Here's my account:
Lady of the House Diaries YouTube
My channel is an extension of my blog, it's main focus is my homeschool journey, hope you guys enjoy!
:) :) :)
Monday, November 11, 2013
My YouTube Account!
So I've finally built up the courage to join the YouTube world!
Here's my account:
Lady of the House Diaries YouTube
My channel is an extension of my blog, it's main focus is my homeschool journey, hope you guys enjoy!
:) :) :)
Here's my account:
Lady of the House Diaries YouTube
My channel is an extension of my blog, it's main focus is my homeschool journey, hope you guys enjoy!
:) :) :)
Monday, November 4, 2013
Puzzles and Audiobooks
We're focusing on concentration and patience. To do this we have introduced puzzles to the mix of our activities! It encourages her to persevere and focus until the project is finished.
I went to the dollar store this week and had a great time buying 16 piece and 24 piece puzzles. Today we finished two puzzles together, a 24 piece Winnie the pooh and 16 piece Disney princess puzzle. I probably should have bought more 16 piece sets because she is having a blast with those.
My goal is to have her piece familiar puzzles together while listening to an audiobook. This week we checked out a Winnie the Pooh unabridged audiobook, so I'm going to let her listen to that while she does her activity.
I'm really looking forward to this strengthening her patience skills, she tends to get frustrated very quickly, and I want to see her break this habit by encouraging her to do more orderly activities, in an organized way.
I think with my son I'm going to encourage this type attitude earlier with a Montessori style approach, thankfully I'm learning new methods as I go along. I can't turn back the hands of time, so with my three year old I'm incorporating Montessori type methods with her where I can so she can develop her concentration and patience skills.
I'm excited!
I went to the dollar store this week and had a great time buying 16 piece and 24 piece puzzles. Today we finished two puzzles together, a 24 piece Winnie the pooh and 16 piece Disney princess puzzle. I probably should have bought more 16 piece sets because she is having a blast with those.
My goal is to have her piece familiar puzzles together while listening to an audiobook. This week we checked out a Winnie the Pooh unabridged audiobook, so I'm going to let her listen to that while she does her activity.
I'm really looking forward to this strengthening her patience skills, she tends to get frustrated very quickly, and I want to see her break this habit by encouraging her to do more orderly activities, in an organized way.
I think with my son I'm going to encourage this type attitude earlier with a Montessori style approach, thankfully I'm learning new methods as I go along. I can't turn back the hands of time, so with my three year old I'm incorporating Montessori type methods with her where I can so she can develop her concentration and patience skills.
I'm excited!
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Dr. Ben Carson for president!
Yes, after recently seeing the prayer breakfast and how he courageously rumbled some feathers speaking HIS REAL VIEWS on things that affect this nation in front of the president and other important political figures, again I say, Dr. Ben Carson for president!.
Its interesting to me that we live in a FREE nation, with the right to FREE speech, but when people actually speak what THEY feel, other people want to censor it. IT DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY. Listen, I'm all for being discerning and speaking at the right time, so when that time comes, namely when specifically asked to speak, or encouraged to speak, I believe people SHOULD speak, don't hold back, articulate YOUR OPINION. Not what others want to hear.
That's the beauty of America, at least it should be.
Dr. Ben Carson is a pediatric neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and well known public figure, attributed to the popular movie, Gifted Hands, which is based on his story coming from a disadvantaged childhood to his current success as a doctor.
I actually saw the movie, and it is a BEAUTIFUL portrait of what education can do for an individual. One thing that sticks out about his life is having a mother that believed in the power of knowledge. She made her two children read two books a week, turn OFF the television, with the exception of two to three programs a week and write book reports on what they read. Now in today's day that seems a little extreme, but in reality this is the type of mentality and efforts that it takes to transition from a lack of knowledge to a lover of knowledge.
Ben Carson says that of course as a child at first he didn't like the reading, but found over time that he begin to develop a LOVE for reading and could go anywhere through the pages of a book. This was so important for him because he was POOR, all caps poor. And for him, through reading he could transport away from his current situation and see the bigger picture.
It was through this practice that led to his pursuit of becoming a brain surgeon and becoming one of the most successful and prominent figures in our nation today.
Now before I even saw the prayer breakfast, I remembered this man's story, its liberating and encouraging to know that a solid education and access to knowledge could lead one to sure success.
So the prayer breakfast was actually the first time I had even seen him speak! And boy was that a treat! As a christian, Carson started his speech with the wisdom of Proverbs and spoke on the importance of education in his life. How reading allowed him to change his outlook on poverty and position in poverty, to success, and a good life. He spoke on how education is important for this nations's success as well, and how his strong belief in this has led to a scholars program, in which he gives out scholarships to those that excel in education and caring for other people as well.
But he didn't stop there...
Carson spoke on the wrong direction we as a nation are going, and offered a few suggestions on issues that are affecting us across the board, namely,taxes and healthcare.
This is a must see speech!
Enjoy!
Its interesting to me that we live in a FREE nation, with the right to FREE speech, but when people actually speak what THEY feel, other people want to censor it. IT DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY. Listen, I'm all for being discerning and speaking at the right time, so when that time comes, namely when specifically asked to speak, or encouraged to speak, I believe people SHOULD speak, don't hold back, articulate YOUR OPINION. Not what others want to hear.
That's the beauty of America, at least it should be.
Dr. Ben Carson is a pediatric neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and well known public figure, attributed to the popular movie, Gifted Hands, which is based on his story coming from a disadvantaged childhood to his current success as a doctor.
I actually saw the movie, and it is a BEAUTIFUL portrait of what education can do for an individual. One thing that sticks out about his life is having a mother that believed in the power of knowledge. She made her two children read two books a week, turn OFF the television, with the exception of two to three programs a week and write book reports on what they read. Now in today's day that seems a little extreme, but in reality this is the type of mentality and efforts that it takes to transition from a lack of knowledge to a lover of knowledge.
Ben Carson says that of course as a child at first he didn't like the reading, but found over time that he begin to develop a LOVE for reading and could go anywhere through the pages of a book. This was so important for him because he was POOR, all caps poor. And for him, through reading he could transport away from his current situation and see the bigger picture.
It was through this practice that led to his pursuit of becoming a brain surgeon and becoming one of the most successful and prominent figures in our nation today.
