Joseph Stephen

I had this sense most of my pregnancy that this baby boy I dreamt of would arrive on his due date.
And boy, he did not disappoint!

(Took this the night before he was born... thinking he'll be joining us soon)

(Last picture of me pregnant, with Joe still in my tummy... I was so swollen)

My brother Bill, sister in law Mona & their two girls flew into Saskatoon from Vancouver a few days before Joseph was born. They have flown down after each birth so far to meet our babies & to get those awesome newborn snuggles in, but this time I was hoping for something even more special.

I always felt that if I were giving birth to my babies in BC that I would want my sisters there since my mom couldn't be. But living here in Saskatoon, that makes things challenging. Knowing now that I've given birth typically right around my due date I wanted to see if Bill & Mona wanted to fly down around my due date in hopes that Mona could also be present at the birth... then they would also get to enjoy the freshest of newborn snuggles! (Who doesn't love that?)

Mona has always been a peaceful, deep & thoughtfully generous woman in my life, ever since I've known her. I knew she would be an exceptional support during labour & I'm so thankful they were able to be here. They paused their life at home for 10 days to be with us, supporting us & taking care of us. Thankfully baby boy came right on his due date, so we had time before his arrival & after for visiting & everything. I felt so surrounded by love during those 10 days. Mona (and Bill) fed both our families during that time while also prepping meals, teas & broths for me to help before & after the birth.

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On December 30th, there were signs & little things telling me that things could happen that night, so when Bill, Mona & their girls left that evening I told Mona to be prepared for a text later in the night telling her to come back to our place. We let Jonathan's dad know that he may need to come & get our girls that evening as well. We went to bed around 9/10? I don't really remember to be honest and sure enough right around 1AM, I woke up with a strong contraction. Went to the washroom & then fell back asleep only to be woken maybe 20 minutes later with another strong contraction. I woke Jonathan & told him this is it. So he got up and called his dad to come pick up the girls. I called my midwife Ros and while on the phone I was having surges... they were strong & consistent so she said she would be there in 30 minutes. (To be honest, when I heard 30 minutes, I panicked a little remembering my labour with Pippa was only ONE hour total, thinking... will she get here in time?) Thankfully - she did.

I messaged Mona & my two good friends Kelly & Carine that they should come to my house. It may seem like a lot of people, I know & it's not for everyone, but for me this was how I wanted things. Surrounded by those that mean so much to me, but also so they could help the midwives out if needed. I needed Jonathan to be present with me, holding me, helping me & not distracted by things like filling the pool, getting towels or other things, etc. I'm so glad I decided to have it this way, because when Ros arrived I realized labour was allllll in my back. It was back labour again, like I had with Olivia & at this point I needed Jonathan, to lean into him, hold his arms & to sway back & forth. The pool was filling up & Ros checked me & I was at 4 cm dilated. I tried to remember that it was just a number & that things could change quickly. Everyone arrived pretty much at the same time & I got into the pool because I knew that was the only thing that would be relieving for the back labour & my legs at this point were already tired from standing through the surges.

(I kind of love this photo. Jonathan supporting me. Basically it was like this the whole time I was in the pool. An image of our pregnant Blessed Mother. The kid's messy play kitchen behind us. A photo of my mom & dad on their wedding day. A dying plant on the shelf. A messy - beautiful life!) <3 

Labour intensified quickly & I felt very "pushy" soon. This was hard because I wasn't dilated enough to actually "push". I then got stuck for quite some time. Not able to really change positions & crying because I just wasn't feeling ready for another surge in my back. That back labour is just not cool, amiright? I figured that if I'm crying like this I must be in transition & getting close, but I was still stuck. Water still hadn't broken, & no progression. The second midwife Debbie showed up at some point as well & they had me move my hips a bit to try & move the baby's positioning & while that was so hard to do, it worked & soon after my water broke! (Hooray, but also... you know what's coming once that cushion of water is gone). Ros announced that the water was super vernixy & she hadn't seen water that vernixy before.

