the same schedule as the public schools. That means he finishes school on June 12th and doesn't go back until the end of August! That gives us a LOT of days to fill... Good job we live in an area with a LOT of things to do!<br />
<br />
We plan to have fun, take day trips, take road trips, visit friends, stay home, blow bubbles, make some things, draw some things, paint some things, grow some things, pick some things, listen to some music, watch some movies, and generally enjoy the summer :)<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGs4feDt6F8UvfBS6ws8RGWSa3SXmQj2PL2lZpWoMjf-f6D4DLaT8k82QpCdvoDv1s8T-CMFbQlQIPR_pSH4d8s3VrEQryLXRKEg6AjJe06I10aYzIJbG2BvcgpzleRr7fASBYyGAJaI/s1600/Bucket+list+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGs4feDt6F8UvfBS6ws8RGWSa3SXmQj2PL2lZpWoMjf-f6D4DLaT8k82QpCdvoDv1s8T-CMFbQlQIPR_pSH4d8s3VrEQryLXRKEg6AjJe06I10aYzIJbG2BvcgpzleRr7fASBYyGAJaI/s1600/Bucket+list+2013.jpg" width="393" /></a></div>
<br />LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7184797463035335640.post-30862348324528015392013-03-13T12:14:00.000-04:002013-03-13T12:14:30.373-04:00Photographing babiesI'm starting to blog over on my photography page now as well as here, so bear with me as I figure out what needs to go where...<br />
<br />
Here is my first guest post for the <a href="http://sacredrootsbirth.com/" target="_blank">Sacred Roots Birth Community</a>!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.lindseywelchphotography.com/blog/2013/3/photographing-babies">http://www.lindseywelchphotography.com/blog/2013/3/photographing-babies</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgVMkWVu3pm8-Qj0caUlob6FU3Ep-uhd7LQkU2l6gQPz_cdIxQY_vgvbD1p6aoPE9X1LSnvJLBWYYgYu4tV5vm_cBvPLoD67m8ZtgwEsl2vtfi3X4UHmw1s-JuHq3K6ol8CXPLNDlDwU/s1600/IMG_0215.jpg" width="640" /></div>
<br />
<br />LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7184797463035335640.post-31692597618840976422013-03-01T09:43:00.000-05:002013-03-01T09:43:08.413-05:00Lomography challenge month 2FAIL.<br />
<br />
But I will get some good photos before this year is through!<br />
<br />
Most of them look like this:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvTCm6eGSEIiOcIpsTW-Gf29PKSekNZcAMel4s_-HIVlR0Bo_PadraYcy44sDiufvm8ljqzlrUrhAZzk8_TYFzYiRWD4anolbc6nNk9WqZ7mitE01HoD1Sql16XaI8E6VFfLIMAPgP2M/s1600/R1-07654-0009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvTCm6eGSEIiOcIpsTW-Gf29PKSekNZcAMel4s_-HIVlR0Bo_PadraYcy44sDiufvm8ljqzlrUrhAZzk8_TYFzYiRWD4anolbc6nNk9WqZ7mitE01HoD1Sql16XaI8E6VFfLIMAPgP2M/s1600/R1-07654-0009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvTCm6eGSEIiOcIpsTW-Gf29PKSekNZcAMel4s_-HIVlR0Bo_PadraYcy44sDiufvm8ljqzlrUrhAZzk8_TYFzYiRWD4anolbc6nNk9WqZ7mitE01HoD1Sql16XaI8E6VFfLIMAPgP2M/s1600/R1-07654-0009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>
<br />
<br />
Here is my one non-blurry, non-over-exposed image :)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxu-vEr3G_cQ2p2auU34mXFiaZTAtFZtOuDCbybLUXdWSREBmBhyphenhyphenx8UGIxcY79roYrybYC7tXpxJnNFwW-SH35kfC-yTG2eZCotN4Kww-1wsBr3xy_Fbnin89NKWLdnt-RLgPbBnrRiyw/s1600/R1-07654-0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxu-vEr3G_cQ2p2auU34mXFiaZTAtFZtOuDCbybLUXdWSREBmBhyphenhyphenx8UGIxcY79roYrybYC7tXpxJnNFwW-SH35kfC-yTG2eZCotN4Kww-1wsBr3xy_Fbnin89NKWLdnt-RLgPbBnrRiyw/s1600/R1-07654-0011.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7184797463035335640.post-91259162700587550632013-02-06T14:17:00.003-05:002013-02-06T14:17:55.067-05:00"Love makes viruses go round. Discuss."This was the essay I chose for my Honours paper exam, all those years ago*. I decided to not only think outside of the box, but to jump right on out of it and wrote a philosophical discussion on the many different types of love you would come across in life. Starting from birth, you generally, have the love of your parents, then you love your family and later your friends. As you get older you find romantic love and when you're older still, you might find the love that comes from becoming a parent yourself.<br />
<br />
Pesky viruses thrive on the fact that people have the ability to love and a consequence of loving is touching. Most viruses wouldn't last five minutes outside of the human body. Winter creates environments where people want to be closer, feeding off the warmth of their family, staying in closed spaces with their friends and all their children. Of course viruses love winter.<br />
<br />
I like the winter too, but would like it to get warm now please. I'm tired of all my friends being sick, having poorly children, and seeing snotty noses. I would like to go outside and play; I would like to open the windows and blow away the cobwebs; and I would like to wear a few less layers :)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zIbFLj8NDDB5-w8jQUTV4_PRXseaUWQ8_H-KjkzdZ_AuwVEWL9RitZoaZZ_D5mGZMow-e2jMBAu2DS_FxiqTE9ZBRkwhW4pJ30vOtsVxlMZy2zkbtLBegUsCPZXeE0uplVvwMA1P4xo/s1600/LOVE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zIbFLj8NDDB5-w8jQUTV4_PRXseaUWQ8_H-KjkzdZ_AuwVEWL9RitZoaZZ_D5mGZMow-e2jMBAu2DS_FxiqTE9ZBRkwhW4pJ30vOtsVxlMZy2zkbtLBegUsCPZXeE0uplVvwMA1P4xo/s640/LOVE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
This photo was submitted to the I Heart Faces photo challenge – www.iheartfaces.com<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.iheartfaces.com/"><img alt="Photo Challenge Submission" src="http://www.iheartfaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/I-Heart-Faces-button.jpg" title="I Heart Faces Photo Challenge Submission" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />*Of course, it was a brilliant essay and I aced my Undergraduate degree!</span></i><br />
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7184797463035335640.post-90164378905387804562013-01-31T20:35:00.000-05:002013-01-31T20:35:29.099-05:00Diana F+ challenge month 1My lovely husband suggested I dust off the <a href="http://microsites.lomography.com/diana/" target="_blank">Diana F+</a> lomography camera he bought me for Christmas a couple of years ago for my 2013 photo challenge this year, so of course I agreed!<br />
<br />
First time round I couldn't get to grips with the camera and my photos were so frustratingly awful that I put the camera away, waiting for a better day...