Now before I even saw the prayer breakfast, I remembered this man's story, its liberating and encouraging to know that a solid education and access to knowledge could lead one to sure success.
So the prayer breakfast was actually the first time I had even seen him speak! And boy was that a treat! As a christian, Carson started his speech with the wisdom of Proverbs and spoke on the importance of education in his life. How reading allowed him to change his outlook on poverty and position in poverty, to success, and a good life. He spoke on how education is important for this nations's success as well, and how his strong belief in this has led to a scholars program, in which he gives out scholarships to those that excel in education and caring for other people as well.
But he didn't stop there...
Carson spoke on the wrong direction we as a nation are going, and offered a few suggestions on issues that are affecting us across the board, namely,taxes and healthcare.
This is a must see speech!
Enjoy!
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Baby Josiah is HERE! Part 2
When I passed the 37 week mark I was sooooo happy, because my baby was considered full term, I was one week shy of this milestone with Justice, so reaching this point was an accomplishment. I knew at any moment after this, baby could be on his way out.
Days passed, Weeks passed, and I had a feeling that Josiah would take me all the way :)
For some women, pregnancy lingers even post the 40 week mark, even up to 2 weeks post expected delivery date, I was hoping that it wouldn't be that long, but mentally just tried to prepare myself that it was a possibility.
At my doctor visits, My OBGYN would check to see how much I was dilated, for two straight visits, it was 0 dilation, I wasn't ready, and I was sent back home.
In week 39 I buckled down and got the house ready for baby, organized his drawer, took off tags, took things out of boxes and bags, set up the stroller, bouncer, bassinet, and car seat. Prepared the car with infant mirrors and car shades, Ryan and I were just on a mission, because we knew baby could come at any moment.
I created a birth plan, checked off my things to do list, it was just crunch time and I was in that kind of mindset. It's funny because when I had Justice there was NO Preparation, I bought like MAYBE 6 oufits, lol
The Lord just provided in an immense way because I had NO IDEA what was coming, and the crazy thing is it wasn't even stressful, He provided every need!
This time around I knew what to expect and wanted to go gender neutral on a lot of baby items for future children, Lord willing.
God is good though because we have everything we need, baby Josiah is ready to go, the only thing I have to buy at this point (post delivery) is a bookshelf, lol because the books WILL be collected, gotta grow that library for him as well ;) (MAJOR SIDE NOTE)
... Getting back to the delivery...
Week 40 came and there was nothing... until about 3 days prior to the expected delivery date, a good friend encouraged me to WALK. We went walking together for about 20 minutes, and that next day, trickle, trickle, early that next morning about 3am in the morning, I felt ... SOMETHING
lol
I was like, hmmm, that's different... went to the potty and nothing came out, but I noticed that I had a feeling to go back and sure enough I was losing my plug (the plug to the uterus, which holds the baby)
About an hour later, VERY mild contractions began.
I knew they weren't Braxton Hicks because I FELT THESE... clearly with pain
So I'm running back and forth to the bathroom, and at some point, the hubby says, are you okay? lol I'm thinking like NO I'M NOT OKAY
lol, but calmly I say, I just lost my plug, and I'm having contractions
So Ryan responds by saying do you think I should pack my bag?
LOLOLOL... I respond with a YES
Now mind you I had my bag packed, Justice's bag packed, and suggested he pack his bag the week prior lol, but uhhhh my husband got up and packed
A few shorts...
I go out front and he and little Justice were knocked out sleeping on the couch in the living room, lol
I basically labored that whole day, timing my contractions, they seemed to be on a consistent rhythm then, went off, they weren't as consistent, so I didn't call my doctor right away
The next day, early in the morning about 3am, the contractions were strong again
I called my Douala and she made it to my house by 6am, and kept me company :)
Fortunately, my doc appointment was that same day at 10am, so no real rush, seeing as though my contractions were about 10 mins apart instead of the 5 minute active labor contractions I was looking for
Heading to the doctor that day with the hubby, we had our bags in the car and car seats ready to go, I had a feeling that I was gonna be staying there, and seeing that is was an hour away from my house i was HOPING that day was THEE DAY
Got to my doc appointment and found out I was 3 cm dilated!
He wanted me to go straight to the hospital, but I decided to walk a little to help labor progress a little before heading straight there, so I went to a nearby mall and walked about 1 1/2 hours
I didn't want to go to the hospital too early and potentially be stuck in labor at a certain dilation, that could potentially send me into a c-section and I didn't want that, I wanted to be as far along as possible
Baby is ready to pop at 10cm, I figure if I could get to 5 cm, that was better than nothing
While I walked I honestly didn't feel my contractions, the times that I did numbered maybe 3 to 4 times, and when the contractions came I just stopped and let them pass, breathing deeply but normal
Ryan and I got to the hospital, I was accompanied by my Douala, mother, father, husband and lovely daughter
I had already pre-registered, so the hospital had all my info, I was admitted to the hospital, given a labor room, and when checked, I found out I was 6 cm dilated!
What a difference a steady walk made!
I was put on the epidural, a little Pitocin and within an hour dilated to about 9cm, and about 30 minutes more, fully dilated to the 10!
It was crazy, so fast, before I knew it, the nurses were coming in with the swaddle blankets, preparing for baby, saying, it's gonna be any minute now...
Doc came in, coached me and my pushes, I didn't feel any pain, but I DID FEEL THE PRESSURE of baby boy coming down, boy did I feel the pressure!
I would say I had to push about 21 times, in intervals of 3, and during the pushes the nurse (who had never experienced a vaginal breech birth) was encouraging me, saying you're doing great! She was about as excited as me!
At every interval the doctor would say, what body part he was seeing!
And before I knew it my husband ran to my side, held my hands and SAID YOU ARE ALMOST THERE, KEEP PUSHING, I knew he saw something!
So even though I WAS TIRED, I pushed and felt that beautiful body come out!
He ENTERED THIS WORLD BOTTOM FIRST, and I delivered him vaginally!
Praise the LORD!
