Been really busy today getting ready for the storm. Jarred and I got up early and went to the bulk ice machine and got 220 lbs of ice. Our big seachest held 140lbs!! Whew! I went on to Target and stocked up on more "essentials" candy, chips, cookies, etc. I did pick up some more water, and diapers for the new baby. We are pretty ready.

They have changed our forecast a bit, now calling for 70-80 mph winds. Tropical storm force will start about 3am (lasting 24hours) and then hurricane force about 3pm (lasting about 5 hours). Our max gust during Katrina was 49mph. So, this will be more. A friend told me that during Andrew we lost water for 3 days and power for a week.

I am filling up the crawfish pot with extra water as I type, and will fill up the bathtubs for water for the toilets just in case. Jarred is cooking gumbo, yummy. So, we are sort of holing up for the night. We just got our first little rain, so the bands are starting to come in. I better go and make sure my rain gauge is ready.

FYI, I am in the very extreme lower SW corner of East Baton Rouge parish, right on the parish line. So, if you are looking at weather channel you will know. Lucie is in the southeast corner of LaSalle Parish. She should be just fine with TS force winds for a short time.

I have charged my camera batteries so I can take some pictures and I will try to post them as things progress (if I can).

Well, it looks like the hurricane is coming here. The predictions for storm activity here in BR are pretty moderate, 30-40 mph sustained winds with 60+gusts, 4-15 inches of rain. I am thankful for this forcast, they are comparing it to Katrina (which we weathered awesome, only lost power for 8 hours). I do think it could be a little more intense as we are on the east side of the storm with current predictions. Who knows.....

Lucie went to Melba and Joes, so she should be very safe there. Mr. Joe had the trees trimmed around the house last week, just in case. They were so sweet and with the generator they are loaning us, they got "me" an AC unit for the bedroom. So nice....we were all sold out here of AC units. I hate that we had to split up the family, but it was either split Jarred and I or Lucie and I. I HATED to leave Lu but if the baby were to come, I would hate for Jarred to miss it. Lucie loves going up there, so I think it was the most reasonable and safe option. I am glad she is not here with us, as I would worry about my ability to care for her if we are messed up after the storm.

I am getting pretty big now, 38 weeks, and not moving very quickly. I am having a TON of prelabor contractions and just hoping the baby comes when it is ready (but hopefully not during the storm).

I forgot to say in the previous post.....This makes TWO natural births for my students in the past week! I just love hearing that people who took my class got the births they wanted. Healthy, in control, and positive.

YEAH for VBACs!!!

Just wanted to pass along some great news. A student from my Bradley class had a non-medicated natural VBAC (Vaginal Birth after Cesearean) this morning. This is super special as she has a very rare disease that has a 50% chance of passing to the baby. Because of this issue, no mechanical delivery methods could be used. She really wanted a homebirth, and had to fight so hard to have the opportunity to even try a hosptial VBAC, but finally convinced her OB that she could do it. AND SHE DID! I am just so pround of her!Thanks so all the special staff at BRG that assisted.

Just Waiting.....

Well, as usually happens at least once a summer, all plans are on hold (except Saturday night's game ag. App State) until we know more about where Gustav is headed. Jarred and I decided to go ahead and activate our personal "national guard". Joe and Melba are going to come and get Lucie probably on Friday or Saturday depending up when contraflow actually begins. Gov. Jindal said today to plan on Satuday for contraflow, but that it may change as more information becomes available. So, Lucie will probably go up to their house on Friday to be on the safe side. I would hate for them to get stuck in too much traffic. They have one of those awesome, run the entire house (AC and everything) generators that kicks in automatically if the power goes out. And Lord could you live for a year on the food Ms. Melba has stashed in her THREE deep freezers. So, Lucie will be living high on the hog up there regardless. I just worry about losing phones and not being able to check on her. Jarred and I will stay here. Jarred is getting our debris removal equipment ready to respond after the storm. We have contracts with two local tree removal companies to pick up their overbookings. So, that is a relief income wise. I cannot lie, many of the local contractors are hoping for the worst, as it would be good for business. I am just afraid to leave with me being so close to my due time. By Monday when the storm is expected, I will be within 2 weeks of my due date. While very common and really not an indicator of anything, I have been having alot of regular Braxton Hicks, none quite so strong as before, but definite tightening. So, I am not taking any chances going to some chop shop in Alec where they would assume make my uterus chop suey for an extra $25000.00. I have access to another midwife right here in Br, Sherri, and of course their is Emmy, but she does live about 1 hour away. Worst case scenario, I can go to Baton Rouge General Hospital and see Bethanie (my midwife there). Now, if the storm was really bad, they wouldnt except OB patients anyway, but that is just another reason having a homebirth midwife is such a great idea when you live in a place like South LA and are having a baby during peak hurricane season.

