A Carpenter's Wife

Stay At Home Mom For A Day

2012-01-22T19:16:00.000-08:00

Cailin got sick yet again this week. Stupid teeth, stupid germs. I had no choice but to stay home with her for 3 days. Even though she was sick and somewhat grumpy, I enjoyed every minute of it. I could SO do this every day. I thought I would document our day since it doesn't happen often...

We woke up and had breakfast. Banana pancakes and pears, mmmm!

Made a mess when Mommy wasn't looking.

Had Some tea and made some music.

Practiced walking.

Cailin had a nap. Then we had lunch. After lunch we brushed our teeth.

Then we got dressed (not happy about that) and played in her room for a bit.

Practiced walking some more...

Pulled her laundry out of her basket.

Then we ~~went shopping~~ drove around so Mommy could charge her phone (I leave my charger at work).

Faught naps and threw fits...

Read books.... Over. And over. And over again.

And that's pretty much it. It was great to be home with her for a few days. By the way, the bibs are for all the slobber. That's what happens when she's sick and teething. She slobbers like there is no tomorrow. They totally mess up her style, but whatevs.

13 Months

2012-01-22T13:03:00.000-08:00

Miss Cailin turned 13 months last week. At first I thought nothing much has changed. But then she started WALKING. I was starting to think it would never happen. She's not walking far. From person to person, couch to coffee table, etc. Just a few steps at a time, but much more than before, when she wanted NOTHING to do with it. She's getting more and more confident each day. I give it a month till she's toddling all around the house! I'm in for it, I know. So proud of my baby!

Excuse the blurry picture. Taking pics of a walking toddler by yourself = nearly impossible.

New Words This Month:
Not too much. I think she said book ("boo") today. I'm pretty sure that's what she was trying to say, because she handed me the book and said "Boo. Boo!" a few times. Oh also, "baba", but two different meanings, "bye bye" and as in "bottle". Other than that, really no new words. She's got a LOT to say though. Not actual words, but she's "talking" a bunch. She points at something, and says, "boo da ba ba a ga gaga do doo." Oh and making animal noises. Mostly just monkey. She sees her monkey on her wall and says, "oooh oooh" as she points at it. Too cute! So at 13 months Cai says:
Hi
Bye bye (ba ba)
Mom, Momma
Dad, Dada, Daddy
Dog
Kitty
Bottle (also baba)
She's not saying tree or pretty anymore because those were mostly Christmas related. So now she doesn't see the Christmas tree or Christmas lights (which is what pretty was for).

Signs:
Not too many new signs either. Just uncle. She's doing Uncle now. So at 13 months Cai signs:
Eat
Milk
I Love You
Uncle
Apple
Baby
Kitty
Dog
Milk
More
Banana
All Done
Please

LOVES: baths, dogs, Singing and doing the movements to "Itsy Bitsy Spider", books/reading (thanks Patty for the Peek-a-Boo books, they're her favorite!), Feeding herself with a spoon (although she's still learning. I MUST get two spoons if I'm feeding her now), and baby dolls. It's so cute. She sees her baby dolls, says and signs "baby", crawls over to it, and gives it kisses. Such a lover this one.

Hates: Being sick, diaper changes, nothing new there.

She's a lover AND a fighter this one. She loves giving hugs and kisses, but at the same time she's a biter. One day an old lady was talking to her and said, "Don't worry sweety, I don't bite." I said, "she does bite, so watch out!" Seriously, she's mean. We have a problem here. I don't know how to correct it. I don't think biting back will help. Girlfriend will bite herself if she's angry enough! And of course then cries about it. She hits too, but not in an angry way. More in a playfull way. The biting is a mean, angry thing.

We're also having a hard time parting with the bottle. She'll take water in a sippy just fine, but is still refusing milk in the sippy for the most part.

I need to get better about blogging. But a busy job, busy baby and a husband out of town means there's not much time.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T15:18:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday! (Picture Heavy)

2011-12-19T12:50:00.000-08:00

We had two parties for the Princess! One, just a small dinner/get together with the inlaws since they weren't going to be able to make it Saturday, and then her big party with friends and the rest of our family.

Let me just say, her big bday party didn't end up as planned. It turned out just great, don't get me wrong! It was supposed to have a theme. Princess and Polka Dots. I couldn't find any pink polka dotted stuff, what's up with that!? I didn't really get the decorations up, and well... I just had a lot more plans for food, decor, fun, etc. It didn't happen because there just wasn't enough time or energy. I got her cold, so I felt like shit, and the weekend previous to her bday was spent on the couch snuggling my sicky instead of out shopping and getting things prepped like I wanted to. So it all ended up last minute, and an hour before guests were supposed to show up, I said fuck it to the decorations. But like I said, it still ended up great. Great times with friends and family. :)

The first cake "smash". This girl just wasn't too crazy about cake. :)

For me?

What's this?

She did end up having a little bit of fun with this peice of cake. :)

The big Princess Birthday Party:

See my lack of decor?

The Princess!

What do you get boys for a princess party? Mustaches!

Cake made by my sister in law. :)

ONE

2011-12-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

Cailin turned one on Friday! This also means, Mommy and Daddy have survived our first year of parenthood. Go us!

This year has been the best year ever. So many happy moments, some frustrating ones, but all and all it has been great! I don't usually say this, but we are so truley blessed to have such a wonderful, happy, beautiful, healthy baby girl. It makes me so happy to see her grow and learn, and so sad at the same time that she's getting so big so fast.

We had two (yes two!) birthday parties! One was just a small get together with the inlaws, since they weren't going to be able to make it to her party, and then we had the big party the next day. More on that later. :)

What Cailin is up to this month:

Still amazes me with words and signs.
Says:
New words - Ball, Kitty, Tree (Christmas tree).
Perfecting old words - Mom, Dad, Hi, Baby, Dog.

Signs:
New Signs: Baby (my favorite. It's sooo cute!), I love you, Kitty, Apple.
Old Signs - Milk, More, Eat, Banana, All Done, Please, Dog.
She points at EVERYTHING wanting an explaination. She's so curious about the world around her.
Still not interested in walking. I thought she was going to be walking by Christmas there for a minute. On Thankgiving weekend she was taking an interest in it. Even taking a step towards me, and standing unassisted. She'll stand unassisted, until she realizes she is and then she'll sit down. Like she's scared or something. So she hasn't really tried since then. Oh well, I'm not worried. She'll do it when she's ready. :) In the meantime I've been stocking up on shoes. I'm sure it'll happen like overnight.
She has boycotted sleep. :( She has not slept through the night since Halloween weekend. Or a few days before that anyway. She got a cold that weekend, which lasted a good 10 days. She does not sleep when sick. Then when she got better, she would still wake up in the middle of the night! I thought, okay she's thrown off because she of her cold... Then a week later she was still waking up! I thought, okay she's going through a growth spurt cause she was wanting a bottle in the middle of the night. Then She was STILL waking up a couple weeks later! I knew she had two teeth coming in, so I thought, okay she's just teething. Then she got another cold last week, which made it even worse! Now she's been waking up several times a night! It's so frustating! She's always been a good sleeper until this past month and a half.

She's over her cold and is still not sleeping. Waking up anywhere from 1 - 3 times a night! Screaming and crying bloody murder in her crib.I've tried letting her cry. I let her go 15 minutes the other night (coming from a non CIO mom, that's serious), and it just escalated until I went and got her. At 4AM. She won't sleep in her crib at night either! She's wanting to be rocked to sleep. Fine, I have absolutely no problem rocking her to sleep. I would gladly rock her till she's 3. She stopped wanting to be rocked months ago, so like I said, I don't mind. But as soon as you lay her down in her crib she wakes up screaming. Either that, or she'll wake up an hour later screaming. The past few nights she's slept in bed with me. I guess I don't mind as long as we're all getting some sleep. Separation anxiety? I dunno. I just hope it goes back to normal soon. I also don't mind sharing the bed with her, but she's been tossing and turning a bunch. I'm a light sleeper, so it wakes me up, so I turn around and cuddle her, or pat her back until she's fully asleep again.
Teeth: She has 6 teeth now! Her bottom two, and top 4. Or should I say top 3.5. The right one next to her two front teeth isn't fully out yet, but it's poked through. Doctor says she thinks she may have some molars coming soon... grrrreeeeat.
Speaking of the doctor, she is 21.9lbs (hasn't gained any weight in 2 months, actually she lost an ounce). And she's 29 1/4 inches long. So she's grown taller, but is definitely thinning out. She looks so much like a little kid now and less like a baby every day. And so much more like her Daddy!
We've made the switch from formula to cow's milk now. She still only takes it from a bottle though, and it has to be warmed up a little. She's in the "I just throw my sippy on the floor" stage right now. I've been trying several different sippy cups to see which she likes best. Before she really seemed to like the straw sippies, but she doesn't like drinking milk from it, just water. So we'll keep trying.

