Yana Hazel Birth Story

I am back...well sort of. I have no kept up with this blog like I thought I would. Between working the last two years, getting pregnant, and having a baby things have just stopped. Yana Hazel was born June 8, 2015 and my what an adventure it has been. It has been the most challenging, rewarding, exciting, and exhausting season of life. I have said it is definitely a lot harder than I expected from the birth to breastfeeding to taking care of a baby- it takes a lot of energy that I honestly doubt I have some days. If you ever want to learn to be more patient become a parent...I am definitely still learning. I have a few meltdowns most days but I am also having the sweetest time. She is such a joy, she loves to laugh she loves people and loves eye contact. She wants to interact she wants to play she wants to live and it is so beautiful to watch her develop and learn new things. She is beautiful and I love her so much.

Birth story:

Labor started Saturday night June 6th- at around 11 pm after Roland and I got home from a 3 mile walk... ha! I did have contractions off and on for a week or so but nothing consistent or really that painful. So around 11pm I did some stretches and sqauts and boom they started. It was more intense than the others I've had so I felt like this was probably it. We went to sleep well to bed because I could not sleep through them. They were about 10 minutes apart at that point.  We ended up eating at some point in the middle of the night maybe it was 3 am and the bath was later, can't remember? Around 3- or 7am? I ended up taking a warm bath ( the midwife on call suggested it when Roland called to notify her that I was probably in labor). I took a bath and labored at home. Roland made some french toast for breakfast with strawberries and I could barely eat at that point. We ended up leaving the house to head to Statesville around noon on Sunday since it was an hour drive. We ended up getting a hotel room about 8 minutes from the birth center so that I could labor there. My contractions were bout 8 minutes or so apart. Roland watched tv and I just kind of took them as they came. I was trying to drink water between every contraction and eat some snacks. My appetite was pretty gone since that morning. I was losing my mucous plug during that entire time. Roland watched some tv in the hotel room and I just oooooed through the contractions. I did different positions, all fours, leaned over the bed with my head in a stack of pillows, etc. I took a warm shower in there somewhere when I wanted some relief. Roland spoke with the midwife at some point and she said to get on my side and do a few contractions on each side. This was supposed to make me progress more and also do all 4's a few times. So I did the side-lying and the contractions that way were further apart but way more intense. Then I did the all 4's and those were intense too and after that we headed to the birth center. I felt like that progressed me enough and it was getting real. We got to the center around 7pm and the midwife came a few minutes after us. Roland tried to give me some pizza but the smell made me nauseous. He also ate some chinese in the hotel that I took a few bites of. Man it was hard to eat. So she checked me and I was 6 cm...and then we walked around the birth center as she got the room ready. It was a beautiful day outside too sunny and warm. Anyway let me back track the car ride to the hotel from Charlotte wasn't too bad I listened to music and the contractions weren't super close together they slowed down in the car which was probably a good thing. So she got the room ready and I went in there to labor. For the next 4 is hours I pretty much just did different positions with each contraction. The hardest was the side-lying with the peanut shaped ball and squats. I wanted to progress since it felt like it was taking forever. I got in the birthing pool and did some contractions there squatting,etc. At around 11 she checked me and I was at 8.5 and an hour later I was pushing. The most intense was that time probably, I had a contraction with back labor which was hard, I was on the toilet at one point and that was very overwhelming, I felt nauseous at one point, etc...probably transition. i ended up pushing on the bed for 2 hours but my contractions were about 4-5 minutes apart at that point so I was able to rest in between them and almost sleep. My water broke about 20 minutes before her head came out. Roland and the nurse assistant held my legs as I pushed. The team was the Midwife Nicole, a nurse, and a nurse assistant. They worked great together and the assistant was pretty encouraging she got in my face during transition and told me I could do it. That is what I needed to hear at that point. Anyway Yana was born at 2:24am Monday morning June 8. She was beautiful looked up right at me and cried. It was so crazy and unreal it felt so normal when she was actually here. We ended up just hanging out and trying to get her to latch which was hard because I didn't really know what I was doing. We ended up getting home around 9 am that day and Roland took a nap at the center but I couldn't!

It was crazy she weighed 7.2 and 20 1/4 inches long!

She is so beautiful.

Food lately

Lately:

Things that have been going on food wise are below. They are random, they are tasty, they are full of culture.

Blini- you may know this as 'crepe' I grew up with Blini... the best are the ones my mom makes.

