6 Natural Ways to Help Baby's Cold Without Having to Run to the Store!

Dear World,

It was bound to happen sooner or later. My baby got sick. Just what every mommy dreads.
Here are the symptoms I was dealing with: runny nose/congestion, sneezing, slight gunk in the eye. Ew.
I checked her temperature at least every other day, and no fever, so no need to involve a doctor in our case, so I started using all of the remedies my fellow crunchy moms suggested.
Here are some handy lazy/natural remedies if this unfortunate situation happens to you!

1. Breastmilk. If your baby is young enough that you're breastfeeding, then you're in luck! It turns out that it has some antibacterial properties and can help congestion. You can express your milk into a little cup and use an eye dropper to administer up the nose or in the eye (or if you took a bunch of those feeding syringes from the hospital like I did, they work nicely too). If you don't have an eye dropper device, and you do have a great sense of humor, you can always try expressing directly in baby's eye/nose. This isn't too hard if you just finished nursing and baby is right there anyway. And again, is super if you like to laugh.

2. Garlic. Oh man, garlic is awesome. I love the way it tastes and smells, so I always have it around anyway. Take a fresh clove of garlic, and cut it open. When garlic is cut, it releases allicin, which is antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral. Just smelling the aroma is good for clearing nasties out of one's nasal passages. It can also be used to treat an ear infection if that happens to be the malady in question! Once you cut it open, you can keep some near the stuffy baby (on a plate nearby is pretty good-- out of reach, of course). Don't have garlic? A good strong onion will work, too. Another option is to toss some in a pot of boiling water!

3. Pot of boiling water. I'm moving soon, so I'm trying to de-clutter my house. That being said, I'm not running out to buy a vaporizer/humidifier from the store. Throw a pot on the stove, fill it with water, and boil away! Adding garlic or onion (or both!) will fill your house with a tasty aroma, and help clear nasal passages. Make sure you keep an eye on the pot so it doesn't dry up and warp. Not that I've ever done that or anything. :)

4. Babywearing. It doesn't matter if you have a wrap, buckle carrier, mei tai, etc....babywearing is awesome when your little one is feeling bad. Baby will want to be close to you anyway for comfort, but also having baby in an upright position helps the mucus drain and clears the nose to breathe!

5. Inclines. As much as your baby would love for you to continue holding him/her during the entire duration of their naps, you probably want to use that time to bathe, or do something with your hands. (Yeah, I know it's laundry and dishes. It's okay.) If you must set baby down for a nap, try to slightly elevate the top of their mattress by stuffing something underneath it to prevent mucus from pooling again. After all, you worked hard to drain it to begin with! Alternately, you could put baby to sleep in a somewhat upright chair/swing/carseat. Keeping baby somewhat upright will help the sinus area drain and making breathing a lot easier!

6. Essential Oils. I didn't actually have any of these on hand, but a good friend of mine used some eucalyptus oil in the shower to serve as an impromptu diffuser. If you do have a diffuser, use it! Some EO companies make a special blend to help open up nasal passages.

So that's my little list of things you can do cheaply/easily without having to run to the store when your kiddo has a cold.

Note: I am obviously not a doctor, and this information should not be used to diagnose or replace the advice of a medical caregiver. Your doctor probably already told you what symptoms to look for that would warrant a visit or call.

Baby is all better now and hopefully will stay that way! Nobody likes being sick.
Did I miss things? What are your favorite natural remedies to use when your baby has a cold?

Love,
Steph

You did WHAT with your placenta??