<br />
<br />
At the start of the month I got it out again! I dusted it off, bought some film and read up on the (very few) controls. At least this time round I understand the aperture settings and the way the film goes in! Piece of cake.<br />
<br />
Ummmm. Well, here we go, month 1. How annoying to not see the images as I take them! Especially when after the first couple I would have figured out I wasn't releasing the shutter quick enough! And there were a couple of double exposures from forgetting to wind the film on, oops!<br />
<br />
On the plus side, the lighting is alright, so at least I've learnt something in the last three years :D<br />
<br />
My challenge for month 2 - release the shutter! No blurriness please! <i>[with the exception of moving children where this may prove impossible] </i>Wind the film forward!<br />
<br />
Month 1 challenge - FAIL!!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJsMZmCEv-L43mVKu2qIUM_o7BI_1R79fv_ftQGhLgheElxVzt3zLwncCEdNth9xgrQ7KtYiCz4TT4TQ29huZom5Qe_18IHkSQZC_Wq3Iv_c4oZls0KPTMXTgQvyC6bVj3PWXrqbZSxSQ/s1600/R1-07362-0000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJsMZmCEv-L43mVKu2qIUM_o7BI_1R79fv_ftQGhLgheElxVzt3zLwncCEdNth9xgrQ7KtYiCz4TT4TQ29huZom5Qe_18IHkSQZC_Wq3Iv_c4oZls0KPTMXTgQvyC6bVj3PWXrqbZSxSQ/s1600/R1-07362-0000.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Should have taken one step back to focus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXcgHVMZSSXOQowZ9-WrbQ_jfjKInvC_8h72_EcAjF0I7LyrOadeog9azria9ov-l2tnjOGIzjRt_0HEuR8bMcgIuwR79XE-EbuKiQ0hiq-ArIKbYRmGBC5nHLbb6iuCfhocNOu-R_C-E/s1600/R1-07362-0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXcgHVMZSSXOQowZ9-WrbQ_jfjKInvC_8h72_EcAjF0I7LyrOadeog9azria9ov-l2tnjOGIzjRt_0HEuR8bMcgIuwR79XE-EbuKiQ0hiq-ArIKbYRmGBC5nHLbb6iuCfhocNOu-R_C-E/s1600/R1-07362-0002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Double exposure!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjo7pzxM4ULGbij5KiV-237oBbgc_fm9LONPb_tm_HRdzKiSd1PjhAmhcMa0fsdh-fEd9pmumJ0BAFQ0B6Bzx3Nht31330So23TqsAnVVJYTVlpRPKwgze2nWG7GY6MmETlHYlL6SopA0/s1600/R1-07362-0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjo7pzxM4ULGbij5KiV-237oBbgc_fm9LONPb_tm_HRdzKiSd1PjhAmhcMa0fsdh-fEd9pmumJ0BAFQ0B6Bzx3Nht31330So23TqsAnVVJYTVlpRPKwgze2nWG7GY6MmETlHYlL6SopA0/s1600/R1-07362-0004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inanimate object blur fail!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudIs-c3HV19VT7ERLh5mdSwE67Di7mAdG8y6W63htseBP9BoEASt9sUhc1xIYqvY7pTOYFb-rlff6CrmcZnXUn5hYAIK4qnxJ7NSN_X57Gmd9s3ibOmIVk_JQu1HuvyR2tvHSB_X2MB4/s1600/R1-07362-0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudIs-c3HV19VT7ERLh5mdSwE67Di7mAdG8y6W63htseBP9BoEASt9sUhc1xIYqvY7pTOYFb-rlff6CrmcZnXUn5hYAIK4qnxJ7NSN_X57Gmd9s3ibOmIVk_JQu1HuvyR2tvHSB_X2MB4/s1600/R1-07362-0001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More double exposing!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjeLcKI8-ndWvqMWm5ubQtFnFg6Q9LLKm5ZDm_y_h7B-yftP1kTrQk3KGwd4CQ7oD3pee-LrjvLwupR0YLK9rBoLZsFGV12p_t8lY0rGIvV0uff-z8Eck5t80I1Lzeed8eIvEumbZZeg/s1600/R1-07362-0005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjeLcKI8-ndWvqMWm5ubQtFnFg6Q9LLKm5ZDm_y_h7B-yftP1kTrQk3KGwd4CQ7oD3pee-LrjvLwupR0YLK9rBoLZsFGV12p_t8lY0rGIvV0uff-z8Eck5t80I1Lzeed8eIvEumbZZeg/s1600/R1-07362-0005.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To be fair, he was jumping...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWVrJJCqm3L6TE7jBhsDO_afOAC_GA-BV732JB-jkzA1arS7clwimrKvnUGhaEaf7POyGPSfgmR09ukV9R_Cq0YLE6o9XydS9t1SZ2Ho6cQtLBg3Gmpp_6rUr0wKsc1VYXp662pNJAL4/s1600/R1-07362-0007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWVrJJCqm3L6TE7jBhsDO_afOAC_GA-BV732JB-jkzA1arS7clwimrKvnUGhaEaf7POyGPSfgmR09ukV9R_Cq0YLE6o9XydS9t1SZ2Ho6cQtLBg3Gmpp_6rUr0wKsc1VYXp662pNJAL4/s1600/R1-07362-0007.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blur fail!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTOt33N4-kWM4rHHkrRW-z-zJ0Fk0XAU3H5fgtZd4_HZnamp2R0uTFX9stF9IPGglF13iPYXhvbCDN-AVYDCSTcJuGIIaeNdissqDQbBl7LYPeQRIKpz_fT95VDCC1AIW0AhzHh4QRNs/s1600/R1-07362-0009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTOt33N4-kWM4rHHkrRW-z-zJ0Fk0XAU3H5fgtZd4_HZnamp2R0uTFX9stF9IPGglF13iPYXhvbCDN-AVYDCSTcJuGIIaeNdissqDQbBl7LYPeQRIKpz_fT95VDCC1AIW0AhzHh4QRNs/s1600/R1-07362-0009.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moving + slow shutter = FAIL!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WsCLN6mi3gmdqUE9UiuMaMDAo5UP9pxz04OWhIplFi_1rZTLZvCRdSQjbauvcNW4BP4YoOuj1xhKHK0kF3auVB3eR7iJAMYZzhw1uuFuaTdJRlCk6s0hoxdTeaajpkNTlzvyavxv1QY/s1600/R1-07362-0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WsCLN6mi3gmdqUE9UiuMaMDAo5UP9pxz04OWhIplFi_1rZTLZvCRdSQjbauvcNW4BP4YoOuj1xhKHK0kF3auVB3eR7iJAMYZzhw1uuFuaTdJRlCk6s0hoxdTeaajpkNTlzvyavxv1QY/s1600/R1-07362-0010.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blurry baby</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwyXT5NTT8v2WwNlosY-RAjc2br1hrqdQIeWJJvMGuldWuobGOvA7qA-qjXhLHSumcnqDa2-STyrGeUypF4886QDSCAXDqX0EiTKJqeWayoudWs8I_Gwib9lgP9gwkvmRo5LqWWTHsJU/s1600/R1-07362-0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwyXT5NTT8v2WwNlosY-RAjc2br1hrqdQIeWJJvMGuldWuobGOvA7qA-qjXhLHSumcnqDa2-STyrGeUypF4886QDSCAXDqX0EiTKJqeWayoudWs8I_Gwib9lgP9gwkvmRo5LqWWTHsJU/s1600/R1-07362-0011.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shaky hand!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMjPSnokeOmqSQZI-gyfaYE4w8phAosHDWcoqIF-j7buZvgRwAXq2oUQ2Oke9wh72Y4Su5MfqN54hI7fK7KWgdUXHE6NqYsAVvkUAoNN9x5uaipkSebETTsywXX9F3azJhYubYiX5xxg/s1600/R1-07362-0014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMjPSnokeOmqSQZI-gyfaYE4w8phAosHDWcoqIF-j7buZvgRwAXq2oUQ2Oke9wh72Y4Su5MfqN54hI7fK7KWgdUXHE6NqYsAVvkUAoNN9x5uaipkSebETTsywXX9F3azJhYubYiX5xxg/s1600/R1-07362-0014.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A-ha! Focused! Hoorah!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7184797463035335640.post-10571602051404713172013-01-20T02:00:00.000-05:002013-01-20T07:56:00.652-05:00Lost without my 366 project!So, how does a girl without an excuse to take photos every day cope? It would seem I *still* take photos every day! But now I have no excuse to bore everyone with them... just a few of them instead :)<br />
