Our hospital stay with Aria was truly wonderful. I really couldn't have asked for more. We had plenty of visitors, the best nurses, the cutest baby, and we even got to stay for an extra night.
After I gave birth to Aria, she nursed for about 10 minutes before she decided that she was done and tired. The next thing I knew it was shift change. I was so glad that our sweet nurse was able to be there for the birth of Aria, she had been with us the whole day before and had been so kind and dealt extremely well with my emotional, weepy self. I'm so embarrassed, just as shift change occurred, I got sick. I had thrown up 2 other times in the past 3 hours or so, and I had gotten sick and this time was the worst. Not only did I get sick, but the epidural had worn off really fast after giving birth and I totally lost control of my bladder and the next thing I knew there was this huge puddle underneath my bed. I cried. I was so embarrassed and felt so bad for this new nurse. I figured she would call housekeeping and have them take care of it. Nope, she took care of it herself and got me some breakfast since it had been nearly 24 hours since I had eaten last and the cafeteria didn't even open for another hour.
After eating some toast and drinking some apple juice and water, I was so ready to take a shower. Yes! I made it out of bed to take a shower. It was wonderful. They tell you not to take a very long shower after birth in case you start to feel dizzy and fall over in the shower. Well, okay. I took my shower, got all of our belongings together and I was ready to grab Aria and make our way to the Mother Baby Unit. It's really the best part of the hospital stay.
We got to the Mother Baby Unit around 7 A.M. in time to take an hour nap before our real breakfast came. The best hour of sleep I think I have ever had. Aria slept beautifully during that time as well. Breakfast came and we ate and went back to sleep for a few more hours. 10 A.M. rolled around and our nurse came in a little concerned that Aria hadn't eaten since she was born, she had been sleeping so peacefully and I hate to wake a sleeping baby just to eat. If a baby is hungry, they will surely wake up on their own. So, to appease our nurse, we woke her and she ate a little more. We had such a relaxing day playing cards and hanging out with our sleepy little angel. The nurses hardly came in to bother us.
We had some visitors that evening. Our friends Tyler and Megan that Brenden had been staying with during the day came to see us with Brenden. They brought their son, Brody as well. It was so sweet to see Brenden with his new little sister for the first time. I don't even think that he really noticed that she was there. He was just so excited to see mommy and daddy. We hadn't seen him since the morning before. I had never spent more than just a few hours away from him before.
After Tyler and Megan left, our friends Paul and Jess stopped by. Brenden was spending the night at their house. He loves it at their place. He loves to play with this yodeling pickle toy that they have. Jess is pregnant and definitely has baby fever and she was so cute with Aria. Paul of course, was your typical guy and was afraid to hold her. What is it? Afraid that holding a baby too manly will break it? I don't know, it's a little silly.
Our friends, Mike, Michelle, and Landon Goold also stopped by and brought us some trail mix. Thank you! I can only handle so much of the hospital food that is all over cooked. Don't get me wrong, I was so thankful for hospital food and to have someone else cook and come and clean my dishes and clean up any other messes that I make. Love it!
That night was wonderful, we had the nurses come and take Aria around 3 in the morning and they kept her until 7, when they brought her in to eat. The nurses said that she had been sleeping the whole time she was out there. Such a blessing to know that your kid sleeps so well already.
Our doctor came to see us Wednesday morning to check on mom and baby. Come to find out Aria was born tongue tied. We had a couple options posed to us. We could either have it taken care of right away and have her tongue clipped, or wait and see how it develops and hope for the best. We decided that we would take care of it right away to avoid any problems later on. Its better to cut right away than to wait and to have to do it. Aria's tongue was clipped with minimal bleeding and she has been eating like a champ ever since!
Wednesday was such a hard day for me. I was just in so much pain. More than I remember having with Brenden. It hurt so much to nurse, and I was so crampy and tired. I was at the limit on all of my meds and just totally miserable. I just had no idea what to do other than I was in pain. The next thing I knew, I was loosing a blood clot the size of a pop can. We called in a nurse to make sure this was normal. It wasn't. She checked everything out to make sure I was okay. I seemed to be okay other than the pain. The nurse, offered to let me take a Jacuzzi bath. That helped a little bit, but I was still in a significant amount of pain.
With all of the pain and thinking about going home, our doctor offered to let us stay in the hospital another night just so they could keep an eye and me and make sure everything was okay. They also didn't want me to go home and have the sole responsibility of taking care of a newborn in so much pain. Even though we were ready to get out of the hospital we decided it would be better to stay another night and let the nurses take care of everything. Thank goodness we did. I totally took advantage of it.
We had some more visitors Wednesday night. Our great friends, Mike and Melanie came to see Aria and to take Brenden home with them for the night. This is when we were able to get our first family photo with all four of us! Brenden showed so much love and interest for his little sister. He got to hold her and he just loved to play with her little feet, mostly trying to tickle them. He is such a sweet big brother.
The very next morning we were able to go home. I am blessed with such a sweet and wonderful little family. I love them so very much! We are so very blessed by such wonderful family members and friends. We're so grateful to know such wonderful people and have such a great support system. I'm loving life and can't wait for it to get even better!
September 21, 2012
September 08, 2012
Aria's Birth Story
It all started at my 38 week appointment where we went in and our doctor swept my membranes to try and get things going. This doesn't always work, but when your body is ready for labor, sweeping the membranes can help things along. This did not happen for Aria and I, she just was not ready to come out. Now will I ever be able to labor completely on my own and progress, I'm not sure, but I hope to find out someday.
Our doctor at my 38 week appointment told us that starting at 39 weeks that he would induce, but not pressure the idea of inductions until I was nearing 41 weeks. He says if you go into labor on your own anywhere from 37 weeks to 40 weeks, 6 days is wonderful, but once you hit 41 weeks the risk of c-section, and fractures and injuries to both mama and baby sky rocket.
I had full intentions on just waiting for labor to come completely on its own. Friday August 24th rolled around and Chris and I took Brenden on a walk to the park after dinner. Walking to the park I just had this flood of emotions and worries and stresses come over me. I started thinking, what if this baby decides to come late like Brenden and we're right in the middle of moving. Even if this baby comes on time, we would be moving in a matter of days after coming home from the hospital. We decided to give our doctor a call and see what he thought we should do. We called our doctor and he decided that if we were up to it, that he could set up an induction for the following Monday morning. That put me at 39 weeks, and 2 days.
Chris and I spent the weekend scrambling to get things done between laundry and cleaning, packing bags for us for the hospital, a bag for Brenden, and finding babysitters and places for Brenden to stay over night for when we were in the hospital. It was actually really nice knowing that we had everything scheduled out and knowing we wouldn't have to worry about anything for when I did go into labor. It was really an ease of stress. The whole pregnancy I never really did think a whole lot about where Brenden would be while I was giving birth to his little sister. I guess I just thought it would all just fall into place and I realized as I was scheduling babysitters and such that that would have been impossible. I'm so glad that we were able to schedule an induction for that one reason alone.
