Extraordinary Love

Date Night Feature

2012-03-05T11:04:00.000-06:00

I've been thinking lately, about date nights. It seems we always do the same thing. Dinner and/or a movie. ESPECIALLY now with having a baby, it's the easiest thing-don't have to make a reservation, don't have to really plan it out in advance, etc.
Tony & I have been trying to be good about having regular date nights, because I think it's important for us to have some couple time, aside from just being Callyn's parents (which we love, of course, but grown up time is important to our marriage).
So I had an idea the other day.
I know there are tons of fun dates on pinterest and sometimes people will blog about a fun date they planned or went on. So I thought, why not make it a feature?
Each week, we'll have a different person. It'll be pretty simple-a few questions and then description and pictures of what you did on your date night! I think it would be an easy and fun way to get some new ideas for dates! And it's a good excuse to get your hubby out on a date night ;) The only 'requirement' would be that it is a bit 'outside of the box' if you will. I'm not saying plan something super elaborate, but just getting a little bit away from just dinner and a movie. It could be a date in or a date out...a day or a night date...a fun or a romantic date...anything!

So now I am looking for a few people to kick this feature off. Would you like to participate? If so, leave me a comment or email me at extraordinaryloveblog@gmail.com if you want an excuse to get out on a fun date night, and then blog about it!! :)

thursday thoughts

2012-03-01T14:29:00.000-06:00

We just refinanced our mortgage! Our mortgage for our 5 bedroom house is now going to be lower than our rent for our 2 bedroom apartment where we lived when we were first married was. That is pretty amazing!
Now that Callyn is putting EVERYTHING in her mouth, I'm feeling the need to clean and disinfect her toys more often. Mamas-how often do you disinfect your kid's toys? What about things like cloth blocks-how do you disinfect those???
A little while ago, we were playing on the floor and I noticed Callyn was kind of being a toy hoarder :) She kept reaching for more and more toys and then just scooping them all up under her chest. What a goof!

On Friday, we took Tony lunch at work and Callyn gave him 'her' present:

Besides lunch, I got some friends from our small group together to go to the nearest Famous Dave's which is Tony's favorite restaurant! It was a surprise to him. It was so much fun! We had to drive about an hour to get there, and then they made us wait almost an hour and a half (so frustrating-the people at the party table before us wouldn't leave) but it was worth it! Callyn did really well, but was up until almost midnight which ended up being a little rough. It was a great birthday though!

Tony got a heart rate monitor for his birthday from my dad & step mom. I have been using it during my workouts and i LOVE it! I think it motivates me to work out harder when I look down to see how fast my heart is beating and how many calories I've burned, I want to work HARDER! Love that :)

5 months!

2012-02-26T14:30:00.000-06:00

Callyn is 5 months old!

{Random side note: I also take weekly pictures and she lays on the floor for those, and always has a huge grin or makes cute faces. In these monthly photos in the chair, she is always too distracted or something and I can rarely get a smile and I feel like these don't even look like her because of the way the chair holds her up. I wish I had chosen another spot to do them :( But now that I'm almost halfway through, I don't want to change it up now. Anyway.....}

What she's up to:
*having giggle fits every evening...best thing ever!
*blowing raspberries-started this on 1-31 and did it CONSTANTLY for a few weeks, but it has died down now a little
*Playing with her feet-also started on 1-31. She loves her feet :)
*Intentionally reaching for toys that she wants
*Protesting things that she doesn't want/like
*Looking out the window in the car, intentionally (1-29)
*Holding books while we read (and trying to eat them)

*Standing up while holding onto couch, chair, etc. for long periods of time
*Will sometimes do a tripod sit
*Chewing on and putting everything in her mouth (where are those teeth?!)

Things I don't want to forget about Month 5:
*Spitting up is almost gone completely (knock on wood!). She still has her days or after certain feedings but she rarely does anymore which is so nice! It has cut down my loads of her laundry greatly!
*She officially sleeps with no blanket at all. Last month we stopped swaddling but would wrap a blanket around her mid section to keep her a little warmer and still have the tight feeling. One day I just didn't do it and she didn't protest at all so we stopped. Her room is really warm anyway.
*She is 100% a tummy sleeper. On 2-2 she rolled from her back to tummy during a nap and ever since she has slept almost every sleep like that. For the past 2-3 weeks I have never seen her on her back sleeping again. By the time I'm out of the room she's on her tummy.
*That being said, her naps have improved SO much since she started sleeping on her tummy. I think she finally found what is comfortable and she is finally taking longer naps-praise the Lord!
*The past several months I have seen her personality coming out more and more but this is the month that it really came out. She is soooo funny! Tony & I are always cracking up about the things she's doing. She sure has a zeal for life! And she has started somewhat 'protesting' things too...like if I change her diaper when she's already hungry, she'll let me know. She has never done this before. It's a bit of a baby 'attitude' if you will. I was wondering when her 'cranky' side would appear (not that she is cranky...she just used to be content 100% of the time, no matter what! Now she'll let me know if she's not happy. And by that I mean by giving me a grumpy face look or fussing a little-nothing like screaming and throwing a tantrum).
*This month Callyn started yelling. It is sooo funny! She'll just be playing and hollering or talking to us and just start yelling on and on about something. She tells quite the stories ;)
*I do think Callyn is starting to grow a bit attached to me and Tony. We left her with our friends (at their house) for a date night and they said she cried after I left for 10 minutes-she has never done anything like that before. Then we were at Tony's parent's house and she was super tired and we were eating and her Gramps was holding her and he took her downstairs to rock her and we heard her start crying pretty loudly. As soon as Tony went down she was fine. I am thankful she knows we are her caretakers and that she loves us! But I also want her to be a flexible baby and continue enjoying other people :) We'll see if it continues.

*This month she has developed a weird rash on the left side of her neck. It was just starting when we had her appointment and the doctor said it was just a drool rash and to put aquaphor on it. We did and kept it dry, but it keeps getting worse. It's very strange-I attribute it to her sleeping on her tummy because her neck seems to get a little sweaty and such that way. We are going back on Tuesday to have it checked.

What she likes:
*The dogs-though she has been showing interest in them for the past few months, she LIGHTS UP when they come around! And she has started petting them which is the cutest thing EVER!

*Her jumper
*Standing up
*Doing 'Super Baby' with Daddy

*Playing 'Airplane' with Daddy

*Books, books, books-she will get so excited for books sometimes she'll start kicking her legs in a fit of joy!
*Mom & Dad

*Looking at Mom while Dad holds her-she just cracks up and stares at me like she's never seen me before whenever Tony is holding her in the evenings-it's too funny
*She has FINALLY started liking her car seat! Never thought we'd see the day!
*Touching the clothes in the closet-Daddy will walk her up and down the rows of clothes and she feels them all and cracks up and sometimes eats them ;)

What she doesn't like:
*Getting her nose cleaned...AT ALL
*Having her diaper changed right before a nap (when she's ready to sleep, she's ready to sleep!)

What our days are like:
Callyn now nurses at 8 am, 12 pm, 4 pm, and 8 pm. We just recently switched to 4 hours between nursing sessions because she wasn't eating as well at 3 hours and not seeming hungry at all. This has been awesome for us! Callyn wakes up around 8 a.m., eats, has some awake time and normally goes down for a nap between 9-10. Her morning nap is between 1-1.5 hours long. We play, she eats again at noon and goes down for another nap between 12:30-1:30. Her afternoon nap is anywhere from 1-3 hours...typically on the longer side, but as soon as she gets a nap 'routine' down, she changes it up on me the next day ;) So it's usually more likely 1.5-2.5 hours. She is up for a bit, eats again at 4, daddy comes up, and she normally has another nap between 4:30-5:30. This nap is usually 45 minutes-1 hour long. We start getting ready for bed between 7:30-7:45 (depending on if it's a bath night or not) and she usually eats again between 7:45-8. We say 8 is bedtime because that's the last feed, but she typically is in her crib around 8:30. She sleeps between 11.5-13 hours at night...normally right around 12 hours.

Stats:
At her last appointment, Callyn weighed 15 pounds 9 ounces-she is probably a bit over 16 pounds now
She was 25 inches long-I think about 26 now
I am switching her up to 6-9 month clothes today. She is all over the place with clothes, but for most onesies and pajamas, she's ready for 6-9.

Callyn Baby,
How are the days flying by so fast little one?! I was just looking back at pictures from your first weeks last night, and I can't believe you were ever that tiny. I am enjoying watching you grow up and develop SO much! When you were first born, I thought I would cry each month and be so sad that you were growing up, but every week and month, I am so happy watching you grow and learn and develop into such a sweet little person! I love your personality-you are so sweet and happy and I hope and pray that you will be filled with the joy of the Lord your entire life. I find myself trying to remember life before I knew what you would look like, or knew what your name would be, or what your giggle would sound like, or that you would have your daddy's beautiful blue eyes. I feel like I've just always known. My heart is so full, Callyn. I could not ask for a more perfect baby to have joined our family. You fit right in and I hope that you will love being with your me and your daddy as you grow up. We talk a lot about all of the fun things we want to do with you as you are growing up. I can't wait for all of those things, but I am soaking in each and every day with you as they come. I cherish every moment I get to spend with you, I really do. My whole life I wanted to be a mommy, but I never knew it would be like this. It's the most wonderful thing. Your grammie tells me that she has never seen me so happy in my life before. And I tell her it's true-what more could I ask for? I can't believe in one more month you will have been my daughter for HALF a year! Wow! I love you sweet angel.

tried banana on 2-9

Fitness Friday & A HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

2012-02-24T09:18:00.000-06:00

First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE MOST AMAZING, SWEETEST, MAN ALIVE! Yep, it's my hubby's GOLDEN birthday! Happy Birthday Tony!!!!!!
We have lots of fun celebrating to do, but some of it is a surprise, so I'll have to recap later :)

A few weeks after I resumed exercise again once Callyn was born, I printed out a 'log' from Moms Into Fitness where I kept track of my measurements and weight for 60 days. I measured every 10 days. I finished that up last week! I lost 3.5 pounds and over 10 inches over all!! Woohoo! I wish the weight loss was a little more, but you can't deny the inches! I know a lot of it is still my stomach deflating from pregnancy, but I did work hard. When Callyn was about 2-3 weeks old I only had 4 pounds left to lose. I thought the pregnancy weight was obviously falling right off. So I think I just must have ate junk and didn't care at all, thinking that breastfeeding would do it. Ok, I didn't totally eat like crap, I just ate a lot of sweets and such. So I think I gained a few pounds somewhere in there and by the time I started paying attention I then had about 5.5 pounds to lose. Duh. Oh well. Now I have 2 pounds left to go(update: weighed myself this morning and now have 1.5 left!!) to get to my pre-pregnancy weight. And I have 7 total(now 6.5!) to get back down to a healthy weight.
So I made a new plan for the next 9 weeks-no idea why I chose 9 weeks.

My goal overall is to lose 7 pounds or more(since I set this goal before my weigh in this week, I now have 6.5, but I can still shoot for 7!). I haven't set a weight loss goal with a specific time in mind before, so it makes me nervous, but hopefully it will motivate me!

I learned a lot over the last 60 days about what works and what doesn't so I put together a very specific plan on what I'm going to do over the next 9 weeks to hopefully see results!

I am going to be weighing and measuring every Friday now. I made some very specific marks for measurements. Sometimes I felt like I wasn't measuring in exactly the same place, so I wrote down more specific things, not just 'the largest part of your arm' but things like, measure at the freckle on my right arm, etc. Hopefully this will help with consistency!
I am allowing myself one freebie day per week. I just don't think it's realistic to think I'll never go over my calories. Especially on days like Birthdays where we're going to eat and celebrating, etc.! I think one day per week is reasonable. If there's no reason to go over one week, then I won't! But I think you have to allow yourself some lee-way.
My calorie goal for every day is 2000. I think this is a healthy amount for working out and breastfeeding, that I will also hopefully continue to have results with.
My goal is still to exercise 3-4 times per week. However, my goal is now 3-4 GOOD workouts. I have been totally wimping out and doing lots of 10 or 15 minute work outs from pinterest and calling that a great work out for the day. Well, they are good workouts and 15 minutes is better than nothing, but I don't think I'm going to be seeing results if that's all I'm doing.
This is one that I have been putting off for a long time: try not to eat after Callyn goes to bed. That is where I always go over my calories and make unhealthy choices. I got in the habit of eating before bed while I was pregnant because I had to in order to not feel sick, and it's been hard to stop. I think if I can cut this out I will be golden! I've been trying to do better about this and drink water or tea or chew gum at night if I want to eat. If I'm legitimately hungry, I will have a piece of fruit or something.
Something that I've been trying to do that has been helping me tremendously is putting in my calories for dinner in the afternoon. If I can figure out what we're having for dinner and put that into my fitness pal in the afternoon, it helps me to know what kind of snack I can have in the afternoon while still staying under calories. It also helps me when dinner time rolls around to stick to those portion sizes instead of just having one more bowl, or whatever. I feel that if it's already been put in, I can't go over. I think it's a mind trick, but it's been working and I'm finding out, I'm usually full after the first helping.
Continue measuring out portions-this has helped a lot!
When eating out (like twice today) look online or my fitness pal ahead of time and plan out what I'm going to order, to make healthy choices and actually know how many calories I"m getting!
Eating a healthy breakfast every day has helped a lot too. If I eat healthy in the morning, I stay full until lunch time and I find that I want to make healthier choices throughout the day. If I start my day off with donuts, I feel like I've already ruined the day so I might as well just eat whatever I want...not good.
Finally, I've been doing the 100 push ups program. When I first started I could only do 2 good form consecutive push ups. Last week I did another 'test' and completed 23! I am seeing huge strides here and loving how strong I am getting so fast with this. I want to complete the program, and then still continue doing push ups after that. I used to loathe push ups, but I kind of like them now! They are a great workout!

Have a great weekend everyone! We will be busy doing LOTS of celebrating!!

Thursday Thoughts

2012-02-16T13:26:00.000-06:00

This week is flying by!

Last weekend, we had to travel to go to Tony's great-grandmother's funeral. We made a day out of it and stopped at The Cheesecake Factory on the way home! It's the closest one to us (2.5 hours) and was only about 10 min. out of our way-totally worth it! Not on the 'diet' plan, but sooooo yummy!
Callyn has been so funny lately :) She just thinks everything is hilarious. Whenever Tony is home and holding her if I am around she just looks at me and laughs and laughs and laughs...I think maybe she is seeing me from a different perspective, since I'm the one with her all day? Whatever it is, we all get cracking up!
I can't remember if I mentioned that we let Callyn try some banana, or not. We did, just once. We aren't going to start her on foods yet, but the one time was fun! She really enjoyed it.

Last week, Tony had a 3 day work week, this week 4 days, next week 4 days and then next Friday is his birthday! Whoop! I have something (surprise) fun planned and I can't wait!
This morning, I finally squeezed in a work out during Callyn's morning nap...night time exercise is just not happening lately so I need to try to get at least a few done during the day. I did Tami's Home BootCamp. Holy cow! I was sweating, panting, HURTING! I'm not sure what happened afterwards but I felt exactly like I did sometimes when I was pregnant-nauseous, hot (could NOT cool down), dizzy like I was going to fall over. Maybe I overdid it a little? Idk. I did love the workout though!

Our neighbors had the idea to do a Valentine's babysitting swap. We would trade babysitting for each other so we could go out on dates! So on Tuesday, Tony went over after bedtime and babysat for them, since I was still feeding Callyn & putting her down. Then tomorrow night we are going to take her over there and go out to dinner. This will be the first time taking her somewhere else, and we've only ever left her with one couple before. I hope she does ok! I know she will-she is so content and happy for everyone. I'm sure she will have a blast watching their kids play.

dreaming...

2012-02-15T13:19:00.001-06:00

of SUMMER!
Honestly, our winter hasn't been bad at all! It's been really very mild which is nice. We've only had a few snows and the temps have been high. Honestly, I don't even LIKE summer that much, but I find myself looking forward to all of the fun things it will bring with a baby. Callyn will be at such a fun age this summer and I have been really looking forward to all of the activities we will get to do. Of course, spring will be awesome too and I am definitely not wishing for it to get here any sooner than it already is going to because that means Callyn will be growing up even faster :(
Here is our summer bucket list! I'm sure we'll do several of them all summer long, and I'm sure we'll add to it! After all, we have a park with a splash pad only 3 blocks away-bring it on!

*I just realized that this whole thing was MOST LIKELY fueled by the seriously adorable pink tutu bathing suit Tony's mom got Callyn for Valentine's day. I will probably die every time she wears it this summer :)

winner!

2012-02-12T12:50:00.000-06:00

The winner of the My Memories Suite giveaway is...

MELANIE

Congratulations Melanie! We'll be in touch soon :)

Fitness Friday

2012-02-10T10:00:00.000-06:00

I am off today, enjoying my internet/tech free day :) So really, I'm writing this on Thursday but you're reading it Friday!This week my goal was to pay closer attention to portion sizes. I did pretty well with this! It's not really a 'measurable' goal but I did pay closer attention so I call it a win! I went over my calories several days but I just feel hungry and am not going to deny myself food while breastfeeding. I've definitely been making healthier choices which I love!
Yesterday was a weigh and measure day. No change in weight, but a loss of inches in several places which I am excited about!!!
I have been doing the 10 day plank challenge I found on pinterest. I totally thought it would be easy, but it's TOUGH! I'm up to 1 minute now. I've also started the 100 push ups challenge. Let me just tell you that I HATE Push ups. In my initial test, I could only do TWO consecutive, good form push ups. I am already well past that so I can feel my strength building after just two days of doing it! Love! I have continued enjoying the encouragement from My Fitness Pal! Username: nataliec8
This week for exercise, I did lots of pinterest workouts on Monday I did the world's fastest workout from Pinterest, along with the first day of the two challenges.Tuesday I did the Fab 15 work out plus the plank challenge.Wednesday I did the plank challenge (I don't really consider just this a workout in itself)Thursday I did the two challenges and a pilates dvd from Netflix!I'll probably work out today and take the weekend off besides doing the plank challenge Sat & Sunday. Pretty pleased with my work outs this week!!
My goal for next week is going to be no sweets again! The week I did it, I didn't really even think about sweets that much or crave them too much, but once I started eating them again, BAM, they're too hard to resist!Have a great weekend!

Thursday Thoughts

2012-02-09T15:57:00.000-06:00

Today we had Callyn's 4 month appointment (Even though she's more like 4 1/2 months). She kind of missed a nap so was getting a little fussy towards the end, of course right while we were waiting for the nurse to come back in for shots. After her shots, I nursed her and we put her on the table after a bit to get her dressed again and she just laid there-totally exhausted and passed out. We just thought it was the funniest thing :) Babies don't care where they are-if they're tired they want to sleep!!!

It turns out I was measuring Callyn wrong. I was measuring to the tips of her toes instead of to her heel. Which obviously is wrong because we don't count our feet in our height...duh! So she is actually 25 inches, not 27!
After we got home, Tony just randomly decided he wanted to give her some banana. We were kind of planning to wait until right around 6 months but we just spur of the moment decided to. And she loved it. She will not take a bottle, sippy cup, paci, ANYTHING besides the boob. So we didn't think she would and it was just like she knew how to eat. It was the cutest thing ever-she loooooovvvved it! :)

Unfortunately, Tony's great grandma (Callyn's great-great grandma) passed away a few days ago. We were just able to take Callyn up to meet her (she lives a few hours away) in December, and are SO thankful we went when we did so we could get a FIVE generation picture.
On the bright side, Tony gets a 3 day bereavement so he is off today, tomorrow and Monday. I know the circumstances are stinky, but it's always nice to have him home. Also, this will be the THIRD funeral we've been to in 6 months (all of our Grandmother's, so sad)...that is as many as I've been to in the rest of my life combined...sad. :(
Baby wore her first barrette today :)

The My Memories Giveaway is open through tomorrow night-there are only TWO entries so far, so if you want to enter, you have a pretty good chance to win! It's for the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking program :)
Little Love bug!!

Ok, this is getting long. But my baby is going to be 20 weeks on Sunday. TWENTY! That is half as long as I was pregnant with her...HOW?!
Tomorrow, we are doing a tech-free day. I am kind of excited about this! I feel like nowadays I'm practically using some form of technology half the day or more! My smart phone, tracking calories, blogging, googling something, watching Netflix, whatever it may be. Most often it's on my phone because it's always right there. So we are going to unplug and I'm going to try to do a lot around the house. And maybe when Callyn's napping we'll do things like...read books, or cook together...you know, old fashioned stuff ;) That being said, I'm scheduling my post for tomorrow!

Book Exchange

2012-02-08T12:34:00.000-06:00

So I know several people have been posting about the book exchange going around! I am doing it too and I keep thinking I have people but then they change their minds or something else. SO I need a few more! Is anyone interested?? All you do is mail one book to a child and 'pass it on' to 6 people and your child or classroom gets 36 books back (assuming all of the people follow through in passing it on). Pretty easy! Leave me a comment and I'll get in touch with you. I know it's been on a few blogs but if there is anyone else who has been wanting to do it let me know!!!

My Memories Review & GIVEAWAY!!!

2012-02-06T08:00:00.000-06:00

I was recently contacted by My Memories to do a review and giveaway on the blog!! This couldn't have come at a better time. Now that I have a baby I want to keep up on all of the pictures I've been taking of her, and possibly create some fun decorations for upcoming parties (and by this I obviously mean her 1st birthday that is still 7.5 months away ;) ). I received the My Memories digital scrapbooking software and got straight to work, playing with pictures, words, fonts, papers, etc. It was SO much fun. They have so much to choose from right there in the software! It is so user friendly and didn't take me but a minute to figure everything out.

