Sydney!

Photos of our fantastic little baby girl, Sydney-she is six months old already!  She never seizes to amaze us-she is learning something new every week and keeps me chasing after her all day long!  She is truly a sweet, loving, kind, strong-willed, determined little girl.  Her voice and all the range is such a treat to hear!  (I tried to upload a video, but it wasn't going to happen today) 
Sydney has awoken from her very short nap and is asking for my attention! 

God speed and enjoy the fall, I know we are!  Enjoy, Sarah

hanging out

 hello

 

at the pumpkin patch sitting in the wagon

sweet, sleeping baby

look at me, I pulled myself up here...

at the pumpkin patch with her buddy, Tillman

 

 

 

Sippy cup

We did get Sydney a sippy cup-here is a video and some photos, enjoy!

 and the home movie!

 

Sydney Lucille!

I thought about what to blog about today since it is Sydney's 16wk anniversary-I am not feeling all that sentimental today so, I chose a video of her drinking out of a glass.  For the past few weeks when I am holding her and drinking she has been reaching out for my glass- So, I put the glass up to her mouth and she grabs a hold and tries to drink!  It truly is funny and amazing all at the same time-again, she is thriving!  I suppose I should get this little baby a sippy cup already!  (I ask her often if she'd slow down a bit for us, we're trying to enjoy it all, but she wants to do it all by herself already- in her mind she knows how, but her body says not yet!  Indeed we have an old soul on our hands.)

I hope everyone enjoys there weekend and gets outdoors despite the heat!  I can not believe school starts next week-god bless our teachers and students- I am praying for a wonderful school year for all (despite the cut backs in education)!  I have two dear friends that have babies under 8 months old and they both have to return to their classrooms to teach, my heart goes out to them!

Enjoy the video-she is too funny and quite demanding, you'll see at the end of the video!

Learning to just be

This past week, despite the extreme heat, Sydney and I have headed outside to enjoy nature and the warm summer breeze!  We lay out our awesome blanket/mat and take our books and a few of her toys and set up under the beautiful Monterrey Oak.  We listen to the hum of the locus and Sydney watches when cars go by.  Her senses are so keen-she is thriving!
Since I have been reading this great book Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv-I want miss Sydney to know nature and to learn how to just be.  I think we all forget sometimes how to just be in nature and enjoy it for what it is-I feel that she will learn all she needs to by being close to nature- patience, the understanding of lives cycles-life and death-things that toys and TV will not teach her.  Stimulation is what she needs, but I find that nature will provide this and much more for her!
When she gets older I want her to appreciate the seasons, hiking, animals, the ocean, trees as high as the sky and how to play in it unstructured and freely.  She is an Earth Day baby and I feel it is my responsibility, given to me by God, to make sure I give her every opportunity to be a good steward to mother earth! 

Here is a video of her movin' and groovin'-she is on the fast track!

and some pictures of our time outdoors under the beautiful Monterrey Oak-

She loves this book-Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See?

God Speed, The Hesrud's

Milestones-Laughing out loud!

Here it is-she has officially laughed out loud-and out of all of us it's the dog that gets it out of her- Baxter, you lucky dog, you!
Enjoy and God Speed.

Relief

As I had mentioned previously, Sydney is teething.  Some days are better than others as you may know if you have or have had teething children.  She has begun to teethe a little earlier than most babies, but for the most part she has been handling it quite well.  Here is a video of her getting some relief from the pain!  And yes, there is football on in the background-Sydney's first game night with Daddy-o!

Inspired

My mother and I went to the San Antonio Botanical Gardens on Tuesday- yes, even in this heat!  As we were leaving the gardens I stopped into the shop to look around.  I have been missing my things a lot lately, (they are still in SD) especially my books.  So, naturally I was browsing through the book selection and came across a book by Richard Louv-Last Child in the Woods.  I am only 46 pages into the book and am so inspired.  It is about how important nature is for physical and mental development in children and how detached they have become.  He refers to this detachment as "nature deficit disorder".

