Thanksgiving, meeting family, and almost 2 months

Week 5 was a huge turning point for us. I actually got out with her by myself! We are making regular outings to the grocery store, visiting Craig for lunch, and Thursday night Craig and I went to his company Christmas party and left Emma with my parents for a few hours. I feel normal again after being a little house bound for about a month.
She is a constant entertainment and we are so blessed with how good of a sleeper she is. She really doesn't fuss too much, only when she's tired or hungry. She started smiling a couple weeks ago and really reacting to us playing with her. She acts so much older than 7 weeks - smiling and trying to talk, roll over, and sit up!

She did great with meeting all of the family over Thanksgiving. She loved the constant attention and noise.

                Hensley Family

                Emma meeting my Grandparents for the first time

Last nights we had our friends Melissa and Eric over who just had a baby boy a week and a half after Emma. It was her first play date. Evan was pretty much asleep most of the time, but Emma was like the typical girl and telling him all kinds of stories. She's only 7 weeks old, but she has some sass!

December 21st she will be 2 months old - how the time flies!!

One Month

                     Her serious face

                     Always moving...

           Our First Walk ... she slept the whole time, after being mesmerized by the sun

                    She loves bath time!

I can't believe how time has flown by. Emma is now one month old!

One month:
weight: 8 pounds 10 ounces
length: 22 1/4 inches


She loves to curl up into a ball on your shoulder, but will eventually find your elbow pit and bury her face.
She has tons of hair (which is getting a little lighter) which likes to stick up all over the place and is so cute.
Her lips are the cutest thing ever and her eyes are big, bright, and blue.

Being a mom, even just for one month, has taught me so much!
1) I can be "prepared" to a tee, but ultimately God has bigger and better plans than I can imagine
2) the house might be a little messier and cluttered, but that's ok
3) don't have expectations, but rather goals
4) the little things like getting a shower and actually drying my hair, cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast, or making the bed can be huge accomplishments
5) I can not control every situation
6) I can not fix every situation
7) I don't always have the answer
8) It's ok if it's noon and I'm still in my pj's
9) I do need help and can't do everything by myself (thank goodness for such an awesome husband!)
10) I have some pretty great friends and family who are so willing to help
11) enjoy every second because it flies by!

She's Here!

                         Emma Kathryn Hensley
                             October 21, 2011
                                   1:58 am
                             7 pounds 5 ounces
                                   20.5 inches
                   
After 41 weeks and 6 days of pregnancy, Emma finally arrived. We could not be more proud - she is such a sweet heart.  I went into labor prepared for my "ideal" labor and had the perfect plan. I wanted to go into labor on my own, not be hooked up to monitors and IVs constantly so I could move around, and have a natural/unmedicated delivery. Well the opposite happened with the exception of going into labor on my own. God continues to teach me that He is in control and that His plan is always better. I never knew how He could teach me so much through a little 7 pound baby.

 Birth Story

After 41 weeks of waiting, Craig and I tried all the tricks to make me go into labor. Finally on October 19th I started noticing contractions coming more frequently. The afternoon of October 20th (41 weeks 5 days), I went to the doctor and they told me that Emma's heartbeat was not steady or where they wanted it to be and that I should go on to the hospital. Since it wasn't urgent, we couldn't resist going to get lunch at our favorite Westside restaurant, West Egg. We checked into the hospital at 2:45pm on Thursday and the contractions started coming more frequently, about every 5- 7 minutes. We got settled into our room and actually started watching the movie Elf, b/c who doesn't love a good Christmas movie while in labor. We watched about a fourth of the movie and then it wasn't so funny anymore and my contractions were coming every 3 minutes apart. B/c the doctor was worried about Emma's heart rate, I had to be hooked up to a fetal monitor the whole time I was in labor (about 11 hours). They gave me 3 bags of fluids through an IV and oxygen periodically to try to stabilize her heart rate. Around 10pm the contractions were coming every minute and things were getting very intense. Craig was amazing and helped me work through them, and our labor doula was great in helping me concentrate on the ultimate goal. At midnight they checked to see if I was dilated at all, which I thought surely I was after all that work. When the doctor told me I was still 1cm dilated my heart sank and I felt totally defeated. After all of that work there was nothing to show for it, no progress.

