My baby is 2 months old!

Today my baby girl is 2 months old!! 2 months old!! Where have the last 8 weeks gone?? They have flown by so fast!! At 2 months she is outgrowing newborn size diapers and newborn size clothes. Many things that fit just a couple weeks ago, are now too small. It makes me sad, but I know it means she's happy and healthy and growing like she should!

She is holding her head up more when she's on your shoulder and her sleeping pattern is a little bit better now too. It's so sweet to listen to her coo and "talk"!  She's eating close to 6 ounces now and we have started laying her down in her crib at night to sleep. How's that going? Well, let's just say it's going to take a while to make that a smooth transition. 

We've been signing simple signs with her and even though she is too young to be coordinated enough, we like to believe she tries to mimic us! We've focused on "mama", "daddy", "food", and of course, "I love you". 

She doesn't seem to be a fan of "tummy time" although I am trying to give her a bit more of it every day. She loves her monkey mobile that plays music and lights up! She loves music and sometimes she will "dance" to whatever is playing! 

Her 2 month check up is next week and I'm eager to find out how long she is and how much she weighs!

My baby girl is absolutely the most precious, sweet baby! Of course, I'm quite partial! :)

Here's to celebrating all the milestones month 3 will bring to us!

Snippet of my Life Map from 2010

Originally written in 2010.....

".......Nothing extraordinary happened in my childhood. Became a Christian when I was a child but it wasn't until Look Up as a teen that I began to understand what it meant to really live for Christ.  I was always highly involved in all aspects of church so I knew all the right answers etc.

So I grew up in church (Nanny made sure of it); was home schooled until high school; graduated in 2004 from SHS; went through two major church splits. Got married (first time) in 2005 at twenty and completed that divorce by 25. And I've been in 4 churches in my lifetime.

I really didn't pay attention to watching God work in my life until the last two years. I've watched Him bring amazing goodness out of a heart-wrenching and devastating church split which became this amazing group of people called Catalyst. I've watched Him bring me from the pit of despair with my divorce to life after. To finding joy and hope again. I've watched Him provide for me over and over when it seemed like nothing was going to work. I've watched him do amazing things in all our lives over and over. And I truly believe that in the early stages of my divorce that if it hadn't been for Catalyst, I may have seriously fallen into depression. That’s how devastated I was. But looking back and knowing what I know now I am eternally grateful God pulled me out of that relationship when He did and I’m so glad I chose to cling to Him through all of it. I wouldn't be who I am today if it hadn't been for that. The love and the encouragement and hope that Catalyst has poured out on me has been amazing. ......"

Lessons from a Month of Mommy-hood

Our baby girl is five weeks old already! I cannot believe how fast time has passed! Seems like just yesterday I was trying to determine if the cramps I felt were real contractions or not!!

Even though I've only been a mom for a little over a month, there are already many lessons I've learned that I want to write down so I remember them for the next baby we have!

In a month of Mommy-hood I've learned:

• To breastfeed a LOT while in the hospital! I don't think I fed her near as much as I could have, which would have helped establish my supply I believe. 
• To pump starting immediately to build up a "freezer supply" of breastmilk. I wish, wish, wish I had done this from the beginning!!
• To use the "natural ways" to increase breastmilk right away & have those items on hand before the baby is born. 
• To get involved with a La Leche group before birth!!
• To take a "natural birthing" class and a breastfeeding class (and/or meet with a lactation consultant).
• To eat better (starting during pregnancy) and drink a LOT more than normal!
• To use cocoa/shea butter from the beginning of pregnancy. To note, I am not ashamed or embarrassed by my stretch marks--they are a symbol of the child I carried and grew to love even before she was born!
• To have more than one or two newborn size outfits. Our little girl was (and still is) tiny, and while this might not be everyone's case, I only had a couple onesies that fit her when she came home. 
• To have a can of formula and a couple bottles with slow-flow nipples on hand just in case breastfeeding doesn't work out before you're ready to introduce bottles.
• To have a couple different brands/types of pacifiers on hand. Baby didn't like the ones we'd been given, so we had to buy a different type for her. 
• That, while it may cause nipple confusion in some babies, sometimes a pacifier can calm not only the baby, but the parents as well. 
• To have witch hazel, pads, liners, and "adult" wipes on hand for the aftermath of birth!
• That the pads and mesh panties the hospital has are lifesavers those first few days!
• That Motrin and stool softeners are your best friends in the days after birth!
• To linger in that first shower after birth...it feels soooo amazingly good!!
• To not end up on your back during labor. The pressure and pain increased significantly when laying down. I believe if I had been able to get up and walk around a bit more towards the end, that I would not have been in so much pain.
• To not let the doctors and nurses insist on the "purple pushing" way...(pushing while holding your breath and they count to 10...it decreases oxygen to you and baby).
• To make sure that the doctor on call has a chance to view our birth plan before delivery takes place. The doctor on call was great, but wasn't aware of our birth plan (I don't believe) and a few things I wanted didn't happen.
• That you can never have too many burp cloths, diapers, or wipes!
• That doubles of everything are a-okay...especially if you have a 2 story house!!
• That a sound machine or soft music can be your best friend at nap and bedtime!
• SLEEP WHEN THE BABY SLEEPS!! (I still have not mastered this!!)
• To act like its no big deal when people flip out because you went through all of labor and delivery with NO pain meds!
• To not allow your household to be deathly quiet when baby is sleeping. We have made sure that baby has been exposed to all sorts of sounds when awake and asleep. This child will sleep through most anything once she's truly asleep...or asleep in our arms!! 
• That my baby girl is worth everything bit of pain I went through!

I'm certain there are so many more things that I will find to add to this list as life with baby rolls on!! I am so excited to be a Mom and am loving everything about it...except for the sleepless nights!! There is nothing like it in the world!!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, from our family to yours!!!

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

A Random Vent

Feeling anxious tonight and just need to vent/list make a little bit. So much I feel I need to do but I'm so exhausted by the time I get home from work and with very few days off I am overwhelmed. My list continues to grow and yet I never seem to truly mark things off the list. The more I/we clean the dirtier the house seems to get---or maybe its just that it get dirtier quicker. Sigh. With a dog, three cats, and the two of us the dust and critter hair and dirt is never-ending.  I know its just "stuff" and its the pregnancy hormones, my OCD, and the nesting all kicking in at the same time, but I truly cannot stand to be so disorganized!! I am quickly getting to a point in my life where clutter is not welcome anymore. I still have a terrible time getting rid of things but little by little clutter is working it's way OUT!  (Disclaimer....just because it says "I" does not mean I am not including my husband. He is a part of my "I".)    

These are the things I need/want that I feel will make this process go a little faster. I need a sewing machine. Period. That will help with a lot. I need a media cabinet for DVD's/CD's/VHS (if they will fit), and hubby's games. I need a place for the extra electronic stuff we don't use on a daily basis but that's not very pretty to look at it. I need a cabinet of sorts to house the fragile items. I will find one. Sooner than later I hope. Wish I had a place to unpack the fragile boxes to evaluate how much space I think I will need. I need some way to organize the toys, coloring books, clothes, and all else that comes with two little girls (and another on the way). I need shelves for the wall in the kitchen and the bedroom. I need some command hooks to put in the storage room for bags and coats and such. I need monkey hooks or the like for hanging the rest of the pictures/wall hangings. I need to figure out a better paper organizing system and get rid of more paper-stuff we don't need to hang on to. I need to find a way to menu plan so that maybe we eat better and don't have the constant question of "what's for dinner?". 

