Elf on the Shelf...

          I discovered "The Elf on the Shelf" last year while I was pregnant with Brooklyn. Another one of those things you learn from being addicted to Babycenter. I had discussed the idea with Jay but of course he had no idea what I was speaking about. However, this Christmas season opened the window of conversation for us! ABC showed a special Christmas cartoon about The Elf on the Shelf. Jay, like I, thought it was such an awesome idea to get the kids(all kids, not just mine) into the Christmas spirit. Now I admit that I ruined Christmas, Easter, the tooth fairy, and any other hope for an imagination for Matt and Bri. I always told them the aforementioned people were made up. I did this for one reason... Oprah! I don't watch Oprah but I remember when I was pregnant with Matt seeing an episode where they were discussing the things we tell our children. Her guest at the time had said she never mentioned Santa or anyone else to her children in fear they would grow up thinking she was just a liar and they couldn't believe anything she told them. I was 15, that's my excuse for believing this BS. Because of stupid Oprah, my kids have no imagination what-so-ever. God help me though, I'm trying to make up for it. 

         Now obviously Brooklyn is too young to understand the concept of the Elf on the Shelf and Matt and Bri are too old for it (not to mention I think I've already scarred them too much to really enjoy the game). So we wont be buying said elf until next year. I am however on the look out for ideas to do with our elf . Yesterday on Facebook, a friend had posted a link to a blog actually making fun of the moms that do the elf. After reading over it and having a good laugh I was interested in the ideas this woman was actually making fun of. I HAD to find the blog of the woman being humiliated just for entertaining her child's imagination! I click the link to the 101 Elf on the Shelf Ideas... her blog post had been deleted. She was infuriated about her blog being used in reference to bashing over-achieving moms. I can't say I blame her though, I'm sure I would be a little butt sore if someone was making fun of something I enjoyed do with/for my kiddos. Why do people think it's okay to make fun of someone's parenting style? I guess that's a-whole-nother post though, so we won't get into that. My search sends me to facebook... doesn't everything these days! I finally find the author I'm looking for though and of course she's complaining on Facebook about the blog and all of her "followers" are trying their best to virtually comfort her and convince her to put her blog post back up. This morning I get on Facebook to find that she has finally re-posted it! Thank God too considering I'm not really a very creative person when it comes to this kind of stuff. So now we have 101 Elf on the Shelf Ideas!
These are seriously some awesome ideas. I haven't had the time to read over all of them but after seeing a photo of cotton balls it gave me an idea of my own (at least I'm hoping it's my own idea and not on the list). Since it doesn't snow in Florida, I was thinking a mock snow ball fight with cotton balls. All of these ideas make me look forward to messing up my house! How fun would that be for the kids to wake up one morning only to find cotton balls spread out and thrown about in the family room?!

          On my journey to restore my children's imagination I've been trying to do some things this year that are a little more age appropriate for Matt and Bri. The last two days we've been working on homemade ornaments. Wednesday was spent mixing the dough, punching out cookie cutter shapes, and baking. We started them kinda late in the day since the kids had school and they take about 2 hours to bake enough to get hard. I'm sure we still have a few semi-soft ones... I get a little impatient at times. 

Last night we painted them... wait for it... with our fingers! After the kids went to bed and the paint was dried I added some glitter paint to a few of the ornaments just to give them that extra sparkle. I have to say, I had fun making them and I definitively think they turned out pretty cute.  I'm not sure if we are going to put some varnish on them or not. The recipe doesn't say anything about doing the varnish but "The Chew" says you should.  Jay thinks we should. Either way, I can't wait to hang them on the tree!

I need more ideas though. Nothing fancy just stuff to keep my older two entertained and not fighting. I'm so tired of the fighting in my house between them. I need the happiness, laughter, and smiles back! 

Christmas is coming!

I'm getting so excited for Brooklyn's first Christmas. I haven't had much of the Christmas spirit since Bri's 1st Christmas. This year is different though and I'm sure it's because of the 3 kiddos. We bought Brooklyn a 3-n-1 Exersaucer, it goes through stages. 1st stage is for 0-3 months, basically it's just a mat that they lay on and play with toys for tummy time. 2nd stage is the exersaucer, she bounce, spin, and rock. Along with the tons of toys that are attached to it. I can't wait for Christmas day to get here in it. I actually tried to get J to let her go ahead and have it but alas, he told me no =(  !  We went Sunday to do the rest of our Christmas shopping. I left Brooklyn with my mom for the first time, I'm not talking about she's been left with other people just not my mom... no... I have never left her with ANYONE before Sunday. I was pretty anxious about it, took me every bit an hour to leave my mom's house to go shopping. Jay made sure to keep my mind off her when we left so I did pretty good overall. Too bad I can't say the same for Brookie though. She threw a fit the whole time I was gone, and clung to me as soon as she seen me. Wouldn't let anyone else hold her.  We picked up a lot of stuff for the kiddos, unfortunately I can't say what they are though. Matt is pretty sneaky and would probably get on here to see if I said anything! I will tell you that we also bought Brookie some clothes, a squigly (I'm not sure they are called, it's a ball that plays sounds, music, counting, and wiggles across the floor), Sophie (She's this amazing 100% natural rubber teething toy from France!) and now that I'm trying to write it all down I can't remember the rest! That's usually how it goes right! We gave her Sophie last night because her gums bother her so much and I don't like giving her orajel too often. She seemed to love it. Not a single inch of it wasn't covered in slobber lol. 

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She finally laughed!

It's been too long!