So, preparations begin tomorrow. Jarred and I are going to get both propane tanks filled, plently of water, a generator, toilet paper and a 55g. drum of diesel (bare necessities). We went ahead and booked ALOT of addtl diesel at Mr. Nick's so that we will have more for after the storm. I figure that is a good start, as I have tons of batteries and flashlights. We have a good amount of food in the pantry and deep freeze, as I have been stocking up for the baby. If the storm still looks eminent on Sat/Sun then I will go get additional food supplies. This pregnant woman gets hungry!

There we are, who knows where we will be tomorrow, and if Gustav hits hard, we may end up "somewhere over the rainbow".

What day and it is not over yet!

Well, unfortunately the dermatologist did not exactly go as planned. It was determined that Lucie does indeed have scabies. While not the worst thing in the world, it was not on my list of duties this week to wash all bedding, dirty clothes, and stuffed animals, etc. etc. etc. However, on the bright side, Jarred is ready to get a new couch. Sometimes a germophobe husband comes in handy, haha. So, after we get our treatments tonight, sleep for the last night in our contaminated beds, tomorrow morning I get to wash wash wash, and dry dry dry all that cannot be washed, and send all that wont/cant go into the dryer to the dry cleaner. YEAH! But, I wont have to worry that a) I am a chicken little fearing my new baby has scabies and b) my new baby is actually found to have scabies. My personal take on this is that children are parasite havens. Lucie has now had ringworm and scabies. Children are nasty. Lucie seems to care less in general. This main issue is that I have my party tonight. So, hopefully Jarred can keep Lucie up until I get home so that I can administer her treatment. While Jarred has many skills, I am not sure that lotioning up a 2 year old from scalp to toes is one of them. I have a feeling this is a two parent job. I am hoping to just get the lotion onto her scalp and not through out her hair. This is definitely a momma job.



I did meet with Emmy today. She says baby looks great. Heart tones have good variability. She is predicting a boy, as am I. I think mainly based on the fact (for me anyway--Emmy looked at my behind and how I was carrying) that this one appears to be so much bigger than Lucie was. Emmy did comment that it is hard to feel up the weight b/c this one is going to be long. According to her outside feeling, the baby is long and about 8 lbs now. So.....who knows, I am about 37 weeks, that leave as much as 4-5 weeks to go (.5lbs per week=10lb baby). Who knows.....The moms I know who have had BIG babies say they are easier b/c there is more gravity coming down helping, haha.



Well, off to my party!

Bradley Family and Babies Slideshow

Just wanted to point out that I added a great picture show of some of the families who have taken my natural birth series and their babies. I just love seeing the cute little alert, unmedicated babies. Tomorrow I am hosting another Birth Stories night for the community. I have great "students" and a friend from LLL who are coming to share their stories. A homebirth, a hospital water birth, and a "11lb 3oz all natural born on the hospital bathroom floor with the midwife breaking her hand receiving the baby" birth. Cannot wait for all the details. I am especially excited b/c one of my moms had her baby at BRG on Friday, completey natural, didnt even get a heplock and the doctor on call did not even come in for the birth, the dad received the baby!!!

Well, to get started, it was not raining this morning and has not been raining yet (9:00am). So we are trying to get some work done on estimates, irrigation repairs, etc. Thus far, the funniest thing has been Lucie waking up (I heard her walking around, so I called for her) and coming in my office and asking "Momma can you teach me to play hockey?" She gets some crazy ideas in her head. After I told her I did not really know much about hockey, SHE explained to ME that we would need to go to the store and buy ICE SKATES. Oh my......


7:15pm
MacKenzie started her first day of college. She came by this afternoon and we went around to a couple of consignment shops. Fun was had by all. Lucie slept in the truck and MacKenzie and I took turns going in.

