Tuesday, April 5, 2011

My two new favorite recipes

I've been trying some new recipes out lately, using vegetables I don't normally use, and trying out some different kinds of flours. For those of you who don't already know, I can't eat gluten so certain recipes can be challenging and I've had some trial and error in the process. I just made both of these in the past week and I think they passed the test! Dustin even dubbed the shepherd's pie as his new favorite meal. Emery loved it too! :) I thought I'd pass them along.

Shepherd's Pie (I edited it to make more of it, so I'll include what I changed)

5-6 large potatoes, cubed (skin on or off) (I used about 16 really small ones)
2-4 tablespoons olive oil
2 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1 (approximately) pound chunked sirloin steak (I ended up using 1.7 pounds)
1 red onion (I used a really large one)
2 cups sliced white mushrooms (I didn't add these)
2 leeks, chopped (I used 1 large one)
2 large carrots, chopped (I did 6 small ones)
2 parsnips, chopped (I chopped 3)
1/2 cup tomato puree (I did 1 cup)
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 cup cheddar cheese (obviously, I increased the amount on the rest of these too)
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
chives for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.
2. Boil cubed potatoes until soft (about 15 minutes). Set aside.
3. While potatoes are boiling, heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Season chunk steak with salt and pepper and add the steak to the skillet. Cook the steak until medium rare, about 10 minutes.
4. Remove the steak from the skillet and place in a 9 X 13 casserole dish. In the same hot skillet, place onion, mushrooms, and leeks and saute for 4 minutes. Then add carrot and parsnip. Cook, stirring, for 5 more minutes. Add tomato puree, parsley, salt and pepper to taste and stir to mix. Turn off the heat and let sit while you mash the potatoes.
5. Drain potatoes, mash, and add butter and milk.
6. Into your baking dish, spoon mixture from the skillet over the steak. Then, spoon mashed potatoes on top. Sprinkle cheese over the top and put in the oven for 14-16 minutes to allow the carrots to soften, the meat to cook a little more, and the cheese to melt.
7. Garnish with chives and serve hot.

My two new favorite flours to use are almond flour and coconut flour. Almond flour is a little pricey, but it's made from a super food so it's full of nutrients unlike pretty much all high carbohydrate, nutrient deficient white, wheat, rice, or potato flour! Good fats for you, lower cholesterol, smooth texture, and bakes up really nicely. Also, coconut flour is full of fiber, is super nutritious for you, won't spike your blood sugar, and tastes yummy!

So for dessert, some not-so-bad-for-you cookies! Don't let the healthy ingredients fool you, these are delicious! We brought some to our small group not long ago and they passed the test for 7, 9, and 13 year old boys!

Cranberry Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies (Makes 36)

2 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 T. vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup walnuts, toasted (I used raw almonds, not toasted)
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt and baking soda
3. In a smaller bowl, combine oil, agave, and vanilla
4. Stir wet ingredients into dry
5. Mix in cranberries, walnuts and chocolate chips
6. Form dough into 1/2-inch balls and press onto parchment-lined baking sheet
7. Bake at 350 for 7-10 minutes
8. Cool and serve

YUM!! If you haven't ever baked with agave nectar I highly recommend it. A lower glycemic sweetener that doesn't make things taste "healthy."

If you have a recipe you love or have recently tried and recommend, feel free to post!!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Bye-Bye! (A Video)

Here's a little clip of Emery playing with her toys the other day. Lately she enjoys dropping them on the floor and saying "bye bye" every time she does.

Sorry for the poor video quality, it was taken on my cell phone. I'm still trying to figure out how to post videos so hopefully I'll be able to put up more soon with a better camera.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Lent and the Season of Easter


Dustin and I wanted to lay out a plan for scripture reading and activities as we approach Easter, so I put together some information and reading based on the New Testament accounts of this time as Jesus' death approaches. 

Lent: Old English, “Lengthen.” Days are getting longer with spring approaching. Lent is a good time to reflect and pray, giving thanks to God for sending us a Savior who gave His life for our sins. Fasting is closely associated with this time as a way to express our dependence on God. Of course, it is done with a heart change, expressly to give God our time, to meditate on Him and our need for Him. After prayer we may not feel led to fast during Lent and that's okay. It is a good time, however, to remember the forty days of fasting that Jesus did in the wilderness, to soberly look at ourselves and consider the depth of our sin and the height of God’s love for us, and to ask God for forgiveness.

