Last night Poppa and I had a date night out alone. We were alone but mentally we were both with Alex, thinking of her. She is now only 11 days away from her due date and according to her last midwife appointment, she is biologically ready to have baby Lewis. We ate our food, sushi and salad for him, steak hibachi for me and then we called her and bribed her with Japanese food so we could go and hang out with her. We watched a movie together and then Alex and I went over a few things.
She reminded me that she needed an herbie pillow (a rice pack full of herbs that you can heat up to ease pain) for labor. Ah yes! I have had an herbie pillow at 5 of my 9 pregnancies. We use them for everything, sick days, ear eaches, to warm yourself after going swimming or on a cold day.
Today I woke after not really sleeping much due to not being able to turn my brain off lately. The insomnia is a plague to me right now but I am hoping that once more things get settled in our life, that I might be able to once again sleep. Five minutes after my feet hit the floor, I was at the sewing machine cutting and sewing a flannel herbie filled with rice, flax, rosemary and lavender fresh from the garden. I love picking herbs in the morning, the smell of the rosemary and lavender filled my sewing room and hopefully will comfort my daughter as she labors.
A quick stop at the health food store in town and I was back at her house with raw honey and magnesium for her to make laboraid. I also brought with me a bottle of holy water and before I left I got to take some pics of her since we have not had a maternity photo session. Tomorrow we will take some pictures with Lewis but just in case she decides to have the baby tonight (which won’t happen but just in case) then there are some pictures.
On the homefront, we have started going through the house and organizing, getting rid of stuff and in general I have rediscovered what I already knew… dealing with your belongings is no fun. There is so much to pack. Poppa had the idea of leaving a lot of our things and buying them again in Kentucky but everywhere I turn there is a chair that I love or a basket that I don’t want to leave. And almost everything I own, I carefully purchased and remember where or how I got it. No fun, I tell ya.
I need to get back to helping Poppa pack but in the meantime, could I beg your prayers for a safe delivery for my Alexandra. I would really appreciate it and thank you!
Is this the sort of thing you eyeball the measurements to? Any idea of ratios?
And I second Cintia's comment. You're blog has been such a comfort in my own attempts at homesteading, etc.
Jennifer, I have never really measured but I would say it is about 4 cups rice to a half cup of lavender, a 1/4 cup rosemary, I use fresh because I grow it and always have lots, 1/4 cup of flax (any more than that and the smell may annoy you) and then jump pour it into the bag. I have in the past used dried chamomile too which you can find in the tea section of your grocery store. And thank you for your kind words, we are all in this together 🙂
What a thoughtful Mother you are 🙂
What a great idea! I never thought to make one of these, but with winter coming I can see it would be a great addition to our lives!
Many prayers!
My daughters have been such a help preparing me for labour. I can't wait until it's my turn to prepare them. In them meantime, I can live vicariously through you. I can't wait to hear your happy news!
Tricia,
You probably have no idea of how deeply your stories touch the heart of a 22 year old girl that you don´t even know. It was such a gift for me to find your blog on internet! I´ve discovered a sensitive catholic crafter mother that writes beautifully and makes me plan my future as a catholic mother too. Thanks for sharing a little bit of your life with us. I´ll be praying for your house moving and for Alex´s labor. If you remember, pray for me too.
May Our Lady guard all your family!
Cíntia