On to the next adventure :)
With that, to all the ladies out there, if you or someone you know has had a c-section, IT IS POSSIBLE to birth vaginally
I would encourage anyone out there to DO YOUR RESEARCH and when it comes to your health, always get a second opinion, and weigh your options, there are ALWAYS options
I am humbled and blessed to have experienced what I have, and give all glory to God, thank you Lord for allowing me this experience, thank you for keeping me safe and baby safe, and thank you for being in control, Amen! :)
Days passed, Weeks passed, and I had a feeling that Josiah would take me all the way :)
For some women, pregnancy lingers even post the 40 week mark, even up to 2 weeks post expected delivery date, I was hoping that it wouldn't be that long, but mentally just tried to prepare myself that it was a possibility.
At my doctor visits, My OBGYN would check to see how much I was dilated, for two straight visits, it was 0 dilation, I wasn't ready, and I was sent back home.
In week 39 I buckled down and got the house ready for baby, organized his drawer, took off tags, took things out of boxes and bags, set up the stroller, bouncer, bassinet, and car seat. Prepared the car with infant mirrors and car shades, Ryan and I were just on a mission, because we knew baby could come at any moment.
I created a birth plan, checked off my things to do list, it was just crunch time and I was in that kind of mindset. It's funny because when I had Justice there was NO Preparation, I bought like MAYBE 6 oufits, lol
The Lord just provided in an immense way because I had NO IDEA what was coming, and the crazy thing is it wasn't even stressful, He provided every need!
This time around I knew what to expect and wanted to go gender neutral on a lot of baby items for future children, Lord willing.
God is good though because we have everything we need, baby Josiah is ready to go, the only thing I have to buy at this point (post delivery) is a bookshelf, lol because the books WILL be collected, gotta grow that library for him as well ;) (MAJOR SIDE NOTE)
... Getting back to the delivery...
Week 40 came and there was nothing... until about 3 days prior to the expected delivery date, a good friend encouraged me to WALK. We went walking together for about 20 minutes, and that next day, trickle, trickle, early that next morning about 3am in the morning, I felt ... SOMETHING
lol
I was like, hmmm, that's different... went to the potty and nothing came out, but I noticed that I had a feeling to go back and sure enough I was losing my plug (the plug to the uterus, which holds the baby)
About an hour later, VERY mild contractions began.
I knew they weren't Braxton Hicks because I FELT THESE... clearly with pain
So I'm running back and forth to the bathroom, and at some point, the hubby says, are you okay? lol I'm thinking like NO I'M NOT OKAY
lol, but calmly I say, I just lost my plug, and I'm having contractions
So Ryan responds by saying do you think I should pack my bag?
LOLOLOL... I respond with a YES
Now mind you I had my bag packed, Justice's bag packed, and suggested he pack his bag the week prior lol, but uhhhh my husband got up and packed
A few shorts...
I go out front and he and little Justice were knocked out sleeping on the couch in the living room, lol
I basically labored that whole day, timing my contractions, they seemed to be on a consistent rhythm then, went off, they weren't as consistent, so I didn't call my doctor right away
The next day, early in the morning about 3am, the contractions were strong again
I called my Douala and she made it to my house by 6am, and kept me company :)
Fortunately, my doc appointment was that same day at 10am, so no real rush, seeing as though my contractions were about 10 mins apart instead of the 5 minute active labor contractions I was looking for
Heading to the doctor that day with the hubby, we had our bags in the car and car seats ready to go, I had a feeling that I was gonna be staying there, and seeing that is was an hour away from my house i was HOPING that day was THEE DAY
Got to my doc appointment and found out I was 3 cm dilated!
He wanted me to go straight to the hospital, but I decided to walk a little to help labor progress a little before heading straight there, so I went to a nearby mall and walked about 1 1/2 hours
I didn't want to go to the hospital too early and potentially be stuck in labor at a certain dilation, that could potentially send me into a c-section and I didn't want that, I wanted to be as far along as possible
Baby is ready to pop at 10cm, I figure if I could get to 5 cm, that was better than nothing
While I walked I honestly didn't feel my contractions, the times that I did numbered maybe 3 to 4 times, and when the contractions came I just stopped and let them pass, breathing deeply but normal
Ryan and I got to the hospital, I was accompanied by my Douala, mother, father, husband and lovely daughter
I had already pre-registered, so the hospital had all my info, I was admitted to the hospital, given a labor room, and when checked, I found out I was 6 cm dilated!
What a difference a steady walk made!
I was put on the epidural, a little Pitocin and within an hour dilated to about 9cm, and about 30 minutes more, fully dilated to the 10!
It was crazy, so fast, before I knew it, the nurses were coming in with the swaddle blankets, preparing for baby, saying, it's gonna be any minute now...
Doc came in, coached me and my pushes, I didn't feel any pain, but I DID FEEL THE PRESSURE of baby boy coming down, boy did I feel the pressure!
I would say I had to push about 21 times, in intervals of 3, and during the pushes the nurse (who had never experienced a vaginal breech birth) was encouraging me, saying you're doing great! She was about as excited as me!
At every interval the doctor would say, what body part he was seeing!
And before I knew it my husband ran to my side, held my hands and SAID YOU ARE ALMOST THERE, KEEP PUSHING, I knew he saw something!
So even though I WAS TIRED, I pushed and felt that beautiful body come out!
He ENTERED THIS WORLD BOTTOM FIRST, and I delivered him vaginally!
Praise the LORD!
On to the next adventure :)
With that, to all the ladies out there, if you or someone you know has had a c-section, IT IS POSSIBLE to birth vaginally
I would encourage anyone out there to DO YOUR RESEARCH and when it comes to your health, always get a second opinion, and weigh your options, there are ALWAYS options
I am humbled and blessed to have experienced what I have, and give all glory to God, thank you Lord for allowing me this experience, thank you for keeping me safe and baby safe, and thank you for being in control, Amen! :)
Baby Josiah is HERE! Part 1
Baby Boy has finally arrived! He entered our lives on June 7, 2013 at 9:43pm.
For the last 3 months of my pregnancy I have been hush-hush because I was working hard to have a home birth. At the third trimester mark, most babies turn into a head down position, in preparation for exiting their mother's body. Usually at 28 weeks and beyond this can happen at different points for different women.
For most, that being about 97%, babies turn, and mom is in the clear. For about 3% of pregnancies, baby doesn't turn, and this is named breech presentation. The breech baby could be bottom first, foot first, etc...
