Galactogogue, say it, it's a funny word.

Breast milk production. Yup. In the process of trying to up it! It WASN'T low, I was just drinking Mother's Milk herbal tea, to up my milk production a bit more, so I could pump more for my back stock. It was working like a charm!

However, I may be strictly breastfeeding, but I have indeed started to mensturate. The first time I didn't notice Elijah have an unfavorable reaction to it. But this second time around, I am!

Poor fella is not only not liking the taste or consistency, but he isn't getting enough. He has been extremely fussy the past couple of days, because he hasn't been getting enough. So I have been dipping into my back stock.

Good thing is that the hormonal fluctuation only lasts the first couple of days, and will level out and go back to normal.

In the mean time I will try the tricks of the trade. Mother's Milk herbal tea (main herb ingredient Fenugreek) and I will start on the herbal supplement as well. But beyond Fenugreek I will try herbs like goat's rue, fennel, hops, blessed thistle or oats are all thought to boost a low or waning milk supply in nursing mothers.

If it all works great! I only hope he isn't too disgusted with the taste of my milk. I don't like to dip into my precious backstock lol. I try to keep it for when I have to go to work, or for snowboarding. But if he needs it, then he needs it!

Any of you mother's gone through something similar? Needed to produce more? What did you try? I would love to hear!

Mommyhood

Wow, certainly has been awhile! So I have had the baby :O) hence, no time to post a thing! He was born September 27th @ 9:15 am. 5lbs 8 ounces, 17.5 inches long. The ECV didn't work, lil man did not turn, so we ended up doing a c section, but I have had the easiest/quickest recovery!

Within a week I was back to working out, mind you not lifting anything heavy, or doing crazy abdominal pilates workouts! Just light walking, and arm/leg sculpting.

Motherhood is amazing! I keep telling people that if I would have known I was going to enjoy it this much, that I would have given in to Jamie's request 4 and a half years ago to start a family.

The first thing out of my mouth when I held Elijah for the first time was " I wan another one" I think we have decided to speed up the process and have them more frequently than we had originally planned! I kinda feel bad for being so selfish. But at least we had some time to be married and enjoy our time with one another, and get our lives in order- Because it won't be the same ever again!

Elijah is so precious. He has been such a great baby! We had one rough week, when he had his days and nights mixed up, but we over came that quickly. Thank goodness! I take him everywhere with me, and he just sleeps, or looks around the room, or just watches me. We go to the gym just about every day, I am thankful he does so well, so that I am able to get my exercise. We love taking long walks with Summit, down by the river, and enjoy our cuddle time like no other!

I have really enjoyed watching Jamie be a father. He is a natural. You can tell he loves it so much. Jamie is certainly the best daddy and hubby ever! Our whole marriage, I was anxiously awaiting the day that he would be a daddy, I have always been so awe struck at how he interacted with his nephews and nieces. I couldn't wait to see him in action with our own child. It truly warms my heart.

We had such a busy and hectic past 6 weeks. Especially this past weekend! We went down to SLC Thursday, had dinner and shopped with some friends of ours. Then Friday we went to the Temple to watch Nat and Nick be sealed. Saturday we had Nat and Nicks amazing reception. Such a great time! Followed by EJ's baby blessing on Sunday! And Monday my first article that I wrote for Shred Mommies was released! Can you say "best weekend ever!"

If you would like to keep track of my articles you will find them here... http://www.shredbetties.com/articles/archives/section/shred_mommies/

I also started back to work on Monday. The Dr. has allowed me to make my own work schedule, so I will only be working afternoons, on some of the days that Jamie is not working. So it equals out to about 30- 40 hours a month. I am very excited to find such a healthy balance. I am so thankful for all the great people in my life that make that possible!

Shopping...BABY STYLE!

I have loved searching, and shopping for neat little finds that bring out Jamie and I's personality, and lifestyle!

And I thought shopping for myself was fun!! Shopping for Elijah is SO MUCH more than that! I have been picking up a few things here and there, my favorite find this week were the beanies and plaids I found for newborns! You all know me, and my infatuation with plaids, and beanies...lol I am certainly handing down the love to Elijah!

