Just plain cute...

That's how we roll...

Some people give time-outs, some spank...

we stick our child in a kennel.

Hey, at least we give her food and water.

Just kidding.

She does this all on her own; loves the dog's kennel.

She'd love it more if Lily would go in with her but

unfortunately Lily doesn't love the kennel as much as Kharisma does.

P.S. I know what you're thinking... "gross, dog girl" but this was right before bath time so I was okay with it. Although my husband says I'm the only one that would think that since I'm a "dog hater".

Gettin' kinda chubby... just sayin'.

Little Willum is growing so fast already. I weighed him this morning and he was

9 lbs 10 oz

and to think that only 3 1/2 weeks ago he was a wimpy

6 lbs 13 oz

Sure hope he gets chubbier. Nothin' cuter than a chubby baby.

Kharisma is such a sweet sister... when she's not smothering him with hugs and kisses.

(Well, it's still sweet, just a little more on the aggressive side)

Here she is sharing her water and penguin with him.

She'll even share her blanket once in awhile, and that's saying something.

She always wants to hold him and cuddle with him.

Precious.

This was last Sunday, sportin' his Sunday attire.

Yep, he's a keeper!

Something to work for...

I just found a new little shop that has the cutest dresses and swimming suits. It's expensive stuff but I think I'll make a goal for myself of getting in shape and use this as motivation:

I love love love this swimming suite-I rarely find one pieces that are cute, plus, no one wants to see mommy tummy or what I like to call, my tiger stripes. So this is what I want to look good in. We're going to California for the month of June and will be on the beach but I'm pretty sure I won't be ready by then. But I'm bound and determine to get that way. We'll see.

Oh, the website I found is http://www.shabbyapple.com

Give-away, I want to win!

I know this is annoying but I really want to win!!

One of the blogs I read, and I'm sure everyone else does too,

is having a give-away so I have to write about it to enter.

I want a Woombie!!

Surprise!

A few days ago I went to wake up Kharisma

from her nap because it was getting late

and I wanted to still be able to get her to bed

at the usual time and this is what I found:

I had to censor it a bit so it wasn't so obscene.

It was pretty funny and best of all, no mess.

I don't know what was going on but all her clothes

and her diaper were on the floor and she was sound asleep.

Completely naked.

The Baby Business...

Aaww... baby Willum has arrived. Two weeks ago actually. What a wild ride it was. So here's the story, mostly for my own record so if you don't want to read it all I understand.

