39 weeks pregnant thick smoke in the air after we arrived at the base

Smoke from the fires as we evacuated

The sky lit up from the fires

On the morning of Monday, October 9th 2017 we stayed up late watching tv as my husband had the next day off work, it was around midnight when we went to bed. I woke up to pee a bit later as when you are in the end of your third trimester you pee so much you can not sleep long before you have to go. Things seemed off but I was not sure why I got back into bed and my husband got up and quickly rushed back into the room and told me we needed to evacuate and to get things together. I looked out our window to see the sky was a glowing eery orange color, ash was raining down and the sound of things exploding all around our home. We prepared to evacuate the area. I was 39 weeks pregnant as we loaded up our 5 cats, 4 chickens and our sleeping toddler into my husbands truck. I learned to never let my car get to empty that day as we could not evacuate in my car as it was on empty. We packed very little and nothing for if our sweet baby decided to join us while we were away though we had no idea how long we would be gone or if our home would still be there once the fires were out. We drove the scariest drive through back roads to my husbands work (the base was in another city). We gathered information and tried to decide what the plan was since we could not return home we had learned that the birth center where we were planning to give birth at was in an area that had much fire damage and that it may no still be there. Two hospitals near our house had been evacuated and were closed down because of the fires. We knew we had to come up with a plan to get the cats and chickens somewhere safe so we did not have them with us incase I went into labor, though I was convinced I was having the baby a week past my due date. We decided to head to the South Bay where my husband’s aunt and uncle live and his parents would meet us and take our cats and chickens to their home while we waited to figure out things. The fires were still zero percent contained and spreading  through the city. I heard from our amazing midwife and she was trying to help us make a plan for if I went into labor before we could be back and let us know they did not know the status of the birth center as she had evacuated from it with a mama in labor and they were not able to go back as it was in an evacuated zone that was still on fire. I was feeling so many things that day but mostly just in shock that this was really happening the city I was growing to love (we had just moved there in June) was being destroyed, lives were being lost it was too much to process. I cuddled with my toddler tried to enjoy what was the end of his time as my only baby. I wanted to just be thankful my family and our pets were safely out of harms way and the dangers of the fires and pray for those who were loosing everything and the ones who did not know. I knew our home was not safe yet but I felt a weird sense of peace with what it would be if we lost all our belongings as I had everything that meant the most with me, my family. The next day Tuesday, we worked on our backup plan for if I went into labor before we could go home and where we should be. Because I was going for my VBAC (vagina birth after cesarean) I needed to make sure we picked the place carefully and that they would allow me to go for my VBAC and that they had good VBAC rates and policies. I felt like we should go to Alameda as it was the city we had lived in before we moved we had lived there when we had our son, it seemed comfortable and safe given all that was going on. We booked a hotel that was right behind the apartments we had lived in before we moved. I contacted the midwife I had when I had my son to see if she could possibly take us on if I went into labor and I could have the baby at the hospital where my son was born. She unfortunately was unable to do so as she had a few mammas due any day and her partner was on vacation. The hospital she delivered at was familiar and I knew they allowed VBACs as they told me I would be a great candidate for one after my cesarean with my son (he was breech despite trying everything to flip him). As I like looked more into their rates and policies for VBACs I felt like it was not the right fit for the best chances. I felt frustrated and worried as we had worked so hard to find the birth center and our amazing midwives there and now we may not get to have them be the ones to help me succeed with my VBAC. My lovely Doula said she would still be able to come to me and that she was ok but may have to evacuate as the fires were spreading closer and closer to her home. As Tuesday drew to an end I told baby not come as I did not have a plan but we were in Alameda and had checked into our hotel which felt good we had dinner plans with friends but were too exhausted so we postponed until the next night. We spent Wednesday running some errands we took our toddler to get a toy at our favorite boutique Tot Tank on Park Street, in Alameda. While we were there the lovely owners asked us about why we were back in town. We explained it to them and they so graciously offered us a car seat to use if our baby came before we got back home to our belongings. I worked on our back up birth plan but had not finalized anything, a birth center in San Francisco was a possibility but they wanted me to come take a tour. Going into the city terrified me. We also were thinking of UCSF hospital as it had great VBAC rates but was also in the city. We then headed to the base where my husband and I had been previously stationed to visit with a friend. My husband asked me the question he had asked everyday for weeks “Are we having a baby today?”.  This time I was not sure so I answered, “I don’t think so”, instead of my usual “No”. Then we headed to our friends for dinner. They let us know they would make themselves available to watch our toddler if I went into labor in the next few days. We finished up dinner and visited for a bit before we left. We headed to Target for a few things before heading back to the hotel room for the night.