<br />
This month we've been figuring out another new normal. Thomas has changed schools and now goes three afternoons instead of two full days. It's made so many differences to our lives already! Tyler now naps while Thomas is away, I've been catching up with CBE coursework, Thomas is loving school and we've had so much more time to do other things!<br />
<br />
Like:<br />
Walking the dog; naked finger counting; jumping off steps; hanging out outside; naked karate practice; impromptu photo sessions; and many more!<br />
<br />
January may be a time to hibernate and steer clear of all the horrible illnesses in the air, but we're having a lovely time!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZXDrnY3LVO6Z10eanvcGdDfPrGPzRub35mnfxeZSfpvvp_dvgpAdIrV0oXTB_OcI6A-ghDlLbBEaf1Xa5b4gb3thrV26EKNe7ruM127DRq-MsBUvpa_iAo68FmGgSuFyDUpW34Oe8sYs/s1600/JAN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZXDrnY3LVO6Z10eanvcGdDfPrGPzRub35mnfxeZSfpvvp_dvgpAdIrV0oXTB_OcI6A-ghDlLbBEaf1Xa5b4gb3thrV26EKNe7ruM127DRq-MsBUvpa_iAo68FmGgSuFyDUpW34Oe8sYs/s1600/JAN.jpg" width="452" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7184797463035335640.post-21282750298937655252013-01-09T07:14:00.001-05:002013-01-09T07:21:03.465-05:00I Heart Faces Photo Challenge ~ Best Face from 2012How do I pick one face from all of the photos I took in 2012?!<br />
<br />
Sometimes it's made easy by having such a beautiful face to pick...
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-QLB9c8ozMTT7VymFlhC9aUqjKEu9qXeUyJIdutsZX3umKpLPtOCgY3iXyPuGov1qczA6M9kATG2k87T34MBcUcjhYAJ7-tZbyRteR1BFGkVrl8_Vex8VY6nGdCdd1csM8BQT7qW_Rc/s1600/Lucille_2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-QLB9c8ozMTT7VymFlhC9aUqjKEu9qXeUyJIdutsZX3umKpLPtOCgY3iXyPuGov1qczA6M9kATG2k87T34MBcUcjhYAJ7-tZbyRteR1BFGkVrl8_Vex8VY6nGdCdd1csM8BQT7qW_Rc/s640/Lucille_2012.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
This photo was submitted to the I Heart Faces photo challenge "Best Face from 2012" – www.iheartfaces.com<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.iheartfaces.com/"><img alt="Photo Challenge Submission" src="http://www.iheartfaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/I-Heart-Faces-button.jpg" title="I Heart Faces Photo Challenge Submission" /></a>LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7184797463035335640.post-35633943750522607572013-01-05T07:34:00.000-05:002013-01-05T07:34:38.910-05:00Oh life! How quickly it flies!I finished my <a href="http://dosnailsneeddoulas366.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">366 photo project</a>! I decided not to carry it on for another year, for a few reasons.<br />
<br />
1. I probably do take a photo every day. Some days I take hundreds! I found by half way through the year I was starting to forget to post a photo, or couldn't find the time to sit down and do it, then by the time I did sit down I had a few photos to post and it would take me so much longer to post them!<br />
<br />
2. Because I was posting to my 366 blog so much, I neglected this one. A picture can tell a thousand words but sometimes people want to know what is really going on in my head! Well, maybe... <br />
<br />
And 3. I've done it, so now I want to do something else.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5h9moHou82sNkatmagBwTRDEhisGmQZOTuzbMLDwO5ETlAFQmXRFAXou9hs0STBOIhoqAIWaRr0vC5Jk1gz8mqozNiUt4T044AFd6rqVMmyOFk1JuhYDc7Lm3AW8UCZrh1W_pU7ATz_A/s1600/IMG_9072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5h9moHou82sNkatmagBwTRDEhisGmQZOTuzbMLDwO5ETlAFQmXRFAXou9hs0STBOIhoqAIWaRr0vC5Jk1gz8mqozNiUt4T044AFd6rqVMmyOFk1JuhYDc7Lm3AW8UCZrh1W_pU7ATz_A/s1600/IMG_9072.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cousins :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This year is going to be exciting with my <a href="http://www.lindseywelchphotography.com/" target="_blank">photography business </a>going from strength to strength - I hope to add birth photography and newborn studio photography to my portfolio this year; I have my <a href="https://www.birthworks.org/site/doula-workshops.html" target="_blank">CBE workshop</a> in March with an aim to finish the course by the end of the summer; and I am bowing out of the world of forensic DNA analysis with a PhD examination at the end of this month, followed by my final <a href="http://www.enfsi.eu/about-enfsi/structure/working-groups/dna" target="_blank">ENFSI DNA working group </a>in Bratislava in April!<br />
<br />