Day of Induction! We had gotten a call from Labor and Delivery the night before asking us to call in the next morning at 5:30 for availability for induction. That's exactly what we did. We both set alarms on our phones for 5:30 and called in. Well dang! They had 4 women go into labor over night and they were all still in labor. They told us to call back around 10 to see if they had any open rooms then. We decided to call around 7:30 to beat anyone else who might be calling for an induction that day. Everyone was still in delivery, so they asked us to call back in 2 hours. Chris and I decided to get up and shower and make a big breakfast and get everything packed up for the day. We had some yummy pancakes and eggs for breakfast, much needed for such an intense day. After breakfast I jumped in the shower. Labor and Delivery called while I was in the shower and Chris didn't hear my phone. So I called them back around 8:30 and they said we could come in anytime.
We dropped Brenden off at some friends where he would be spending the next few days and headed up to the hospital. We got to the hospital around 9 A.M. We got ourselves checked in, I got changed into one of their robes, and then got hooked up to a monitoring system, got my vitals in, and got asked a ton of questions. Chris and both called our moms while we were waiting for the pitocin to get started. Both were getting very anxious and excited. They got the pitocin going around 11 A.M. The nurses would come in and increase the pitocin drip about every hour. The drip can only go up to 20 units. They started the drip at 1 unit, and came in would increase it by 2 units every hour until we hit 10 units. Around 3 we hit 10 units and were kind of at a stand still waiting for the doctor. Our doctor had gotten stuck in a meeting and the nurses didn't want to increase the pitocin until they knew what his plans were. They said if they increased it more and the doctor came in to break my water, the contractions would just come on too strong and would be more painful than I would be prepared for.
I got my water broken around 4:30. Didn't hurt at all like I thought it would, thank goodness. After my water had been broken I decided it would be good to get to walking the halls to help speed things up. They started increasing the dose of pitocin again and I was only dilated to 3 cm. It worried me a little bit that it was almost 6 P.M. and that I was only dilated to 3 cm and the contractions were about 4 minutes apart and starting to get pretty strong already. At this point I decided that I wanted to try an epidural. Even though, I also did pitocin with Brenden, I did it all natural with out an epidural, I guess I just kind of assumed that this time it would be the same. I guess inducing to get the labor started made it a lot worse. My thought was that I wanted to experience both a medicated and natural childbirth, so when I'm ready to educate others about childbirth and help them through the labor process that I can know both sides and be totally objective and rational and unbiased.
I got my epidural around 6 P.M. and it was the weirdest sensation ever. They give you a shot in the middle of your back to numb and when they actually do the epidural, it kicks in like a doctor is testing your reflexes. Weird. Once I had the epidural it kicked in really fast, within the first 20 minutes or so. Both of my legs totally went dead. Up and walking around was no longer an option. I think that's the worst part about an epidural. Chris went down to the cafeteria and grabbed some dinner for himself and brought it back up. I wasn't supposed to eat anything just in case of the need for an emergency c-section. Yes! Finally someone gave me a straight answer to why women in labor shouldn't eat while in labor!
The epidural kicked in and it was time for this mama to take a much needed nap. It had been such a long day and I had been expecting to have another baby by dinner time, I was just so emotionally drained and just so exhausted. I napped for a good 3 hours until the nurse came in to check on me again. She came to check on me at 9 P.M. and I was still not considered to be in active labor. I about lost it. I got so emotional and just cried for about 20 minutes. I was at the limit for the pitocin drip, epidural had kicked in, contractions were about 3-4 minutes apart, but I was still only dilated to 4 cm. All of this to me was just so discouraging, I just wanted to give up and go home which with the epidural was not a viable option, so I just cried and cried until I finally fell back asleep.
The nurse came back in to check on me at 11 P.M. and I had finally made it to 6 cm and was in active labor with contractions coming less than 3 minutes apart. I was so happy to be seeing some progress! After making it to a 6 I didn't want to go back to sleep fearing that my labor would stall out since that's where I stopped progressing with Brenden and being at my limit with pitocin, I was getting super nervous. Well, labor did stall, for almost 3 hours! Chris and I took some naps, watched some tv, and tried to rest up as much as we could. I wasn't progressing and being at the limit with pitocin our doctor started to get a little concerned that we may have to have a c-section. He would give me a couple more hours to get things going on my own. I was so scared of a c-section and really started regretting my decision for an induction.
That quickly went away around 2 A.M. I was still only dilated to 6 cm, but I started to feel better, I knew the baby was getting ready to make her grand debut. By 3 A.M. I had progressed to 7 cm. I was getting super excited because at this point I started dilating a centimeter every half an hour. Which is amazing progress!! Just before 5 A.M. rolled around I was complete. Wonderful! I decided I would just breathe through the contractions while they got our doctor back in instead of trying to push for an hour like I did with Brenden. It was so wonderful to know my body and be able to breathe through the contractions and know exactly what was going on. Have an incredibly attentive husband right by my side to hold my hand and talk me through everything. Our doctor showed up at 5:15 to catch the baby. It was pretty incredible. Our doctor barely had time to put on his robe before Aria decided to come. The nurse had asked me to try and push through a contraction to see where we were at. She quickly told me to stop pushing because the baby was right there and the doctor wasn't quite dressed for the occasion yet. Our doctor through on his gown just in time for me to start pushing through a contraction and Aria was born at 5:19 A.M. To me, this was such a quick birth compared to Brenden's. So much more relaxed and just so much better.
I really loved having such a supportive doctor and wonderful nurses. The best part was being there mentally. With Brenden and the pitocin with him, they had given me some pain killers which made me super tired and loopy. I just don't remember much about his birth. I wasn't super lucid, which I really regret. Sure it would have been nice to go with out an epidural again, but now that I look back on it and think about how long it took my body to react to the pitocin I am so glad with the decision I made.
This birth was also a lot more intimate which was also nice. It was just Chris and I and we got to talk to each other more than we were with Brenden. I just have to say that everything was just so much nicer this time around. I'm so happy that we switched to a better doctor and got everything that we wanted and hey, we got a little baby girl a head of schedule! Here's to another successful and happy birth!
Aria's Stats:
Born at 5:19 A.M. on August 28, 2012
7 lbs, 14 oz.
20 inches long
Our doctor at my 38 week appointment told us that starting at 39 weeks that he would induce, but not pressure the idea of inductions until I was nearing 41 weeks. He says if you go into labor on your own anywhere from 37 weeks to 40 weeks, 6 days is wonderful, but once you hit 41 weeks the risk of c-section, and fractures and injuries to both mama and baby sky rocket.
I had full intentions on just waiting for labor to come completely on its own. Friday August 24th rolled around and Chris and I took Brenden on a walk to the park after dinner. Walking to the park I just had this flood of emotions and worries and stresses come over me. I started thinking, what if this baby decides to come late like Brenden and we're right in the middle of moving. Even if this baby comes on time, we would be moving in a matter of days after coming home from the hospital. We decided to give our doctor a call and see what he thought we should do. We called our doctor and he decided that if we were up to it, that he could set up an induction for the following Monday morning. That put me at 39 weeks, and 2 days.