Needless to say Josiah was apart of the 3%, breech presentation, from 28 weeks on! The entire third trimester for me was stressful, I tried exercies, went to the chiropractor RELIGIOUSLY every week, even increasing my visits to up to 3 visits a week to get the baby to turn. I tried acupuncture, tried to direct him to turn using music (yes even the Mozart), ice, and talking techniques. I crawled, washed my floors on my hands and knees, washed the baseboards... nothing...
I tell you there are so many things that people suggest you do, from walking to standing upside down in the pool! I must say, I didn't do that one :)
At about 36 weeks I begin to accept the fact that maybe just maybe it just wasn't meant to be.
Unfortunately, in Florida midwives can't deliver breech births at home. So my quest for home birth seemed bleak. In meeting one, my midwife told me that if at 36 weeks the baby hadn't turned that I would legally have to transfer my care to the back up OBGYN. She did however reassure me that if the baby turned after this period I would be able to still have the baby at home.
I'm not gonna lie, it was a VERY emotional time for me, especially around week 36-37. I had set my sights on a home birth, water delivery. It seemed that going this route was the only way I would have this VBAC delivery (Vaginal birth after c-section). I cried when I found out he wasn't turning.
Thankfully this emotional state only lasted one full day, I was a wreck.
But I gave it over to God, really just prayed and came to grips with him turning if it was meant to be.
Babies can turn at any point, some turn day of delivery, so I felt that it was best for me to keep in mind that I shouldn't manipulate nature if it wasn't necessary, if the baby was to take me to week 40, and turn, so be it, if he was to take me to week 40 and not turn, so be it :)
So my midwife, gave me my options, which the back up OBGYN gave her to give to me.
Option 1: External Version, this is when the doctor physically maneuvers the baby from the outside of the stomach, and attempts to turn him by shifting his position.
Option 2: Planned C-Section
Option 3: Midwives in Tennessee (Trained and legally allowed to do breech births)
Option 4: Transfer my care to a breech specialist about 1 hour away
Looking at my options, I felt the best choice for me was #4
I didn't want to do the external version, because if certain things went wrong, I could've been rushed into an emergency c-section, the very thing I was trying to avoid at all costs.
It's one thing to medically NEED a c-section, its another thing to put my body in an unnecessary situation and potentially cause an emergency by choice.
I knew I wasn't planning a c-section, and I REALLY knew I wasn't going to Tennessee.
So I chose to transfer my care to the breech specialist.
I met with the doctor, liked him, explained my situation to him and he told me he would take me on. Hallelujah! He told me he had done 2 VBAC breech births before... yes... just 2, I felt, 2 was better than none!
So at about 38 weeks I was officially in the care of the breech specialist about an hour away from where I lived, and went to my appointments weekly.
He told me that my case was rare and presented a few problems. Although he specialized in VBAC births, breech births, and multiple births, I had a combination of things working in my situation. I NEVER had a vaginal birth, so my body never experienced a body coming out that way, I had a C-Section so it would be a VBAC and baby was not head down.
He said he only performed 2 of the 5 breech presentations, he wanted to see a bottom first.
Only in this case would he do the vaginal birth.
I knew from an ultrasound done about 1 week prior, that baby was in fact bottom first, so I was at peace with going forward with the VBAC breech birth.
That brings me to, how Josiah actually came :)
Part 2...
For the last 3 months of my pregnancy I have been hush-hush because I was working hard to have a home birth. At the third trimester mark, most babies turn into a head down position, in preparation for exiting their mother's body. Usually at 28 weeks and beyond this can happen at different points for different women.
For most, that being about 97%, babies turn, and mom is in the clear. For about 3% of pregnancies, baby doesn't turn, and this is named breech presentation. The breech baby could be bottom first, foot first, etc...
Needless to say Josiah was apart of the 3%, breech presentation, from 28 weeks on! The entire third trimester for me was stressful, I tried exercies, went to the chiropractor RELIGIOUSLY every week, even increasing my visits to up to 3 visits a week to get the baby to turn. I tried acupuncture, tried to direct him to turn using music (yes even the Mozart), ice, and talking techniques. I crawled, washed my floors on my hands and knees, washed the baseboards... nothing...
I tell you there are so many things that people suggest you do, from walking to standing upside down in the pool! I must say, I didn't do that one :)
At about 36 weeks I begin to accept the fact that maybe just maybe it just wasn't meant to be.
Unfortunately, in Florida midwives can't deliver breech births at home. So my quest for home birth seemed bleak. In meeting one, my midwife told me that if at 36 weeks the baby hadn't turned that I would legally have to transfer my care to the back up OBGYN. She did however reassure me that if the baby turned after this period I would be able to still have the baby at home.
I'm not gonna lie, it was a VERY emotional time for me, especially around week 36-37. I had set my sights on a home birth, water delivery. It seemed that going this route was the only way I would have this VBAC delivery (Vaginal birth after c-section). I cried when I found out he wasn't turning.
Thankfully this emotional state only lasted one full day, I was a wreck.
But I gave it over to God, really just prayed and came to grips with him turning if it was meant to be.
Babies can turn at any point, some turn day of delivery, so I felt that it was best for me to keep in mind that I shouldn't manipulate nature if it wasn't necessary, if the baby was to take me to week 40, and turn, so be it, if he was to take me to week 40 and not turn, so be it :)
So my midwife, gave me my options, which the back up OBGYN gave her to give to me.
Option 1: External Version, this is when the doctor physically maneuvers the baby from the outside of the stomach, and attempts to turn him by shifting his position.
Option 2: Planned C-Section
Option 3: Midwives in Tennessee (Trained and legally allowed to do breech births)
Option 4: Transfer my care to a breech specialist about 1 hour away
Looking at my options, I felt the best choice for me was #4
I didn't want to do the external version, because if certain things went wrong, I could've been rushed into an emergency c-section, the very thing I was trying to avoid at all costs.
It's one thing to medically NEED a c-section, its another thing to put my body in an unnecessary situation and potentially cause an emergency by choice.
I knew I wasn't planning a c-section, and I REALLY knew I wasn't going to Tennessee.
So I chose to transfer my care to the breech specialist.
I met with the doctor, liked him, explained my situation to him and he told me he would take me on. Hallelujah! He told me he had done 2 VBAC breech births before... yes... just 2, I felt, 2 was better than none!
So at about 38 weeks I was officially in the care of the breech specialist about an hour away from where I lived, and went to my appointments weekly.