I had always kind of shy-ed away from digital scrapbooking because I felt like it was too complicated and so much work. But I was completely WRONG! You can create SO much stuff and it is so easy to use. Things I wouldn't have thought of, like calendars, cards, and printables are all easy to create in just minutes using the My Memories Suite software!

I made these two Valentine's printables using My Memories in just minutes! I'm sharing them with you, to show you just how easy it is to create things like this with the software!

And now for the fun part......

YOU can win a copy of the My Memories Suite digital scrapbooking software FREE!!

To enter do one or more of the following....(Please leave a separate comment for each entry)

Mandatory:

Must be a public follower of this blog!

Optional (extra entries)

1. Visit My Memories and check out their awesome selection of paper packs!Leave a comment telling me which is your favorite!

2. Follow the My Memories Blog!

3. 'Like' My Memories on facebook

4. Follow My Memories on Twitter

That's it! Please remember to leave a separate comment for each entry!!
Giveaway ends Friday, February 10, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. CST

Fitness Friday

2012-02-03T15:23:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday!
This week my goal was to eat a healthy breakfast every day! I am very happy to say that not only did I do that, but it was REALLY easy and honestly, I think it helped me eat better throughout the day. Here's what I had. Maybe a bit repetitive, but it's all stuff that doesn't take too long to whip up!
Sunday: scrambled eggs & toast
Monday: Oatmeal w/ skim milk & brown sugar
Tuesday: Green Monster with banana & almond milk
Wednesday: Strawberry banana green monster & granola bar
Thursday: Oatmeal w/ skim milk & brown sugar
Friday: Scrambled eggs with a little cheese & a banana
Quick, easy, healthy, delicious!

This week I also started measuring out my portions. I was getting SO frustrated that I haven't been losing weight in a few weeks and my weight fluctuates anyway so it's hard to tell exactly how much I'm losing. So I started measuring, and boy I am so glad I did! My portion sizes for some things were WAY off, meaning adding up calories, I was totally off. I AM counting calories again, because once I stopped, I found I wasn't really making healthy choices and it was hard to remember what I had eaten that day. I am being super mindful of my milk supply and so far it's been fine since I'm eating enough this time.

As far as exercise I've only gotten in 2 work outs so far this week (we've had a SUPER busy week) but I did a 50 minute video from netflix called Carb & Calorie burner or something like that-I LOVED it. And another video from Netflix that was a boot camp-it was alright. I am hoping to fit in work outs tomorrow and Sunday! I know I won't have time for one today.

I took measurements last Monday and nothing had really changed. I think I lost 1/2 inch somewhere-my waist maybe. This week I have noticed a difference in my appearance though. Tony mentioned something too so I am really pleased with that! And last night I noticed my jeans were way too loose, so I am VERY excited about that :) Love when I can actually see my hard work paying off :)

This next week, my goal is going to be to continue monitoring portion sizes. I think this will really help me, and I need to be getting better about knowing how much a portion actually is!
Linking up with Cait:

thursday thoughts

2012-02-02T10:11:00.001-06:00

Callyn can officially roll from back to front. I only know this because I just peeked into her room to see if she was asleep and this is what I saw:

I was kind of shocked! I am not at all surprised that she is sleeping on her tummy-I always thought she'd prefer it because she slept so much better on our chests when she had her tummy pressed to us when she was tiny. But I am surprised this is the first time she has rolled from back to front by herself and then just went to sleep like that! Thank God for the Angelcare monitor or I'd probably be sitting in there making sure she was breathing (paranoid mom, much?!)!!!

So now I'm afraid that she is going to wake up at night every time she wants to roll back over. Has that happened to anyone???
Speaking of waking up at night...it doesn't happen anymore! She has been sleeping 12-12.5 hours since Saturday night! wahoo!!
Tonight is date night! We are going on a post-bedtime date-froyo and a late movie :) Excited!
Callyn's new favorite thing is blowing raspberries and playing with her feet. She started doing both on Tuesday and ever since then she does it all the time. Yesterday morning I went in her room because I thought she was awake and she was just laying in there content playing with her feet and blowing raspberries. Same thing this morning. Last night at her last feeding, she kept stopping eating to blow raspberries. It was something I couldn't help but laugh at, even though I could see it getting frustrated if it keeps interrupting feedings. She is too cute :)
I made Callyn some Valentine corker bows last weekend using this tutorial...they turned out super cute and they were SO easy to make! I'm excited for Valentine's Day :)
I think I am having to come to terms with the fact that my snowboarding days might be over :( This is the first winter in a long time I won't be going. I just can't with breastfeeding Callyn unless someone sat in the lodge with her all day and I went in every 3 hours to feed her, but that would be ridiculous and not worth it. I am thinking about just selling my snowboard and getting a new one in like 10 years when I'm done having kids if I still want to. But still sad :( I hope Callyn wants to snowboard!
Just a little love from Callyn to brighten your day :)

well that was embarrassing

2012-01-26T09:41:00.000-06:00

Last night we went out to eat and we were right next to Wal Mart. I needed to quickly run inside and grab something. Callyn was asleep in her seat so Tony just dropped me at the door. I was literally inside for less than 2 minutes. So I come back out and as I'm walking out there is (what I think is) Tony driving towards me. I haven't crossed over to the parking lot yet but they have stopped. Tony is waiting for me. Obviously...he did a circle around the parking lot and is now stopped, waiting for me, who is walking right towards him. Also, it is night, and dark if I didn't mention that. So I walk up and grab the handle only to realize that someone is in the passenger seat staring right at me. At first I'm confused but in about .2 seconds I realize THIS IS NOT TONY!!!!! So here I am standing in the Wal Mart parking lot, with my hand on the handle of a vehicle that is NOT ours! Ummm, awkward? Thankfully it was dark so I couldn't really see the looks on the people's faces. I'm sure they were terrified about the creep who was trying to break into their car WHILE they were in it. So they keep on driving. And I'm left standing there. It's that awkward 'did any else see what just happened' feeling like after you fall on ice and look all around to see if anyone saw you. Except I'm looking around wondering WHERE IS MY HUSBAND?! I'm standing in the middle of the Wal Mart parking lot, after dark, looking around and around. Yep. Awesome. Of course now I am afraid that these people have parked and will be walking right past me and now the creep who tried to open their door is just standing awkwardly in the middle of the parking lot. WHAT DO I DO?!??!?! So I start walking back to the entrance, hoping I can hide just inside the door. Since I'm wearing a YELLOW sweatshirt, I'm sure they would spot me right away. And probably try to keep their small children away from me. They probably think I'm drunk. Or broke out of a mental facility. Great! Then I see (what I think is) Tony coming towards me. For real this time. But I'm too scared to approach, in fear that it'll be the same people. How horrible would that be?! So I casually and really slowly walk towards him. Trying REALLY hard to see through the windshield to make sure it's him. IT IS! So naturally, I SPRINT the rest of the way there, hoping to make it in before the other people walk past me. So I jump in, slam the door, shrink down in the seat and start cracking up. Tony is so confused. I could not stop laughing just thinking about what those poor people must have thought. So I tell Tony the story. Of course he thinks it's just as funny so now here we are, at a stop in the middle of the Wal Mart parking lot laughing so hard we're about to pee. When Tony says "I got an email from facebook that someone liked one of my pictures, and I missed the funniest thing that has ever happened to you for that." Yep, yep you did, sweetie!

4 months!

2012-01-25T10:58:00.001-06:00

Callyn is 4 months old! I know I'll say this every month, but I have no idea how this is possible!

What she's up to:
*chewing on everything (teeth coming soon?)
*laughing, squealing, giggling
*sitting with little assistance
*standing with little assistance

*rolling over from front to back (1/14/12)
*getting VERY close to rolling from back to front
*jumping in her jumperoo day in and day out

*learning to do things like pull down her frog from her car seat and do other things with toys (this is so fun to see!)
*grabbing onto everything she can get her hands on :)

Things I don't want to forget about Month 4!:
*Callyn is sleeping in her crib now for all naps and at night. She is too big for the swing now and we needed to transition her.
*Since this transition she has been back to sleeping 10-11.5 hours at night! If she wakes up after 10 hours, she'll eat and go right back down for 2-3 more hours.
*Naps we are still working on. She is doing a lot better, but often wakes up after 30 minutes and doesn't go back to sleep, and by often I mean almost every nap! We are working on adjusting play time and feeding times--I think her naps are too close to the next feed so she wakes up during active sleep slightly hungry and won't go back to sleep, thus trying to fall asleep while eating and being miserable until the next nap.
*She is officially un-swaddled! This was a huge culprit in our sleep problems. She wanted to be free! We did one arm out for a few days, then just decided to cold turkey it and went for it. It went well! We do still wrap a blanket around her chest with arms and legs out, just to keep her warm for winter. We'll probably transition to a sleep sack or something soon.
*Callyn is eating every 3-3.5 hours
*Bedtime is around 8, but she is usually miserably tired by 7:30 so she usually has her last feeding then
*I don't want to forget how she turned from a newborn to a BABY in the last month or month and a half. There is no hint of newborn left...she is a laughing, rolling, standing, grabbing, chewing, alert BABY and we love it!
*Spitting up has really died down over the last month. Still spits up but not nearly as much or as frequently!

What she likes:
*her jumperoo is probably #1 on the list of things she loves right now
*her mobile, finally!
*watching the dogs play (she thinks it's hilarious)
*talking
*reading books
*going on walks in the stroller

*mommy & daddy
*bath time
*PEACOCKS! We have this book called 'Tails' and in it there is a peacock with a shiny tail and every single time, without fail, if we show her that picture she gets the biggest grin on her face!
*looking at herself in the mirror
*other babies

*standing up like a big kid
*when daddy plays guitar

What she doesn't like:
*her car seat, still...i've given up that she will ever like that carrier. time to move to a big kid car seat!
*hiccups

What our days are like:
Pretty much the same as last month. Awake for 2-2.5 hours. Takes 30-45 minute naps most of the time (boo!). Eats every 3-3.5 hours, still exclusively breast fed. Bedtime is now 8 p.m. She now goes to sleep on her own in the crib which has been wonderful for all 3 of us. Sleeps until 6-7:30 a.m. usually. If she wakes up at 5:30-6, she'll go back down until 8 or 8:30 which is typical. During the day she spends A LOT of time her jumper (she loves it!), we have been reading lots of books and she loves to touch the books and hold onto it like she's the one reading it...cracks me up! We still do lots of tummy time and floor time and I've been showing her lots of her toys which she is really showing an interest in and I think before too long she'll be able to really play with them.

Stats:
Callyn weighs a little over 15 pounds (about 80%)
She is 27 inches long (99.8%)
Her weight for length %tile is 2.4 %, ha! Long & skinny!
Wearing size 2 disposables while we figure out the cloth situation-I think she needs to go up to size 3 though because of her length.
Wearing all sizes of clothes. Majority 3-6 months, but a few jackets and pants that are 0-3 and some 6-9 onesies. Even has one pair of newborn pants that still fit...even though she's 99.8% in length for a 4 month old...baby clothes are so weird.

Precious Callyn,
This month has been such a blast. We have seen your little personality come out SO much more than the months past and we are LOVING it. You are such a sweet baby. You smile at anyone and everyone and I love that! You are so joyful and so content-you rarely fuss or cry. You always smile big at me or your daddy when you see us and that melts our heart. Just the other night I went to run errands while you stayed home with daddy. Your daddy texted me that you were so tired he couldn't keep you awake. By the time I got home, he had given you a bath to wake you up and when he brought you down stairs you were just laughing and laughing and smiling at me! It made me feel like you were so happy that I was home. I love seeing you be bashful...it is the cutest thing. Sometimes your daddy or I will look at you while the other person is holding you and you will smile and turn your head against whoever is holding you's chest...it is so cute...maybe you will be a little shy like mommy. Callyn you are the light of my life! I am so thankful for you. I am so blessed to be able to spend every day with you. We are having so much fun together and each time I watch you do something new or learn something for the first time, my heart explodes with pride! I am so proud of you, sweetheart! You are perfect in every way!
Love,
Mommy & Daddy

Mad about Picnik closing? READ THIS!

2012-01-23T17:45:00.000-06:00

I have seen a ton of bloggers who are upset about Picnik closing its doors in April! I am one of those people...boooo! Why do they have to take away such a good thing?!
After reading and re-reading and re-reading again their email that they were going to be working with Google, I figured there had to be a way to edit pictures on Google, and I'm happy to report-there is! And it is basically just like Picnik. (I am not sure about the collage feature-I could not find that on Google +).
Here's a little tutorial to help you because honestly, it is NOT user friendly and took me several tries to figure this all out but hopefully this will help you! Pay attention to the arrows :)
(note: your screen may not look exactly the same as I have cropped wherever necessary to edit out personal information, but you should get the gist)
Step 1: Get a Google + account. I don't think you have access to this without it. Easy.
Step 2: Once you are on your home screen, click the photos button.

Step 3: Once you do that your screen should look like the following, and you'll want to either choose a picture or upload a new one (this is assuming you know how to upload a photo...not getting into that here)

Step 4: Once you upload or choose your file, your screen will look like the following. You want to click ON the picture.

Step 5: After you click on the picture, your screen will look like the following and you want to click on creative kit.

Step 6: That'll bring you to this page, which looks pretty familiar, right?! Here are some of the effects and options you are used to seeing on Picnik. Go nuts.

Step 7: Save and ta-da!

Google + Picnik

Basically the same thing with a lot more steps and confusion :)

So although it still REALLY stinks that Picnik is closing, there IS a solution and I hope this has helped!! :)

fitness friday

2012-01-20T09:26:00.000-06:00

Friday already?!

Today was a weigh and measure day (every 10 days). I lost a 1/2 pound, 1/2 inch on my waist, 1/2 inch on my hips, and 1/2 inch on my calves. I'm not THRILLED with that, but pretty pleased. This is always where it gets hard for me. I always get discouraged and frustrated because I feel like weight should just fall off (I know it doesn't and I know it's not healthy too-especially when breastfeeding) and I know slow & steady wins the race in this case, but you still just want it to be done. Losing weight isn't fun...I hate having to think about everything I put in my mouth and the constant mental battle of trying to talk myself into working out or eating a salad instead of something else. Blah. But I pinned this this week, and well...it's pretty motivating. One pound of fat is a lot.

So that makes me feel better when I 'only' lose a pound or half a pound.
This week:
I was using My Fitness Pal app to record my food. I just had my calories set at 2000 because I'm not worrying about calories right now with breastfeeding. But of course every day when I would input my food, I would want to stay under that and each day more and more. Soon I noticed my milk supply was not as abundant so I decided to stop logging food altogether. It's too hard for me not to obsess over it.
My goal for this past week was no sweets. I am happy to report I did great on this. I didn't eat one single sweet all week...until last night. I couldn't take it anymore and remembered we had 2 pieces of cheesecake left in the freezer. So I ate one. And I don't feel bad about it! I did good all week and it was hard! I think it really helped me to see that even when I crave something, I don't need it.
Fitness:
Fitness has been getting harder for me. Some days I just don't feel like it. My goal was again this week 3-4 work outs. I have only completed 2 so far, but I have today and tomorrow to get at least one or two more in so I really want to meet that goal.
Next week:
Next week I want to put my focus on fitness and my goal is going to be to exercise every day. We are in the middle of freezing winter blizzard weather so walking is no longer an option. I'll do whatever I can at my house. I have a few videos, free weights, a jump rope, and the internet with lots of videos and ideas! Even if it's only 10 minutes of jumping rope, I want to do something every single day this week.
I think that wraps it up!

thursday thoughts

2012-01-19T13:44:00.000-06:00

my baby is huge. So I have been seriously wondering why she is getting too long for EVERYTHING. Then the other day I noticed her onesies are already pulling and she has only been in 3-6 months for one month. She wore 0-3 month clothes for THREE months. How could this be? So I measured her. And she is 27 inches! I knew she was getting long, but HOLY COW! So she will need a new car seat in 2 more inches and is definitely going to need to go up a size in onesies and pants. Craziness.
Snow makes me feel lazy. I just want to cuddle up and watch movies or be on the computer or read books with baby. Not clean, or cook, or do anything productive. We are going to get a huge storm tomorrow so I'm trying to get stuff done today.
Nikon or Canon? I am curious what everyone uses. I really want to get a DSLR and get more knowledgeable about photography. So we agreed that once we actually know what is what we will consider buying a nice camera. So which way do you go? Are you a Nikon or Canon lover?
Cloth diaper issues, AGAIN! We got over the mold issue (ick) which made me so mad in the first place because I wash them exactly how the manufacturer says. So now we dried them a few times to make sure it was really dead and now they are a little stretched out and she is peeing out in them, which has never happened before. SO frustrated! I am about ready to throw them away if this doesn't change...for real this time.

That is about all that is coming out of my jumbled brain today!!!

11 random things

2012-01-18T18:37:00.000-06:00

I got tagged by Rachel in the 11 random things survey!
Rules:
1. Post these rules
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself
3. Answer the questions set for you in their post
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer
5. Go to their blog and tell them you've tagged them
6. Tag 11 people

11 Random Things About Me:
1. I can't and won't eat green beans. I think they are dog food. Literally. We used to feed them to my dog (she was on the 'green bean' diet) and now I just cannot handle them. Ew.
2. I have never voted. 2 elections ago I was not quite 18 and the last election I was still a student so not technically a resident of the state I live in now and I didn't feel like doing the absentee thing because I don't care that much. Which I know is bad but I don't. I should probably vote at the next election though.
3. I knew I was going to marry Tony one of the first times we ever hung out, during a thunderstorm. So random. I don't know how but I remember thinking 'I'm going to marry this guy.' We weren't even dating yet.
4. I wear pajamas for almost every outfit now a days. Seriously. I am working on it, I really am. I've gotten dressed 2/3 days this week-progress!
5. I don't know if this is random but we are planning on homeschooling our kids...don't know if I have ever mentioned that before on the blog.
6. Years ago, I used to eat cereal several times a day. Actually I ate a lot of cereal when I was pregnant too. Cereal is something that always sounds good and hits the spot.
7. My sister is adopted from China and when I was 15 I got to go with my dad to China for 2 weeks to pick her up.
8. Birds freak me out.
9. I have 4 tattoos. My most recent one is one I planned to add to when we have kids. I kind of forgot about it until right now. I should get Callyn's star added, but I don't think you can get tattoos when you're breastfeeding? Or maybe I made that up.
10. In high school and college I played 4 square all the time. And I was awesome at it.
11. I started taking violin lessons when I was 2. I really wish I had stuck with it into my teenage years and beyond.

Rachel's Questions:
1. What is your go to dinner menu? Right now it seems to be soups and mexican dishes, oh and crock pot dishes. Easy, pretty cheap, delicious and mostly healthy. It used to be pasta-y things and stir fry type things but I think we're over that.
2. What is your biggest pet peeve? Lying. I cannot stand it and have never understood it. I hate when people lie. It makes me angry just thinking about it!
3. If you HAD to change your name, what would it be? Someone asked me this not too long ago and I honestly don't know. I like my name. When I was little I wanted to be Kelly, Stacy or Misty-I think those just happen to all be barbies haha
4. What is the first thing you do when you get up every morning? Usually I quick go to the bathroom the head into Callyn's room to feed her.
5. What is the last thing you do before you go to bed at night? The last thing before I get IN bed is go to the bathroom, last thing before I go to sleep is kiss Tony goodnight.
6. What is your shopping weakness? Definitely clothes. For me or Callyn, or really even Tony.
7. How many kids would you like to have in total? If I was not a sick pregnant person and money wasn't an object I would have TONS of kids-I love babies and I loved being pregnant despite the sickness, and I also really want to adopt. But in reality we think we will have probably 3-5 kids...we'll see what God gives us!
8. What is your favorite thing in your entire house (not people)? I think I have to say our bed. I love it. It's so big and comfy!
9. How do you sleep: back, front, side? I got really used to sleeping on my sides when I was pregnant. But I love sleeping on my back with my arms up above my head.
10. What is your favorite take out food? There is only one Chinese place in town that I love and I could eat 12 orders of their crab rangoons. But my favorite in general is probably pizza.
11. What book are you currently reading? Nothing besides the Bible. I don't have time to read, I wish i did!

My Questions:
1. What is something you are only mediocre at that you would like to become great at?
2. What is your favorite exercise, or way to exercise?
3. What is your most hated chore?
4. Who is the person you trust most in the world... besides your spouse (if you are married).
5. What is your favorite time of the day?
6. How do you spend majority of your time? (I mean what takes up most of your time in your day, a baby, job, spouse, etc. or you can be more specific...nursing, writing papers, whatever.)
7. What is your favorite date activity BESIDES the most common ones such as movie, dinner, etc.
8. How do you most show people you love them?
9. Which website do you spend the most time on?
10. What is your favorite color or theme for decorating?
11. What is your dream job?

I tag (I'm trying not to tag anyone that Rachel tagged so you don't have to do it twice!!)
Nicole at Bloom
Claire at Fast Forward Girl
Mallorie at Happy Home
Stephanie at How Sweet It Is!
Rebekah at Life With the Edwards
Sarah at Newlywed & Decorating
Leigh Anne at Simply Swarbrick
Ashley at Stealing Baby Kisses
Amanda at The Shepard Life
Ms. J at The Smelly Life
Callie at Through Clouded Glass

Have fun :)

Worth the wait...