I really have no excuse as to why I haven't blogged in a while. Laziness maybe?
Anyway, Brooklyn is now 4 months and 2 weeks. At her 4 month check up she was only 12lbs. Her Dr. didn't seem worried though and said that just by looking at her he can tell she's just fine and her weight is nothing to be concerned about. He also said we should wait until about 6 months before starting solids. I'm perfectly okay with that seeings as how I really want to buy a food processor and make her baby food instead of buying the crap at the store that has stuff added into it. 
We are taking her tomorrow to get pictures with Santa. I'm really hoping she will cooperate and not start screaming. Not much has been going on lately, just getting ready for Christmas and trying to narrow down Matt's behavioral problems. It's been a constant struggle for us all but we are trying to work through it the best we can.  
I've been working on getting my business up and going. Right now just concentrating on crochet projects but in Feb./March will be doing some sewing. Hopefully by then Brooklyn will let me get more done. She's snoozing away now so I guess it's time to try to lay her in her crib with out her waking up! Night for now!

Some randomness for your enjoyment!

This past week has been horrible! I'm not going to say why, but I will say that it's problems with Matt. Seems to be making it a trend these days. Thank God tomorrow is Friday though! I've spent about 5 hours total today alone organizing lists/coupons for shopping this weekend, not to mention the 6+ hours I spent last week clipping those coupons. Not much really going on around here though, of course there really never is. Shoot, half the time, I don't even want to leave my house anymore! Either way, here's some pics I wanted to share. 

 Little Miss Brooklyn loves drooling/sucking/gnawing on everything and everything she can get near her mouth!

                                                          I'm pretty sure that this is my absolute favorite time of the day. When she nurses, she looks up at me and just stares at me. She rubs my arm and plays with my shirt strap. When it's bedtime, she'll eat till her belly is full then when she knows I'm looking down at her she'll grin real big and let out the cutest laugh ever!

<----- That's the laugh/smile I get right after she eats and knows it's bedtime/nap time!

                                                       Brooklyn and I love being outside this time of day. The breeze is amazing and the temps are just right. And the sky is the prettiest blue!

Matt is actually grounded for the next 2 weeks. He's writing sentences here because he was caught doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing!

                                                     Bri's favorite past-time... Reading!

<------ Coupon binder

                                                                         Side view--->

<-------  Coupons!!!


















The difference 25lbs makes

Picture overload!

Brooklyn is 3 months old! (09/27/11)

Laying with Daddy before bed

Laying with her bubby and sissy! 

Look at my feet!

She loves laughing!

Sometimes she'll fall asleep in the weirdest positions!

We ordered Baby First TV, she loves it, so I play the videos on the computer sometimes and she watches them on the laptop. 

Fall at last!

At 5am this morning the news informed me it was officially Fall! Oh how I love fall weather. I will say that it's too bad we live in Florida though. Fall weather in Florida is NOT the same as Fall weather in Arkansas! I miss the beautiful colors of the leaves when they change colors, all the orange and reds. It's really breathtaking, not to mention the perfect temperatures for just about everything! 
Something else really amazing happened today too... Brooklyn laughed for the first time! It was the cutest thing ever and it was a true laugh, not her raspy laugh that sounds more like a grunt/cough either. I stood her up on my dresser where she could see herself in my big mirror. She loved it. She stood there making faces at herself then just started laughing really hard. Jay got his mom on the phone so she could hear Brooklyn laugh too. I tried to get her to laugh when I had Stella on the phone but I guess she had had enough of the mirror by that time. 
  I have a countdown going on till income taxes! I really can't wait. I finally get my sewing machine. I'm in the process of trying to start up a business too. I have this natural talent of sewing and would at least like to put it to good use. I already have my first order and I made it clear that I wouldn't be ready to start until February. She was okay with that too. I'm not looking to start making a bunch of money right away either. I'm trying to keep a realistic mind about everything. I'm am pretty confident that I can do it though. 
     My "All My Children" ended today. It was sad watching it all this week. I don't think there wasn't a day that I didn't cry. I know that sounds pretty dumb but I've been watching this show since I was in Kindergarten. The last show really sucked though. I hated the way the ended it. I mean come on, who ends a show (completely done, never making another one) with a cliffhanger? Who the hell did J.R. shoot? Was it Marissa or did Erica get in the way and she was shot instead? And who was the second person that David had hidden? So many questions and there will never be any answers. I wonder if we could get lucky and they make a movie with all these answers? That would be pretty awesome. Though I know I could never go see it in theaters, definitely have to wait for that one to go on DVD lol. 
   All the kids are finally in bed and now I'm thinking that I should probably get things picked up and get in bed too. Brooklyn hasn't been sleeping as late at night the last few nights. Last night she woke up after 3 1/2 hours. I can't wait for her to start sleeping 5+ hours again! Goodnight everyone! 

What everyone else has been up to lately...

Jay and I are trying to get the kids to start acting their age. They don't seem to understand that they are growing up and they can't continue acting like the baby all the time. We're pretty sure Matt is going through puberty already. I don't think I need to go into why I believe that lol. All I'm going to say about that is it's just way to early for me to be dealing with that issue! The kids started school a week and a half ago. So far so good. Matt's teacher has been out though due to an emergency eye surgery. I'm trying to get the kids to invite some friends over to stay the night next weekend. Bri has to have someone other than Angelina though because I swear those two act like they are inseparable and she really needs to make other friends as well. Matt just doesn't really get along with many people so I'm really trying to encourage him to make more friends. I even told him to find someone with an Xbox and they can bring their controller over and the boys can play Xbox together. Hopefully he can control his attitude and make some friends. Speaking of his attitude, we have an appointment for the 12th for him to start seeing a psychologist instead of his psychiatrist, we don't really care to much for her! This new one we are seeing is supposed to set up plans for us to work with him better at home as well and not just give him meds. With the onset of puberty, his attitude towards people is getting so much worse. I seriously hope we can get this under control! And soon!