Chris and I spent the weekend scrambling to get things done between laundry and cleaning, packing bags for us for the hospital, a bag for Brenden, and finding babysitters and places for Brenden to stay over night for when we were in the hospital. It was actually really nice knowing that we had everything scheduled out and knowing we wouldn't have to worry about anything for when I did go into labor. It was really an ease of stress. The whole pregnancy I never really did think a whole lot about where Brenden would be while I was giving birth to his little sister. I guess I just thought it would all just fall into place and I realized as I was scheduling babysitters and such that that would have been impossible. I'm so glad that we were able to schedule an induction for that one reason alone.
Day of Induction! We had gotten a call from Labor and Delivery the night before asking us to call in the next morning at 5:30 for availability for induction. That's exactly what we did. We both set alarms on our phones for 5:30 and called in. Well dang! They had 4 women go into labor over night and they were all still in labor. They told us to call back around 10 to see if they had any open rooms then. We decided to call around 7:30 to beat anyone else who might be calling for an induction that day. Everyone was still in delivery, so they asked us to call back in 2 hours. Chris and I decided to get up and shower and make a big breakfast and get everything packed up for the day. We had some yummy pancakes and eggs for breakfast, much needed for such an intense day. After breakfast I jumped in the shower. Labor and Delivery called while I was in the shower and Chris didn't hear my phone. So I called them back around 8:30 and they said we could come in anytime.
We dropped Brenden off at some friends where he would be spending the next few days and headed up to the hospital. We got to the hospital around 9 A.M. We got ourselves checked in, I got changed into one of their robes, and then got hooked up to a monitoring system, got my vitals in, and got asked a ton of questions. Chris and both called our moms while we were waiting for the pitocin to get started. Both were getting very anxious and excited. They got the pitocin going around 11 A.M. The nurses would come in and increase the pitocin drip about every hour. The drip can only go up to 20 units. They started the drip at 1 unit, and came in would increase it by 2 units every hour until we hit 10 units. Around 3 we hit 10 units and were kind of at a stand still waiting for the doctor. Our doctor had gotten stuck in a meeting and the nurses didn't want to increase the pitocin until they knew what his plans were. They said if they increased it more and the doctor came in to break my water, the contractions would just come on too strong and would be more painful than I would be prepared for.
I got my water broken around 4:30. Didn't hurt at all like I thought it would, thank goodness. After my water had been broken I decided it would be good to get to walking the halls to help speed things up. They started increasing the dose of pitocin again and I was only dilated to 3 cm. It worried me a little bit that it was almost 6 P.M. and that I was only dilated to 3 cm and the contractions were about 4 minutes apart and starting to get pretty strong already. At this point I decided that I wanted to try an epidural. Even though, I also did pitocin with Brenden, I did it all natural with out an epidural, I guess I just kind of assumed that this time it would be the same. I guess inducing to get the labor started made it a lot worse. My thought was that I wanted to experience both a medicated and natural childbirth, so when I'm ready to educate others about childbirth and help them through the labor process that I can know both sides and be totally objective and rational and unbiased.
I got my epidural around 6 P.M. and it was the weirdest sensation ever. They give you a shot in the middle of your back to numb and when they actually do the epidural, it kicks in like a doctor is testing your reflexes. Weird. Once I had the epidural it kicked in really fast, within the first 20 minutes or so. Both of my legs totally went dead. Up and walking around was no longer an option. I think that's the worst part about an epidural. Chris went down to the cafeteria and grabbed some dinner for himself and brought it back up. I wasn't supposed to eat anything just in case of the need for an emergency c-section. Yes! Finally someone gave me a straight answer to why women in labor shouldn't eat while in labor!
The epidural kicked in and it was time for this mama to take a much needed nap. It had been such a long day and I had been expecting to have another baby by dinner time, I was just so emotionally drained and just so exhausted. I napped for a good 3 hours until the nurse came in to check on me again. She came to check on me at 9 P.M. and I was still not considered to be in active labor. I about lost it. I got so emotional and just cried for about 20 minutes. I was at the limit for the pitocin drip, epidural had kicked in, contractions were about 3-4 minutes apart, but I was still only dilated to 4 cm. All of this to me was just so discouraging, I just wanted to give up and go home which with the epidural was not a viable option, so I just cried and cried until I finally fell back asleep.
The nurse came back in to check on me at 11 P.M. and I had finally made it to 6 cm and was in active labor with contractions coming less than 3 minutes apart. I was so happy to be seeing some progress! After making it to a 6 I didn't want to go back to sleep fearing that my labor would stall out since that's where I stopped progressing with Brenden and being at my limit with pitocin, I was getting super nervous. Well, labor did stall, for almost 3 hours! Chris and I took some naps, watched some tv, and tried to rest up as much as we could. I wasn't progressing and being at the limit with pitocin our doctor started to get a little concerned that we may have to have a c-section. He would give me a couple more hours to get things going on my own. I was so scared of a c-section and really started regretting my decision for an induction.
That quickly went away around 2 A.M. I was still only dilated to 6 cm, but I started to feel better, I knew the baby was getting ready to make her grand debut. By 3 A.M. I had progressed to 7 cm. I was getting super excited because at this point I started dilating a centimeter every half an hour. Which is amazing progress!! Just before 5 A.M. rolled around I was complete. Wonderful! I decided I would just breathe through the contractions while they got our doctor back in instead of trying to push for an hour like I did with Brenden. It was so wonderful to know my body and be able to breathe through the contractions and know exactly what was going on. Have an incredibly attentive husband right by my side to hold my hand and talk me through everything. Our doctor showed up at 5:15 to catch the baby. It was pretty incredible. Our doctor barely had time to put on his robe before Aria decided to come. The nurse had asked me to try and push through a contraction to see where we were at. She quickly told me to stop pushing because the baby was right there and the doctor wasn't quite dressed for the occasion yet. Our doctor through on his gown just in time for me to start pushing through a contraction and Aria was born at 5:19 A.M. To me, this was such a quick birth compared to Brenden's. So much more relaxed and just so much better.
I really loved having such a supportive doctor and wonderful nurses. The best part was being there mentally. With Brenden and the pitocin with him, they had given me some pain killers which made me super tired and loopy. I just don't remember much about his birth. I wasn't super lucid, which I really regret. Sure it would have been nice to go with out an epidural again, but now that I look back on it and think about how long it took my body to react to the pitocin I am so glad with the decision I made.
This birth was also a lot more intimate which was also nice. It was just Chris and I and we got to talk to each other more than we were with Brenden. I just have to say that everything was just so much nicer this time around. I'm so happy that we switched to a better doctor and got everything that we wanted and hey, we got a little baby girl a head of schedule! Here's to another successful and happy birth!
Aria's Stats:
Born at 5:19 A.M. on August 28, 2012
7 lbs, 14 oz.
20 inches long
Getting Aria all cleaned up and warm. This is our little baby girl at about a minute old.
First picture with a very proud Daddy. Now Mommy can take a shower!