2012-01-17T08:51:00.000-06:00

My precious Callyn,
One year ago, I found out you were growing in my tummy! After 15 very very very long months of waiting and praying for you, we found out God finally blessed us with your sweet life. I remember that day exactly. Every emotion, every move I made, every tear I cried. It is so vivid in my memory. I had been waiting and waiting for that day and I am so glad I can remember every part of it. I remember leaving work early and driving through the snow (much like today) to the store to buy a test because "I just knew". I prayed and prayed that God would protect my heart and I tried so hard not to get excited. I wanted so badly to be a mommy, but I had no idea how badly I wanted you.I drove home and took the test and prayed and prayed some more. And then, I took one look and knew you were in there. I fell to my knees crying and laughing and praising God for this sweet and precious gift! I could not believe it! You are such a blessing to my life baby girl! I can't believe it has already been a whole year since I found out about you. This past year has flown by and now you are almost four months old!
After I ran to the doctor to confirm, I waited for your daddy to come home so I could tell him. That was the longest 2 1/2 hours of my entire life, I think! We were thinking about going to Hawaii in June with your Grammie and Papa and said if we got pregnant we wouldn't go. So I wrote on a note card "Hawaii in June?" And on the other side: "I think this little Coug made up our minds for us. Love, Mommy" And I wrapped up my test in this precious little onesie that you are wearing today:

And put it all in a bag. When your daddy came home I told him he had a present waiting. He read the card and didn't quite understand. He thought there was a swimsuit in the bag and I made the decision we were going to Hawaii (silly daddy!). So imagine his surprise when he opened the onesie and the test went flying across the floor. I don't think I had ever seen your daddy so happy. We cried and cried and hugged and hugged and my face hurt from all of the smiling. We could not believe you were really in there...how blessed we are!
Sweet Callyn, you are most definitely, certainly, absolutely worth the wait...every single month, week, day, hour, second of that wait...every tear that I cried waiting for you was completely worth it the minute I found out about you. I love you my sweet angel!

Fitness Friday

2012-01-13T09:32:00.000-06:00

Friday again! This week went pretty well :) I have been doing my weight and measurements every 10 days as suggested by Moms Into Fitness. I lost 1.5 pounds, 2 inches from my waist(!), 1/2 inch from my hips, 1/2 inch from my thighs, and 1/2 inch from my calves. I am really pleased with this!!! I love taking measurements because sometimes it's hard to see a lot of success week to week with weight, but it's nice when you can see inches dropping-especially if you're building muscle and might not lose as much weight because of it. I am 2 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight, but still have a ways to go after that.This week:This week I was focusing on keeping a food log. After seeing people talking about the My Fitness Pal app I decided to get that (turns out I already had it on my phone and had an account from like a year ago-who knew?! If you are on it and want to be friends my username is nataliec8-so nice to have people on there cheering you on...love that part!) and I love it! It's so nice because they have like every food you could imagine on there so you don't have to figure things out on your own. Although I am not counting calories, this was a really easy way to see how many I am getting each day, and maybe in a few weeks I will try to stay within a certain range. My calorie intake was actually pretty similar most days, I just don't feel I need to focus on it yet, but maybe soon! Fitness:We had beautiful weather this week up until yesterday! On Sunday Tony, Callyn & I took a long walk-about an hour. I love that wearing Callyn or pushing the loaded down stroller gets in an extra calorie burn :) Callyn & I went on another walk on Tuesday, this time about 40 minutes. I am planning on either doing Post Natal Boot Camp this afternoon or tomorrow if I don't get the chance today. Or maybe both! :)Next week:Next week my goal is going to be a tough one for me. No sweets! When I was pregnant I didn't really like sweet stuff all that much and I feel like now I can't get enough! I lost almost all of my pregnancy weight right away, then plateaued at about +3 pounds and I think I even put back on a few from all the sweets I was eating. I have drastically cut back once I realized this. But next week I am going to try to not eat any sweets. I am going to drink water when I feel like I want some sweets, or get some sweet tasting gum to chew. Hopefully this goes well-I think this will REALLY help with my weight loss. And of course, simply not having it in the house will help a lot! I am going to work out 3-4 times again next weekHappy Friday everyone!

Thursday Thoughts

2012-01-12T12:10:00.000-06:00

We finally got SNOW! And quite a bit of it! I would take a picture to show you but I have a snoozing babe on my lap right now :) It is freeeeeeezing though.

{even though this isn't from today, the rosy cheeks and nose are very fitting for today's weather :) }

Loving my new blog design!!! Kelly is still doing discounted blogs through the end of the month :)
Tonight we're having dinner at our neighbor's down the street. It's one of those situations where we've been trying to get together forever but we were out of town, then it was Christmas, then we scheduled but their baby got sick, etc. so we are excited! Their baby is 7 months and I think Callyn is (quite a bit) bigger than her! It will be fun to see them together-they haven't been together since Callyn was a week or two old.
Right after Christmas we moved up to 3-6 month clothes (really should have done it at like 2 months) and somehow, just a few weeks later, I am finding I am having to pull on her onesies to get them snapped. I don't know if she just had a giant length growth spurt or what. Also noticing her feet are to the end of her car seat, swing and stroller.
SO, we're in the market for a big kid car seat. Preferably something we can use a long while-any suggestions??
Callyn is sitting with barely any support-just holding onto one finger. When did my baby grow up?!

She can also stand just leaning on something or holding onto something. Isn't that not supposed to happen for several more months?! *sigh*

The other night when we were playing I told Tony that we barely have any pictures of me and Callyn because I'm always the one taking the pictures. So he took some. And this is what we got....

I promise, she really does like me :)

This sweet girl's sleep is regressing so much now. She used to sleep 9-11 hours straight at night and ever since before Christmas, it takes us 2-3 hours to put her to bed (we rock her, lay her down, she sleeps a little then wakes up crying over and over) and she has been waking up 2-3 times in the night now and only taking about 20 minute naps in her crib. We were making excuses at first like that maybe she's going through a growth spurt or getting some teeth (she slobbers like crazy) or getting sick, but it's been going on too long for any of those things and it is getting worse. So we are going to have to buckle down. Wish us luck. And prayers would be appreciated :)
Off to have lunch with the hubs!

A day in the life: 3 months

2012-01-11T10:14:00.000-06:00

I wanted to do these day in the life posts every 3 months or so, so that I can remember what our life was like at each stage of the first year, since it changes so drastically from month to month at this age! The last one I did was when Callyn was 3 weeks, and now she is 3 1/2 months-wow, time flies! (Side note: I was looking back through that post and I can't believe how tiny she looks! She barely fits in her little car seat and now she's about to outgrow it!!)

Tuesday, January 10
3:30 a.m.-wake up for a feeding (we have been having some serious sleep problems around here!! Baby girl doesn't want to be swaddled anymore but then when we don't swaddle her she won't sleep either. Lose-lose. So we are slowly weaning it and I'm just in for rough sleep til then I guess)
6:00-Callyn wakes up again :(
9:00-Up for the day. Nurse Callyn, change diaper, get her dressed.
9:30-Head downstairs. Callyn plays in her jumperoo while I take care of the dogs, eat breakfast, and a couple of quick chores.

10:15-Tummy time. We practice rolling over a few times (she's getting close!) She plays on the floor while I sit next to her playing and stuffing diapers (finally back in cloth!!).

10:35-Head upstairs to get ready for nap
10:45-Nap time! We're working on getting her to nap longer in her crib, so it's been kind of a process. I catch up on blogging, answering emails, etc. while she's napping.

12:15-Nurse, diaper change
12:40-Callyn looks at her mobile while I get dressed and ready to head out.

12:50-Head downstairs, grab lunch and get things together. Callyn jumps in her jumper again
1:15-Head out to the post office to mail a package to Rachel. Realize it is sooo nice outside (the one time I actually remember to put a hat on my baby!)

1:35-Come home and start getting ready for another nap.
1:45-Nap time! I stay in her room to keep repeating a youtube video of a waterfall because I discovered this morning that her sound machine broke. Duh! So I catch up on writing thank you notes, this blog post, and just surf the web.
2:45-Wake up-it was not a good nap!
3:00-Nursed, diaper change, etc.
3:30-Callyn lays under her mobile for a few minutes so I can change clothes and get ready for our walk
3:45-Leave on our walk! It is sooo nice outside for January :)

4:35-Return home. Callyn fell asleep on our walk, so I sneak her into the swing to finish it since she didn't have a good afternoon nap.
5:00-A friend comes over for small group that we have every week. The other two girls could't make it so we just visited and prayed until 7.
6:00-Tony is home!
7:00-Callyn FINALLY wakes up and I feed her and then we finally get dinner-pulled pork sandwiches, yum!
8:00-We play with Callyn on the floor-tummy time, books, rolling over, lots of cuddles and kisses! One of my favorite parts of the day. (8:00 is usually her bedtime but since her nap went so late we decided to keep her up until 9)

8:45-Tony takes Callyn upstairs to give her a bath. I get her jammies and towel out.
9:00-Nurse and bedtime!
Every day just goes by SOO fast spending it all day with my sweet little girl. Between naps, feedings and picking up the house, I just feel like the days FLY by! And of course playing and cuddling :) I don't expect life to slow down anytime soon.

Blog Design Discount!

2012-01-10T08:15:00.001-06:00

Right now I am in the process of working with Kelly from Kelly's Avenue on a new blog design!
I'm super excited to see the finished product :)
If you would like to get a discounted blog design, Kelly is offering a discount on her Elite & Basic designs through January 31st so head on over to get yours today!!

Callyn's 1st Christmas

2012-01-07T18:50:00.000-06:00

I am finally getting around to posting about Christmas! We had family in town and then went out of town so this past week has been busy trying to get life back in order. But I want to write it all down so I never forget Callyn's first Christmas. I wish I would have taken more pictures but I was so lost in the excitement of it all that I forgot to capture a lot of it :(
But here is Callyn's first Christmas!
We actually had our first Christmas celebration with my dad, step mom and sister when they were visiting for Thanksgiving! Totally low key and just hung around and opened gifts-it was perfect-just nice to spend time together :)

On Christmas Eve morning Callyn opened up a giant bag of clothes from my mom. She goes a little wild at the Carter outlet and Callyn is now stocked for spring and summer attire, woohoo!

"whoa, all these are for me?!"

On Christmas Eve we went to Tony's Aunt's house with my mom and step dad and did Christmas with all of them. That is what we have done every year since we've been married. This was the first time since we've been married that we've had Christmas with my Mom! We hung around and had dinner and Tony's cousins and Callyn opened their gifts :)

don't you just love those Christmas socks & shoes?! :)

we wanted to see if she could stand for a second on her own and she could...and she looks absolutely terrified!

this is the best we got-whoever was taking the pictures didn't really get one where we are all looking at the same camera, ha!

We have never spent Christmas day in our home. We are always running around crazy and we don't really like it. So we really wanted to just spend a nice relaxing Christmas at home this year and it was perfect!! We woke up and brought Callyn into bed for some extra snuggles-already the best Christmas ever ;) And then went downstairs a bit later and my mom had made monkey bread! We ate breakfast and then got to the presents! Tony & I only did stockings for each other this year because we've had a ton of extra bigger stuff it seems we've had to get the past few months and coming up. It was actually really fun that way!

our little reindeer on Christmas morning!

she reached right into her stocking like she knew what to do-it was so funny

After we opened gifts with my mom and Gordon, Tony's parents came over for a bit and we did gifts with them.

checking out all of her sweet loot from the grandparents.

Then we had some friends come over and we had a nice Christmas dinner. Finally got to use my Christmas dishes! Callyn hung out in her bumbo and played while we ate. Tony smoked the ham and it was soooo yummy! :) After dinner we just hung out and watched a movie-it was really nice and relaxing!

Best Christmas ever!

Even though it was nothing extravagant this year, it was so wonderful to spend it low key and with the people I love the most! No rushing around or hub ub this year-it was just what we needed for Callyn's 1st. And oh boy-I think the girl will have some fun next year ;)

Fitness Friday

2012-01-06T10:00:00.001-06:00

Linking up with Cait for the first Fitness Friday!
I have never really set New Year's Resolutions before but at the end of last year I was thinking about so many things I need to get my act together on. Tony & I decided what better time than January 1? I started working out a few weeks back (around when Callyn was 9 or 10 weeks old), other than walking, but now it's time to buckle down. I hope to blog about the rest of my 2012 goals (or really just things I want to get better at in life, not NYR's) if I ever get around to it but here are my health goals for the future!
In 2012 I want to get healthier and lose weight by doing the following:
1. Ultimately lose 20-30 pounds. But that seems overwhelming to me so right now I'm focusing on a 10 lb. goal. Only 3 of those pounds are pregnancy pounds unfortunately. I gained about 30 pounds from when we got married to when I got pregnant (actually within a year it all came on with no explanation-no diet or exercise change, no thyroid problem) but it's time to get.it.off! I was too thin when we got married so that is why my goal now is 20-30.
2. Finding ways to avoid eating out of boredom and stick to them!
3. Eat 9 servings of fruits and veggies each day (4 fruit and 5 veggie)
4. Exercising at least 3 times a week. I have a blank training plan I have been using that has been really motivating!
5. Measuring myself every 10 days. I have a log going of my weight and body measurements and have already seen inches and pounds dropping!
6. Each week from now through March I am adding one new thing per week to help with my weight loss goal. So instead of saying 'I am cutting out sweets, not eating after dinner, only eating 3 meals and a snack and drinking 80 oz. of water every day until I lose my weight' I will add one thing each week so that I have a week to focus on it before adding in something else.

So my week this week:
(I start my workout plan each Sunday)
Sunday I did Lindsay Brin's Postnatal Bootcamp Week 3
Tuesday Lindsay Brin's PNBC Week 3 + 1 extra interval
Plan to go for a long walk today or tomorrow since the weather is nice and do PNBC whichever day I don't walk.
Total: 4 workouts for the week
This week my focus was on consistently exercising and incorporating it back into my routine.
Next week my focus is going to be on keeping a food log (I don't count calories) to see eating patterns (i.e. when are the times I eat just to eat and when do cravings kick in) and where I can improve my eating.

If you want to join in on Fitness Fridays, link up at Cait's!

Thursday Thoughts

2012-01-05T11:18:00.000-06:00

last night, i chopped my hair. i have always always always gone back and forth between long and short hair. but i knew i would want to cut it come winter because a) i have super thick hair and i can't just let it be wet when it's -10* outside and b) i don't have time to dry and straighten it (naturally curly) with a baby (30ish minutes) every day. my desire has only grown stronger as i started shedding, callyn pulls on it like crazy, and i always pull it back because it's in the way when i feed her, burp her, change her diaper, pretty much do anything with her. so chop it i did...just above the shoulders. i haven't fixed it yet but last night i kept thinking something looked weird (i only dried it) and then it hit me...i look like i'm in 3rd grade. tony immediately agreed. i couldn't figure out why only that i haven't straightened it yet and it dried weird. tony thinks bangs with short hair is the culprit. we'll see.
i just got done editing callyn's 14 week picture. fourteen. almost fifteen. *sigh* where did my tiny baby go?! i think week 11 is my favorite picture so far...

yesterday, callyn got hurt for the first time. it was a total accident (one of the dogs scratched her face when we were playing on the floor) but i felt totally responsible and so bad. i think it was the saddest moment of my life, seriously. i think i cried as hard as she did. she had a pink swollen looking eye for like an hour. so sad :( i don't know how my mommy heart will take the years to come!!
we are having a serious cloth diapering problem. mold. YUCK! how did this happen?! I have no idea but i am SO grossed out and sad. i almost wanted to throw them all away and switch to disposables, i was so mad. but after some research i am confident i can get rid of it for good. it makes me mad because i wash them every other day and hang them up to dry as soon as they are done in the washer so i have no idea how this happened. but we are in disposables til we get this situation under control.
last summer i saw the idea of a lot of home binders going around on the internet. home making, organizing, whatever you want to call it, but it keeps you organized and keeps your life together. one day last summer i spent the day making all of my spread sheets and organizing it and then callyn came and i haven't really been keeping track of our spending, bills, etc. but i re-organized, added a few sections and we are good to go. i'll have to share the contents sometime soon.

i think the midwest decided to skip winter. it is usually -100* by now (exaggerating of course) but it's going to be 50* today-in JANUARY! And we have yet to have snow. i don't know what is going on but with a small baby-i'll take it!
speaking of my 'small' baby, she is about to outgrow her swing. and i think her car seat. but i am bummed about the swing. her legs are going to be hanging off soon. i will miss the 3 hour swing naps :(
it's time to get rid of my christmas blog look....
i finally am getting my head above water from the holidays and being out of town. christmas stuff is almost done being packed up and i finally got all of callyn's loot rallied up and put into one place, thank goodness. so much stuff for a 3 month old! what is it going to be like next year?!

this is JUST the stuff she got ON christmas day. the snowman bag is stuffed full of clothes from my mom. 1st grandbaby on all sides=spoiled!

just because i love them and i love watching this video. callyn giggling. don't you love her seal noises in the beginning?! too funny.

Since I know you are all just dying to know what we chose as Callyn's 1st birthday theme, the answer is....RAINBOW! It did, in fact, win the survey on this blog. However, the real deciding factor was this 'poster' i found on pinterest.

and it made me think about how trying to conceive and all the heartache and pain that came with it was the rain. and callyn is our rainbow! and thus the rainbow birthday theme had a whole new meaning!

have a great thursday, everyone!

2011=one of the best years of my life!

2012-01-01T17:31:00.000-06:00

Can't believe 2011 is over!
Since it was one of the BEST years of my life, and of the most life changing, I thought I'd recap our year :)

January
Found out we were expecting on January 17!

Spent the rest of the month in total disbelief and sharing the news with family and friends!!
February
was by far the WORST month of the year! I don't think I even have any pictures. I came down with horrible morning sickness, the flu, and a cold. I pretty much spent the whole month on the couch or hugging the toilet.
Tony turned 23 and I really don't think we even celebrated..boo!
March
Heard our baby's heartbeat for the first time on March 11!
Saw our baby for the first (and second) time via ultrasound!
The belly finally popped out and I entered my 2nd trimester!

April
Had a scary trip to the E.R. at 17 weeks after getting dehydrated from being so sick.
Decided I would only work for a few more weeks since my pregnancy was proving to be a bit more difficult than expected!
Celebrated Easter-pregnant style :)

May
Found out we were having a little GIRL on May 6!
Celebrated my first Mother's Day!

FINALLY got a prescription for Zofran at 20 weeks which slowed my barfing down-praise the Lord!
I finished working, hopefully forever!
I started up the blog again!
June
Took a trip to Texas to visit my family.

There we had the China Girl's Reunion...

And a surprise baby shower for us!

Celebrated Tony's first Father's Day!
Got hard at work on the nursery.

And entered my 3rd trimester!
July
Celebrated the 4th of July and hosted a party!

Had my big baby shower!

Became a one car family.
Celebrated my 24th birthday
Had our maternity pictures taken!

August
Did lots of freezer cooking to prepare for baby
Packed our hospital bags
Reorganized our kitchen like a mad woman
Road tripped to Oklahoma for my grandmother's funeral :(
Was very pregnant

September
Became full term
Took the dogs to the dog park a few times
Went to the doctor every week
Bought a Dyson!

Had 14 hours of false labor

{the first time we headed to the hospital thinking it was real-ha-not so much!}

Marked 2 years since we started trying for a baby

Celebrated my due date with a day out doing fun things!

Welcomed our precious baby, Callyn Elise, on September 25!!! (After a pretty wild labor and delivery!)

October
Had Callyn's newborn pictures taken

Callyn celebrated lots of first's
My mom came to help out after Tony went back to work

Started using cloth diapers
Started going to Mommy & Me class on Mondays
Callyn turned one month old!

Went to a wedding

{Callyn wasn't thrilled!}

Celebrated Halloween

November
My grandmother passed away :(
Had a visit from my dad, step-mom and sister! Their first time meeting Callyn!

Celebrated Thanksgiving

Callyn turned 2 months old!

December
Went on our first (and second) date without Callyn
Took a trip to Colorado for my grandma's funeral (Callyn's first plane ride)

Took a road trip to get a 5 generation picture with Callyn's great great grandmother!

Went to lots of Christmas parties
Celebrated our 3rd anniversary!

Had a visit from my mom & step dad!

Tony & Callyn went on their first Daddy/Daughter Date :)

Celebrated Christmas (Callyn's first!)

Callyn turned 3 months!

Went to our church association's annual conference-where Callyn did lots of big girl things :)

Whew! What a year it has been! I think you can see why it's been one of my best :) Here's to 2012 and hoping it has just as much to offer!! :)

3 Months!

2011-12-26T14:59:00.000-06:00

Yesterday Callyn turned THREE months old! How?!

Little baby, you are not so little anymore! You are growing up WAY too fast!

What she's up to:
*grabbing, shaking, reaching for, batting at toys
*complete head control
*sitting up very well with assistance
*bearing weight on her legs all the time
*sucking and chewing on her hands
*talking all the time
*smiling and everyone and everything
*giggling a little
*blowing 'raspberries'

What she likes:
*her swing has made a come back!
*talking talking talking!
*her toys (she is really showing interest in them)

*rocking and snuggling
*the pups
*mommy & daddy
*bath time
*sitting in her bumbo

What she doesn't like:
*her car seat
*naps in her crib
*getting out of the bath
*being held in the cradle hold-she wants to see the world!!