Noel Piper says, 

“Lent is a season of waiting. In that sense it is like Advent. But while Advent waits eagerly for the appearance of the Savior, Lent waits, with heavy responsibility, for his death. The light of Advent candles grows brighter as we approach the Savior’s arrival. In Lent all grows darker as we draw nearer to the unthinkable – the death of God.”

Good scripture reading for each Sunday leading up to holy week of the accounts of Jesus’ last days:

Matthew 21-28
Mark 11-16
Luke 19-24
John 11-21

Holy week:

Palm Sunday
Jesus’ triumphal entry as King and Messiah into Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. He rides on a donkey (signifying humility) and is greeted with “Hosanna” and the waving of palm branches, though the people will soon disown him. Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-28; John 12:12-19

Monday
Jesus preaches in the Temple and cleanses it by chasing off the moneychangers and vendors. Matthew 21:12-17; Mark 11:15-19; Luke 19:45-48

Tuesday
Jesus and the Pharisees dispute in the Temple, where His authority is challenged and He confronts them. He leaves for the garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. There he delivers the “Mount Olivet Discourse.” Judas agrees to betray him to the Jewish priests for 30 pieces of silver. Matthew 21:23-46, 24:29-51, 26:14-16; Mark 11:27-12:12, 13:1-13, 14:10-11; Luke 20:1-18, 22:1-6

Wednesday
Holy, or Spy Wednesday.

Thursday
On Holy or Maundy Thursday, at the Passover Feast, Jesus and his disciples share the “Last Supper.” It was a time for goodbyes and preparation for separation. Jesus blesses his bread and wine as his flesh and blood and shares it with his disciples. He informs them that one of them will betray him. Jesus and his disciples go to the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prays and his disciples desert him, first by falling asleep and then by running away. Matthew 26:17-29, 36-46; Mark 14:12-31, 32-42; Luke 22:7-23, 39-46; John 13:1-30, 36-38

In the middle of the night, Jesus is betrayed by Judas’ kiss and arrested. Matthew 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-50; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:1-11

Friday
At sunrise, he is denied three times by Peter. When brought before Caiaphas, the Jewish High Priest, and his Council, he is condemned. He says that he will rise from death after three days. Matthew 26:69-75; Mark 14:53-72; Luke 22:54-62; John 18:12-27

They hand him over to the Roman authority, Pontius Pilate, who sends him to Herod (Antipas, the son of Herod the Great). Then Pilate asks the crowd who he is to pardon: a murderer, or Jesus? The crowd condemns Jesus and he is sentenced to death. Matthew 27:1-26; Mark 15:1-15: Luke 23:1-25; John 18:28-40
Jesus carries his cross to Calvary, where on the “third hour” (9 am) he is crucified. He is mocked as he hangs between the two thieves. On the “sixth hour” (noon), darkness covers the land. Jesus cries out “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Matthew 27:32-49; Mark 15:16-41; Luke 23:26-49; John 19:16-27
Jesus commits his spirit to his Father and dies. An earthquake destroys the Temple. Many understand now that Jesus was the Son of God. His body is taken down and anointed, then buried by Joseph of Arimathea. Matthew 27:50-61; Mark 15:37-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:28-30, 38-42
Saturday
The Jewish Council remembers his vow to return and has the tomb guarded and sealed with a heavy stone. His disciples wait; thinking all was over and lost. Matthew 27:62-28; Luke 23:56

Sunday
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary see an angel roll away the stone in front of the tomb. The angel tells them Jesus is already resurrected and is on his way to Galilee! On their way to tell the others, Jesus appears to them. Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-20; Luke 24:1-49; John 20-21
The Lord is risen!!!
I Peter 1:3-5
I hope and pray that this may be helpful for you. I give thanks and praise to my Lord Jesus Christ who died so that I might live! 

Tuesday, February 15, 2011


Since it's been such a long time since I've blogged, I'll post a bunch of cute pictures, some recent updates, and some Valentines day fun. 

Em's latest words: good girl "gugal," clean (she likes to wipe her face and ours as she says this), sticker, color (for crayons), toe, pocket "pah," cheese, grandma/grandpa (this is one word - "gmagmpa"), tickle, poke, go, kitty "kiyee," gentle "genta," close (loves to close the cupboard drawers/dryer/etc), and her first two-word phrase, "bye bye dada."