Soon, I was pushing! When his head was born Ros announced that there's tons of hair waving around in the water. I again, wasn't surprised because I knew this baby would have a head of dark hair. Then all of a sudden Ros said to me "catch your baby Liz!" I didn't realize that I would get to catch my baby, so it didn't register right away what she was saying. She said again, "grab your baby Liz!" So I reached down & pulled up out of the water, our sweet boy. I felt for so long like I was stuck & I didn't realize that I was at that point of catching my baby, so I was shocked but what an incredible moment in my life... I got to catch my baby boy & bring him up out of the water into my arms. It was a beautiful surprise as well because I didn't think I would get to catch my baby! I held him briefly, then showed Jonathan so he could see what we had. I knew it was my Joseph from my dream, but Jonathan got to check & see that yes, indeed, it was our son. Putting him back on my chest, the tears came. After three hours of back labour, our son Joseph Stephen arrived in the waters on his due date: December 31st, 2019 at 4:19AM. He was my smallest baby but not by much. 8 lbs, 5.5 oz & 20ish inches long. 

And ALL the dark fuzzy hair. He was so fuzzy.

After some time holding him & delivering the placenta, I handed him to Jonathan & got out of the pool to dry off & get into bed. After getting all checked & sorted out, I got to try nursing him & he started to nurse as if he had been nursing for the past 9 months. We couldn't believe how perfect he truly was. We officially decided he was for sure our Joseph Stephen & after nursing, Jonathan got some more skin to skin while I got to go shower. We all visited for some time, while the midwives tidied, did their paper work, did measurements & checked over the placenta. Ros discovered that the placenta was actually in the shape of a HEART which she also had never seen that before... so incredible.

After more time passed, the midwives left us to be alone with our son & Kelly & Carine left as well. Mona stayed up for sometime doing her magic in the Kitchen then she napped downstairs. The next day, our girls came back with their papa & got to meet their baby brother. I've never seen them smile so much, especially Olivia. She was SO proud to have her baby brother. My brother came by shortly after with his girls & they got to meet Joe as well. Mona during this time got some baby snuggles also while also prepping so much beautiful nourishing food & tea for me.
I felt like my mom was hugging me this whole time.

Words don't adequately describe how grateful I am for the support I've received but especially for a beautiful home water birth with no issues, for incredible midwives & for my family, especially for Mona & Bill. Each time I reflect on his birth I am brought to tears & I'm not sure that will change anytime soon. I'm eternally grateful for this joyful moment in my life where God gave me the gift of a THIRD baby earth side & a beautiful, safe & memorable home birth. Such a gift that I will always remember.
Our New Years Eve's will now always hold so much more joy than ever before.

Joseph Stephen Roth
12-31-19
8lbs 5.5 oz

Bathroom Renovations Before & After

The long awaited bathroom renovation post is here.

Let's start from the beginning shall we?


I bought this house about 3.5 years ago. It was built in 1949, so... she be old. But in pretty good condition. There are 2 bathrooms in the whole house, one upstairs on the main floor and one downstairs. This bathroom was never in terrible condition, but this last year it was really starting to look pretty darn dated & like it needed some repairs. The tile on the floor was cracking, the grout in the tub was mouldy and old, the paint on the wall was chipping away. And the walls were umm... not too straight. Although it had been working well for us, we figured we should one day renovate it to prevent it from getting to that REALLY BAD point. I also, really didn't want a major renovation looming over Jonathan's head with a newborn. I wanted to be able to just enjoy each other and our baby for awhile before taking on another big house project. SO, it was decided that when we got back from our holidays late August, that the next 8 weeks would be hustle time... and well... it worked. We got it done ALL before baby Roth's arrival.

So, let's get into it. Grab a coffee or tea... or a beer. It's a long post.


Here's the before:

Dated and old wall colour. & fixtures... it was actually like a pale yellow. Dated baseboards. Holes in the wall & major cracking above the tub on the back wall. (This is actually where we found a tiny bit of water damage once we took the wall down). When I first moved into this house, there was a really old school sliding glass door instead of the shower curtain. So, that was removed awhile ago and a lovely boring white shower curtain with a curtain rod was put in it's place. Obviously that had to go.

To save on money, we kept the vanity & tub. And of course the cool mason jar holder thing my amazing carpenter hubby made for me.

We also kept this cupboard/storage unit to again, save on money. The backsplash tile is actually the same tile that was in the shower/tub area. Silly me though, I forgot to get a before photo of the tub area. But trust me y'all... it was pretty bad.

The floor. Not terrible, but there was obviously some uneven floor as there was a bunch of cracking going on and pieces coming up. Just needed something fresh and new!