The doctor advised that I should have a c-section due to the concern about Emma getting enough oxygen and the fact that I had a 101 degree fever. Even though a c-section was about the last thing I wanted, Craig and I knew immediately that it was the best thing for both me and Emma. At 1am they took me into the operating room (I had to walk while having 1 minute apart contractions - holding onto the walls and the nurse along the way. At that point I didn't care what I looked like) and Craig got into his scrubs. The epidural was first, which was nothing compared to the contractions and I was thankful when I no longer felt them! Emma was born at 1:58am and Craig got to watch the amazing delivery. Once I heard her little cry, nothing else mattered ... she was finally here!

She had one last scare for us when they took her for routine vitals and found that her bilirubin count was 23 out of 25! At 21 hours post delivery, they took Emma to the NICU because the high bilirubin count gave her an extreme case of jaundice and could lead to much more serious problems if not controlled. She was placed under constant phototherapy lights (3 light booths), given IVs, antibiotics, etc. It was the saddest thing I had every seen seeing her hooked up to everything. The doctors all said that it was the highest level of bilirubin they had ever seen, but that the levels came down faster than they had ever seen (in just over 24 hours her levels were at a 3!). We had to get a few follow up blood tests during the first week, but she she is a little fighter and is now perfectly healthy. 

                               Bright eyes.

                         GranJoe and MayMay

                            Poppy and DeeDee

Waiting and cooking - October Meal Plan

2 days until my due date! We are so excited to meet Emma Kathryn, but trying to be patient and let her come on her own. I am going to have a natural, unmedicated birth, so we are really praying that I don't have to be induced. Although it's possible to have a natural birth with an induction, I've heard it makes it much more difficult.

So, with all this waiting around I have been doing a lot of cooking - trying to stock up the freezer before she gets here. After finding that making a meal plan for the whole month was a great idea, it was a little too ambitious for my first go around. So, I've decided to make a 2 week meal plan instead. We actually started the last week of September and today is Thursday of Week 2. I have filled in the things that we actually ate and hope it can provide a more reasonable start to my quest to save money, eat primal/paleo, and become more organized.

Prep:
Cooked a whole chicken and shred it up for the week. Made Chicken salad out of it: http://wellnessmama.com/1738/homemade-tuna-and-apple-salad-with-walnuts/ (I changed the recipe a little, or, a lot - used chicken, plain greek yogurt instead of mayo, didn’t put honey or dill weed).

Week 1
Monday
Lunch - Leftovers from weekend (mix of stuff)
Dinner - Bourbon Marinated Salmon (fresh from Publix) & Quinoa with veggies
Tuesday
Lunch - Quinoa with veggies and shredded chicken
Dinner - Beef Stew, salad http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/old-time-beef-stew-recipe/index.html
Wednesday
Lunch - leftover Beef Stew, salad
Dinner - Italian sausage meatballs with fresh herbs (primal cookbook), roasted squash, salad
Thursday
Lunch - Italian sausage meatballs, salad
Dinner - Leftover Lentil Soup from freezer
Friday
Lunch - Chicken salad over spinach
Dinner - Marinated Wild Salmon http://allrecipes.com/recipe/marinated-wild-salmon/detail.aspx?src=3797_23
Saturday  
Lunch - Leftover chicken salad on spinach
Dinner - We went out to eat - Verde Taqueria (a little cheat meal)
Sunday  
Lunch - Leftover Salmon & Salad - Hannah, baby shower
Dinner - Burgers with cheese (minus the bun) & salad

Week 2
Monday
Lunch - Leftover Burgers & salad
Dinner - Vietnam Stir Fry (Ground Turkey) http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/02/monthly-menu-recipes-week-1.html
Tuesday
Lunch - Leftover Vietnam Stir Fry
Dinner - Paleo Parmesan Chicken w/ spaghetti squash
http://wellnessmama.com/3131/chicken-parmesan-low-carb-grain-free/
Wednesday
Lunch - Leftover Parmesan chicken w/ spaghetti squash
Dinner - Sausage meatballs with roasted veggies (whatever is in our CSA)
Thursday
Lunch - Leftover sausage meatballs and veg
Dinner - Chili/soup http://paleomama.wordpress.com/2009/10/07/my-infamous-paleo-chili/
Friday
Lunch - Craig’s office Cook-out (bring on the Shane’s barbeque chicken!)
Dinner - May still be full from Lunch!
Saturday - Due Date!!
Lunch - Leftovers
Dinner - Going to a Fall Festival so probably getting something “primal” there
Sunday
Lunch - Leftovers
Dinner - Taco salad at our church community group

Hope this helps anyone who is interested!