I'm excited to be involved with setting up a new <a href="http://www.facebook.com/BirthingCircleOfFrederick" target="_blank">Birthing Circle in Frederick</a>! This group of women hope to educate, support and empower women and their families through the journey of pregnancy, birth and the post-partum period. We are going to hold monthly meetings and talk about all things pregnancy, birth and babies! Brilliant!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUx-ZsNpYfvAfsFUo_cyHwLbe1jqGSo2pNO1whXqRKMejFH1kEK_A9F97h2fgMiKQVfmdnmkYRkPpTG_GJjWbOWXONQLWT7HSKPWnM6HwPl7S59bM3yZTWmg8RDQRKMDV45YMWUT4Dym0/s1600/IMG_9229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUx-ZsNpYfvAfsFUo_cyHwLbe1jqGSo2pNO1whXqRKMejFH1kEK_A9F97h2fgMiKQVfmdnmkYRkPpTG_GJjWbOWXONQLWT7HSKPWnM6HwPl7S59bM3yZTWmg8RDQRKMDV45YMWUT4Dym0/s1600/IMG_9229.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me best friend's baby, Orson</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Thomas has started a new school and is loving it now he only goes for 2.5 hours instead of all day. It's so nice to see him so excited to go! It's also nice to have him with me for longer. As he rapidly approaches school age I become more aware of how quickly time is flying. I get to keep him close for an extra year compared to my UK friends and for that I am very grateful and intend to make the most of it!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0z5OlvA75eNnBVY_NSoA4ixrdL0D_VL0_0Zam88NkonXmdeUqvfnAy3wEZsUfWthsyCbGrKSeHiuVcjx-nZxmlqCyrl3BQKb2QxFhW2gpQExVZecuqDzNGsvW22P8P81kRgVcQ31_tmA/s1600/IMG_9024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0z5OlvA75eNnBVY_NSoA4ixrdL0D_VL0_0Zam88NkonXmdeUqvfnAy3wEZsUfWthsyCbGrKSeHiuVcjx-nZxmlqCyrl3BQKb2QxFhW2gpQExVZecuqDzNGsvW22P8P81kRgVcQ31_tmA/s1600/IMG_9024.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thomas :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Tyler is keeping me on my toes and wakes up at 5am each morning since we got back from the UK. Yawn. He's currently refusing to walk, so my previous idea that he would walk by the age of 1 is proving wrong and he will probably follow in his brothers' footsteps and start walking perfectly at 15 months...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAT4N11D9IrDrAwx6p9m4iertU7eUw41jYRxdSrre_ytoD0ruVr44bynx3r3QQy8PeWtIUU0p1B1jta4mHbyUodX3StI6rNVCjexrCuougk7Oo4G9-_GVdR6JnbPYQUDBUitXx9AoVgSI/s1600/IMG_5465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAT4N11D9IrDrAwx6p9m4iertU7eUw41jYRxdSrre_ytoD0ruVr44bynx3r3QQy8PeWtIUU0p1B1jta4mHbyUodX3StI6rNVCjexrCuougk7Oo4G9-_GVdR6JnbPYQUDBUitXx9AoVgSI/s1600/IMG_5465.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tyler :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And David is David :) He works hard and he lets me do all of these crazy things I want to do. He is marathon training again and enjoying life in the US. He has unrelenting patience for my latest photography 'need' and he supports me in all I do. I am very lucky and very happy. Plus he bought me an IPad for Christmas which means he can do no wrong for at least three months, maybe more...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhveoYjwaN_hBUGXP24tKGbqHQfRr7byEXtQYbn68Z_ZRKFryFC6Z4qgabx5G77u2v8GrzEXTNHSiYnoQ7Z8ER0JI3pyLqrN6iPQCZHCIOhVSwPWrsunMs_poh9C15W1di8XfhX7wXuS8o/s1600/191112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhveoYjwaN_hBUGXP24tKGbqHQfRr7byEXtQYbn68Z_ZRKFryFC6Z4qgabx5G77u2v8GrzEXTNHSiYnoQ7Z8ER0JI3pyLqrN6iPQCZHCIOhVSwPWrsunMs_poh9C15W1di8XfhX7wXuS8o/s1600/191112.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My lovely family!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So what challenge do I set myself for this year? I'm already missing taking a photo a day! Maybe I'll set myself a photo a week? That's not really a challenge though... Maybe life is throwing me enough challenges this year and I should just decide to 'be'. Maybe I should just update *this* blog more often... Yes, that's what I'll do, I'll give this blog more love. I can hear you all cheering already :D<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7184797463035335640.post-40427166181280968502012-09-05T09:27:00.000-04:002012-09-05T09:27:33.387-04:00Old photos...This weekend I took down my most favourite photo of Thomas. This one:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisiTS2hc5UmwWj_Dl_JJB5aAwZJiA3GRwsTgLsfGlwSJtW3KE7Hkymw77t5dD9CsjD01WlRwgp5iHniJeRMAI5nffIsushQB_FEV6E5hTKHokiKyrb1Pc5eVN_YQXvlG3bZZ5g33qDjjM/s1600/IMG_3118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisiTS2hc5UmwWj_Dl_JJB5aAwZJiA3GRwsTgLsfGlwSJtW3KE7Hkymw77t5dD9CsjD01WlRwgp5iHniJeRMAI5nffIsushQB_FEV6E5hTKHokiKyrb1Pc5eVN_YQXvlG3bZZ5g33qDjjM/s400/IMG_3118.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
... and replaced it with this one:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YNKeX8ehQz0fB6bShv6djL99T7ak81OQIrKr4rnAyM1U1_K1vJYzAVrDTUJ5YLjWmRSZGKAzPXmq9kPZAKqXas0OAISwbBWmD2x603Ekp43Fy1ppAhX94ncWT_ieIcRQJx6pTwqJzgg/s1600/IMG_1239-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YNKeX8ehQz0fB6bShv6djL99T7ak81OQIrKr4rnAyM1U1_K1vJYzAVrDTUJ5YLjWmRSZGKAzPXmq9kPZAKqXas0OAISwbBWmD2x603Ekp43Fy1ppAhX94ncWT_ieIcRQJx6pTwqJzgg/s400/IMG_1239-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
It made me start thinking about where I was then and where I am now. This photo was taken by my wonderful PhD student Ice just before I went back to work after maternity leave. He sent me a message one day asking if he could come and take some photos of Thomas as he had a new camera lens. Sure! When he sent me the photos I was so excited!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAX_Hd0nsmjt5wUWUXjEG0aXvUoSDffRFUcdWqPSMkLBBwmKXd-vD7jkBmypOqBQ3b0XrJPjPQUGPk2CJnfiNkzz011T0xCVM661z7QCbiZcM4oOKoOfZR0vYXan8UPJinP7-AdZno8IE/s1600/IMG_3107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAX_Hd0nsmjt5wUWUXjEG0aXvUoSDffRFUcdWqPSMkLBBwmKXd-vD7jkBmypOqBQ3b0XrJPjPQUGPk2CJnfiNkzz011T0xCVM661z7QCbiZcM4oOKoOfZR0vYXan8UPJinP7-AdZno8IE/s320/IMG_3107.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
"Ice - can you take photos like this because you're a good photographer, or because you've got a good camera?"<br />
<br />
"It's just the camera" he replied.<br />
<br />
<br />
Now, three years later, I know he was kind of half telling the truth. Yes the lens matters but there is more to it than that!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
These photos are the ones which made me go out and spend a small fortune on a dSLR. I figured in the long run, if I could take photos as good as these, then I would never have to get professional photos done!<br />