Last Christmas Vs. This Christmas

2011-12-12T15:50:00.000-08:00

About a week ago, we met with Latricia again for Cailin's 1st Birthday/Christmas photos. We didn't get too many birthday shots thanks to uncooperative weather and an uncooperative baby, but we got some great Christmas ones! And she made our Christmas cards. OMG they're amazing! So excited to send them out!

Anyway, just looking back at Cai's first Christmas compared to this one. Has it been one year already?!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-07T19:53:00.000-08:00

Our Turkey Day

2011-12-05T19:09:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was good! We went to my sister in law's for dinner, and everything was super delicious! We all stuffed our faces, including Cailin!

Mmmmm this is all so yummy!

washing it down with some water

Yay for Thanksgiving!

Oh I'm so full!

I really have so much to be thankful for this year. A wonderful husband, an awesome job at a great company, and most of all, this girl.

11 Months

2011-11-20T14:40:00.000-08:00

One more month and I will no longer have a baby. I told my husband the other day while we were putting up a photo wall (and most the pictures were of our baby) that I now know why people have more babies. I really do miss having a little baby. Don't get any ideas though, no more for a couple years!

Let the first birthday party planning commence! The theme? Princesses and Polka Dots! Lots of pink of course. I just spent the first half of my day printing her invitations and that was way more of a hassle that it was supposed to be! But I got it done, now I just have to put them together and send them out. :)

Cailin has gotten so smart this past month! She's saying words and signing up a storm!

She says:
* Mom - Not mama. Not Mommy, but Mom. Just Mom. She's not allowed to call me that until she's at least 12. Doesn't she know this?
* Dad, Dada, and Daddy. Yeah. Apparently he's special.
* Hi - her favorite.
* Baby
* Dog

She Signs:
* Milk, which was her first sign.
* More (which looks like she's clapping, but Aunt Jen and I know what she really means).
* Eat
* Please
* All Done
* Banana

So smart!!

She loves... Talking (Hi is her favorite word), Being a silly goose and making silly noises, playing patticake and Itsy Bitsy Spider with me, and taking her laundry that I just folded and throwing it all over the floor.

Hates... Diaper changes. God she throws a fit every.single.time. The step in our living room. We have a sunken in living room, it's like one step down, and when she was army crawling she got up and down that thing, no problem. Once she started really crawling on her hands and knees she ate shit a few times and now she is scared to come down. She goes up just fine, but if she wants to come back, she crawls to the step and just sits there and cries until I come get her.

Is there some sort of 10/11 month growth spurt? She's been waking up in the middle of the night for the passed couple weeks, and she's hungry. I wake up to her crying (which is just her "thing" these days let me tell you), and I'll ignore for a few minutes to see if she's going to go back to sleep. But no, it escalates so I go get her at 3am. Then I shush and snuggle her, but she still cries, so I make a full bottle and she gulps it down! I've started making the bottle now before I even go in there, cause obviously it's what she wants/needs. So I'm chalking it up to a growth spurt. Not sure what else it could be!

Halloween

2011-11-02T19:47:00.000-07:00

Halloween was ok. Cailin came down with a nasty cold last Thursday, so it kind of screwed up our weekend plans, and she still wasn't feeling too hot on Monday, so she wasn't that into it. I'm glad that we went up north to the Camp Verde Fall Festival the previous weekend. It wasn't a great pumpkin patch, honestly. They basically threw a bunch of pumpkins in a field of horse shit. But we still had fun.

For Halloween Cai was a garden gnome. Our nieces kept calling her Juliet from Gnomeo and Juliet! Thanks to Lisa for coming through on her costume! Long story short, I ordered her costome, they sent the wrong size, I sent it back and then they were out of stock! Ugh. Still trying to get my refund on that by the way...

Cailin and her BFF Khloe (My BFF's daughter, she's 6 months old)

Daddy and Cailin picking out pumpkins

Momma kitty and my little Juliet. <3

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-25T19:02:00.000-07:00

Doing what she does best!

10 Months!

2011-10-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

Miss Kiki is 10 months old now! Since I just did her 9 month post, nothing much has changed. of course there's that HUGE milestone of saying her first word, which is "Hi"!

She just started pointing as well. Other than that, she's just getting smarter and bigger by the day. It amazes me to watch her grow and learn. She's definitely showing LOTS of personality! I am loving this age, even though I'm constantly chasing her around, pulling things out of her hands and mouth.

Oh yeah, I finally got her into the doctor for her 9 month well check. She's weighing in at 21 lbs 6oz and 28.5in tall. Still in the 75th percentile all the way around. We only have one more head manipulation appointment left and her head looks almost perfect! I'm so glad we went that route.

Loves:
*I think I've said this before, but eating. Seriously, this girl is a foodie! She especially loves to feed herself. I really wish I had my camera the other day because I had 2 dogs and a baby begging for food, it was hilarious.
* Loves getting into shit. Constantly. She's an explorer, this one! She LOVES to empty the diaper bag.
* She also loves climbing anything she can, and opening and closing doors (as you can see in the video below). She doesn't even play with her toys. Who needs toys when you have doors, I guess!
* Screaming and yelling is one of her favorite thinsg to do. Especially in places like the bathtub where it echos and breaks your ear drums. Oh, and in public is always fun!
*Playing peek-a-boo!

Hates:
*The carseat. Well, really anything she is strapped into. The stroller is also evil in her eyes.
* Having things taken away from her, not unusual for a kid.

Other than that, she really is such a good baby. I really am so blessed to have her. I cannot even imagine life before or without her. I love her so much, and wish I could spend every minute of every day with her.

Happy 10 months my beautiful princess!

Cailin Says "Hi"!

2011-10-20T19:08:00.000-07:00

I'm calling it as her first official word! She started saying it yesterday afternoon. We were at the doctor for her 9 month well check (yes, a month late), and she was standing on my lap looking out the window and she kept saying "hi! Hiiiiiii!" And I was all like, "did she just say "hi"? No, it's probably just baby talk and it just sounds like she's saying hi." And then the rest of the evening she was saying it. She even waved and said it a few times. Here's a video of her saying it last night. It's at the very beginning. Right as she pulled herself up on my legs

So today when I picked her up from Aunt Jen's, I asked her if she was saying it and she said yes. She said she said hi to her husband when he got home! So there we have it. Miss Cailin's first official word is Hi!
.

Once Apon a Time, My Kid Was 9 Months Old...

2011-10-02T16:45:00.000-07:00

Yeah, so I'm a couple weeks late here. It's been crazy busy! Camping trips, weddings (2 in 1 night), work, work and more work! Busy busy!

Good news, I'm getting used to working out of the home, and handling nights alone with Cailin, since it looks like Daddy will be out of town longer than we thought. It's hard. It took some adjusting, but I'm dealing now. Now that I think (I HOPE - knock on wood) I'm done being sick. I've been at the new job now for a month and pretty much sick the entire time.

Anyhoot. Enough about me.... Cailin turned 9 months old back on September 16th. Wait, it's October now. Yeah, told you we've been busy!

What has Miss Cai been up to lately? Or should I say INTO, which is everything! This girl is crawling everywhere and climbing everything! And if you dare to put her in "baby jail" aka the pack n' play, she gets pissed. Seriously pissed.

Which leads me into the next topic. Fits. She throws fits. Already. at 9 months old. If she doesn't get her way, or she's strapped into the carseat or stroller, all hell breaks loose. She fights sleep. I've had to let her cry it out (more like throw a fit it out). Something that I'm against. But you know what? She didn't want to be rocked, so I finally gave up and let her have it out until she fell asleep. I knew she was just over tired. It was a last resort type of thing.

Something else I've never done? Bought baby food. Gasp! I bought baby food. In a jar! Yeah, no time lately. Although I am working on some pumpkin, acorn squash, apples, spinach and chicken now. Cause, yeah. Baby food is expensive! I've been spending like $20/week! No bueno.

Her hand eye coordination is amazing these days. She's learned to clap, waves bye bye, and blows kisses sometimes! Too fricken cute!