There is a quote I would like to share from the book.
"Unlike television, nature does not steal time; it amplifies it".

Wow, how profound is that?  So, I will leave you with some food for thought:
How do you expose your child to nature-do you at all?

What are some of your childhood memories of being in nature?

I would love to hear how you connect with nature, or do not- and why if you don't and why if you do!

I love to be in nature because it makes me feel closer to my creator-God.  I see him everywhere in nature and this brings me to a place of  peace in my heart, which is sometimes hardened by this world.

God Speed, Sarah

Pictures and mini update!

It's been awhile since I have updated everyone on how we are getting along with Sydney-well, I'd have to say that we are getting the hang parenting and she knows she belongs to US!  Sydney has grown so much over the last month-she rolls from her back to her stomach and she is beginning to teeth-no one told me how miserable this phase would be.  Needless to say she does not like teething considering her motor skills don't let her hold onto a teething toy long enough to get some relief, so her hands will have to do.
Enjoy the video of her in her 'johnny jump up' and the pictures-she has grown so much!

Sydney and her buddy Tillman!

most recent-taken yesterday

 I realize the last two photos are sideways, but the are great photos of her and the cat Apollo-who loves Sydney!

 God Speed-The Hersrud's

two months already!

Yesterday was two months that we have been blessed to have Sydney in our lives-I do not know when the feeling of "new" wears off when you have a newborn in the house, but we still feel very new to this parenting stuff!  We are beginning to see that Sydney is no longer a newborn, but a baby!
Seeing this growth in not only her appearance, but mostly in her personality and her spirit has given us the chance to get to know her.  She is definitely going to be strong willed and a determined human being-determined to do what, I don't necessarily think about yet .  At this time in her life she is determined to sit up all by herself, stand up and roll over! 
She is blowing bubbles ridiculously, and is self soothing by chewing on her hands.  She is also keeping her hands open more throughout the day and scrunching her toes more often.  Grabbing has begun a bit, mostly by accident right now, but you can see she will soon pick this up too! Oh, and she is still jabbing those jaws!
Everyone that has ever had a child has said that time goes by so fast, and until you experience this for yourself it's hard to understand-yes, time does go by fast when you are raising a child, but if you pay close attention you won't miss a thing!   
We are in love with Sydney and are falling in love with being her parents!  Most people said we would be great parents, but honestly it is a conscious effort that must be put forth every single day if you truly want to be a great parent!  Being a parent is easy, but being a present parent is challenging, exhausting, and so very humbling.
God Speed, Sarah
I forgot the camera at the in-laws, so when I get it back i'll post pictures of Sydney to show how much she has grown over the past couple months-stay tuned!

most mornings

This morning Sydney was a little fussy and I could not figure out why-her diaper was clean, she was fed and she woke up in a good mood.  It was then that I realize we have a routine in the mornings, wake up and play in bed, change diaper, play some more, try to get breakfast(if she'll let me) and then we either go for a walk or just hang out in the front yard under this beautiful Monterrey Oak tree that is our neighbors, but generously shades part of our yard.  That was it-we hadn't been for our daily walk or been outside.  I immediately put the sling on, which if I notice correctly, Sydney has begun to recognize the sling, and we headed outside to stand under the Oak tree.  It was a little too late and had already begun to heat up too much for our walk! 

As we stood under the Oak tree I enjoyed a cup of coffee as Sydney drifted off to sleep for her first nap of the day while our cat, Smokey, talks to us and rolls around in the grass-he is the most talkative cat ever!

This Sunday Jeff will celebrate Father's Day for the first time as a father!  Everyone enjoy their weekend and let your father know how special of a man he is-Personally, I believe Sydney has one of the greatest father's on earth, even if she doesn't realize it yet-she will soon enough! 

Have a blessed weekend and Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful father's we know!  Love, The Hersrud's

What we've been up to!