September 04, 2012
August 22, 2012
Countdown: 1 week, 3 days
It just keeps getting closer and closer and each passing day just seems to be getting shorter and shorter and I keep thinking to myself, am I ready for this? Am I ready to bring a new born baby into this mess of packing I have made? I just don't know. I'm just really nervous that she will come before I have finished the declutter stage of packing. Ack! I need some longer days and a much needed babysitter for Brenden! I am going to crazy. But, I can say that the hospital bag is officially packed! Yes! But, sadly I will have to pack a bag for Brenden, I'm sure that will be much easier though.
I had my 38-week appointment with Dr. Jones today. As with all of my other appointments, it went super well. My non-stress test was a success with no contractions yet and a very active baby. I had no blood, glucose, or protein in my urine. I've past that stage in pregnancy where I am no longer gaining weight, my blood pressure was right on, and I have no swelling. Things couldn't be going any easier and better. I was checked for dilation and am dilated to 1 cm, which is good progress, we'll see how far I can dilate before the next appointment. I also had my membranes swept this morning, no progress yet, but I have hope.
Starting Saturday, if I want I can be induced. Which frankly is the last thing that I want. Maybe, if my mom was going to be in town on a set date before the due date I would consider it, but that's not the case. My mom probably won't be coming down until Labor Day weekend, which I'm hoping baby will be here by then.
So, that's our fun little update on baby. Hope you enjoyed!
I had my 38-week appointment with Dr. Jones today. As with all of my other appointments, it went super well. My non-stress test was a success with no contractions yet and a very active baby. I had no blood, glucose, or protein in my urine. I've past that stage in pregnancy where I am no longer gaining weight, my blood pressure was right on, and I have no swelling. Things couldn't be going any easier and better. I was checked for dilation and am dilated to 1 cm, which is good progress, we'll see how far I can dilate before the next appointment. I also had my membranes swept this morning, no progress yet, but I have hope.
Starting Saturday, if I want I can be induced. Which frankly is the last thing that I want. Maybe, if my mom was going to be in town on a set date before the due date I would consider it, but that's not the case. My mom probably won't be coming down until Labor Day weekend, which I'm hoping baby will be here by then.
So, that's our fun little update on baby. Hope you enjoyed!
August 13, 2012
Countdown: 2 weeks, 5 days!
Yep, if this baby decides to be on time unlike Brenden, we've got less than 3 weeks to prepare! Yikes! I can't even believe it. But we've still got a long road ahead of us, with having to pack everything up to get it into our storage unit that we haven't even picked out yet. Talk about being a little bit stressed out. We started out last night by packing up one of our bookshelves. I know it wasn't much, but it made me feel accomplished for the evening. We're not planning on moving out to Idaho Falls until the weekend of September 22nd, so we've still got awhile to be packing up depending on when baby girl decides to grace us with her presence.
Week 37 Update: Contractions and much much more contractions! I have been having contractions since early Saturday morning, but I'm not getting to excited about it yet. I remember having contractions with Brenden for 2 weeks before he was born. Lame, I know. I started timing them on Saturday with this little handy contraction timer on my phone. I just press a button on my home screen when it starts and stops and it collects all the information for me. How far apart are they, and how long do they last. They were about 7 minutes apart at about 40 seconds long, and then I went to sleep Saturday night and haven't had any since.
So disheartening. But I am so not ready to bring a little baby home yet. I don't even have my hospital bag packed yet. I also want to get a lot of things into the storage unit before she comes, which means that we need to rent one, and get to packing more boxes. There are very few things that I want to take to the Idaho Falls apartment. That's another thing, we need to find an apartment out there and fast! We're calling a place today, sure it's only a one bedroom, but I think it will be okay for 3 months. It will be so nice for Chris to be only ten minutes away from work instead of 45. I am so willing to sacrifice space for time, especially with a brand new baby.
Well, I better get to packing, if anyone wants to join the super pregnant lady in this packing fiasco, let me know!
Week 37 Update: Contractions and much much more contractions! I have been having contractions since early Saturday morning, but I'm not getting to excited about it yet. I remember having contractions with Brenden for 2 weeks before he was born. Lame, I know. I started timing them on Saturday with this little handy contraction timer on my phone. I just press a button on my home screen when it starts and stops and it collects all the information for me. How far apart are they, and how long do they last. They were about 7 minutes apart at about 40 seconds long, and then I went to sleep Saturday night and haven't had any since.
So disheartening. But I am so not ready to bring a little baby home yet. I don't even have my hospital bag packed yet. I also want to get a lot of things into the storage unit before she comes, which means that we need to rent one, and get to packing more boxes. There are very few things that I want to take to the Idaho Falls apartment. That's another thing, we need to find an apartment out there and fast! We're calling a place today, sure it's only a one bedroom, but I think it will be okay for 3 months. It will be so nice for Chris to be only ten minutes away from work instead of 45. I am so willing to sacrifice space for time, especially with a brand new baby.
Well, I better get to packing, if anyone wants to join the super pregnant lady in this packing fiasco, let me know!
August 09, 2012
New in the Freeman Household!
Nope, no baby, not quite yet anyways. Chris has decided to take a few semesters off from school. With a baby coming, and Chris having to currently work 2 jobs to support us, school has just been suffering for the last few semesters. Hopefully taking some time off will help him relax and get back into school mode.
We've decided that we'll need to move to Idaho Falls to save on gas and rent. So until December we'll be living in Idaho Falls. We want to find a place relatively soon so that we can move out there right after the baby is born.
After Christmas we'll be moving to Washington D.C. until September of 2013 when we come back for Chris to finish up his last few semesters of school.
So that's our little update on where we'll be for the next year!
As far as baby goes, no signs of any kind of labor so far, which I think is fantastic!
We've decided that we'll need to move to Idaho Falls to save on gas and rent. So until December we'll be living in Idaho Falls. We want to find a place relatively soon so that we can move out there right after the baby is born.
After Christmas we'll be moving to Washington D.C. until September of 2013 when we come back for Chris to finish up his last few semesters of school.
So that's our little update on where we'll be for the next year!
As far as baby goes, no signs of any kind of labor so far, which I think is fantastic!
July 21, 2012
34 weeks!
Only 6 weeks to go! I'm starting to hope its even less than that. Summertime is here and I'm ready to enjoy some time with our new precious baby girl.
July 17, 2012
33 weeks, 3 days
That point in pregnancy where all your shirts start to roll up. Just over 6 weeks left!
July 10, 2012
Vitamin K Shots for Newborns
Chris and I decided not to give Brenden the Vitamin K shot as recommended by our midwives and we were so glad that we made that decision and this article just kind of validates our decision.
Vitamin K at Birth: To Inject or Not
Posted By Dr. Ben Kim Children's Health Issues Healthy Pregnancy
Before my wife gave birth to our first child, our primary midwife asked us to think about whether we wanted our child to receive a vitamin K shot after he was born or not.
Vitamin K shots are routinely administered to newborn babies because 1.8 out of every 100,000 babies who do not receive vitamin K injections suffer permanent injury or death due to uncontrolled bleeding in the brain that may be the result of having extremely low levels of vitamin K in their systems.
Our instinct was to decline the shot for our baby, but after our midwife gave the vitamin K shot a strong endorsement due to an experience she had of seeing an non-injected baby die from intracranial bleeding, we felt enough uncertainty to go with her recommendation.
