2012

 Last Year

1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before? Had a natural labor. It's something I always wanted to do in having my children, although I really wanted those drugs when I was in the midst of it. But looking back, I am so happy I didn't have the time for the epidural. It makes me feel like a superhero.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I did not make any, and I don't have much of a goal for the next year.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes, me! Along with quite a few people I know online, as well as in real life.

4. Did anyone close to you die? No.

5. What countries did you visit? None, again.

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012? A place to call our own. (2012) We did not get a place of our own, however, life became so much easier and happier here when the girlfriend upstairs moved out.

7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? June 15th, Elsie was born, September 5th, Jacob started preschool/

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Finding our groove as a family of four. The first few months were rough, even though Elise was still a sleepy newborn. I was working, Chris was working AND going to school, and I just felt that there was so much on my shoulders.

9. What was your biggest failure? I can get short with Jacob over things that aren't a big deal. I need to spend more time teaching him the correct way to act in certain situations, rather than get frustrated.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Just one cold, which has left Elise with a rash from the anti-biotics and I'm hoping we are both safe from thrush.

11. What was the best thing you bought? My iPad! That thing was my lifesaver when Elise was born. I could nurse and entertain myself, or pass it off to Jacob to play with when I needed him to stop acting like a crazy person.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Jacob. He has been the best brother a little sister could ever have. He loves to entertain her after her nap, he wants to talk to her when I change her diaper, and he can make her laugh the loudest. I would have a million kids just to watch them all become older siblings.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? The girl that used to live here. I do not have any tolerance for people that create emotional distress for their children.

14. Where did most of your money go? Sallie Mae, same as last year. Also to the doctor for our co-pay.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Having a BABY. (2011) I'd say that her birth was the best thing that happened all year long.

16. What song will always remind you of 2011? Call Me Maybe. What, it's catchy!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?
b) thinner or fatter?
c) richer or poorer?

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Spent more time working out. (2011) I am not really disappointed in this, because I have so many other things on my plate and it's so cold out, but I do wish I had the time and energy to work out. Maybe if we lived somewhere with a gym that offered childcare, but that's not an option here in Small Town USA.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Honestly, not much comes to mind.

20. How did you spend Christmas? Chris had to work Christmas day, so we celebrated as a family on Christmas Eve morning. We opened presents and played at home for a bit before heading to my mom's house for a couple of hours. Unfortunately, Elise had a horrible rash that we were worried about, so we took her to the ER that evening. Luckily, it was nothing serious and we were able to go visit Chris's parents later.

21. Did you fall in love in 2011? Yes, with my whole little family. I love watching Chris be a daddy to Elise and Jacob. Everyday, I fall in love with Elise and Jacob.

22. What was your favorite TV program? Nashville!

23. This question has been deleted because it’s SOOO teenage emo Xanga shit. 

24. What was the best book you read? I really liked Gone Girl and I spent many hours working my way through The Lord of the Rings.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? That I could listen to Nashville on Spotify?

26. What did you want and get? A Vera Bradley duffle bag. I've been coveting them for years, and I am so excited for our trip in January.

27. What did you want and not get? I wanted my car to work for at least another year, but it just couldn't last!

28. What was your favorite film of this year? I don't think I saw anything in the theatre this year! I watched a lot of Netflix, and I am really excited for The Hobbit.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 29, and I went about my day as usual. Chris had to work that day, and we didn't make any post b-day plans.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? A new place to live! (2011) SAME THING!
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011? First 6 months: Maternity clothing. Last 6 months: Nursing tops (must be long in the torso) and a pair of Gap Jeans.

32. What kept you sane? Chris, most likely.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I think that quote from Morgan Freeman about not allowing the media to make mass killers into celebrities made a good impression on me.

34. What political issue stirred you the most? I got very angry about the so called Christians around me that are hell bent on the immorality of gay marriage, abortion, homosexuality, etc. As a whole, we are called to love those that don't know Jesus. That's it. We do not get to judge! I wish Christians would work to simply love non-Christians, instead of alienating them.

35. Who did you miss? My Ohio friends. (2011) Ditto. The weekend I spend in Ohio was so much fun, I wish I could do that every month.