I need to find a way to get more income coming into our house so that we can pay off this stinking debt that is hanging over our heads and sitting on my shoulders and weighing me down. That would be a huge thing!! Not including my student loans I have probably $6000 hanging over my head.....not a lot to some people but too much for someone who doesn't make much and has many other things she'd like to do with her life.  I love the organizing blogs I read and have gathered a bunch of great ideas but getting started is the hardest part. Trying not to spend a lot of money to do so is also a challenge.  

Sigh. Well, I've vented a bit and now I need to go try to sleep as I work early in the morning. Maybe tomorrow will have a bit of productivity in it for me. I sure hope so. 

Must Do!

Just a short blog...more for my sake than yours honestly...so much to do and time keeps getting away from me! Usually if I write it down it gets done quicker!!

• I need to seriously sit down and research pediatricians for this baby girl!!
• I need to rewrite my resume cover letter and start applying for jobs at Christian day-cares. If I have to work I want to be in a Christian setting and if I have to put my baby in daycare I want it to be where I'm at if at all possible. 
• I need to research daycare centers. 
• I need to blog..both on my Chaos blog and on this one here!
• Hubby and I need to put together the bunk beds in the girls' room so we can figure out how much room is leftover for baby stuff!! Plus it needs to be reorganized!
• I need to pick up the pace a bit on the blanket I'm crocheting for Kensei!
• Critter nails need to be trimmed & monthly meds need to be given!!!!
• Oil change needs to happen for at least one car before our trip home!!
• I seriously need a good manicure for my terribly destroyed nails!
• I'm waiting on my 3 ring binders to arrive so I can redo at least one scrapbook and hopefully get it put on a shelf instead of sitting in a basket!
• Still working on cleaning out FB friends, blocking a few, and creating lists to get junk out of my newsfeed!! Then I just have to remember to go look at those lists LOL!!
• Same with Pinterest. I've been creating new boards and organizing those and deleting pins I don't want/don't like/links don't work, etc!
• I need to keep writing for my childrens books and look into some local writing classes (for me) and art classes (for hubby). 

So lots to do and I'm feeling a panic attack coming on with the whirlwind of this list, plus the whirlwind of hours I'm working between now and the next two weeks!! At least at the end of those two weeks we get to go home for a mini vacation and get to see family and I get to get my hair cut!! :) 

Pregnancy Memories

I'm going to try to recount 5.5 months of pregnancy here so that we can remember the milestones we have crossed with our sweet baby girl!!

Back in the beginning of March I took a home test because I had been nothing but exhausted for weeks! I was chalking it up to high stress and not enough sleep, but a friend recommended I test just in case. That test came back negative. So I was back to believing it was from stress and no sleep.

First part of April I started to feel queasy every single day. Several times I just thought I was getting sick and the rest I again chalked it up to extreme stress. I wasn't losing weight, I wasn't hanging over the toilet, I just felt sick all the time. As long as I ate something I was okay, so I was eating constantly.

I'm not sure when it started but sometime between April and May I started waking up around 4am every single day having to use the bathroom. It was really starting to get old and messing up what little sleep I was getting. Finally, on a Saturday morning, May 19, I had had enough and decided to take another test just to let myself rest easy that we weren't pregnant. Well, I took that test and a few minutes later I was shocked to see that plus sign. No way, I thought. Really? Us? Now? Oh my goodness, what were we going to do? I went back to bed but laid awake for the next several hours contemplating how to tell my sweet hubby that we were going to be parents.

First plan was to wait til his birthday, which was a week away, and make a "baby" gift for him to open (a bottle, a pacifier, a bib, or the like). If you know me, you know I can't keep a secret for very long from people I love, so while we were at Target that day I bought a blank card that said Congratulations on the front of it. When we got home I secured the pregnancy test inside the card (along with the second test I took "just to be sure") and brought it downstairs with me. After dinner, I handed it to him and said, Happy Early Birthday. I think he was really shocked because he asked me if I was joking!! I wrote inside, "...not what you were expecting, was it?" As it slowly sank in what I was telling him, we kinda stared at each other in shock!!