Dear World,
After my birth experience, the thing people seem the most curious about is the placenta service I used. Placentophagy (eating your placenta) is actually growing in popularity among women in the United States. While it may seem unsavory, it is theorized that there are many benefits to hanging on to that fascinating organ that nourished your baby for nine months.
Here is my experience:
Research stage- The first question to come up when discussing my placenta consumption is always "WHY?" I'm a total dork about researching stuff as much as possible. When considering the placenta service, I first wanted to know about the benefits for me. I looked over the information provided on the website of our local placenta encapsulation specialist, and found that the biggest reason to take the capsules is for hormone regulation and to avoid postpartum depression. Seeing as I have a hormone disorder (PCOS), I thought this was a fantastic idea! Who needs crazy mood swings when you have a newborn to take care of? Not me. I was also secretly hoping this might help regulate the cysts that will inevitably crop up when I'm not taking birth control pills and/or Metformin. Anyway, the most popular way to consume the placenta nowadays is by dehydrating it, grinding it up, and putting it into little capsules. So you basically pop a pill with dried out placenta in it. This doesn't really seem so bad, when compared to cooking it up or even eating it raw.
However, after browsing some message boards, I saw that sometimes people add herbs to the capsules, which could cause a bad reaction. I made sure to ask my service provider about this, and she assured me that it is 100% placenta in there-- no additives! Awesome. If you are considering this for yourself, make sure you ask your provider about it, as you don't want any surprises!
If you would like to do your own reading about the benefits of placentophagy, I strongly suggest visiting this website, especially if you live in the coastal areas of NC and SC (specifically Myrtle Beach, Wilmington, Jacksonville, and Greenville): Placenta Works

Birth stage- You know about birth. A baby comes out. Then a placenta does too. The umbilical cord is cut and typically the placenta is disposed of by the hospital as bio-hazardous waste. So when you get to the hospital and forgot your birth plan (oops), make sure you look at all the nurses with your best Captain Crazy look and ask that they please release custody of the placenta to you. Then smile sweetly.
If your nurses aren't grossed out by that request (big IF here), then they might even be cool enough to put the placenta in the 1 gallon Ziplock bags you brought. (Double bagged, in case you were wondering.) However, my nurses were busy helping me breastfeed, so my mom got stuck bagging the placenta. It's a true testament to a mother's love, because she was SUPER grossed out by this. Anyway, after the placenta is bagged, you get some ice for your cooler (our hospital conveniently had an ice machine), and send someone home with the placenta the same day.

Placenta Preparation/ All the cool stuff you get: Our placenta service was done by Nicole Havelka, who is also a doula. She is a member of Cape Fear Area Doulas, and her bio can be found on their website here: Cape Fear Area Doulas
Nicole came to our house the day after I gave birth and prepared the placenta into the following products:

• Smoothie: A walnut sized chunk of the raw placenta is blended into a fruit smoothie. You have to get the ingredients for the smoothie in advance and keep it in your kitchen. Mine had frozen berries, frozen banana, yogurt and juice. The smoothie was brought to me immediately, and I drank it that night. The next morning, my milk came in. So that's giving birth by cesarean section Thursday night, and milk coming in Saturday morning. (Less than 48 hours.) Evidently that's almost unheard of and I'm pretty sure the lactation consultant didn't believe me when I first told her that. I attribute this phenomenon to the placenta smoothie, although of course there's no way to really prove it.
• Capsules: These were also brought to me as soon as they were finished. I take about one  a day, and if I'm super tired or moody, I take two. I am 6 weeks postpartum right now, and I have only felt the need to take more than one on two occasions so far. One day I forgot to take my pill altogether, and I was really tired and snapped at my husband more than usual. Oops. 

This is what a placenta capsule looks like.

This is the cute jar my capsules are in!

• Salve: I haven't really needed to use this much, but it is basically a shea butter/dried placenta concoction that you can use to treat skin issues. I have used it on my baby's tushie twice for diaper rash, and it seems to clear it right up! It comes in a very small container, but a little goes a long way. I am glad to have it on hand.

• Mother's broth: I ended up throwing this out. You are supposed to freeze it within three days, but I was out of my house for longer than that, so it was "expired" by the time I got home. When frozen into ice cubes, it can last indefinitely and give you benefits similar to the capsules, meaning it may come in handy for a mood-swingy day. 
• Tincture: There is a jar in my cupboard with a chunk of my raw placenta being preserved by vodka. It looks kind of like something you'd see in a mad scientist's laboratory. I haven't really read about what I can do with it, but I'd imagine it is similar to the broth. It came with an eye dropper thing, so I guess I can put drops of the liquid into a drink and reap the benefits. I am also under the impression that this one lasts indefinitely.

 My conclusion: Overall, I found this to be a very worthwhile investment in my sanity. I feel relatively energetic and pretty happy. I am recovering from a birth experience that didn't go the way I wanted, but I am able to look at what did go well and be thankful for it. I think that is a very difficult hurdle for many, and I like to think that the placenta consumption has helped me with that. Now, even though I don't have the super mood swings, I do think my PCOS is not responding to the capsules the way I was hoping. (I haven't found any research about it, so consider this a preliminary study for the rest of you.) 