Almost time!

Wow..haven't had time for blogging these days! As you can imagine! Been super busy finishing up things around the house preparing for Elijah! I have had so much fun doing the nursery, my husband is the most amazing, and hard working man! He has bent over backwards to help me with this room. I really appreciate all the work he has put into working on the house the past couple of months. We finished our nursery (minus the final touches, i.e. wall sconces, lamps etc.) and he finished our master bed and bathroom downstairs as well! We are all moved in! YEY! Here are a few photos of the nursery, and our bedroom.

These are the plush toys I bought for the mobile. I started with 5, but then I found an 8 piece mobile that was exactly what I wanted! So I had to hunt for more plushes! Here is the finished mobile below!!
And finally our bedroom! We have the baby room, and our room downstairs now. I have loved having all the extra room the past week in my master bedroom and bath! Jamie did a great job!!

And of course last but not least! A belly pic! I am 33 wks! 1 more week and I will be 8 ½ months! So approximately 7 weeks left! At my last Dr. Appointment however, he said I am measuring big, so I could go early, in reality we are lookin at more like 5 to 6 weeks left!! Which makes me think 4 weeks, left haha..It is crazy how time flies!! I have enjoyed being pregnant so much, it has been a beautiful journey thus far! I can only pray my labor and delivery goes just as smooth!

Elijah Ames Castillon

So we finally decided on a name today. By now the name itself is self explanatory :O) It is Jamie's favorite! We had it narrowed down to Jonah, Noah, and Elijah. I come from a family of J names (JAMES,JASON,JACOB,JULIE- and there is KATIE my younger sister not a J, but heck the next letter after J in the alphabet! ;O)) So I was rooting for Jonah for the longest time....however over time Elijah kept sticking out in my mind, then I started hearing it here and there, and when I did, it was very special to me. It has officially become my favorite too! His middle name will be Ames. It is my father's middle name. He will always be a very special man in my life!! Of course like the huge dork I am, I had fun with his name, using NINTENDO fonts lol enjoy my nerdy-ness!

7 Months!

Really..? That's all I could say this morning while lying in bed feeling my lil dude move around in my belly. This pregnancy has gone by so quick! It seemed slower than molasses when I was 3 months. And now here I am in my last trimester, preparing for our lil shredder to arrive!

I have been blessed with the most amazing pregnancy! It has been very simple, and not rough on my body. I haven't even felt pregnant, the only thing reassuring me that I am is the wiggles in my lil belly! Although that will all change here in the last 80 some odd days!

I have noticed a change in my hormones to say the least! I got a bit emotional the other week over silly things, and I crave.....JUNK FOOD. Blah.. I have done so well eating right, and now all I can think about is chips, soda, and chocolate!

Favorites:

•Flaming Hot GIANT Cheeto Balls

•Peanut Butter Jelly Sandwiches

•Dr. Pepper

•Anything Milk chocolate

•Laffy Taffy

•Cereal (specifically Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Capt'n Crunch)

Yum!

I have gained 12lbs so far in this pregnancy. I hardly feel like it though. My Dr. says the last tri on average women gain about 11lbs in the home stretch, I have been a bit below average, but still in a good range, he thinks I will gain around 8 more lbs- hahah granted I don't eat all junk food for the next 3 months I presume! ;O)

So many things have been going on the past few weeks, I'm surprised I am not run into the ground yet! We went camping for the weekend up at Granite. It was nice to spend some quality time in the outdoors with Jamie. We had such a great time! Did some 4wheeling, went on some fun hikes, visited the falls, did some fishing, star gazing, and of course relaxing!!

When we got back into town, I had so many messages and missed calls. I had a lot of catching up to do in my social life..blah. But a lot of good did come of it!!!

I received a new calling! I was called to serve as the Assistant Relief Society Activities Director. I am VERY excited about this calling! I get to serve with an amazing, fun, out going woman! And wow.....we are already quite busy! I LOVE IT! This will be a fun calling! My previous calling was Ward Missionary with my hubs. But there wasn't a whole lot of work for me to do. Granted it was nice to have a lil break, but now I am done resting haha.

