Fall is here!

9/18/2012
Living in Tennessee is pretty sickening in the summer. It's hot and being from New England, my body is just not made for that day in and day out. Luckily we have been fortunate enough to finally get some cool weather! It's almost October now, so it's been about 6 months of constant, life-sucking heat. I am super excited to say that it is only 68° outside and the highest we will be seeing is the low 80's. After months of 100° plus weather, it's a relief.

9/24/2012
It's been a while since I've written - already getting off on a bad foot! But after reading Lisha Lou's blog, found here: http://lishalou123.blogspot.com/   I have decided to completely purge my house of all the chemicals that we use every day. We have been eating healthy for a while now and I truly believe that's the only reason we got pregnant. It took us about 3 months of healthy eating and living - going mostly organic and raw. That's all it took. Whoever says you can't undo what you have already done to your body is really mistaken. It just takes a little time. We have decided to take the extra step to get rid of the cleaning supplies and bath products that I just can't seem to get rid of because I hate seeing money go down the drain. Literally.
We try hard as a young couple (I'm 20, R is 23) to do the things we can to educate ourselves and others on things such as GMOs/GE foods and why it is important to eat organic or at the very least conventional. We do tons of research every single day to strengthen our knowledge on these things.
We actually went up to Whole Foods in Nashville a month or so ago and the place is amazing. I've been in a Whole Foods before but after learning so much I love to see so many people that care. We spent literally an entire day there. It's perfect for us! We went to replace all of our bath products with natural and chemical- free things (still can't get myself to get rid of the things I already have, but I think since I am moving that it is time). This Saturday, the 29th, they are actually hosting a "baby shower" and breastfeeding class. I cannot wait to go! Will definitely post a few photos and more details on that.
I've been looking at juicing after the baby gets here but am still unsure if I am comfortable with 100% juicing just because of the things that my body has been exposed to. I am worried about the toxins I already have leeching into my milk and harming the baby. I may just end up supplementing. Joe Cross is an awesome man to look to for those things. Find him on Facebook! You won't regret it.
Another person I look to for a lot of information - HONEST INFORMATION - is Dr. Joseph Mercola. I get e-mails from him every day and am constantly checking up on his Facebook. Education is really important. I feel like it's one of the most useful tools we have in helping keep ourselves alive.
I have another important topic that since being pregnant, R and I have talked about on a regular basis. Immunization. Today we went to WIC to our appointment and the group session was asked why we planned on breastfeeding or why we didn't want to breastfeed. Everyone touched on something different...especially us. The most common reasons were "it's better for the baby", "formula doesn't have as many nutrients: referring to the chart they have listing everything in breast milk and everything in formula", "it's easier for them to go to the bathroom", etc. As this is a very sensitive subject with a lot of people, probably because they aren't too educated on the topic, I decided to give one of our biggest, honest reasons why we have decided to breastfeed instead of formula feed (after tapping R on the leg, smirking, and saying, "watch the reactions...") : because we were not immunizing our child. There were about 10 of us in the room. About 7 of the people gave us a disgusted look like we are going to neglect our child, and the other three weren't phased by it. One of those three happened to be the instructor. She actually brought it up saying that the antibodies we provide our child actually protect the baby from everything while we are breastfeeding. That seemed to change a few people's views and they didn't seem to care anymore. A lot of times the people I speak with are scared of the unknown. People naturally listen to their doctors, pediatricians, and trust they give them the best advice. But everyone is responsible for themselves and their children. I am not against formula feeding or immunizing your child at all. The thing is, is I wish people would get more educated about it. I understand not everyone can breastfeed. It just doesn't work out that way for some people and that's fine. Everyone has a different parenting style. But don't knock me for mine is all I'm saying. I actually didn't want to tell people that we weren't immunizing M at first. Not because I'm ashamed (why would I choose to do that if I was ashamed of it?) but because I didn't want people telling their children they couldn't hang out with her because of that. That's probably one of the things that I find the most ridiculous about people that choose to immunize versus those that don't. Most believe that the child is like the devil. Now, think about it for a minute. You chose to immunize. If that is what you believe is the "best thing to do" so your child doesn't contract any viruses, diseases, etc. then your child will already be immune to those things no matter if my child gets it or not! Anyway, I'm sure I'll post things about why vaccinating is just not for our family. If you don't agree, don't read. That goes for everything else I touch upon. No hurt feelings and I am open to what everyone has to say about it. Just please, please do your research. If you are interested in these types of things I have a group open on Facebook that my husband and I post in on a regular basis about things going on health wise, check it out. It's called the Information Booth and you can find it here.
Happy Fall! :)

Months of Misery

I am 28 weeks and 2 days pregnant. The way I feel right now isn't the way I felt a few hours ago. A few hours ago I was bored but pretty content for the most part. Right now, I feel like trash. I'm tired, sore, and huge. I know it's only going to get worse so that just adds to my misery. I feel unattractive, unappreciated, and most of all, uncomfortable. I hate feeling like this. Don't get me wrong, I know pregnancy is supposed to be beautiful and an amazing feeling. It is a privilege. And that's true. But you can't help the way you feel sometimes, especially if you are 4'11" with a baby growing inside of you that is probably already half of your height. Not to mention the pelvic bone separating, acid reflux, a broken nose, and the stress pimple that looks like herpes on your top lip coming out. I am miserable. I am going to a baby shower for 100 Army wives in two days and I will be the one with acne and a broken, bruised nose. I do NOT feel attractive. Its especially disappointing when not even an hour ago shaving my legs I realized that I just can't do it anymore. My belly is too big. Too big. As a mom to be in my very early 20s, I am having a pretty big issue with my weight. I feel that if I was taller I wouldn't be so upset over it because it would have more area to distribute over. Unfortunately I am not one of the lucky ones with long, sexy legs! Guess I gotta just deal with it and drive on.

Anyway, this blog isn't supposed to be about me being miserable. It is supposed to be about R and I making educated, informed decisions for our family and new little girl expected to arrive in December. I cannot wait until M is here, though I am feeling pretty stressed out about it all lately. I am scared to be a mom. I don't really know if I'm ready for it. I guess I have to be though, and I have to be FAST. Within the next couple of weeks, less than 9 to be exact, R and I are uprooting ourselves yet again. He is getting out of the Army and we are headed back to New England forever. We are currently stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. We have made a home for ourselves here - with two crazy cats and a hyper dog - who all happen to pick up on the changing of "mom". The way that my animals have been acting has been an adjustment for me in itself. Guess I better get used to it! We will be moving about 20 hours away back to our hometown in little Rhode Island when I am 37 weeks, which just happen to be the week of Thanksgiving.

R and I are planning on cloth diapering. We will be co-sleeping, baby-wearing, EBF, and all organic when the baby comes. I love that we share the same taste when it comes to life decisions. We truly were made for each other. We plan on an all-natural childbirth without the use of any drugs, for me or for baby M. We are refusing any and all vaccinations, even the eye goop! Feel free to follow us on the journey to... "CRUNCHY" (Rs new favorite word and the reason that the blog is called the Granola Trail (; )