So there it is, guys. That's all I know about placentophagy through my own experience. I hope this was helpful information for you if you are considering the service for yourself or a loved one.

Love,

Steph

 (Disclaimer: I am NOT affiliated with the medical field at all. This information should not be used to diagnose or treat anything, ever.)

Ellie's Arrival

Dear World,
It has been a few weeks about a month since Ellie has joined us, and I want to share her birth story while it is still fresh-ish in my mind.

WARNING: There are some gross details about labor in this post. If you're just here for pictures, go ahead and scroll down for the pictures. Not everyone is into the details, I get that. :)
Before:
During my pregnancy, I was obsessed with reading and hearing other birth stories. It helped me learn what to expect (the unexpected!), what to request, what to pack, etc. I had read enough books about birth to become a certified doula. My personal favorite was Peggy Vincent's memoirs about her career as a midwife in the 70s and 80s, and Elizabeth Davis's Orgasmic Birth. (Who wouldn't love a book with that title?) I had read enough to know that I wanted a natural, drug-free birth experience attended by nurse midwives. Well, I think there's a saying about making God laugh by making plans, so here's what actually happened:
Around the 33 week mark, I realized that my daughter was in the breech position, meaning her head was up by my ribs instead of down by the nearest exit. At my 34 week appointment, the midwives confirmed it via ultrasound. I was given a thick packet of information about things to do to turn the baby into the proper position. This included holding a bag of frozen peas by the baby's head so she'll turn away from the cold, laying in an inclined position with my knees on the couch and my head toward the ground multiple times a day, acupressure, acupuncture, chiropractic, moxabustion, and finally, attempting an ECV (external cephalic version) procedure at the hospital. Which, by the way, was totally painful and involved greasing my belly with mineral oil. Ew.
When all of these attempts to turn the baby around failed, I had to come to terms with the fact that I would deliver by cesarean section, because nobody in town delivers breech babies the good old fashioned way anymore. When discussing my options with the midwives, I made it clear that I wanted to at least go into labor on my own, in hopes that perhaps the baby will turn herself around during the labor process (which is a common occurrence as well-- leaving only 3% of babies remaining breech before delivery). I was also concerned about the most common complication with babies being delivered by cesarean, which is respiratory problems. Typically this is because the baby's lungs aren't ready for the outside world yet, as C-section complications can frequently be a result of scheduling the surgery too early, or a failed induction of vaginal labor that doesn't progress the way it should. (Again, because baby just isn't ready to come out yet!) After some discussion, I realized that my caretakers preferred if I scheduled the C-section. They said it would be a calmer, less stressful experience for all. I could schedule for as early as 39 weeks. (NO THANK YOU.) I finally decided to schedule the surgery for almost a week AFTER my estimated due date, to truly give Ellie every chance possible to turn around and to start labor when she's good and ready. (Because at a certain point, cesarean aside, you get pressured to schedule an induction if you go past your due date anyway.) This also made it easier to schedule my sister's flight into town from Chicago, ensuring that she would be there to share the experience. I felt at peace with my decision.
The due date came and went, as expected, and all there was left to do was wait for Friday, when our surgery was scheduled. My sister got into town on Wednesday evening, and we planned to do some shopping on Thursday. At 2:30 Thursday morning, I woke up with some contractions. They weren't close together enough to warrant calling anyone, but they were strong enough that I couldn't go back to sleep right away. After about an hour, I finally drifted back to sleep until about 8:00. I texted my doula to let her know that the contractions were happening and not going away. By pure luck, she happened to be working the OB rotation for nursing school that day, so she would be at the hospital in the correct wing all day. I told her I would let her know if we ended up heading that way.
I went about my business as usual, going out for lunch with my mom, sister, and brother, and then shopping for a couple of hours. After getting back to my mom's house, my contractions were noticeably closer together. She offered to let me take a bath to relax, in her enormous Jacuzzi tub, so naturally I took her up on that. While soaking in the tub, my water broke-- right as it started to rain outside. I got out of the tub and quickly got dressed to get ready to go to the hospital.
I tried calling my husband a few times, but no answer. He was in a meeting. We drove over to our house (he works from home) to get him. I marched up the stairs and pounded on the door and told him to meet us at the hospital with our car. It was about 3:30.
Hospital:
We got to the hospital around 4:00, where my doula was waiting for us at the door. After I was admitted to a labor room, the receptionist brought a pile of paperwork for me to fill out. I told her that I had already submitted the pre-registration forms three weeks ago so I didn't have to fill anything out. She didn't seem to care and I had to fill these forms out anyway while dealing with increasingly strong contractions. Lovely.
I was given a hospital gown to change into, and was put in a bed so I could get a monitor hooked to me. There was meconium (baby poo) in my fluids when my water broke, so I had to have a monitor strapped to me at all times in the confines of an increasingly uncomfortable hospital bed. I was hooked up to an IV. Two of my midwives (Susan and Mary) showed up to check on us. My cervix was dilated 3 centimeters when they checked at 5:00. They conducted an ultrasound to see if Ellie turned from the labor (although I was still pretty sure she hadn't). She was still breech, so they started communicating with the surgery team about how quickly they could get me to the operating room. I was told that because I had lunch around noon, we had to wait until 8:00 PM before I could be given anesthesia for the surgery. So we had to sit around and wait for three hours while my contractions steadily picked up. Awesome.
On the bright side, we found Seinfeld playing on TV. It was a welcome distraction between me moaning like a banshee. As it turned out, I progressed so quickly that we didn't have to wait the whole three hours. I was wheeled back to the operating room around 7:00, and by then I was 7 centimeters dilated with contractions coming every minute or two. Mom was permitted to be back there with me, and my midwife Mary had taken some fabulous pictures for us.
Ellie Thora was born at 7:45 on May 29th. She came during a thunderstorm, on a Thursday. She picked her own time, so I was satisfied with the experience. There were zero complications and I was able to hold her as soon as she was cleaned up.