♫♫♪♪ Doo do doo do doo do DOO! ♪♫♪♪

So we have finally decided on a nursery theme! We are going to do a Nintendo nursery! It has been something that has been on my mind even before we got pregnant, but I never gave it much thought. I thought it would be too difficult to find the decor. I decided the other week to just give it a shot, and to my surprise I found TONS of decor! Pillows, plush toys, decals..etc. I was going to make it a Super Mario theme ONLY, but I have been giving it some thought to possibly incorporate ZELDA into the mix ;O)

Zelda decor is a bit difficult to find..so we will see if we are able to do that! Here are a some photos of ideas we have!

Shred Mommy!

I received some very exciting news this past weekend!!! I was offered a position to write for an online snowboarding magazine http://www.shredbetties.com/ !! I will be writing articles in their SHRED MOMMIES section of the ezine!!!! I am totally stoked!

If you’re anything like me and you’re praying for winter to hurry up and get here, you definitely want to keep on top of shredbetties.com. They’re constantly blogging about female snowboarders, products, events and more. From snowboards, down to the color and pattern details of additions to your mountain wardrobe, Shred Betties gives you a great preview of what’s to come so that you can be the most stylish in the chairlift line!

Shred Betties is a different company than the one I intern for now. http://www.shreddingbetty.com/ is entirely different, they are an online women's snowboarding company. Gotta clarify, both companies get confused on a regular basis.

I have been working in the snowboarding industry now for 3 years, and networking for 6. It has taken me a long time to accomplish what I have thus far, and has by far been one of the most amazing experiences I have had! I am so very blessed to have had all these opportunities in my lifetime to work in an industry that is my passion!

And now to be expecting my first child, I thought...where will this leave me as a female snowboarder, I certainly have been contemplating how to balance the two...being a mommy, and snowboarding. There is however an untapped subject in the matter of snowboarding, and it is that of motherhood! :O) How refreshing! It will be exciting to pursue this opportunity, go down this road, and take on this experience! One more major milestone to add.

What is even more awesome is the fact that I won't be taking on this challenge alone! My new bosses are mothers! One is actually 40 wks pregnant( trying everything to go into labor lol), and the other has a 6 month old. We have what I believe to be an amazing combination for this project! I look forward to working with them! They still do all that they normally do, event promotion, competitions, instructing, and just straight up riding with their hubbies. Best of all, they live in Utah! It will be great to have them show me the ropes of how they balance it all, while breastfeeding to boot haha.

Other than that....time has been flying by! Things are going awesome for James and I. Not a whole lot is new. We almost have our master bed/bath done! Just need to finish putting up the tile on the walls in the shower, and paint the bathroom! Our carpet is being installed the 21st of this month, then we can move in! I am very excited! It will be nice to buy a new bedroom set to match our log bed! I am in dire need of DRESSERS, I have clothes coming out my ears!!!!

Once we get moved downstairs, we will put in our new fireplace, and THEN, we will be ready to do the nursery! I have a few ideas that I am interested in doing. More or less I think I will be taking a bit of each of the ideas I have been looking at and making it my own. We are going for a rustic outdoorsy theme!

I think I am going to do the nursery walls similar to the first photo with all the bears! I am really digging that theme!! :O) TOO CUTE!

Things have been going great with work. I went part time. I only work afternoons 1-5. It really has been such a stress reliever!! I didn't really know how much stress I was actually under working full time, house work full time, and every project in between that we have going on! I am thankful to have a little more me time! And my sleeping patterns have pretty much returned to normal! Thank goodness!!

We are very excited for our baby to arrive in October. I can hardly believe that I am 23 weeks along! Our baby sure is growing! My belly is barely starting to show! It is about time! :O) I am still feeling amazing! I have loved every minute of being pregnant! I am still working out, and running regularly, I just lowered my intensity level a bit. It seems that running soothes my lil baby, and rocks him right to sleep! :O) For a while there he would kick me in the bladder while running...not a good combination, being stuck on the green belt, seriously contemplating peeing in the bushes is very awkward haha.