What our days are like:
Callyn wakes up anywhere from 6-8 a.m. and gets a feeding, then goes back to sleep for 3 hours (not a morning person, just like her parents!). She is now eating every 3-3.5 hours during the day (5-6 feedings) and still exclusively breastfed. Her awake time has lengthened out and she is now staying awake for 1.5-2 hours between naps. Her naps are only 45 minutes in her crib. Sometimes she will take a 2-3 hour afternoon nap but only in her swing or if we're holding her. Bedtime is 9 p.m. and she sleeps 9-11 hours (typically about 10) before waking up for a feed (best thing ever!) Other than that we have been busy exploring all of her toys, playing with friends, reading books, and doing lots of learning!!!

Stats:
Callyn weighs right around 14 pounds (13.13 last Monday)
She is 25 inches long
She is still in cloth diapers but we are using disposables for our trip this week and they are size 2
She should have been in 3-6 month clothes about a month ago but I was fighting it ;) It's time though-probably tomorrow I'll back up all the 0-3 :(

My Sweet Baby Girl,
You are 3 months old and I think this past month went by even faster than the first two! You had a really big month! You took your first airplane ride! And you were a rockstar both there and back!

You met a lot of important people this month. Like your Papa G:

Your Uncle Nate & Aunt Sarah:

Your Great Grandpa Sam:

And your GREAT GREAT Grandma Dorothy!

You had your first set of shots and took them like a champ. We picked out your first Christmas tree. You took your first trip out of state and your first road trip out of town. You saw snow for the first time in Colorado:

You went to lots of Christmas parties, played with some friends, got your pictures taken and of course, celebrated your first Christmas! It was so much fun to celebrate with you. You are such a joy in our lives. I will say it every month sweet girl, but we love you so much and are so thankful God chose us to be your parents! You are the happiest and most content baby! Even strangers can't believe how joyful you are and melt at your little smile :) It is bittersweet watching you grow up. I already feel that I can barely remember when you were a newborn, but each phase is so much fun. I love watching your little personality develop! Thank you for being such a joy to us and making our lives so much brighter!
Love you sweet angel!
Mommy & Daddy

3 years!

2011-12-20T11:16:00.000-06:00

3 years ago today I married my sweetheart!! :)

Even more in love today than we were back then!

December 20, 2008, we got married in a giant blizzard where many people drove through ice and snow and freeeeeezing temps to come celebrate with us. We are so thankful! December 20, 2011, grass is everywhere and we have yet to have our first snow! A little different but still fun :)

Happy Anniversary Sweetheart! I'm so thankful you are mine :)

Family Pictures & Callyn's 3 Month

2011-12-19T09:13:00.000-06:00

I had big dreams to get Callyn's 3 month pictures and a few family shots taken in time to put on Christmas cards. Well it didn't happen (aren't you shocked?) because by the time I found a photographer (we decided not to go with our maternity/newborn anymore) it was just too late :( BUT they turned out great so hopefully I can do a few things for Christmas gifts with Callyn's 3 month pics!
Also, I would just like to say how happy I am that my baby got her daddy's blue eyes (strangers stop him in public and ask if he's wearing colored contacts-that is how blue they are!). And that our photographer captured them perfectly-my camera does not do them justice!

having a baby changes everything: holiday edition

2011-12-15T16:19:00.000-06:00

They say that having a baby changes everything, whoever 'they' is. Well they are right!
Just last night I was getting settled in for bed when I was thinking about how different preparing for the holidays is this year with a baby. Honestly, it wasn't until a few days ago that I even noticed how behind I was-too busy having fun with my sweets. And that doesn't bother me one bit :) Christmas will come around every year, but she will only be this little once!
So without further adieu, let's compare.....
DECORATING
Last year: The house was decorated in one afternoon on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
This year: We brought our decor out on Dec. 1 and finally put the totes away a few days ago. And let's be honest...I just finished decorating one of the trees 5 minutes ago.....
BAKING

Last year: We delivered our Christmas goodies the first weekend in December.
This year: Well, we have plans to bake this Sunday and deliver that night...we'll see what happens.
CHRISTMAS CARDS

Last year: I ordered really early. Maybe before Thanksgiving because I know I received our cards from Shutterfly in November.

This year: Ordered our cards finally this past weekend. They're supposed to arrive tomorrow. So you know, people will probably receive them oh around, Christmas Eve.
HOLIDAY PLANS
Last year: I had planned out what I was bringing to Christmas Eve at the beginning of December.
This year: Haven't given it a second thought. BUT, we are hosting Christmas dinner for my parents this year and we do have a ham for that (only because we got it with our Thanksgiving turkey, but who cares!!)
GIFTS
Last year: Knew what we were getting everyone way before Thanksgiving. Most things were purchased by Thanksgiving. And wrapped as soon as the tree went up.
This year: Oh what's that under the tree? Oh! Nothing! I haven't even finished my shopping let alone wrap anything!
BABY
Last year: Was growing a tiny little human inside of me and had no idea....

{tiny baby right in there! and oblivious parents.}

This year: Spending every waking moment with this cutie.....

and loving every single second of it.
Who can even care about wrapping presents when you have that sweetheart smiling back at you?!

I might die....

2011-12-14T14:57:00.000-06:00

from this cuteness.

I think I got the cutest baby ever :)

*please don't mind the horribly 'edited' part to cover up our studio's name. I'm paranoid!

Must have baby items: newborn

2011-12-08T11:19:00.000-06:00

Alright, well this post has been a month in the making. I kind of forgot it was sitting in my 'drafts' until i saw a few other bloggers do a similar post, so here it is! Our must-haves and didn't-need-after-all items for life with a newborn!

a good rocker: we have an oversized rocker that reclines and it is the BEST.THING.EVER! I have spent a lot of mornings in there snuggling with my little girl. When she was sick we had to take turns letting her sleep on our chests in the chair-it was the only way she'd sleep. It is awesome! Worth every penny!

swing: Callyn loves her little swing. She watches her little bird friends go round and round and smiles at them. She still takes naps in it sometimes which is fine with us and when she does nap in there, she naps for hours as opposed to 40 minutes in her crib!

source

breastfeeding app: This weekend I finally stopped timing feeds. My app saved me! I could never remember when the last time she ate or what side I fed her on! Plus I usually have my phone near by and it was so much more convenient than carrying around a paper and pencil everywhere I went. I used an app just called 'breast feeding' on my droid. Loved it.
angelcare monitor: We decided not to have Callyn in our room with us-we knew we would sleep better and we wouldn't have to transition her to her crib later on. It was just what personally felt best to us. However, I of course was worried she would stop breathing or anything else happening so we registered for an Angelcare Monitor which senses their movement and sounds an alarm if they stop breathing for 20 seconds. We had plenty of false alarms in the beginning until we got the sensitivity just right. It gives me SO much peace of mind I can sleep without waking up at all until she does. Highly, highly recommend!

source

lanolin: helps with the discomfort of breastfeeding in the first few weeks. If you're breastfeeding, you NEED some lanolin!

source

moby/carrier/sling: We love to wear our baby! I didn't know I would love it so much. We started out with a sling from Seven Slings which was fine, but Callyn was a big baby so she didn't really fit in it for the 'newborn' hold but wasn't big enough to hold her head up yet so we moved onto our Infantino Carrier, which Tony preferred right away. I definitely recommend it if you're looking for a more structured carrier. We finally bought a Moby and we LOVE it! We both use it all the time-at the grocery store, around the house, on walks, at church, etc . Don't be intimidated by all of the fabric. I was and after about 2 times I can put it on without reading any instructions in about 30 seconds!

swaddling blankets: Baby Girl loves her swaddle. Well we only had one blanket that was big enough to wrap around her, so I bought some actual swaddling blankets (Aden and Anais from Target) and we love them. They are also great for covering when nursing if you don't want to use a real cover.

source

burp rags-8000 burp rags: If you have a spitter like me, you need good burp rags. Not the dinky little cute ones. I bought a pack of prefold cloth diapers and cute-sied them up! The best.

things i thought i needed but have barely used:
receiving blankets: they are nice occasionally when we need a light covering but seeing as we live in a state where it gets below zero frequently in the winter, we don't really go for 'light coverings' We just haven't used them. They aren't big enough to wrap all the way around her.
drying rack: Callyn won't take a bottle yet and if she did, it wouldn't be frequent enough that we'd have more than one to dry at a time. If you're breastfeeding, you might hold off on this!

Of course, these are all our opinions and what has worked for our family! I know each family is different, but hopefully this was helpful to anyone wondering what works!!

how do you get your baby to sleep?

2011-11-30T10:22:00.000-06:00

Last night as I was rocking Callyn to sleep I started thinking about all of the other mommies out there in the world putting their babies to bed. And then I started wondering how long she will want/need to be rocked to sleep. Will she soon prefer to lay down in her crib alone? Or maybe she'll want us to sing to her. Will she want a bedtime story from daddy? Maybe she'll want a bath every night before bed.
So I got curious about all the other little ones in the world and how they like to go to sleep!
Right now, we typically put Callyn to bed at night by swaying back and forth (she doesn't care for front to back rocking until she's very calm and close to sleep) and shushing. First we swaddle her, then we pray for her, then one of us does the swaying/shushing until she falls asleep and then we rock with her for awhile before laying her down in her crib.
So how do you get your child to sleep?
Do you rock them?
Do you simply put them in their crib?
Do you read them a story?
Do you cuddle in bed with them?
Do you let them cry to sleep?
Do you nurse/give them a bottle to sleep?
Do you drive around the block til they fall asleep?
What does your baby like?! I'm curious!

{and since we're talking about sleep, a precious picture from Thanksgiving morning!}

2 months!

2011-11-27T20:15:00.000-06:00

On Friday, Callyn turned 2 months old!

Not sure how that happened, but we had another great month! She continues to be the sweetest and a very content and joyful baby-exactly what we prayed for :)
This month, Callyn became SO much more alert! She is awake for longer periods and really interacting with us.
Just after she turned 1 month, she gave us her first smile and each day that smile gets bigger, brighter and more beautiful! (Of course, she wouldn't crack one of those gorgeous smiles for mommy for her 2 month picture!) It seems like she is really starting to smile with her whole face (eyebrows and nose crinkling up when she smiles big!) it is the cutest thing ever! She is also now smiling in response to our smiles, or our voice/faces and other people as well. Sometimes she'll smile at her toys or just randomly. I can't wait to hear her little giggle!

So here's what she's up to...
*smiling, smiling, smiling

*holding her head with pretty steady control

*standing/bearing weight on her legs
*grabbing and batting at toys

*turning her head in response to voices/noises
*following a toy or our face with her eyes (turning her head when we move)
*watching the dogs & showing lots of interest in them

What she likes...
*snuggles

*mommy & daddy
*the pups
*milk (the kid LOVES to eat!)
*play time
*bath time
*being rocked
*having her diaper changed (no idea why but she LOVES it and grins the second we put her on the changing table!)

*the Moby

What she doesn't like...
*she still likes it but she is growing less fond of her swing. I think she wants to look around more than it allows her to
*being passed around from person to person-she gets cranky after a bit of that until she finds mommy or daddy's arms (mommy does not much care for this either!)
*napping in her crib

What our days are like...
Our days are getting to be a bit more predictable now and Callyn just recently started really stretching out her feedings so now she is nursing about every 3-3.5 hours (sometimes 2.5 and sometimes up to 4) during the day as opposed to the 2 hours it was up until about 7 weeks. She has also started sleeping through the night most nights!! Hooray! (8-9.5 hours...I consider that through the night because I don't have to get up for a feeding...not sure what 'through the night' technically is.)
She usually wakes up in the early morning (6-7) for a feeding and sometimes goes back to sleep right away for another few hours. If she doesn't, she is still pretty sleepy in the mornings (not a morning person, just like her mama!) and will sometimes cat nap. She is typically really awake by 10:30 or 11 and we kind of get our day going then. Our days are pretty much sleeping, eating and play time the whole day! Since she's eating about every 3 hours now, that makes it easier to get things done and get out and about if we need to. Usually in the evening she has a feeding around 7ish and then plays or has a bath and naps and then she has one last feeding before bed between 9:30-10 and sleeps until 6 or 7.

Stats:
Callyn weighs around 12 1/2 pounds
She is about 24 inches long
She wears 0-3 month clothes, but I know she could fit into 3-6 months (just not ready for that yet-she hasn't even had a chance to wear several of her 0-3 outfits yet!)

Dear Callyn,
Each day of your life, we fall more and more in love with you! I have loved getting to know you over the past 2 months and I love that we get to share the special mommy-baby bond. I secretly love when all you want is mommy :) Those big blue eyes melt every part of me!

Your daddy & I pray every day that you will grow into a beautiful woman of Christ and that you will know and follow Him all the days of your life. His joy is already shining through you and I hope and pray it continues that way your whole life. You are such a sweet baby and I can't wait to see your little personality develop. I feel so so blessed to be your Mommy & most days I still can't believe you are my daughter. You are everything I could have dreamed of and more. We are having so much fun together and I could not imagine a better way to spend each day than with you, my precious baby. I love you!!

The Story of My Salvation

2011-11-17T08:00:00.000-06:00

I'm so glad that Callie is hosting this link-up. So excited to hear how God has worked in people's lives and share how He captured me. If you would like to know more about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, PLEASE PLEASE e-mail me, Callie, or talk to someone you know who loves the Lord! We would love to share more about Him and see people come to know Him!

My parents divorced when I was in 1st grade. My dad lived in another state so I lived majority of the time with my mom. My mom was a Christian and when I was probably 10 or 12 years old, she shared the gospel of Christ with me and my brother when we were camping at Yellowstone late one night in our tent. I prayed a prayer of salvation and thought I was 'saved.' I did get baptized and went on about my life. I was a kid. I thought that because I prayed a prayer, I was going to heaven, and that was enough for me. The gospel of Jesus is that God sent His son, Jesus, to this Earth basically for one purpose-to die on a cross so that we can have eternal life in heaven. He covered all of our sins up on that cross. We are sinners by nature, and because of that sin, we deserve death, ie-eternity in hell. But because Christ covered our sins on the cross, when the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts and we are saved, we can have life-ie eternity in heaven. (Romans 6:23-for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.) It is important to note that we are saved only by God's grace-not by anything we do. Not because we are 'good' people, or because we do kind things. Only because of God's grace. (Ephesians 2:8-For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.) I went on about my life, going to church sometimes, going to youth group sometimes, praying sometimes, but that was about it. My life in no way reflected Christ and I was not striving at all to be more like Him or to please Him. I was always a 'good' kid-I didn't drink, I didn't party, I didn't really do things I shouldn't do. This was very much who I was in high school. When I was 16 I started dating a guy. We were together for 3 years, including our first year in college. He too was a 'good' guy. However, we did fall into an immoral relationship. After high school, I moved to Texas to go to school. My first semester I completely turned around-I started drinking and partying and just not being myself. Sure, it was fun at first, I made lots of new friends and really lived like I was in college. It was my first time on my own. After awhile. I really felt drained. I didn't enjoy it, I fought with my boyfriend over the phone practically every day, and I wasn't doing as well in classes as I should have been. I quickly became really unhappy and depressed. I made the decision to move back to Colorado for a semester and take classes at the local community college while I figured out what I was going to do. My boyfriend was still in another state at school. That semester was extremely lonely for me. I worked during the days, went to classes at night, and lived with my mom and step dad. All of my friends were away at school. I just went on about my daily life and tried to decide what I was going to do. I then felt it placed on my heart to go to school for education. I wanted to teach Kindergarten. I looked around Colorado but didn't find a school that fit me and my needs. Then I went to visit my boyfriend. In the city he was going to school at, we were driving one night and I saw a sign for another college. Didn't think anything of it. Months later, I was still not sure what to do and then I remembered that sign. I looked at the website and it became very clear this was the perfect fit for me. It was everything I was looking for in a school. I went for a visit and fell in love and enrolled for the next fall. Soon after, I began feeling a strong tugging on my heart to read the Bible. I have no idea where it came from, as I hadn't read my Bible in years, but I know God was working on me. It was around May of 2006. I remember asking my mom if we could go to the Christian Bookstore and get a new Bible. We looked around for a long time and my mom bought me some new c.d.'s, devotionals and a new Bible. After that we went to eat at Chili's and talked about Christ, God and how he fit into our lives. I think that night is when I was truly 'saved.' I knew God had captured my heart but I was still so immature, I didn't know where to begin. I knew I wanted to grow closer to Him and learn more about Him, but I didn't understand where this strong desire was coming from. My mom even bought a new Bible for my boyfriend and it was not well received. He had grown up in a church and believe in God, but that was enough for Him. One day I asked him if he wanted to go to church together-we could find a church to go to. He literally said 'are you going to become on of those Jesus freaks?' I remember being shocked. I couldn't understand why he didn't want what I wanted. Why WOULDN'T you want to go to church? I know now that that was the beginning of the end for us. That was God's way of showing me he was not the right person for me. God had changed my heart and mine alone.

That summer was weird. Boyfriend and I were slowly drifting apart after 3 years of dating. I didn't understand it then. Soon, I decided we needed to call it quits. It was a pretty mutual breakup as we had just kind of fallen out of love and only stayed together because it was comfortable. We stayed friends for awhile and I decided to still go off to college in the same town-I wasn't going for him, I was going for me.

My life really changed then. I got involved with a Christian group on campus and started attending church. It was the most amazing church I'd ever been to. All of the people were so genuine, and so kind and really had a fire for the Lord burning in their hearts. I loved it. I wanted to go to church every day and learn from the pastor who I felt spoke directly to me. God had captured me. That's when I changed. Everything about me changed. I stopped doing things that I learned were sin. I wanted to strive to be more like Him and learn more about Him. I was so in love with my savior! I wish I had a before and after of me because there is such a difference. My heart was SO ugly and full of sin before. Sure I was 'good' but I didn't truly love people with the love I have now-I gossiped and slandered, and swore and got drunk and had sex with my boyfriend-all things that were not pleasing to the Lord. Sure, I still sin, we all do-but my heart is filled up with God now. I'm exploding with love because of Christ. It became overwhelming to me to think that God sent his baby boy-his son-his child, for ME. And for you.

The next year, I met Tony. He was not a Christian. The story of how we met is one for another day, but we were spending time together one evening. Tony was going through a break up with a girlfriend of 2 years. I could relate and I could see how he was hurting. I invited him to church. He immediately turned the offer down. I kept working on him and eventually he did come to church. Not long after, he too was saved. He was baptized right away and started living a life on such a fast track for the Lord. Wow, have I seen that man change! He has helped me to grow into the woman of Christ that I am today.

Shortly before we were married in 2008, I had been convicted that I needed to be baptized. I had originally thought I didn't because I had already been baptized. But once I realized that I was not truly saved when I was younger, I felt it laid on my heart to obey God and be baptized in the church. (Romans 6:3-4) Tony baptized me on Sunday morning about 2 months before we were married. Ironic that I had led him to Christ years before, and he ended up baptizing me...funny how God works!

Since May 2006, God has taught me, changed me, challenged me in so many ways. He has grown me into the person I am today. I can't imagine how I lived for so long without Him! I can't imagine how anyone does! I am still in awe and amazement that He chose me to be His child-that He loves me so much even though I'm still a sinner. He continues to change me each and every day and I am so thankful for His love and truth. I am also thankful for the wonderful church who has grown me so much.

We recently faced one of the biggest spiritual challenges of our lives (at least for me) when we were trying to conceive our first child. You can read our baby story here, which is a testimony in and of itself-a testimony of God's goodness and faithfulness. Our precious daugher, Callyn, who was born in September, is a daily reminder of His goodness and love. Praise and glory be to our Father!

I hope you have been encouraged by my story. I pray that it challenges you if you do not have a relationship with Christ. Again, please e-mail me if you have questions about God, Christ, salvation, my story, anything! I would love to share with you. Christ changed my life, and He wants to change yours too!

some random thoughts...

2011-11-16T10:07:00.000-06:00

I've got lots of things on my mind today.

1. Pregnancy brain? How about new mom brain? I was never forgetful in the slightest during pregnancy. Now, I feel like I can't even remember people's names. So frustrating! I literally just forgot half of what I wanted to say in this post. Hopefully it'll come back to me!

2. Traveling with an infant? Callyn & I are going to have to fly back to Colorado in a few weeks for my grandmother's memorial {she passed away last week :(} We really cannot afford for both Tony & I to fly because airline prices this time of year are ridiculous, and we don't want to make a long drive with a 2 month old. So any tips for flying solo with a young baby? I can't decide if I should take her in her car seat/stroller, or in the Moby? I'm worried they would make me take off the Moby through security and where would I put Callyn to get it put back on? Thoughts?

3. 'Mom hair'? I just got my hair cut a few weeks ago. mostly just because it was super long and blah. And if I would wear it down (rarely) it would hang down on Callyn while she was nursing. And I like to just throw it up fresh out of the shower but it's getting cold. So I chopped a few inches off, added some layers and slight bangs. Nothing exciting. I'm thinking about really going short again though. Tony likes it long, but for winter, I just don't have time to blow dry and straighten my thick, curly hair with a baby around. and I can't just throw it up when wet or I'll freeze. So I'm thinking about going a little above the shoulders. Does that make me a lame mom?

maybe something like this but a little shorter?

4. I am going to attempt to make Callyn's christmas dress. I'm a little sad I dropped the ball and she doesn't have anything Thanksgiving-y to wear :( I was looking at a dress on etsy the other day and Tony said 'but you could make that.' Not sure if I could make the one I saw, but when he said that it got my wheels turnin' and I thought of a new idea! I hope it turns out as good as it looks in my head. It never does, does it?