She says Mama!!! Finally! And not just baby talk but has actually looked me right in the eye and said mama. She actually says Mom. Usually when she is crying or needs me, it's like MmmmmmMoooooooommmmmmmmmmm. She says Mom more than mama, which is weird to me. Or the last ma is like a separate word. Like, "mom. ma." She's also putting different sounds together more and more. Like she's actually got something to say, not just playing with her voice.

She gives the sweetest, most slobberiest kisses. She's been doing this for a couple months, but I wasn't sure if she's really giving kisses or just eating my face. But no, she gives other babies kisses, it's too cute! Yesterday I woke up and went in her room and got her out of her crib. She grabbed my face, pulled it to hers and planted a big wet one right on my lips. Then we went back to our bed to cuddle with Daddy and she crawled right over to his head and planted one right on his face. LOVE her so much!

I can't believe in just 2.5 months she'll be ONE YEAR OLD. Where the hell has time gone?!

Such a happy camper! She absolutely loved it!

Camper Cailin ;)

Uh Oh

2011-09-23T19:28:00.000-07:00

This is what's been going down (or up) at my house for the past few weeks. Yep. Miss Cailin has learned to pull herself up. This is what she does when she's supposed to be sleeping. Or when she wakes up. She's now pulling herself up on ev-er-y-thing. And I just had Husband put the mattress down because she's climbing as well! She's even started taking steps while holding onto furniture. Oi! I'm not ready for her to walk yet! I know it's just a matter of time. Crawling is exhausting enough! I'm so proud of her of course at the same time. My big girl. Learning and growing so much every day. She's 9 months now, and I'll get to that post sometime before she turns 1. ;)

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2011-09-03T13:56:00.000-07:00

I started a new job this week. And I got a horrible stomach flu the first day, and was sick literally all week. Go me! Just my luck,!

On the bright side, I made it through my first week at a really great company. I'm not going to share what company that is, because this blog is not private, but if you know me IRL, you know where that is. I'm really excited though. It's a pretty good pay raise, as well as awesome benefits! The next 6 more weeks I'll be in training, so blogging will be sparce while I get used to working out of the home again. That's the only crappy thing. I was working from home before. It's a good thing too though, because I am so lazy when working from home, so it'll be good for me. It's just going to take some time to adjust.

So, until then here's a picture of my sweet baby girl.

Wordless Wednesday - Brains...

2011-08-24T11:07:00.000-07:00

... It's what's for dinner. ;)

Nom nom nom

These Are A Few of Our Favorite Things

2011-08-22T16:56:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to write this post for.ev.er. I started it months ago, but I never finish. So I'm freaking finishing it now, geeze.

* Graco Pack N Play
When Cailin was a newborn, she REFUSED to sleep in the bassinet someone gifted me. After 8 weeks of sleeping in my arms, I had Husband bring the PNP in our room. It was set up in the living room, and she would nap just fine in it (sometimes), so one night he brought her in, and laid her down in it, and she slept a few hours before she wanted me to hold her. Then the next night, after a feeding, a few more hours, then a few more the next night. Finally she was sleeping in there every night, all night, until she went to her crib at 4 months old. Should've done it sooner, but I won't lie, I liked bed sharing. It comforted me as well. My back, however, wasn't too happy with it. Now we have just the play pin set up in our living room as a "baby jail". Meaning she's too damn mobile, and can't be left alone for 2 seconds, so we sit her in there with some toys while I brush my teeth or get dressed.

* The Moby Wrap - This is my #1 favorite! I don't use it too much now, at least for long periods of time because she's so heavy, and it is a little hot in the summer, but I 100% recommend this to any mom. I ~~wear~~ used to wear my baby pretty much every where we went. Grocery shopping, a day out, walks, mall, etc etc. Sure, it definitely does take some practice at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy. I will say the hardest part to learn are the holds. Keep those directions in your diaper bag until you get the hang of it.

We use the outward facing Hug Hold the most. She will get pissed if I try to put her facing me. She wants to face outwards and look around. Now that she's bigger, I'll do the hip hold, that way it doesn't kill my back.

* Fisher Price Seahorse
This was great when she was a newborn. It helped soothe her to sleep. Of course, I wish it played longer. I did have to go in and restart it 3 times on average, but other than that it's great.

* Fisher Price Little Lamb Swing
She lived in this for a couple months. Worked wonders putting her to sleep. She's grown out of it, and it's been put away for a couple months now, but I would call this a necessity!

* Fisher Price Space Saver High Chair
Awesome. Fits perfectly on our dining room table, and we plan on taking it with us camping in a couple weeks.

* Eddie Bauer Shopping Cart Cover
Love this thing. It has little hooks to attach toys to, as well as a pocket w/a zipper to ~~hide your grocery list and coupons so your baby won't eat them~~ put your keys in. I also love the harness. It was great at holding her up before she was fully sitting up on her own.

* Fisher Price Monkey Toy
Move over, Sophie! This monkey is the star of this household! I saw this toy at her head doctor appointment when she was 2 months old. It's what they used to distract her/keep her still while taking pictures. She loved it. So when I saw it at Target, I had to swoop it up. It's her favorite toy. We don't leave home without him. He has a teething toy, the leave crackles, his tail is a rattle, and his nose plays songs and makes nature sounds. Although I'm still wondering why he ribbits like a frog... I even bought my friend one for her new baby. I hope he enjoys it as much as Cailin has.

Other Must Haves:
Bouncy Chair. I don't really think it matters what brand. We have a Fisher Price one and it's awesome. A bouncy chair (preferrably one that vibrates) is definitely a must have baby item.
Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo - Fun! Tons of toys and lights and music. Bounces great. She loves it! She also loves the Evenflo jumperoo at my sister in law's.
Boppy Pillow

Fail:
Infantino carrier - not comfortable for either of us. I can't remember which one it is, but I didn't really have high expectations for it. I got it at TJ Maxx on clearance.
Bumbo- She hated it. I tried and tried and tried, and every time she would scream. I really wanted her to like it. I have the tray as well, which is a pain to get on by the way. I've given up on the Bumbo.

Just Okay:Sophie the Giraffe - She likes her okay, but she's not a star in our household. Probably could've saved myself that $20.
My Travel System - I will be honest, while pregnant baby stuff overwhelmed me. I wasn't sure what exactly I was looking for, so I just went with a design I liked. I ended up getting the Graco Snugride carseat and matching stroller. The car seat is one of the cheaper models, and while there's nothing wrong with that, I don't like how the straps are so extremely hard to adjust. It doesn't have that loosening part in the front, so it was extremely difficult to get the tightness just right. You don't have the option to loosen it to get her in and out, so it was a pain in thte ass to get her arms in and out, or if she was wearing bulkier clothing, then you had to loosen it from the back, which was extremely difficult. The stroller is too big and bulky. It barely fits in my trunk. I'm thinking about finding a better lightweight stroller. Nothing against Graco. I do like their products, just wish I went for a different model. It did it's job though, so I won't give this a complete fail. Just look for a better model, like the Snugride 32 or 35.

8 Months!

2011-08-22T15:42:00.000-07:00

My has she grown this month! I feel like she's learned so many new things this month. She's 19lbs 7oz.I know that because of her last head manipulation appointment this past Thursday. I need to write a post about that.

She's sitting completely now. No falling over. In fact, she's learned how to get herself in the crawling position down so she can go after whatever it is she has her eye on (Gizmo's tail for example). She's getting strong too. She can catch herself if she starts to fall. Really exercising her core! She can also look up at you, or turn her head around w/out falling over as well. She's got sitting down to a T!

Still army crawling, but boy is she fast! She gets up on all fours, but then it's like she gets impatient and just plops down and army crawls to her destination. We really need to get on that baby proofing thing. The only thing we've done is put the little plug thingies in.

She can stand while holding onto something sturdy. She doesn't pull herself up, but she can hold herself up.

She signs "milk"!! I've been teaching her baby signs for the past two months. Milk is probably what I do most, mainly because for a while there she was laughing and making the funniest face when I made that sign, so I would do it over and over again, just to get her silly "milk face". But now, she's understanding. When she's eating solids and she's over it, she starting whining and signing "milk" until we get her the bottle. I'm so proud of her!

See? Silly milk face right there.