36. Who was the best new person you met? I think my neighbor Alex. She was my little source of refuge when being at my house was miserable and she helped me many times with Elise when I had to work.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012. That we can live in the most miserable circumstances and still enjoy our time at home as a family.

Christmas Elf

I can only show you one thing I'm working on because my mom reads this and the other items I've made are for her.

Now that I'm looking at the photo, I'm not sure I like it but I am out of animal print fabric so I would have to have trek to Joann's and I really don't want to do that. We may have to start over, folks!

Snugglebunnies

 Jacob continues to be the best helper. He has his moments, sure, but for the most part? He is a great big brother. Elise usually wakes up before him and as soon as she sees him (next to us in bed, because OF COURSE) she has a big grin on her face. I didn't do the November thankfulness meme, but if I had, I'd be thankful for our king sized bed because it allows all four of us to sleep, although I'm pretty sure Chris gets the smallest corner. But he sleeps like the dead so I don't think he even knows most of the time. 

 Does she not look so pleased to be sitting with her brother? Jacob hung the moon for her, clearly. 

We are just on the cusp of mobility and we can technically start solids any day now. The past six months have just breezed right by and I can't believe that a year ago I was still suffering from morning sickness and stressing over what I was going to do with a baby and my job. *Spoiler* It all worked out! Some days are better than others, but it's pretty peachy no matter what happens.  Most days I feel our little family is complete and we are so lucky to have what we do.

Now, just wish my mom luck tomorrow when she is watching baby girl and putting her to bed with a bottle.  No worries, I'm taking my own car so I can leave the AMR holiday party if I have to and nurse the little precious. See what I give up for you, baby girl? Delicious food and a cocktail. Lucky girl. 

Shake it like a Polaroid picture!

 We had our quilting guild Christmas swap this weekend. Such a change from last year, as I remember driving up on a Monday night, it was already freezing cold and I was horribly, horribly nauseous with morning sickness. This year it was 70 degrees or so and sunny! In October, we had been assigned swap partners and I was paired with the lovely Marta. She sent me a link to these Polaroid blocks and DONE! 

 She said she had been into berry colors, and the little hedgehog was as berry as I could get! I have very few adorable "photo" fabrics, so I was lucky to have snagged these from Randi when I did! 

I think the fox is my favorite, but no surprise, as I have been on a bit of a foxy kick lately.

*Also, these photos are terrible but I was in a hurry and it was late. No excuse, but still. EW!

FAIL

 Well. I lasted 4 days of NaBloPoMo. Go me!

I did haul out the camera on Sunday to try and create a Christmas card photo because a company called Minted was offering $25 off plus free shipping on holiday cards. However, in order to apply that code, I had to have a total of 100 cards so the cost of my order was above $50 and I simply do NOT need more than 25 cards. I would be absolutely buried to ship out 100 holiday cards. I would be handing them out on street corners, honestly.

So, instead, I have a nice collection of my goofy children in theme clothing. I just need a Shutterfly Groupon to grace my email and BAM. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!

I just need someone to edit out those drool marks on Elise's onesie and figure out how to get Jacob to stop squinting his eyes when he smiles. Superglue? 

Chevrons

 Another pair of baby leg warmers.  I'm all about the hot pink stripe at the top and the chevron design.

And we will be making a trip to Target this weekend for more! Someone stop me...or don't!

HOLY FLYING SPIDERMONKEYS!

 Yep. he got to be Batman. Old school Batman, which is so much better than the new pitch black Dark Knight Batman. I didn't buy this, Auntie Lacie did, so I can't take any credit for the awesome. 

 Jacob loved it and is normally a very somber and serious Batman. 

As you can see, he takes his moves and crime fighting very seriously. 

Leg Warmers

So. Leg warmers.

Anyone with a baby needs these. Especially cloth diapered babies! Because pants don't always fit well with the cloth diapers, this keeps legs warm and makes for easy changing!

I got a pair of knee high socks from Target, I believe that they were $1.50. So dirt cheap. I cut off the heel and the toe, making two tubes: one short and one long.  I flipped the short one inside out, sewed a half inch or so, to make it smaller, then flipped it right side out. I then put the wrong sides together to make a cuff and slipped the longer tube inside and sewed through the three layers to make a cuff.  In theory, this should make the leg warmers stay on better, but they still slip around a bit so I need to make the cuff smaller next time. 