He told me that my case was rare and presented a few problems. Although he specialized in VBAC births, breech births, and multiple births, I had a combination of things working in my situation. I NEVER had a vaginal birth, so my body never experienced a body coming out that way, I had a C-Section so it would be a VBAC and baby was not head down.
He said he only performed 2 of the 5 breech presentations, he wanted to see a bottom first.
Only in this case would he do the vaginal birth.
I knew from an ultrasound done about 1 week prior, that baby was in fact bottom first, so I was at peace with going forward with the VBAC breech birth.
That brings me to, how Josiah actually came :)
Part 2...
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Baby Shower at a Glance :)
We had a blast, it was a blessing to have all my friends and family support me and Ryan. I was just overjoyed that this year the shower ACTUALLY took place. Baby Josiah is still cooking and I'm 36 weeks and 1 day! After 6 more days, he's free to come whenever he may like :) Still praying for a home delivery :) I'll keep you guys posted :)
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
What is Sin? How Can I be Saved? Can I be saved and practice sinning?
What is sin?
A message of hope:
God reveals to us in His word (the Bible), that He made the
world and everything in it (Genesis 1-2). He made the first man, Adam, the
first woman Eve, and through their disobedience of the law given to them in the
garden of Eden, sin entered the world (Genesis 2:16-17; Genesis 3:6-7, 11). As
a result all mankind became broken in relationship with a perfect God, but God
in His grace and love provided a way to restore mankind to right standing again
with Him (Genesis 3:15).
The message of hope is this, Jesus came to die for the sins
of the world (John 3:16). Without Him none of us would have a right
relationship with a perfect God. And because God is holy and JUST, sin,
anything that displeases Him will be done away with one day completely. God
will purify the world of sin, and law breakers (Matthew 13:41).
The hope in
this is that He gives us a way to be saved from the judgment against our sins.
There is a way to be completely pure in His sight, and this can only be
obtained through Jesus. By believing in Jesus, God GIFTS to us salvation
(Ephesians 2:8-9). It can’t be earned, in other words there is nothing that we
can “do” in our own strength to be right in God’s sight. Because of the
perfect, sinless life of Christ, His death on the cross served as the complete
judgment of the sins of the world TO ALL WHO BELIEVE (2 Corinthians 5:21).
No
matter what I have done, and God clearly has revealed to us what sins are in
His word, there is no one that is void of sin, WE ALL HAVE SINNED (Galatians
5:19-21) (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) (Romans 3:23); No matter what I will do, God in his grace to mankind
gave His Son to die for all the sin I have committed, commit, and will commit.
They were placed on Him. My sin, and the sins of the world were placed on
Jesus, the very Man that committed no sin, who took on the sins of the world so
that God could rightly judge them. Because of who He was.
He was the perfect spotless sacrifice (no sin in Him), and
took on our sins because of who He was, the message of hope is what happens
after God judged our sin. Because of the complete power of our Savior Jesus, He
didn’t stay dead. This same Jesus, was raised from the dead, resurrected. He
died, was buried, and resurrected and lives today in heaven with God. And
because He lives, we can live with the Father, if we believe in Jesus and what
He did.
The reality is we MUST confess our sin, we know what sin is
because God has clearly told us in His word.
We must believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, and God forgives us for
the sins we have committed and we are saved (1 John 1:8-9). And in that day,
when the world ends, and sins will be judged, and the world will be purged of
all sin, believers will live with God forever (Revelation 20:12, 14-15)
(Revelation 21:1, 3-4) (Revelation 22:5).
In this world, we as Christians, empowered through God’s
Holy Spirit live according to the Spirit. At the point of believing in Jesus,
God tells us in His Word that we are given His Spirit to live within us (1 John
5:13-15) (Ephesians 1:13). This is important, because we are made to live in
the way God intends for us to live, pleasing to Him, right in His sight
(Galatians 5:16-17). God purifies the believer completely from an eternal
perspective, but as we live this life, His perfecting work is evident in our
lives by living according to what pleases Him “according to His law, his word”.
(Hebrews 10:14)
Therefore, because of God’s Spirit for the Christian a life
of continuous deliberate sin is not possible. God’s word reveals that it is in
fact evidence of no conversion and the
Bible tells us that with the knowledge of the truth, to go on sinning all to be
expected is a fearful expectation of judgment(Hebrews 10:26-27) (1 John 3:7-9).
The message of hope is Jesus, praise God for eternally
giving us acceptance in His sight through faith in His Son Jesus, and praise
God for giving us His Spirit to purify us and purge us of the things that
displease Him, while living in this world.
My prayer for all who aren’t saved is to call out to Jesus,
ask for His forgiveness and believe in Him today.
God can, and will give you a new life, a life that is truly
free of regret, discord and lies. He sets us free, May you be free today in
Jesus name, Amen.
Scripture references:
Genesis 2:16-17 16 And the Lord God
commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you
shall not eat, for in the day that you eat[a] of it
you shall surely die.”
Genesis 3:6-7
Genesis 3:11 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have
you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”
Genesis 3:15 15 I will
put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring[a] and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
and between your offspring[a] and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
John 3:16 16 “For God so loved the world,[a] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes
in him should notperish but have eternal life.
Matthew 13:41 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will
gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin andall law-breakers,
Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For by
grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not
your own doing; it is the gift of God,9 not a result of works, so that
no one may boast.
2 Corinthians 5:21 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Galatians 5:19-21 19 Now the
works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger,
rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy,[a] drunkenness,
orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those
who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous[a] will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived:neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,[b]10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Romans 3:23 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
1 John 1:8-9 8 If we
say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the
truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Revelation 20:12 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing
before the throne, and books were opened.
Then another book was opened, which is the book of life.
And the dead were
judged by what was written in the books, according to what
they had done.
Revelation 20:14-15 14 Then Death
and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the
second death, the lake of fire.15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of
life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
Revelation 21:3-4 3 And I
heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the
dwelling place[a] of God
is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people,[b] and God
himself will be with them as their God.[c] 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death
shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain
anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Revelation 22:5 5 And night will be no
more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
1 John 4:13-15 13 By this
we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his
Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the
Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the
world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in
him, and he in God.
Ephesians 1:13 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation,
and believed in him, were sealed with
the promised Holy
Spirit,
Galatians 5:16-17 16 But I
say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the
desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the
desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each
other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
Hebrews 10:14 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being
sanctified.
