About Me

Shrimpie and me on a hay ride, October 2010

Like many first time moms, I became a mother knowing I didn't know everything, but thinking I at least new something. I was wrong. Despite all the wonderful resources out there, and people I've had the pleasure of meeting, my son is my greatest teacher. I've given up old ideas of control in favor of allowing my son to lead me with his needs (with gentle guidance and positive influence from his father and me at all turns).


Flynn ("Shrimpie"), like so many babies, was a needy baby (some would say 'fussy'). He won't sleep alone (so we started bed sharing ) and won't be put down (so we started babywearing). Before baby, I made fun of what I thought 'attachment parenting' was, I now often find API is not nearly radical for us. I am a lactivist, genital integrity advocate, cloth diapering, ECing, non-vaxing, cosleeping, babywearing, baby-led-weaning, barefoot loving, SAH mama to a very happy free range baby. Someone please pass the granola bars.

Moments after TG's birth

The cast of characters you'll find mentioned in this blog is short and include my partner of six years (as of August, 2011) who we call "the fella". He is typically supportive of my parenting ideals, with a few bumps in the road as I'm sure every set of parents has had to endure. And our son, the ever courageous, mischievous, and totally hilarious "Shrimpie", born in February 2010. His birth was traumatic for both of us, so when we found out we were expecting our second, we took a very different and more educated route through our pregnancy. On November 24, 2011, I gave birth to our daughter, Adelynn ("Turkey Girl"), at home with a midwife, on Thanksgiving Day.

My interest in studying all things birth, pregnancy and babies took a more formal turn in 2012 when I began studying to become a doula through Birth Arts International and began attending births as a doula. I am hoping to enroll in a midwifery program by 2014.

As I studied birth as a profession, I found out we were very unexpectedly expecting our third baby. Declan ("Piglet") was born at home, unassisted, on December 18th, 2012. It was amazing.
 

A milk-drunk and sleep-smiling two week old Declan

In this blog you'll read about my birth experiences, my struggles with breastfeeding due to IGT (Insufficient Glandular Tissue), my milksharing experiences, my path to natural living and whole foods eating, and other snippets, like my strong stance against routine infant circumcision and more.

...That's who I am now, I've come a long way in a very short time and I have a much longer road ahead of me. I try to interpret the world with a sense of humor. If I didn't laugh, I'd go completely insane!