Transit!

Yesterday was a blast! Nia is so sweet and her parents are just bursting with pride and joy. For having held two very young babies in a short time, I must say although they are tiny, they are the only thing that seems bigger to me now that I am older. Everything else has "shrunk" (like Chuck E. Cheese's) compared to how I remember it except for babies. Odd, but it makes the fear of holding them cease!

After we left the hospital we went to the viewing area for the transit. We had a superb view of the Transit of Venus through several differnent telescopes, special goggles and with the projecting contraption above. It's so amazing to know how large Venus is considering how small this dot representing the planet looks. That just shows you how large the sun truly is (and how small we are)... it's nearly unfathomable. We will never see anything as huge in our lives, even in the United States where huge reigns. A lot of people showed up at the viewing site we went to and I was glad to see so much interest surrounding this rare event.
Here's a video about it:

Did you see it?

Omaha Farmer's Market

We made it to Tuesday! Yay!
We had a lovely talk with Shannon last night and we like her quite a bit. I can't wait to meet the other 2 ladies this month and choose a doula! Today is a very exciting day as well: it is the Transit of Venus! It's not happening for over a hundred more years so make sure to take a look if you can see it where you are. Shawn and I are going to an observation area if we cannot see it from our house later. After that, the excitement continues as our friends welcomed a baby girl into the world yesterday. Her name is Nia Lorraine and she came in at a little over 9 pounds! I can't wait to meet her and hold her... you all know how I just LOVE to hold babies. There's also an old adage that you'll conceive if you hold a newborn... couldn't hurt ;o)

Yesterday I forgot to share our trip to the Omaha Farmers' Market with you! We (including Peach) went with my parents (and their dog) and had a very nice time!

Have a great Tuesday! Are you going to watch the transit? Do you have a Farmers' Market?

TTC Adventure #1: Meet some doulas.

It's only the 4th and the first month of TTC is flying by! Today we have our first appointment with a Doula after we are both home from work. Her name is Shannon and we're very excited to meet with her!

You may be wondering, "What is a doula?" Wikipedia says:

A doula (pronounced "doó la", also known as a labour coach and originating from the Ancient Greek word δούλη meaning female servant or slave) is a nonmedical person who assists a woman before, during, or after childbirth, as well as her partner and/or family by providing information, physical assistance, and emotional support. The provision of continuous support during labour by doulas, or nurses, family, or friends, is associated with improved maternal and fetal health and a variety of other benefits.

So basically she would help us along with the midwife throughout the birth if it goes as "planned" as well as if a transfer to the hospital is needed. I consider a doula invaluable to us should we end up at the hospital; they can be great at helping you maintain your emotional focus with your partner while medical interventions can be negotiated along with your needs by the midwife. At home, I think she would help to do things like get pillows, towels, etc. while Shawn would stay with me the whole time. A lot of first-time dads/non-birthing parents take mild offense to the idea of a doula because they want to be the one to support their partner and think this job is being taken away by a doula. This is not so; they actually do a lot of work so that the parents can stay together and support each other!
So we have decided a doula would be helpful for our situation and plan to meet with 3 this month.

Some information I have found helpful:

DONA International
Doula.com
Do Doulas Replace Dads?
Differences between Doulas and Midwives
Choosing a Midwife or Doula

Would you use a doula?

Smothered Chicken over Lime Cabbage

This morning I mentioned that dinner last night was really good. I want to share the recipe!

Chicken Smothered in Fajita Veggies with Lime-Cabbage
(Serves 4)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast (frozen is fine)
1 bell pepper of any color
1 onion
1 jalapeno
1 clove garlic
1 tsp olive oil

3 cups shredded green cabbage
4 tsp olive oil
1 lime
salt and pepper
Avocado

Preheat the oven to 350F for the chicken. Heat a pan to medium-hi and add a tsp of olive oil. Dice the garlic and chop your veggies into strips or chunks, whichever you prefer. DON'T TOUCH YOUR EYES!!! Add the veggies to the pan and saute until the edges get brown. Place the chicken in a roasting pan, top with the veggies and place in the preheated oven to cook (about 25 minutes).

Once the chicken is almost done, start preparing the cabbage. Roll the lime around on the counter under your palm to loosen the juice; cut in half and collect the juice. In a medium mixing bowl, add all the ingredients and stir well to coat evenly. Add a pile to each plate and top with the chicken and veggies, as well as some avocado slices. YOM!

It's Friday, I'm in LoVE! #21

Good morning! It's Friday!

Yesterday was crazy! Shawn got ran off the road into a sign by someone on the way home last night. He's OK, thank goodness. Now I hear that Stacie went trying to chop off her finger...

Today I love me because:

1. Looking at my cousin Jaimie's family pictures made me BAWL. Her children (including an 8-day-old baby boy! His dad was flown back across L. Michigan from work to make it in time!) are so precious.  
2. I made GOOD dinner last night. I'm posting the recipe later!
3. We pray more (everyday now) in the way we like to, and it helps us soooo much.
4. I'm being so patient now.
5. I am so excited and have a very good outlook on our new status as an Official TTC couple.

I'm learning a lot of acronyms as we are now TTC (Try to Conceive)... I don't like them all and I certainly don't understand them all but if I ever use a weird one (I'll try not to use any) I'll explain its meaning. Thanks for coming back today after yesterday.
If you haven't commented, please do! About anything; not just the post!