5. Tomorrow Callie is hosting a link up to share Salvation stories. I'm so excited. I love hearing a good story of how the Lord has worked in someone's life. If you are interested in sharing your own stories, want to read some good stories, or are interested in having a relationship with Christ, go to Callie's blog tomorrow and check it out! More info here!

a party survey

2011-11-12T20:35:00.000-06:00

Callyn's life is flying by. She will be 2 months old soon. It seems like every day goes by a little faster than the day before. So, basically she's going to be 1 before we know it.
Now, I know this is a little crazy, but.....I want to nail down a theme for her first birthday party.
Before you think I'm insane and ridiculous hear me out.
I am not going to shell out hundreds of dollars for a party. I'm just not. I'm going to DIY lots of things to make the best party possible. Last year, I had 3 parties 'planned' and none of them ended up happening because before I knew it, it was 3 weeks prior, and I hadn't even started making invitations. So, our Christmas, Valentine's and Gender Reveal parties were non-existent. I do not want this happening with my baby's birthday! She only turns one once :)
So I figure if I have a theme in mind throughout the year, I can be on the lookout for great ideas and things on sale.
I want your opinion!
Here's what I'm thinking so far:
1. Rainbow-lots of pretty colors and rainbow things-fun and colorful for a little kid (but maybe this would be more enjoyable for year 2 or 3 when she knows her colors??)
2. Glitter-All things girly and sparkly!
3. Fall-Since her birthday is 2 days after fall starts, lots of leaves, pumpkins, etc. to bring in fall
4. Candy/sweet treats-I think I'll probably just do dessert/candy bar instead of 'real' food no matter what the theme but could I make a whole theme out of it? I think lollipop and cupcake, etc. decor could be cute.

Ok, so I put a survey on the side bar. Please vote and let me know what theme you like best!
Or, if you have another idea, leave me a comment!!

What If

2011-11-09T10:50:00.000-06:00

I've seen this floating around on a few blogs, and it looked like fun!

What if I were to get pregnant?
I would be terrified, and really happy. Terrified because the puking everyday phase is still very fresh in my mind, and so is labor and well let's be honest, I'm really still recovering from delivery! And happy because I want lots of babies and they are all such a precious blessing from the Lord! Plus, I miss my belly!

What if I could have any job in the universe?
Staying home with my baby is the only job I would want :) It is truly my dream job and I'm so blessed to be able to do it!

What if I had a day to myself?
For this one we are going to assume I'm not breastfeeding so I don't have to worry about pumping/feeding if I was not with my baby for a day. If I had the whole day alone, I would start by sleeping in. Then I would maybe go to Starbuck's. I most certainly would go shopping. Maybe I'd go to a spa-I've always wanted a day at the spa-mani/pedi, massage, facial...sounds good! But really, right now, I wouldn't want a day to myself! I'd miss my baby too much.

What if I could get married all over again?
As much as it was a pain to get married in the middle of a blizzard, I don't know if I would change that. I kind of loved it!

But if I could get married again, I would definitely want the same groom :)

I would probably choose a different photographer since ours ended up not getting all of the shots we wanted. And maybe I would do something fun like have a dessert reception instead of a full dinner. There was too much emphasis on the eating and not enough on the celebration, I think. Lots of weddings are like that.

What if I could live anywhere in the U.S.?
I would want to live closer to where my family is-Texas or Colorado

What if I could have any talent in the world?
I would love to be an artist. My stick figure can be hard to decipher :) I am intrigued by how some people can just think of something and draw/paint it perfectly. I would also love to get into photography and be an awesome photographer!

What if you met me in real life?
I don't really know! I hope you would like me.

What if I went back to school?
Uh, something wild must have happened in my life because I don't EVER want to go back to school. I did not like it that much. Ironic that I went to be a teacher. haha! I just like being done with it and having a life, I guess.

What if money weren't an object?
I would buy a new house, and a much bigger car! And make a big savings account for Callyn and future babies. And pay off Tony's student loans. And buy our church a new building. And give my step dad lots of money for his business. And pay for my sister's college education. Just to name a few.

What if I could meet one celebrity?
Is it weird that I don't really have that much of a desire to meet a celebrity? I just think it would be awkward. But maybe Jennifer Aniston. She's one of my favorite actresses and because she plays such different roles all the time, I want to know what her personality is like in real life.

What if I could only shop at one store for the rest of my life?
Ahh, this is a hard one! I know I'm boring but maybe Kohl's or a store like that-they have a little of everything.

What if I could choose an animal/pet?
I would have 10 sea otters if I could choose! I stinkin LOVE sea otters! They are so adorable!

What if I could go on a trip right now?

I would go somewhere warm and beachy with Tony and Callyn. Hawaii or the Bahamas maybe.

What if I had to choose between a house cleaner and a professional chef?

House cleaner all the way! I have been SO bad about keeping up on the housework since Callyn came into the picture-I'd rather snuggle her all day! I like cooking though, and if I had someone to clean up after I was done, I'd like it even more ;)

What if I had the option to get plastic surgery?

I wouldn't. Surgery scares me and I don't hate anything on my body enough to change it permanently.

Happy Wednesday!

holiday cards!

2011-11-08T10:42:00.000-06:00

Can you believe it's holiday season already? I feel like we were JUST celebrating Christmas last year! I'm so excited for the whole season-Christmas is my favorite time of year. And this year we get to celebrate it with a new little joy in our lives :)
Last year we got our Christmas cards from Shutterfly. And while I loved them, this year we are going with Tiny Prints. I have never ordered from them before, but their cards are SO adorable! And so unique. I love them all. I have no idea how I'm ever going to choose!
To check out their Christmas card collection, go here!
I am completely obsessing over their circle cards! I have never received a Christmas card like this, so I know it would be unique! How cute are these? (All of these cards can be found at the link above)

Or how about these tri-folds?

As much as I love all of these, we might have to go with this one.....

Pretty perfect for our season of life this year. Plus, can't you just picture Callyn's sweet face on that card?! She is all anyone really wants to see anyway ;)

Decisions, decisions. I'm glad I have a few more weeks to think about it!!

(If you would like to win 50 FREE holiday cards from Tiny Prints, go here!)

mom opinions needed!!!

2011-11-05T16:45:00.000-05:00

Calling all moms!
I need opinions on a few things!

#1 Have any of you tried Gripe water? Did it help?
We have been having some serious reflux/gas issues the past few weeks that has gotten intensely worse the past few nights. My sweet content baby who NEVER cries will scream out in pain when we lie her on her back in her crib. At first we thought she just got too used to being held and didn't want to sleep anywhere but in our arms, but it's become VERY obvious that it's more than that. As soon as we'll pick her up she'll burp and/or spit up and be fine until we try again and 5 minutes after laying her down again...same story. We finally let her sleep in her swing last night and she slept 8.5 hours straight once we did. So I know it's not an issue of being held or not wanting to sleep or being hungry.
So...gripe water anyone?
I took her to the dr. this morning and he had a bunch of horrible suggestions including 'probably just a phase she'll outgrow...not a big deal.' Big deal to this mama who does not want to see/hear her baby in pain!

#2 What methods have you used for sleeping and would you recommend them? I know Callyn is still young but as soon as we get this reflux issue worked out, I would like to at least see her take 1-2 naps a day in her crib and also fall asleep without having to be rocked for a long time prior. I don't mind rocking her but she'll often wake back up when we put her down. She sleeps well at night for a 6 week old so that's not an issue either.
We're thinking of checking out The Baby Whisperer and No Cry Sleep Solution. Has anyone tried either of those and would you recommend??
(Also, we don't plan to let her cry it out so any other suggestions for methods would be great!)

#3 Sensitive skin issues. Has anyone seen a reaction to using Dreft? Callyn seems to have developed a rash that is spreading and is now on her chest, belly, arms and legs. It's not bad but I asked about it at the dr. and he said it's a contact rash because it's not anywhere her diaper is covering so it's only the places the clothes have touched. We were using Bum Genius detergent on her stuff the first few weeks, then someone gave us some Dreft and I've been using that since. that's the only thing I can think that we've changed that might have irritated her skin but I thought it was made for babies and supposedly gentle?

Thanks in advance for the advice/opinions moms!

life lately

2011-11-01T16:21:00.000-05:00

a little random coming at you today.
before we get started...November? Really? How is this possible? I feel like this year didn't even happen it's gone by so fast.
Life lately has been full and wonderful!
This weekend we went to our friends' wedding! They are the cutest couple :) We skipped out on a wedding when Callyn was a little younger but these are good friends and it was at our church so I felt more comfortable with knowing where to go to nurse, if she cried, etc. I didn't get a family picture because we had to leave in a hurry but here's the babe in all her girly-ness

{not the best picture, but you get the drift}

Church Sunday:

{how sweet are these little socks?!}

Yesterday we went to Mommy & Me for the second time. Since it was Halloween, all the babies wore costumes and we took them to see the nurses. it was so adorable!

do you see how giant Callyn is next to the little boy next to her? When I walked in I said to the mom that its hard to believe she was ever that small! How do they grow so fast? The mom replied with 'yeah! I just weighed him and he's 7 lbs 2 oz.now! (at 2 wks). Ohhh, wait, Callyn was never that small (well, I guess around like 8 months pregnant haha!)

Callyn was passed out through picture taking!

I'm coming up on 6 week post partum. I've been trying to do a little walking when it's warm enough, but let's be honest here. I basically haven't worked out in like 9 months. First I was too sick, then I was too tired, then I was too sore, then I had a baby....excuses, excuses, excuses. I only have a few more pounds to lose (thank you to birthing a 9 pound baby and breastfeeding), but things are NOT the same and I really would like to lose some of this flab. Tami posted today a little challenge she's doing for November-20 workouts in 30 days...do-able, right?! head over to her blog to check it out.

Now, does anyone have any great workouts for a new mama?

I kind of feel like I'm re-discovering food. A lot of things taste different. I'm trying to find new recipes (that don't require a ton of time) but hate scouring the web for hours. Pinterest helps. But I need more! Point me in the direction of awesome blogs/websites where you get good recipes!

That's all for now!

happy halloween.....

2011-10-31T17:30:00.000-05:00

...from our little punkin :)

Newborn Photos

2011-10-29T11:44:00.000-05:00

Just a few of Callyn's beautiful newborn photos!
Taken at 6 days old...

One Month

2011-10-25T15:22:00.000-05:00

Callyn is one month old!

I can't even believe I'm already writing this post!

What she's up to:
*holding her head and looking around for ridiculously long periods of time

*(sometimes) turning her head to either side when we shake a rattle
*staring at our faces when we talk or sing to her
*grabbing our fingers with her sweet little hand

What she likes:
*her swing
*sleeping
*nursing
*snuggling (love, love, love)

*tummy time and play time

*being swaddled
*warm baths

What she doesn't like:
Honestly there isn't much.
Sometimes I don't think she likes her car seat that much. She doesn't fuss in it unless she's hungry, she just doesn't seem as content as in our arms or the swing or crib.
*being cold

What our days are like:
Callyn usually wakes up in the early morning (3-4 a.m. depending on when we put her down) for a feeding. She goes right back to sleep and sleeps for another 3-4 hours. Depending on how tired mommy is and what time she wakes up for the second feed (6-8 a.m. usually) sometimes I'll go back to bed because she always sleeps again anyway. If I don't, we usually just cuddle in the chair in her room. She is very sleepy in the mornings!
She'll usually wake up sometime around lunch or a little earlier for another feeding and then she is usually awake all afternoon. I'm not sure why. She does not do the 'be awake for a short time and fall back asleep often' thing like most newborns. She has a very long awake period and it's always in the afternoon. I can rarely get her to nap in the afternoon. So we usually do play time, tummy time, sometimes I'll put her in the carrier or sling (I need a Moby next!) if I need to get things done because she seems to really want me in the afternoons, or sometimes we'll take a walk or run errands.
She eats once more in the late afternoon, but sometimes she clusters all afternoon. This seems to be getting better and there are more distinct feeding times in the afternoon now, which I appreciate! Then when daddy comes home, she is usually just getting to sleep so it's usually time for lots of daddy snuggles, or a nap in the crib, or swing time.
In the evening, she'll usually wake up once around supper time for a feeding, then again in the late evening (7-8 p.m.) and sleep until bedtime where she gets another feeding and goes down. If she gets a bath that day we wake her up to bathe her, then feed and go to sleep, where usually I feed her upon waking up before any activity!

Her stats:
Callyn weighs 10 lbs. 7 oz. (8 lbs. 14.5 at birth)
She is wearing cloth diapers but fits into size one disposable (she never fit into newborn)
She still fits into a few newborn tops, but is almost exclusively into 0-3 month clothes

I feel like I just can't capture in a blog post all of the cute and wonderful things she does. There are so many things I don't want to forget, but I don't even know how to make memories of them all!

Callyn,
You are such a sweet blessing to me and your daddy. Your little personality makes every part of us melt. Every little smile you give in your sleep, every grunt and noise you make, every look you get on your sweet little face makes us fall more in love with you. We are so smitten with you, our precious little angel! We knew God had blessed us when He gave us you, but we had no idea how much. You are the most content and sweetest baby. I can't remember what life was like before you. You are the child who made me a mom. This has been the best month of my life, my heart has never been so full.
We love you sweet baby Callyn!

First Friends

2011-10-24T16:15:00.000-05:00

From this.....

...to this!

Callyn's first friends :)
Hazel Jolene (8/26), Callyn Elise (9/25), Emily JoAnne (9/21)

cloth diaper update

2011-10-18T13:19:00.000-05:00

We have been cloth diapering for about a week and half now. I'm obviously still learning and no expert, but here's how it's going for us so far per the request of Miss Cait. Hopefully it will be helpful for any mamas out there getting ready to/wanting to cloth diaper!

I didn't originally have a 'start' date in mind for cloth. I knew I at least wanted to wait until her cord fell off, which happened at 9 days old. Thanks to newborn poop, we had gone through about 200 diapers in the first 2 weeks and we were on our last pack of disposables that had been given to us and I just didn't feel like buying more. Since Callyn was almost 9 lbs at birth we figured we'd just go for it since she was plenty big so we started them when she was about 2 weeks old.

The Stuff

diapers: We bought 18 Bum Genius 4.0 Pocket One size diapers. I love them! They are really easy-all you have to do is stuff a liner after washing them. We are still using newborn liners. I'm actually not sure when I should switch to the bigger ones but these are doing the trick for now.

SIDE NOTE: When we bought them early in my pregnancy cottonbabies was having a great deal where you can buy 5 get 1 free. We saved a ton of money doing this and they have that deal going on again right now if anyone is looking to buy new BG's.

wipes: We bought Bum Genius flannel wipes . We bought the 12 pack and I had no idea how many I would need. I ended up buying more of the same kind new at a garage sale and the mom, who had cloth diapered 4 kids, told me she recommended 60-70 wipes. I had no idea so I bought a giant pack of wash cloths at Wal Mart to use on top of the 30 or so flannel wipes. NOT NECESSARY. The flannel wipes are so much better-softer, wipe easier, just more gentle all around, and the amount we have is PLENTY-I have never run out!

sprayer: I originally thought we needed a sprayer for the toilet. We ended up getting a bum genius one as a gift. It is fine, but honestly, I barely use it. The newborn poop is still so liquidy that it's easier not to. But it might be nice to use when the poop gets more solid, I don't know yet. It's definitely not a necessity-especially early on!

cream: Right after switching to cloth, I noticed Callyn was getting a rash. She had a little rash in disposables that we'd put desitin on but you can only use certain creams on cloth. I did some research and found out you can buy some at Target, which was better than waiting for it to come in the mail. I got California Baby and though I only used it about twice (I think the rash was caused from the solution-which I changed) I loved it. It is really creamy and smells great. I'd use it even in disposables and I'll keep it on hand just in case!

solution: I bought a small spray bottle for like a dollar at wal mart in the travel toiletries section and planned to make my own using soap, oil and water. Our doctor told us not to use Johnson & Johnson stuff because it has so many perfumes, etc. so I bought Aveeno soap and used that, baby oil and water. I don't know why but I think thats what caused the rash-even though it was gentle/not perfumed. So now I am just using water in a spray bottle. Since all they use in the hospital is water, I figured it would be fine and I just make sure to wipe her really well. Her rash cleared right up. I usually spray the wipe and saturate it but sometimes, if she's really messy I'll gently spray it right on her bottom.

wet bags: We opted for wet bags instead of a pail and I'm glad we did! We figured it would be so easy to just throw the whole bag into the wash with the diapers and its worked out really well. The only thing is that we bought one large for her room and one small for out and about. Now, when diapers are in the wash, where do we put the ones we change during that time? We have nowhere! So I ordered another large one. We got the Planetwise bags, and love them so far! We just have it hanging off her changing table and when it gets full, I throw it all in the wash, and you can dry the bags too!

detergent: We ordered the Bum Genius detergent when we ordered our diapers/wipes, because I figured it was made specifically for those diapers. So far, I don't love it. I don't know if it's the detergent or what but our liners seem to keep getting really stained. The covers seem fine, but the liners are stained. I know they're clean but I still don't like it. When we are out of this, I am going to get Rockin Green because I've heard great things about it.

clothes line: We don't have a huge laundry area so I didn't want a fold up clothes rack to dry diapers on since we don't have the space. So I found these clothes lines (we got 2) and they have been awesome. I love that they're retractable so I can retract them when not in use!

The Wash

We have HE machines and I know they are all different and there are only some cycles to choose from.

I throw everything in the wash (diapers, liners, wipes, wet bag) and first do a cold rinse cycle (warm rinse isn't available on my machine). This takes about 20 min. Then I add detergent and do a regular cycle with extra rinse on Hot/Cold rinse which takes about an hour. Then I take the diapers out and hang them and throw everything else in the dryer! Easy Peasy!

Miscellaneous

* I am thinking of ordering more diapers because I like to wash them at night. It makes sense to me to wash them and leave them to dry over night. Well, we don't have enough to last us 2 days (I thought it would be enough but newborns poop a lot!) so I might get 6 more. That is just what makes sense to me. When I've washed them during the day I've ran out because the ones hanging to dry aren't dry by the time I need more! I'm still figuring it all out.

*Not all babies will let you know when they're wet. Callyn never fusses about being wet/dirty even if she's soaked. I have to be extra careful to change her more often. I always heard a cloth diapered baby will feel it more and 'complain' about it. Callyn doesn't so I have to be sure to remember!

*You CAN cloth diaper at night! I also heard that cloth diapered babies won't sleep as long since they'll feel wet so you should use disposables at night. When we switched to cloth, Callyn continued sleeping just as long, and now longer, as she was before-sometimes 6 hour stretches.

*Cloth might leave a mark. You know when you're asleep and you wake up and you have a sheet mark on your body? I've noticed that cloth does this to Callyn. I thought it was too tight so I loosened it more but she peed out the leg. So I asked Rachel and she said it happens to her baby sometimes too. Once I realized it wasn't red and it didn't bother her, it didn't bother me anymore, but at first I didn't like that!

*My advice for anyone looking to cloth diaper would be to get the basics and go from there. Get some diapers, wipes, wet bag and detergent and try it out and see what works. I didn't realize things like that I would want (not need) more diapers and another wet bag. I think it is best for everyone to try it for themselves and see what works for them and their baby!

Hopefully this was helpful....feel free to ask if you have any questions or want me to cover anything else about cloth diapering!

a day in the life: newborn

2011-10-14T16:57:00.001-05:00

Since Callyn's life is already flying by so quickly, I know I'll look back one day and remember what these days were like. I want to document each phase of her life so I can remember what we did and how we spent our days. Here's a sample of what one of our days is like now. This was Thursday.

4:00 a.m.-wake up for a feeding, diaper change, burp
4:45--put Callyn back down. She spits up everywhere and is fussing a little. Tony gets up and rocks her for awhile (I usually never wake him at night but he woke up on his own and offered to get her.)
8:00-wake up for a feed. She only nurses on one side and then falls back asleep. I decide to go back to bed since she is sleeping and I'm still tired.
10:30-wake up for a feeding. Get Callyn dressed and ready for the day
11:00-Take Callyn downstairs and put her in her swing. Eat breakfast and feed dogs, etc. Notice we have a package outside. It's a gorgeous blanket from my step sister.

11:45-Tony comes home. Callyn is asleep in the swing by now. We eat lunch and watch Prison Break (we're obsessed.)
12:15-Callyn wakes up and Tony holds her for a few minutes.
12:30-Feeding/Tony goes back to work
1:00-Callyn is almost asleep so I lay her down in her crib. She decides she's not tired after all but 'talks' and wiggles around in her crib for awhile.
1:30-I decide to get in the shower because Callyn is not going to sleep but is totally content. I jump in the shower and of course the second I get wet, she starts screaming. Needless to say my mommy heart was breaking and it was the fastest shower of my life!
1:45-Callyn pretends like she's hungry (deep down I think she's not but she tricks me) so I feed her and she falls asleep.
2:00-out the door to Target for some rash cream (I hoped cloth diapering would prevent rash but not so far-but there are only certain creams you can use on cloth and Target sells one brand.) Callyn sleeps through the whole trip so I browse some clothes for both of us. I got her a super cute outfit for a wedding we have coming up. Of course I left with way more things than we'd gone for-I can never get out of Target without.

3:30-get home, throw the clothes into the dryer and since Callyn is still asleep I leave her in her carrier for a few minutes and stuff a giant pile of diapers.