Most fortunately, our son had no problems with his injection and is thriving as he approaches 22 months of age.
In preparing to welcome our second child this coming summer, we recently decided to do some more research into the pros and cons of giving vitamin K shots to newborns. After reading through several papers and discussing the matter over many days, we decided that for our second child, we will decline the vitamin K shot.
After reading about some of the potential problems that can result from administering vitamin K shots to newborns, we decided that we feel more comfortable having my wife each plenty of vitamin K-rich foods late in her pregnancy and while she nurses our baby.
What follows is the most balanced and informative article on this topic that we encountered during our research. If this topic is of interest to you, please be sure to read the entire article that follows. Do not be alarmed when you first encounter the references to vitamin K shots being linked with an increased risk of developing cancer. When you get to the section that is subtitled "The Numbers," you will see that the statistics do not clearly favor giving or not giving a vitamin K shot to newborns.
If you are expecting to have a baby, we hope that you find this information to be useful as you make a decision that feels right for your unique circumstances.
***
Reprinted from the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association Newsletter, September/October 2002 Issue
UPDATED May 19, 2004
by Linda Folden Palmer, DC (http://babyreference.com)
Newborn infants routinely receive a vitamin K shot after birth in order to prevent (or slow) a rare problem of bleeding into the brain weeks after birth. Vitamin K promotes blood clotting. The fetus has low levels of vitamin K as well as other factors needed in clotting. The body maintains these levels very precisely.(1) Supplementation of vitamin K to the pregnant mother does not change the K status of the fetus, confirming the importance of its specific levels.
Toward the end of gestation, the fetus begins developing some of the other clotting factors, developing two key factors just before term birth.(2) It has recently been shown that this tight regulation of vitamin K levels helps control the rate of rapid cell division during fetal development. Apparently, high levels of vitamin K can allow cell division to get out of hand, leading to cancer.
What's the Concern?
The problem of bleeding into the brain occurs mainly from 3 to 7 weeks after birth in just over 5 out of 100,000 births (without vitamin K injections); 90% of those cases are breastfed infants (3) because formulas are supplemented with unnaturally high levels of vitamin K. Forty percent of these infants suffer permanent brain damage or death.
The cause of this bleeding trauma is generally liver disease that has not been detected until the bleeding occurs. Several liver problems can reduce the liver's ability to make blood-clotting factors out of vitamin K; therefore extra K helps this situation. Infants exposed to drugs or alcohol through any means are especially at risk, and those from mothers on anti-epileptic medications are at very high risk and need special attention.
Such complications reduce the effectiveness of vitamin K, and in these cases, a higher level of available K could prevent the tragic intracranial bleeding. This rare bleeding disorder has been found to be highly preventable by a large-dose injection of vitamin K at birth.
The downside of this practice however is a possibly 80% increased risk of developing childhood leukemia. While a few studies have refuted this suggestion, several tightly controlled studies have shown this correlation to be most likely.(4,5) The most current analysis of six different studies suggests it is a 10 or 20% increased risk. This is still a significant number of avoidable cancers.(6)
Apparently the cell division that continues to be quite rapid after birth continues to depend on precise amounts of vitamin K to proceed at the proper rate. Introduction of levels that are 20,000 times the newborn level, the amount usually injected, can have devastating consequences.
The Newborn's Diet
Nursing raises the infant's vitamin K levels very gradually after birth so that no de-regulation occurs that would encourage leukemia development. Additionally, the clotting system of the healthy newborn is well planned, and healthy breastfed infants do not suffer bleeding complications, even without any supplementation.(7)
While breastfed infants demonstrate lower blood levels of vitamin K than the "recommended" amount, they show no signs of vitamin K deficiency (leading one to wonder where the "recommended" level for infants came from). But with vitamin K injections at birth, harmful consequences of some rare disorders can be averted.
Infant formulas are supplemented with high levels of vitamin K, generally sufficient to prevent intracranial bleeding in the case of a liver disorder and in some other rare bleeding disorders. Although formula feeding is seen to increase overall childhood cancer rates by 80%, this is likely not related to the added vitamin K.
The Numbers
Extracting data from available literature reveals that there are 1.5 extra cases of leukemia per 100,000 children due to vitamin K injections, and 1.8 more permanent injuries or deaths per 100,000 due to brain bleeding without injections. Adding the risk of infection or damage from the injections, including a local skin disease called "scleroderma" that is seen rarely with K injections (8), and even adding the possibility of healthy survival from leukemia, the scales remain tipped toward breastfed infants receiving a prophylactic vitamin K supplementation. However, there are better options than the .5 or 1 milligram injections typically given to newborns.
A Better Solution
The breastfed infant can be supplemented with several low oral doses of liquid vitamin K9 (possibly 200 micrograms per week for 5 weeks, totaling 1 milligram, even more gradual introduction may be better). Alternatively, the nursing mother can take vitamin K supplements daily or twice weekly for 10 weeks. (Supplementation of the pregnant mother does not alter fetal levels but supplementation of the nursing mother does increase breast milk and infant levels.)
Either of these provides a much safer rate of vitamin K supplementation. Maternal supplementation of 2.5 mg per day, recommended by one author, provides a higher level of vitamin K through breast milk than does formula (10), and may be much more than necessary.
Formula provides 10 times the U.S. recommended daily allowance," and this RDA is about 2 times the level in unsupplemented human milk. One milligram per day for 10 weeks for mother provides a cumulative extra 1 milligram to her infant over the important period and seems reasonable. Neither mother nor infant require supplementation if the infant is injected at birth. (11)
The Bottom Line
There is no overwhelming reason to discontinue this routine prophylactic injection for breastfed infants. Providing information about alternatives to allow informed parents to refuse would be reasonable. These parents may then decide to provide some gradual supplementation, or, for an entirely healthy term infant, they may simply provide diligent watchfulness for any signs of jaundice (yellowing of eyes or skin) or easy bleeding.
There appears to be no harm in supplementing this vitamin in a gradual manner however. Currently, injections are provided to infants intended for formula feeding as well, although there appears to be no need as formula provides good gradual supplementation. Discontinuing routine injections for this group alone could reduce cases of leukemia.
One more curious look at childhood leukemia is the finding that when any nation lowers its rate of infant deaths, their rate of childhood leukemia increases.(12) Vitamin K injections may be responsible for some part of this number, but other factors are surely involved, about which we can only speculate.
Note from Ben Kim: To learn more about Dr. Linda Folden Palmer and her work, please visit: BabyReference.com.
Vitamin K at Birth: To Inject or Not
Posted By Dr. Ben Kim Children's Health Issues Healthy Pregnancy
Before my wife gave birth to our first child, our primary midwife asked us to think about whether we wanted our child to receive a vitamin K shot after he was born or not.
Vitamin K shots are routinely administered to newborn babies because 1.8 out of every 100,000 babies who do not receive vitamin K injections suffer permanent injury or death due to uncontrolled bleeding in the brain that may be the result of having extremely low levels of vitamin K in their systems.
Our instinct was to decline the shot for our baby, but after our midwife gave the vitamin K shot a strong endorsement due to an experience she had of seeing an non-injected baby die from intracranial bleeding, we felt enough uncertainty to go with her recommendation.