Speaking of solids, she's up to 3 meals a day now. What new things have we tried this month? Chicken. I pureed some chicken with carrots and she actually really seems to love it. I think it makes her a little gassy though. Hmm... what else have we tried lately? Peas, Acorn squash (which she likes better than butternut squash), little bits of mango and plum raw, not pureed as well as little bits of cooked chicken (shredded and cut small). That's really the only new things she's had. She LOVES to feed herself. I'll give her small pieces of avacado or banana (or a mix or with the other things listed above) with some puffs. She goes to town. She seriously loves it! She's really good at it too, I would say more than half ends up in her mouth rather than in her lap or on the floor. AND she's drinking out of a straw now. I realized she could actually do this the other day while sharing some water with her while we were out, and so I went out and got her a straw sippy. My big girl!

Mmmmm!

She's waving as well. She won't really do it on command (she doesn't really do anything on command), but if you sit her infont of a mirror she'll sit there and wave to herself. Super cuteness!

She's finally starting to mimick people. For example, while teaching her how to wave, I swear she said "bye bye" a couple times. I was waving to her saying, "ba-bye", and she said "bye bye". And then I was like, "what? did you just say bye bye?" So I said it to her again, and she said, "bye bye". So yeah, I'm pretty sure she said bye bye. She's also clicking her tounge now. I've been doing this to her for months, but usually she just laughs, now she does it back.

Still in 12 month clothing and still in size 3 diapers.

I finally got her a big girl car seat (and yes, she's still rear facing, I'm not stupid). We ended up getting the Safety 1st Onside Air Covertible in Adeline. I had such a hard time making a decision. This was on sale and had good ratings, so I went with it. It's comfortable and works well.

That's about all I can think of. Here are some more pics for you to enjoy. :)

She is awfully hard to take pictures of these days. She does.not.stay.still.

Wordless Wednesday - Sippy Cup!

2011-07-27T17:53:00.000-07:00

Not too sure what to think about that.

Weekly Menu

2011-07-21T13:59:00.000-07:00

First off, I think I need to change the name of these post titles, because I've been getting some spam comments on the "Weekly Meal Plans". Let's see if "Weekly Menu" makes a difference. Secondly, I haven't made a meal list in a couple weeks. Reason for that, our fridge broke. Not once, but twice. Both times literally right after I went grocery shopping. So I ended up losing not only food (food just doesn't keep up well in a cooler), but also money. It broke, husband fixed it. I waited a week, gave in and went grocery shopping, and then literally the next morning after I finally went grocery shopping it broke again. I was so pissed. We have a new fridge now, and it works great! The old was was a piece of shit anyway. it was never all that cold. It's amazing to have really cold milk and the fact that my produce lasts longer than a few days is awesome! :)
Steak Tacos (I guess they call that carne asada) + black beans
Crock Pot Zesty Chicken
Chicken pesto panini on chibatta bread + sweet potato fries
Chicken sausage and broccoli casserole - WW recipe.
Grilled pork chops + vegi kabobs + baked beans + grilled pinneapple for desert.

7 Months

2011-07-21T11:16:00.000-07:00

Baby girl turned 7 months old last week! Ugh, she's getting way too big! We put away her swing the other day, which was really sad. I remember the days where she lived in that thing. Not so much anymore. We haven't used it in months. She's a big girl and takes naps in her crib. We're also looking for a convertable car seat. Why is it so hard to make a decision on that? I mean, really they're pretty much all the same thing, right? I dunno, it's confusing.

She's pretty much sitting on her own unassisted. She'll go for a minute or two without falling over. :) Not crawling yet. I think she spends too much time in the jumperoo, because she was scooting all over the place, but now she just kicks her legs and flails her arms. It's kind of funny, because she almost looks like she's swimming. So I've been putting her on the floor to play more when she's home.

Loves: jumping in her jumperoo, bananas, Yo Gabba Gabba (or maybe that's me?), watching and giggling at Lily while she runs back and forth. Lily has just become the funniest thing in the world to her over the past couple days. She just walks by and Cailin starts cracking up! Her cousin "Tia". Those two are going to have a special bond, I think. I love it.

Hates: Green beans still, although she'll take it from a store bought jar. I feel like Katherine Heigel on that one movie where she makes baby food, and the baby won't eat it. The Nose Frida, teething, and staying still.

She wants to get moving so bad, I can tell. She climbs all over me, while I'm holding her. I think she might just skip crawling and just walk. Here in these series of pictures below you can see where she decides she's over Mommy's little photoshoot and is just going to climb off the chair and walk away. Except she can't. haha!

Yeah... you know what? I'm over it.

I'm out of here!

I'm stuck!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-20T13:42:00.000-07:00

So This Is What They Call "Teething Hell"?

2011-07-18T11:25:00.000-07:00

Who stole my perfect happy baby, and replaced her with this constantly whiney and fussy one? I mean, for the first time ever, she was even cranky in public! Can you believe it? I can't. Even when she was a hellish, colicky newborn, the only place she wasn't crying was in public! Really though, she's constantly whining. She's learned to say her B's, but it's not cute, because it's always while she's whining. It sounds something like this, "uhhhhhhhh ba ba ba baaaaaaaaaaa. bfffffffffffffftttt mmmmm booooo baaaaa." I mean, I was so proud of her for learning how to say her 'B' sounds, but then I know when I hear then it means trouble is on the way. This has been going on for about two weeks now. I try not to get frustrated because I know she hurts.

She's been a terror when it comes to falling asleep. Usually I'll hold her for a minute, give her the binky (or she'll use her thumb), I rock her and off to sleepyland she goes. Not now. Now it's lots of fussing, not being able to get comfortable and fidgeting, and oh the "baaaa baaaaaa baaaaaaa :(". Sometimes I'll even give up and go lay her in her crib, but nope. I'll let her fuss for a bit, but then it starts turning into cries, and since I am against CIO (crying it out), I go and get her. I'll give in and give her some Tylenol, and in a few minutes she's asleep in my arms. Once she's out, she out for the night, and thank all that is holy she is at least still sleeping through the night (knocks on wood).

Although in the mornings instead of hearing her wake up with those cute little coos, she's now waking up whining. It's just so sad. All day is this constant whine. I feel like she's just saying, "Mom, it hurts!" Sometimes it turns into cries as well. Breaks my heart. She's been a little congested too. Oh, and how dare I suck those boogies out?! Especially first thing in the morning before she eats. She gets super pissed when I do this. Full on screaming crying. Husband was even like, "What are you DOING to her in there?!" She screams, cries, fights me tooth(literally) and nail, but I'm like, "you need to be able to breathe to eat, sweetheart."

I blame it on teething. I know she's teething. She cut her first tooth (literally out of nowhere) right before this all started.That was about 2 weeks ago now. My sister-in-law pointed it out. That one came in no problem. No whiney fussy baby. It didn't bother her at all. I had no idea. But right after that baby came through, yeah. That's when she turned into this completely different baby. I can see the second one coming through. It's almost out. And she seems to be feeling a little better. Not 100%, but at least she's smiling and squeeling again. oh, and the B sounds are super cute in her happy voice. :)

I wish I could get a picture of those little toofies(her bottom 2), but that's pretty much impossible. She sticks out her tounge and tries to eat my fingers. I call them her puppy teeth, because ouch! They are sharp like puppy teeth!

Teething Sucks. I was not looking forward to this, and now I know why.

What do you do to help with the pain? I hate giving her Tylenol so often. During the worst of this I was giving it to her twice a day, but I really try to limit it. I was thinking about buying one of those Amber teething necklaces, but I'm skeptical. I've given her frozen bananas and grapes in a mesh feeder. She seems to like it, but she gets frustrated easily.

6 Month Pics!

2011-07-08T10:57:00.000-07:00

This week we met with the wonderful, amazing, creative, extremely talented LaTricia for Cailin's 6 month photos. LaTricia was also responsible for my awesome newborn photos. I decided that I really wanted to get Cai's newborn, 6 month and one year photos done professionally. And I couldn't imagine going anywhere else! We met up with LaTricia at the Scottsdale Marriot on Wednesday evening and got some amazing shots! Here are a few sneek peek pictures she sent me!

I'm sorry, but my kid is beautiful. :)

I made her onesie. I thought it turned out crappy, but it's okay.

I absolutely ADORE this picture. I almost teared up when I saw it!

My fav!!

Wordless Wednesday - Camera Phone Photo Dump

2011-07-06T14:39:00.000-07:00

Swimming!

Trying to put a clip in the little bit of hair she has. Looks silly, I know. :)

Finally able to get her foot in her mouth.