Now onto the process...

1. Demolition

We discovered this cool little shelving unit behind out mirror. Also, the shower head was never actually screwed onto anything...

This bathroom was insulated with wood chips basically, which was common for that year. As you can see they sink which means the top bit of the wall is not actually insulted. Also, where that pink insulation is... there was a window there apparently at one point.

2. Re-framing, re-insulated & adding in studs as there were hardly any. Also adding in cement board on the back wall & of course dry wall for our new walls.

It was at this point that we ran into a bit of a plumbing issue. We were very grateful that everything had been going pretty smoothly. So, after not being able to find certain pieces, we got Jonathan's uncle and dad to help us and put in a whole new piping system for the tub, so instead of two handles, using the same shower head, etc. we turned it into a one handle system with a new shower head. Getting this help saved us at least $300, so we are so grateful for his uncle helping us!

Dry wall is all up & ready for mudding. Floor is ready to get tile put on.

3. Flooring

We found this tile at Habitat for Humanity. We went with a bigger tile, so we wouldn't need as many & wouldn't have to make as many cuts. The nice thing about a small bathroom is the money you can save! This floor cost us $36!

4. Mudding, Sanding, Priming & of course... tiling

Jonathan and I actually completed tiling the entire tub together in one day. Super impressed my pregnant body was able to keep up all day. We were pretty sore the next day though from the constant bending over & squatting. Walls are done, ready for paint, and the tiles we grouted later on.

5. Painting

Originally I was thinking of doing a more neutral green colour. But since there's no natural light in this bathroom, I felt it was going to look a bit muddy. So, we went with more of a clean fresh mint/green colour.

Now for the final touches and completed bathroom...

Please just ignore the yellow front of the tub. We have yet to figure out what to put at the base of the tub and to cover the yellow plastic look. Also, the shower curtain is a tad short in my opinion, so we may one day look for a longer one... but in the mean time, this will do.

New door framing & new toilet. We went with Kohler and got it on sale for about $250.

I'm in love with our like new tub & subway tile wall...

The tile grout is actually a lot lighter in real life but the pictures are making it seem darker. In reality it's more of a light silver grout.

Before & After:

And there you have it! Roth bathroom renovation complete in just 4 weeks. I have to give a final shout out to my husband. He would work all day, then come straight home to work on the bathroom till late in the evenings. He did the majority of the work, while I did cleaning & assisting where I could. He's a rockstar & I'm so beyond grateful for him & for all that he does. 

And as a final note... keep in mind, it is very doable to renovate an entire bathroom all while keeping your costs down. This renovation did NOT cost us $10,000 because we chose to reuse some things, get things second hand & of course did the work ourselves.

Now it's time for us to sit back, relax & enjoy the fruits of our labour...

And hopefully soon, we can enjoy our baby after my impending labour. ;)

21 weeks

I probably should have mentioned that the other big event last week was that this little coconut has been making his/her presence known. I've been feeling tons of little movements starting last week & even more so this week! If I stop to think about it too much, it gets a little creepy, but generally it's a pretty amazing feeling. Reassuring as well!

I feel as though my belly hasn't been growing too much. According to Jonathan... "it's just filling out nicely now." I think that's a good thing, but I just haven't decided yet. ;)

And in other news, our garden is doing so well this year! We are so excited to start diving into these fresh veggies & fruit. We finally got some rain in this desert prairie land & when that happens, you can bet I'm outside snapping shots of our little green patch of yummy. If you have a little bit of space, you can really save yourself a bit of money & get some nice, fresh & organic food right at home! Don't be afraid to try it out. Our novice garden last year surprisingly did quite well & although we are still amateur gardeners this year, it's still enjoyable when you get to eat the food you grew yourself!

So help me, if caterpillars eat my spinach, I WILL throw a pregnant lady fit. And it won't be pretty.

Until next week my e-friends...

Big X's & O's to you!

19 weeks

19 weeks baby! I'm hoping y'all still want these progress reports, but I could be wrong. 

Y'all know where the exit is, but read on if you're curious. ;)

This little coconut is actually about the size of a mango now... pretty crazy as at one point it was the size of a raspberry. I'm pretty sure this little one is kind of very lazy & also likes pizza. (Could have sworn I felt kicks right after eating pizza). 

