Interview With My Boys 2014

I'm so excited to do this again this year! Last year I asked my boys these same questions, (Lincoln was five and Asher was two), and their responses were great! Here is the link from last year http://pacefamilyplace.blogspot.com/2013/07/interview-with-my-boys-2013.html They didn't disappoint this year either. Loved hearing their perspective and how much has changed or stayed the same since last year. Lincoln looks so much more grown up and Asher is still obsessed with Batman but talks much better. I also noticed Lincoln's responses are more grown up, after having been to kindergarten he understands more about bullies and how people can be mean. He didn't want to answer these questions originally either because he hates being "drilled" on questions, it reminds him of school and he gets anxious. Love these dudes, maybe next year at this time I will be able to include Marsden since he will be talking more and understanding more at that time! Enjoy. :)

Lincoln Age 6 years 4 months

• What is the meaning of life?

I dont even know that. If we dont breathe, we will never get to breathe. Because God made our world. He made trees and everything for us to live.

• What do you want to be when you grow up?

An underwater person.

• What brings you the most happiness?

People make me happy by saying good things to me.

• When do you feel the most loved?

Sometimes, I see girls I like, and I feel like I like them.  

• What are you afraid of?

Im afraid of bad guys. Bullies.

• If you had one wish, what would you wish for?

I would wish for a boat and being superman.

• What is the funniest word?

Funny.

• What is the hardest/easiest thing to do?

Coloring a shirt is the hardest thing to do. Yeah, i did that before in school, and now Im just telling you. Easiest- coloring trees, legos are super easy too.

• What is the best/worst thing in the world?

Best- Looking at glasses. Worst- Looking at eyeballs.

• What makes you mad?

People being bullies at me. When Asher hurts me. Looking at Asher being crazy.

• What is the meaning of love?

True love.

• If you had all the money in the world, what would you do with it?

Put it in my piggy bank. I would keep it then sell it to other people.

Asher Age 3 years 8 months

• What is the meaning of life?

Um, because of our blood. Our blood makes us alive.

• What do you want to be when you grow up?

Batman. I’ll get a batman that has real batarangs and I’ll be back and you will see them.

• What brings you the most happiness?

When I smile.

• When do you feel the most loved?

You. with mommy.

• What are you afraid of?

Ghosts. Bad guy ghostes, not good guy ones.

• If you had one wish, what would you wish for?

A toy.

• What is the funniest word?

He giggles. The funniest word is this “hahahhahahaha”

• What is the hardest/easies t thing to do?

Um, play a hard game. Playing on the Nook.

• What is the best/worst thing in the world?

Best- Reading a book, I like you to read, I want you to come and I want Kullin’s house 100 days. Worst-bad cookies. Bad cookies that have smoke in them!!

• What makes you mad?

Baby Marsden throwing toys at me.

• What is the meaning of love?

You are going to be married. To get married.

• If you had all the money in the world, what would you do with it?

Um, Get a flying spiderman toy. And a bicycle that can fly without wings. And then gives the other moneys to somebody.

My thoughts on going Paleo.

Whew, let's talk about our family's experience with going Paleo. In December of 2013 I was challenged by family (as a combined effort) to make some future goals for my health and to start taking steps towards our goal. My biggest goals were to eliminate most grains and sugar from my diet, and to get flexible. ;) I knew I needed Zack in on this with me, as it would be impossible to do with just myself. He agreed to two months, and we stuck to it for a solid months very strict, while slowly introducing some gluten-free options and limited grains in during the 3rd and 4th months. It was HARD, I challenged myself more than anything but I am stubborn as shit and knew that I could do it. I felt good. Never got that yucky full bowel feeling after eating, stopped getting headaches, and had such a healthy feeling gut. We could pile yummy fresh veggies on our plate and feel good about what we were eating with our kids.

What was Paleo for us? 
Paleo eating seems to be defined differently for everyone. I followed a few different guides and was incredibly strict to begin with (about 3 months before introducing "cheats"). We ate absolutely no grains. This included any bread products, chips, anything with flour in it. Also, we cut out refined white sugar and all by-products as well. I slowly introduced local raw honey as a sweetener for baking and coffee after I was able to "wean" from the sugar cravings. We also did not eat white potatoes or corn, as these were some of the restrictions for paleo eating.

Some of the websites we followed and got recipes from:
http://wellnessmama.com/category/soups-stews/
http://paleomg.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/elanaspantry
http://nomnompaleo.com/

                                         The Positives

 Weight loss was a big positive for us, especially for Zack who lost close to 30 lbs in 6 weeks. It was pretty extreme. I lost about 20 over the course of 3/4 months. (But gained back half of that as soon as I stopped being strict on no grains).
We felt energetic, had no headaches, and felt like our digestive systems were on track.
Felt good about what we were eating, and what we were giving our kids.

