It's Been Another Month!

Holy crap. I knew I had been lacking on posting in the blog area and I will get to that in a minute. However, I hadn't realized that it was a whole month.

The reason that I haven't been posting is because I haven't had time. My boyfriend, Ricky quit his job and has been home all the time. He is just like having another child around and I barely get a chance to do anything when playing with my daughter, cooking for Ricky, and doing other things around the house. I have also applied for nearly 15 jobs... this breaks down into 4 teaching positions and then 11 other random things that have popped up around town. I am waiting for a call next week from the only interview I have managed to get. Ugh.

Alina is now three months. That's right - THREE MONTHS!! She was 12 pounds 1 ounce and 23 1/2 inches long at her two month appointment. She is in the 75% percentile for everything. So, we must be doing things right. She smiles, grabs for toys, and rolls over now.

My weight loss has hit a plateau. I am sitting right around 168 pounds. I can't seem to go down, but I haven't gone back up either. So I am still counting this all as a win. If the weather cooperates we will start taking wakes almost daily and I am going to try making a family binder to get the housework done in a more timely fashion.

I think that does it for the update. Welcome new readers, old readers, and whomever else is out there.

Such A Blonde

The long weekend was full of family and fun. I had another baby shower hosted by Ricky's family. It was lots of fun! And fabulous food. They always have the best food at everything, probably because so many of us like to try out new recipes. Alina and I got lots of good loot that I can't wait to try out... however, I will wait because they are bigger clothes and I already know Alina is growing too fast. As I type this she is sleeping on my chest and is so little and adorable... I will miss these days.

Then again, let's get back to the title. I was rocking her in the computer chair and since it wasn't comforting her, I decided to check her diaper. Sure enough, it was wet. She has had a wet diaper nearly every hour today. I swear it is all I am doing. Since she had just peed... or so I thought I decided to leave her on my lap and let her air out a bit. Bad idea. Two seconds of this and she peed all over me. My pants, my shirt, her sleeper... IT WAS A LOT OF PEE!

On the bright side, she is sleeping so cute right now. I picked up trying to crochet. I will post the pictures, when I finally finish something. I am making chains and undoing them over and over. I am too much of a perfectionist and I am beginning to think this was a bad idea... more to come.

Woke Up To Snow

Really, it is mid-April. No, it is passed mid-April! And this morning we woke up to at least two inches of snow on the ground. What is this cruel joke that mother nature is playing? Wasn't it 10 days ago that we had a humid 80 degree day? That was brutal. I might go insane if I can't decide what to do with the electric heater. We put it away... now it is back out. God help our utility bill if this continues.

So instead of getting to go for a walk like we wanted to, Alina and I are struggling to clean up the house. Do you know how much of a disaster a house can become when you have a newborn baby? Well... I won't be sharing photos, but I will tell you it is bad. I stuck to the bare minimum of laundry (mostly because we need clothes to wear and we cloth diaper) and dishes (luckily we have a dishwasher). I think we would have bought paper plates if we didn't have the dishwasher.

Today is a cleaning day. So far I have managed to clean thirty minutes while laying Alina down to sleep. Thirty minutes is the max she will sleep without being on my chest or laying next to me. Another task for today is to make my homemade Mei Tai wrap. Then I can wear her! That will solve everything and I will have a clean house again.

Also... anyone like rummage sale time? I do. Can't wait to sell all the junk I haven't used in over a year. Why did I even move it? Sell, sell, sell. Or upcycle. There will be posts of upcycling old clothes into baby clothes again soon, once Alina lets me put her down long enough to sew.

My Start-Up Stash!

So we took the plunge and decided that we would cloth diaper. Mostly for the financial savings, but also because they save the environment and are so damn cute. They can be a little bulky at times, but generally it isn't so bad and I know they are going to look ADORABLE under all the summer dresses I have planned.

For my cheap start up...

Cottonbabies.com Trial Kit - $35.00
2 Small Bummis Whisper Wrap Covers
6 Chinese Small prefolds
1 Snappi

I tried this for a couple weeks to see if I really liked it. I had disposables that I had gotten as gifts to use up anyway. It went well so I bought...