Boy or Girl !??

The time has almost come!!! June 1st we will know if we are having a boy or a girl! Very exciting!! What do you think we are gonna have!???

Go Green!

In respect to our recent Earth Day Holiday, just thought I would share a tid bit of how we have changed some things in our house hold to conserve and save!

Save energy to save money.

Jamie sets our thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer to save on heating and cooling costs.

We have installed compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) .

I always try to unplug our appliances when we're not using them. Lately I have just tried to buy the "smart" power strip that senses when appliances are off and cuts "phantom" or "vampire" energy use.

I ALWAYS wash our clothes in cold water. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water!

We also use a drying rack or clothesline to save the energy otherwise used during machine drying.

Save water to save money.

Now this has been a tough one for me...Seeing as I really, really, REALLY, like to soak in the bath, almost on a nightly basis...This I am trying to break!! Other than that, I try to conserve in other ways!

Shutting the water off when I am not using it while brushing my teeth, or washing my hands.

We try to plant drought-tolerant native plants in our garden. Many plants need minimal watering, so we try to find out which occur naturally in your area. And yes there is more than just sage brush! haha

Less gas = more money (and better health!).

I have been walking to work, I used to long board, but considering the whole pregnancy bit, hubby won't let me!! But this saves on gas while improving your cardiovascular health and reducing my risk of packing on those pounds!!! Me walking to work is an extra .6 miles a day, and 20 minutes worth extra of cardio! :O)

Eat smart.

I always try to buy locally raised, humane, and organic meat, eggs, and dairy whenever I can. SUPER HARD where I live, but it does happen!!! Especially in the summer! Phew! And purchasing from local farmers keeps money in the local economy.

Skip the bottled water.

We use a water filter to purify tap water instead of buying bottled water. Not only is bottled water expensive, but it generates large amounts of container waste.

I bring a reusable water bottle, I prefer aluminum rather than plastic, with me when traveling or at work.


Buy smart.

We try to buy in bulk. Purchasing food from bulk bins can save money and packaging.

I invest in high-quality, long-lasting products. I might pay more now, but I am always happy when I don't have to replace items as frequently (and this means less waste!).

15 weeks!

So we hit our 15 week mark this past Thursday! We were very excited for our visit to the Dr. Last time we were able to see our little baby, arms, legs, head and all! This time we were anxiously anticipating hearing the heartbeat!

Before getting down to business, the Dr. wanted to talk to us about testing our baby for down syndrome. I am not too crazy about the whole test. In all actuality it is pointless for us.

Our Dr. told us that 90% of the blood tests come back positive.. now if a screening test indicates a high risk of Down syndrome, a more invasive test may be used to determine whether your baby actually has Down syndrome, called Amniocentesis. So a sample of my amniotic fluid surrounding my baby would be withdrawn through a needle inserted into my uterus (Sounds oh so appealing). Then the sample is then used to analyze the chromosomes of the baby. The bad part....The test carries a one in 200 risk of miscarriage.

We decided against it. Reason being...we don't believe in abortion (depending on the situation at hand. This case NOT being one of them.) We would not terminate the pregnancy if we were to find out that the baby had down syndrome.

So if we were to find out our baby was going to have down syndrome, the only good thing that COULD come from it, would be giving us adequate time to prepare. But the risk of miscarrying is not appealing. So we opted against it.

Finally the Dr. got the Doppler out, and began the procedure. He was feeling around really low on my abdomen, and I couldn't quite figure why...I can tell my baby has been sitting up by my belly button. 2 minutes into it, still no sound. I could tell Jamie was getting a little worried. So, I took the Dr's hand and slid it up a bit higher. And low and behold, there he was! His little quick heart beat!

The Dr. looked at me and smiled, well, well. There is your baby! He asked me if I could tell where the baby was by the pressure on my bladder, I nodded, and replied yes. I told him I have been able to tell for a couple of weeks now.