On the move! I walk away for one second and she's off! She was on that blanket....

Sleepy head. Hanging onto the railing while passed out! haha

Starting and Making Solid Food

2011-06-27T15:58:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make a separate post about this one. As I mentioned in my 6 month post below, we have officially started solids. So far everything she's eaten has been made by me. Well, except for formula or course. I only wish I was making her milk too, but that's a different story ,involves a pity party, and I'm not going there. And also grains. I probably would've made rice cereal too, but we skipped rice cereal altogether and did oatmeal instead, because of her constipation issues.

First taste of Oatmeal. About 4 months old.

I started feeding her some foods off and on, no real schedule around 4 months. Kind of just a trial, practice and for fun. We tried certain foods here and there, but nothing very consistent. If I had the time that night we'd give her something. If she wasn't into it, we'd skip it. If she was cranky I wouldn't even go there. In the past I've let her try sweet potatoes, bananas (but stopped after my mother-in-law told me they are part of the BRAT diet and cause constipation), oatmeal and avacado. I was really putting it off until closer to 6 months, mostly due to her constipation issues, which we have now seemed to get under control after switching her formula back from Enfamil Gentlease to regular Enfamil.

Sweet potatoes! Just a couple weeks ago. And yes, that's sweet potato on her forehead.

Now she's eating solids consistently every day, twice a day. We're giving it to her morning and night. Kind of like a breakfast and dinner type thing. She's a lot better at swallowing now instead of making the sucking motion w/her mouth and ultimately spitting everything out. So she's actually ingesting most of it now. She's now eating everything listed above, and we've added pears, green beans, and carrots recently. I do stick to the one new food every 4 days/week deal to make sure she's not allergic. Looking at that I know it sounds like a lot, but it's been a couple bites here and there since she was 4 months old, not all in this past week. Thought I'd clarify. This past week the only new thing she's tried was green beans, which she's HATED. I mean, she was literally gagging on them, how dramatic is she?! I ended up mixing a little bit of pear in with it, and then she was able to tolerate a few bites. We'll keep trying!

Like I said, I've made all of her fruits/vegis myself. It's seriously SO easy. It's so simple. It pretty much just consists of steaming and blending/pureeing. I puree in my Black & Decker food processor, which I recently purchased for just $29.99. It works great! Once I'm done cooking/pureeing, I freeze. When freezing, I usually don't add any water or formula to thin it out, I freeze it just the way it is. I add the formula to thin it out when I defrost it and am ready to feed it to her. You can freeze the food in ice cube trays and then store them in freezer bags. I have a freezer food system that I had registered for from Babies R Us. Someone bought it for me for my baby shower. I love this system! Unfortunately I don't see it on their website any more, so I can't link it, but it comes with like 2 dozen 2oz plastic jar type things, and even little trays that are great for storing in your freezer! So you can just grab a "jar" to go if you're going to be out. I've done that once now for her "dinner" when we were out at a family party this past weekend. It also comes with little sticker labels so you can write down what it is, and when you made it. Works awesome. I love it! The baby food lasts about 2-3 months in the freezer, so you can make big batches at a time, and it will last a while.

I get mostly all of my recipes and food guides from www.wholesomebabyfoods.com. It's such a great website, with all sorts of information about feeding your baby, as well as a ton of recipes! I especially love their food charts. For example, I'm pretty much following this chart right now:

Things I've learned about making food so far:

Make sure to read and follow the recipes on wholesomebabyfood.com. There may be things you should know. For example; Do not reserve any left over water to use for thinning out the carrots if baby is under 8 months old as Nitrates may seep into the cooking water. Also, they give tips as to which foods have more pesticides in them, so you can use organic if you choose.
You can use frozen fruits/vegis, but not canned.

That's really it. I'm no expert, I'm still learning. It's pretty easy though. Cailin has liked everything so far, except Green Beans, which so far she will not eat straight up. I taste everything before feeding it to her too.I made plums this weekend, and they were so sour there was no way I was feeding it to her. I did let her taste and she definitely made a sour face. I even mixed them in with pears and the sourness over powered the pears! I may just have to buy plums/prunes from the store.

Weekly Meal Planning

2011-06-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

I only have three meals this week, because we didn't cook a few of those meals last week.

For one, we ended up doing beef tacos w/93% lean beef, because I did my shopping at Trader Joe's and they didn't have tostada shells. I also grabbed frozen orange chicken w/brown rice from TJ's as well and had that for dinner one night. And for Father's Day we grilled steak. So I still have a few of those meals left from last week, for this week.

This week's menu is:

Tostadas again. I really want a bean covered shell! haha!
Whole Wheat spaghetti w/turkey meatballs & maranara + garlic bread and side salad.
Nacho Bake Casserole

Wordless Wednesday aka A Late Happy Father's Day

2011-06-22T15:18:00.000-07:00

And because there is just something about this picture that I adore so much...

To Helmet or Not To Helmet. That IS the Question!

2011-06-21T15:49:00.000-07:00

Well, we've decided.... NOT to helmet, after much deliberation. God, this was such a hard decision. Here's why. As I'm sure you remember around 2 months old, I noticed her head shape was pretty messed up. I mean, it was bad. At that time, I wouldn't have hesitated in getting her that helmet. Problem is, at that time she was too little for one. We went to Cranial Technologies and they took the measurements. Gave me homework - neck stretches and lots of tummy time. Come back in 4-6 weeks if you feel she still needs it. She looked like this at that time:

We followed the doctor's instructions, got her to stop favoring the one side, etc. And by four months old I really noticed a significant improvement. I wanted to know what her pediatrician thought before returning to Cranial Tech. At her 4 month well visit, her pedi said that although she can see the improvement, she thinks she might still benefit from the helmet. She told me to go back to Cranial Tech and have them retake the measurements and see what they have to say. That she may not even qualify for one now, but to go see. So I did. She was 5 months by the time I got in, and by 5 months her head looked like this:

As you can see, a HUGE improvement. The back of her head didn't even bother me at all. At this point the only thing I'm personally worried about is that little tiny bit of flattening on her forehead (as you can see in the picture on the right there). What did the head doctor have to say? Not much! She was just like, "Hmmm...Eh, well it's up to you. It's mild at this point, so she could go either way." Techinically she was within the measurements of qualifying for a helment if we chose to do so, but she made it seem like no big deal, and gave me absolutely NO direction at all. She would only have to wear it for a short period. About 7 weeks. There is NO medical need for it. It's completely cosmetic. She does NOT have Torticollis, nor will not getting the helmet affect her health in any way. Like I said, completely cosmetic. So what do I do? Do I go ahead and pay $3800 for something she may or may not need? My insurance covers it, but they reimburse us. So either way we'd have to come up with that money up front, then it's covered 90% after our $500 deductible. Where are we going to get that? Pull it out of our asses? Off our money tree? Probably not. Unfortunately we don't have that type of money laying around. We had savings at one point, but me being a "Carpenter's Wife" and the economy being as shitty as it is, means my Husband has been in and out of work (mostly out), for almost 2 years now. Our savings is gone. I mean, if it were absolutely necessary we'd find a way to make it work. But it's not. What do we do? If money were not an issue we wouldn't hesistate. Or if the insurance company covered it up front as well.

Husband of course thinks she's perfect. I'm thinking of little things, like knowing she's a girl, and what it's like being a girl. I know no one has a completely symmetrical face but if hers is completely off, it's going to suck when she's older and all the issues girls have with themselves and self esteem already. How much would it suck for your makeup to never be just right on each side. For her hair to be a little fuller on one side. Ugh! What do I do?!

Last week at her 6 month doctor visit the doc asked me what we were planning on doing. At this point, by just looking straight at her she even asked if we've already done it! I explained to her my feelings, and she took a closer look. She actually specializes in this type of thing. She agreed with me. She probably wouldn't pay the $3800 either at this point. It's very mild now, and her head will continue to get better and better. She still has some time before her soft spot closes, and her skull is completely solidified. She offered for us to come in once a week for the next 4 weeks for her to manually manipulate her head shape. Basically she will reshape her head with her hands. It won't hurt Cailin. She explained it to be like a massage. The worst part is keeping her still for 20 minutes! She didn't offer it before, because she can only do it with mild cases. She said she's certain she can get it perfectly round in the front, but the back may not end up completely round. I'm SO okay with that! Of course I'll have to pay a copay for each visit, $120 total sounds much better than $3800. So with that, and the fact that she's only on her back for bottle feedings at this point, I know she will be pretty darn close to perfect! Thank God!