The Negatives
Cooking: Cooking for Paleo eating takes TONS of prep, buying all kinds of new ingredients and more work then I was used to doing. I enjoyed it, but not everything turned out yummy. It was a learning experience, for sure.
Milk Supply: My milk supply dwindled immensely. With no grains, I was able to only pump 2 oz at times, when I would usually get 12 or so! In order to give my baby enough milk I would have to eat something with grains in it before pumping if I knew I would be going to a birth soon. This was one of the biggest downfalls, and why I wouldn't go completely grain-free again.
Cost: The initial costs of switching EVERYTHING were pretty tough.We had to purchase new sauces, yogurts, dressings, snacks and meats. It has definitely changed the way we look at ingredients, and now we stick with the same sauces (the ones that do not have any added sugar or no refined white sugar) and have come to love and prefer them.

Would I do it again? Yes, if for a short time. I still try to do most dinners with a no grain or sugar mentality but we do have bread sometimes, or an unhealthy snack, and I am ok with that! I would absolutely introduce exercise while you've gained back your energy because I think the benefits would be enormous. I was never able to get in regular exercise while doing this eating plan and I wish I would have, for sure.

Baby Marsden is 6 months old!

I am late to the game with this post! Marsden is about 6.5 months and is just doing so well! I swear he has some new skill every week. I am just amazed at his beautiful soul. His smile. His laugh. He is just pure joy! I love watching him discover. Seeing him stare and giggle at his big brothers. He is pulling up to stand on everything! He is getting so strong, trying to reach and step for things juuuust out of reach. He has already had so many tumbles! I love wearing him on my back in the MeiTai right now. He is very patient when I throw him on my back, and loves being able to see everything all around us. We have not done any solids yet but he is so interested! I'm thinking it will happen within a month or two here. I am in no rush to start solids, and he is already getting so super chunky and round without them! Marsden is a nursing machine. He loves his paci at night and sleeps very very well through the night. He eats paper all the time, and I have to constantly follow after him crawling around eating dirty things off my floors!
Get ready for an insane amount of videos and pictures.  I love documenting how he grows and changes.

One Month! 

 

Two Months! 

Three Months!

Four Months!

 

Five Months!

 

Six Months!

 

 

 

and some videos I have taken over the past few months! :)

 

 

 

 

  

 

Happy 6 months Marsden! Love all that you bring to our family!

 (ps mommy says please slow down!)

Interview with my boys 2013

I had a blast asking my older two boys some deep questions about themselves today, and I just LOVED their answers. It is so cool to hear things from the perspective of a 5 year old and a 2 year old. I would love to ask them these things every year to see how the answers change. Enjoy some hilarious and heart-warming answers from my little dudes. I wrote everything down word-for-word and did not change a thing. 

Lincoln Pace age 5 years 3 months 

• What is the meaning of life?
• That is to be alive forever, to stay alive forever, to be the most good guy forever
• What do you want to be when you grow up?
• A hero!
• What brings you the most happiness?
• Asher. He makes me happy, and he is pretty funny. He makes jokes. 
• When do you feel the most loved?
• When I sleep
• What are you afraid of?
• The dark
• If you had one wish, what would you wish for?
• A spiderman guy-like my age
• What is the funniest word?
• A joke
• What is the hardest/easiest thing to do?
• Hardest- to eat some foods
• Easiest- to PLAY
• What is the best/worst thing in the world?
• Best- My toys
• Worst-Bad things that make me say AHHHHH
• What makes you mad?
• My friends when they make me upset and angry
• What is the meaning of love?
• I love YOU mommy, because my strength told me 
• If you had all the money in the world, what would you do with it?
• Keep it in my piggy bank and sell it to people so they can give me their cars. 

Asher Pace*  age 2 years 7 months

• What is the meaning of life?
• Ah, Lincoln
• What do you want to be when you grow up?
• Ah, a he-yo (a hero), Babeen (Batman) 
• What brings you the most happiness?
• Ah, Babeen. Little babeen. (batman, little batman)
• When do you feel the most loved?
• Ah, yeah. YOU. 
• What are you afraid of?
• Ah, gark. (dark). Chyea- gark. 
• If you had one wish, what would you wish for?
• Ah, cake. 
• What is the funniest word?
• Ah, you. 
• What is the hardest/easiest thing to do?
• Hardest- ah, me. My strong arms. 
• Easiest- Playground
• What is the best/worst thing in the world?
• Best- Ah, bebe Marsden, No, not bebe Marsden. Ah, me! 
• Worst- Ah, ugh. When daddy goin at da work.  
• What makes you mad?
• Lincoln, taking my toys
• What is the meaning of love?
• I love his Lincoln self
• If you had all the money in the world, what would you do with it?
• Ah, big money. Put in bank with daddy. 

*Ash asked me for mama milk in between each question. I, of course, said "not right now baby" but it was funny that he kept asking me questions too. 

 

PS. Got the idea from http://crappypictures.com/interview-your-kids/

The end of our Fourth Trimester

   We have been out of the "4th Trimester", or the first three months postpartum, for a few weeks now. I have been feeling totally back to normal and Marsden has wiggled his way into our family perfectly. He fits like he was always meant to be here, and we all just love him so much. 