Most fortunately, our son had no problems with his injection and is thriving as he approaches 22 months of age.
In preparing to welcome our second child this coming summer, we recently decided to do some more research into the pros and cons of giving vitamin K shots to newborns. After reading through several papers and discussing the matter over many days, we decided that for our second child, we will decline the vitamin K shot.
After reading about some of the potential problems that can result from administering vitamin K shots to newborns, we decided that we feel more comfortable having my wife each plenty of vitamin K-rich foods late in her pregnancy and while she nurses our baby.
What follows is the most balanced and informative article on this topic that we encountered during our research. If this topic is of interest to you, please be sure to read the entire article that follows. Do not be alarmed when you first encounter the references to vitamin K shots being linked with an increased risk of developing cancer. When you get to the section that is subtitled "The Numbers," you will see that the statistics do not clearly favor giving or not giving a vitamin K shot to newborns.
If you are expecting to have a baby, we hope that you find this information to be useful as you make a decision that feels right for your unique circumstances.
***
Reprinted from the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association Newsletter, September/October 2002 Issue
UPDATED May 19, 2004
by Linda Folden Palmer, DC (http://babyreference.com)
Newborn infants routinely receive a vitamin K shot after birth in order to prevent (or slow) a rare problem of bleeding into the brain weeks after birth. Vitamin K promotes blood clotting. The fetus has low levels of vitamin K as well as other factors needed in clotting. The body maintains these levels very precisely.(1) Supplementation of vitamin K to the pregnant mother does not change the K status of the fetus, confirming the importance of its specific levels.
Toward the end of gestation, the fetus begins developing some of the other clotting factors, developing two key factors just before term birth.(2) It has recently been shown that this tight regulation of vitamin K levels helps control the rate of rapid cell division during fetal development. Apparently, high levels of vitamin K can allow cell division to get out of hand, leading to cancer.
What's the Concern?
The problem of bleeding into the brain occurs mainly from 3 to 7 weeks after birth in just over 5 out of 100,000 births (without vitamin K injections); 90% of those cases are breastfed infants (3) because formulas are supplemented with unnaturally high levels of vitamin K. Forty percent of these infants suffer permanent brain damage or death.
The cause of this bleeding trauma is generally liver disease that has not been detected until the bleeding occurs. Several liver problems can reduce the liver's ability to make blood-clotting factors out of vitamin K; therefore extra K helps this situation. Infants exposed to drugs or alcohol through any means are especially at risk, and those from mothers on anti-epileptic medications are at very high risk and need special attention.
Such complications reduce the effectiveness of vitamin K, and in these cases, a higher level of available K could prevent the tragic intracranial bleeding. This rare bleeding disorder has been found to be highly preventable by a large-dose injection of vitamin K at birth.
The downside of this practice however is a possibly 80% increased risk of developing childhood leukemia. While a few studies have refuted this suggestion, several tightly controlled studies have shown this correlation to be most likely.(4,5) The most current analysis of six different studies suggests it is a 10 or 20% increased risk. This is still a significant number of avoidable cancers.(6)
Apparently the cell division that continues to be quite rapid after birth continues to depend on precise amounts of vitamin K to proceed at the proper rate. Introduction of levels that are 20,000 times the newborn level, the amount usually injected, can have devastating consequences.
The Newborn's Diet
Nursing raises the infant's vitamin K levels very gradually after birth so that no de-regulation occurs that would encourage leukemia development. Additionally, the clotting system of the healthy newborn is well planned, and healthy breastfed infants do not suffer bleeding complications, even without any supplementation.(7)
While breastfed infants demonstrate lower blood levels of vitamin K than the "recommended" amount, they show no signs of vitamin K deficiency (leading one to wonder where the "recommended" level for infants came from). But with vitamin K injections at birth, harmful consequences of some rare disorders can be averted.
Infant formulas are supplemented with high levels of vitamin K, generally sufficient to prevent intracranial bleeding in the case of a liver disorder and in some other rare bleeding disorders. Although formula feeding is seen to increase overall childhood cancer rates by 80%, this is likely not related to the added vitamin K.
The Numbers
Extracting data from available literature reveals that there are 1.5 extra cases of leukemia per 100,000 children due to vitamin K injections, and 1.8 more permanent injuries or deaths per 100,000 due to brain bleeding without injections. Adding the risk of infection or damage from the injections, including a local skin disease called "scleroderma" that is seen rarely with K injections (8), and even adding the possibility of healthy survival from leukemia, the scales remain tipped toward breastfed infants receiving a prophylactic vitamin K supplementation. However, there are better options than the .5 or 1 milligram injections typically given to newborns.
A Better Solution
The breastfed infant can be supplemented with several low oral doses of liquid vitamin K9 (possibly 200 micrograms per week for 5 weeks, totaling 1 milligram, even more gradual introduction may be better). Alternatively, the nursing mother can take vitamin K supplements daily or twice weekly for 10 weeks. (Supplementation of the pregnant mother does not alter fetal levels but supplementation of the nursing mother does increase breast milk and infant levels.)
Either of these provides a much safer rate of vitamin K supplementation. Maternal supplementation of 2.5 mg per day, recommended by one author, provides a higher level of vitamin K through breast milk than does formula (10), and may be much more than necessary.
Formula provides 10 times the U.S. recommended daily allowance," and this RDA is about 2 times the level in unsupplemented human milk. One milligram per day for 10 weeks for mother provides a cumulative extra 1 milligram to her infant over the important period and seems reasonable. Neither mother nor infant require supplementation if the infant is injected at birth. (11)
The Bottom Line
There is no overwhelming reason to discontinue this routine prophylactic injection for breastfed infants. Providing information about alternatives to allow informed parents to refuse would be reasonable. These parents may then decide to provide some gradual supplementation, or, for an entirely healthy term infant, they may simply provide diligent watchfulness for any signs of jaundice (yellowing of eyes or skin) or easy bleeding.
There appears to be no harm in supplementing this vitamin in a gradual manner however. Currently, injections are provided to infants intended for formula feeding as well, although there appears to be no need as formula provides good gradual supplementation. Discontinuing routine injections for this group alone could reduce cases of leukemia.
One more curious look at childhood leukemia is the finding that when any nation lowers its rate of infant deaths, their rate of childhood leukemia increases.(12) Vitamin K injections may be responsible for some part of this number, but other factors are surely involved, about which we can only speculate.
Note from Ben Kim: To learn more about Dr. Linda Folden Palmer and her work, please visit: BabyReference.com.