10 Chinese small prefolds ($15.00)
2 Flip OS Diapers with 1 stay dry insert ($16.95 each)
3 stay dry inserts ($4.00 each)

Grand total of $95.00 and I can wash almost every other day. This was all ordered from Cottonbabies.com and all free shipping and it is all new stuff. I know that buying used can be cheap as well which I probably will do. As we continue, I will build the stash slowly. Maybe a cover every couple weeks or some cute fitteds. For those looking for a cheap place to start... this is definitely it!

Being a Mom Begins!

I had my baby. And that is part of the reason I haven't been blogging. However, I will start again. Not to mention, I have a lot more to talk about when it comes to my opinions on how to raise our little daughter. So, from here on out I will probably talk about the following:

-Cloth Diapering
-DIY Crafts, Clothes, and other sewing
-Growing Up in Wisconsin
-Weight Loss Journey
-Video Games & Movies
-Anything else I feel like writing about...

Now to the interesting stuff!

Alina Joy
March 10th, 2011
9 lbs 1 oz
20 1/2 inches
7:26pm

Her birth story

March 9th
Noon: We arrived at the hospital intending on doing an induction. However, once the monitors were hooked up we found out that I was having contractions... I just couldn't feel them yet.

1:00pm: After an hour of monitoring, the doctor decided to go ahead with the Cytotec. Cytotec is a cervix ripening medication to make the cervix more favorable for the induction.
- 2 cm 50% effaced

5:00pm: Started second round of Cytotec, still having some contractions. I could feel them at this point, but they weren't too bad.
- 2 cm 50% effaced

10:00pm: No change and so we decide that I can try and sleep through the contractions that I am having and we can start the Pitocin in the morning.
- 2 cm 50% effaced

March 10th

2:40am: After trying to sleep, but waking every hour to pee... I was woken by a semi-painful contraction and then decided maybe I have to pee again. However, I couldn't hold it on the way to the bathroom and it was clear. Yep - my water broke. Nurses did a test to verify it and I called Ricky to come back to the hospital (he was at home)
- 3 cm 50% effaced

7:30am: After 5 hours of painful contractions, I decide that med-free is not for me. I ask for the epidural and they start the IV drip. Now, I just get to wait for the man with the drugs to come with his magical tray.
- 3 cm 50% effaced, contractions are 3 min apart and 90 seconds long

9:30am: So, it took 2 hours, 7 stabs to my back, and I finally got my epidural. That was heaven. I was so tired. And my mom arrived! Ricky went home to take care of Alexander (our dog) and try and take a nap. My epidural wasn't a super strong one! I could still move my legs and feel them just fine. There was a really slight numb feeling in my toes. So, it really just took care of the pain.
- 4 cm 50% effaced, don't know about the contractions, I couldn't feel them anymore.

1:00pm: Needed another dose of the epidural and they started the Pitocin because the epidural had slowed contractions.
- I think it was 5 cm at this point... I was really sleepy.

3:00pm: Another round of epidural, strong one. Doctor stopped in to check on me because he had a dentist appt at 3:30 to go to. Figured he had time. Which, ends up he did.

4:00pm: The round from 3 didn't work! I had such bad contractions by 4 that I was crying and they weren't really going away. They turned the pit off and I was given more meds through the epidural. The pain went away, but the pressure didn't. I was so uncomfortable...
- 8cm, fully dilated on left with 2 cm left on the right

5:00pm: The pressure only got worse and worse. They made me lay on my right side to try and get that right side to dilate. They turned the Pitocin back on.
- 8cm, same as before

6:00pm: I got the feeling that pushing would make me feel better. And the doctor said that I could push even though I was still only 8 cm. After a few pushes he was able to push the 2 cm on the right beside her head... somehow - I don't know how that worked, but I either dilated completely while starting to push or he moved it. It is kind of a blur right here.

7:26pm: After an hour and half of pushing, with Ricky as the perfect coach - our daughter Alina Joy was born! I screamed bloody murder when she finally came out. It hurt. It hurt a lot. Course, I left her head half out for three contractions trying to get the rest out. Every time they were telling me she would be born on the next contraction... I called them liars after every set of pushes when she didn't come.