   This postpartum time period has been blissful. I spent a solid 6 weeks in bed just snuggling and getting to know Mars while the kids came and played in bed with me, watched movies, or spent time with other family members. I slowly got back into society, as I craved time with other adults. So we did little play dates here and there. I held my baby tons, I nursed him constantly, I changed and washed countless diapers, and I took pictures galore. We have taken baths together and I have given him massages with coconut oil and shea butter. We have bonded and stared into each others eyes, and just gotten to know each other on the outside.

   Now Mars is quickly approaching 4 months. He is a happy little soul (usually). He is a daddy's boy. He loves to smile at people and absolutely loves attention. Just recently he has been grabbing and holding toys and bringing them to his mouth, he loves when I hold him sitting up to watch everything, and he like being worn, of course. 

   He has always been a finger sucker, and now enjoys his paci as well. He has the silliest little giggle and his smile will change your world. 

   We have traveled to Raleigh, twice to Asheville, and even to Ohio already! 

   I'm trying to pump a good stash, I start back to school in a few weeks! I know this will be so hard to leave him everyday, but I will make the very most of the time I do have with him and be sure to snuggle him extra hard for now! 

And now, for some pics and videos!!! 

Prelude to a Birth Story

An important part of our story starts about 20 weeks ago.

After discussing it and weighing the pros and cons, my husband and I decided on having an ultrasound done just to check that there were no birth defects or heart issues that we could be surprised with during our homebirth.
Zack had to work the day of the scheduled ultrasound and so I went with the two boys myself.
I cried of course seeing the baby in my belly, it is always so special to see and brings it all to a whole other level of realness. I asked not to let me see the sex and I had to keep averting my eyes whenever she went towards the lower extremities. Baby even did a full somersault in utero during the ultrasound. So cool to see.
The ultrasound tech told me all looked really great, that the heart looked whole and healthy, and that the doctor will evaluate it all more thoroughly and get back to me in a few days.

So I got a call a few days later, and it was not what I had expected at all.
The nurse told me the results of the ultrasound analysis showed a few concerning things. One, was that the cord was a two vessel cord vs. the normal three vessel cord here is a link with a little more information on SUA (single umbilical artery) http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/262470-overview#aw2aab6b4

But the nurse had some other news to go with this.
She told me that our baby showed "11 out of 11 genetic markers for Downs Syndrome." I was floored. This lady was telling me our options and I politely said thank you, asked a few more questions and hung up. I was a little in shock and anxious for Zack to get home to talk to him about the news. Our baby may have Downs Syndrome. I kept freaking out a little over the news. I mean, this is potentially life-changing news and I was not sure how to react or feel.
The crazy part is that we had been babysitting a sweet boy that weekend who, very ironically, happened to have DS. He taught us so much about love and we were thankful to have had the opportunity to watch him. He opened our hearts and softened the "blow" of the news we were presented with.
So I spent a lot of time thinking and reflecting. I had one really good hard cry in the shower, waddled into the bed and Zack held me in his arms. We were talking and bonding with the baby together and Zack kissed me and put his hand on my belly. It was at that moment the baby decided to kick as hard as he could right where Zack has placed his hand. It was the first time he had felt this one move at all. We both got a little teary eyed and had a beautiful bonding moment with our baby.
You see, we already were madly in love with this baby and his or her number of chromosomes would not change that fact one little bit!
Our baby had a strong heartbeat, and strong persistent kicks and we decided that further testing would be unnecessary. So we declined going back for any further invasive tests. We were (and are) in love with this baby no matter what and knew that some new test would only further our anxiety about the situation.

I wanted to share this with everyone finally, because I think it is relevant to my whole pregnancy story.
We did not share this news with many, as it really did not matter to us one way or the other the outcome of babies sex or number of chromosomes. But I do know I was anxious about it.... and for selfish reasons as well. I was worried I couldn't be the kind of mom who could handle a child that may require so much more from me. I was worried about certain dreams I may have for this child never coming true. I knew how selfish this all was, but these were just issues I had to deal with during my pregnancy and especially in those last few long insane weeks of pregnancy.

Introducing....

The newest Pace addition!

Our new sweet squishy baby boy was born at 42 weeks 2 days gestation on March 30, 2013 at 5 pm in the bathroom of our home.

And the announcement everyone has been waiting for... his name! It took us some time. We wanted to get to know him, see what fit him well and let it settle in slowely without rush. So, without further ado, I would like to introduce you to:

 

                                                         Marsden Adonis Pace
                                                                    aka baby "Mars"
We love that he can go by Mars when he is younger, it really suits him and is what we had nicknamed him throughout the pregnancy. We really wanted a first name to incorporate Mars in it, in a unique way. Marsden really stuck and fits his wise old soul. Adonis is the handsome greek god  of love and fertility, and he fits right in with his brothers Atlas and Orion. :) So say hello to our new Pace family member. He is awesome! So excited to get to know him better and watch him grow. 

He has the most wrinkly hands and feet.
His head is amazingly soft, I cant stop feeling it.
He drinks milk ALL the time, and just loves to sleep and snuggle!

My next post is going to be more about everything leading up to his birth story! Excited to share his story with everyone, it truly is and was amazing and perfect!!!!