Here are some random cute pictures...

 She loves driving her car all over the house!
 And pushing it. :)

 And pushing her other toy...
 One of her other activities...putting on and off mittens and slippers/shoes.
 These ones are a little big!
 She recently learned how to get into three of the kitchen drawers.
 She loves putting on her boots. Don't ask what she's wearing!!

On Valentine's day I thought it'd be fun to let Em do her first painting and make some Valentine's to give daddy when he got home from work. I made some rice krispie treats while Em made a pretty mess. :)
 We started with some coloring...
 Then we filled a bin with some paint, jellybeans, and paper hearts and let Em shake it up to make some more pretty artwork.
 Then we got out the paints and let the fingers do the rest. This got pretty messy...
 As you can see!
Bath time after that!
 Showing daddy her toes after he got home from work and she got out of the bath.
 Fun with heart stickers.
 Not walking by herself yet, but standing for a while.
 So cute. :)

After Emery went to bed for the night, Dustin and I got all dressed up for our "date." Dustin made me put on a dress and he lit the house in candles and prepared some T-bone steaks!

Yum! T-bone steaks, garlic mashed potatoes, and asparagus. What a great Valentine's day!

And Emery's artwork drying overnight. :)

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Simple Bib Tutorial


I love creating things with my hands, whether it's with paint brushes, pencils, charcoal, a needle and thread, or knitting needles. There is some kind of satisfaction when you look at your finished project and know that not long ago it was just scraps, just a ball of yarn, or a couple tubes of paint. To know that with a little hard work and persistence something can be created from only a few meager supplies. 

I am definitely not an expert at any art, and I don’t like following patterns, but I grew up doing crafts with my mom, sisters and aunts and going to craft shows and fairs to sell our creations, so it has always been a joy to sit down and make something. The simpler projects are the most fun because you usually have instant gratification with a finished project to use or admire.

Since Emery was in need of a couple new bibs, I decided to use some scrap fabric I had to make her some. Here are some simple instructions for the bib.


What you’ll need:

-A bib you already own to use as a template
-Cotton fabric (14”X18” for the small bib, 16”X24” for larger bib) I used two flannel blankets I purchased from a garage sale last summer
-Terry cloth (same dimensions as above)
-Scissors
-Sewing machine or serger
-Velcro or snaps with a snap press/pliers
-Pins


Instructions:

Start by laying out your fabric (right side up) that you’ll use for the front of your bib and draping the template bib on top of it. Cut 1/2 inch around the edges of your template bib. Do the same with your terry cloth but with the right side down.


Next:
Cut out a “food catcher” flap for the front of your bib. The dimensions of this can be whatever you’d like. Mine was 4” tall.

 This is what I mean by "food catcher" flap :)

Next:
Sew (tuck under the top part) the top edge of the food flap. Or serge directly over it without tucking it under.

 Tuck it under and sew over the top
OR serge directly over the top

Next:
With a sewing machine: Pin the food catcher flap to the lower side of the front of your bib with the edges tucked under. Sew along the edges of this.

Next:
With a sewing machine:
Pin the front part of the bib (now with the food flap attached) to the terry cloth side, tucking all of the edges inward together. Sew these pieces all together along all the outer edges.
With a serger: Simply put all three pieces of the bib together, exactly like they would look upon completion and serge around all of the edges without tucking them under.

Edges of the bib tucked under, sew over the top about 1/8" from the edge.

Next:
Almost done! Your bib is looking like a bib now you just need to add the closure.
For Velcro: Cut a 2” piece and pin one side to the out part of the bib, and the other piece to the inside (terry cloth) of the neck strap part of the bib.
Carefully sew along the outer edges of the velcro, reinforcing it by sewing over it at least twice.
Snaps are another alternative, but you’ll need a snap press or pliers.

 Attache one piece to the front side of the bib...
 And the other corresponding piece to the back of the neck strap.
Or put snaps on if you have the equipment

Next:
Sit back and admire your finished product or try it on your baby!!

All done and ready to get it dirty!!




Monday, January 31, 2011

In the mundane moments

"You shall teach [God's words] to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." Deuteronomy 11:19

So....basically all day, everyday, no matter what I'm doing I should be teaching Emery God's words? Yep. It can't get much clearer than that! I read this to Dustin the other day then laughed...when I'm sitting, walking, lying down, or rising up. Is there any other state to be in?! This verse really hit me hard when I first read it and made me realize exactly what I am called to do as a mother. As she is getting older and able to communicate more and more with us, it's crystal clear that we already do teach her so much without even realizing it, for good and for bad.