Brooklyn is 2 months (8/27/11)

Our baby girl is 2 months old already. This time seems to be flying... it's almost scary! She learned how to roll over from her belly to her back at 6 1/2 weeks. It was amazing watching her. She would get so frustrated at herself then when she would finally turn over she would be as calm as can be. She's smiling more and I swear she's laughing too. Her smile is so beautiful, especially when you are talking to her and she just looks up at you and grins so big or when she smiles after getting kisses. It just makes me feel so warm inside knowing that I'm making my baby girl happy. She had her 2 month check up/shots last Monday (3 days ago). She's now 9lbs 14oz and 22 1/2 inches long. They gave her that first shot in her thigh and she screamed louder than I've ever heard her scream. I was holding one hand and Jay was holding the other while rubbing her hair, we tried making her feel safe but it just didn't help. As soon as she started crying, so did I. I tried holding it back as much as I could though. When the Dr. laid her on her belly, she got up on her arms with her head and shoulders up and was showing them how big she is. The Dr. said they don't usually start doing that until around 4 months. She's so determined already to do everything. Poor baby doesn't realize she needs to pace herself! I think she wants to grow up faster than she's meant to. I don't want her to grow up yet, I want her to stay my perfect little baby that plays with my shirt and necklace while she's nursing. 

She's growing so fast!

Brooklyn is growing up so fast on me. It's exciting and sad all at the same time! She's only 6 weeks old and already trying to roll over on to her back. It was so exciting to watch. I'm really glad Jay was home to watch her too though. We know he's going to miss so much while he's at work. It was amazing to watch her lay on her back, prop her head up with her arm and start kicking her legs while scooting her butt while trying to turn. It's just so awesome how they know what to do already with out having to be taught. She was getting so mad that she couldn't do it. She'd cry the whole time she was trying to flip but then would be calm as could be when she would stop to take a break. She just amazes me every day!

Weight Loss Plan starts Sunday!

Monday I will finally hit 6 weeks postpartum! I know I probably could have started a weight loss plan sooner than this but I really wanted to wait just to be 100%. Found a site with a week by week (4 week plan) meal plan w/shopping list. Looks like it might get a little pricey but that's okay. I've lost 23lbs by just giving birth and breastfeeding but I would love to lose 45-50 more pounds. I admit that I will need the help too since I've never really known how to do this on my own. I'm holding my head up and not giving up though. I HAVE TO DO THIS! I have to do it for my family and my babies! So I guess the plan for now is to print out the meal plans and figure out how much of each thing I will have to buy. I know I will have to make changes to them since I don't like greek yogurt (found that one out today! That crap tastes like spoiled cream cheese!) and I definitely don't like fish. Speaking of fish, why is fish one of the main things they put in diet plans? Do they not realize that not everyone (me) likes fish!  Guess I better get off here and get these printed off before I end up closing them out! 

There's a name for that!

I'm going to be honest here... while raising Matt and Bri I have totally been winging it this whole time! I mean seriously, 11 years ago the internet was nothing like it is today. Needless to say, I did my research this time around. I knew there were better ways to do things and wanted to find out what I could do to be a better parent from the beginning. After doing my research and deciding what was best for me, baby, and my family I now know that I fall into a particular group of people, this also happens to be a group that many people (I know personally, and also those that live in my region) don't exactly agree with. The good news? I'm the type of person that couldn't care less what people think of me and my decisions! So let's go over this group that I fall into... or maybe it's groups? 


I don't exactly fall completely into the crunchy group as I don't follow the entire "natural" parenting plan. I think I'm more Semi-Crunchy! What do I mean you ask? Well, IF I could have had my epidural then I would have, though experiencing it natural for the first time without a choice leaves me feeling very differently and I can say 100% that if Jay and I have another in a few years, I will be doing it natural, this time it will be planned though! I don't grow my own garden for food (I kill plants, not intentionally though!), had I went to 39 weeks, I WOULD have agreed to be induced (once again, not sure if I would feel this way again though). However, I do breastfeed, cloth diaper,and  plan on making my own baby food.
I also fit into the category of Attachment parenting. I fit into this group of people because I breastfeed, babywear, co-sleep, want to parent a more natural way when it comes to comforting instead of allowing my baby to cry or self soothe (it just breaks my heart to watch her cry). I had no idea this was a "type" of parenting that had a name and all. I just thought I was doing what I felt was best for us. Then with a little research I found myself reading about attachment parenting on Dr.Sears.com... I'm pretty sure I used to secretly make fun of people on babycenter when they would post threads about "following" the Dr. Sears parenting books but now look at me doing reading on his page! I guess now I'm eating my words! Oh well, we are happy and that's all that matters... right?  Well, maybe I'll post some links a little later, right now though... time for dinner!

Lactation Cookies!

Just found the recipe for lactation cookies, they help increase your supply! Wanted to copy it here for all the other breast feeders out there and so I don't forget where to find it before I can get it printed out!




Makes 12 dozen! (holy crap that's a lot!)
1 C butter
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
4 T water
2 T flaxseed meal (no subs)
2 Lg eggs
1 t vanilla
2 C flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
3 C Thick cut oats
1 C Chocolate chips
2 T Brewers Yeast (no substitutions)



Preheat oven at 375.

Mix 2 T of flaxseed meal and water, set aside 3-5 minutes.
Cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs.
Stir flaxseed mix into butter mix and add vanilla.
Beat until well blended.
Sift: dry ingredients, except oats and choc chips.
Add butter mix to dry ing.
Stir in the oats and then the choc chips.
Drop on parchmant paper on baking sheet.
Bake 8-12 minutes.

A month has almost passed...

I still can't believe that my baby girl will be a month old this week. It's crazy how fast they grow and fast the time flies by. 
 It's been hard to find the time to update you all about her progress, well, our progress I guess would make more sense right!? I guess it would be best if I started at the beginning of her life since my last update was her birth story.