Hebrews 10:26-27 26 For if we
go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there
no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury
of fire that will consume the adversaries.
1 John 3:7-9 7 Little
children, let no one deceive you. Whoever
practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the
devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared
was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's[a] seed
abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.
Monday, April 8, 2013
A Little Exercise and a little Play
Me and the little one, Justice, that is, went to the park today! I realized that there's a NICE park right down the street, literally 2 minutes from our house that has walking trails! Usually when I went I always took Justice to the play area and didn't look around much.
Well now that I'm eating better and have incorporated some nice herbs and nutrients to my diet I want to exercise a little more consistently (about 30 mins walking, and 30 minutes other)
So today, I must admit I feel GOOD! Woke up with the intent to stick to my scheduled nutrition plan and go WALKING! And Justice is the perfect partner :)
I got a 6 minute stretch in, about 15 minute workout, focusing on the lower leg area. I found this great website, so I just followed the instructors, they're trained in prenatal exercises. (Babyfit.com)
After this, Justice and I went out. I checked online first to see if there were any walking tracks nearby, and I found one about 15 minutes away, but before I went there I decided to double check the municipal park nearby, and when I saw those trails I had a little praise moment :)
Today we walked for about 15 minutes, just to get my body back into it, and it felt wonderful. I pushed her along in the stroller and there were no bumps or anything, love it! Afterwards I took baby girl to the kiddie play area so she could have a little fun for about 30 minutes.
Nice to know that I can walk, safely, right in my own neighborhood at my own convenience. The midwife will be happy next visit lol
:)
Well now that I'm eating better and have incorporated some nice herbs and nutrients to my diet I want to exercise a little more consistently (about 30 mins walking, and 30 minutes other)
So today, I must admit I feel GOOD! Woke up with the intent to stick to my scheduled nutrition plan and go WALKING! And Justice is the perfect partner :)
I got a 6 minute stretch in, about 15 minute workout, focusing on the lower leg area. I found this great website, so I just followed the instructors, they're trained in prenatal exercises. (Babyfit.com)
After this, Justice and I went out. I checked online first to see if there were any walking tracks nearby, and I found one about 15 minutes away, but before I went there I decided to double check the municipal park nearby, and when I saw those trails I had a little praise moment :)
Today we walked for about 15 minutes, just to get my body back into it, and it felt wonderful. I pushed her along in the stroller and there were no bumps or anything, love it! Afterwards I took baby girl to the kiddie play area so she could have a little fun for about 30 minutes.
Nice to know that I can walk, safely, right in my own neighborhood at my own convenience. The midwife will be happy next visit lol
:)
Friday, April 5, 2013
Midwife and a Doula
I decided to go the midwife route in January. After having a c-section, I realize that doctors and hospitals in general have decided that it's just easier for them to not allow women to have natural births after such a procedure. The nerve...
My very first prenatal appointment with my OB/GYN in October 2012 was a disaster... really. I felt so discouraged, being pregnant is supposed to be a happy time, stress free. Well, at my first appointment I was told, not advised, but told by my OB/GYN that I was scheduled for another c-section, 2 weeks before the due date.
My response was, doesn't it take 40 weeks to make a baby? Her response was it was safer this way. No advice was given, no OPTIONS, no statistics or likelihood of success just, I'm the doctor and this is how it works attitude.
I was so down, at that point I knew I wasn't happy and would have to do something about it. I told her (my ob/gyn) that I wanted to try and see if my body could go all the way. She said if the baby came naturally before the 2 week early date then she would "consider" it.
Strike one.
I noticed that every time I went, we didn't really communicate with each other, it was just her coming in, looking at a screen and doing like 2 things and "goodbye see you in 1 month". For every visit I went to, there was a "scheduling" of another process. Whether it was blood work (at an offsite location.... headache), or ultrasound appointments for testing of the baby's well being (at an offsite location... more headaches), I felt more fearful than at peace.
Why should I have to worry about all these things, I'm pregnant, let God do what he does!
It was just awful, I felt like I had to take all these tests and had no option to just say no, worrying about the results this month, and ohhh is everything okay next month, are the results positive the month after that...
Strike two.
So at my church I began speaking with a lot of the mothers there, and realized that most of them had experiences with home births. I got testimonies of their experiences, which they all loved and treasured. They loved talking about it! One of the women let me hold a documentary called "The business of being born", it's about midwives and home births (which worldwide by the way are the norm, only in America do the majority of births take place in hospitals)
I was SO encouraged after looking at the dvd series. It came with 3 dvds, and the 2nd part was completely dedicated to VBAC births (Vaginal births after c-section). I was given the statistics, and saw REAL-LIFE women go through the process of having natural births after c-sections.
I learned that midwives are trained to administer births, and OB/GYNs are trained surgeons. Yea, totally made sense to me.
After seeing the success the women had, I was so inspired, this was December 2012.
I kind of made up my mind, but I had one more OB/GYN appointment, so I went, thinking I would break the news to her then.
My doctor came in, and said... It's Nicole right?
Strike three America.
She didn't even know my name, at least come in and say hi Nicole, how are we doing mommy? SOMETHING!
It's Nicole right?
I made up my mind, not only are my rights not being heard or even concerned about, but you don't even know my name, lol
Midwife it is.
So since January 2013 I've been going to my midwife and absolutely love my prenatal care. Each time I go, it's a hands on experience, she knows my name, my babies name, most of the women at my church name, do I have to go on...
Each appointment is like an hour, I have 24/7 hr access to her personal phone number, so if I have questions I can call and she will answer and she encourages me the whole way through.
Of course there are necessary procedures, but I am told my options nonetheless (advised).
And today I just talked to one of the ladies at my church and she's gonna be my doula! I'm so excited!
I'll have a coach by my side and trained midwives who actually see birth as a NATURAL process instead of a medical one.
No needles, no medicine, just my muscles working, my baby coming, and hopefully a pool to help soothe me during labor :)
I'll definitely keep you all updated on my experience.
Lord, I pray that you will have your way, my desire is to have a natural birth, I pray for the health and strength of this baby, I pray that all goes well at home and that I can lean on you for direction and strength.
Thank you for the beautiful process of pregnancy and I pray that you are glorified every step of the way. In Jesus name, AMEN.