I'm reading a great book right now titled, "Treasuring God in Our Traditions" by Noel Piper, and in it she writes,

"God wants us to remember to see him in the most mundane parts of our lives. And what we see, he wants us to talk about with our children. When that level of significance is added to the ordinary repetitions of life, a tradition is created." 
and 
"We'll do lots of good things, but only a couple times. One of the great strengths of good traditions in our lives is repetition -- not something done once, then something else, then another thing altogether, but good things done regularly, dependably, until they become habits."

This definitely won't come easy, especially for me, but I want to create good habits that become traditions for my family, so that my children would be able to look back and remember those mundane parts of of their childhood and remember that we prayed together in them, we sang songs, danced and worshipped together, played and read books, and no matter what we gave God the glory in those moments. 

And just for fun, here are a couple recent pictures of our baby, ahem, toddler!


 Yogurt, one of her favorites. num, num, num...

 Bundled up and ready to go!

 Her "car" as she calls it as she pushes it while, "brrrrrrrrrrrrr-ing" along

 Loving rocking on her chair that grandma gave her and putting on her mittens, then off her mittens, then on, then off....

Oh it's so fun to splash!!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

One of my favorites

I found this a couple years ago in a devotional I was reading called, "Taste and See" by John Piper. It is one of my favorite things to read and makes me realize what an amazing God we serve.  It will really make you see the miracles in everyday things. Enjoy!


The Great Work of God: Rain

A Thanksgiving Meditation

 But as for me, I would seek God, And I would place my cause before God; Who does great and unsearchable things, Wonders without number. He gives rain on the earth, And sends water on the fields. Job 5:8-10
If you said to someone: "My God does great and unsearchable things; He does wonders without number," and they responded, "Really? Like what?" would you say, "Rain"?
When I read these verses recently I felt like I did when I heard the lyrics to a Sonny and Cher song in 1969: "I'd live for you. I'd die for you. I'd even climb the mountain high for you." Even? I would die for you. I would even climb a high mountain for you? The song was good for a joke. Or a good illustration of bad poetry. Not much else.
But Job is not joking. "God does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number." He gives rain on the earth." In Job's mind, rain really is one of the great, unsearchable wonders that God does. So when I read this a few weeks ago, I resolved not to treat it as meaningless pop musical lyrics. I decided to have a conversation with myself (= meditation).
Is rain a great and unsearchable wonder wrought by God? Picture yourself as a farmer in the Near East, far from any lake or stream. A few wells keep the family and animals supplied with water. But if the crops are to grow and the family is to be fed from month to month, water has to come on the fields from another source. From where?
Well, the sky. The sky? Water will come out of the clear blue sky? Well, not exactly. Water will have to be carried in the sky from the Mediterranean Sea, over several hundred miles and then be poured out from the sky onto the fields. Carried? How much does it weigh? Well, if one inch of rain falls on one square mile of farmland during the night, that would be 27,878,400 cubic feet of water, which is 206,300,160 gallons, which is 1,650,501,280 pounds of water.
That's heavy. So how does it get up in the sky and stay up there if it's so heavy? Well, it gets up there by evaporation. Really? That's a nice word. What's it mean? It means that the water sort of stops being water for a while so it can go up and not down. I see. Then how does it get down? Well, condensation happens. What's that? The water starts becoming water again by gathering around little dust particles between .00001 and .0001 centimeters wide. That's small.
What about the salt? Salt? Yes, the Mediterranean Sea is salt water. That would kill the crops. What about the salt? Well, the salt has to be taken out. Oh. So the sky picks up a billion pounds of water from the sea and takes out the salt and then carries it for three hundred miles and then dumps it on the farm?
Well it doesn't dump it. If it dumped a billion pounds of water on the farm, the wheat would be crushed. So the sky dribbles the billion pounds water down in little drops. And they have to be big enough to fall for one mile or so without evaporating, and small enough to keep from crushing the wheat stalks.
How do all these microscopic specks of water that weigh a billion pounds get heavy enough to fall (if that's the way to ask the question)? Well, it's called coalescence. What's that? It means the specks of water start bumping into each other and join up and get bigger. And when they are big enough, they fall. Just like that? Well, not exactly, because they would just bounce off each other instead of joining up, if there were no electric field present. What? Never mind. Take my word for it.
I think, instead, I will just take Job's word for it. I still don't see why drops ever get to the ground, because if they start falling as soon as they are heavier than air, they would be too small not to evaporate on the way down, but if they wait to come down, what holds them up till they are big enough not to evaporate? Yes, I am sure there is a name for that too. But I am satisfied now that, by any name, this is a great and unsearchable thing that God has done. I think I should be thankful - lots more thankful than I am.
Grateful to God for the wonder of rain,
Pastor John