T minus 2 weeks ...

                                                                   38 weeks pregnant

The time really does fly by! In plus or minus 2 weeks, depending on her time table, we will be meeting our little girl, Emma Kathryn. As it has gotten closer, things start becoming a little more real. Her room is ready, the car seat is ready to go, and we are stocked up on diapers. The reality of becoming parents is a scary but exciting thing. We know there's no way we could do it without help from our Heavenly Father and the examples of our own parents. We are so grateful to have such great friends and family around us. Emma will be surrounded by some awesome people!

4 weeks to go!

I feel like people say this all the time, but I really can't believe how fast the time has flown by - I am 36 weeks and 4 days pregnant! We've taken the classes, met with all the doctors, hired a labor doula (basically a trained support person to be with us throughout the whole process), met the pediatrician, and now it's time to pack the hospital bag. We are so ready to meet our little Emma! She has been quite active lately ... I'm thinking she's ready to come on out - somedays it feels like she's trying to literally push out of my stomach!
I pray for a healthy baby and mom and that we could have a natural, unmedicated, uncomplicated birth; ultimately knowing that it's all in God's hands.

September Monthly Meal Plan

Week one of my monthly meal plan is almost done and so far it has been SO nice! Some of the meals have changed days, but it's nice to look and see something there that I know I've already got all the ingredients for and don't have to rack my brain to come up with a dinner idea. And, it has saved money because we haven't eaten out at all - except our free chick-fil-a breakfast this morning. Not primal, but it's free chick-fil-a ... I mean, come on.

Although I am hesitant with 3 weeks left to go in the month, here it is. Hopefully this will give you a better idea of what eating plants and animals really looks like. We've already made the Italian sausage meatballs, almond meal fried chicken, spicy lentil soup, and sweet potato and apple casserole, and they were incredible. I would hardly call that suffering. We aren't perfect Primal eaters, some are much more strict than we are, but eating this way with a cheat meal in there a week, has really made a difference for us! We are still learning and adapting as we go, but here is my first attempt at being more organized and frugal...

Note: CSA means community supported agriculture, our weekly veggie share from Serenbe Farms.

Breakfasts: Lunch:   Snacks:
Eggs, w/ veggies, bacon Leftovers   Apples & almond butter
Almond butter pancakes               Nuts w/ coconut oil

(banana, almond butter, and egg)                       Cottage Cheese & fruit
Cottage Cheese  Almond Bars
Smoothies    http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2009/11/nourishing-protein-bars-a-great-whole-foods-snack.html

(9/6) Tuesday
Costco/Trader Joe’s Trip
Almond meal fried chicken (4) w/ sweet potato and apple casserole
http://www.grouprecipes.com/60227/almond-crusted-oven-fried-chicken.html http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2010/11/sweet-potato-apple-casserole.html
Wednesday
Spicy Lentil Soup http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/03/spicy-lentil-soup.html
Thursday
Beef Bourguignon with CSA veggie or just a Beef stew (omit potatoes, add turnips) http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2011/01/beef-bourguignon.html
Friday
(B) Chick-fil-a free breakfast!
Chicken Divan w/ CSA veggies http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/05/freezer-meals-chicken-divan.html
Saturday
Leftovers
Sunday
In Rome for Baby Shower

(9/12) Monday
Leftovers - Hannah at bible study
Tuesday
Shepherd’s Pie w/ cauliflower topping (Primal cookbook)
Wednesday
Spinach Frittata w/ bacon or sausage & fruit (make LOTS to have later)
Thursday
Spinach cobb salad w/ boiled egg & bacon (add chicken if have any on hand), homemade ranch dressing http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/02/make-it-yourself-part-2-dressings.html
Friday
Italian Sausage meatballs w/ herbs (Primal Cookbook), Quinoa w/ veggies
Saturday
Breakfast Brunch
Wedding at night
Sunday
Hannah’s baby shower Atlanta
Leftovers