:) ;)
My very first prenatal appointment with my OB/GYN in October 2012 was a disaster... really. I felt so discouraged, being pregnant is supposed to be a happy time, stress free. Well, at my first appointment I was told, not advised, but told by my OB/GYN that I was scheduled for another c-section, 2 weeks before the due date.
My response was, doesn't it take 40 weeks to make a baby? Her response was it was safer this way. No advice was given, no OPTIONS, no statistics or likelihood of success just, I'm the doctor and this is how it works attitude.
I was so down, at that point I knew I wasn't happy and would have to do something about it. I told her (my ob/gyn) that I wanted to try and see if my body could go all the way. She said if the baby came naturally before the 2 week early date then she would "consider" it.
Strike one.
I noticed that every time I went, we didn't really communicate with each other, it was just her coming in, looking at a screen and doing like 2 things and "goodbye see you in 1 month". For every visit I went to, there was a "scheduling" of another process. Whether it was blood work (at an offsite location.... headache), or ultrasound appointments for testing of the baby's well being (at an offsite location... more headaches), I felt more fearful than at peace.
Why should I have to worry about all these things, I'm pregnant, let God do what he does!
It was just awful, I felt like I had to take all these tests and had no option to just say no, worrying about the results this month, and ohhh is everything okay next month, are the results positive the month after that...
Strike two.
So at my church I began speaking with a lot of the mothers there, and realized that most of them had experiences with home births. I got testimonies of their experiences, which they all loved and treasured. They loved talking about it! One of the women let me hold a documentary called "The business of being born", it's about midwives and home births (which worldwide by the way are the norm, only in America do the majority of births take place in hospitals)
I was SO encouraged after looking at the dvd series. It came with 3 dvds, and the 2nd part was completely dedicated to VBAC births (Vaginal births after c-section). I was given the statistics, and saw REAL-LIFE women go through the process of having natural births after c-sections.
I learned that midwives are trained to administer births, and OB/GYNs are trained surgeons. Yea, totally made sense to me.
After seeing the success the women had, I was so inspired, this was December 2012.
I kind of made up my mind, but I had one more OB/GYN appointment, so I went, thinking I would break the news to her then.
My doctor came in, and said... It's Nicole right?
Strike three America.
She didn't even know my name, at least come in and say hi Nicole, how are we doing mommy? SOMETHING!
It's Nicole right?
I made up my mind, not only are my rights not being heard or even concerned about, but you don't even know my name, lol
Midwife it is.
So since January 2013 I've been going to my midwife and absolutely love my prenatal care. Each time I go, it's a hands on experience, she knows my name, my babies name, most of the women at my church name, do I have to go on...
Each appointment is like an hour, I have 24/7 hr access to her personal phone number, so if I have questions I can call and she will answer and she encourages me the whole way through.
Of course there are necessary procedures, but I am told my options nonetheless (advised).
And today I just talked to one of the ladies at my church and she's gonna be my doula! I'm so excited!
I'll have a coach by my side and trained midwives who actually see birth as a NATURAL process instead of a medical one.
No needles, no medicine, just my muscles working, my baby coming, and hopefully a pool to help soothe me during labor :)
I'll definitely keep you all updated on my experience.
Lord, I pray that you will have your way, my desire is to have a natural birth, I pray for the health and strength of this baby, I pray that all goes well at home and that I can lean on you for direction and strength.
Thank you for the beautiful process of pregnancy and I pray that you are glorified every step of the way. In Jesus name, AMEN.
:) ;)
Visit to the Chiropractor
This week was an eventful one in my prenatal process. I had a midwife appointment on Tuesday and my very FIRST chiropractic visit :) It was nice, I had to be adjusted in 3 places. Getting ready for baby in these last 10 weeks is important to me. I'm really excited to see how everything unfolds. We're planning to have baby boy at home, my first natural birth.
In visiting the Chiropractor I learned some pretty neat things. For one, how important it is to have a spine in order so that nerves can get the information from the brain to carry instructions to different parts of the body. I'm having a little difficulty with my right leg, it gets a numb feeling sometimes, so hopefully with faithful visits to the Chiropractor, and frequent adjustments, my body will respond to the treatments.
Some more helpful hints was an adjustment to my diet. I've been a lot more hands on and proactive in this pregnancy in the things that I eat. With Justice, I had the mindset that whatever she needed she would get whether I ate the right things or not. I thought of women in third world countries and so on to justify this thinking saying, if they have babies with limited resources so could I.
But because of my experience and more knowledge this time around I'm trying my best to give my body what it needs. I've increased my water intake to 64 fl oz, and daily drink milk, eat whole grains, and make sure I have adequate proteins and fibers (fruits and veggies).
After going to the chiropractor I was able to add a few more things to my regimen this week. I've been faithful in my prenatal vitamins, but now have added B-6, Iron (as suggested by my midwife), a protein shake, red raspberry tea, and evening primrose oil to supplement my diet.
We'll see how all these things help in the birthing process. I'm praying that all goes well, in all the planning I do and preparation, I know it ultimately is in God's hands. So I'm trusting you Lord for the outcome.
May your will be done, may you be glorified in it all.
I'm getting excited :) :) :)
In visiting the Chiropractor I learned some pretty neat things. For one, how important it is to have a spine in order so that nerves can get the information from the brain to carry instructions to different parts of the body. I'm having a little difficulty with my right leg, it gets a numb feeling sometimes, so hopefully with faithful visits to the Chiropractor, and frequent adjustments, my body will respond to the treatments.
Some more helpful hints was an adjustment to my diet. I've been a lot more hands on and proactive in this pregnancy in the things that I eat. With Justice, I had the mindset that whatever she needed she would get whether I ate the right things or not. I thought of women in third world countries and so on to justify this thinking saying, if they have babies with limited resources so could I.
But because of my experience and more knowledge this time around I'm trying my best to give my body what it needs. I've increased my water intake to 64 fl oz, and daily drink milk, eat whole grains, and make sure I have adequate proteins and fibers (fruits and veggies).
After going to the chiropractor I was able to add a few more things to my regimen this week. I've been faithful in my prenatal vitamins, but now have added B-6, Iron (as suggested by my midwife), a protein shake, red raspberry tea, and evening primrose oil to supplement my diet.