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Compilation of Websites

Because I like to save money, clip coupons, and find good deals I'm always on the look-out out for the best places to find them. And since it's not always easy to find coupons for organic foods and natural products I end up bookmarking websites that I find or that someone told me about here and there. I know I love when someone tells me where to find the deals, find new recipes, and get good prices so I thought I'd compile a list of the websites that I really like and I also included some other ones that I just find fun and helpful for healthy living. Hope these can be useful for someone!

Love this site for the printable coupons on organic items:
http://healthylifedeals.blogspot.com/

Another organic coupon site. Also, great recipes and gluten free ideas:
http://www.mambosprouts.com/

Always great organic coupons and other good deals:
http://www.thethriftymama.com/

I love the pocket guides to healthy baby products/personal products/foods/plastics/etc. Very helpful:
http://healthychild.org/live-healthy/pocket_guides/

Good info regarding what to look for and avoid in your personal care products:
http://www.theecofriendlyfamily.com/2010/02/personal-care-products-ingredients-to.html

Great site for recipes, how-to's, info on foods and their health benefits, etc. Makes me hungry every time I go to it!
http://nourishedkitchen.com/

A few of my favorite places to buy baby products and diapers:
http://www.vermontcountrybaby.com/
http://www.happybabycompany.com/
http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/

This one gives you the daily deals on baby products:
http://www.diaperpin.com/home.asp

If you know of other great similar websites let me know!

Friday, January 7, 2011

Emery's Birth Story

Caution: There may be details that aren't for those with a weak stomach. :) I wrote Emery's birth story only a couple days after she was born so that I wouldn't forget it. Since I was still full of adrenaline, it might sound frantic and a little raw, but I decided not to edit it.


Emery Esther Ranem was born on Wednesday, January 6 at 4:41 pm. She weighed 7lbs 4oz and is 20 inches long. She’s perfectly healthy, has light brown hair, and is absolutely gorgeous! She was born 9 days early.

Here is my birth story if you’d like to read it:

