I gave birth to this little guy....

I had many plans last Monday. Blog again about maternity leave, go shopping for wedding presents, make dinner for friends who just had twins, ect. Still having 3 more weeks until my due date, I didn't think much about the Braxton Hicks contractions that were much stronger than they had ever been when I woke up in the morning. Even though I couldn't walk when they hit (about 3-4 minutes apart), I didn't know the difference so I didn't call my midwife until late afternoon. She said the baby was really low, but didn't anticipate me progressing.

About 10 pm they became excruciating. Anthony was at work, so I was up all night by myself using my breathing techniques to ease the pain. I didn't know what else to do and figured no one could do anything anyways so why bother calling anyone? In retrospect I should have had Anth come home, because when I finally called my midwife at 7 am I was 7 cm dialated!

At that point my birth team assembled (Midwife Rebecca, her assistant Alicia, dula Anastasia, my mom, and Anthony) and there was a whirlwind of activity getting my bedroom ready for labor and birth. We had the house staged because we are selling it, so Anthony's parents had to bring over all the baby stuff that was stored at their house and pick up Stanley.

I was very focused and didn't say much for the rest of the 5 hours of labor. The plan was a birth at home with no medication, so controlled breathing was all I did when the contractions hit (and it really just felt like one long contraction!) My water broke at 10:15 am (weird feeling to have liquid gushing everywhere), I flipped onto my hands and knees, then got into my pushing position on my back.

This part seemed like an eternity. I pushed for almost 2 hours and even though everyone was telling me I was "Almost there!" with every push, at one point I doubted he would come out at all! He was in a funky position so it took a lot of effort and manuvering on my midwife's part to get him to crown. Then after all that pushing, I was told to stop....and then start.....and then stop....and then start......which is so hard when there is a baby half way out! This was in an effort to not let me tear which I am so thankful for, but man, that was a challange.

Probably the weirdest feeling was when he was all the way out and my belly instantly deflated. lol So nuts! I was pretty shellshocked for a couple hours, so my joy didn't really show in the pictures, but I couldn't believe I was holding my son in my arms.

I didn't think much at the time about the fact that I was at home and not in the hospital, but looking back I am so thankful for the experience. I am pretty proud to say that I didn't have any drugs, but on that note, I wouldn't have been ashamed to say that I had medication either! It was pretty cool that he was so alert when he came out. Being at home and being able to take a nap right away in our own bed and shower in our own shower was amazing.

He had a busy day of being checked by the pediatrician and meeting his new family. He weighed in at 7 lbs and measured 19" long.

Welcome Titus Anthony Daddario into our lives.

Today I made my favorite (red) chili recipe. I only have one other recipe and it is for white chicken chili, so I guess it is my only red chili recipe, but I don't want to try any others cuz this is so good. :) 

It is from a cookbook I got for my wedding called the Newlywed's Cookbook. It is a little fancier than normal chilis and kind of different with all the different peppers. I love that it has steak in it!

Chili With All The Trimmings

Serves 6-8

1 dried chipotle chili, soaked in 1/2 cup hot water

1/4 c olive oil
4 halves of bell peppers (1/2 red, 1/2 yellow, 1/2 green, 1/2 orange) seeded and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2-1 fresh green chile, finely chopped

1 3/4 lb chuck steak, cut into small cubes
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 c red wine

1/4 tsp hot red pepper flakes
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp dried oregano
28 oz canned chopped tomatoes
42 oz canned red kidney beans (3x14oz cans), drained and rinsed
1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper

Trimmings:
Avacados, sour cream, cheddar cheese, green onions, cilantro, lime wedges 

1. Heat 2 TB oil in large sauce pan. Cook peppers, onion, green chile, celery, and a pinch of salt until soft (5-7 minutes). Set aside.

2. Add 2 TB oil to a large pot. Brown meat for 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and a pinch of salt and cook for 1 more minute. Add wine and bring to a boil for 1 minute.

3. Add cooked peppers, spices, tomatoes, beans, and bay leaf. Remove the chipotle from the water and chop finely. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until meat is tender. 

4. Serve immediately with trimmings, or wait overnight for the flavors to meld.
 

 The last week I have been mainly walking, napping, and cooking. Stanley loves all three.

We started this year with a remodel of our bedroom and bathroom (which is making us antsy to do more home projects.)

Just like the other two floor projects, our Bible study group left on Wednesday night and we started tearing up the carpets ("We have exactly one week before everyone comes back for Bible Study!") I wasn't much of a help this time since I have a hard time bending over, but I made sure Anthony had a steady supply of beer and chips to keep him well nourished during the home project. :D 

We slept in the living room for a few days which was kind of felt like a sleep over. Stanley was thrilled that he got to stay in bed all day.

In 6 days Anth had the floors in, the room painted yellow,new bedding, curtains, and lamps in place. We think it looks right out of a magazine!

My contribution was an art piece that I am pretty proud of. I saw an idea on pintrest to make a wall display out of your wedding lyrics on canvas.

You paint an acrilic gel onto the canvas, press the paper on, let it dry, then wet the paper and rub off the paper fiber, leaving the ink on the canvas.

Some of the ink comes off, which I think made for a cool, rustic effect.

On the wall above our bed

The baby's room is all ready as well, with new floors and paint. Just waiting for all the baby items! And the baby of course. :)