3:45-Take the babe upstairs for a diaper change and feeding.
4:30-Daddy gets home from work
4:45-We decide to take a family walk because it's GORGEOUS outside! Gotta work off these last 4 pounds!

5:30-Get back from our walk and Callyn is asleep. I put away laundry, fold some more laundry and we eat dinner while watching yet another Prison Break.
6:30-Feed Callyn and snuggle on the couch together
8:00-Take a bath, put away all the stuff from Target, put away some more laundry, feed the dogs while Tony cuddles Callyn
8:30-Hop in bed together and watch The Office (we truly never used to watch much t.v. but now we just like to hang out and cuddle our baby so it seems that is our go to activity these days!)
10:00-Feed Callyn and get her ready for bed!

2 weeks

2011-10-09T15:31:00.000-05:00

Callyn is 2 weeks old!

I have a lot of feelings about this. I can't believe she has been here for 2 weeks already. I need a pause button on life if hers is going to go by this fast. I feel like she has already grown and changed so much since she was born. I am so in love, my heart feels like it's going to explode every time I look at or think about her.

Our first week, we took it easy a lot. This week we had a lot of firsts.
First doctor's appointment:

She was back up to her birth weight (this was Monday) -8 lbs. 14 oz. and had grown 1/4 inch to 21 inches.
In the hospital she had a tiny bit of jaundice and this was all cleared up by Monday.
She did not get any shots or heel pricks at this appointment which Mommy was thankful for!
The doctor said she looked great and is very healthy! Yay!

First Walk:

I was so glad to be able to be out and active again so we have gone on a walk almost every day since and plan to continue until the weather gets too cold for Callyn. She likes riding in the stroller-it's so peaceful just to walk with her.

First time meeting Grandma:

My mom came out to stay with us this past week and it was amazing. She helped out so much with cooking and cleaning and LAUNDRY and running to the store and of course getting lots of baby snuggles :) I feel like I won't fall behind on housework now that all I have to do is maintain what she did. So helpful! Callyn loves her Grammie! We miss you Grandma!

First glimpse at the belly button!:

The umbilical stump fell off on Tuesday 10/4. I was SO glad! I always felt like it was going to catch on something and rip off or I'd accidentally pull it when I was cleaning it or something. I was very happy when I went to change her diaper and it wasn't there! :)

First bath in the tub:

She actually liked it, despite her face in these two pictures!

This week we also spent lots of time on the playmat & doing tummy time:

We continue to be amazed at just how strong this little girl is. She is doing things she shouldn't be able to do for at least several more weeks.

Lots of time snuggling:

A little time being silly:

"No more pictures, Mom!"

Wearing Daddy's glasses

Trying to figure out how she fit in there!

Mostly we spent our week loving on and being in awe of our precious baby.

God has blessed us so much with this sweet angel. I love her more than I could have ever imagined. Callyn is such an sweet and content baby. She sleeps very well sleeping 3-5 hour stretches between feedings at night, and she nurses very well. Life with a baby is everything I imagined it to be, only better. I had no idea how much I could love someone!

Callyn's Birth Story/Pictures of the Babe

2011-09-30T17:07:00.000-05:00

To get the full effect of Callyn's birth, we have to journey back a few weeks. By 38 weeks I was dilated to 3 cm, effaced, soft and her head was low. We thought she could be coming any day. At my 39 week appointment I was still at 3 cm. My dr did what I thought was stripping my membranes because it was very painful and caused a lot of bleeding, which no cervical check had ever done before (I later asked her and she said she did NOT strip them.) Our doctor was convinced I would be having the baby any day, asked how close we live to the hospital because she was sure my labor would be so short, and told us we could make an appointment for 40 weeks, but she highly doubted we needed it.

Well, she was right! Or so we thought. That night I started having contractions. I had Braxton Hicks all the time but these were different. They were around my back and much more painful than 'crampy'. After several hours of this I started timing them, around 9 p.m. They were about 10 minutes apart.We got in bed but of course I didn't sleep. They were getting stronger, longer and closer together. I was sure I was in labor! Around 3 a.m. I woke Tony up because my contractions had been 2-3 minutes apart for 2 hours so it was time to go!

We got to the hospital and into the admissions room. They checked me and i was still only at 3 cm and 80% effaced...after 7 hours of hard contractions! So frustrating. So they send us home and said to come back when the pain was unbearable. We went home thinking it would be a few more hours. Well as the night continued, the contractions slowed down and eventually stopped. After 14 hours of contractions, I was NOT in labor :(
The next week we waited thinking it would be any day, but eventually we made it to Friday and my 40 week appointment. My doctor was very surprised to see us. Again, she said she thought it should have been any day, but I was STILL at 3 cm! She told us it might be time to think about inducing and said she would be on call the following Tuesday and the Sunday after that (Oct 2). We said we would think about it and made an appointment for 41 weeks.
We went home, did a lot of research, prayed and talked a lot. Ultimately I wanted to meet my baby but had never wanted an induction. I had actually prayed my whole pregnancy against induction and c-section because I really wanted a natural birth. My heart slowly started changing and I began to believe that my body was 'stuck' at 3 cm. Because I had already made so much progress, I was favorable for induction and it would probably go well. We thought we would probably go with Tuesday, Sept. 27 but had not made a decision yet.
Saturday, September 24 was my due date. We went out to breakfast, went to a movie, cleaned the house and prepared as if we WOULD have the induction on Tuesday, just in case. That day I continued to lose my plug (I had been since week 37) and have crampy contractions but thought nothing of it.
Around 11 p.m. I started having back contractions again. I thought nothing of it. I didn't time them, we just went to bed. I couldn't sleep though. I prayed that if it was the real thing, it would become obvious and if it wasn't, it would go away. Eventually I started timing them and they were exactly 7 minutes apart almost every time. Still thought nothing and was annoyed I couldn't sleep. I only timed 4 or 5 contractions when all of a sudden a very strong painful one came on and I literally heard something POP. I wondered if my water had broken, but nothing was coming out. After the contraction ended I went to the bathroom to see. It was about 2:15 a.m. I sat down and it seemed like something came out but not much. Then I peed. I wasn't sure what was going on. I never thought I would literally HEAR a pop. I woke up Tony and asked him what he thought we should do. He said we should call the birth care center, but I knew they would say to come in and get checked and then I would still be at 3! I sat back down on the toilet and then I knew. I looked at Tony and said, that's not pee. He immediately got into gear and knew it was time. I still was not convinced. All of a sudden my contractions seemed never ending. I had one at the top of the stairs and by the time I got down, I was having another one. They couldn't have been more than a minute and a half apart. We already had most of the stuff in the car from the last week so we grabbed a few things and left. I still fully expected them to send us home. I was starting to be in so much pain. We got there and I told them I thought my water broke but wasn't sure. I was still contracting really close together and it was becoming much more painful.

They send us to the admissions room to be checked and I could barely stand or talk through them. A nurse came in and asked some questions and then said she would see if my water broke. She felt around but didn't feel any liquid since there hadn't been a gush yet so she had to do a speculum exam. As soon as she put the speculum in, it gushed out everywhere! I was DEFINITELY having a baby. I was 4 1/2 centimeters dilated and this was about 2:45 a.m. They got us ready to go to our room but by this point I could barely walk. I told Tony I was definitely re-thinking the natural birth thing if i was only at 4 1/2 cm. How could I be in this much pain already? On the walk to our room I had several contractions and felt like I was going to die. I told the nurse right away I needed something so she started an iv with some kind of very light pain med (can't remember the name-started with an 'f'). All it did was make me feel sleepy and out of control for about 2 contractions. Tony went to get our bags and by the time he got back I was asking for an epidural because I felt so much pressure down there and in my butt. The nurse said it was totally normal. I was almost screaming through the contractions because of the pressure. I said there was no way I could do it and I felt so defeated...5 1/2 more cm would take HOURS. A few minutes later I WAS screaming because of the pressure. I told the nurse I thought I felt like I needed to push-how could this be? She came and checked me and was digging around in there through a contraction which made me want to die! I told her to GET OUT and she said 'well I'm just trying to find your cervix.' I said, what do you mean, it's so low, it has to be RIGHT there. And she said 'no, I mean there's none left. You're 9 1/2 cm, almost time to push!' WHAT?! It had only been 20 minutes since I was 4 1/2. I was freaking out!
I was so excited I WOULD be able to do it naturally! What I was feeling was normal! A few minutes later I couldn't help but push but she said I couldn't because the doctor was delivering across the hall. She kept telling me to relax my bottom and pant like a dog. Let me tell you, it was impossible! When you have to push you have to push and there's NOTHING you can do. A few times I did sneak in some light pushing because it made me feel SO much better :) And honestly, I couldn't really stop it. It was the most painful part of labor and delivery!

Soon she told me I could start pushing to see how I did. She said I was doing great and she phoned to let the doctor know we were starting to push. Pushing felt SO good. So much relief. I felt like I got the hang of it really fast and got into kind of a pattern. With each contraction I could feel more pressure which told me it was getting closer. Pretty soon the nurse said 'daddy, come see this.' My eyes were closed through pushing and I heard Tony practically yell 'SHE HAS SO MUCH HAIR!' and showed me with his fingers how much. I couldn't believe she was right there. I kept pushing and pretty soon I felt what I had read of as 'the ring of fire.' It was unmistakable. I pushed about 3 times per contraction and it was getting to where I could barely get the 3rd push in because of that firey feeling, but at the same time I couldn't NOT push. I told the nurse I had the ring of fire and she said yep, she's right here. She ran to the phone and I heard her say 'we're having a baby over in 47'. The doctor came in a few seconds later and another contraction started. My eyes were still closed and I remember that time letting out a huge scream and then the doctor was telling me to give a little push. She was out and I didn't even know it! Weirdest feeling! (I pushed for about 20-30 minutes) Then I opened my eyes and there she was! Everything from there is a blur. They put her right on top of me and somewhere in there Tony cut the cord. As soon as she laid on my chest she stopped crying and it was the best feeling I had ever felt in my life! A moment I had been dreaming of for 2 years.

After awhile they cleaned her up and gave her back to me. I could not believe how in love I was. We tried nursing then and she was a champ at it and has been ever since.

We just stared at her forever and thanked God for our precious baby and her safe arrival!
The nurse said she thought she was kind of a big one but she felt just perfect to me!

Turns out she WAS big! The nurse could not believe how fast she came out considering her size. I couldn't believe she was almost 9 pounds!!!
Basically ever since then we have been soaking in every ounce of our precious Callyn. I cannot believe how full my heart is...I never knew I could feel something like this. A mother's love I think is something you cannot understand until you are experiencing it, and wow, is it an experience.

Introducing...

2011-09-25T22:20:00.000-05:00

Callyn Elise

9-25-2011

5:20 a.m.

8 lbs. 14.5 oz.

20 3/4 in.

40 weeks!

2011-09-24T15:05:00.000-05:00

Today is my due date!

In some ways I cannot believe it. I have carried a baby for 40 weeks-crazy! But at the same time I'm so ready to meet my girl!

Let me just tell you that when they say early progress does not mean a lot, they are not joking! I am living, breathing, walking, still pregnant proof! I was dilated early (my first check was 36 weeks and I was already dilated, soft & effaced), and I have been 3 cm, 80% effaced for at least 2 1/2 weeks now. But I'm still pregnant! I have had every early labor sign in the book but my baby's still in there! And I've had very real false labor twice. Soooo, next time I will know better than to get excited early :)

I do still feel great. Of course things are hard and I'm HUGE but considering I'm carrying a full term baby I feel like I feel really good for how far I am! I am definitely not miserably uncomfortable like so many women say they get at the end (though I have had a few of those days!) So I'm really thankful for that!

Now we're just waiting to see when the babe will decide to make her appearance :)

These last 9 months have been such a blessing and I feel so honored that God chose me to carry this sweetheart. I can't wait to see her and love on her. I'm afraid I'll never be able to put her down, I already love her so much!!

Hopefully by next week's update day, I'll have a baby to show off!

2 years ago...

2011-09-22T13:24:00.000-05:00

2 years ago today, September 22, 2009, we decided it was time to become parents. We threw prevention out the window and gave it a go.
Of course we didn't think it would be two years before we met our precious baby, but now that the story has unfolded, I think it's pretty perfect.
God is funny like this. 2 years exactly and we are ready to meet our sweet baby at any moment.
I think it would be pretty cool if she came today...just saying! Although not counting on it since there are only 10 hours left in the day, but you have to admit, it would make a pretty perfect story!

pumpkins and a funny face

2011-09-20T19:40:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to find things to do that will entertain me during the day so I don't just sit around waiting for baby to come.
Today, I decorated for fall. Tony came home at lunch and brought the fall stuff down from the attic and I put it out. Well, I forgot that at the end of the season last year I had bought these little pumpkins at Dollar Tree $3/1! They are carvable but I wanted to paint them or do something else fun.

Nothing special-just small orange pumpkins.
Here's what I came up with...the best part? I already had everything I needed at home!

Glitter pumpkin. I mod podged sections and dumped orange glitter on it. I thought it would be cute to glitter with a different color but I didn't want to worry about coverage. You can see it's a little sparse in a few spots but you can't tell unless you're right up close because it's orange anyway!

I really love black & white pumpkins! I used a q-tip for the black dots, then painted the stem black.

Metallic pumpkin. I think I'm going to add a monogram to it, but I'm not sure how yet. Maybe glitter. Or a matte color. Or tacks.

I love projects that are free & easy! Just the perfect little touch of fall on the bookcase!
And now for a funny face.
Long story short (that I will probably explain another time) we THOUGHT baby was coming last weekend. Actually, I labored for 14 hours Friday into Saturday. Fun stuff, let me tell you! When we were leaving for the hospital at like 4 a.m. we took 'last' (obviously not last anymore because she's still in there!) belly pics and 'this face describes how we feel about becoming parents' pic. I told Tony on the count of 3 to make the face that shows how he feels. We didn't know what face the other person was making. I looked at the camera and saw THIS (please remember it's 4 a.m. and I had been in 'labor' for 7 hours).....

I looked at him and said 'seriously? that's how you feel? not excited? not nervous? just bleh?'
Whoops....guess he wasn't ready for the flash. This one's a little better :)

I love him!

Farewell to Pregnancy

2011-09-19T16:27:00.000-05:00

Since our daughter could be coming out any day now, I remembered when Rachel wrote a post like this before she had her baby. And I decided I wanted to document it too.

What I'll Miss:
The Belly. Honestly, I love it. I love having a giant belly and I love rubbing it and staring at it and talking to it. Pregnant bellies are so beautiful. I mean, there is a LIFE growing inside of there...what could be more beautiful than that?
The weird movements. Tony & I are always laughing about what she must be doing in there! The moves she makes are so weird sometimes. It'll be strange to have a non-moving belly again.
Being lazy. It sounds bad, but I'm soaking in the time I have left to just lounge on the couch. I will never have that time again (at least not for the next 25+ years or so!)
Eating Anything. Of course I try to eat healthy for the baby, but it's so nice to not have to worry if I'm eating too many calories and not feel guilty when I eat that candy :)
Knowing that at any moment, life could change forever. I love (and hate) the anticipation of waiting for her. I mostly despise it but on patient days I love just sitting there thinking about how that day or the next day or in a few days, she's coming out and I'll be her mommy forever!
Belly Rubs. I am one of the few pregnant women on earth that love it when people rub my belly. Like I said before, I love the belly! This one woman at my church rubs it all the time because no one else will let her and she loves me for it. She'll just stand there talking to someone else, rubbing my belly. It cracks me up. I know a lot of moms say they feel the special bond with their child when they feel them kick and it's like a secret between the two of them. I have never felt that way because I love other people being in on it too. Ever since her first kicks I have had Tony and friends and family feeling her all the time. It makes it more real for everyone!

What I'm Looking Forward To:
Kissing those symptoms goodbye. I'm ready to be done with nausea, heartburn and achy body for awhile.
Seeing Her. That's obvious. But I can't wait to see what she looks like! And hold her and kiss her. I think about that moment all the time. I don't know if I'll really be able to believe she's mine. All mine!
Seeing Tony be a Dad. I can't wait. I can't wait to see him hold her and love on her and take care of her. I think seeing him be a dad will be one of the best things about being a mom!
Announcing her arrival. I can't wait to call, text, facebook, blog that she's here! And announce her name to the world. And show her off, because I'm sure she will be adorable :)
Quality Time. I can't wait for the week that we all get to be home together. Just the 3 of us snuggled into our own little world with nothing else to worry about except being a family.

Hard Work

2011-09-15T11:54:00.000-05:00

"Marriage is the hardest thing you'll ever do."
Have you ever heard or had people say this to you? When I was engaged people said it to me all the time. (In fact, after almost 3 years of marriage, I still hear it.)
So of course, I braced myself for the fact that marriage was going to be tough. Not that there was a ton I could do ahead of time, but I read a few books, we did premarital counseling at church, little stuff like that. Then we got married.
I waited.
And I waited.
And I waited.
And guess what, I'm still waiting.
Except I guess I'm not really waiting for it anymore. Because I've given up on thinking that it is that way for everyone. Now, in most people's defenses, almost everyone who says that follows it with 'but it's also the most rewarding' and I truly believe they feel that way.
But after waiting to see what all the hype was about, I realized that it's just not like that for us. For us. Not everyone. I don't necessarily think that marriage being hard work is a bad thing-it certainly doesn't mean that you have a bad marriage or a bad spouse or that you are a bad spouse. I think it's great that people work hard at their marriages. I'm also not saying that we don't work hard at our marriage. But it has never once felt like work. When I have to put Tony's needs above my own, when I have to go out of my way for him, when I'm planning something to 'keep our marriage alive', it has never once felt like work. I love him and I want to serve him and I love every day that I am blessed to be his wife. And that's why it doesn't seem like work. And why it doesn't feel hard.
Would I say that we have a good marriage? Yes! A great one, in fact.
Would I say we have a perfect marriage? Of course not. Does anyone?
But have you ever felt like you just found your calling? Like that is what you were supposed to do? That's how I feel about our marriage. I don't believe in soul mates, but I do believe that God molded us into the people we are today, for each other.
I'm thankful every day that I get to experience the blessing of marriage. I know not everyone does. Tony & I pray for our marriage every day and I truly believe that is why it is so good. God is in the middle of it. Right in the middle.
So as we are days away from meeting our precious bundle and becoming parents, I can't help but wonder the same thing. People tell me every day 'being a parent is the hardest thing you'll ever do.' So I'm waiting. And wondering. Will it be the same way? Will it really feel like hard work or will I enjoy it so much I don't even notice?
I'm excited to see.

miscellany monday

2011-09-12T12:57:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Carissa

1. First things first. Yes, I'm still pregnant. 38 weeks and 2 days pregnant to be exact. We are ready for her to come whenever, but of course, it still doesn't feel real that a real baby is going to come out of me.

2. This weekend we bought a Dyson. We have a Kirby which is a great vacuum, but it's SO heavy...I can't carry it up the stairs at 9 months pregnant. And it takes up A LOT of closet space with all of the attachments and shampooing system. So we decided to get an 11 pound Dyson with some gift cards we had to Target from baby registry returns. I am so excited to get my front closet cleaned out and organized. We aren't sure if we'll keep the Kirby or try to sell it. But when we got home, Tony first vacuumed with the Kirby, then immediately with the Dyson and it still picked up a ton of dust and dog hair, which made me feel gross. I mean, Kirbys are great vacuums and if it was leaving behind that much, I can't imagine if we just had a regular Hoover or something. Anyways, moral of the story is Dyson's are awesome and we love it!

3. This weekend we went to the dog park. Ellie was following some lady and her dog and they went back onto this trail. Of course being 9 months pregnant, I couldn't catch up to them but I kept following behind because I didn't want to be THAT guy-you know, the one who expects other people to look after their dog...not way, not me! The trail went on forever and I was in a lot of pain after. Yesterday, I'm pretty sure my pelvis split in two. I can't do anything. Tony had to help me get dressed, get in and out of the car. I've never been in so much pain. This can't be normal!

4. What happened to fall? Last week was in the 60's and 70's all week and the past few days have been upper 80's and 90's :( I was really enjoying having the windows open and the nice cool breeze. But the a/c is back on and I'm back to staying indoors for awhile. I'm excited for when it really IS fall!

5. Can you take a 2-5 week old baby to a wedding? I mean really? We got invited to a wedding on October 22 of some college friends of Tony's. We were planning on going to the ceremony only, but last night I started thinking about it and I don't know if we really should. I hate to RSVP and not show up (I guess it's not as big of a deal if we say ceremony only so they don't pay for our dinner) but depending on when she's born, I may not be ready to leave her yet, and it honestly may not be possible with nursing. So then what? We sit in a back aisle seat and hope she doesn't cry through the whole thing? Definitely something I've never had to think about before...help!

Maternity Pictures are Here!!

2011-09-08T17:16:00.000-05:00

We got our maternity pictures in this afternoon! I am so excited to share them!

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-06T12:11:00.000-05:00

We had an awesome Labor Day Weekend...hope you did too!
It was one of those weekends where going in, we only had like 2 commitments, but things kept coming up and we filled just about every minute of our weekend. I can't believe I could even get out of bed this morning, let alone have some energy :)
Friday
Friday afternoon Tony texted me and asked if we wanted to hang out with some friends who are newlyweds and we go to church with (and Tony also works with the guy). I said I would make this new recipe for Taco Soup and we could play games (the taco soup was AMAZING by the way!) We played games until after midnight (which, hello, is super late for this pregnant lady!). First Scrabble (we won), then we learned a new game, Farkle (have you played it??)