I made an appointment with the health department (since we have no insurance and no money) for a pregnancy test to confirm and also to sign up for WIC/SNAPS programs. After a very long process of waiting, they finally called me back into the nurses office with the results. Yes, we were very pregnant!! LOL! I went over to DSS to start the Medicaid process so I could get a doctors appointment set up for an ultrasound and prenatal care.

That night we called my parents and told them. I'm not sure who was most excited!! Over the next week I called family and close friends and began to share the news!! We were so excited even as we were still in shock! I began searching for a doctor who would accept Medicaid new patients and finally found one, but had to wait til the Medicaid was officially processed. So nearly a month after finding out I was prego, I finally got a doctors appointment on June 14th.

Somehow we agreed on a nickname for her. Phillip had drawn a really cute baby turtle scene and as soon as I saw it I was like, "Turtle!" and it kinda stuck. To further make it stick, Phillip bought me/her a cute TY turtle and I found my book, "One Tiny Turtle" . I also found my book, "The Puffalumps Pillow Poems" , both books I had had as a child.

Going into the appointment I was incredibly nervous because I had no idea what to expect. It was exciting to see the baby on the ultrasound and I remember laying there trying to figure out what I was seeing! The nurse asked us if we wanted to know the sex and we of course said yes! (Although by now we had agreed that it was most likely a girl!) The nurse confirmed that it was a girl and that I was 15 weeks and 6 days...one day away from FOUR months!! Meaning I had basically finished up my whole first trimester. The rest of the appointment is mostly a blur as it seems that there was a lot of information to remember and a lot going on!!

The nurse had given us several ultrasound pictures and we stopped at Target right after the appointment and picked up a small, pink photo album to put them in! Her Daddy picked out her first blanket, complete with a cute little monkey attached, and together we picked out matching onesies for her. (The week before this I had stopped at a consignment sale and picked up several pooh bear onesies!)

That weekend we drove to VA to pick up our girls for the week. On the way home when we stopped for lunch, we told the girls they were going to have a baby sister!! I'm not sure if they completely got it or not but I can't wait to get a picture of all three of our girls together!!

We have been busy making our baby registry, picking out a name, planning her nursery (finally decided on a theme!!), and I've been doing a lot of research into breastfeeding, birth, baby gear, etc!! We do plan to breastfeed as long as we possibly can--no formula here I hope!! I do plan to have as natural of a birth as possible..no induction, no c-section, no epidurals, etc! People think I'm crazy but thanks to a few well educated friends who believe in more than the "traditional hospital birth", I've learned the CONS of these things and do not want to expose myself or my baby to them if they are not needed. Medicaid doesn't cover a home birth so we will be going to the local hospital but I intend to have a birth plan written up and ready to go!!

My Mom and sister are planning my baby shower back home and I cannot wait! Not only for the shower but also to see all my friends!! I cannot wait to see them and I'm excited about what "Turtle" may receive!!

In the meantime, it seems that many of my friends are pregnant too and most are due around the same time or within a few months! There will be lots of babies on facebook this winter!! :)

Tonight, Phillip got to feel her kick/punch when he laid his head on my belly!! It was an awesome feeling! I've been feeling her flutter around for probably about two weeks now, but this was the first time she was active for Daddy!!!

Needless to say we are super excited about our baby girl!! I cannot wait to meet her around the end of November, first of December. She will come when she's ready and who knows? She may just share a birthday with her Grandpa (Dec 7th). Her "official" due date is November 30, but since that is technically only 38 weeks and pregnancies are actually 40 weeks (10 months), I expect her to be an early December baby. She already has a mind of her own, though, so whenever she decides to come out into this crazy world, we will be waiting!!

Here are some ultrasounds pics from 16 weeks and a picture of her nursery theme!!

Baby King

Baby Turtle King

It's a Girl!!

Pink Monkeys for her Nursery