  Over the past few weeks we have been busy with the birthday parties, graduation parties, house sitting and her first baseball game to watch The Missions play at Wolff Stadium!-things Jeff and I use to enjoy ourselves and we now have the pleasure of sharing with Sydney!  She truly makes our lives come alive as we want her to experience all the things we enjoy and love!  Thank you Sydney!
  She is truly a social butterfly and is very vocal, she thoroughly enjoys people (as long as she isn't tired or hungry-like most people!)  This morning while playing in bed, which is what we do every morning as we are both waking up, she discovered her feet-she hasn't figured out how to grab them yet, but I know it won't be long!  As we lie in bed we talk about her dreams and my dreams for her, we laugh or she makes me laugh, I know she is laughing just not aloud yet!  I love these times, some days it'll last longer than others, but I soak up every second!  These truly are the most precious moments shared between us at this time as I know it will soon change-just as everything does.

  Here are a few pictures and a video of Sydney talking to mommy and video of play time with daddy, hopefully you'll be able to hear- otherwise it's just Sydney being a busy body!  She also has the greatest SMILE!

Mommy and Sydney playing!  The only time she enjoys this swing is if you are playing with her while she is in it! 

Sydney and Daddy playing on the bed-I hope you can hear her sweet little voice!  At the end of the movie she discovered the camera-awesome!  She has very keen senses!  

 Grandma Mann, it was her birthday, and Sydney at the baseball game!

Daddy and Sydney before the game-this is how Sydney loves to be carried by daddy!

 Sydney with Papa Hersrud at the graduation party!

My Birth Story

    I am sitting here with my new little angel and she is sleeping, in the MayaWrap (which is a sling), as close to me as possible-this seems to be her choice when it's time to sleep, I guess after spending almost ten months in the womb being close to my beating heart this is what she prefers- who could blame her!  I purchased my Maya Wrap from a small family owned business located in New Braunfels, Tx, Full Circle Baby!

    So, I have titled this "My Birth Story" because that is exactly what I am going to blog about, but first let me tell you about how we found out, what we chose to do and how we chose The Family Birth Center as the place we wanted to give birth!
We found out that we were expecting when in South Dakota, we hadn't been in Nemo for long before we found out. We were working at a restaurant, The Branding Iron on The Nemo Guest Ranch, in Nemo, SD where our family cabin is located and the place we were calling home at the time!  Living in Nemo, was truly a blessing and we now know that it helped us to relax enough to conceive our first child!

    A few weeks before we found out that we were expecting, I had heard news from Texas that two of my best friends were also expecting their first child, so naturally wanting to be close to them through this monumental change in our lives seemed right.  So, moving back to Texas, a place that was once our home, was what we did.  We packed up and moved back to be close to these special friends and, of course, family.  Having a child and them not being able to know their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins didn't seem right.  So, here we are in San Antonio, a place we truly never thought we'd call home again-it's funny how life takes you on a journey if you are willing to go along for the ride!
Birthing naturally, with a midwife, in a birth house came as second nature for me-to my husband, Jeff, not so much, but he new that when the time came (ten years after we said our vows) for us to have a child, this was how we would birth.  My mother, whom I admire, naturally birthed all of her children except one.  She would have used a midwife, but in Omaha, Ne in the 80's midwifes were not an option- so, in a hospital atmosphere she naturally birthed me and three other siblings.  It takes a brave woman to want to birth in a hospital if you ask me!

    We chose New Braunfels Family Birth Center located in the lovely town of New Braunfels, TX right in the heart of this old German city.  Our first visit with the Birth Center was with Joani and her apprentice Ashley, both who were present at my birth.  I immediately felt at home in this beautifully quaint house and felt as if I had known Joani and Ashley all my life.  The visit was wonderful and we left there knowing this was where we'd birth our first child into the world!