Willum Charles Danger Dixon was born Wednesday March 23, 2011 at 2:52 AM via c-section. He weighed 6lbs 13oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. Just a little guy... Kharisma was 8lbs! So the c-section was totally unexpected, but legitimately needed. So, the week before he was due I began feeling like he wasn't moving as much as he had. I did a "kick count" every night at the same time and it had changed. Two days into this change I had an appointment with my midwife's assistant, Violet, and told her my concerns. She did a position check and told me that his head was no longer sitting in my pelvis like he had been the entire time. This explained why the movement was different but his heart rate was fine and everything else seemed fine. We set an appointment for a week later and she suggested ways of sitting that would try and get him to go back in place. Violet wasn't quite certain but felt that he was just slightly angled. That was a Wednesday that I met with Violet. Well, on Sunday I was getting a little worried because I still could not feel his movement very well and felt that he was moving even more out of place. After church that Sunday I called my midwife, Margaret, and she told me to go ahead and go to the hospital and she would call them and let them know my situation. I went to labor and delivery (also known as Birthplace) and they did a non-stress test. The nurse said his heart rate was fine, it didn't have as many accelerations as she would want but nothing that concerned her. However, she did a physical check and said she was for sure not feeling a head in the right place. They let me leave, I was feeling a little better but still had some doubt in the back of my mind. My midwife asked us if we wanted to drive up to her place and let her check, also, she has a ultrasound machine at her house. I wondered why they just didn't give me an ultrasound while I was at the hospital but after talking to Margaret I found out that the nurse there was actually looking out for me... meaning, if she would have told the doctor on call that I was 39 weeks and the baby was breech then they wouldn't have let me leave and just slice me open right then. So surprisingly the nurse was the side with my midwife. So, Ben and I (and little Kharisma) drove up to Spokane to see my midwife. She felt my stomach for his position and suspected the little guy was transverse (horizontal) which isn't good. Transverse babies are un-birthable vaginally. To make certain, we did an ultrasound and sure enough, he was. Margaret did some pushing and shoving on my belly and we checked again and he had moved! But, the wrong way. Now he was breech. Now breech babies can be birthed vaginally... but it takes someone who is well trained. Margaret suggested that we visit a doctor there in Spokane that is well-known for his ability to externally turn babies. Unfortunately, the doctor had just gone into surgery so we'd have to wait. By this time I was feeling a bit overwhelmed... okay, a lot overwhelmed. I was so prepared for our home-birth. I had mentally "had" this baby a hundred times already and everything had worked out so well... I managed my pain, I stayed focused and calm, no problems. So to find out that I probably would not be getting that "perfect birth" I became a bit... emotional. I hadn't really thought I would need a c-section since my first one was so easy so I hadn't taken the time to prep myself for this possibility. While we were waiting for Margaret to get though to the doctor we made some phone calls and my visiting teacher and her husband were so kind to drive all the way up to Spokane and pick up Kharisma. We just had no idea how long we would be there and it was already late. Margaret asked me how I was feeling and I told her that, honestly, I felt like God was trying to humble me because I was so confident about having a perfect birth. Margaret, who isn't LDS but very religious, laughed and said that she was pretty sure that God had bigger fish to worry about then trying to humble me because of my confidence. We finally got through to the doctor and he agreed to see me. We prayed... my midwife, her husband, and Ben and then went to the hospital. I had to check in and get in a gown and everything. I just kept thinking that this would be the worst.... to have the baby in Spokane where I was completely alone. So they hooked up an IV and gave me something to stop contractions (I wasn't in active labor, just mild contractions every once in awhile) and then the torture began. First, the drug they gave me made my heart race (they warned me it would) so I felt like perhaps I was having a heart attack. Then the pushing. No, not the pushing I was prepared for but the doctor pushing on my stomach with all his might. It was not pleasant. In fact, the doctor left fingernail marks on my skin that lasted a few days... and I was bruised for a week I swear. Well, after two very aggressive attempts I wouldn't let them try any more. The doctor agreed that that was probably enough and that usually if that baby doesn't turn after two attempts like he had done then there was probably something more going on then we weren't aware of. And since I wasn't in active labor they let me leave. We got home about 4 in the morning and poor Ben had to be to school in a couple of hours. So Monday morning I called my mom and told her about the drama and of course she said she'd be here a.s.a.p. I love my mom. Later that day I went to a chiropractor and had her try the Webster Technique which has been used to turn breech babies. It's basically just a series of taps on your pelvis and hips. I read about it on the internet before I went, it had a pretty high success rate so I thought it wouldn't hurt to try. She said if the baby does turn it would probably be in a day or two. I wasn't completely hopeful so I wasn't crushed when it didn't work. I tried to do everything that people suggested and getting him to turn but nothing worked. I was getting pretty nervous that things weren't going well. Ben gave me a blessing and it immediately calmed my fears. I felt reassured that everything would turn out well no matter how the baby came. My mom arrived early Tuesday morning and that also made the situation better. Tuesday afternoon, (sorry for the details) I was pretty sure I lost... "the plug" and I called my midwife. I wasn't contracting but she said she'd make her way down to Pullman anyway. Margaret and Violet got to our home Tuesday evening and monitored the baby and I for awhile. His heart beat was fine and I was feeling fine but I couldn't help feeling that the longer we waiting the more dangerous things could become. Eventually Margaret did a physical exam and what she felt really surprised her. She actually felt his little feet hanging out in my cervix. At that point she said it was time to go to the hospital. The reason footling breech can be dangerous to birth vaginally is that the cervix doesn't have to dilate all the way for the legs and hips to get through, but then the baby can get stuck at the chest and then there's a chance of the cord getting caught under the arms or even between the legs and start coming out before the rest of the baby. A skilled doctor or midwife can push the feet back up and pull baby out butt first... but you want a very skilled person to do that. My midwife hasn't had enough experience with breech births to do them and most OB's aren't even trained anymore on how to deliver breech babies, they just slice ya. Anyway, so we all loaded up and headed to the hospital. My amazing neighbor came up and slept on our couch since Kharisma was sleeping and I wanted my mom to come with us to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital and after the nurse checked me and told the doctor they didn't really even have to think about it but started getting ready for the surgery. I was nervous and trying really hard to hold back the tears but I was so tired... physically and emotionally. Ben came into surgery with me and was a great support. I couldn't stop thinking about something being wrong the baby and then I couldn't stop thinking about my little Kharisma... so Ben made me focus on other things. He asked me about my latest projects and how they were going... I told him how much money I had accidentally spent on getting an apron pattern enlarged. It was really good to laugh a little. Being awake during such a major surgery is really crazy. My spinal made me numb all the way up to my chest so breathing was a little difficult and did not love the feeling of not knowing what was going on with my body. Almost as soon as it started, it was over and they were dangling my little boy over the curtain for me to see and then he was gone again and I was alone. I felt like a little frog in a 7th grade science class being dissected. I could hear the surgeons talking about normal, everyday stuff like... sports... the weather. Finally the curtain was removed and they talked to me a little. Turns out that Willum had the cord around his neck, not in a dangerous way, but it kept him from being able to turn. They wheeled me into the recovery room and then finally to my room where I was finally able to hold my sweet boy. I was shocked to find out he was only 6lbs 13oz, I was expecting much bigger. After discussions with my midwife we felt like his lack of movement towards the end was to conserve calories because maybe his prime time to be born had came and he missed it because he wasn't able to turn. My placenta was past it's prime so little Willum was just trying to hold onto what weight he could. All in all, we're both healthy and happy. I'm not upset about the c-section, I'm grateful we have the technology for these situations. I'd go with a midwife again (but one in the same town as us) because midwifery care is so personal and genuine. Willum nurses like a champ, even easier than Kharisma was. He's such a good baby. He certainly likes to be comfortable, so as long as he has a clean diaper and a full tummy he's great. Kharisma loves him... sometimes a bit too aggressively. I've never been in a lot of pain and I'm grateful for that. Today I actually went to walking group and then grocery shopping so I have high hopes that I'm going to be able to handle having two kids. I'm so thankful for all the support and help I've had thus far. I'm excited to see the little man that Willum will become and the relationship that he will have with his sister. Hooray for families!!