<br />
My beautiful new (refurbished) camera arrived. And I took some photos. Fully automatic. Maybe just a bit clearer than a point and shoot.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivSxS5TG6f_DWos6MyPOTMBOfzKf-Hucc6IdKn_yZEoS_YiwKuDtvh5o7xe47SHDLA1gkFlH6EgUhWy0KCKmRf-4U2ZR0n8KzNEL_8SvMJ7mWMfa3LtnO6RZRHk2elxJ0iA_P75rHlsR0/s1600/IMG_0995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivSxS5TG6f_DWos6MyPOTMBOfzKf-Hucc6IdKn_yZEoS_YiwKuDtvh5o7xe47SHDLA1gkFlH6EgUhWy0KCKmRf-4U2ZR0n8KzNEL_8SvMJ7mWMfa3LtnO6RZRHk2elxJ0iA_P75rHlsR0/s320/IMG_0995.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrUush8cr_ihOE7zP7KMDT-jJnzvAcmSRx7qDhxF2V3nV2wdzGL50cf41FfaCxzCHgPGyqhnVN6RjmqeJDt2TZY60OS5FU6TFYI4txekv2XjgmQtg3pCLlA5WmgTCjVW_luwaV7kPVF0/s1600/IMG_0929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrUush8cr_ihOE7zP7KMDT-jJnzvAcmSRx7qDhxF2V3nV2wdzGL50cf41FfaCxzCHgPGyqhnVN6RjmqeJDt2TZY60OS5FU6TFYI4txekv2XjgmQtg3pCLlA5WmgTCjVW_luwaV7kPVF0/s320/IMG_0929.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
"Oh no", I thought... "have I wasted my money?!" [don't tell my husband!]<br />
<br />
I messed around with the camera a bit for the next year, taking 'OK' photos some of the time and pretty rubbish ones the rest of the time. The one day I read a blog post on beginner basics [it doesn't exist any more or I would link it] and decided to try and go manual.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMVlvt52gVBYU-sOaOfhNPv5f2uiFfWy6ffXzs0acPrIXa4efOpDxSjRqwzxweGlzYhzKxC3PPzavNQFxTcs7WcS1atPztanR2-BghojbJQPfqiCbIckSLae8O2AEyqa4tiF-dazNkNkY/s1600/IMG_7940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMVlvt52gVBYU-sOaOfhNPv5f2uiFfWy6ffXzs0acPrIXa4efOpDxSjRqwzxweGlzYhzKxC3PPzavNQFxTcs7WcS1atPztanR2-BghojbJQPfqiCbIckSLae8O2AEyqa4tiF-dazNkNkY/s320/IMG_7940.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
It didn't work so well to start with. I even wrote a <a href="http://dosnailsneeddoulas.blogspot.com/2010/09/manual-take-two.html" target="_blank">blog post</a> about it!<br />
<br />
Then I started to get a bit better...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9Y1Lj6fzJRgrFJ28FCFyx_hVfe7OX-3WsQ7Se9xlQiIcYpoRF9k07flfdTHGjspp9Ddf3JhfRp5fs5VIKgH6ttb0Ycr09NgFj52GEJfmXgMWNoV-l3czsvaUcvkKeQbrbuBUlQx55-4/s1600/IMG_9670-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9Y1Lj6fzJRgrFJ28FCFyx_hVfe7OX-3WsQ7Se9xlQiIcYpoRF9k07flfdTHGjspp9Ddf3JhfRp5fs5VIKgH6ttb0Ycr09NgFj52GEJfmXgMWNoV-l3czsvaUcvkKeQbrbuBUlQx55-4/s400/IMG_9670-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Practice practice practice...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpg11sHAiYdoVRrybljsrlINZIFvCty5kSUeqMniklSqP_hYXcfQR3AAkmSDsjcWTVpogprx6F0Nq36wlMfvc0-pMbmE5iA8VzZ3Ne4Je9qQm2tToPLIwzmeOC-fGT4-yfAuMsGiXJsk/s1600/IMG_0896-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpg11sHAiYdoVRrybljsrlINZIFvCty5kSUeqMniklSqP_hYXcfQR3AAkmSDsjcWTVpogprx6F0Nq36wlMfvc0-pMbmE5iA8VzZ3Ne4Je9qQm2tToPLIwzmeOC-fGT4-yfAuMsGiXJsk/s320/IMG_0896-3.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0rMZnB_Kw1Emex2DbG3Aw89gt5AjMK01uEV_ULaHE0mJCTUO6heh75elA4FV-zrikhKkZhAbtIQyGvuB-Eedj08kLnlidw4vzj4RgkKNFUrA2m9YdK5Rcd_lybyuekcQIx_RNZwlEbM/s1600/IMG_0660-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0rMZnB_Kw1Emex2DbG3Aw89gt5AjMK01uEV_ULaHE0mJCTUO6heh75elA4FV-zrikhKkZhAbtIQyGvuB-Eedj08kLnlidw4vzj4RgkKNFUrA2m9YdK5Rcd_lybyuekcQIx_RNZwlEbM/s400/IMG_0660-2.jpg" width="243" /></a></div>
<br />
And then of course, along comes the perfect subject to practice on:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrZm52Y5aWPfVXJIerxMXeNXqdJhAvD0sXQh9Ou3NchIHiQR-eXxGiCsI2F-vLe7QviC7fv7TtigLNzXyGLlToD5drG_jQtO7gElVqToL6lBZvfeEEqnO6UJcFbp87vvScotV_NJkZNNc/s1600/IMG_4344-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrZm52Y5aWPfVXJIerxMXeNXqdJhAvD0sXQh9Ou3NchIHiQR-eXxGiCsI2F-vLe7QviC7fv7TtigLNzXyGLlToD5drG_jQtO7gElVqToL6lBZvfeEEqnO6UJcFbp87vvScotV_NJkZNNc/s320/IMG_4344-5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMK4DSihwt_4Z46yqcFZtl5nvjPx0poJLzTS71sBpx94pwO-mLxYk-EVzYoWsRFE620zSS_4GGyCAG7kG42fsWVv0ZAhAi7OTsIS8NPkCoK2hIwbbbNuRFQJg3NZFEAYjmoql68RaAQY/s1600/IMG_2814-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMK4DSihwt_4Z46yqcFZtl5nvjPx0poJLzTS71sBpx94pwO-mLxYk-EVzYoWsRFE620zSS_4GGyCAG7kG42fsWVv0ZAhAi7OTsIS8NPkCoK2hIwbbbNuRFQJg3NZFEAYjmoql68RaAQY/s320/IMG_2814-7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
And now I get it. I can know what settings I need before I take a photo. I can almost always focus on a moving object (as long as it isn't too fast). I don't over-edit and I try desperately to capture Thomas without him saying 'cheese'. <br />
<br />
I'm moving forward and upward with my photography, both with the images I capture, and the <a href="http://lindseywelchphotography.zenfolio.com/" target="_blank">photography business</a> I've set up...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifXU_72K42dz7f8KNrcHHZ23h_o7hycFG2Xy-Aor3jvTOqQ-SsVPfOPzW0otWa_z5ySxFngThBQqOeXoFCE7q51b4afAoV8W3BxPgnXTMpig8NEp9WkzlFYw_lHxoxxplsnfdg829Dvqs/s1600/IMG_6608-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifXU_72K42dz7f8KNrcHHZ23h_o7hycFG2Xy-Aor3jvTOqQ-SsVPfOPzW0otWa_z5ySxFngThBQqOeXoFCE7q51b4afAoV8W3BxPgnXTMpig8NEp9WkzlFYw_lHxoxxplsnfdg829Dvqs/s400/IMG_6608-8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ONzcSzvMSBpvBZ0Pd6vUgfjP4iN6lhzN_gcfKlrGhSlYIUstT9eXOvFaf0N273rMuYPheJx8I_Rmh4MfldSR4roaMaUnMBgFNHICDG6E7j2iUw-CQoWtEjQx3PhyahwTzx3O2g39wxg/s1600/IMG_9592-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ONzcSzvMSBpvBZ0Pd6vUgfjP4iN6lhzN_gcfKlrGhSlYIUstT9eXOvFaf0N273rMuYPheJx8I_Rmh4MfldSR4roaMaUnMBgFNHICDG6E7j2iUw-CQoWtEjQx3PhyahwTzx3O2g39wxg/s400/IMG_9592-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGsJvaFGKCzR7GtdfJcOFxk7YA0zMeyniKJTFOsRzM6THMPAYM0KclM1gIQWI-sS62RzQwZjqjn8upijU5EBoxc40Kkm4oebN3mg0rPaYpf4VfmjRk1yzw8cImPPmL2Kwv4owFZUue6YA/s1600/4027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGsJvaFGKCzR7GtdfJcOFxk7YA0zMeyniKJTFOsRzM6THMPAYM0KclM1gIQWI-sS62RzQwZjqjn8upijU5EBoxc40Kkm4oebN3mg0rPaYpf4VfmjRk1yzw8cImPPmL2Kwv4owFZUue6YA/s400/4027.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
