1. What is your first name? You can call me MK or Mandi. :)
2. Where do you live? Where were you born? I was born and still live in PA. I've been here all my life.
3. What is one of your favorite books? Thinking back to my childhood, it was probably Bridge to Terabithia. It was the first book to have the power to make me cry. It felt so real. My fourth grade teacher instilled a love of reading in me and I've always been in the middle of several books at once since then. Recently some of my favorites have been The Help and Water for Elephants and oh yeah, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. I know I'm missing some here!
4. What was the last fun purchase you made? Probably my Android phone in July. I've been really behind the times and am just loving having it. DH & I made the switch from the "big 4" providers and got the Motorola Triumph from Virgin Mobile. We were scared to leave the "big 4" but it's turned out to be a great decision for us - we get way more for less money. ;)
5. What is one of your favorite go to recipes? Lasagna. It's my signature dish. I married an Italian guy and I make his family's tomato "gravy" now. I love to make the lasagna and use our homemade sauce instead of the jarred stuff.
6. If you could visit anywhere in the world where would you go and why? I've always wanted to go to Australia. I can't say for sure why. But now I'd probably settle for the West Coast since I can't see Australia happening any time in my future with LO on the way. I'd love to see Cali and the Pac NW. I wouldn't mind exploring more of Europe either. So far I've been to Germany, Austria, and Italy.
7. What are your plans for this birth? I'm having a doula and a midwife (actually, two midwives I believe, although I haven't met the second one yet) and we are planning a home birth. It is the first child for both DH and me. I was born at home and so were all my siblings, nieces, and nephews, so home birth feels very normal to me. It's very new to DH though but he's been very supportive. We will have a pool there but I know that I should just do what feels right that day, so I'm not going to say I'm having a waterbirth. It may just be that I use the pool for laboring.
8. What is your current job? I work at an insurance company. It's not the most exciting job in the world. But it pays very well so I stick it out!
9. What is one thing you like to do in your free time? Read, read, read. Lately though I feel the internet is taking away from that. I'll go online to "check one thing" and then hours go by. I really miss my books when that happens.
10. What is one of the things you are most excited for about this baby? I just can't wait to hold and cuddle and nurse my baby. What is one thing you still feel unprepared for? I'm very nervous about nursing. I guess I shouldn't say I'm unprepared though. I went to a BFing class, I've been to two LLL meetings, I've been reading about it, I ask questions, etc. It's not like I'm just wandering into this thinking if it's so natural, it will come naturally to me. I know there is a learning curve and I need to feel like I am doing everything I can now to prepare myself to learn it when I actually have a baby and milk! The house also doesn't feel all the way prepared to me yet. I'd love it if the baby's room were "done" but then I realize it doesn't really matter since we will be cosleeping (at least in the beginning).
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