I got skin-to-skin contact right away!
I was able to latch her with in 30 min of birth!
I got a few stitches, but not too bad.
My mom was there for the birth of her granddaughter!

It was an amazing day.

Because Everyone Gets Them...

I know that as a child I did not get many things with my name on it. Most of the time I blame that my name doesn't fit comfortably on anything... or it ends up being huge. Most of the time teachers called me "Christin" because the 'A' was cut off. It is apparently easier to assume that an 'E' was cut off... whatever.

In this day and age, it seems that everyone puts their baby's name on the wall either with decorated letters or wall decals. Since we are planning on having more than one - I didn't go with the wall decal. I don't think they come off easily and I don't want my next child to feel jipped if they have to share a room and their name isn't as big or matchy... or whatever. So I went with the wooden letters.

I went to Hobby Lobby and bought what I thought would end up as a cute end product and this is what I came up with. I also realized that if my mother did this with my name... it would have cost twice as much. Do you think people think of these things when naming their children these days? Like a monogram with 5 letters is less than 9? Hmmm...

DIY Baby Clothes: Pants

Okay, so I have a lot of clothes that I no longer use. No longer wear... or that I have had way too long. You will see in this series of things that I make that I have clothes that I have had since High School. I will even see if I can find proof of how old some of these clothes are... maybe. Like I said before, I have never been good at taking a lot of pictures or documenting my life. That must be why blogging is so hard.

Anyway, I got the instructions for this from Samster Mommy Blog. This blog was posted on The Bump and I decided to check it out! AMAZING BLOG! I learned so much and I was inspired to start making things of my own. I don't have step by step... because I didn't take photos of the step by step. If you want them I can document with the next pair I make. I plan to make a ton out of old clothes and fabric I have laying around.

BEFORE


AFTER


Super easy. Super cute. Even used the straps as a cute extra embellishment on the waistband. It literally took me 20 minutes to make these. And I am super proud about lining up the stripes... cause I am crazy like that.

The Baby Shower

Okay... so my baby shower was January 22nd. It was a while ago and while I sit down to start writing my Thank Yous... I remembered. I have a blog. And I also remembered it has been a long time since I wrote on my blog. So much for all of my New Year's Revolutions. However, you will be happy to know that I have been taking more pictures than I used to. Which is a step forward and a step in the right direction for documenting my baby's life.




That was my awesome cake! I got tons of stuff and my baby is set. We still have a few essentials to get... like diapers. But, I have enough clothes and all the big stuff we need. So, from here on out everything else is smooth sailing. Just need to have her. I love my family and my friends! Especially, my friend Ashley for throwing me such an awesome party!

Learning Experiences: The Placenta

Okay, so there isn't a picture to go along with this post.. because I made the mistake of googling and well, not too pretty. I was going to find pictures of it encapsulated, but no such luck. Either way, it has come to my attention that I needed to learn a little about the placenta and the benefits of eating it. Yes, I said eating it. Most all mammals... excluding humans, eat the placenta when their babies are born. I won't be doing it. My boyfriend asked if I would and that was an absolute no. I have no need to protect my baby from predators and I don't need the extra hormones to love my baby... so my conclusion is I don't need it.

However, I have come to realize that many women do choose to do this and I went on a Google Adventure to find out why. I am bored. I am curious.

- It can help improve lactation. A study showed that most women improved their milk output by taking in the nutrients of their placenta through capsules.

- Shown in rats... it apparently reduces pain or soreness.

- Has a positive effect on postpartum depression. Women experience less and feel better in general after the birth of their baby.

- Good source of Iron and can replenish a woman's iron supply after birth and prevent a deficiency.

Still not going to do it. But, it is interesting to read about the benefits and extremely interesting to read why we view the eating of our placenta's culturally disgusting. I guess I am just going with the crowd... or just what I grew up believing. Not that anyone sat down and told me it was disgusting - but, no one told me it was necessary either.

Another Ultrasound!