This took me less than 5 minutes and was way cheaper than paying $9 for a pair from other companies. Sure, they may get a bit frayed, but I can always use an excuse to go to Target, am I right? 

NaBloPoMo!

Yes, friend, I am crazy. I'm going to attempt to keep up with National Blog Posting Month.  I actually have a goal to take a photo a day and post it here.  I'm beginning to feel bad that Elise is almost never in a photo and the fact that I have a nice fancy camera and almost never use it. 

So hold me accountable! 

 I may only have one Halloween themed photo of the two of them, but it's a great one!

 I'm going to attempt to write up a little thing about these leg warmers. All you need is a pair of knee high socks and you can have a super cute pair of baby leg warmers!

 Elise in her Halloween outfit. It lasted all day until we went Trick or Treating downtown. Then she peed all over us.

Baby toes are the best, are they not?

On The Way To School

Some days, I get lucky and leave Elise with my neighbor when I take Jacob to school.  Today was one of those days, so I asked him some questions. 

What is your favorite show? 
Team Umizoomi

What is your favorite color? 

Green, um, maybe blue? (note, it's really pink) What's your favorite color, mom?

What is your favorite Fresh Beat Band person? 
Twist. And that girl. (which one, Kiki or Marina?) Kiki.

What is your favorite movie? 
Mom, we did that one already.
No, I mean a movie, not a TV show. Like Finding Nemo, Monsters, Despicable Me? 
Finding Nemo!

What is your favorite song?
Fresh Beat Band!

That is not a song. I mean like Bumblebee, or the alphabet, or Twinkle Twinkle. 
Um, I don't know. Can you sing Twinkle Twinkle?

Then I had to sing him some songs. 

Zoo Time

 We went to the zoo over a month ago. But you know how life goes after having a baby! And working! It's kind of insane how little time there is and how very fast the days go by.

 Baby girl was in rare smiley form after lunch. She would also prefer to be carried, thank you very much.

 We (well, I was only there for 10 minutes or so) spent at least 30 minutes in the Budgie room, feeding some of the birds.  This one was hand raised by the birdseed girls last summer, so he would actually let you put him. The rest thought it was a terrible idea, but a few would allow you to nudge them onto a stick so you could walk around with them.  

Luckily, no one got pooped on.

Chris took ONE MILLION photos at the zoo but it was nice to have a good set of photos since that is something else I suck at doing post baby. I hear life will eventually be a lot easier, in 9 months or so? June is just going to pop right up, isn't it? Then I won't have a baby anymore and she will be too big to be called a baby. 

I'm totally kidding. She is the baby forever.

Just like Jacob.

The Big 4

 Oh Jacob. I wish I knew where the last four years have gone. I know they have been awesome, mostly because of you. You are still a very emotional boy, and while it drives me crazy sometimes about the things that make you cry, it's also nice that you still need someone to comfort you.

 I like that I can make your birthday cake for you, with Cars, as requested and all you remember about it is that it was carrot cake. Which you didn't even eat!

 You started Pre-School just two days before your party and there were no tears over me leaving you. You went and played with the trains, amid all the kids in your class, after kissing me goodbye.

You still have an adorable speech impediment, saying "w" for your "l" sounds and I know eventually that will fade away. You like to tell stories about silly things and play with your millions and millions of tiny cars.

You have a new bed, a bunk bed, that I'm only about 80% sure you are going to sleep in all night long so we have to turn on your "tiny lights" in case you decide to climb out in the middle of the night, all fumbling and bleary eyed.

You have become the best big brother, although as I write this, you tried to pull Elise from her crib and make her cry.  You like to make her laugh, even when you can't keep your face far enough from her eyes so she can actually see you.  You share your blankets with her, even though you want me to give you the old, broken trash can that I am using to hold her dirty diapers because you think it's yours. I have no idea why, because it's old, cracked, and smells like ammonia.