Here are some pictures!

Ellie was born butt first! The guy standing in the background is the anesthesiologist. He narrated the whole thing for me (since I couldn't see what was going on). Also, this tool in the lower left corner looks like a metal shoehorn. I'm pretty sure it was used like one, too. Ew.

Here she is getting cleaned up!

I got to hold her as soon as they gave her a hat and blanket! They were still stitching me up on the other side of the sheet.

Recovery didn't take too long, and I was up walking around the next day.

Going for our first walk in the stroller!

That's all I have time to post today! At this rate, it will likely be another month before I post again. Next month's topic is placenta encapsulation! (I know, I'm weird, but it IS interesting!)

Love,

Steph

Pregnancy Academia: 8 Titles that may or may not excite you

Dear World,
I've officially become one of those obsessive moms-to-be who has started nesting. Well, as much as I can nest. I may have re-organized my dresser to have the top two drawers dedicated to diaper changes, and then 0-3 month clothes in the rest. (The bigger clothes are being stored under the bed for now.) 
I have come to realize that I miss being a graduate student, so to make up for my lack of academic stimulation (sorry, part-time job, you don't cut it), I have DEVOURED every book I can get my hands on regarding holistic prenatal care/birth. I am slowly making my way over to childcare/early literacy as well, which will segue my brain back to Ph.D. work, which I intend to start again soon. 
So, in graduate student fashion, here's a review of what I've been reading, in alphabetical order and APA format, haha. (Warning: Most of these are about natural childbirth and how "evil" hospitals are, so if you're not into that, you may not want to read these books, or even read my reactions to them.)

Davis, E. & Pascali-Bonaro, D. (2010). Orgasmic birth: Your guide to a safe, satisfying and 

     pleasurable birth experience. New York: Rodale Books.

     I'm happy to begin my review with the most controversial book on the list! Orgasmic Birth is both a book and a documentary. I have not viewed the documentary yet, but it is definitely on my list of things to do before the baby arrives (which doesn't seem to get any shorter). This book was certainly one I could not easily put down, but I feel that may be because it was also only the second one I read about birth. (Who wouldn't read this one right away with a title like that?) Of course it wasn't ALL about the orgasmic experience birth could/should be, but there was a lot of information about what physiologically happens during the birth process, which was new to me. One important point woven throughout the book was the role of hormones in the birth process, (particularly oxytocin, aka the "love" hormone) and how certain interventions can throw off the balance of those hormones. I learned some strategies for making sure labor isn't stalled, including getting some privacy, having people advocate for me with whom I am comfortable, and "letting go." Obviously I won't truly know what letting go/surrendering to contractions will feel like until I'm there, but I'll send a full report via blog when all is said and done. I think one of the best things about this book was the myriad of personal birth stories from real people. Not all of them included a "big O" during the birth process, but many of them emphasized the importance of privacy, support, and feeling comfortable in your birth setting (think of setting the mood for sex). Overall, this was an exciting read for me and I would recommend it to anyone having their first baby who wants to be fully informed of your body's chemical balance and the advantages to natural childbirth.