Birth-2weeks old
Before leaving the hospital we had an interesting meeting with the pediatric doctor. Apparently Brooklyn had lost about 5% of her birth weight in the first 24 hours. No one told us she how much she had lost or what her weight was before the pedi came in and talked to us. She comes in and starts demanding that I supplement with formula. I refused to and attempted to explain my reasons but she interrupted me and literally started yelling at me. She told me that I didn't care if I caused my baby to go brain dead. I couldn't believe this woman was talking to me like this. It was just insane. Well anyway, she refused to see Brooklyn the rest of the time we were in the hospital so I had to find a different pedi to see her in order for her to be released the next day. The nurse found one for me because she believed in my reasons for not wanting to supplement and thought it was great that I wanted to only breast feed. The condition of releasing her was that I had to take her to her regular pedi 2 days after being released.Her weight the day we went home was down 10%, she went from 6lbs at birth to 5lbs 6oz coming home.  Friday (2 days after release). First, when they measured her length, they screwed up some how and she measured 18in. I was like what the hell, she was born at 19in. She redid it and it came out right the second time. She weighed 5lbs 7oz. The pediatrition tried to convince me that I needed to supplement with formula. I feel very strongly against this and gave her my reasons on why I didn't want to do this and wanted to try anything else before resulting to formula. This one actually listened to me but still suggested to supplement. When we left, I told Jay there was no way I was going to supplement. She was obviously gaining something, my milk was just coming in, and I really wanted to get breast feeding down. I had to do something though to get her to gain more weight by our next appointment. which was the following Tuesday. The ultimate decision turned out that I would pump and give her milk in a bottle in order to see how much she was actually eating. This turned out to be a bad idea, but I will get into that later! Tuesday (1 week 1day old, 2nd weigh in appointment and 2 week check up) Everything was good, we were really more interested in her weight. She weighed in at 5lbs 10oz. So she was gaining weight thankfully. I decided no more bottle, back to nursing since she was clearly gaining. That didn't go as well as planned though. We were now dealing with nipple confusion. She didn't want to nurse at all. We fought with this for almost 2 weeks. I researched everything I could think of. Unfortunately my insurance doesn't cover a LC so that was out of the question. A LL group wasn't available at the time either do to having to drive over an hour to get to one. Finally I found a nipple shield. This was my last option. My milk was running low since she wasn't stimulating my supply anymore and was only nursing once a day. I had to fix it somehow!


2-4 Weeks
My nipple shield finally came in and let me just say, it was the miracle that we needed! No more bottle. They suggest that after nursing with it for a few minutes, you take it off and trying nursing with out using it. That wasn't working so well though. However, I was okay with that, I was just happy that she was finally nursing and building my supply back up. After a couple of days we started to notice that she was getting really fussy and wasn't sleeping much during the day. She would go to sleep then wake up not 10 minutes later. She was also trying to nurse every 30 minutes instead of every 2-3 hours like normal. Back to the research! I came up with 2 explanations... 1. too much caffeine, and 2. she was cluster feeding. So instead of drinking soda all day (which I'm not supposed to anyway since I'm BF) I cut down to 1-2 caffeinated sodas a day and 1 cup of coffee in the mornings. The rest of the day is water or sprite.  Now she's a much happier baby! She's very spoiled already though, always wants to be held. There's a lot of times that she wont sleep unless she's being held. I imagine that since she's breast feeding she's more comfortable being held all the time than laying in her bed or play pen bassinet. I'm okay with that for the most part though, except when I have things that really need to get done. At her 2 week appointment she weighed 6lbs 3 oz. Very happy she was past her birth weight, especially since they only expected her to at least reach her birth weight by that time. We have days that she's not a happy camper and I get a little overwhelmed at times with trying to calm her down and Matt and Bri constantly fighting but thankfully I have Jay here to step in and help calm me down by taking care of one of the two situations. Brooklyn is still cluster feeding some days and I'm not pumping anymore like I should be so that makes it a little difficult when she does the cluster feedings. She sucks me dry and then we have to give her a bottle. That's really the only time she gets one now, well then and when Jay helps out with night time feedings. I am really not looking forward to him going back to work next week! 

2 weeks pics!

Brooklyn Nicole Has Arrived!

Monday June 27th I woke up at 2am to go pee like normal. I had only been in bed since 12:30am. so waking that early for the bathroom was a little unusual for me. After wiping I noticed some light blood and the first thing out of my mouth was "Oh Crap!" Jay had just gone to bed right before I got up so he asked what was wrong. After telling him what happened he asked if we needed to go to the hospital. I honestly wasn't sure what to do as I had never had any bleeding with my other two. I called labor and deliver at the hospital but was told that I didn't need to come in unless my water broke, it was period like blood, or if I couldn't walk or talk through the contractions. I wasn't even sure I was having contractions so I opted to hang out at home for a while. The contractions started coming about 30 minutes after hanging up the phone but they still weren't that bad. I honestly thought they were the normal braxton hicks contractions that I had been having since the Tuesday before. Now that I think about it though, I realize that what I thought were braxton hicks were actual contractions. I tried laying back down around 3am but the contractions were keeping me up so I decided to just stay up, play some game lounge on the tv, and see what happens. Around 5am  they had been coming bad enough that they were stopping me in my tracks every time I went to walk. Still not terrible but knew that we needed to start getting things ready. I woke Jay up after calling my mom. It took us about an hour to get everything ready for us to head to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital around 7am. Got hooked up to the contraction monitor and had my cervix checked. The nurse said I was only at 3cm. I don't think she wanted to officially admit me yet. After being monitored for half an hour she had another nurse come in and check me. This nurse said I felt more like between 4 & 5cm. Finally got to the deliver room at 7:30. IV's hooked up, monitored, and continuously being checked because the nurse couldn't tell if she was head down or not. Alice came in around 8:30, checked me and broke my water. At this point I had been given nubain for the pain though it wasn't doing anything at all for me. After my water was broke we realized that it was merconium stained (for those that don't know, this means that Brooklyn had a bowel movement in the uterus). Alice wasn't worried because her heart rate was normal and wasn't decreasing. We also found out that the reason the Dr. thought she was bigger is because I had an excess amount of fluid. After they broke my water the contractions started to become more and more painful. I was holding on to the side of the bed and asking for my epidural at this point. Couldn't get the epi yet cause they were doing a c-section though. Not much later I was climbing up the side of the bed and literally screaming in pain, started rubbing the side of my stomach then Jay realized we needed the nurse/dr. right then. Nurse comes in and says"We need to call Alice here now" So guess what... time to deliver and no time for an epidural! I had to do it all natural for the first time. Alice got there in no time at all thankfully cause I couldn't take it anymore. I only remember pushing about 3 times before she was out completely. It was the strangest feeling in the world too. But after she was born I was calm as could be, like nothing had happened. I even remember having a calm conversation with Alice and Stella about the placenta and how some people eat it and encapsulate it lol. Brooklyn was born at 10:10 am after a week of early labor, 8 hours of active labor, and about 5 minutes of pushing. She was 6lbs, 19in long, full head of hair, and scored 9/9 on her apgars! All in all, she's a perfect baby and we are all so happy she's finally here!