We'll see how all these things help in the birthing process. I'm praying that all goes well, in all the planning I do and preparation, I know it ultimately is in God's hands. So I'm trusting you Lord for the outcome.
May your will be done, may you be glorified in it all.
I'm getting excited :) :) :)
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Natural Hair Routine update (2013)
Scalp Treatment with Jojoba oil, Tea tree and olive oil
Co-wash with Giovanni smooth as silk conditioner
Rinse with cold water and ACV
Moisturize with Giovanni direct leave in and seal with olive oil/almond oil
I want to eventually add a bi-weekly/monthly protein treatment as well, I'm thinking about trying the Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayo
And for weekly deep conditioner treatments, I'm thinking of alternating the giovanni smooth as silk, giovanni 50/50 balance conditioner and ORS hair mayo with olive oil (under heat)
Co-wash with Giovanni smooth as silk conditioner
Rinse with cold water and ACV
Moisturize with Giovanni direct leave in and seal with olive oil/almond oil
I want to eventually add a bi-weekly/monthly protein treatment as well, I'm thinking about trying the Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayo
And for weekly deep conditioner treatments, I'm thinking of alternating the giovanni smooth as silk, giovanni 50/50 balance conditioner and ORS hair mayo with olive oil (under heat)
Natural Hair and Apple Cider Vinegar
I've been using apple cider vinegar for my hair now for about as long as I've been pregnant (7 months) consistently. For one, my patience with washing and conditioning has been really short and when I learned that I could wash with vinegar, I've been cutting corners with washes by just simply rinsing and scrubbing my scalp with water and rinsing with the vinegar. I exchange between the apple cider vinegar (acv) and distilled vinegar. In actuality I like the distilled better, but the apple cider vinegar is the one with rave reviews so I've kinda just stuck to that one.
One of the changes I've seen in my hair is how easy it is to manage my hair altogether. For the most part I keep my hair in twists, so its always detangled, not always moisturized, but always separated. Recently, after bunning my hair and then doing a wash and go shortly thereafter, I found that washing my hair went SOOOOoo fast. Usually I wash at the sink, it's easier for me, not having to be in all that heat in the bathroom while pregnant.
But to make things go faster and wash out all of the gel in my hair quicker I opted for the shower and guess what... IT WAS FAST. I co-washed with Giovanni smooth as silk conditioner and detangled in four parts. using my hand first to pull, and then the comb to detail comb, trust me it might have took like 5 minutes. And no... I wasn't rough. I don't handle my hair rough, the water just made it sooo much easier to comb through.
Now mind you, I've been natural for 3 years now, and I know the secret of water and natural hair, never comb hair dry, and for three years that's what I've stuck by, but this wash was just great.
I've drenched my hair countless times before, but it seems that as my hair grows, and since I've been doing these vinegar washes my hair's elasticity has come along way, and it's just easier to part, wash, and moisturize ALOT quicker.
Another thing is co-washes haven't worked for me thus far, I've tried many conditioners, well quite a few, including some of the cheaper products (v05 and suave) that naturals rave about. And they just left my hair a coated mess. I've shampooed with the giovanni tea tree... uh can some one say FAILURE. My hair was a coated mess. Rinsed with some distilled vinegar and voila, clean hair. Because of my failed attempts at co-washes I almost gave up on them altogether.
But this Giovanni smooth as silk conditioner, is the FIRST product to honestly clean my hair and leave my hair very well moisturized in the process.
I must say I am impressed.
So with co-washing with the giovanni smooth as silk and then rinsing with the acv, my hair wash routine took about 10 minutes no more than 15, and that's with some THICK hair ya'll. All loose (recently I've been washing with twists).
I've gone back to moisturizing my hair with the giovanni leave in, and I've been sealing with almond oil.
As much as I LOOOOvvvvee the almond oil, my hair seems to respond better to the extra virgin olive oil for better shine and moisture. So I think I just might transfer the EVOO in a better bottle for easier application.
So all in all I rate
ACV and distilled vinegar for that matter an A++ for natural hair: easier manageability, increased elasticity in hair, CLEAN hair
One of the changes I've seen in my hair is how easy it is to manage my hair altogether. For the most part I keep my hair in twists, so its always detangled, not always moisturized, but always separated. Recently, after bunning my hair and then doing a wash and go shortly thereafter, I found that washing my hair went SOOOOoo fast. Usually I wash at the sink, it's easier for me, not having to be in all that heat in the bathroom while pregnant.
But to make things go faster and wash out all of the gel in my hair quicker I opted for the shower and guess what... IT WAS FAST. I co-washed with Giovanni smooth as silk conditioner and detangled in four parts. using my hand first to pull, and then the comb to detail comb, trust me it might have took like 5 minutes. And no... I wasn't rough. I don't handle my hair rough, the water just made it sooo much easier to comb through.
Now mind you, I've been natural for 3 years now, and I know the secret of water and natural hair, never comb hair dry, and for three years that's what I've stuck by, but this wash was just great.
I've drenched my hair countless times before, but it seems that as my hair grows, and since I've been doing these vinegar washes my hair's elasticity has come along way, and it's just easier to part, wash, and moisturize ALOT quicker.
Another thing is co-washes haven't worked for me thus far, I've tried many conditioners, well quite a few, including some of the cheaper products (v05 and suave) that naturals rave about. And they just left my hair a coated mess. I've shampooed with the giovanni tea tree... uh can some one say FAILURE. My hair was a coated mess. Rinsed with some distilled vinegar and voila, clean hair. Because of my failed attempts at co-washes I almost gave up on them altogether.
But this Giovanni smooth as silk conditioner, is the FIRST product to honestly clean my hair and leave my hair very well moisturized in the process.
I must say I am impressed.
So with co-washing with the giovanni smooth as silk and then rinsing with the acv, my hair wash routine took about 10 minutes no more than 15, and that's with some THICK hair ya'll. All loose (recently I've been washing with twists).
I've gone back to moisturizing my hair with the giovanni leave in, and I've been sealing with almond oil.
As much as I LOOOOvvvvee the almond oil, my hair seems to respond better to the extra virgin olive oil for better shine and moisture. So I think I just might transfer the EVOO in a better bottle for easier application.
So all in all I rate
ACV and distilled vinegar for that matter an A++ for natural hair: easier manageability, increased elasticity in hair, CLEAN hair