It was so much fun. They won this one so we decided we needed to break the tie and played Phase 10, which we ultimately called quits at midnight and they were ahead. Ah well, can't win 'em all!

Saturday
Saturday we woke up early (early for a weekend) and went to clean the church. Our small groups at church take turns cleaning it and it was our turn. They were doing construction in the back half so we only had to clean about half of it and we finished in like 30 minutes. Then we all went to IHOP and I got stuffed french toast, which I have been craving for more than half of my pregnancy. Craving satisfied!!

Since we were on the other side of town (we only half one ihop, which I think is ridiculous for a big city!) Tony & I hopped on the interstate and drove to the next biggest city to go to HobLob since we don't have one of those either. I had a list and decided it was finally time to go. I told Tony last week I wanted him to go with me because I was scared I'd go into labor and have to drive myself all the way back haha! So we did. I got some awesome fabrics, alligator clips for bows and some pillows to cover and a few other things. I was almost drooling looking at all of their Christmas decorations and trying to talk Tony into buying the baby a Christmas tree for her room :) But no dice.
Came home and I got to sewing. I really only got through a few burp cloths before we had to get going to the all church prayer meeting they have one a month that we always forget about.
Went back over to church, prayed a lot, met a nice new couple and invited them to our small group then finally left around 8:30 and had a message from our neighbors who invited us over to play games. Stopped at Taco Bell for a Cheesy Gordita Crunch of course, because I can't get enough.

{are you loving all of my internet pictures today? you're welcome.}

Went to the neighbor's and played Settlers of Catan. Have you ever played this game? I had never heard of it until a few years ago and a bunch of people at our church play it. Then we met our neighbors and they are crazy for it. I have only played it once so it was way more fun this time now that I kind of knew what was going on.

Our neighbor made what her husband called 'lactation cookies.' Apparently the ingredients in them help your milk supply or something (she is nursing). They were so delicious. Not sure what was in them but they just tasted like the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies I've ever had!

Sunday

Sunday we woke up and went to church. It was testimony Sunday which they have a few times a year where they open the mic to anyone who wants to get up and share about what God's been doing in their life. Tony & I shared our baby testimony at the last one in May.

We went grocery shopping after church and it was crazy busy, I guess for labor day.

Came home and I made a fruit salad and got to work on my pillows. I only got one done but I am excited to finish the other two today! I'll have to post them when I'm done!

Then we went to Tony's aunt's for dinner with his mom's family. (Hence the fruit salad)

Hung out there until about midnight. Everyone told me all the days that I can't have the baby for various and sometimes ridiculous reasons. I hope everyone knows I really have no control over it. Then we all said how fun it would be to go into labor the next day, labor day. Didn't happen. And we set off one of those fire lanterns. you are supposed to write a wish on it and light it and send it off. It was cool to see how far it went and see it lit up in the sky!

Monday

Monday we finally got to sleep in! We woke up and lounged around for awhile. Then I got this ridiculous urge to clean everything. Maybe you can call that nesting, I don't know. So I did. For hours. I'm talking, dusting everything in sight, scrubbing walls, moving furniture and vacuuming under it, taking down curtains and washing them, cleaning then washing rugs, etc. I wanted to get done as much as I could because I knew the urge might not hit again for awhile. Then around 4:00 some friends invited us over for dinner and a root beer float party. Super fun of course! (Their kids picked out what they wanted for the float party and they chose rainbow sherbet and the white out mountain dew. haha! We adults stuck with the original root beer and vanilla!)

It was a very filled, but great weekend! Today I'm hoping to finish up my sewing so I can clear off my table, and maybe do a little more cleaning!
How was your long weekend??

37 weeks

2011-09-02T19:21:00.000-05:00

{please don't mind the wet hair, no makeup, shirt that barely fits look...we're staying in tonight ;)}

I am 37 weeks (FULL TERM, WOOHOO!)
I have so much peace knowing we made it this far and her lungs are hopefully developed enough whenever she chooses to arrive!! I think this weekend would be perfect ;)
So hopefully, she will be here sometime this month!!!!!!!

I really wish nesting would kick in! I want to just clean my house like a mad woman and do 8 million things before she comes. But I have no energy. I'm doing the best I can, for now!
I've been thinking about all the things I'll miss about being pregnant. But I am so excited to have my little girl here with us and to be able to do things like bend over again :)
I've had several symptoms that would qualify as pre-labor or early labor symptoms. This kind of stinks because it makes me really excited but I don't want to be excited because it could still be a few weeks. And I don't want those weeks to drag on if I wake up every morning wondering whether this could be the day.
Speaking of those symptoms, I have lost part of my mucus plug and my dr. said I am at least 2 cm dilated. See...hard not to get excited about that!!!
At my 37 wk appointment we of course scheduled our 38 week but my dr. will be out of the office so I am going to see someone else next week. When we were leaving I told Tony that could have been the last time we'll see our doctor until the post partum check (if baby comes before 39 weeks). So weird!
Baby's heartrate yesterday was 147. I always think it's funny when she kicks at the doctor when she's trying to measure me :)
We met our pediatrician this week as well and she seems really nice. Her preference/specialization is infants and I like that...for now at least :) When we were leaving I stopped to look at the super cool fish tank in the waiting area and Tony said 'there used to be an aquarium like this at my peds office." then took a good look around and I said 'this IS your peds office, isn't it?!" haha! We had no idea! :) Then we found his pediatrician's picture on the wall. It was kind of a funny moment of realization!

I think that's all for this week! Hopefully I won't be back next week for another update, but I'm guessing, most likely, I will. That's ok-she can cook a little longer and get a little chunkier ;)
Have a great long weekend everyone!

today

2011-08-30T13:46:00.000-05:00

We have a really gloomy day happening today, which I kind of love.

I love not having anywhere to go when it's raining and just being able to snuggle up at home! Plus, I am thankful for the cooler weather. This prego can't handle the 90* heat anymore!

So, in light of the gloomy weather I am planning on going upstairs to take a bath. A bath. I can't remember the last time I've taken a bath! I don't know if I ever have taken one at our house even! I'm not a huge bath person, but I am in SO much pain. Is this normal, mommas? I know it's normal to be achy in pregnancy but I feel like I'm going to fall apart. My legs, hips and backs mostly. I guess I've just reached that point. Definitely not complaining, so thankful baby girl is still cooking & healthy...just trying to find some relief and a bath is the only thing I can think of besides going to a chiropractor or something! I'm dreaming of being here.....

or here...

But of course I just have a normal tub :)

A few weeks ago, my mom sent me a package and it had all of these pregnancy/post pregnancy products I'd never heard of before in it....

The brand is Bella B and they are all natural and organic products. She sent me some lotions, some breastfeeding stuff and a bath soak that can be used for a regular or sitz bath. So I'm going to try it out-it smells wonderful. I hope it relieves some of the achiness. And I'll probably make some hot cocoa to bring along-just because it always makes me feel better :)

In the spirit of it being almost September and it being cool outside, I think I'm also going to get some fall decor done today. I have a bunch of stuff from last year, except the pups broke into my craft room once earlier this year and destroyed a bunch of stuff-including my wreath. The base of the wreath is fine, but everything on it is kaput. So I found an inspiration for something new.....

I think I can handle sitting down with my glue gun & a movie-doesn't sound too bad, does it?!

36 weeks

2011-08-28T14:49:00.000-05:00

Thank you all for your comments and advice on my hospital bag post! I will definitely not bring the pump now that I know I won't need it (I had NO idea if I would, so thank you all!) and will be bringing at least a sweatshirt for Tony :) The more I think about it, the more I know you're all right-he may not want to leave after she's born so we should at least bring a change of clothes and a toothbrush for him. Then someone can run home for us and get more if need be! Thanks everyone!
Now onto the good stuff...

How far along? 36 weeks!
Baby's Size? Around 6 lbs (holy cow!) and 18 1/2 inches long. Sometimes I feel like there's no way there is a baby that size swimmin around inside of me :)
Total Weight Gain? 23 lbs.
Maternity Clothes? Maternity clothes are getting weird. I feel like the shirts are all getting too short. Some of my non-maternity tunics and longer shirts seem to fit better these days. Definitely maternity bottoms. Although a few weeks ago I jokingly tried on my skinny jeans to see how far away I was from being able to button them and somehow, they still fit and buttoned. Me and tony laughed and laughed about how ridiculous I looked with these tight skinny jeans and this GIANT belly. I think they only buttoned because they are so low or something because I tried on another pair and they were like 8 feet from being able to button! At least I know that my skinny jeans will fit after delivery and I can wear something cute again!
Gender? Girl
Movement? Oh yes. Baby Girl loves to party! Still not under my ribs which I am so thankful for. And assuming that she won't be if she hasn't been yet. Lots of stretching and sticking limbs out and also into my bladder.
Sleep? Sleep varies night to night. I've been having a hard time getting to sleep but the last 2 nights have been great once I've fallen asleep. I just can't seem to get comfortable or turn my mind off at night.
Cravings? Cheesy Gordita Crunch from Taco Bell. I could seriously eat them at every meal. So delicious and so unhealthy.
Aversions? Still hate chicken. I hope that goes away after she comes out. What if I never like it again?!?!
Symptoms? The nausea was a little better this week, still dizzy, heartburn, lots of pelvic pain and just a sore body, exhaustion/lethargy is setting in. My fingers have been really tight and sore this week...I guess from swelling? I can still see my ankles though!
Best Moment This Week? Getting maternity pictures (un-edited) up online so we can choose the ones we want! Now we just have to order!
What I Miss? I just mostly miss everything not being so challenging. Like getting out of the car or off the couch, or moving the laundry from the washer to dryer (which is probably why I never do it anymore!) Oh, and shaving. If it wasn't summer, I wouldn't shave again until she was born. Seriously-it's such a struggle!
Milestones? Being ONE week away from full term!! So comforting to know she would probably be just fine being born anytime now!!
What I'm Looking Forward To? Birth day! Can't wait to see and hold my little bundle! And share her name with the world :)
Moments with Tony? I just don't know about this guy sometimes ;) He still weighs himself at every appointment, of course. Well at my 36 week appt they were going to do the Group B Strep swab and I almost had to kick Tony out of the room beforehand because he just thought it was the funniest thing. I asked him if he was going to think it was funny every time they checked me when I was in labor. That shut him up ;) Usually I can quickly remind him that I am carrying his child and his attitude returns to thankful. What a goof.
36 week appointment? I'll be going every week from here on out which is crazy! They did the GBS swab so I guess I should know about that at my next appointment. I asked my doctor about when to come into the hospital because I am hoping to labor at home as long as possible and she didn't seem to care, ha! I told her we only live 1/2 mile away so we don't have to worry about having a road side birth but she still said if my water breaks I absolutely have to come in so they can monitor the baby. Mid conversation/post swab, she randomly decided to check me I guess (she said she wouldn't until 38) because before I know it she was rustlin up some stuff in there. She first said that baby's head is very engaged (with wide eyes)-whatever that means, and that my cervix is very soft and I'm dilated to 1 cm already. Trying not to get too excited about that because I know people can walk around at 1 cm for months and it doesn't really mean much. But also hopeful that this means she'll be coming sooner rather than later!
This also got me thinking about just the process of pregnancy and birth and our bodies and how amazing God made them to be! That without doing anything, besides a few pain-free practice contractions, my body is already working on it's own to get her out. It's such a miracle!

Freezer Cooking

2011-08-23T13:14:00.000-05:00

For several months I have planned to start cooking and freezing meals for when the baby gets here. Then, of course, before I knew it, I was 35 weeks and hadn't started yet!
So yesterday I tried to knock out several meals. I got 5 done, 1 started and have a list of a few other things to do sometime next week.
I have never done freezer cooking, but it was so easy and I felt so accomplished after getting so many meals made in such a short amount of time! I know it'll be helpful for months after the baby is born!
Here's what I made: (I'll post links to recipes I got online...let me know if you want any of the other recipes)
Rotini Cassrole- 3-4 meals
Chili-5-6 meals
Cheeseburger Soup- 3-4 meals
Lasagna (got the recipe on the back of the noodle box)-3-4 meals
Grandma's Meatloaf- 1-2 meals
Cheeseburger Meatloaf- 1-2 meals
The soups were really easy because I just poured them into ziploc bags and double bagged them to be safe. Then all I'll have to do is thaw them and heat and they're ready.
The meatloaves, I also put into large ziploc bags, then I'll thaw and put in a loaf pan to bake. In less than 3 hours, I made enough food to last us 16-22 meals! Plus dinner :)
Next week, I'm planning on making:
Pizza Muffins (really excited about these!)
Cinnamon Rolls
Bread Machine Bread (maybe 2 loaves)
Bread machine Rolls
And maybe a stir fry

For yesterday's meals, I chose almost all meals with beef so that I could just buy 5 lbs. at Sam's. It seemed easiest to me rather than dealing with chicken (which I still have an aversion to anyway) or pork or something.
Today, I am camped out on the couch after getting all of that done and then tackling the cleaning of my poor kitchen! I am completely wiped out! I guess I've reached the point where I can't be on my feet for 3 hours straight anymore. Oh well, it was worth it for one day!
Any great freezer recipes you want to share?!

Hospital List

2011-08-22T18:59:00.000-05:00

Since I'm more than 35 weeks, I'm getting ready to pack the bags!
Baby's bag is already packed.
Here's what's in it:
*A few outfits
*Bows
*0-3 month sleeper gown
*Burp Cloths
*Receiving Blanket
*Blanket
*Hats
*Socks
*Nursing Cover (doubt I'll use it though)

Here's what I'm planning on putting in my bag:
*Nursing tank
*Nursing sleep bras (I haven't bought any regular ones yet....waiting to see what size I'll need)
*2 sleep shirts (I think I'll like having these better than wearing the hospital gown and would rather not have pants for when I need to be checked. They'll also be convenient for nursing)
*Breast pads
*Nipple cream
*Going home outfit (which will probably be baggy sweats or something non-attractive but comfortable)
*Robe
*Slippers or warm socks
*Underwear (I bought one of those cheap hanes packs so I can throw them away after if need be)
*Pump (Will I need this in the hospital??)
*Boppy
*Chapstick
*Sugar free hard candy

Daddy's Bag:
Will probably be non-existent. We literally live 1/2 a mile from the hospital so we are kind of planning on having him go home a few times to check on the dogs and shower if he wants. If we decide we don't want him leaving-even for those 10 minutes-he can run home and pack a bag then. This is also super convenient for me in case I forget anything.

Other:
I'm planning on putting a list on the back of the door of things to gather up when I go into labor that I'll need at home between now and then:
*Camera & charger
*Phone charger
*Netbook & Charger
*Pillow
*Toiletries
*Birth ball & other 'tools' for labor

Anything I am forgetting? Anything experienced mama's recommend??

Finished Nursery!!

2011-08-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

The nursery is finished! (Mostly) Here's the tour! Hope you enjoy!

A Story To Bring God Glory...Part 5!

2011-08-17T08:30:00.000-05:00

So, when I left off, we had begun praying that I would be pregnant by Christmas. My cycle was regulating somewhat and we wanted to have assurance that we were doing everything we possibly could. Since I was somewhat regular, and since I felt ovulation pain, it was really easy to just try regularly until I knew I ovulated. We did this for about the next two months, but nothing. We knew we were timing it right and still nothing. I wanted to absolutely make sure that the pain that I was feeling was indeed ovulation, so I decided that I was going to start tracking my temperature in the mornings and looking at my cycle that way. My period started on December 18, 2 days before our 2 year wedding anniversary and 1 week before Christmas. I was not as heartbroken as I thought I would be. I knew it was in God's hands and we were doing everything that we could do on our own. Temping was the last step. I had avoided it for so long, because I knew it would make me crazy. I knew it would make me over-analyze every symptom, every temperature, etc. so I put it off. It truly was the last step. On December 19, I started taking my temperature and tracking it along with all of my symptoms in Fertility Friend. Of course, I over analyzed, could barely sleep the first few nights just thinking about what my temp would be, and compared my chart to millions of other people's on Fertility Friend. I was a mess. But I still had peace. I knew that whatever happened, happened and God knew exactly what was going to happen and how and when we were going to become parents. Christmas came and went and it was a wonderful time. I barely thought about having a baby which was a blessing, because I thought it would be really hard for me. Tony & I enjoyed the holidays together and chose to be thankful for what we did have and for the time that we had together just the two of us. On December 27, we left for a conference through our church's association of churches. God taught me SO much through that conference. I was still temping the whole time we were there and it was starting to stress me out a little, but I was learning so much that I couldn't even let it bother me. I know now that if I had gotten pregnant the month or two before, my heart would not have been opened to the things that I learned in the same way. One particular morning, I was sitting in a sermon. Now, this pastor is great, but I always forget that he is great. I always go into the session thinking 'okay, this will probably be pretty good.' and he always rocks my FACE off, for real! His sermon was about having love for God and in it he was talking about competitions for God (things like relationships, resources, recreation, recognition, etc.) He asked us 3 questions and every single one of them had the same answer for me: baby, baby, baby.
He asked us where we get our self worth or identity? For me, it was in being a mom. It killed me that that's how I saw myself (a mom) but couldn't be one. He asked where we get our security-as in, what are you afraid of? Uh, hello....biggest fear-never getting pregnant. And he asked us, what holds your thoughts captive-what do you daydream about? My baby. Being a mom. If we'll have a boy or a girl. What they'll look like. How we'll raise them. All the time. This is where everything clicked for me. I had put having a baby as an idol in my life. It consumed such a big part of my life, I couldn't even be holy about it. It was affecting my relationship and love for God because I felt like He wasn't giving me what I wanted. Then I wrote something in my journal that completely changed my heart. I wrote "When I don't make having a baby an idol in my life, it doesn't mean I will get pregnant, but that my walk with God will improve." For so long, I had felt like if I could find contentment, THAT is when I would get pregnant. If I could trust and be okay with not having kids, THEN I would get pregnant. How could I find contentment and trust when that thought was at the back of my head? But if I give this up as a huge idol, it doesn't necessarily mean I will get pregnant. It does mean that I will know God on an even deeper level. He then asked us to make 2 radical decisions-Choose God for your now (set him above something else and ask myself whether I'll choose God or choose THAT (that being pregnancy in my case)), and Choose God for your tomorrow. I walked away from this sermon completely convicted of how I had been handling all of this. I learned so much in that hour.
Either that day or the next day, the people from our church got together to share experiences and share what we had learned. Not everyone would share, and I was the type that usually wouldn't. About halfway through listening to other people share, it was like God slammed a brick down on me telling me to tell these brothers and sisters what I had been going through for over a year. I seriously got sweaty and panic-y just thinking about sharing. I whispered to Tony to ask him what he thought and he immediately told me I absolutely should. A dear friend, who is in my small group and knows every detail of this experience was sitting next to him and also told me to share. I was so nervous but finally our pastor announced we had time for one more and Tony pointed at me. All of a sudden I was sharing this experience with about 40 people-from young children to grandparents. Of course I did not go into great detail, but shared how long we had been trying and the kinds of things I had experienced. One of the biggest things I remember saying is that I was a childless mother-I so desperately wanted children and had always thought of myself as a mother, but I have no child. I remember crying as I shared what God taught me (which is a big deal-pre-pregnancy I was not a cry-er, let ALONE in front of 40 people!) and saying how he had taught me all of these things and showed me how I was sinning over this situation. When I got done sharing, our pastor asked if he could pray over us. I will never forget one of the things he prayed. "God, we know that even if you give Natalie 10 kids, if she is not filled up with you, she will still be lonely." Wow! I knew that, I did....God had to have my heart and my attention first, before Tony, before kids, before idols. But I will never ever forget that prayer. When we were done, so many people came and told me how much my story encouraged them (which I had been praying for a long time.) and God really showed me then that I didn't have to wait until my story had a perfect ending to bring Him glory through it. People told us they would pray for us and shared experiences of waiting on God's timing as well. I was so encouraged by these saints and felt like the burden of carrying this trial alone had been lifted.
When we returned home from the conference, I ovulated. And I had perfect peace. I knew that it didn't matter whether I got pregnant-I would bring God glory either way. This time, things felt different. Deep down, I knew I was pregnant. Tony kept telling me that I wasn't-I thought I was every month, but things really were different. They say sometimes you just know, and I truly did.
On January 17, we had a ton of snow and ice come in. I never took pregnancy tests anymore. I was supposed to start my period that day. I felt no signs of it coming. I was in my classroom during naptime and I just felt it laid on my heart that I had to take a test. I told my assistants I was leaving early that day since we didn't have as many kids. I got in my car and without even thinking, drove across town to Wal Mart and bought 2 tests. The whole way home I prayed. I prayed that God would give me peace and that I would not get my hopes up. I went into the bathroom completely expecting to see one line-I had to for my own sanity. I left the stick on the back of the toilet and left the room, trying to forget I had even taken it. I was home several hours early and Tony would not be home for over 2 hours still. I walked back into that bathroom and before I picked up the test, I knew. I took one look at it and saw 2 lines for the first time in my life. I immediately fell to my knees and praised God, right there in my bathroom. Tears streamed down my face with a huge smile on my face as I recalled everything God had taught me through my struggle and how far He had brought me. He answered my prayer (for a baby and for timing-I got pregnant on the cycle before Christmas, just as we had prayed for.) and heard the cry of my heart. But more importantly, He showed me I had to put Him first in my life and had to depend on Him, not on having a baby. I praise Him for that conference and for every experience He took me through because without those experiences, I would just be a lady with a baby. No closer to God than I had been before. But now I can share with the world how precious this baby is and how her life brings God glory before she is even here. That's what God wants-He wants us to show the world just how good He is to us. And this story that He has given me-it's a perfect story. And it's one I will tell for the rest of my life. I can't wait to share it with my little girl someday.
To round out the perfect story, I recently found out that my due date is exactly 2 years and 2 days after we started trying. God is amazing.