(9/19) Monday
Leftover Spicy Lentil Soup from freezer
Tuesday
Meatloaf w/ CSA veggie or salad (make double to freeze)
Wednesday
Leftover Spinach & Bacon Frittata from freezer w/ fruit
Thursday
Leftover Beef Bourguignon from freezer
Friday
Fish tacos
Saturday
Soup
Sunday


(9/26) Monday

Tuesday
Salmon & CSA veggies
Wednesday
Leftover Spinach & Bacon Frittata from freezer w/ fruit
Thursday
Leftovers
Friday
Fish tacos - or mexican dish (taco salad)

Steps to a more "primal" lifestyle

Tomorrow marks exactly one month until my due date! I can't believe how fast the time has flown. It seems like just yesterday we were all giddy with excitement waiting to tell our family and friends the good news. We went to the hospital last night to visit some friends who just had a baby and I realized that the next time we will be there is when Emma comes - we can not wait!
I think the "nesting" stage (I always thought that was a funny way of putting it) has really kicked in. Her nursery is ready and her clothes are washed along with everything in our condo. I should be resting and relaxing for those sleepless nights that are headed my way, but I feel like I can't slow down - there's too much I want to do before she gets here! I did take a break yesterday morning and got a prenatal massage, which was amazing and totally worth it.
Some of my "nesting" inspiration is thanks to an incredible website my friend Jenny sent me: passionatehomemaking.com. I have been re-inspired/slightly obsessed with all things organic, green, healthy, cooking, and homemaking. She has some great articles on her blog about how to be a godly, productive woman. And, she offers great advice on balance and not letting this simple, natural lifestyle become an idol. Again, inspired by her, and trying to save time, money, and energy thinking of meals every night, I spent over 2 hours Monday night creating a meal plan for the month! With the exception of one meal a week, it is all within the Primal lifestyle. If you have been around us much in the past year, you know that Craig and I have been trying to eat "Primal" (basically just meat, vegetables, and some fruit - or 'plants and animals' as Craig likes to say) and many of you think we are crazy... I'm ok with that, we have results to show for it. It was a pretty drastic change at first, but due to Craig's psoriatic arthritis, we felt it was at least worth a shot to try to knock out his arthritis with diet rather than taking loads of medications at only 27 for who know how many more years. After only a few months of eating this way, Craig came off all of his medicine except one! We are trying to even cut that last one out. As for me, I used to get really light headed and dizzy if I didn't eat every few hours, but I noticed that when I was getting enough good fat and veggies in my diet and not eating wheat and grains, I could go longer without snacking all day. (Obviously pregnancy has changed some of that. I eat lighter, more frequent meals now and have re-introduced some grain into my diet.) Lesson learned: what you eat really does make a difference in your health and your feeling overall. I'm going to give it a couple weeks before I post my monthly meal plan, but already it has been so helpful.
Here's to our first post about Primal Living. More to come...

Growing Emma

On January 30, 2011, we found out we were going to have a baby. Just to make sure, I took 3 tests, because you never know ;) 

We could not be more excited and at the same time, we realize the huge responsibility it is to be parents. However, it's comforting to know that we are not alone - that Christ will continue to give us wisdom and strength to overcome all of the challenges and the love and joy to experience all the many blessings that come with this new journey. 

Naming her was actually easier than we thought. We have liked the name Emma for a while, which means "universal". The name sounds very classic and brings with it connotations of strength and beauty. Kathryn is my middle name and great-grandmother's name and it means "pure". Emma Kathryn Hensley, we can't wait to meet you!

                                                                            12 Weeks

                                                      23 weeks, sucking away on her thumb

                                                                           31 weeks

                                                    34 weeks - only 6 more weeks to go!

Hello blogging world

It's kind of a cliche to start a blog when you have your first child, but I guess we are doing that, as we are about 6 weeks away from meeting Emma! I've secretly always wanted to have a blog, but didn't feel like I had anything that exciting to say. I hope this can be a good way to get a glimpse into our lives, our adventures and keep up with family and friends.
From going off staff with Campus Outreach, moving from Athens, living in Cedartown for a short stint; it's hard to believe we've been in Atlanta almost a year now. I finally feel like Atlanta is home. We love our condo, our church, and all the great friends we have made. In the next few weeks, life is about to change a lot, but we could not be more excited about starting the journey of being parents!