So, because of my bad experience I decided to get an elective ultrasound through Stork Vision in Madison, Wisconsin. Sure, it was an hour drive away and there was a snow storm coming... I didn't care. I went and I had a blast. Ricky's mother and sister came with me to the hour long appointment where I was able to watch my little girl on the screen for 43 minutes. She is so beautiful... and so perfect. I just can't wait until March when she is in my arms!



Today is also my ticker change day! I am 27 weeks along and officially into the Third Trimester. That is the home stretch. It is hard to believe that in just 10 weeks I will be full term. Course... it is still 13 weeks until being 40 weeks. But, a healthy baby can be born anywhere after 37 weeks. She moves all of the time and I love her so much already. Ricky and I watched the DVD from the session last night and it was so much fun talking about our little girl.

Heartburn is worse than ever. I am craving cookies and chocolate so bad.

Alina Joy is coming soon!!

Sewing Corner: Baby Clothes

I have a sewing machine. Yes, and I sometimes use it. Mostly I need to tend to Ricky's clothing because he likes to wear things even after they get holey and then expects me to fix them. Yeah.. okay. Since I had gone through the trouble of making a terrible mess of getting the sewing machine out I figured I would make a few extra things. And, if you know me I always start something new. I have patterns cut out from a few months ago - it didn't interest me now. I also have a baby quilt that I made for a friend almost 2 years ago that hasn't been finished... yeah I should get on that.



The above hat and baby panties (that is what the back says and I can't think of a new word... I suppose bottoms work for me) that I made a couple months ago when Hancock Fabrics had a ridiculous sale. I got patterns for 89 cents each!! I know!! And then also a ton of fabric. However, these items are made out of fabric that I have... because I like to waste old fabric the first time I try out patterns. The hat ended up huge - the next one I make will be smaller.




These pants are what I worked on today. This is the medium size from the pattern. I guess I could have gone with small. This was just another thing just for fun. I will probably redo the waistband because I didn't have the right size elastic... but only I know that. The snowflakes are hand sewn on. I think they are cute. Maybe they will fit my baby next winter - or I will give them away. Or make a matching hat. Yeah... we will see about that.

Still a Papaya!

Alright, it is week 23 and I have given up on trying to write about the past and catching up. It is just easier to live right now and write about it. I guess that is the point of the blog anyway.

On The Bump ticker I realized that I have hit the weeks when one fruit continues to represent the baby for more than one week. 22 and 23 weeks is the Papaya. The baby is now about 8 inches long and just over a pound in weight. That is right! A whole pound of my weight is the baby. This is the start of the Sixth Month. Woo hoo! I am so excited and I figure that with all the holidays coming up that it will go quickly.

My favorite thing about being pregnant right now is when the baby is kicking and moving around. It is amazing to think that the little one is in there.

Right now, I am annoyed with looking over baby names all over again. I thought we had it all set and all picked out, but Ricky is unsure - which has made me unsure. I am having second thoughts about the girl's first name and Ricky has second thoughts about the boy's name. What are we going to do?

Name choices right now: Boy - Vance Dean, Girl - Alina Joy

The Big Anatomy Scan!

This is a little late, but I have been busy and apparently not in the writing mood. However, on October 21st I woke up at 6 in the morning to make sure to pee and then refill my bladder as directed. I never get up that early. I never drink that much water in one sitting. The morning was pleasant, but I was too excited to see my baby to care. I woke up Ricky at quarter to seven and we were out the door and to the hospital in time to wait for our 7 AM appointment.

Waiting in the waiting room was awful. I was so tired and they were so slow. We must have been the first people to come to the damn hospital for the day. I will never make another appointment that early. But, I thought it would be easier than waiting half a day for the appointment to come to me. Finally, it was our turn. It was time to go into the dark room with a big ultrasound machine.

She started looking at everything and taking pictures. The technician didn't really have that much to say. She just kind of gave an overview of what she needed to take measurements of. This took about twenty minutes. She left and then we waited. The doctor came in and looked over some of the pictures and then started at the head and explained what all the organs were, showed the beating heart with four chambers, showed the umbilical cord, and the spine and other bones. It was amazing. We have a healthy baby. This also took about twenty minutes.