You came in and told me your first joke the other day, when you tried to convince me that Hunter had eaten the bottle of slime you bought at the zoo. I had to ask you several times if Hunter really had eaten it, before you cracked a huge smile and admitted you were joking. 

You are the very best, Jacob, and I love you so much. Even when I have to tell you for the hundredth time to stop yelling because your sister is sleeping. 

Bonus shot of Elise: She really likes boobs, OBVIOUSLY!

2 months!

 I don't know why she looks freaked out here, but she was being a happy and smiley girl until I brought out the camera.

 No need to be shy, honey. No one else in the family is!

This baby girl, oh, she is so sweet. Maybe a bit of a mama's girl but only because mama has the milk. She likes to go to sleep in her crib, alone and she sleeps almost all night long. She'll smile at Jacob, and likes to coo at the Fox in the painting above her changing table.

She can finally focus on the little stuffed animals on her bouncer and will spend 20 minutes there, talking to them and trying to grab them. She likes baths in her bucket tub and oddly tries to put one foot up out of the water every time.

It's so much work to have her and at the same time, it's really nothing at all. I can't believe 2 months have gone by and I want it to slow down and speed up all at the same time!

7 Weeks

 Jacob and baby Yoda! Her ear is not really that big, I promise.

 Something compels Jacob to pose whenever I try to take a picture of her.

So. Things are moving right along.

My maternity leave ended and I started back in July. It was mostly self imposed, as I could have taken up to 10 weeks, I believe.  But working from home isn't really that bad and we'd probably be home anyways while she napped! I'm only back 3 hours a day, instead of the 4 I intended but I'm planning on adding an extra hour in during the mornings. If I can only get up before 9!

Elise is growing like crazy and I believe she weighs about 13 pounds now. She's started to smile at us and it pretty much kills me dead every time. Gummy baby smiles are like crack. This is why people have more than 2 kids!!

I don't think I'm going to have more than this though. It's a lot of work and I am not getting any younger. 

Jacob has adjusted to having her around and he's now into asking to hold her a lot. She doesn't seem to mind for the most part, but it's only for a minute or two.  I think Jacob gets bored if she doesn't try to suck on some part of his arm or face.

We're all sleeping well and I'm eating like crazy, darn nursing hunger, as well as getting out of the house more. Jacob is in a sports camp for a couple of days the next few weeks and he's certainly enjoying it.I tried to get him into a preschool, but it turns out that if you aren't poverty level poor, you have an education, you weren't 18 when you had him, and he's too smart? They don't let you go to pre-school early. I feel horrible because I thought we would be accepted, no problem and Jacob desperately wants to go to school. We are on a waiting list, so we'll see. Maybe there is a chance!

"Camping"

 We went camping for the 4th of July.  I say "camping" because we stay in a fully furnished little cabin with running water so it's not quite camping. I don't really do camping, even sans 2.5 week old babies.  We drove up to Gunnison, which is a couple hours away and about 20 degrees cooler.  I'm now considering summering in the mountains, just to get away from the relentless heat we've been dealing with the last few weeks. 

Elise did pretty good on the drive up, although she hates the carseat as much as Jacob did. Jacob did much better in his brand new big kid car seat. However, when he falls asleep in the new seat, his head flops over and I worry he is going to choke himself on the seatbelt. I resorted to stuffing pillows on his lap, which is was quite delighted with when he woke up.  

We did a whole lot of nothing while we were up there, although we ventured out a few times to visit a hatchery, do a little fishing on Papa's boat, and drove up to Crested Butte for an afternoon.  It was nice to get away, since I don't have many opportunities to do so.  

I have to admit that I am already dreading going back to work. It's so nice to just be at home with the kids and have no obligations. I do love my job but life without one is pretty great. We'll make it work though.

Two Kids

Chris came home from work one morning to find all of us in bed. Just like this. Life with two kids is peachy, ya'll. Even though there is a bit more yelling at the older one to stop messing around and trying to figure out how to make the smaller one stop crying without sticking a boob in her mouth. 

But then the two of them cuddle up next to me and everything will be just fine. 