Denzmore-Tulli, U. (2010). Yoga for pregnancy and birth: A teach yourself guide. New York: McGraw-

     Hill.

     This was more of a skim for me. I didn't read it cover to cover, as I have taken yoga classes in the past and already see the incredible connection between relaxing yourself and feeling awesome afterwards. I used to take yoga classes at Gold's Gym, which at times felt like a cardio workout, but at the end when we would unwind in corpse pose and just listen to our breathing and let go of the stress of the day-- man that was worth all the crazy hard work from the rest of the class. So, I browsed through and looked for poses I recognized that are beneficial and got the impression that the only stuff I should avoid are poses that will make me uncomfortable (which is kind of a yoga rule anyway- know your limits).

Goer, H. (1999). The thinking woman’s guide to a better birth. New York: The Berkley Publishing Group. 

     I'm actually not finished with this one yet, but so far it has a similar stance as many of these other books, being that hospitals are getting a little nuts with the interventions of birth, many of which are causing more harm than good. I guess no matter what your stance is, this is still an informational read. Some of the information is scary, but the author warns at the beginning that she would rather her readers be fully informed of their options than to not know better and just jump at whatever your doctor tells you to do. The only thing that irks me about her writing so far is that she consistently uses the term "oxytocin" when referring to Pitcocin, which is a synthetic form of oxytocin. She'll occasionally throw in "Trade name Pitocin, or Pit" here and there to make the distinction but I feel like the distinction between the two should be made the whole time. Oxytocin is very important to the birth process, but when the synthetic version is pumped into you, your body does not produce it naturally anymore. The only reason I'm spazzing about that is because of this article that I have also recently read:

Autism caused at birth?

I will also mention that Ina May Gaskin, a widely respected birth expert, also suspects a link between birth conditions and autism. She discusses this with Ricki Lake in the documentary The Business of Being Born, which is available on Netflix (and amazing to watch).

     Overall, I agree with Goer's standpoint on the overly handsy medical care that women receive. She has definitely done her homework! Her resources are reliable and extensive, including peer-reviewed professional publications (some resources just aren't that great, like the study in the link above--- needs a larger sample size and more conclusive evidence). Her word choice and tone is a little much for me, but I'm a hormonal mess right now, so maybe I should try it again in a few years. 

Jamieson, T. (2009). Conscious birthing: Yoga & meditation for pregnancy. Binda, New South Wales: 

     Sally Milner Publishing.

     

     Like the other yoga title, I pretty much skimmed this one. It has a lot of photos of actual pregnant women doing the poses, which is awesome! I looked over some poses that I think are do-able for me, and that was about it. However, baby brain has kicked in, and all I can remember is cat/cow pose for back pain, haha!

Lake, R. & Epstein, A. (2009).  Your best birth: Know all your options, discover the natural choices, 

     and take back the birth experience. New York: Hachette Book Group.     

     

      Go Ricki! Go Ricki! Man, let's start with the fact that I am a big Ricki Lake fan. The original Hairspray was one of my favorite movies as a kid ever since I first watched it with my friend Allison in 8th grade, followed by Johhny Depp's Crybaby. Anyway, this book is an afterthought to Ricki and Abby's documentary The Business of Being Born. This film follows people through their birth experiences-- some in the hospital, some at home. It is intended to educate people of birthing options. Many people don't consider home births anymore because it is deemed dangerous, but if you and your baby are healthy, it could be a lot more comfortable than making a trip, packing a bag, etc. Because the film focuses on this controversial topic, it has received a lot of attention, good and bad. The book is a nice companion for the film because it contains more detail and explanation of certain topics (such as doulas vs. midwives), and it makes it very clear that there's not a wrong kind of birth as long as the family is getting what they want plus a healthy baby. They point out that births don't always go according to the meticulously laid out birth plan, including Abby's personal story of her son's arrival, but that it can still be a good experience if you trust your caregiver(s) and know all of your options. They fully acknowledge that some people want epidurals or even to schedule C-sections for the sake of convenience, and have a respect for everyone's ideal birth that admittedly is not present in all of these texts. 