    We were expecting our little angel in April, the due date was April 11, 2011.  The eleventh came and went and no baby, not even a braxton hicks to think I was close to going into labor.  Then, my mother and nephew were over for a visit, this day was the fifteenth of April, and I had been having mild contractions that started that afternoon and progressed throughout the day and into the evening-this was the day I was going to birth our child, or so I thought!  The contractions went on throughout the night, Jeff took the next day off of work and we went along our daily business as usual, as told to do so by our midwife, Amber, and to keep her updated on my progression.  To my surprise my contractions started getting further and further apart, and it was apparent that we were not having a baby that day.
Night time pre-laboring went on for a whole week and then, on the twenty first of April after a recommended doctor appointment, my contractions were back in full force and I told myself that I would birth through the night and have this baby by the next day if not that night!  This I was certain-I was so worn out from pre-laboring every night for a whole week, that mentally I was ready, and I guess the baby was too, because that night, early morning, at 1:30 my water broke and contractions were like none I had felt before.  We phoned Amber and told her we were on our way!  We arrived at The Birth Center around 2ish-the ambiance was perfect-lights dimmed, the scent of lavender in the air and music softly chirping birds in the background!  Amber checked to see how much I was dilated-6cm.  I labored mainly standing up hanging on to Jeff while Amber massaged my lower back.  I tried the shower to see if this would ease some pain, I then tried the birthing ball on the bed leaning over it for two contractions, this is the standard duration you should give each new position, two contractions to see if it'll help-this did not help either, but the urge to push was upon me.  This is when I told Amber that I was ready.  They began running the bath water, because my intention was to have a water birth, but knew that I would birth the way I was suppose to no matter how it was-and this I was comfortable with.  The urge to push came again, so they had me lay on the bed and they checked the babies heart beat-it was only beating at 80 and did not double during a contraction.  So, at this time they told me that they would have to call the EMS, and they did. They gave me oxygen and told me to take deep breaths.  They then told me that EMS was on it's way and that I needed to have the baby now otherwise, I would be going to the hospital to give birth!  Jeff looked at me in the eyes and said, very calmly, but matter of factly, that I had to push the baby out and that he knew I could do it!  We then moved to the birthing stool and I learned very quickly how to push.  Amber and Joani said that the babies head was right there so, I put my hand down and felt the head of my baby and to my surprise there was hair on that head-this I was not expecting!  Feeling the head of the baby gave me the energy that I needed to push our baby out.  They moved me back to the bed, had me put my legs up on each of their shoulders and asked if Ashley would help push me forward during pushing. This whole time during pushing my contractions had stopped so, I had to learn to push without them. They had said that her shoulders were stuck and they needed me to keep pushing as hard as I could- so, as I remember it was a few more really good pushes and I birthed our baby just as EMS arrived!
Good work mama, I knew I did not want to birth at the hospital and am very proud of the job I did to birth our sweet angel under the urgent circumstances that had arose.  This I could not have done without my wonderful midwifes, who never for a moment panicked or made me feel overwhelmed by what had unfolded, and my dear husband, who was a wonderful partner, as always, throughout the birth.  I am so blessed to have birthed a very healthy baby!  I'm pretty sure, I said "what a miracle" as they pulled her up to my chest and laid her by my breast!  Exhaustion took over and we just stared at our baby before we even looked at the sex-the midwifes asked if we wanted to know what we had- we  then looked and saw we had been blessed with a baby girl, Sydney Lucille (the name came a few days later)!  Jeff knew it all along and so did Amber!

...and we took a bath

My birthing experience was amazing thanks to Amber, Joani, Ashley and my husband!  I could never imagined what it would be like giving birth naturally, but honestly I couldn't have imagined it more perfect than it was, even with the urgent situation that arose.  In the forefront of my experience does not linger the urgency of the delivery, but the beauty of these woman and my husband working towards one cause, and that was bringing our baby into the world as peacefully as possible-The ultimate question is how do you ever thank these woman enough?