Yay 37 weeks (Full Term)

Technically I'm now 38 weeks and 1 day. I wanted to do things a little different now that I'm getting closer and closer to the end. A lot can change in one week's time and I really don't want to have to make a new post every time there's something new going on. So from now to the end I will be updating at the start of the next week instead of after my appointments. 


Last Monday I had my Dr.'s appointment. I was still only 2cm and 60% effaced. She actually thought I would have gone into labor that weekend. Alice said this Monday we would schedule my induction date. Tuesday I started having more severe Braxton Hicks contractions. Not only do I have the tightening in my stomach but now they are causing some crazy cramps in my back and lower abdomen. I'm seriously going to be pissed if they aren't causing any progress. I've been trying to work up the nerve to ask Alice to do a membrane sweep when I go in Monday. Other than the cramping, there's really no sign of labor coming any time soon. But then again, doesn't it usually just come out of nowhere!?

36 Weeks!

So close yet still so far away! I didn't update last week because nothing really happened at my appointment. We did the Group B Strep last week and that's about it. So let's get to this week's appointment. GBS was negative which is good, no antibiotics when I go to deliver. Here's how mine and Alice's conversation went today. 


Alice: This is about the time I tell you when to call me or when to go to L&D. If contractions are regular at around 5-6 minutes apart and last a minute each, and blah blah blah, or if you live more than hour away. 
Me: I actually do live about an hour away from the hospital. 
Alice: In that case, we can discuss doing an induction at 39 weeks to make sure you make it time. I'm going to check the baby's position from the outside and if I can't tell if she's head down then we'll do an internal exam, but if I can feel from the outside then we wont unless you want me to. 
Me: Yeah, I actually do. I just want to see if these contractions are doing anything. 


*Alice checks heartbeat, position, then does the internal exam.*
While she's checking me she says,"I don't think you'll make it to 39 weeks. You are already 1-2 cm dilated and 60% effaced. Of course I have one patient that's 4cm and still coming for her weekly appointments." 


So YAY! The contractions aren't for nothing and I'm progressing. Pretty exciting for me since I was really afraid she was going to tell me that nothing was happening down there lol. Hopefully I'll make some more progress before next Monday! So the good news is that either way it goes, I only have 3 weeks left. Maybe living an hour from the hospital isn't such a bad thing. I don't mind the pitocin to induce since I've had that before with Matt. We went to Wal-Mart after my appointment and I started having more contractions while we walking around. Miss Brooklyn must want out as much as I want her out! Thank god too cause I really don't want to go 4 or more weeks. Only bad thing... I'll be 39 weeks the Friday before the 4th of July, and Jay doesn't start vacay until the 3rd of July so I wouldn't be able to do it until then. Which means possibly a 4th of July baby and I would hate to take my cousin's birthday from her or make her share it! 

32 Week Appointment

Brooklyn is head down! YAY! I knew she had been trying to flip the last two weeks. It was the weirdest and yet semi-painful feeling I have ever felt. Heartbeat was 142 which is down from what it's normally been but nothing to be concerned about. I passed my glucose test. Honestly I don't remember what I scored on it, wasn't much concerned after she said I passed it. My appointment went pretty quick though. Alice had ran out (before my appointment) to deliver a baby so she was running kinda late today with everyone. Normally my appointments go pretty fast but that also includes the waiting time. Not this time though, we waited about 30 minutes total compared to our usual of about 5 minutes. Alice said not to worry about the contractions I had last Saturday since they stopped after sitting down. That's pretty much all that happened. I go back next week since they are closed the following Monday due to Memorial Day and Monday's are our only options right now thanks to Jay's job. I guess that's all I have for you all for now! 

First Contractions!

Today has been pretty different for me. I got up at 8:45 like I do every morning. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't the dog or the kids that woke me up this time... it was my dang bladder! Either way, I got up, did what I do every weekend morning, put the dog out, fed the kids breakfast, then tried to keep the house as quiet as possible so Jay could sleep. After all, he does work till midnight and if I'm already up anyway, there's no reason for him to be up too. Around 10:30 I fell back asleep on the couch in the family room and didn't wake back up until about an hour 1/2 later. I was fine for a little while then when I started walking around more, I would get a contraction! It's funny though cause the last week or so I kept wondering if I would remember what they felt like after 9 years. The cramps spread from my lower abdomen into my back. There was only about 5 of them, not regular, not really painful, just kind of annoying and uncomfortable. They didn't last long individually either. As soon as I would sit back down, they would go away. Then on top of a few contractions today, I've been feeling pretty sick to my stomach all day and more fatigued than usual. Normally if I go back to sleep I'd be fine the rest of the day, today on the other hand, it's taking everything in me to keep my eyes open. I can't wait for my appointment Monday. I wonder if she's going to check my cervix after I tell her about the contractions? Let ya know Monday how it goes!