Happy Half Birthday!

2011-06-21T11:53:00.000-07:00

Holy 6 months old, Batman! My little bitty baby is turning into a big baby!

Weight: 17lbs 7oz -75th%
Height: 26.5 inches - 75th%
Head: I think they said 16inches?

Fun Facts:

She loves Daddy! She's definitely a Daddy's girl. She just lights up when she sees him.
Loves the Doggies, especially Lily(our Boston Terrier). I'm assuming it's because Lily moves around a lot more than Gizmo, who is just a lump on the floor. Plus Lily licks her and lets her touch her. Gizzy runs away from her and doesn't pay her any attention. She tries to go after those dogs though! She's on a mission. As soon as she starts crawling, those dogs better watch out! We let her touch and pet the dogs, and she loves them! She giggles at Lily all the time, and watches them run back and forth all day. The dogs are great with her as well. Like I said, Gizmo doesn't really care for the baby much, he runs away when she starts squeeling at him. Niether of them have been aggressive at all.
She's in size 3 diapers and 9 month clothing.
Eats 6oz of formula every three hours.
Has officially started solids. I have let her try a few things here and there, but nothing consistant until this last week. Now she's eating solids twice a day. Breakfast and Dinner. She's had sweet potatoes, pears, bananas, avacado, and we just tried green beans yesterday, which she did NOT like. She was gagging on them! So dramatic, I tell you! So I ended up getting out some pears and mixing those in and then they were tolerable. We'll keep trying with them. I make all of her baby food, by the way. It's too easy not to.
She's starting to reach for me, I love it!
She's also starting to become more emotional. Crying at strangers and wanting Mommy/Daddy. Daddy yawned and she didn't like the sound of that, and it made her cry. Husband and I were wrestling and I yelled "STOP!" and that REALLY made her cry. So yeah, we need to be more careful now. Not sure how I feel about that.

I don't know about this bear, Mommy.... Pick me up?

She's super grabby. We've reach the point of no return. If we go out to eat, I have to move everything away from her. She grabs for everything! She knocked off something off our table already. Thank goodness it was Texas roadhouse and she had knocked off that tin of peanut scraps, which already cover the floor.
Oh! She completely STTN! She has been for a little over a month, I would say. She goes to bed at 8pm, and sleeps until 7AM (when I wake her up). Yay! And ::knock on wood::: I don't want to jinx myself here!

Weekly Meal Planning

2011-06-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

This week's menu:

Tostadas made with fat free refried beans and ground turkey + Spanish Rice.
Skinny Chicken Cordon Bleu + light ceaser salad.
Baked Chicken Nuggets w/French Fries (from the frozen section of the store) and homemade honey mustard.
BBQ chicken on the grill w/corn on the cob.

Weekly Meal Planning

2011-06-09T17:45:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to do this for a while. I just never get around to posting my weekly meal plans. I'm lazy. haha. Plus I don't really have a set day that I go grocery shopping. It's usually between Tuesday and Thursday. I really hate the crowds on the weekends and Mondays, so I go during the middle of the week. So I can't really do a "Meal Plan Monday". But I'll try to post this weekly.

I meal plan every week. Not only is it healthier, but it saves money. I try to do 4-5 meals a week at home. Usually we'll eat out Friday & Saturday. Family dinners on Sundays every once in a while, maybe a BBQ at the next door neighbor's or a friend's house. Oh and the day I go grocery shopping usually a "fend for yourself" type of night, meaning husband can make himself sandwiche or something, because it's late and I just lugged a 17/18lb baby around in the Moby for an hour while grocery shopping and I'm exausted and my back hurts, and I can't wait till she can sit up on her own so I can put her in the damn grocery cart!

Anyhooters, my weekly meals usually look something like this: Mexican food one day, Italian/pasta one day, some sort of grilled or baked meat w/vegis, casserole or crockpot meal.

Here are my meals for this week's menu:

BBQ pork ribs (was supposed to be pork chops but they didn't have a good selection at the store) w/corn on cob.
Greek Chicken with Tzaziki and Cucumber Tomato and Red Onion Salad
Lowfat cheeseburger casserole - I use reduced fat Pillsbury buscuits instead of making my own.
Crockpot bean & cheese burrito casserole - made with carb balance tortillas and reduced fat cheese.

So there you have it. That's four meals on this week's plan.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-08T16:05:00.000-07:00

A Cute Video

2011-06-08T15:54:00.001-07:00

I have nothing else to blog about right now... So here's a vid of Cailin and Daddy playing. Notice how when she sees me with the camera she stops what she's doing? That drives me crazy! Makes it nearly impossible to get cute pics/videos.

5 Months!

2011-05-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

Holy moly, Girlfriend! Slow down on this growing thing, would ya? I'm officially saying that time is starting to go by way too fast. In just one month, my little bitty baby will be 6 months old. That's half of a year! Where has time gone? It's bittersweet, really. On one hand I love watching her grow and learn new things (isn't that the best thing about motherhood?). On the other hand, it makes me sad that she's growing up so fast. :( I want her to be my little baby forever.

I am loving it though. She is so much fun, and such a happy baby. She's my little angel. I love her more than words could ever express. Let's see what's been going on this month...

First, I had my first Mother's Day. It was a great day. Husband got me some beautiful roses, and a very sweet card. Then we went to dinner at my favorite restaurant, Oreganos. Yum! Other than that, it was pretty laid back and nice.

Fun Facts this month:
I decided not to take her measurements at home, considering how off I was at 3 months. I'll just wait till next month and update then...

* She's full on squeeling now. Love this sooo much.
* As mentioned in another post she's rolling constantly, and is a tummy sleeper now.
* She's really starting to STTN!! (sleep thru the night, for those non moms). Some nights she still wakes up once to eat, but most nights she's sleeping all the way through. Which results in this from time to time:

That's right. Her diaper has leaked a few times and she has woken up covered in piss. But at least she's still happy. haha! We use Target diapers for the most part. Huggies as well, but have changed to Target because they're cheaper. I had never had a problem or leak with the Target diapers until she STTN. Now we just put her in Huggies over night and she hasn't had a leak since then (crossing fingers).
* We've officially cleaned out her closet. She's out of 3 month clothing, and even some 6 month clothing is getting tight. Depends on the brand. Mostly Carters 6 month clothing is snug, because IMO, Carters runs small. So she's in 6-9 months in some, 9 month in others. Anyway, now her closet and drawers are pretty bare.
* She's still eating 5 oz of formula every 3 hours on the dot.
* She's become a little of a drama queen. That 3 hours hits and it is time to eat NOW! And she will scream bloody murder until you get that bottle in her mouth. And now if she bonks herself in the head or scratches herself she starts crying. Like, "OMG that HURT!" Before she never really seemed to notice.
* Speaking of the bottle, she knows what it is now. She sees it and grabs for it, and brings it to her mouth. She gets all excited. She's reaching out to me a little. Like touching and exploring my face. I'll grab her hand when she's doing that and touch different parts of my face and tell her what it is. for example: I'll touch her hand to my cheek and say "cheek" or mouth and then say "lips" and then kiss her hand like 10 times. haha!
*She's a full on thumb sucker! She's even ditching the binky at times to suck her hands/thumb now. It drives me a bit crazy though when she tries to suck her thumb at the same time that she's eating, or tries to suck her thumb and binky at the same time, then gets frustrated.

She's pretty much just learning something new every day at this point and her motor skills are improving daily too. I can't wait until she's sitting up on her own. She hasn't started yet, but we've bought an exersaucer and put her in that, and her Aunt Jen (who babysits during the day) puts her in her exersaucer too. Which is WAY better than ours. She doesn't really like the one we bought, but loves Jen's. I want to take ours back and buy one like hers. But then I'm not sure if I should just save the $$ and buy a jumperoo instead. Hmmm decisions decisions.

Anyhoots... more pictures!

My Rolly Polly

2011-05-06T17:48:00.000-07:00

So the week before last was awful sleep wise. I wasn't sure if it were part of the 4 month wakeful, or what. She would.not.sleep. She would turn her head around, and it would get stuck and she would start crying. I had to keep telling her she's not an owl, and her head doesn't go all the way around like that. We would come in, fix her, give her the binky, and then this would just repeat all night. It seemed like she just wanted to sleep on her side. I would give up at 2am and bring her in bed with me, lay her in my arms on her side and she'd be out. So basically after trying every night to get her to bed in her crib unsuccessfully, she'd come in bed with me. Well, a week later, my sister in law told me that she was rolling over all day that day. She's rolled over a few times, but not consistantly. When she got home, Husband laid her down and we saw her in action! She LOVES rolling from her back to her tummy. She does not stay on her back anymore. Apparently my kid is just really motivated and will not sleep until she reaches her goal! :)

See, she is a rolly polly!