Lothian, J. & DeVries, C. (2005). The official Lamaze guide: Giving birth with confidence. New York: 

     Simon & Schuster. 

     Now, most people think of that weird hyperventilation- sounding breathing when they think "Lamaze method," but the book actually had little to do with that. Breathing was mentioned, of course, but as long as you know a certain way that works for helping you relax (for me it is definitely yoga breathing), that's all that matters. This may have been a total of a paragraph in the whole book. I read this book right after I read Orgasmic Birth. There was a lot of similar information here regarding what happens to your body during the birth process, and there were a lot of birth stories to read, which are quickly becoming my favorite part of these books! Each story or quick quote would illustrate a point the authors want to convey, such as choosing the right caregiver or knowing what you want from the birth experience. Overall, I found it enjoyable despite the fact that I got a lot of the same information that I already gained from Orgasmic Birth.

McGrory Masssaro, M. & Katz, M. (2012). The other baby book: A natural approach to 

baby's first year. Boston: Full Cup Press.

     This was a Christmas gift to me from my sister-in-law. This is the first book out of the whole list that I read. It is short, sweet, and to the point. The layout is set up like a conversation between two friends. The birth part is at the beginning, but there is also information about what you do with the baby when she is here (which, admittedly, I need to start reading more about). Topics include co-sleeping, breastfeeding, baby-led feeding for solids, and bonding with baby. The overall message from this book is: People are going to tell you how to raise your baby, and while they all mean well, you need to find what works for you and trust your instincts to know what is right! All moms feel judged at some point, and I am starting to get some of that already from coworkers and strangers. (Ex: "You shouldn't be lifting that." I'm pregnant guys, not disabled.) Anyway, this is an overall good read and a nice reassurance to know that you're not a total failure. :) 

Vincent, P. (2002). Baby catcher: Chronicles of a modern midwife. New York: Scribner Publishing.

     A nice change of pace from the rest of these titles, Baby Catcher is a beautifully written memoir from Peggy Vincent. As I currently reside in North Carolina, her story captivates me from the beginning, set in her nursing school days during the 1960s at Duke University. She vividly describes the life-changing births she witnessed so long ago, which clearly inspired her to pursue midwifery. As she continues to chronicle her life and career, she weaves in birth stories that read like poetry. It is clear that she is passionate about bringing new life into the world, and I found her stories fascinating, informative, and uplifting. Some gave me a good chuckle, too. :) For anyone who is curious about midwifery as a line of work, or just enjoys a good memoir, I strongly recommend this book. 

That's all of my homework for now world, but don't worry, I have many more to come. 

Love,

Steph

Possum Killah

Dear World,
It's been a good long while since I've written, and so much in my life has changed. First of all, I accidentally killed a possum last night with my mom's minivan. I was driving my husband home from Charlotte, where he had a job interview. I was pretty tired and cranky already, and then BOOM. My first vehicular homicide. I cried really hard. One of those long, ugly cries that restarts after you've calmed down for a few minutes. Ugh.
I guess I should probably update you on all my crazy life changes since the last post:

1. As many of my Facebook friends know, I'm pregnant! This was very exciting news, as I have been talking about babies for the better portion of this decade. Yay for that! We found out that she's a girl, we haven't picked a name (that's the battle of the century right now, to be honest), and I'm about halfway through the pregnancy at this point. Obviously I've been a bit moody (normally I don't think I'd cry about hitting a possum on the highway).

2. Last time I wrote, I was living in the Virgin Islands! Well, that has changed too. My husband got laid off on the week of Thanksgiving. I am now living the American dream (I am almost 30 and just had to move in with my parents.) I just secured a part time job at Walgreens, making 25 cents above minimum wage. I am waiting to see where my husband ends up finding a job before I look at applying for teacher certification in another state. So now we wait. (And pray that the bills somehow get paid.)

3. I suppose this ties in with the pregnancy, but I have been taking super good care of myself! I have started walking (on days I don't have to work), and have been enjoying the world around me in North Carolina. There is a plethora of wildlife I've been watching-- mostly birds-- and I can't wait to see what changes the spring will bring to my surroundings. So, in typical Steph-fashion, here are some pictures of the things I've been seeing around me:

A little finch enjoying a birdbath.