Birthin' Baby: the 2nd Go-Round

I have always said I would like to have a natural birth with no inducing and no drugs. Sort of a life list goal, if you will.  My doctor for Jacob thought he was going to be a huge baby and really felt like inducing around my due date would be best for all.  This time, I was very excited that my doctor would let me go over 41 weeks before inducing. But then my due date came and went and I thought that getting the baby out sounded like a grand plan.  But I also heard that 95% of babies are born within 3 days of their due dates and Elise came right on time!

4 AM: I wake up and notice that my normal Braxton Hicks contractions are feeling a bit different.  I can't see the clock to time them but they are coming and going, slowly.

7 AM: I decide that they are definitely contractions and get out of bed to tell Chris.  He'd just gotten out of the shower and we sat in the living room for a while before he told me I should go take a shower and we'd head to the hospital.  I had to convince him that it was much too soon to go to the hospital, and assure him that he wouldn't have to deliver the baby himself.

9 AM: I decide to pit a bag of cherries and put them in the freezer, just in case I really am in labor. I don't want to waste any of my precious sour cherries from the backyard! 

10 AM: We go down the street to tell Chris's mom that we may need someone to watch Jacob later, then we start walking around the block.  Jacob and Chris are riding their bikes while I follow with Hunter. We only go for two rounds before we head inside so I can shower and sit down to work.

12:30 PM: I eat some lunch and sit down to rest before I am supposed to sign in for work.  I nap for about 15 minutes and then head to my desk.

1:00 PM: I realize my contractions are now coming every 10 minutes or so and lasting for about 30 seconds.
2:00 PM: My co-worker takes over the phones and chats and tells me to do whatever I want. I work on some neglected logs and browse the internet for distractions.

3:30 PM: I decide that I should probably sign out of work and go do something active to progress labor. Contractions are still every 10 minutes and less than a minute long.  But nothing painful, just a tightening that passes.

4:00 PM: I break out the exercise ball and sit on that in front of the TV. I'm watching Guy Fieri's Diner's, Drive In's, and Dives, which makes no sense but it does make me hungry.  Chris takes Jacob to his parent's house.

5:00 PM: Chris goes to get dinner for himself.  I'm not really hungry but I tell him to get me something.  He comes back with a street taco from Carl's Jr. and I can't eat it.  The last thing I want is something spicy and oniony, apparently. Perhaps this baby is not a burrito baby, after all.  Instead I eat a bunch of his french fries and wish I had some chicken strips.

5:30 PM: Chris goes out to water the garden and I finish packing up our stuff.  Contractions are now about 5 minutes apart and lasting a minute and they are getting a lot stronger.  Moving around makes them worse but I take that as a good sign.

6:00 PM: We get in the car and head to the hospital.  Chris takes me one yet another route but this time he's trying to go a less bumpy route.

6:40 PM: We arrive at the hospital and park. Walking toward the ER is no longer possible to do without holding on to Chris's arm and hobbling but we get there. I give my information to the ER nurse and another gets me a wheelchair.  He and Chris recognize each other from previous trips and they start talking about AMR and paramedic classes.  I'm just happy I don't have to walk to Labor and Delivery.

6:45 PM: We check into L&D and the nurses hook me up to the monitors and check me. I'm only at a three but since they can feel the bag of waters, and I'm in active labor, they admit me.  I have to stay in the bed for about 20 minutes to get an idea of how the baby is before I can get up and use the ball or get in the tub.  Chris goes to get the bags and let my mom know she can head to the hospital now.

7:00 PM: Chris is back and I am waiting for the nurses to come in and unhook me.  I don't realize that it's shift change so it's taking a lot longer than I would like. The ball is over in the corner, taunting me.

7:30: The new nurses come in and let me off the monitors after another batch of questions.  Chris gets me the ball and I sit on that for a while but I keep shaking during contractions and I am now freezing.  I decide that the bath sounds like a good idea so he starts filling the tub.

8:00 PM: I've kind of lost track of time at this point, but I believe I got into the tub around then. It warms me up but the shaking from contractions still continues. My contractions are still about 30 seconds long and every couple of minutes.  My mom gets to the hospital. I like the tub but it's not really big enough to do anything but lay on my back. I think a big round tub would be genius instead.