Hand Foot and Mouth Disease
Apparently this is going around. How do I know? Because Brenden has got it! I have to say this is possibly worse than lice. I just feel so bad for the poor little guy. It all started on Saturday when he got a rash just outside of his diaper area. I really just thought that it was heat rash. Chris had put long sleeves and long pants on Brenden and it was another 95 degree day outside. I figured that he had just gotten too hot and got heat rash. I put Brenden in a cold bath that afternoon for about 40 minutes because he had developed a fever of over 101, well after the bath his fever had only gone down to 100.7, so I took the idea of heat rash off of the table and decided to call our doctor to see what else it could possibly be. I gave Dr. Jones a call and he told us that Hand Foot and Mouth Disease has been going around and said that if his rash of red spots got worse then we should take him in. Well we decided to send Brenden to bed early so he could get some rest. I woke Brenden up Sunday morning before church to check to see how he was doing. His legs were all red and blistered, he had blisters between all of toes and his fingers, and even a big one on the roof of his mouth. I decided it was time to do something about it, we couldn't reach our doctor so we took Brenden into the emergency room. They got in to see him really quick! And he in fact does have Hand Foot and Mouth Disease. Dang it! And the suckiest part of it, there is no cure and he had an ear infection on top of that.
We have been dealing with this toddler disease all week this week and it has been a complete nightmare. I'm sure that some children are worse off than Brenden is, but Brenden is always the happiest baby and it hurts me knowing that he is in so much discomfort and its just so sad.
I took him into my appointment yesterday and Dr. Jones took a look at him and he looks to be doing pretty well. He's still eating and walking which are both very good signs. It doesn't seem to really be bothering him, it just look super painful. Yesterday we started putting coconut oil on his legs, I read somewhere that coconut oil is an anti-viral and since this is a viral infection, I thought it would be a good idea. Well, good news, a lot of the blisters are getting smaller and disappearing today! Brenden is starting to look so much better.
I love my little baby boy and I am so happy that he is starting to do so much better!
We have been dealing with this toddler disease all week this week and it has been a complete nightmare. I'm sure that some children are worse off than Brenden is, but Brenden is always the happiest baby and it hurts me knowing that he is in so much discomfort and its just so sad.
I took him into my appointment yesterday and Dr. Jones took a look at him and he looks to be doing pretty well. He's still eating and walking which are both very good signs. It doesn't seem to really be bothering him, it just look super painful. Yesterday we started putting coconut oil on his legs, I read somewhere that coconut oil is an anti-viral and since this is a viral infection, I thought it would be a good idea. Well, good news, a lot of the blisters are getting smaller and disappearing today! Brenden is starting to look so much better.
I love my little baby boy and I am so happy that he is starting to do so much better!
Countdown: 7 weeks, and 4 days!
I can't believe how much time flies when you already have a child, especially one Brenden's age. I am always so busy with Brenden that I don't have that one on one time to focus on this baby's growth and development. Sure I could see this as sad and that I am missing out, but I choose to see it as, I am having so much fun with Brenden and this new little baby will be so loved when she decides to make her appearance.
So what's going on with this third trimester? Well, I can tell you. I just had my 32 week appointment yesterday morning and don't have to have another appointment until August! Great news! I'll go in on August 6th for my 36 week appointment and then start to go in and see the good doctor every week. I feel so incredibly blessed that this pregnancy is going so well! Brenden's pregnancy went alright, I was just so uncomfortable and was sick for a lot of it. But this time everything is going so well and I feel so great about it! My protein levels in my urine have gone down, passed my glucose test with flying colors, my blood pressure is constantly great at every appointment, I don't have any swelling other than it being hot outside, but it never lasts, I have energy, I can breathe still, and baby is measuring right on. The best news, I got to skip the 2 week appointments, YES!
The even better news? Well instead of a September baby, we're looking at an August baby! The doctor says that since this baby is measuring a week and a half past where Brenden was at this point and it being a second pregnancy I'm looking at delivering around 38 weeks! And 38 weeks puts this baby entering this world around August 18th! Which makes me even more nervous. I have done absolutely nothing to prepare! NOTHING! Sure, I've collected some clothes and gotten Brenden a toddler bed, but that about covers it. But part of me can't help but be a little excited as well!
So what's going on with this third trimester? Well, I can tell you. I just had my 32 week appointment yesterday morning and don't have to have another appointment until August! Great news! I'll go in on August 6th for my 36 week appointment and then start to go in and see the good doctor every week. I feel so incredibly blessed that this pregnancy is going so well! Brenden's pregnancy went alright, I was just so uncomfortable and was sick for a lot of it. But this time everything is going so well and I feel so great about it! My protein levels in my urine have gone down, passed my glucose test with flying colors, my blood pressure is constantly great at every appointment, I don't have any swelling other than it being hot outside, but it never lasts, I have energy, I can breathe still, and baby is measuring right on. The best news, I got to skip the 2 week appointments, YES!
The even better news? Well instead of a September baby, we're looking at an August baby! The doctor says that since this baby is measuring a week and a half past where Brenden was at this point and it being a second pregnancy I'm looking at delivering around 38 weeks! And 38 weeks puts this baby entering this world around August 18th! Which makes me even more nervous. I have done absolutely nothing to prepare! NOTHING! Sure, I've collected some clothes and gotten Brenden a toddler bed, but that about covers it. But part of me can't help but be a little excited as well!
June 27, 2012
Brenden James
First off, I love this little boy! He is just so dang cute! I took him to a play group this morning and the little girl he was playing with would throw a ball and Brenden would just giggle and laugh until he fell over. Hilarious! I love it! He has the most contagious belly laughs I have ever heard.
What Brenden can do at 17 months old:
He's starting to form 2-3 word sentences!
He can walk all over our apartment
He sleeps in a toddler bed
He is still taking 2 naps everyday
His motor skills are awesome
He loves to be outside
He continues to amaze us by using sign language on his own, even words we don't remember teaching him
He wants to go potty by himself, mommy wants him to walk first
Feeds himself with a spoon or fork
Tells mommy when he's all done eating
Helps mommy vacuum and do the laundry
Combs his own hair
Sits in his chair to read books
Learning to put toys away
Likes to help change his diaper
Knocks at his door after a nap telling us he is ready to play with us
Plays easily on his own
Shares well
Climbs on top of everything
Brushes his teeth all by himself
Throws balls to us
Can throw garbage away
Helps mommy and daddy undress him
Can open doors
Talks to himself and on the phone
In some way I just feel like Brenden is so advanced and can do anything he sets his mind to, I also feel like he is stubborn to doing things that I know that he can do, but refuses to do them. Like walking. He's had the skills to walk since he was about a year old and this week just starting to walk on his own. He is just s stubborn little boy sometimes. But putting words together to form sentences already, brushing his teeth all by himself, and taking his clothes off I feel he is so far ahead of the curve. He is such a smart little boy and I enjoy watching him grow and learn new things everyday.
What Brenden can do at 17 months old:
He's starting to form 2-3 word sentences!
He can walk all over our apartment
He sleeps in a toddler bed
He is still taking 2 naps everyday
His motor skills are awesome
He loves to be outside
He continues to amaze us by using sign language on his own, even words we don't remember teaching him
He wants to go potty by himself, mommy wants him to walk first
Feeds himself with a spoon or fork
Tells mommy when he's all done eating
Helps mommy vacuum and do the laundry
Combs his own hair
Sits in his chair to read books
Learning to put toys away
Likes to help change his diaper
Knocks at his door after a nap telling us he is ready to play with us
Plays easily on his own
Shares well
Climbs on top of everything
Brushes his teeth all by himself
Throws balls to us
Can throw garbage away
Helps mommy and daddy undress him
Can open doors
Talks to himself and on the phone
In some way I just feel like Brenden is so advanced and can do anything he sets his mind to, I also feel like he is stubborn to doing things that I know that he can do, but refuses to do them. Like walking. He's had the skills to walk since he was about a year old and this week just starting to walk on his own. He is just s stubborn little boy sometimes. But putting words together to form sentences already, brushing his teeth all by himself, and taking his clothes off I feel he is so far ahead of the curve. He is such a smart little boy and I enjoy watching him grow and learn new things everyday.