An uncommon sight in the winter time! This turtle was hiding out in the grass on a rare warm day.

Another finch-y looking bird. Not sure what it is exactly, but he's cute!

Napping mallards.

This is a crested duck. He hangs out with the mallards and they seem to accept him like one of their own. Usually birds just hang out with their own species, so its interesting that they've adopted him. He's been here at the lake for over a year to my knowledge.

Thrasher/trash bird. I saw one of these guys carrying a Rolo candy around recently. They eat everything.

The Ibis! These guys use their long beaks to dig for grub in the grass. They are fun to watch. 

So that concludes this chapter of my chronicles. I hope everyone has a safe, happy New Year! I will try to get better about posting more frequently. 

Love,

Steph

Playing Tourist in the USVI

Dear World,
Sometimes it's hard to slow down and take in your surroundings when you have a work schedule to keep up with. However, when you have visitors, that's the perfect excuse to not work and have fun! My parents came to visit for a week (which didn't feel long enough), so we struck out to explore parts of the island I haven't even seen yet! So, here's what we did:

1. Swimming with the Sea Turtles!
If you live on St. Thomas, or if you're visiting, I highly recommend any boat trip through Bolongo Bay Resort! My husband and I love their Saturday sail, which ironically takes us to St. John, where we live. Last week was our first time taking the Turtle trip on their lovely catamaran, Heavenly Days. We really enjoy the company of the captains and crew, there are great drinks, and for the full day they provide lunch too. It's really a bargain all things considered.
Here's their website if you want to look at it!
Anyway, the highlight of the trip is the snorkeling. (Depending on who you ask....my husband and dad prefer to skip snorkeling and just drink, and talk with the crew. To each his own!)
Here are some pictures I snagged of our turtle trip:

The turtles we saw were green seaturtles, which have awesome markings.

 

We also saw a stingray. This one was about 4 feet long.

This is a West Indian sea egg, which is a type of sea urchin. These spines obviously aren't that prickly, but he did move around in my hand when I held him. *shudder*

2. A visit to Coral Bay/Annaberg ruins:
This makes my second visit to Annaberg and Coral Bay, and it was just as fun as the first time. The Annaberg ruins are leftovers from an old plantation from the 1700s. There are signs around to read to soak up the history, but the best part of it is standing at the top of the hill and enjoying the view. (And the wind.) You can see the British Virgin Islands and Watermelon Cay from there (I hear the latter is supposed to be a good snorkeling spot. I still haven't been there).
Here's the old windmill at Annaberg:

We had lunch at Coral Bay and saw some donkeys hanging around.

3. A visit to Trunk Bay:
Trunk Bay is one of the most famous beaches in the world. It has very clean ocean water (which is actually inspected annually). It has an underwater snorkeling trail. It is pretty clean, has bathrooms (with plumbing), and showers. It's pretty swanky as far as beaches are concerned. They charge admission, but it's totally worth it if you like snorkeling. (Which I do.) The reef an underwater trail are located around this giant rock sticking out of the water:

Here's some stuff I saw down there:

One fish, two fish...

Here's the tree we were under (Stereotypical Caribbean alert):

Trunk Bay features a snack stand, scuba gear rentals, and a generally gorgeous backdrop. Overall, I highly recommend it and will definitely go back. 