9:00 PM: The nurses come in to check me and monitor baby's heart rate.  I'm at a 5 or so, bag of waters still intact. They have trouble getting the baby's heart rate but when they do it is high, around 200, so they need me to get out of the water and cool down while hooked to the monitor.  This time, at least, they let me be on my side instead of my back.  Chris moves a chair over to rub my back and my mom gives me water and chapstick.  I shunned the hospital provided tube for my favorite orange kind.

10:00 PM: I get up to go to the bathroom and while I'm waiting for the nurse to bring in a cup for me to pee into so they can test me for keytones (I think) I discuss with Chris about how I think I am ready to have an epidural. Laying in bed is not too bad but I imagine it's going to get worse soon. And, like I said to him, it's kind of insane to not get the drugs.

10:05 PM: After I emerge from the bathroom, I find the on call doctor in my room. She wants to check me and break my water.  I ask her if I can get the epidural after she does that and she says yes, so I agree to let her.

10:10 PM: She breaks my water and I feel a lot of warm fluid all over my bed. There is a lot of water, which explains part of the reason why I am so huge.

10:12 PM: First contraction post water breaking and it is overwhelmingly painful.  I tell Chris that I need Fentanyl and he gets the nurse to order that while I'm waiting for the anesthesiologist.

10:12 to 10:45 PM: I am more or less a wriggling body on the bed. The contractions are so very painful, I cannot get my body to relax and I keep forgetting to breathe through my nose and out of my mouth.  Chris and my mom are taking turns rubbing my forehead to remind me to relax and breathe. I recall saying that it hurts at one point, while the logical side of my brain is saying "YES, OF COURSE IT DOES" but that doesn't make a difference.  There isn't much pain in between contractions, which is really fascinating but the amount of time between is pretty short.

10:45 PM: The Dr. comes back and tell me that there isn't enough time for the epidural now, they are going to prep the bed for me to start pushing.  Chris asks her again for Fentanyl but she says that at this point, it won't help me and will go straight to the baby. She does offer to numb me and I agree.  I don't remember much of anything at this point, besides contractions coming and I had my eyes closed for most of the time.

10:50: I start pushing, but I'm doing it all wrong and Chris and the nurses are trying to coach me into holding my breath, pushing down, and not making any noise but that's just too much for my brain to process.

10:55 PM: I open my eyes and ask the Dr. what I am supposed to do at the next contraction.  They tell me again, and as the contraction starts, I do it all wrong. 

10:57 PM: I hold my breath, and the baby's head is out.  Then I feel the rest of the body come out and suddenly there is a baby.  I look down and see it's a girl just as my mom leans over and tells me it's a girl.  They lay her on my stomach and we all agree that she looks just like Jacob.  They are rubbing her body off as Chris cuts the cord.    

11:00 PM: They take her over to the warming table and do all the little things they do: APGAR, footprints, weight, etc. The Dr. is taking out the placenta which is a very strange sensation and I'm anxiously asking if I'm going to need stitches. Lucky me, I do not! I feel amazing, actually, now that the pain is gone and I have a real live baby girl across the room from me.

Once the staff leaves the room, and I get to hold her, we are all amazing how pink she is and she makes herself heard with all sorts of baby coos and grunts.  I let her nurse and realize that she has a little barracuda latch.  I am lucky she is not my first baby!  My mom pulls out the blanket I made her and we wrap her up and everyone gets to hold her.  Just like that, we have a baby girl. 

Elise Bonnie Slattery. June 15th 2012 at 10:57 PM. 8 pounds, 8 ounces, 21 inches long. 

Elise the Police

Elise Bonnie Slattery
Born June 15th, 2012 at 10:57 pm
8 lbs. 9 oz. and 21.5 inches long

We are heading home in abut and I can't wait to share her birth story. Certainly the hardest thing I've ever done!

40 Weeks, 1 Day

June 12th has come and gone!

Obviously, no baby.

If I had any faith in all the "remedies" that you can torture yourself with to get the baby out, I'd try them. But I'm pretty sure none of them will work.  If spicy food didn't give me heartburn, it would be much more fun to do that over castor oil.