At the end of the appointment when she made it to the feet... I asked about the gender and the doctor said "I didn't see anything dangling, but I don't pay to redecorate people's homes." How unprofessional! I was so angry... but it was too early in the morning to protest. Or to tell her to try again. I guess for now we are Team Green. I am coming to terms with it... but I am still complaining about her at my next doctor's appointment.

Pregnancy: the First Trimester

Still catching up with the story that is Ricky and I having a baby. And I am truly sorry that there are no pictures to go along with this post, but I decided not to do belly pictures. Okay, that is a lie. I really wanted to do belly pictures, but the one's with my phone just didn't seem to turn out right and my camera never managed to get charged until like a week ago. I was probably postponing it all on purpose.

I think that only because in June 2009 I was 140 pounds... and in June 2010 at the time of the BFP (Big Fat Positive) I had managed to make it all the way to 192 pounds. I don't want pictures of myself right now. It isn't the way I want to be. I should have never gained this weight and now I knew that it wasn't going to be coming off any time soon... I was depressed to say the least. I wasn't going to take bump photos because my first trimester bloat just made me look fatter.

Beyond that problem of how I feel that I look, I had other symptoms. I was tired. I wanted to sleep all day and all night. I only wanted to eat what was appetizing. And that was okay because I never threw up from morning sickness. I was just majorly picky. Through this I ended up losing about 10 pounds in the first trimester. Which, my mother and grandmother both managed to do. And it felt good to me because I had started out over weight.

I was also trying to decide what I was going to do about the birth. I have always been a sucker for pain, although I love the feeling of getting a tattoo, I am a baby. Basically, I figured that medication was going to be the route for me. Epidural all the way. But, Ricky has other ideas. He insists that I am strong enough to go natural. I also have the backing and strength from my family and his family that I can do it. Therefore, it was also in the 10th or 11th week of pregnancy where I declared that I am going to be a Natural Birth Momma.

Cravings: Sour Cream & Onion Chips, Salami Sandwiches, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Ups/Downs: Our number one choice of name, Vincent, was taken by Ricky's cousin. We had to go back to square one... and choosing names has been hard, that was sad. I lost weight, that was exciting. Seeing our baby in the ultrasound was amazing and I can't wait until October 21st when I can see it again.

Pregnancy: the BFP!!!

Let's play some catch up and I will start with the story of how I told my boyfriend, Ricky, that we were having a baby.

July 2nd, 2010 I had just gotten home from work (at the time I was working at Wal-Mart) and had picked up a pregnancy test from Wal-Mart. I was about 4 days late on my period and had been late a few times since we started trying in January. Mostly, I figured that it would be negative. Therefore, I was talking to one of my best friends, Nicole, on the phone when I decided to pee on the stick (she had no idea and was telling me a story - important story)... when I saw the second line and interrupted her. "I'm pregnant." She was caught by surprise and I apologized and told her I didn't know what to do. I really wanted to cry, happy tears of course.

So, this was before I marched Ricky into Verizon and got him a cell phone and he told me he was going to be at his parents helping them cut some hay. My mind was going a hundred miles an hour and I didn't even think about calling the MIL's cell phone or house phone to find out if he was there. Nope, I hopped in my car and drove the 15 minutes into the country to their farm. Ricky wasn't there. No, he was somewhere getting a car part to fix a car. Woops. I acted awkward, but didn't want to tell his parents why I was looking for him. They must have thought I was insane. Anyway, I left and decided to go back home and wait.

However, while I was driving back home Ricky called from our house number. He asked where I was and I said that I was driving back home from his parents and I cursed him for not letting me know where he was going to be and finally a was home and walking through the door. He was standing there waiting for me and staring at me. I said that I had something to tell him... he nodded and gave me a hug and said, "No kidding."

Well... in my franticness I left the positive pregnancy test on the bathroom sink and he saw it before I could get the chance to tell him. Either way we were and still are super excited! We told his mom the next day (which was her birthday) and I called my mom that day too.