Ham Bone Broth

New Year’s Day Meal

So excited to start a New Year, we are now a family of four and look forward to all that it will bring for our family. We had a great night last night ringing in the New Year. We made some crafts and had our families traditional New Years Eve fondue. Today we are making our meal of black-eyed peas, ham, collard greens and cornbread.  This year I have decided to make it a bit differently, using the Instant pot! I made the broth from the leftover ham bone first and then made the black-eyed peas and collard greens in the yummy homemade bone broth. This year we are going to work on making more of our own things and buying less processed and pre-made things. Making our own broth was a great start this.I will be sharing some of my cooking adventures with you this year. I hope 2018 brings many great memories and moments for my family and yours.

2017 was a year filled with good and some bad for our family. We got pregnant with baby number two. My husband transferred to a new duty station on land (meaning no more long deployments at sea away from us !!!), we moved to a new city leaving behind many great friends. We got baby chickens and did some small-scale late season backyard farming. The last few months of 2017 have been a whirlwind of emotions for our family. In the very early morning hours of October 9th 2017 the city we live in was in flames and we evacuated while I was 39 weeks pregnant, while evacuated our team green baby decided to join us (a story for another post). At two months our baby got a high fever and we had a 3 day hospital stay and I spent my 32nd birthday in the hospital with my sweet baby girl. We canceled our holiday plans and stayed home to ensure that our baby girl was fully well and so we could all recuperate from the stress of the hospital stay. We are hopeful for a great year in 2018, I learned a lot in 2017 like to never take tomorrow for granted and kindness is still alive. The fires that raged through our city while everyone was sleeping were unexpected and no one thought something like that could happen before they went to bed that night. I learned that I am beyond blessed to have so many loving and caring family members and friends. So many people helped us out and offered to take our family in or lend a helping hand during the time we were evacuated. So as we head into this New Year I am going to make sure to be present in each day find the joy in everything (even the small things because some days those are the most important) and remember to be kind to others (you never know what struggles others are facing). So we started off 2018 with crafts and a fun party at home just the family. Bring on 2018!!!

3 large sweet potatoes
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

spices
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

12 (7 inch) flour tortillas
1 (19 ounce) can of green enchilada sauce
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Step 1. Cook sweet potatoes in instant pot. Put 1    Cup of water in instant pot place the trivet in and set sweet potatoes on it after they have been scrubbed and rinsed. Set to manual and 10 minutes let manually release for 5 minutes. While the sweet potatoes cool, take out the cream cheese to soften. Once they are cool enough to peel (usually around 10 minutes) peel and place in a bowl.

Step 2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and grease a 13×9 inch baking dish.

Step 3. Add softened cream cheese and spices to the bowl with the sweet potatoes and mash until well blended.

Step 4. Place about 1/3 cup of sweet potato filling down the center of each tortilla, roll it up, and place filled tortillas seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Pour enchilada sauce over the tortillas, and sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese. Cover with aluminum foil.

Step 5.  Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until the enchiladas are bubbling and the cheese is beginning to brown.

Step 6. Pour yourself a margarita while you wait and enjoy that dinner is cooking!

Note: I love to double this recipe and freeze the extra portion after step 4 (when freezing I use my food saver and place them in a food saver bag. I also leave out the enchilada sauce and the cheese until the day I cook them)

My husband and I were both active duty Coast Guard when we began planning to have our first child. I was stationed on land and he was stationed on a ship that deployed for months at a time. We got lucky and became pregnant on the first try. Being pregnant and active duty military was an adventure, to say the least. After a confirmed pregnancy test, I had two weeks to let my boss know. Once I was two months pregnant I began looking for child care for once the baby arrived. I looked at the childcare development center on base and was placed on a 2-year waitlist.  I knew that would not work so I began the daunting task of finding childcare for once the baby arrived. Every place I contacted had a 2-year or longer waitlist. My husband and I became very discouraged and began looking at other options. We discovered a program that allowed you to temporarily separate from active duty military service in The Coast Guard to care for a newborn for up to two years while they hold your spot for you. I applied and it was approved to begin a couple of months after my due date (this allowed me to take my maternity leave and use up my vacation days prior to separating). This allowed me to get a paycheck for a bit longer also which would be helpful since this was an unexpected life change for our family. Going from active duty military for almost 9-years  to being a SAHM was a huge adjustment. I had zero friends locally that had children and my family was across the country so I felt very alone at first. I had gotten involved with a mama group online while pregnant and it was helpful but I craved in-person interaction.  I found a local mama group through a Facebook group and it was wonderful.  They had lots of meet-ups and I got the in-person interaction I craved. I think part of me craved this even more than some as my husband was deployed a lot and for months at a time. Once finding my community being a SAHM was so much more satisfying. Everyone is different and craves different things for me I need adult in-person interaction to help my sanity. As mammas it is important we realize what we need and we work to take care of those needs as they make us better mammas, or at least that is what my experience has been.