Then we heard a sudden loud, short shwooshing noise, repeatedly. The Dr. asked me if I could feel that, I replied no. He said that sound was my baby kicking! He estimated in the next few weeks I would be feeling my lil one!

All in all our appointment went great, and everything checked out fine! We scheduled our next appointment to find out the sex of our baby!! It was to be scheduled the 21st, but the Dr. is going to be gone, and the following week Jamie is working, so we had to push it clear out to JUNE 1st!

We are very excited to find out the sex of the baby. The whole way home we talked about names for GIRLS. This was a change!! Usually we just talk about boy names! Of course we already have one girl name picked out and in stone...but we talked about what we would name our baby if we had more than one! Could this be a sign!???

And for all you belly photo lovin' people who constantly text, and facebook me wanting a picture....here you go! Not much yet! But well on it's way!! :O)

The Joys of Pregnancy!

I was asked the other day what my favorite things about being pregnant so far are, and what things I dislike the most about it. I have a nice long list of things that I do like!

- My husband gives me more back rubs and just does more of the housework in general. I'm a lucky lady.

- Feeling the baby growing inside of me makes me feel so alive and powerful and womanly!

- Feeling like I have a constant friend with me besides my Summit boy!

- My hair is growing like a weed, and the pregnancy glow I have!

- Luckily, I am one of those women who has not gotten sick or extremely tired or anything else in early pregnancy. (I'm sure it would be pretty hard to enjoy pregnancy when you're head is constantly in the toilet.. :o/)

- I love the round, feminine belly I am finally beginning to acquire!

- How much more in tune to my body I am!

- The excitement of my family and friends.

- I feel strong and proud...I know my body is doing something amazing !

- My hormone levels have made me feel extremely mellow, and chill. More down to earth.

- The excitement of finding out the gender of our baby, hearing the heart beat, and anticipating that first movement of him or her!

- Planning for everything once the baby gets here.

- Day dreaming of the days, of teaching my children to snowboard and ski. Taking them hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, four wheeling, paint balling, soccer/football/baseball/dance/gymnastics/piano/guitar practice!!

My list seriously goes on...

As for the things I dislike about pregnancy...

- When parents complain about BEING parents to newly pregnant women, (particularly to people who are well established, and well prepared for a baby.) saying "Oh boy sure hope you're ready! You're life is over!" - no sleep, tantrums, constant crying, gross diapers, no time to yourselves yadayada yada- anything that deals with whining and moaning about parenthood drives me nuts. I know that parenthood isn't easy, I have a younger sister, I received a nice healthy dose of taking care of her to get a pretty good idea of what Jamie and I have prepared ourselves for lol..Parenthood is a GIFT. Making a family, it is precious. Nothing better than family. People who complain the way they do about it, whether to attempt to "freak" somebody out (which is seriously annoying, and yet kind of amusing.) Or just vent..(well then maybe they themselves just weren't ready. Or have other issues?) need to just quit! And be positive, and say nice things...Geeze!

- All the horrible aspects of pregnancy..And how it seems every other woman I meet wants me to be having them!!? The heartburn, the morning sickness, the fatigue, the water retention, the mood swings.... I try to sympathize...to those who are genuine...but to those who are envious (sad but true)...lol seriously..I don't wanna hear about it.

- And Jamie and I's choice to try for a natural childbirth. This one really seems to open up a can of worms..It has been quite amusing to listen to people's take on this. Well more of an annoyance! I am a low-risk healthy woman, and not afraid of the amazing things that my body can do...therefore I do not opt to have someone else "get my baby out." Too many doctors are too willing to take that responsibility and accomplishment from women who don't medically need it. I want to experience the fullness of birthing, like my mother, and my grandmother have. It is one of the most powerful and empowering experiences a woman can have. It is the most natural and amazing of experiences, and all women's bodies are uniquely suited and PERFECTLY capable of it!

Birth does not have to be an ordeal of pain and misery. My mother and grandmother both said they found it quite serene and joyous. ( My mom birthed a 10lb baby naturally!) Sure it is one of the most physical, and emotional experiences they had...but our bodies produce hundreds of hormones and other chemicals to get our babies from our bellies to our arms. When you know exactly what is happening and what to expect you can focus on allowing your body to do what it needs, and already knows how to do.