I have a halfway packed hospital bag though! But the Pack and Play is still at my mom's and the changing table is still in storage, so we aren't even ready for the baby. Not like that will change anything! Besides, Chris is much more productive under pressure, so he can get that all worked out before we come home from the hospital. 

If you are friends with me on Facebook, you probably saw the terrible photo of my sunburnt legs from Sunday.  The lobster look is mostly gone, but left in it's place is the most unflattering tan with a half moon shaped white patch from my belly. That's going to take some time to fix. But luckily, we will be able to be outside in the afternoons post baby. 

As excited as I am to have this baby, I am equally excited to have some time off! And mojitos. I have a lot of mint growing in the garden. Need to use it somehow!

7 Days

Oh friends. I'm sorry. No baby yet!!

Just my huge, itchy belly and some swollen feet to go with it. 

I'm actually at an "almost 2" so that is much more progress than my barely at a 1 with Jacob at 40 weeks, so that is good news.  I'm in some crazy nesting mode, but only partially because I need the changing table in from storage before I can arrange all the baskets holding the baby clothes, baby diapers, blankets, etc. Currently, they are stacked nicely on my ironing board.

I was actually very productive this weekend and finished up some things for a friend having a baby this August.  She requested a nursing cover, baby quilt, and a car seat cover, and I have somehow finished it all except the ties to secure the car seat cover. I'm worried her car seat isn't going to work with the design I have, but if it doesn't, I suppose she can mail them back to me and I can adjust!  I'll try to get some photos up. 

I have made one baby blanket for *my* baby and I'm putting the quilt on the back burner until I have some time to finish it. I don't think a baby needs a large quilt in June, right?  The little Jersey/flannel one I threw together should be just right. 

I also attempted my first dye job this weekend, as well.  I used Rit dye and I chose Orange and Dark Blue for the white baby items I had on hand that needed some attention.  The orange turned out perfect, even and bright! The Dark Blue? Everything turned purple. Which will be perfect if I have a girl, less so if it's a boy.

Which I hope we know if SEVEN DAYS or SOONER!!

Baby Baking

We had our first of the last OB appointments yesterday. Only four weeks left, which is an awful lot of time to get even.more.pregnant. But not a lot of time to get everything ready before this kid comes. 

I got the lovely test for Group B Strep out of the way, praying for the results to be negative so I don't have to have any antibiotics during labor. She went ahead and checked me and it's at a big fat ZERO so I think my hopes for a 37 week baby are out the window. 

Jacob had a good time, as she let him help her find the heartbeat with the doppler, right after he took Chris's blood pressure. I think she has a soft spot for Jacob as he once told her she looked so beautiful when she came in to the room a few months ago. He is kind of charming. 

I suppose I should make an appointment to go to the hospital and register, although I really wish I could just type in my information on the website and be done with it. I don't really care to see the rooms before hand, or watch any videos on the epidural, etc. This ain't my first rodeo, you know? I am not going to care one bit if the rooms are remodeled. As long as I have my own room, it's all good!

The hospital we are using offers a "complementary" take home meal to their patients for the first night home, which is really sweet, but I'm also thinking that it's not really free! But it is a Catholic hospital, so I suppose it could be in a sense.  All I'm hoping for is the chance to use the tub and a quick, get out of jail free pass after one night. No extended stay for us! I'm only taking a month off of work, I want as much time off as possible!

5 Weeks Left

So. Tomorrow I am officially 5 weeks out from my due date. 

I also have a TON of things left to do.

Official List of Things That Should Be Done Before I Pop Out Another Kid:
Retrieve changing table and Pack n Play from storage
Clean out area downstairs for changing table space
Wash newborn clothes
Buy a dresser for clothes/Steal the one from my old bedroom at my mom's
Order diapers
Register at the hospital
Request cord blood donation package to take with us.
Wash car seat cover, swing cover, bouncy chair cover
Order new seat belt so I can put the car seat in the middle of the car.
Finish baby quilt
Make changing pad cover
Decide on a diaper bag
Make Moses basket bedding
Purchase gauzy fabric for swaddle blankets and dye them
Install a top loading washer for diapers/clothes, etc. because we will need to do laundry more than once a week and that's not an option at the moment.


