We are family!

My parents are moving in with us at the end of March!  I am soooooo excited!  Ever since Ivan and I got married, she's been dying to have another grandchild to take care of.  She always said, "When you have your baby,  I'll move in with you and help you."  I really want my son to know my parents, to really know them.   I want him to know how sweet and soft my father is and how beautiful and giving my mother is.  My parents are so important to me and I just feel so blessed it's all happening.  I'm also thankful that my husband is all for it too.  I know that it's not always going to be smooth sailing.  I mean let's be real...I haven't lived with my parents since I was 20 years old. But my parents are in their late 70's so every moment counts.  I have a tremendous amount of re-arranging to do around the house which is good because it will keep me busy while Eye is gone.   Yea for family!

Nama...sigh

I'm pretty frustrated that I can't find  a good Yoga class.  The pre-natal classes are way too easy and boring for me at this stage.  I took an Inyegar class today which was interesting.  We used ropes and lots of blocks and blankets.  There was one great stretch that really opened my chest.  It felt good.  But then I got bored fast and my mind started to wander.  I need to sweat a little or at least feel my body get warm.  I've been walking a lot.  I usually do 45 minutes to an hour every other day.   I'm teaching Pilates and I'm also doing Hula once a week.  I guess that's pretty active but I still feel like it's not enough.  I miss sweating, I miss the feeling you get after a really good work out.  I know that I can't push too hard so I just have to find that happy medium.  

Sexy....

This note might be considered an over share but I have to say since I've been pregnant, I have have been having hot steamy dreams about my husband!!!   I just love the fact that after 13 years of being together I can still have sexy dream about him.  I wake myself up in the morning from breathing so hard!   They say that some women's sex drive goes way up when their pregnant.  Too bad he's on tour right now :(

Accomplished!!!

    

Since October I have been traveling to Pasadena once a month to take classes to get my Pilates Teaching Certification.   It's been an amazing  journey for me.  Not only have I gained knowledge about Pilates, I have also learned so much about myself and my body.   When I started my course I was 8 weeks pregnant and I was scared I wasn't going to finish.  I was afraid that my changing body would inhibit me to learn or demonstrate the exercises when the time came.  Joy and Trish, my amazing instructors here in Vegas, told me that I could definitely finish the course. Today I took my final and passed my practical exam!!!!  (I am still waiting to for my written scores)   It felt so good to finish this course now that I am almost 7 months pregnant.   I am really proud of myself.  I have to thank my amazing Pasadena instructor, for always supporting me and never letting my pregnancy get in the way of learning.  Thank you to my beautiful fellow students in the class, it was such a pleasure to spend these past months with you.  I must say a especial thank you to "Claire's mom."  Thank you for being so open.  I am truly honored and humbled by your openness.     My name is Coralissa and I feel accomplished!!!

Upstream Downstream

 So I have met with 3 different midwives.  Overall they all seemed very professional, very knowledgeable, very passionate on what they do.  They all had certain qualities that I wished were rolled up into one midwife.  So now I think I'm even more confused.  Which one do I choose?  Do I wait to talk to my doctor who probably will want to steer me away from a home birth?  Then I'll be really really confused!  Oh the life of a Pisces, upstream...downstream.   I wish I can just have my water birth with my doctor and my midwife at a birthing center.  That just doesn't exist here.  Unfortunately in the state of Nevada CPM (certified professional midwife) cannot practice in the hospitals, only CNM (certified nurse midwife) can practice at a hospital.   But the problem with having a CNM is that they have to follow their OB's practices and orders, so it's like having a regular OB anyways.   Sigh...so I guess I just need to to do more research, talk to more people, watch more videos, read more books and soak up all the information so that I can make the best decision.  My heart wants a water birth but my head wants a hospital for "just in case".  What's nagging me...is it fear?  UGH this is SOOO HARD!!!!

Midwifery

Today we went to one of our 3 midwife interviews. We had an hour consultation with April who was really great. She was a labor and delivery nurse for 2 years here in Vegas then decided to go into her own midwifery practice. We asked a lot of questions and felt really comfortable with her. After today I feel more and more comfortable with the idea of a home birth especially a water birth. I'm probably 50/50 as of today. I still want to talk to my OB to get his opinion and ask him my slew of questions. The more and more I research home births, the more it doesn't seem so crazy. I like the fact that April said, "Just because you plan a home birth, things might happen and medical intervention isn't a bad thing. You might have a really long labor, be exhausted and need an epidural or pitocin." That's the thing. You can plan and plan but you can't REALLY plan, which is hard coming from the most planny person in the planet. I guess what I'm trying to say is that, although my ideal birth would be a water birth, if I HAD to transfer to the hospital, I'm okay with that. I know that I have to be flexible. The most important thing is my health and the health of my baby. So in the end it really doesn't matter if his first day is at home or at a hospital, as long as he's healthy.