30 week Appointment!

I'm a few days late updating. My appointment was 2 days ago. I was going to update yesterday but honestly, I totally forgot to lol. Okay so, first things first... I took my 1 hour glucose test Wednesday morning. Surprisingly it wasn't all that bad. I was expecting the thick orange drink that leaves a nasty taste in your mouth. Pleasantly it was fruit punch. Light texture, kind of like watered down Kool-aid. I'm assuming I passed my test cause Alice (my midwife for those that don't know) said that if I failed it then she would call me by noon today. No call is good news! 
After the glucose test I had my regular appointment. Miss Brooklyn is breech just like I suspected. Alice said that if she doesn't turn head down by 34 weeks then we will do exercises to try to turn her. Not sure what we are going to do if she doesn't turn after that though. Heartbeat was 152. She's been in the 150's the entire time. I think she's trying to turn on her own but doesn't have the room to. It feels like she's running out of room anyway, she's not kicking so much anymore, but is still moving around like crazy. I lost another pound. Not quite sure how that's happening but it is and of course Alice continues to tell me that I need to start gaining weight! So why is it that when I don't want to gain weight, I do, but when I need to, I can't? It makes no sense. Next appointment is in 2 weeks. Only 9 more weeks to go after today! Starting to get really excited!


There are 62 days until your due date on July 08, 2011.
You are 218 days pregnant.
You are 7.1 months pregnant.
You are in your 8th month of pregnancy.
Your 1st trimester: October 01, 2010 to December 30, 2010. (0 - 12 weeks)
Your 2nd trimester: December 31, 2010 to April 14, 2011. (13 - 27 weeks)
Your 3rd trimester: April 15, 2011 to July 08, 2011. (28 - 40 weeks)


Your baby is continuing to grow each week that you remain pregnant. Your baby's crown-to-rump length is nearly 11.2 inches and total length is approximately 18 inches. Your baby weighs approximately 3.5 pounds at this point. Your uterus is about 4.4 inches above your bellybutton and continues to get larger. An average weight gain at this point is between 21 and 27 pounds. The weight that you gain is made up of your baby, placenta, blood supply, uterus, breasts, fat, water storage and amniotic fluid.

Because the ligaments and muscles supporting the small of your back relax and loosen in order to get ready for childbirth, your back may be aching from now on. There is usually nothing that can be done to prevent backaches, only to make them more comfortable. Many women get heartburn during these last few weeks of pregnancy because the oversized uterus leaves less room for the stomach and the contents within the stomach. Eating smaller, more frequent meals can help relieve the discomforts of heartburn.

This week marks an incredible milestone in your baby's lung development. Before now, the air sacs and branches in your baby's lungs were present but not functional. The lungs were not able to inflate properly. However, now there is surfactant being produced in your baby's lungs. Surfactant prevents your baby's lungs from collapsing outside of the uterus and the baby is able to take in air and breathe properly. The fetal ear is almost completely developed both inside and out. Your baby can hear your voice and other familiar sounds that she will recognize after birth. Your baby is putting on white fat under the skin and the skin's color is pink instead of red at this point. Your baby's fingernails have grown to the end of her fingers and she may scratch herself while she is in the womb. 

Long Awaited Update!

I have a good reason for not updating! My insurance got screwed up some how and I was uninsured during April. Well, not completely uninsured but close enough! My insurance got switched to another carrier, one that my midwife/OBGYN doesn't accept. After finding this out on the 1st of April, several phone calls later, it was officially fixed yesterday! Thank god too cause I'm 30 weeks and I'm supposed to be going to my Dr. every 2 weeks now. Anyway, my next appointment is Wednesday. I have to go do my 1 hour glucose screening an hour before my appointment Wednesday so I'll be doing that first. I wasn't going to make my appointment in the middle of the week but when I tried for next Monday she was concerned about me not being seen in over a month. So Wednesday it is. So far everything has been fine. The Braxton Hicks contractions are coming more often and are definitely a little more uncomfortable than what they were. I have around 5-8 an hour. Nothing regular and nothing too painful but they say you should call if you have more than 4-6 an hour. Every Dr. is different so I haven't bothered calling about it. I figured I would just bring it up on Wednesday. From time to time I feel a little pressure in my pelvic and bottom area, again though, nothing serious. We tried to start walking last Monday but personally, I don't like staying up or getting up too early just to go walking when I could be getting sleep. Especially when I know in a couple more weeks I wont be getting much sleep for a while! I am so ready for the next 9 1/2 weeks to pass by though. As much as I wanted another baby, I was pretty naive about it! This is nothing like my pregnancies with Matt and Bri. Even though I had horrible morning sickness with Matt, I actually enjoyed being pregnant. Now I'm just miserable. I hate the heat here in Florida, I think that just makes things so much worse. It could be worse for me though, I mean compared to some people I have a pretty easy pregnancy. But hey, who says I'm not allowed to complain... after all... it is MY body! I will complain all I want to! 

UGH...

I still have 108 days to go and I'm already feeling so uncomfortable and on the brink of feeling miserable. Just sitting down in a normal position makes me feel a little sore/bloated. My uterus is literally under my ribs already. Standing is bad enough but it's shoved up even more while sitting, then of course those Braxton Hicks makes it so much worse.  Nothing I can say can come close to explaining what I'm feeling so I will leave it at that and add a pic just to show you!