That night, she slept. On her tummy, and like a champ. And has been ever since. I'm a little paranoid with her sleeping on her tummy, but she's happy and I know that she has awesome head control, so I shouldn't be too worried. I especially get worried, when I wake up at 7am and realize that's it's the first time I've woken up since going to bed. She's completely STTN two nights this week. She must really like sleeping on her tummy.

She just lays right on her tummy while sucking her thumb. She's preferring her thumb to the binky these days as well.

sorry for the crappy camera phone pics. I had gotten up to check on her and had to sneek a picture

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-04T12:41:00.000-07:00

I may have a problem...

4 Months!

2011-04-28T16:20:00.000-07:00

And what a month it's been! So many milestones this month! She:

Rolled over - back to tummy, then tummy to back.
Started sleeping in her own crib/room.
Got her first ear infection :(
Started oatmeal (instead of rice cereal cause she's got constipation issues).

She also had her first Easter! Here she is digging into her Easter basket:

I'm late again with this post. Because of the ear infection we had to reschedule her 4 month well visit to the doc. We just saw her yesterday.
Stats:
Weight: 15lb. So my home measurements were definitely off last month - 75%ile.
Height: 25 inches - 75%ile
Head: 16.5 - 75% all the way around!
* Other than the milestones above, she's really found her tounge that's for sure. It's always hanging out of her mouth. It's so cute though.
* She is talking up a storm. She's been "talking" for a months now, but she's really got a lot to say these days. Lot's of raspberries, goo's gah's, ha's, hoo's and even some hi's(although that sounds more like "haaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiii".Not like "Oh hi there!"). She holds a conversation with you pretty well too. ;) She also likes talking to herself in the middle of the night, or in the mirror that's in the car, in front of her carseat.
* She's found her feet! She's always grabbing at them. I LOVE when babies play with their feet. Can't wait till she gets them into her mouth. haha I think that's so cute!
* Motor skills are improving. She's grabbing at toys and able to hold on and bring them to her mouth easier.

I couldn't get any smiles out of this little stinker! She is way more interested in the camera I'm holding, and plus she was grumpy with an ear infection. :(

Have I mentioned how much this kid slobbers? My God! I mean, she's been slobbering for a couple months, but it's out of control now! That combined with the increased fussiness, constant chewing on her hands and increased drool, I think we're in the beginning stages of teething. No bueno.

***Head Shape Update***
So her head has improved a LOT! When we saw the doctor for her ear infection last Monday I asked what she thought. She was like, "Oh it looks beautiful." I said, "No helmet?" and she said "Nope!" Now mind you this was as she was walking out of the door. I got the feeling she wasn't really paying attention. I asked her again at her well visit and got a completely different answer. She says although she definitely sees an improvement, and she definitely does not favor a side anymore, she thinks that she would benefit from the helmet. :( I don't really know how I feel about this honestly. Yes, I see where it's still asymmetrical. But it's improved so much so far, I feel like do we really need it, or can it continue to improve on it's own? Are they just trying to sell me this $4000 helmet? You know how doctors can be (sometimes I feel like they just want you to spend money. Do I really need 5 prescriptions for that cold? You know?). I mean, if she needs it, I'll do it, but is it really necessary? She suggested going back to Cranial Tech and having them take the measurements again to see what they think. I think I'll do that. Then go from there. ::Sigh:::

Oh! We got her ears pierced this past weekend too! Look how gorgeous she is!

ABC's of Moi

2011-04-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

Stole this from a couple of my blogger friends. I'm sucking at blogging lately. I have been writing a post about my favorite baby things for like a week, but I just can't seem to get it out. Plus I've been busy with doctor appointments (I STILL have that fuckin PUPPPs rash!), and Cailin is sick with an ear infection (saddest thing ever ), So here's something fun and easy, so my blog isn't lonely.

A. Age: 28. I feel 38 though.

B. Bed size: Queen and it's way too small.

C. Chore you dislike: pretty much all of them, but there's something about emptying the dishwasher that I despise.

D. Dogs: yep. 2 dogs. Who are driving me crazy these days.

E. Essential start to your day: Coffee!

F. Favorite color: Eh, I don't really have a favorite color. If I had to chose, it'd be green? Maybe? Pink is starting to come back thanks to my baby girl.

G. Gold or silver: Silver or white gold.

H. Height: 5'5

I. Instruments you play(ed): None.

J. Job title: Credit Counselor, part time Makeup Artist, Mom, Wife.

K. Kids: My Princess Kiki poo poo butt!

L. Live: hot ass AZ.

M. Mom’s name: Leesa. Yup. With 2 "E's", not an "i" .

N. Nicknames: Ambie, Ambie Bambi, Princess (yes, my dad still calls me this. He called Cailin Princess Jr. Love it!), Pinky; I went through this phase in high school where pink was definitely my favorite color and I wore literally nothing but pink! I was out of control. My BFF's family started calling me Pinky or Pinky Valore (Valore being my middle name), and it stuck. They still call me Pinky over there. haha!

O. Overnight hospital stays: when I had my gallbladder removed when I was 13, and then of course with the birth of Princess Jr.!

P. Pet peeves: Hmmm I have a ton. Automated voice lines. You know, where you have to speak your answers. And it never understands you, so it's asking you to repeat what you said and then they finally understand what you said, but then ask if what you said was correct. 2 minutes in I'm yelling, "YES!" "SPEAK TO REPRESENTATIVE" "I'm sorry, I didn't understand your answer. What would you like to do? Then I'm all like, "FUCK OFF!" "Did you say, order service? If so, say yes. If not say no...." and then start hitting the 0 button over and over again with a little more force than I need to. Also, pressing 1 to have my call in English. WTF. I shouldn't have to press 1 for English.

Q. Quote from a movie: "But you're not my sister, are you?"

R. Righty or lefty: Righty

S. Siblings: 1 older brother, 2 younger sisters.

T. Time you wake up: 7AM

U. Underwear: I like booty shorts. Whatever the cheap ones from Target. I can't tell you the last time I wore a thong.

V. Vegetables you don’t like: Hmmm, I pretty much love all vegis.

W.What makes you run late: Waiting until the last minute to get ready.

X. X-rays you’ve had: Besides teeth and ultrasounds, none really.

Y. Yummy food you make: I make lots of yummy foods. I make a meal plan and we only eat out once or twice a week. I like to make healthy meals. And quick ones. I'm like Rachel Ray. I like quick, delicious and healthy meals.

Z. Zoo animal favorites: Monkeys!

Wordless Wednesday - Easter

2011-04-20T16:31:00.000-07:00

Cailin Loves Bath Time

2011-04-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

Have I ever mentioned how much Cailin just loves bath time? LOVES it. I've caught it on video several times, but on my phone, which I can't figure out how to upload to the internet. This morning I finally got it on video on the real camera! Enjoy. :)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

Miss Elliot and Cailin hanging out together. They're 3 weeks apart. :)

3 (and a half) Months!

2011-04-01T12:12:00.000-07:00

So, I'm a little late here... I slacked on it, then my computer was eaten by viruses, now my computer seems to be working... So yay!

Cailin is now 15 weeks, so she's closing into her fourth month actually, but I had to do the 3 month post still.

Let me start off by saying that the third month really is this magical-colic goes away- now you have an awesome baby, month! OMG she is a whole new baby, and I LOVE it! No more screaming and crying, no more tummy issues, yay! Thought this day would never come. I've been waiting for this age since she was born, and man did it take forever! But I'm so happy now, and more importantly, so is she.

Stats for this month:

Note: Weight/Height info done at home, not sure how accurate it is.