Boy Choy, Shiitake mushrooms, ginger, garlic, fish sauce

Cafe Monte, Charlotte NC

Cast Iron Waffles, Charlotte NC

Sunflour Baking Company, Charlotte NC

Your Mom's Donuts, Charlotte NC

Grain Free Pancakes, Charlotte NC

Korean Food, Super Gmart,  Charlotte NC

Luna's Living Kitchen,, Charlotte NC

Waakye [ Drelyse African Restaurant] , Columbas Ohio

Updates- It's September!

[[Remembering all the Families who lost loved one's on 9/11.]]


It's been awhile since I've blogged. I am not sure if it's because I am mostly busy working and cooking and cleaning and eating-- or some other sort of excuse. I am currently working at Samaritan's Feet- a non-profit that is based out of Charlotte! We give shoes to people all over the world. It is pretty exciting over here lots of things happening.

On another note- I getting a little more excited about things happening in Charlotte as far as food goes. There is a new bakery that is opening up this Friday-- 4th Ward Bread Co., which also happens to be in my favorite neighborhood in town. More on this later- when I actually go there. I have had some of there products recently since a farmer has been selling their baked goods at the Market on Saturdays, I must say I can't wait to actually go to the bakery and enjoy more of their delicious items.

Also this past weekend my sister&brother-in law visited with their qt pie Leighton- who steals my heart.

I love them and miss them a lot!

Here are some tiny photos from my phone.

Kasey's Birthday!

                                            My Father In Laws Movie came out last weekend!

Grain-free coffee chocolate cookies

I love cookies. I love warm, soft, out of the oven cookies. My favorite has probably always been plain chocolate chip- and if you add coffee they are even better. Last week I made these. I would definitely make them again- and they definitely wake you up since they is some coffee in them!

I found the recipe here and changed it a bit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Yield: 8-9 cookies

 

Ingredients

 

1 cup almond meal

1/8 tsp baking soda

3 tbsp real butter

2 tbsp raw honey

3 tsp water

1 tsp vanilla

3-4 tbsp dark chocolate chunks

1.5 tbsp ground coffee beans

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350
2. Mix together almond meal and soda
3. Stir in melted butter, honey, and vanilla
4. Mix the water as needed to mix everything together
5. lastly add chocolate and coffee
6. Form about 8-9 cookies on your greased baking sheet/parchment paper
7. Bake for about 10 minutes until the edges are golden brown
8. Let sit for 5-10 minutes so the cookies harden

Enjoy!

Camp Lurecrest

 Rock Climbing Wall-best view

 Chapel

 Roland with Jessi

 Jessi-best camp dog

 By the chapel

This is Camp Lurecrest. Roland and I were there in the spring (I think?) for a retreat not too long ago-- well less than a year. This is one of my favorite places in the world. This is where we started dating- where my life was transformed, and where I saw kids lives changed through the gospel. This place is so peaceful and full of God's work. There are times where I remember camp and wish I could still work there -- still be a counselor-- still develop these strong relationships that Lurecrest brings. The camp is situated in the mountains in Lake Lure, North Carolina- the fresh mountain air, the nature, the friendships, God's grace can't be beat. I miss camp. I am thankful for this place for encouraging me to live my life in a restored new way. The way that God's love in shown here and the way people respond to the gospel is powerful. I pray more kid's lives are changed and that Lurecrest will forever be a camp with strong leaders with Christ's mission in mind.

Cheesy Beef Meat Balls

Ingredients

1 lb grass fed ground beef
Shredded cheddar cheese (enough for stuffing)
1 small red onion
1 tsp oregano
a pinch of cumin
1/2 tsp cardamom
1.5 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp mustard (I used basil mustard)
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 egg
1 handful of breadcrumbs (you can make this yourself- toast your bread, use food processor)

 Directions

1.  Mix the beef with all of the ingredients, except the cheese
2. Mold meat balls into about 8-10 small balls
3. Push a hole in the ball and stuff each with cheese
4. Close the hole back up
5. Heat some real butter- over medium heat and brown the meat balls
6. Transfer the meatballs into the oven
7. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes until cooked through



Recipe Inspiration

«IL Patio» Севастополь

I love this Restaurant.
We went to Il Patio- in Svestapol Ukraine a few weeks ago for a date night.  It was a late(r) evening snake, we got a pizza to share. This is probably the best pizza I have ever had- the ingredients were all fresh and the crust was the perfect texture. I would definitely go back here next time I am in Svestapol! This place is definitely on the nicer side of things, but affordable with the USD.

When we walked in with these flowers the server got us a glass half full- we were confused not sure what it was for...then realized they were for the flowers!