Yes most women will say birth does hurt.. but perceptions and experiences can change that pain vastly when you understand that it has a benefit, and ends with a purpose fulfilled. I have been learning about tons of methods to go with the flow of and actively assist, rather than fight my bodies work.

Everything I need is already within me, there are said to be "no great secrets when it comes to natural childbirth. It is more about unlearning fears and worries than about learning methods and techniques."

Women have been birthing naturally for centuries. Birthing was simply something women just did. They breathed, grunted, groaned, and moved around according to whatever position their body wanted to take. My body already knows what to do and how to do it. The main thing to learn is to let my body guide me.

A few more reasons I prefer to try birthing naturally:


1. Mothers who labor naturally can move freely, go to the bathroom, walk and change positions throughout labor. According to the Cochrane Review, recent studies have shown that getting medication makes changing positions during birth impossible, even after birth more difficult.

( where I am giving birth, in my birthing room I have a whirlpool. I will be able to freely move to and from during labor when I want, and or if I choose a water birth.)

2. Since you can feel your body's reflexes in natural childbirth, mothers can push better and generally faster. In fact studies show that getting an epidural prolongs your pushing time.

3. The pain during labor serves a purpose by guiding the mother to seek certain positions. For example, if her back hurts, she will naturally seek positions off her back which can help to turn her baby. Having back pain is one sign that the baby might be posterior and needs to rotate.

4. Mothers often describe that their recovery after a natural childbirth was faster and easier since they could get right up and walk and shower. Usually they eat right away and their appetite is normal.

5. Endorphins secreted during a natural childbirth have been found in the placenta and umbilical cord. This may serve a purpose to help the baby adjust to life outside as well as make the journey more comfortable for baby.

6. Research has shown that in mothers who have natural childbirth, babies are more alert and show more interest in pre-breastfeeding behaviours such as sucking and massaging the mother's breasts, as well as the actual length of time they spend nursing within the first 90 minutes.


No there is not a wrong way and a right way to birth a baby. Nor am I completely opposed to a an epidural, nor do I feel that it will make me less of a woman, or a wimp if I ask for it.

I have felt this way far before Jamie and I made the decision to get pregnant. We ourselves, and my Dr, are all on board and very excited for our birth plan!!

May you grow up to be righteous, may you grow up to be true.

( My little Buddah Bug age 2 )

Tonight I had some unexpected, happy, and yet scary news come my way!! My lil sister Katie Mae texted me and told me she had a boyfriend!! I was a bit shocked. Happy, excited, and scared. Of course I am happy for her, but the big sis in me most definitely came out tonight as well! It has been a crazy year for her....well for me, watching her grow up. She started her first year of high school last September. Turned 15 this last March, and is getting her drivers permit...and now a boyfriend...OH BOY!!

If you are reading this Katie..haha I am sorry if this embarrasses you. I don't mean to. This has just been an kinda an emotional event for me. And I need to journal this moment :O)

So of course I made her dish the details, name, hobbies, age, classes they have together :O)

Joe, baseball and 14. Yes my parents do know, and are OK with it, and my mother gave my sister THE TALK. haha. All of this REALLY put me at ease. But still, I had to give my little buddah bug the talk as well!! She is growing up fast. It really freaks me out sometimes!! Made me think of how I might react when Jamie and I's lil babies get to be that age...wowza...I am really beginning to understand what parents go through, and what children put them through!! OH MY!

( on the swing at our cabin in Oregon )

( Snowboarding trip to Mt. Hood )

( Parents home in Oregon, in their arena.

My lil cowgirl!! Takes after me!!! )

( Halloween )

( Quite the lil rider!! )

( Katers and my her bird Peanut! )

( Riding at my parents! )

( Katers and her mini horse Golden Nugget )

( Get 'er done girl! )

( <3 )

( Look out boys!!! )

( My BEAUTIFUL, TALLER, and YOUNGER sister )