24 Week Update!

I have no idea where to begin here honestly. Umm... How about the baby shower!  
The baby shower was yesterday, and yes I know it was extremely early but my sister was hosting it and that's when she wanted it. Only one of Jay's co-workers showed up so it was pretty small. We wanted it to be small anyway but there was supposed to be about 4-5 more people than there was. It was fun and we had a good time. Stella did a really good job on all the decorations and games and stuff. 


My appointment today went pretty good. My midwife was very happy with the 2lbs I gained. I know that's not much but considering I'm not continuing to lose weight she's pretty pleased. Jay told on me though, straight up told her that my lunch consists of McDonald's and Subway just about everyday. After asking me what I order, she was surprisingly okay with it. My fundal height (uterus) measured at 25, at my last appointment 4 weeks ago it was measuring at 19. She said it grew pretty fast and that I may feel some cramping because of it. Which I do from time to time but it's never anything that leaves me concerned. I have to go in sometime in the next 3 weeks to do my glucose screening to check for gestational diabetes. It's only the 1 hour test first so that's not too bad. Lets just hope I pass it so I wont have to do the dang 3 hour test. Next appointment at 28 weeks they will start scheduling me for every 2 weeks then at 36 weeks we go every week. YIPPEE!!


PS. Jay said I had to mention that my midwife so no more extra extra olives on my sub because of the sodium content in the olives. 




Jay and I also went baby shopping right after the Dr.'s so we could go ahead and get everything else that we needed. I know I'm doing everything pretty early, I just want to be prepared for anything that could happen and not wait for the last minute to do everything. The only thing we have left to get is the car seat and pack-n-play. We will be picking those up in May. I so can't wait!


Picture time now!!


For those that would like to see the rest of the pics, here's my link to my facebook album! Don't get your hopes up though, it's the only album on my facebook that you can view. Feel free to add me though if you would like to see the u/s pics and belly pics!  








And of course the rest of the info that I pull of I-am-pregnant.com!

There are 108 days until your due date on July 08, 2011.
You are 172 days pregnant.
You are 5.6 months pregnant.
You are in your 6th month of pregnancy.
Your 1st trimester: October 01, 2010 to December 30, 2010. (0 - 12 weeks)
Your 2nd trimester: December 31, 2010 to April 14, 2011. (13 - 27 weeks)
Your 3rd trimester: April 15, 2011 to July 08, 2011. (28 - 40 weeks)

This week your baby's crown-to-rump length is around 8.4 inches and your baby will weigh approximately 1.2 pounds. Although it weighs a little over a pound at this point, your growing baby is still tiny. Your uterus can easily be felt 1.5 to 2 inches above your bellybutton. The fetus does not appear to have much room in the uterus anymore, but as your pregnancy progresses, space gets much tighter! 

Because your uterus is expanding and putting a great amount of pressure on your abdomen, you might get stretch marks. Your weight gain may also be taking a toll on your body at this point. Many pregnant women experience backaches, bladder problems, sore feet and fatigue that affect their daily routines. You might also have some nasal stuffiness or nosebleeds. 

Your baby's face is basically complete now. The fetus's eyes are close together on the front of his face and they are still shut. Your baby's ears have moved into their final position on the sides of his head. Where they are now is where they will be when your baby is born! Hair will continue to grow on his scalp and his eyelashes are well developed. Most of your baby's features look the same as they will at birth. Because your growing baby is getting plumper, he no longer has room in your tummy to do cartwheels and somersaults. 

 

Now is a good time to ask about prenatal classes being offered in your area. Many local hospitals offer classes for expectant women and their families. You should aim to complete the classes approximately one month before your due date. 

You may sometimes get a stitch-like pain in your side from time to time. It's simply the muscles of the uterus stretching. 
the unborn child is covered with a fine, downy hair called lanugo. Its tender skin is protected by a waxy substance called vernix. Some of this substance may still be on the child's skin at birth at which time it will be quickly absorbed. 

The child practices breathing by inhaling (up to a liter/day) amniotic fluid into developing lungs. 

Healthy eating = weight loss!

I gave up on eating right during my pregnancy. Every Dr. appointment I've been to so far (excluding my last) I have lost weight. My Dr. was starting to doubt that I was eating. I never really got the whole "6 small meals a day" a thing. What does one consume in those 3 extra meals? You're lucky I'm eating breakfast! My diet consumes of a normal diet plus extras. Fruit, veggies, meat, Funyons, McDonald's, Subway, candy (which I have a nice stash hidden in my night stand), gummy worms/bears, Dr. Pepper... there's many more too but I honestly couldn't sit here and type it all out! 


Now let's be honest, I started out overweight before I got pregnant. I can't believe I'm going to admit this on the internet but it's rather important. I started out at about 200lbs. I've had a hard time losing weight all my life but this was my heaviest weight yet. At my first appointment (8weeks) I was down to 196lbs, morning sickness was just starting out at this time. 2nd appointment(12 weeks) I was down to 193lbs. 3rd appointment (16 weeks), I was down to 189lbs. Morning sickness was pretty much over at this time. I still got sick every now and then but it wasn't that bad at all. My Dr. on the other hand was questioning whether or not I have been eating. She told me to start eating whatever I wanted to in order to try and gain some weight. I thought when you were overweight and pregnant that you didn't have to gain much?! I guess I was wrong about that. So I decided I was going to eat whatever I wanted to like she said! 4th appointment (20 weeks) I weighed in at 191lbs. They were actually excited that I gained weight! Why is it that I can only lose weight while I'm pregnant, when I shouldn't be losing weight? I have a weight loss plan though. Well kind of!