I'm sure there is more. I'm also sure only half this list might be complete before the baby comes. But at least we really only need the pack and play and the infant seat to really be prepared. Oh, and diapers, but you know my awesome job has that covered. :)

Jacobism

Today, Jacob ran into my room with something stuffed under his shirt.

"Look, Mom! I have a baby in my tummy!"

Minutes later, he came back with something else stuffed in there.

"Look, Mom! I have TWO babies in my tummy!"

I'd tell you their names, but it's very long and confusing and mostly just vowel sounds.

Obviously, I'm getting much larger if he's having to add things to make his belly big AND he thinks he has more than one baby in his tummy.

Only 5 weeks left!

Kitchen Aid!

 

The past weekend, I attended a paper piecing retreat in Fort Collins. We were taught by the lovely Penny and it's incredible how much I learned. I had zero knowledge of how to even attempt paper piecing and while I am not anywhere near a pro, I was super excited to be able to paper piece a little fox for the baby's quilt. Assuming I can get around to finishing that before June. 

The block I made it the Kitchen Aid mixer with the bright blue background and we thought I should include my belly in almost every photo I took. It's kind of taking over everything. 

We didn't stay the night at the Inn, but next time I am totally spending the night in the yellow room here. It has the most amazing bathtub, although I don't think I can get in and out of it safely at the moment. I also had the best food EVER, all made by Tara and she is absolutely hilarious. I can't even re-create the conversations we had in her car as we drove around FoCo on Saturday afternoon. 

So, just another reason why I think moving to Fort Collins would be a stellar idea. We just need AMR to transfer Chris and we are all set.  

I also got the chance to go out to dinner with one of my co-workers and one of my bosses. It's great to work at home, but I would love to be able to work around everyone at the warehouse!  They also gifted me with an amazing maternity leave package and I can't tell you how blessed I was to have that security from them. 

Baby Update

We had another ultrasound this morning after my Monday morning appointment revealed that I am measuring 34 cm while only being 31 weeks. My doctor isn't worried, but she does like to have a reason to schedule an ultrasound if she can. So off we went this morning.

Everything looks good, and baby was actually head down and I'm almost positive that was not the case earlier that morning. I felt like I was a punching bag on the drive to the Dr. Based on the measurements, baby is about 3 lbs. and 14 oz. which places it right in the middle of the spectrum. I have a lot of fluid in there though, about double the amount that they want to see, although it's not a bad thing to have more. At least, I don't think so! I'm not sure if there is anything they can do to take away from the amount of fluid. Or why they would need to do that.

The tech also made us look away as she found out the sex and I am almost positive that she slipped up and said "she" right after looking. She then told us she was going to check the legs and then the sex, but I think it was a cover-up. Chris refuses to play along with me, and I maintain that he knows we are having a girl. Especially since he keeps saying that he got his boy...

Plus, how cruel would it be to have a boy and not Elise the Police, as Jacob will not be able to wrap his mind around that one come June. Baby boy really wants his baby sister!

Coozie

The other day, Chris got his grill set up at our house and the boys went to work on making some dinner.

Of course, grilling means beer for Chris and I let Jacob pick out a Grape soda when we went to the store for the meat. Chris has a collection of Bass Pro Coozies that he unearthed from our storage unit at some point, so they decided that they needed to be used.

Grilling is serious guys business, I guess. I'm not sure, I spent most of the time, barefoot and pregnant in front of the stove.


Cheers!

Hoppy Easter!

So, I spend the majority of Easter weekend at church. Being on the worship team is great fun and a wonderful way I can serve, but it can be a bit consuming over a holiday!

I didn't get to see Jacob dye eggs or have an Easter egg hunt, but I know he got to do all those things multiple times with various members of the family.

I also took my camera with me quite a few times, as well, but only got to take 2 shots of the boy. He spend most of last week sick with a cough and a low fever, so those two days of non-stop action with the family was rough on him. He finally crashed at 4:15 on Sunday afternoon as we drove to my in-laws. He took a good nap and then stayed up half the night.



Lucky for me, everything is mostly back to normal now!

PS. I am super excited about the huge basket of candy he brought home from all the egg hunts. More chocolate for mama!