Jarred finally got his hair cut. It looks very nice. Less lumberjack and more landscaper now. He ACED the meeting with the big wig (who I forgot to mention has a brother who is a nationally known Louisiana political commentator, James Carville). By the time, he called me to go over the meeting, I already had a bid alert from the estimator on a HUGE job for the LSU Rural Life Museum. The great part is that we are already bidding the job through two other contractors and it is an invitation only bid list, so only 6 total GCs to bid on it. I look at it like we have a 50% chance of getting it. That alone makes it a great day.

As for a pregnancy update, my hospital midwife called me today and I am Group B strep negative. YEAH, did not really matter as I would not have taken the IV antibiotics unless I had risk factors, but just nice to not have to worry about it. I guess the combo herbal therapy of Grapefruit Seed extract, echinacea, Vit C, Garlic, and Kefir probiotic milk worked (maybe-I tested negative with Lu without doing anything). Emmy is coming by the house tomorrow. I cannot wait to tell her the good news. My ankles are getting gross swollen again, not as bad as when I was just back from Indiana, but not great. It is that dimpling swelling again. Jarred will have to work on them tonight.

Lucie is hollering for me, so I better go.......

OBTW: she is determined for me to take her to "snow" where it is cold. We had several conversations about this today.

Weekend Wrap Up!

As per usual, Friday night was pretty normal in that Jarred works so late that by the time he gets home I am spent, as is Lucie. So, we ordered a pizza and watched TV. Saturday was super exciting. MacKenzie moved into her new apartment at LSU. That was fun to watch. I did not get to help move anything, as I expected. Jarred and I were supposed to go to a wedding but between babysitting issues and the fact that he worked until 7pm, we did not go. Oh well. Congrats to Dana and Derek!

Today we all slept in until Lucie rolled over and informed Jarred and I that it was morning and therefore time to get up. So, we all went to Cake Palace (where I figure Jarred and Lucie will be spending alot of weekend mornings once the new baby comes) for breakfast and then drove out to Walker to measure out a baseball field for an irrigation estimate. Yes, Fay was here, it was raining, and Jarred got soaked. Lucie and I waited in the car and listened to Clic and Clack.

The best part of the weekend was definitely the dinner Jarred cooked us tonight. After listening to Leah Chase on John Folse last week talking about fried chicken (notice how similar "fried" is to "friend") I have been having a BIG craving. So Jarred fried up some AWESOME chicken. Best I have every had! Also, some mashed potatoes and green beans. So, good.....

Well, it had pretty much rained all day (Fay). I am really aggravated that I forgot to fix up my rain gauge before it started. It has been tipped over for who know how long, so know I dont know how much rain we have gotten. What I do know is that it has rained pretty much straight since about 3am. So, who knows what we will do for work tomorrow. Rain, our nemesis.

Jarred has a HUGE meeting with a Big Wig at the largest construction company in SE LA in the morning. When Jarred was with Kleinpeter, he redid this guy's yard. So, hopefully we will pick up some work from him. Getting our General Contractors license has really opened some doors for us. According to the GM at the local wholesale nursery, our company is the last of the "little guys" still standing with the economy the way it is. We have had some "Big guys" call Jarred scoping for our status and if Jarred is interested in selling out/getting a job with them. We are hanging in there though. Not pretty, but we are a contender. In a very Poppy Joe kind of way, I figure that my competition is getting smaller and smaller, so things must be ready to look up. When the economy does straighten out, we will be one of the survivors. We are praying the new transmission comes in for the Isuzu, so maybe Jarred can put that in while it rains. Go figure, as soon as we buy the new truck, our old one breaks down. Good Luck/Timing??? I guess. Better than no truck. Just not what we were hoping.

Lucie has been very busy today. Jumping on the furniture, harrassing her Daddy, watching Diego (she can count to 10 in Spanish-and told a lady at the store yesterday "Buenas Dias") and helping to cook the chicken. She is painting right now and just brought me a picture and told me "Happy Birthday!".

Welcome to the Blog!

My first official post. Just wanted to get this started as a place for me to post info about what is going on in our world here. I will put up pic's, Lucie stories, etc. I think it will be great for keeping everyone updated as to what is happening, especially with the new baby coming.