All because of that one set of photos taken three years ago!<br />
<br />
Thanks Ice!<br />
<br />
<br />LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7184797463035335640.post-1310751112984977142012-09-04T13:38:00.000-04:002012-09-04T13:38:46.349-04:00Summer funWe played, we laughed, we loved, we had a lot of fun.<br />
<br />
We visited the lakes and went swimming and climbed on bridges and got tanned.<br />
<br />
We had a potluck lunch and playdates in the park.<br />
<br />
We rode bikes and ran for miles and ate mountains of fresh fruit and vegetables.<br />
<br />
We made lemonade and played on the slip n slide and visited the zoo and watched the baseball.<br />
<br />
Thank you Maryland. What a great summer we had!
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj747fXb4-Bxg9edEnmPotCbbYfG8pvz0aYx5CMU6ETMDBrmH6d1bWH6ajVVLpoWrta0wAj9DXEWpfmCWOuryLkyZqifeLmT9ZWxILcruFHhgYje0rYLBCbaRWw-73njiovkqtScBSYcgc/s1600/3501a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj747fXb4-Bxg9edEnmPotCbbYfG8pvz0aYx5CMU6ETMDBrmH6d1bWH6ajVVLpoWrta0wAj9DXEWpfmCWOuryLkyZqifeLmT9ZWxILcruFHhgYje0rYLBCbaRWw-73njiovkqtScBSYcgc/s1600/3501a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<em style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 21.983333587646484px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">This photo was submitted to the I Heart Faces photo challenge – <a href="http://www.iheartfaces.com/" rel="follow http://www.iheartfaces.com/" style="color: #666666; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">www.iheartfaces.com</a></em><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.iheartfaces.com/"><img alt="Photo Challenge Submission" src="http://www.iheartfaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/I-Heart-Faces-button.jpg" title="I Heart Faces Photo Challenge Submission" /></a>LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7184797463035335640.post-74578673643093925922012-08-10T16:29:00.000-04:002013-08-14T19:23:05.842-04:0020 questions for a three year old...I saw <a href="http://mummymishaps.blogspot.com/2012/08/burton-20-questions-aged-3.html" target="_blank">this post </a>over at Mummy Mishaps and it made me laugh so much so I decided I would ask Thomas the 20 questions and see how he answered.<br />
<br />
This is long and probably not so interesting but I'm posting so I can bribe him in 13 years time... :)<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Im7iPkbVAEQ?rel=0" width="420"></iframe>LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7184797463035335640.post-56692739631655578552012-08-10T01:30:00.000-04:002012-08-10T01:30:00.262-04:00One year on. Really?!In five days I will
have been here in the US for one whole year. I can’t really believe that so
much time has passed. I vividly remember that last morning in the UK, not being
able to move from the bed, not wanting to have to say goodbye to my Mum. Even
now as I sit here writing this, my eyes glisten with tears as the feelings of
despair and sadness wash over me.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I do miss my Mum. I
really do. I miss all of my family. I can’t dwell on it because if I did, I
would be unhappy and really, I don’t have a right to be unhappy when I am
living such a nice life! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Life here is good. I
am doing things I love, bringing up my boys, training to be a <a href="http://www.birthworks.org/site/doula-certification.html" target="_blank">Childbirth Educator</a>, setting up my <a href="http://lindseywelchphotography.zenfolio.com/" target="_blank">photography business</a>. I have met some fabulous people,
and some not so fabulous people. I have been to some amazing places, visited
six states, found beautiful parks, and my home feels like a home (albeit
messier than I would like…). I have struggled with cultural differences, and
laughed at cultural differences. I’ve experienced Fall and Thanksgiving and
American Hallowe’en. I’ve discovered that there are hundreds of reasons to
celebrate with candy during the school year. I’m figuring out the supermarkets
and CSAs and farmers markets. I’m running - a lot! I passed my driving test. <a href="http://dosnailsneeddoulas.blogspot.com/2011/12/tylers-birth-part-2-accidental.html" target="_blank">I had an American baby</a>! I discovered groups like <a href="http://www.frederickmommies.com/index.php" target="_blank">Frederick Mommies</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/mombook/" target="_blank">Mombook</a>, <a href="http://www.attachmentparenting.org/" target="_blank">API</a>
of Frederick, <a href="http://www.llli.org/" target="_blank">La Leche League</a> of Frederick, and I joined them all! You could
never accuse me of being cliquey :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first three months
were the loneliest I have ever had. I didn’t know how it ‘worked’ out here. I
thought I would never make any friends or be able to have a normal conversation
with anyone. I was sad. Then it all started coming together…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, one year on. I
feel lucky. Lucky to have a husband who supports me in all the crazy things
I’ve decided to take on; who doesn’t complain when I spend all day looking
after children and all night working on photos or coursework. I am lucky to
have made some good friends who have seen me laugh and seen me cry. I wish I