4. Hook, Line, and Sinker (Frenchtown):
So here's a fun story. My parents were sitting near with a local politician on the plane (A Representative, if I recall correctly). Anyway, they let him know this was their first visit, so he rattled off a list of recommendations for places to eat on St. Thomas. Obviously, we couldn't figure out where half of them were, but he mentioned Hook, Line, and Sinker as a place for good lobster in Frenchtown. Well, I have never been to Frenchtown before, (with the exception of swinging through the McDonald's with a coworker once. Ew.) so I thought I'd give it a try. Besides, if I'm going to play tourist, I needed to see new things, too. Mom stops to admire a conch horn at the host stand.
Wait, what's a conch horn?
It's a conch shell with the end cut off so you can blow through it, much like a trumpet. There are statues around the islands showing slaves blowing into the conch shells to alert others of a revolt. Also, captains will use it to let you know it's time to leave. They are loud enough to be considered "official" maritime signals.
Oh, okay.
So anyway, Mom is admiring this shell, and she asks one of the servers where they got it. The server says "Oh, we got that from Fisherman Stevie. Let me see if he's around, he can probably get one for you."
This is, of course, a surprise to all of us because we have been heckled by local vendors all day. We assume Fisherman Stevie is going to try to charge us like fifty bucks for it.
We watch through the window from our seaside booth as the woman actually leaves the restaurant, walks along the harbor to another building. She comes back with Fisherman Stevie, who is a descendant of original French fishermen (this is Frenchtown, after all) from the 1600s. It's cool just to meet this guy and know he's a true local with deep roots in this town. (A "town," the size of a neighborhood, by the way.)
Anyway, Fisherman Stevie says, "I can have a shell ready for you by tomorrow-- will you be here tomorrow?"
We explain we will be back on Friday (two days later), and he seems relieved because that gives him more time to "get it ready." He says he'll leave it at the restaurant for us.
So this, at the very least to me, is a scam to get us back into the restaurant. We are totally fine with this scam because it is on the way to the airport and the food was fabulous. Nobody mentions price, so we let it hang unresolved.
So we go back on Friday, and ask our waitress (different from the server who helped us the other time) about a shell from Fisherman Stevie. She says, "Let me find out," and walks out of the restaurant. Fisherman Stevie, once retrieved from somewhere outside again, walks up to our table, and grabs three enormous conch shells that were sitting by the bar. We had thought they were decoration. He gives all three to us for free. Mom hugs him. We were relieved to not be heckled into a crazy price (shells this size in the store go for 25 bucks a piece) and to have a cool story to go with it. So there you have it.

As always, more adventures to come soon!

Until next time,

Steph

Summer Adventures

Dear World,
There has been so much going on in my life that I have neglected to write about it! So here's a recap for you:

Recap, part 1. First job is officially over. I worked at a 4H Summer Camp, which was amazing because I met a lot of local kiddos and learned a lot from them about life on the islands. My schedule during the summer camp was terrible, because I had the world's longest commute. Here's pretty much what my schedule was like:
5 AM- wake up, shower, etc
6 AM- take the boat from St. John to St. Thomas.
6:20ish AM- get off the boat. Grab a coffee from Mr. Bill at the ferry bar.
6:30 AM- catch a safari taxi.
Wait, what's a safari taxi?
Good question. It's a pick up truck with seats in the bed, complete with a roof. It's really a bootleg bus. So these safaris follow a certain route around the island, and the good news is they're only a dollar or two, depending on where you're going.
Oh, okay.
7:30ish- get dropped off at the University of the Virgin Islands.
7:50ish- get a ride from campus through the project housing that nobody wants me walking through to get to the camp site.
8:00-3:00 camp.
3:00ish- get a ride back to Red Hook from a really amazingly kind woman who didn't have to give me a ride that far, but did anyway because she's a good Christian.
3:45ish- sit at the ferry bar. Maybe grab a beverage.
4:00- take the ferry home to St. John. Walk to the house. Usually got home around 4:30. Wash dishes, get dinner ready (sometimes). Usually pass out around 8 or 9.
Needless to say, that was a terrible schedule and I likely will not do that again. However, still worth it. I met a lot of great people and learned a lot about the island.

Recap, part 2: 
I'm working at a nice retail store (also on St. Thomas) and was just hired as a governess. I have been feverishly looking for homeschool resources on Pinterest. I'm really excited about this new adventure. The family who hired me seem really nice and on par with what education should be about. (Thank goodness!)

Recap, part 3: 
On the weekends, my husband and I have been taking more boat trip adventures, and last weekend ventured out to Coral Bay, which is on the other side of St. John. So, as usual, here are some pictures from my adventures!

I saw this spotted sting ray in Christmas Cove during one of my snorkeling trips! If you look closely, you can see he's got a passenger.

The famous Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke, BVI. They call it the Soggy Dollar because you have to get there by boat. 

Some entertainment at the Soggy Dollar.

A beautiful sail on one of our trips!

Anyone need shark repellent? Haha, this just makes me think of the corny Adam West Batman! :)

So needless to say, I have been very busy seeing the sights of my new home. I am still enjoying it very much and look forward to sharing more soon.

Until next time,

Steph