June 25, 2012
30 weeks
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I have seriously loved this whole pregnancy! Brenden's pregnancy was more difficult with having morning sickness for so long in the heat of the St. Louis summer, only to come back to Idaho to still have it and have to worry about switching doctors, starting my third trimester, and preparing for everything during the holidays. I was just so stressed, tired, and complained about everything while I was pregnant with Brenden. With it being a first pregnancy, I'm sure it just wasn't what I was expecting and didn't know quite how to deal with everything that comes up in pregnancy.
This time around I feel so great and just so relieved. I never had morning sickness, some mild nausea here and there. I haven't really had any heartburn, only a little when I eat tomatoes or dairy. I know, weird. And I don't have to worry about switching doctors mid-pregnancy because I have a pretty great one here in Rexburg already. I don't have to worry about getting medicaid figured out in a new state which is wonderful! Although, I do need to order a new medicaid this week because Brenden went through my wallet, took out all of my cards and lost my medicaid card and my credit card. No worries, credit card was cancelled the first night and a new one is on its way. I don't even really have to worry about setting up a nursery because Brenden is still so young that most of that stuff is already done! I feel awesome.
I have a baby shower in a few weeks where I'll hopefully be collecting and stocking up on all of the girl things which is really all that I need other than a double stroller and a few small things that I wished I would have had with Brenden, but didn't.
I have less than 10 weeks to go and I think I have entered into that phase of pregnancy where I'm getting really excited to meet this little girl. Sure, I still have those thoughts in the back of my mind telling me that I am not ready! I know that I still have a ton to get done that I want to have done in the next 6 weeks or so in case this little one decided to come early, but I know that I can do it and I know that everything will be great!
I just have to take it easy and spread everything out that needs to be done. I was cleaning up a little yesterday afternoon before Chris and I had people over for dinner. He was at work, so he wasn't home to lend that helping hand. I just wanted to clean the kitchen, de-clutter, the living room, fold some laundry, and vacuum. Wishful thinking. I felt like every time I stood up to get something done the contractions would set in, not the braxton hicks contractions I've already been having, but this baby wants to come out kind of contractions. It was a little scary, so I would sit down for a few minutes and they would subside, and I would get up and try to get something done again and they would set in again. A little unnerving, but I know that they aren't labor contractions, because if they were they wouldn't stop just because I sat down. I do know that I have to take it easy and not push my body these last weeks of pregnancy. I don't want her coming any sooner than she should.
Less than 10 weeks left, and I am pumped!
Brave!
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My mom had gotten Chris some movie tickets for Chris for Christmas this year and we hadn't found the right movie to see yet. That and we had been using up gift cards for a theater in town that I had gotten for my birthday from Chris' parents last year. Since having Brenden, it is safe to say that we don't go out to the movies as much as we used to. We love movies!
We had seen the previews for Brave on tv and thought that it looked super cute. We came up with the idea to take Brenden and see it this weekend with our free movie tickets. Chris only had to work until 3:30 on Saturday, so it was really the perfect day! We went and got our movie tickets and sat down in the nice cool theater. It has been so warm outside this week! Brenden got a booster seat so that he could sit and see in his own seat. It was wonderful! Chris had bought some sour patch kids, Brenden wasn't a fan. He would try one, suck off all the sour and spit it out. He did this probably 4 times. Funny kid. The previews started and he was just so excited! I'm excited that they have dollar movie days over the summer, so we'll definitely be going back. Brenden had such a blast. He was a little squirmy, but what do you expect from a little boy.
I won't spoil the movie for anyone. I'll just say it was fantastic! And if you've been thinking about going and seeing it, GO!
Outside!
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We had just bought our new camping chairs and it was such a nice day outside that Brenden and I enjoyed a few hours just sitting outside. He loves being able to sit in chairs all by himself. I'm sure that he feels like such a big boy! And he is such a little cutie!
Kmart Trip
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I know it's gross, but here's the story. Kmart was having this fantastic sale on camping chairs and we wanted to pick up some more for when we have people over! They had some really nice ones on sale last week for under $15. And for camping chairs, that's a fantastic deal!!
Well, I have officially entered into a stage of pregnancy that is new for me. I never experienced this with Brenden the whole time I was pregnant with him. But I have entered that stage of pregnancy where I can't see my own feet that are connected to my body as I am walking. Bad, bad, bad! I'm clumsy to begin with, add the fact that I can't see where I'm walking and we have a walking disaster!
Well, Chris, Brenden and I are walking through Kmart to the back of the store where all of their camping gear is and I stub my pinky toe on the shopping cart wheel and it takes off a couple layers of skin. I thought I had just stubbed it and that it was hurting, but no, I look down and there's blood all over my toe and stuck to my flip flop. Talk about disgusting. Chris wanted to go home right away, but I told him that we probably wouldn't make it back out to kmart before the sale ended the next day and that I really wanted camping chairs. So I walked through the pain and the grossness. It really wasn't that bad, it was just throbbing a little bit.
We went back and picked out our chairs and headed to the front of the store to pay for them. This was the best part! We have a kmart loyalty card and I happened to remember that our points were expiring at the end of this month and so we decided to use them, hoping that these points would save us a few dollars. Who doesn't like to save a little bit of money here and there. Well, we had never used the points on the card before so had no idea what to expect. We walked out of there saving over $14 just using our kmart points. Way to go us! Made my toe feel so much better.
Garage Sales!
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I have been going to a ton of Garage Sales the past few weeks kind of in preparation for this little girl in my tummy. Brenden and I usually go early Saturday mornings while Chris is at work and he loves it! A few weeks ago Brenden and I dropped Chris off at work in Idaho Falls and came back to Rexburg and hit up a ton of the garage sales in town. We didn't really find anything we wanted to spend money on, but it was still a lot of fun to get outside int he sunshine and enjoy our time together. I keep thinking, I want to spend as much time just Brenden and I as I can because before long, it will never just be Brenden and I, it will be Brenden, Aria, and I. I just can't get over that fact if you can't tell.
Anyways, last weekend Chris and I hosted a garage sale with a couple families that are in our ward and walked off not selling a whole lot, but we made over a hundred dollars. Not bad for a Saturday morning. With that money, we bought some fish. That will be for another post later on.
Well, on Friday Chris, Brenden, and I all decided to wake up super early and head out to Idaho Falls and hit up some of the garage sales out there in hopes to find some baby girl clothes to fill up baby girls dresser with. We scored! We only went to a few garage sales, and found baby clothes at 2 of them and walked off with probably 30 different outfits ranging from newborn to 12 months all for around $20!
Awesome!!!
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