After having the baby I plan on breastfeeding for about a year. Did you know that breastfeeding is a good way to burn calories and lose weight? I had no idea! So many woman are swearing by it though. So while giving my baby the best nutrition I can, I intend on incorporating a healthier diet a long with better and more regular exercise. I have to stay healthy for our baby's health and for my health since it's going to be up to me to give Brooklyn the best nutrition and the best life that I can offer! I'm pretty determined now, I just hope I will still be this determined when Brooklyn gets here! Wish me luck. 

Helpful Baby Resources!

We can all use resources when it comes to all stuff pregnancy, baby, toddlers, school kids... well, just about everything right? I'm addicted to google when it comes to questions I have but remembering where to find them has become a hassle. Not to mention my "favorites" list is getting pretty long. I don't even want to open it anymore since it's becoming just about as cluttered as Google! Besides... I can share my links/resources with others if I put them up here! 


First things first... Pregnancy!


 Babycenter 
What to Expect When You're Expecting
Humorous Pregnancy fun facts!
Week by week and graphic pics!




Now for those that are friends with me know that we plan on cloth diapering Brooklyn. Many have disagreed with us and looked at us like we are crazy. I promise you I have not gone insane. Lets break things down a little bit money wise first. The average baby goes through about 8-10 diapers a day. Lets break this down!


Pampers:


Size: Newborn- 10lbs  Count: 84    Cost: $18.78/ .22 per diaper  8 x 30=  240 diapers a month
Size: 1-2 (up to 15lbs)   Count: 234   Cost: $43.99/ .19 per diaper  8 x 30= 240 diapers a month
Size 2-3 (14-22lbs)   Count: 152  Cost: $41.99/ .28 per diaper    *8 x 30= 240 diapers a month


*by this stage babies are going through more than 8 diapers a day since most are eating solid foods and have more stools.  


An average baby goes through about 2,000 diapers a year... A YEAR! By around 2 1/2-3 most are potty training but not all. So lets go off of 3 years just to be on the safer side. 


240 x 12= 2,880
2,880 x 3= 8,640 DIAPERS IN 3 YEARS!


Diapers monthly cost around $60- $85 a month 
$60 x 12= $720      $720 x 3 (3 years)= $2,160
$85 x 12= $1020     $1020 x 3= $3,060


*  Pampers Baby Dry Diapers Economy Plus Pack, Size 4, 176 Count
Pampers Baby Dry Diapers Economy Plus Pack, Size 3, 204 Count
Pampers Baby Dry Diapers Economy Plus Pack, Size 5, 156 Count
Pampers Swaddlers Dry Max Diapers, Size N, 84 Count
Pampers Baby Dry Diapers Economy Plus Pack, Size 1, 252 Count
Pampers Baby Dry Diapers Economy Plus Pack, Size 2, 228 Count
* Disposable diapers start around $60-$85 a month depending on how old your infant is (and how many changes a day you need). Many people go to warehouse discount stores and buy disposable diapers in bulk to get the best price per diaper.  




Now lets look at Cloth diapers


I'm going to tell you how much I spent on diapers then we will look at average costs. 


I bought a year supply because I refuse to get wrapped up in the addiction of cloth diapering like some do. My stash consists of 7 Best Bottom covers, a newborn set of gDiapers, 20 size 1 Best Bottom inserts, and 15 size 2 Best Bottom inserts. gDiapers set comes with 12 size xtra small covers, 6 small covers, 2 packs of disposable liners (160)


Best Bottom covers $16.95 per cover
Best Bottom inserts $3.95 per insert
Newborn gDiaper set $149.99 


I spent w/shipping $411 on cloth diapers that will last a year, Next year the only thing I will need to buy is more size 2 and size 3 inserts for my Best Bottoms and maybe a couple of covers if they need to be replaced. Best Bottoms are designed to be resized and last from birth to potty training. How awesome is that! I guess it helps that my daughter will be born in July so I didn't really buy inserts to last a full year. 


So lets so you expect to do laundry about every other day.  I would suggest buying about 40 size 1 inserts and 20-40 size 2 inserts. 


$3.95 x 40= $158  or $3.95 x 80= $316 a year!


Covers now... lets go with 7 since they don't have to be changed with every diaper change, one a day sounds good to me! Though I will say that these things are so freaking cute that some mothers do go a little overboard and get addicted to buying them. 


$16.95 x 7= $118.65


Now of course there's a couple of other expenses that has to be added in to this considering it does use water/electricity, and detergent to wash diapers. 


I can't really give you a good estimate on water/electricity considering it varies depending on where you live. But lets look at laundry detergent!


*** Unfortunately at this time I am unable to find the website that compares different detergents and which are best to use so I will need to update this part a little later. I will however tell you that it's not much of a cost at all. And trust me, no matter what anyone else says, you don't really need a wet bag or diaper/toilet sprayer. In place of the wet bag you can use a zip-loc bag while you are out or some even use disposables if they will be out for a while. Breast fed babies bowels are water soluble, inserts can be thrown straight into the washer! Formula fed babies, inserts should be swooshed around in the toilet or however you chose to wash them out before going into the wash. 


Here's a great website for more info!
http://allaboutclothdiapers.com/




There are so many different choices when it comes to cloth diapers. Ones with snap in inserts, flips, disposable inserts (biodegradable for the environment), all in ones, all in 2's. It can get a little overwhelming at times but there are lots of resources out there to help calm your minds!




Now, I am planning on making my own baby food. For several reasons. 
1. It's healthier
2. Baby gets actual nutrients instead of added chemicals
3. more variety


I could keep going but I think I should stop with those three for now. I want to share a blog with you all that you will find everything you need to know about homemade baby food! This is a wonderful blog and I know you will enjoy it!
http://nicole-j-knocked-up.blogspot.com/2011/02/how-to-make-your-own-baby-food.html






Need to take a break on this for now but I will be back a little later with more links to a healthier baby!