A Story To Bring God Glory...Part 4!

2011-08-16T12:12:00.000-05:00

So we left off with me just having had ultrasounds done to look for ovarian cysts.
We waited for several days and prayed fervently that we would have an answer either way. I was absolutely convinced I had PCOS. I had so many symptoms, this had to be the reason. We'd find the cysts and they'd tell us to take Clomid. I was certain of it.
After the amount of time they told us it would be, I called the office and asked for my results. A nurse called back very shortly after and told me that everything looked completely normal and NOTHING was found! I could not believe it. I was shocked. I was just certain I had cysts. We were so thrilled. This gave me the peace that I needed to go on trying and waiting on God's timing.
Tony and I were both in agreement that 'trying' had gotten out of control. We were too wrapped up in it and it was way too stressful for me. I made a list of reasons why it was good that we hadn't gotten pregnant that I could look at on those dark days when I couldn't imagine a reason why I couldn't have a baby. We were not going to actively try, just leave it in God's hands and trust His timing until He changed our hearts.
Not a week later I got my period. I couldn't believe it. It had to be a fluke-it had only been 4 weeks and a few days since my last one, not the normal 7-9 weeks and I hadn't felt ovulation pain. I knew I must not have ovulated that month. I was getting ready to start school again for the year. About two weeks later, I felt the distinct pain. The ovulation pain. How could this be?! Was I actually getting somewhat normal?
I tried not to think anything of it. I didn't count days, I didn't do all the crazy things I used to do. It just was what it was. Two weeks to the day after that I got my period. It seemed like I really was getting normal.
This continued the next few months and in about October, God changed my heart greatly. It had been over a year since we had started trying. We were officially considered 'infertile.' I had no desire to go back to the doctor, but just to wait. I began to feel that God had given me resources for a reason and that i should use all of them before seeking any more medical help. If we tried for the rest of my school year by doing everything in our power (temping, tracking, trying on the 'right' days, everything else we read about) and we still weren't pregnant then I knew I'd have peace that we tried everything that we alone could do.
At this same time I began feeling anxious that Christmas was quickly approaching. During my quiet times, God laid two verses on my heart in the book of Matthew. I've read Matthew more times than I can count but all of a sudden these verses jumped off the page at me. The first day, I read Matthew 18:19 "Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in Heaven." I read the verse over and over and over again. How many people did we know who were united in prayer with us? We have a wonderful church family who is committed to lifting each other up to the Lord, but we had not shared this burden for many reasons. And while Tony and I were both praying about having a child, how often did we sit down and petition the Lord together? I talked to Tony and asked him if we could pray for God to give us a child every day? We agreed we would fervently seek Him together. We also shared with more close friends of ours very specific requests to be united with us in prayer for our child.
The next day, I read a verse that forever changed my life. Matthew 21:22 "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Wow. Well of course I pray and pray and hope that God will answer my burning desire for a child, but do I really believe with all my heart that He will? No. I doubt. I doubt it will ever happen. Tony had that faith. He believed that we would get pregnant someday. I believed that we would become parents, but not that it would necessarily be through pregnancy.
I needed to make a decision to choose to believe that God would give us what we asked for in prayer. I prayed all these things and I began praying that he would help me to believe His word. I know it's good and I know it is true but I needed help to fully believe it in my heart.
As I mentioned, I was feeling anxious that Christmas was approaching. If you remember, the last Christmas I had hoped to be pregnant. When Christmas rolled around I told myself it was okay because we would have a baby by next Christmas. To think that I still wouldn't even be pregnant by then was breaking my heart!
Tony and I agree that we love bold prayers. We love to just ask God for exactly what we want and pray exactly for that specific thing. We started praying that while we do everything in our power that God would give us a pregnancy by Christmas. We prayed this every single day and we began trying hard to time things perfectly so we would know that we were doing everything in our power to make that prayer a reality.

To be continued....

A Story To Bring God Glory...Part 3!

2011-08-15T12:51:00.000-05:00

Catch up on parts 1 and 2!
When I got home and Tony & I had the chance to talk and pray about whether or not to take the Clomid we were both in agreement after some research that it was not right for us, at least at that time. We saw some of the side effects like miscarriage and lots of other symptoms. And that worried us. If we would have known that there was something wrong and this could help we would have been more open to it. But when we saw that doctors are supposed to do exams first to make sure that you don't have cysts and everything is okay in your ovaries, and since this guy didn't do any of that, that really worried us. Also seeing that I would have to get blood taken twice a month to make sure I wasn't pregnant and then to see if I ovulated, also use ovulation prediction kits, and (supposed to but this dr. wasn't going to have me) get exams every month. Pretty sure my insurance would not be covering all of that. If we KNEW there was something wrong I would have been okay with it. But we didn't know. We just wanted an answer.
So we decided that trip to the dr. was a failure and we would just continue doing what we were doing.
This left me even more frustrated. With God, with my body, with life. I couldn't understand why God wasn't giving me answers! I had asked Him for what felt like every different thing and even this was just a huge door slammed in my face...no answer. I didn't get it. I felt like He was so distant and didn't care about what we were going through at all. And that hurt.
In July, I started after having felt my ovulation pain. So I knew I was definitely ovulating and we had timed everything perfectly. Still nothing. I got so upset and went into one of the darkest days of my life. I am not that emotional and don't cry that much but I literally laid in my bed all day crying. Tony even took a day off of work because he was so worried about me. This was not like me at all. I just felt like I was at my wits end. I didn't understand, I just felt so alone and frustrated. I just wanted an answer. It had been 10 months since we started trying and we were no closer to pregnancy than we had been 10 months before. WHY?!
I finally had to realize and come to terms with the fact that I was, in fact, mad at God. I felt like He just left me there in the dark alone. I kept telling Tony that I wasn't mad at Him, just frustrated. But once I was able to dig a little deeper and realize I really was mad at Him, that's when it all changed. I was able to just lay it all out to Him and realize that I didn't have to have the right thing to say, or ask Him for the right thing. He already knows my heart and knows everything I'm thinking and feeling and He's feeling it too. So I gave it all to Him and it helped SO much! I felt like I wasn't alone anymore and I didn't have to keep searching for answers. I just left it at His feet and knew that it was in His control.
We decided to go back to the doctor, this time to a reproductive endocrinologist that was at my OBGYN office, who some friends had seen. I went to her and asked for the same thing-to be tested for PCOS. She was greatly concerned about all of my symptoms and the length at which I went between periods, so she ordered ultrasounds for that day. I was so relieved that finally someone was hearing me out and giving me some options.
I had the ultrasounds done to look for cysts primarily. Of course the tech can't give you any information so I told Tony to look at the screen (it was facing away from me-probably on purpose) to see if he could see cysts. We had looked up a bunch of pictures online so we knew what a normal ovary looked like and a PCOS ovary looked like. During the ultrasounds I was trying to read Tony's face but I couldn't tell anything by his expression. It was very weird getting the abdominal ultrasound. I assumed that the first time I ever got one, I'd be seeing a baby in there, but I knew I was empty and that was heartbreaking.
After the ultrasound, they said it would be the next week before I could expect to hear back from my doctor. I figured it was fine because Tony would know what he saw.
We left the room and I immediately asked him what he saw. He said he couldn't tell a thing. It all looked like a bunch of fuzz to him, nothing like the pictures we'd seen online.
The wait was on. We waited and prayed that the results would be conclusive and we would have an answer, either way.
To be continued....

A Story To Bring God Glory...Part 2!

2011-08-14T16:49:00.001-05:00

So when I left off last time, with Part 1 I was telling you that we had just started trying and assumed we would conceive very quickly. We are both young, in good health, why wouldn't we?
The first month I got my monthly visitor almost exactly 4 weeks after stopping BC. Which was great. I figured that meant everything was going exactly as it should.
So we're now into October. I thought 'great, my body just needed a month to adjust, this next month will be the month and we'll have something VERY thankful to announce at Thanksgiving!'
Thanksgiving approached and no sign of aunt flow. Of course I tested. Waited. Tested. Waited. Nothing. I was so frustrated. I didn't understand. Surely I must be pregnant and there's just something wrong with my urine that a home pregnancy test won't detect it. FINALLY after 9 weeks, right before Christmas I started. I was devastated. I figured we would definitely be pregnant by Christmas. And we weren't. Not at all. I told myself it was okay because by next Christmas we would HAVE a baby!
The months continued to pass. I continued to go 7, 8, 9 weeks without a period. I continued to test, be hopeful, be frustrated, try my hardest to put it all in God's hands. By March, after 6 months of trying, I felt like I didn't know what to say to God anymore. I felt like I had said everything, asked Him for everything and I was out of words. I was so frustrated. I had never felt like this before. I had asked God to give us a baby soon. I had asked Him to reveal His plan for our children. I had asked Him to either take the desire away or make it stronger depending on if He planned to give us children. I was hopeless. I felt like my relationship with God was slipping away all because of this trial.
By May I was convinced that something must be wrong. We should be pregnant by now. I should be having normal periods by now. PCOS runs in the family and I had so many symptoms of it. So I called up an OBGYN that a friend recommended to go in and ask them to test me for it (I had started a new job and had great insurance now, so we figured, why not?). My mom said a simple ultrasound should show if there were cysts on my ovaries or not.
Nervously, I went to my appointment. I was hopeful that the dr. would have an answer for me. I brought a list of my periods, of the ovulation prediction kits that we tried (that only made me more confused) and all of my symptoms. The guy walked in the door and barely heard me say that I wanted to be tested for PCOS before he said 'Well the ultimate goal is to get pregnant so I'll just write you a prescription for Clomid and you should get pregnant right away.' I was shocked. I had no idea what to say. I think I just stared at him in disbelief. That is not at all what I was expecting. I asked him what if I was pregnant? He said they'd do a test that day. I asked him how we could know if I had PCOS and he said there was no point in running all of the tests (which I assumed would just be an ultrasound) and me spending all of the money when it could simply be fixed with the Clomid. WHAT?! I was so shocked that I didn't ask anymore questions. If I could go back to that moment I would have thrown SO many questions at him, but I was not prepared for this at all. Infertility treatments. At the age of 22. After 8 months of trying? It seemed too crazy. Before I left the room, I asked him about all of my symptoms and he simply said 'Well, you're not overweight. Most PCOS patients are significantly overweight.' I told him I gained 30 lbs. in about 8 months. He looked at me and said 'So you lost it then?' I said, 'No! I weigh 30 pounds more than when I got married and I gained it in about 8 months with no lifestyle changes.' He said 'hmmm. Well you must have been a stick before.' And left the room.
I went down to get my labs done. A pregnancy test, a thyroid test (I told him I had had one done at my last physical in August and he didn't care and ordered another one), and a prolactin test to see if I was producing the breastmillk hormone.
I had the tests done and went home, prescription for Clomid in hand. Totally unsure of what to do next.

34 weeks!

2011-08-13T16:39:00.000-05:00

{Tony & I both agree that my belly looks WAY different in pictures. I think it's funny how different the shape seems to be every week. This week is a full on basketball under my shirt!}

How far along? 34 weeks!
Baby's Size? 4 3/4 pounds! The size of a honeydew or cantaloupe :)
Total Weight Gain? 22 pounds
Maternity Clothes? Mostly. Some still non. I am surprised at some of the things that still fit me.
Gender? Little Girl
Movement? Her movement is mostly rolls and stretches. Sometimes it feels like she's going to punch right through my skin. She is still not under my ribs which I am thankful for!
Sleep? Sleep was MUCH better this week!
Cravings? None that I can think of
Aversions? I still can't stand the thought of grilled chicken. I hope I like it again after she comes out.
Symptoms? Nausea is returning-a few bouts of vomiting this week. Hoping it was just a fluke. Mostly just aches and pains now which I think is pretty normal! Some heartburn at night.
Best Moment this Week? Honestly this was not a great week between traveling to Oklahoma for the funeral and not feeling very well. But seeing my family was great and we always love it since we don't get to see them very often.
What I Miss? Being able to do things without help-like bend over to get the laundry out. Everything is turning into kind of a struggle at this stage.
Milestones? Well we're 3 weeks away from being full term which is just crazy! Also, she is able to recognize and react to songs now. We need to start singing her some lullabies :)
What I'm Looking Forward To? Meeting my little girl! I think about her all the time.
Moments with Tony? This week we had a bit of a scare with her movement. She is usually really active in the mornings. When we were in OK I had 2 donuts and a thing of chocolate milk for breakfast-super sugary. After an hour I had not felt her move yet. So I drank some cold water and laid down but still nothing. After an hour and a half I asked Tony to put his hands on my belly to see if he could feel anything because I kept thinking I would feel little bumps (which they aren't really ever little anymore) and as soon as he laid down by me and put his hands on my stomach she started going wild. She really loves her daddy!
34 Week Appointment: My hemoglobin levels were re-checked and are still low, but have gone up a little. The nurse said I am not concerningly low but being low at all increases chance for a blood transfusion during delivery. I am not really concerned because I am somewhere on the higher end of low. The doctor confirmed that baby is head down! Yay! Her heartbeat was 136 bpm and the belly was measuring right at 34 weeks. Everything is looking good, praise the Lord!

A Story To Bring God Glory...Part 1!

2011-08-12T13:25:00.000-05:00

Before I opened this blog back up I had a private blog that I kept track of my pregnancy on. On it, I wrote the story of how this precious baby came to be. It is a story that is only meant to bring glory to the Father. Even if you are nowhere near having kids, I encourage you to read it. You might be able to relate to waiting on God's timing, and finding contentment. It is a long story, yes, but it is a good one. It's one that shows how awesome our God and His perfect plans are. I would also like to start by saying that because this story is about trying to conceive a child, that yes, I will talk about my period and ovulation (hi, mom and dad!) so sorry if that makes you uncomfortable! I try to do it tactfully ;) Finally, I feel the conviction to need to share that yes, I was on the birth control pill when we were first married. After I stopped taking it, I found out that it has a second phase which is abortive, and I did not know that while I was on it. I am not judging anyone who takes it, but spreading the word about it so you can be more informed if you are pro-life :) Our personal decision now is to never use prevention that has an abortive phase. If you want more information about that, you can email me or do lots of google searches :) Now, onto the good stuff. Here's part 1...I hope you enjoy!

Let's go back. Way back. To 2008. Before we were married.
People asked us all the time 'When are you planning to have kids? Right away?' We would always respond, 'Not for at least 5 years!'
But that changed quickly. Very quickly. By Spring of 2009 I had a deep longing to become a mother. I don't know where it came from or why, but God does. We started talking about the possibility of trying to have a baby sooner than we had originally intended. In April, when we unexpectedly bought our first house, the dream became closer and more real. Now that we had a house and were more financially stable then we thought we'd be by 21, maybe we could have a child sooner.
Tony urged me to keep waiting. Now wasn't the time. We still had so much we wanted to do before we added kids to the mix. Deep down, I knew he was right. I agreed. As much as I wanted to be a mom, I knew I would always regret that we didn't spend enough time together, traveling, doing whatever we wanted to do, staying up late (joke!-you should all know that we go to bed earlier than my grandparents probably do!), and just enjoying each other.
The longing went away for a few months. I knew the time wasn't right.
It's Summer 2009. I'm planning and working on opening a child care/preschool at our church. I was working as the director. I knew the timing wouldn't be right for awhile because of this center. I would have to stay there and work to keep the place up and running. I would just have to. There was no one else to do it. But every month I secretly hoped I was pregnant even though I was 99.9% sure that was not possible ;) In August of 2009, that plan fell through. We decided not to go through with the center and I was back at square 1. I was planning to sub or find a preschool job for this year while Tony was still in school. Tony and I were paying out of pocket for horrible health insurance that did not cover pregnancy or labor/delivery. We would never be able to afford a pregnancy or hospital stay! So of course, we continued preventing but the desire was still strong in my heart. I got a job teaching preschool for very minimal wages and Tony was in school. At the last minute, he got offered another internship and we were basically set, except for health insurance.
In September, we prayerfully considered whether or not the time was right and after not that much thought, we decided that it couldn't hurt and I stopped taking the pill.
Of course I thought that I would be pregnant that very month because why wouldn't I? So we started researching ways we could afford this pregnancy that was surely very soon to be.......

{TO BE CONTINUED!}

you know you're old when....

2011-08-11T15:37:00.000-05:00

you're going to blog about the weather.
that makes me feel like i'm 90.
really though-
at 8+ months pregnant, having suffered through the upper 90+ degree heat for many weeks, i think this weather deserves to be talked about.
70's. 70's is probably my all time favorite weather. a cool breeze but the sun is still shining. perfection!
the past month or so, our air conditioning was constantly running and still couldn't keep up to keep it as low as we wanted it, even running 24/7. but today? our air isn't even running and hasn't all day and it's STILL 2 degrees lower than what we have it set at! amazing!
this makes me SO excited for fall. I love fall. I think it's now officially my favorite season!
i can't wait for....
cute scarves aplenty

boots and my skinny jeans (really looking forward to the day i can wear these!)

comfy cardigans

caramel apple spices every week

and long walks down the leaf filled streets with the husby, pups and baby in tow

i really cannot wait!

33 Weeks

2011-08-07T16:27:00.000-05:00

I'm 33 weeks!
I feel like my belly always looks pointy in pictures when I hold my hands under it these days. Maybe it really does look like that. I have always felt like I carried low and the further along I get, the more I am convinced I do. At our birth classes they were talking about the baby dropping and how you would stop feeling her up in your ribs and start feeling her more on your bladder. I have never felt her in my rib cage but quite frequently on my bladder. I actually count my blessings she's not in my ribs because I've heard that can be very painful!!

Well baby girl is now as big as a pineapple (4+ pounds) and about 17 inches in length! She's getting so big! Her movements are now almost all rolls and stretches. Sometimes she pushes so hard with a foot or elbow (I think), I feel like she's going to bust through my skin any minute! My doctor has not been able to confirm yet that she is head down and I don't think she is. A lot of times I think she is sideways....it feels like she's just stretching out my stomach from side to side for a few minutes and the middle of my belly is flat. It's such a weird feeling. I really hope that if she isn't head down, she gets that way....soon! I would really prefer not to have to do the painful technique they do to try to turn them :)

I still really want to try to do a natural birth. I feel like I get more passionate, AND more terrified about that every day! I know that whatever happens happens and I will not be disappointed if I decide to get an epidural or need to be induced, but I would really like to try without, for a lot of reasons!

My sleep has been horrible lately. I cannot fall asleep at night, sometimes until 4-5 hours after we go to bed. I just have so much on my mind. I find myself thinking a lot about what she'll look like, what it will really be like to be a mom, what labor is going to be like, when she'll come. It's getting so close these things are just on my mind a lot!

I can't believe that in 4 more weeks we'll be full term! I am expecting to go past my due date because I've heard that most first time moms do and I would rather think that and go early than to think I'll go early and be disappointed and miserable if I go late. We'll see!

I am getting very excited for the weather to cool down! I have finally reached that point in pregnancy where I cannot cool down EVER! I know a lot of that has to do with the fact that the heat index has been in the upper 90's-100's! This week we're supposed to get down into the 70's, but guess what? We'll be traveling to Oklahoma for my grandma's (step mom's mom's) funeral, and it's supposed to be 105 there! Greeeat! Speaking of that-I'd appreciate prayers for that! Tony & I are happy we'll be able to go and honor her life and support family, but we are going to have to make a long drive that will not be comfortable for me. I don't care about the comfort too much, I am just praying that God keeps this baby in there! I know it would be really early for her to come, and I got the ok to go from the OB, but it's still at the back of my mind. What would I do if I went into labor in the middle of nowhere?! Our pastor gave a sermon today about faith and not living in fear-I guess this is where I get to put it into practice :)

Ok, this is getting long-I'll wrap it up! Mostly, I am so thankful that we have a healthy little girl who is still cooking, and that despite all of the complications and discomforts that can come up in pregnancy, I have not had to experience many! I praise God that the nausea finally subsided (for the most part) so that I can live a more normal life :) I hope everyone has a blessed week!

Breakfast for Dinner

2011-08-04T15:46:00.000-05:00

Do you eat breakfast for dinner? We usually do about once a week.
(This was actually a huge tip I got from a lot of people regarding our grocery budget-great minds think alike!)
It's cheap, you usually have most of the ingredients on hand (we always have bread for toast or french toast, eggs, bacon, pancake mix.....), and let's be honest-it's delicious.
Since our breakfasts consist usually of cereal, oatmeal, smoothies, etc. because when I was working I was not going to get up any earlier than I had to to cook breakfast, and well, now a days, I sleep until about 11 :), this give us the opportunity to have real breakfast meals!
Anyway, we usually have simple things like scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and fruit or something like that.
But I found this website I wanted to share-delicious breakfast for dinner recipes by none other than Martha.
I'm excited to mix it up a little and try some! We're doing scrambled eggs with bacon & avocado this week :)
Happy Eating!!
p.s. does breakfast for dinner make anyone else think of Pauly Bleeker from Juno? "But Paul, we're having your favorite--breakfast for dinner!" :)