could move my home nearer to my family. Better still, I wish I could move my
family nearer to me!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkj6cU0iOMFJqKDHttlbkZNRSpZ6nyHW7TO9IbYnZKfOSw7WUkOR4cb8vQ5ScaR7_7Pp8i6U-AXcdCdy2LMFWLYO6j1Ej5eFWdnk1eBCSiMSCfW-cD3wrxB8t4e9q4cGOJKAvKHn6hUR0/s1600/090812BW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkj6cU0iOMFJqKDHttlbkZNRSpZ6nyHW7TO9IbYnZKfOSw7WUkOR4cb8vQ5ScaR7_7Pp8i6U-AXcdCdy2LMFWLYO6j1Ej5eFWdnk1eBCSiMSCfW-cD3wrxB8t4e9q4cGOJKAvKHn6hUR0/s1600/090812BW.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Spurred on by a
Facebook conversation, I decided to start making a list of all the language
differences I’ve come across this year. Bear with me, I’m sure I’m missing hundreds
of others, but these are the ones that stick in my head!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(In no particular
order)<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Garden = Yard<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Vegetable patch =
garden<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Boot = trunk<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bonnet = hood<o:p></o:p><br />
Rubber = eraser<br />
Condom = rubber</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pram = carriage<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Buggy = stroller<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pushchair = stroller<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Travel cot = pack n
play<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Activity centre =
Excersaucer<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nappies = diapers<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Aubergine = eggplant<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Coriander = cilantro<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Courgette = green
squash / zucchini<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
BBQ = grill<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Clothes pegs = clothes
pins<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Post = mail (people
think I’m talking about the Washington Post newspaper if I mention post)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Football = soccer<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
American football =
football (who’d have known!)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cordial = doesn’t
exist!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Zed = zee<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bottom = tush<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bum = butt<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Biscuit = Cookie<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dumpling-type thing =
biscuit, as in “chicken and biscuit”. I haven’t had it…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pronunciation:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The completely
different pronunciation of certain herbs, with herb itself being ‘erb:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
oregano = o-ray-ganno<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
basil = bay-zle<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
quinoa = key-noir (had
a very puzzled look from a shop assistant when I asked for ki-noah…)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Zebra = zee-bra<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nauseous = Naw-shus<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Awesome ONLY sounds
cool with an American accent. Fact.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Random musings:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When we first arrived
I mentioned to David that there were a LOT of deaf people here. There really
are! It took me ten months to realise that the Maryland School for the Deaf is
in Frederick… so not just some kind of Martha’s Vineyard then…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Go to the shops /
dentist / haircut etc = ‘running errands’<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The addition of ‘of’
to a sentence: “take that off of there” “you get off of route 70”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Lube Center. No
matter how many times I drive past it, I still snigger to myself like an
adolescent schoolboy. It just sounds so rude. It’s a car shop!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What is the thing with
milk? In the UK you have whole milk, semi-skimmed milk and skimmed milk. Here you have whole milk, 2% milk, 1%
milk, some places have skimmed milk, raw milk (illegal in MD). Which one is the
same as UK skimmed milk? Probably none of them, I’ve not worked it out yet…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7184797463035335640.post-53110000359798826832012-08-07T22:44:00.001-04:002012-08-07T22:44:48.222-04:00Photography business!Yes, I went and did it! Now I have four sessions lined up and other possibilities coming together. Exciting times!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10YUJX22-yI1wt2THoI-wHNUkMeJvNM_3mEdGlY4eMH1-ydWJxDv6opB-cEwByU9wioQLBphVM-St1SMv-fM45byv_xtRZmckXtnZQCUTbSZhmaXX3sSyJaEBut_Z6yWJuJNKmMoplN0/s1600/Ad3Judi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10YUJX22-yI1wt2THoI-wHNUkMeJvNM_3mEdGlY4eMH1-ydWJxDv6opB-cEwByU9wioQLBphVM-St1SMv-fM45byv_xtRZmckXtnZQCUTbSZhmaXX3sSyJaEBut_Z6yWJuJNKmMoplN0/s1600/Ad3Judi.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7184797463035335640.post-16969885863885779512012-07-23T09:06:00.000-04:002012-07-23T09:06:53.858-04:00FirefliesFireflies! What an amazing thing to have discovered in the garden this summer! I proclaimed such a thing on Facebook and a friend sent me a poem she had written about them.
Enjoy!