Valentines Love

(Post meal at Roy's)

I had such a great Valentines yesterday!  I started out the day by going back to my halau for a hula class.  It has been since December and boy did my legs feel it!  It felt good to move to my Kumu's voice and drum.  Although my legs were shaking and I felt out of breath, I loved being around my hula sisters once again.   I miss it so much.  They are practicing for the Merrie Monarch competition in Hilo and I have to admit there was a little twinge in my heart knowing I won't be participating this year.  After hula I ate some great food prepared by some of the haumana.  Chow fun, butter mochi and spam musubi!   I was so hungry after hula.   Then I went to see Birdie and baby M.  He is sooo cute.  I put him to sleep by singing the Jeopardy song. (the song they play while people are thinking and writing their answers).   After that I went home and got a beautiful card and tulips from my huzband.  I napped, watched NBA All-Star dunk contest and studied a bit.  Then Eye took me to one of our favorite places, Roy's Restaurant, for some ono food.  I had huli huli lamb with some bok choy and wasabi mash potatoes.  I wasn't feeling the wasabi mash potatoes so I got regular instead.  We topped off the meal with some delicious dessert topped with edible flowers.   What a great day!!!!  

YOUR CRAZY!!!

My husband and I just watched the documentary made by Rikki Lake called, "The Business of Being Born."  The film is about home births vs. hospital births and how our American culture has made a business out of giving birth.   It was truly an eye opening movie.  After the movie, Eye looks at me and says, "so...now what...are we having a home birth now?"  Before we watched that movie I was always fascinated about water births.  I love the water.   I learned how to swim when I was 18 months old.  Both my husband and I are Pisces, so water has been apart of our relationship.   Before the movie I was pretty much set on having a hospital birth and and maybe having a home birth for my 2nd child.  I have no idea of what to expect when I have my baby.  I have no idea how much pain I can tolerate.  I have no idea how it's going to go down.   I am scared of the pain.  I am scared of having cesarean, even though two of my best girl friends have had them and are completely fine.  I thought I would find comfort on being in a hospital, but now I am questioning that. I love the thought of being in control of my situation and environment.  I love the thought of my son entering the world in water with me and Eye.  I love the thought of being in the privacy of my own home.   I love the thought of going through the right of passage that millions of women have been through for centuries. 

 It's funny, now that I am showing, the question is now "Where are you delivering?"  When I have replied, "I was actually thinking about a home birth." The most common response is, "YOUR CRAZY!"   Am I?

6 months!!!

I'm 6 months and 2 days today.  I had a full weekend in L.A.  and now I am heading back to Vegas.  We haven't been home for over a month now.  I had two full days of pilates on Saturday and Sunday.  It was a little frustrating because I couldn't really do much.  THEN,  I actually went an audition and got a call back while I was in L.A!  It's pretty ironic that  for the last 6 months I've been dying for a beautiful belly and for the first time I was trying to hide my belly for the a audition.   Of course... just my luck.    

I'm ready to get back to my life in Vegas.  Although I loved being on vacation for a month, I feel like I need to start getting the baby stuff started.  Yesterday Ivan and I went to Ikea and Baby's R Us.  Ikea was great. I found a dresser I liked for the baby.  When we got to Baby's R Us I kinda had a melt down.  I was sooooo overwhelmed.  I didn't know where to start.  There wasn't anyone around to help us.  There was another couple there who looked like an slightly older version of us.  Older asian women holding a scanner looking completely confused as to what stroller/car seat to buy and older bald man saying, "maybe today is just the look day and not the register day....I didn't think this was going to take 3 hours."  EXACTLY!   I was thankful bald man brought a manager over to help us all out.  The one good thing about Baby's R Us is that they have expecting mothers parking even closer than handicap parking!

Ivan is going on tour for 2 months next week.  I'm a little anxious.  I know I'll be fine because I have so much of my Stomp family in Vegas.  I just really wanted to get to the nesting!  I guess we'll have to wait until Ivan gets back in April.  I'd rather have Ivan gone now then when baby is born.  I am really thankful that he got work for the next 2 months, especially in this economy and me not working and all.  Sigh...I'm going to miss him so much.  Thank God for video iChat!