            On Tuesday, January 5th both Dustin and I were home sick with the flu. We had been unable to keep any kind of food down so we went to bed early. Beginning in the middle of the night and lasting through to Wednesday morning I was having back pains with light cramping. I kept waking up to these and started noticing that they were coming and going fairly consistently. By morning they were worse, but what I was feeling was 90% back pain, so I wasn’t sure if this was true labor. I started timing them around 8-9am and they were about 4-5 minutes apart and lasting 30-40 seconds. In my mind I did not think this was labor yet because it felt basically like extreme back pain and the contractions seemed too close together already for early labor. I decided to take a bath to see if they’d go away or slow down at all. They didn’t.
            It was really a blessing that Dustin didn’t have to work until 1:30 that day so he got up and started rubbing my back and keeping track of the timing. We were both confused and started reading through our Bradley book, looking things up online, and both of us were thinking that this was false labor or early first stage. I kept forcing myself to drink water to see if the contractions would go away, but they kept coming. Around 11 am we decided to call the midwife at Woodwinds. She said not to come in unless the contractions lasted more than 45 second, if my water broke, or if I was bleeding a lot. We just kept timing contractions and Dustin would rub and put a hot pack on my back during each contraction. I barely felt any pressure/contractions in my uterus, so I still was not convinced this was the real thing.
            The contractions started lasting 45-55 seconds and would be anywhere from 2-4 minutes apart at this point. They were definitely painful and getting stronger. I really felt like a wimp because in between contractions all I wanted to do was keep my eyes closed and sleep or get into a comfortable position, but I had to force myself to get up and move. One of the worst contractions was when I tried lying down on the couch in between and close my eyes for a bit, but just lying on the couch made it so much more painful than I can describe…I couldn’t imagine someone lying on a hospital bed doing this! In between many of the contractions I would throw up because they were so painful and, of course, this only made me feel more miserable. At this point I just wanted to do this labor thing another day, like tomorrow, but not today! I hoped and prayed that the contractions would stop, but that obviously didn’t happen. In the meantime, Dustin was so great at multitasking. He was washing out the puke bucket, heating up the hot pack, rubbing my back, helping distract me, and timing the contractions perfectly.
            Contractions were getting much more painful so we called the midwife again at 2 pm and she said the same thing, but said to come in if I didn’t think I’d be comfortable at home or driving in at this point. Since this was our first baby, we (and she) felt that we’d have quite a while before the baby was born. We still felt comfortable at home, so we just decided to stay. I did not want to go in thinking I’d have hours, maybe days of this kind of laboring left. My dad came over to our house to adjust me around 2:30pm and we told him we’d probably go in soon. At about 3pm the contractions started getting really unbearable and I was walking back and forth through our kitchen, but would go limp into Dustin’s arms when I’d have another contraction. He was a great coach!           
After more of these contractions (that were lasting 1-1.5 minutes at this point) I suddenly started feeling a ton of pressure in my cervix and no longer had any back pain. I told Dustin I didn’t think I could do this at home any longer and I thought we should go into the hospital. I really wanted to cry, but Dustin walked me through the next contraction. He began running bags out to the car as I stood in the kitchen over the counter. During this time (at about 3:30pm) I told Dustin, “I’m pushing!!! I’m definitely pushing!!!” He helped me into the car and at about 3:45pm we left for Woodwinds. I was in the back seat on all fours with towels and chucks pads underneath me in case my water broke while on the way. Although Dustin took every turn very slowly and carefully, it was a very unpleasant car ride that seemed to last forever as I was pushing every couple minutes.
            When we FINALLY got there (a 10 minute drive) Dustin pulled up to the emergency entrance, walked me to the lobby and told the main receptionist I was in labor. He pushed me up in a wheel chair along with a nurse whom I talked to in the elevator and they put me in a room. Dustin was out of the room at the desk filling out some paperwork as I stood over the bed pushing through a contraction until a nurse came in and told me to go pee in a cup. There was no way I was going to pee in a cup at this point but Dustin helped me get to the bathroom anyways. I was on the toilet when I called Dustin in and said, “I think my water is coming out.” They rushed me to the bed and sure enough my water membrane was definitely protruding out. At that point the midwife came in and ruptured my membrane. I asked how far along/dilated I was (thinking maybe 5-8 cm). She said, “I can see your baby!!” I’m not sure why I asked this, though, since I’d been in 2nd stage labor pushing for some time now. I think I was still in shock that we were actually in labor and our baby was almost here! I found out later that my parents and siblings arrived at the hospital 5 minutes after we did, thinking they’d be there for a while. Nope.
            We had planned a water birth, but I heard the nurse yell out, “turn off the tub, we won’t have time!” I couldn’t believe I was having a baby!! After one contraction the midwife told me to feel the baby’s head…I couldn’t believe she was right there already!!! It took about 6-7 hard-core contractions on the bed, with one leg up on Dustin and the other on the midwife, and she was out at 4:41 pm!! We were only at the hospital for a total of 31 minutes; it was perfect! Dustin was able to announce that, “it’s a girl!!” and cut the cord (a little earlier than we’d hoped since it was very short and she only reached my belly). We were so thankful that we weren’t at the hospital any longer since the nurse that was working was not very friendly and did not get along with our midwife (who was spectacular, by the way).
            Our baby started crying immediately and she was perfectly pink and healthy, so they wiped her off and left us be with her for a couple hours before coming back to check her over. I held our baby girl up to my chest and was able to start nursing her right away. Dustin and I were definitely still in shock that she was in our arms, since we hadn’t even quite convinced ourselves that we were actually in labor!! Dustin even had to text his family that we were at the hospital in between pushes so they would know to come.
            Emery Esther Ranem was born without any medications or medical intervention. We labored at home all day and she was “caught” at the hospital. Although this was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, I am so thankful that we learned how to deal with the worst labor possible, because it made this experience so doable and absolutely empowering!! After doing this all natural, I can’t even imagine doing it another way. I wouldn’t want anyone to take away that experience from Dustin and me.
            Emery is lying in my arms now as I rock her in the rocking chair in our living room. She is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!!