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmBxC7MDK2HqLLb4Vcxv2STKNjfqNSk7e1EPTb-DSePYMBP8dG2FMI7ycj77WBVZe7vzE8kzLo1tk0bNvNCl5tiyxswnZSbF8aji3PsxO8bJfnzjJIju7mn7IdbwYjNiKFkDjMuy8nS0/s1600/Slide1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmBxC7MDK2HqLLb4Vcxv2STKNjfqNSk7e1EPTb-DSePYMBP8dG2FMI7ycj77WBVZe7vzE8kzLo1tk0bNvNCl5tiyxswnZSbF8aji3PsxO8bJfnzjJIju7mn7IdbwYjNiKFkDjMuy8nS0/s640/Slide1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7184797463035335640.post-24743075594878449992012-07-07T19:43:00.000-04:002012-07-07T19:43:58.695-04:00Breastfeeding preparationI thought I'd post some coursework from the Childbirth Educator course I am currently studying through <a href="http://www.birthworks.org/site/">Birthworks</a>. This is my essay on breastfeeding preparation, focusing on the <a href="http://www.llli.org/" target="_blank">La Leche League International </a>meetings I regularly attend. Enjoy! :)
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpwgK_IublMZJVd7EXZHGlAhcKdxuaK7USjHZxvXvu5x2NOpTwaHx17xpWuWrwbhtPrMf4XmFxoEPUoA2tASPk8TSJKaro2WaNVZynKXtLfMv9aZpp3USCIfH3c6t1aEckeouBYyjeWWM/s1600/bfing.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpwgK_IublMZJVd7EXZHGlAhcKdxuaK7USjHZxvXvu5x2NOpTwaHx17xpWuWrwbhtPrMf4XmFxoEPUoA2tASPk8TSJKaro2WaNVZynKXtLfMv9aZpp3USCIfH3c6t1aEckeouBYyjeWWM/s1600/bfing.gif" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
There are three main breastfeeding classes running in the Frederick MD area – two La Leche League (LLL) classes (one daytime monthly meeting and one evening monthly meeting) and a weekly class provided by Frederick Memorial Hospital. I attended all three classes on more than one occasion over the course of six months, both for personal reasons and for research purposes for this assignment. I would recommend the LLL meetings to all expectant mothers. The meetings are open to all - expectant women, nursing mothers, mothers who have finished nursing, mothers of nursing mothers, partners. In keeping with the BirthWorks philosophy, the group believes that breastmilk is the optimum nutrition for a newborn baby and it works hard to help and support women who want to breastfeed, through education, phone support, group meetings and one-on-one help. They also put a lot of emphasis on the birth and early postnatal period, again agreeing with the BirthWorks philosophy that birth is one of the greatest challenges life has to offer. They offer an understanding of how birth can affect breastfeeding and they help women who prenatally may be worrying, and postnatally may be suffering the effects of a bad birth experience.<br />
<br />
Each meeting started with an overview of the philosophies of the LLL group, before introductions were made. This was a chance to bring up any problems that people wanted to discuss during the meeting. I enjoyed this way of introducing the group, as everyone got to speak, and the less vocal members of the group had an opportunity to speak out if they wanted to discuss a particular issue or wanted to request help. Sometimes it is difficult to ask for help, especially in a group situation, and I appreciated the way the leader allowed everyone to have a voice. These introductions always paved the way for the rest of the meeting. There was always an issue to discuss, from giving formula under duress in hospital, to low supply, to pumping when going back to work, to struggling with weight gain on a vegan diet. Every month I learnt something new. The advice and information given was always easy to understand and people came back to the meeting month after month, including me!<br />
<br />
There are so many advantages of breastfeeding including mother-baby bonding; psychological recovery after a difficult birth; boosting the immune system of a newborn; feeding baby with the perfect balance of nutrients, especially made just for them; and ease of use. Breastfeeding also benefits both the mother and the baby, with rates of certain cancers being significantly reduced in mothers who breastfed their young. However, even though the ‘breast is best’ motto rings true in most cases, sometimes circumstances prove too difficult for breastfeeding to be established. Difficulty to establish breastfeeding may come from physical problems in the early days, pressure from doctors to supplement with formula in the hospital after birth, latching issues, and a general lack of education about the ‘norm’ of breastfeeding. Ailments such as mastitis, blocked ducts and thrush (on baby and/or mother) can deter the breastfeeding relationship and frequent growth spurts in the first six months can become wearing on the mother. Aside from physical issues, mothers may come across obstacles further down the breastfeeding path, when work beckons, or when partners start to put pressure on them. <br />
<br />
According to <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/pdf/2011BreastfeedingReportCard.pdf" target="_blank">recent statistics</a>, in 2011 the percentage of babies initially breastfed was 74.6%. This percentage had dropped to just 44.3% continuing to breastfeed at six months and only 23.8% of babies were still breastfed at 12 months. I think the three main reasons why breastfeeding rates are so low are: 1. Women are nervous about public reaction, and in some states, probably rightly so. 2. Breastfeeding can be difficult to establish at the beginning. 3. Women go back to work and are unable to pump / have difficulty in pumping and keeping up supply.<br />
<br />
During different meetings a common theme that has been explored as an obstacle to breastfeeding has been C-sections. The separation of mother and baby can have a significant impact on the early breastfeeding relationship and it is important to let women know that they can request to be kept close to their baby, even if they end up in surgery. Skin-to-skin contact is still possible and every opportunity should be provided to both the mother and baby to allow release of the hormones required for bonding to be established. The physiology of breastfeeding was also covered in detail. I learnt a lot about nipples (!) and how the different shapes can affect the latch of the baby, and how different positions can work better depending on your breast size and nipple shape; I also learnt about dietary intolerances, such as lactose intolerance and sensitivities to spices and caffeine; reflux was a common problem experienced by a lot of the mothers at the start of their breastfeeding journeys, some had resolved issues through diet, whilst others nursed their babies sitting upright, all were relieved to hear that reflux tends to diminish by six months and by attending the meetings over this period, I was happy to see this was true! <br />
<br />
Another phenomenon, which I hadn’t heard of, was the fact that most breastfeeding latch issues will decrease when the baby’s head grows bigger than the mother’s breast. As a mother with larger breasts, I’m glad I didn’t have any unresolved issues!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9HuBMJ5mAm0C8QExR4FLVjaYJ2-laY2RVUoCY8be4b04peQmOybPo3-gb8UN0go-TwYDZOi59FNsbYSpMNh5y80s0T73Jv2-kkqUlha-WkOdaX306nBIFxk3_ljeKF4yfXN7Z7N0aXQw/s1600/bfing2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9HuBMJ5mAm0C8QExR4FLVjaYJ2-laY2RVUoCY8be4b04peQmOybPo3-gb8UN0go-TwYDZOi59FNsbYSpMNh5y80s0T73Jv2-kkqUlha-WkOdaX306nBIFxk3_ljeKF4yfXN7Z7N0aXQw/s1600/bfing2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7184797463035335640.post-71900874112153863452012-07-04T10:24:00.000-04:002012-07-04T10:24:33.276-04:00Guest post!I did a guest post for the lovely Rachel at Mañana Mama!<br />
<br />
You can find it <span style="background-color: yellow; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.manana-mama.com/2012/07/note-to-small-island.html" target="_blank">here</a></b></span>. Along with others from the Strangers in Strange Lands series she is running. Thanks Rachel!<br />
<br />LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7184797463035335640.post-50206023760922581072012-06-21T22:48:00.002-04:002012-06-21T22:48:55.506-04:00Summer bucket list 2012!Inspired by the fabulous Danielle, I decided to write a bucket list for the summer!<br />
<br />
The true 'list' will be written on the blackboard wall which we're going to paint in Thomas's playroom (one of the things on the list!), inspired by Jack at Chicken and Custard who did one <a href="http://chickenandcustard.blogspot.com/2011/10/this-summers-list.html">last year</a>... Thanks Jack :)<br />
<br />
Photos to follow...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXpDoOlkLkTFsiPZsEIiLMgScH6plcIN4bA1Ols1NgEiQUA70OukcvSr94oLxE9xKPd5-v4A7j78RJfn3jhyphenhyphenUlsn-oogWrW1g7yAfQai-eZBRZXAhE52mc-uUBg9QpnnXk3W4zPHp_VY/s1600/Summer+bucket+list.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXpDoOlkLkTFsiPZsEIiLMgScH6plcIN4bA1Ols1NgEiQUA70OukcvSr94oLxE9xKPd5-v4A7j78RJfn3jhyphenhyphenUlsn-oogWrW1g7yAfQai-eZBRZXAhE52mc-uUBg9QpnnXk3W4zPHp_VY/s1600/Summer+bucket+list.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />LinzW1976http://www.blogger.com/profile/02908970904829724545noreply@blogger.com0