... at least that's what I'm saying. So if Jonathan plays his cards right, there will be lots more pizza in my future. 

I can thankfully still see my toes & can still bend over my belly to paint them as well, but I don't see myself keeping that up for much longer.

This last week has been full of a whole lot of nothing new. {riveting isn't it?!} Belly is continuing to grow, I'm still working out & eating about every 1.5 hours. Swimming lots & counting down the days till the outdoor pools open. Ordered our new couch from Ikea & it arrives in 2 weeks! Do we have names picked out already? Yes. We have a general list of names we like already, just depends when this bambino comes out & what name he/she will suite.  

And in other non bump date news... our little bird house appears to have been attacked, likely by a cat. The momma chickadee stopped taking care of her last remaining babies as we went from 8 babies, to 5 & now 3. We decided to take them to Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation centre so they could be taken care of. 

My pregnant self was devastated with the whole ordeal... literal tears happened as I dropped them off.

(here are the survivalists, napping away, naturally).

Now, time for my nap. More to come next week as we approach the half way mark! I know you're excited. I can feel your enthusiasm through my computer screen.

Ciao!!

16 weeks

Week 16 has been flying by! Not much to report except that things be getting quite painful up in here already. Yikes! I still have a long way to go!

The most eventful thing of this week was probably our big Kijiji find. Purchased our first big baby item. I had been looking for just the right dresser/change table that was solid wood, had good storage and at a good price, but still cute/handsome for a boy or girl... then found this gem!

We obviously still have quite a bit of work to do in this spare room/storage/office/nursery... space is limited, but we'll figure out how to work it all out. The other big event was finding out our chickadees are having babies... 9 of them!! According to wikipedia we should expect the eggs to be hatching as early as next Friday!!

Now for the bump date... here you are. ;) Ps. I'm looking for a new SLR camera... any suggestions?

16 weeks!! Heard baby's heart beat on Friday and it was nice & loud & super fast! Yay!

heart of a minimalist

I've been working on some projects as of late, which has sadly kept me from my blog. But, let's stop that now shall we?

My intention for this blog is to be a space where you can find lots of things. Things about fitness & health. Things about work, personal development, random stories, adventures, house stuff, gardening stuff... all the stuff. With so many blogs these days being more and more about nothing, I wanted to make sure this blog doesn't become that. I hope that each blog post will be intentional, relatable, give value and/or at least brighten your day.

( View from the back yard )

So, as I had mentioned... I've been working on some projects. One big one being what I will dub "Project Home". I'm not a big DIY - girl... I try, but a lot of the time I lack patience to get things done, so I just don't start. But anyways, for those of you that don't know... we live in a pretty small house. About 745 square feet. And we actually only get to live in the upstairs as we have tenants in the basement suite. So, it's not a lot of space. Which means we have to be creative. Very creative. But I love the challenge & actually love the opportunity to learn more about how much our society wants us to have so many things in order to bring us happiness, however all these things we have do the opposite. So, I enjoy the task of practicing being minimal & not always buying things that don't benefit me & my family.

Last year I counted the number of times we went through our closet to get rid of clothes and we hit a total of 6 times! This year already, I still feel like we have too much and I have already gone through the closet/house twice. I'm not sure if this is a healthy thing or just an addiction of mine to toss things, but it's one of the greatest feelings. We are becoming more and more free of having things in our life that take up our space. Things we don't care about, things we never wear... just too many things. One day I'll post a before & after of our closet/house when I'm satisfied with where we are, and you'll see what I've done. To some people it may be drastic and perhaps our house looks plain to most people, but I like plain, clean & simple. I like open space, no clutter & a minimal amount of "stuff" in my nice calm space. And besides, not having a tv has it's perks... encourages us to go outside more, right?!

So, part of this years Project Home:

- be satisfied with the clothes & items we currently have
- organize closet so that we have the basic clothes we need, while not looking like garbage at the same time
- practice letting go of things both physical & spiritual.... often
- make some bigger purchases to allow for more storage to create cleanliness & no clutter
- finish painting!!
- have more of nature inside

If you're reading this and thinking "yup... I could lose a few things/clothes in my house" I encourage you to listen to that & do something about it! Take an afternoon to go through your house and ask yourself "Do I need this/use this?" "Will I miss this if I give it away?" If you answered "NO!" then toss it! :)


Any other minimalists out there? Any tips for us?