* Weight: 15lbs - Per this website, she's in the 95th percentile. I don't know how accurate this website is though, because her 2 months %ile were off from what the doctor told me. All I know is that she is definitely chunky and that's okay with me because I love me some fat babies! I am loving her fat arms and thigh rolls. LOVE THEM!
* Height: 23.5 in long. 64th %ile from that website as well.
* Head: didn't measure.
* Food: She has still been eating 4-5oz every 3 hours, but we're starting to up this. We'll feed her and then an hour & 1/2 later she's screaming because she's hungry. So we feed her another 2oz then she's screaming again in another hour. Last night I fed her 5.5 and 6oz bottles and she took it all. So it's either going to be 5 or 6oz bottles now.
* Sleep:Ugh. It was really good for a while there! She was sleeping 6 hours straight, only waking up once a night to eat. This week, however, she's been only sleeping 4 hours at a time and waking up SCREAMING because she's just STARVING! So again, upping her bottles might help. Although I fed her 6oz before bed last night and she still woke up twice. Took 5.5oz at 2am and 4oz and 6am. I think she's going through a growth spurt. I'll tell you what, once you start sleeping longer, and then have to wake up more often again it's way harder than when you were already doing it for months! My body just got used to sleep longer than 3 hours.
* She's in 3 month clothing and size 2 diapers still, but not for long, I think.
*Head Update: It has improved, but not 100%. I'm not sure what to do. I am going to ask the doctor at her 4 month appointment and go from there. I'm trying to dodge that helmet at all costs ($4000 cost that is!). So if she thinks it has improved enough that we can continue to do what we're doing and get it 100% on our own without the helmet, that's what I'm going for.

*Fun Facts:
* She smiles ALL the time now! She even smiles and cries at the same time. She has issues. haha! She's so close to giggling too!
* She talks a lot. Gurgles and coos. Love it!
* SLOBBER EVERYWHERE! OMG this kid slobbers so much! Spit bubbles, soaking her shirt, and all! I hope she's not already teething. I did read that they produce more saliva at this age and don't know how to swallow it yet. I'm hoping. I'm not ready for her to start teething.
* Her hands are always in her mouth, and your hands too if you'll let her. I do, and she chews them! Not just sucking. Another reason, I'm afraid that she's teething. But I'm not quite sure if I feel anything. I dunno...
* She's finally grabbing things on purpose. Like toys, blankets, my hair, etc. And it all goes straight to her mouth for the most part. When she grabs at a toy, and pulls on it, brings it to her mouth, picks it up, I applaud her! Tell her how smart and strong she is. :) Her movements are still a little jerky, and she ends up hitting herself in the head with the rattle, but it's improving every day. Waiting to put that Sophie to use!
* She can "stand". With assistance of course. She bears weight on her legs and pushes herself up. She has been since 2 months-ish. I swear she's going to be an early walker.
* I'm getting less "She looks just like you!" and more of "She looks like Brian!" Hmph!

That's all I can think of right now... I'm sure there's more. Here's her super cute 3 month picture. I am obsessed with this picture. I think it's the best non professional picture of her yet. Look at that smirk!

And let's compare, shall we?

Gahhhhh! I LOVE HER!

A Simple Make Over

2011-03-15T10:19:00.000-07:00

When I had Cailin, my work sent me a little care package, which was very nice of them. A tote bag (which has come in handy. It's what I take to my SIL (who watches her while I work). It also had a romper, sleep and play outfit, bib, blanket and a teddy bear. It all had my work logo on it, however, which left me wondering what I'm going to do with all of this stuff.

So off to Hobby Lobby I went. I thought I'd make it simple and just buy some iron on patches. I came across this cute make-your-own-monster iron on. It comes with several different shapes, eyes, mouths, arms, etc etc. You put it together the way you like. And it's pink! Super cute.

So here is the before:

And here's the after! I think it turned out super cute.

Up next, home made baby legs!

Blurry Pics

2011-03-04T15:46:00.000-08:00

This girl is a mover and a shaker these days. Getting her baby aerobics on. Problem is, I can't seem to get a picture that's not blurry. All of the pictures look like this...

Plagiocephaly?

2011-03-03T13:06:00.000-08:00

Plagio... what? I don't even know how to pronounce that word! Remember in my 2 Month post when I mentioned Cai's misshapen head? Apparently it's Plagiocephaly (or flat head syndrome). To sum it up - Flat and misshapen head. It's caused by laying on one side as a preference. Or even in utero. I definitely think she was laying this way in utero as well. Girlfriend was really low the whole pregnancy, and head down for a long time (before my 3rd trimester even). Ever since she was born she preferred her right side.

We had an appointment with the head doctor/helmet people ~~this morning~~ last Friday ( I started writing this a week ago). It went pretty well. They started by taking pictures of her head. She was so good! She only cried (as you can see in the bottom left picture) when she was turned away from the lights, toys and Mommy.

Please excuse the crappy cell phone pictures

You can really tell the best on this one. Yikes!

Just for fun :)

After they took pictures, they took measurements of her head. Then the doctor came in and we talked. Cai's too little for a helmet at this point. She showed us some stretches for her neck. 3 different ones to do at every diaper change. Also to do lots of tummy time. She also mentioned limiting time in the swing, bouncy chair, and car seat. This is the hardest part. It's been hell this past week keeping her out of the swing. That's the only place she'll nap. She's already refusing sleep because she is SO interested in the world now, add not being able to nap in the swing = baby insomnia. She's been so fussy. It's been hell for the both of us, until I finally give in and let her take a nap in the swing. Anyway, if her head is still looking like this in 4-6 weeks we go back to get fitted for the helmet.

So far we've been doing pretty good with the neck stretches, tummy time and all that. I think I'm starting to see a very slight improvement. Yay! So let's pray/cross our fingers that she doesn't need the stupid helmet. It's really super expensive. Although my insurance covers it 90%, they're considered out of network for some reason, so they reimburse us. Don't ask me where we're going to get the money if we need it. Ugh!

I just purchased this Boppy Noggin pillow thing. I can't do this no swing and bouncy thing. We need the swing/bouncy chair for all of us to stay sane. It just really breaks my heart that my 2.5month old baby is only sleeping 20 minutes the entire day! That's just not right. I know she's tired. As soon as give up and put her in the swing she's out for hours. You can insert this Noggin Pillow in all those things and it's really supposed to help with the flat head problem. The reviews are great and say they really helped with their babies flat heads. I will still limit her time in the swing/bouncy meaning I won't have her in there all day, but when we gotta give in, she's going in there. Saturday I sat around all day, and she would fall asleep 10 minutes here, 10 minutes there and then wake up. She was so fussy and crying all day because she was over tired. So we'll see.

Wordless Wednesday - All Smiles!

2011-02-23T16:56:00.000-08:00

Pay no attention to the spit up...

2 Months!

2011-02-17T10:19:00.000-08:00

Cailin is 2 months old as of yesterday!

Things have gotten much better this month! Starting around 6 weeks, things started getting better. She's no longer crying for hours on end. Actually she's not really crying that much anymore. Still fussy and whiny a little bit, but at least she's not screaming at the top of her lungs for hours on end anymore.Thank God. I thought I was going to have to give her back there for a minute. ;p

We had her 2 month doctor appointment yesterday, and it went well. She got all those shots, poor thing. I changed pediatrician, and I love love LOVE her new doctor! There wasn't anything necessary wrong with the other doctor, I just for one hated the location. It was in the same building of my OB, which is at the hospital and there is never any parking. That drives me insane. Also I felt like the office was kind of "ghetto" and this may be mean, but she had a really thick accent and I could barely understand what she was saying. The new doctor is super nice and even more informative! I've been thinking about doing a delayed vaccination schedule. She was very supportive of that and really whatever I decided to do, and gave me more information about how to do that. For now, I'm keeping her on a regular schedule, and I'm just watching to see how she reacts to them. I may delay them later. We'll see. Really the shots weren't bad. I thought she was going to get poked 5 or 6 times. It was 4 needles, 2 in each leg, and one oral vaccine.

I decided we needed to use a bigger stuffed animal. It's impossible to get the baby and the bear to sit up straight at the same time.

"What up, homies."

"Okay, Mom. Enough with the photoshoot, and get these boots off me, now!"

Stats:

* Weight: 11lbs 6oz - 75 percentile, wow!
* Height: 21 3/4 in - 25 percentile. She only grew 1/4 inch since last month.
* Head: 15in - 40 percentile.
* Food: She's eating 4oz of formula every 3-4 hours
* Sleep: She's still up every 3 hours on the dot! We usually get one 4 hour stretch every night. We've had one night where she had a 5 hour stretch, then a 4 hour stretch. That was awesome. Then we had another night where she had a 6 hour stretch! I was so excited when I woke up at 6AM for the first time that night, that I couldn't go back to bed. But neither lasted and they were only a one night deal.
Oh! She's sleeping in her PNP (pack and play for you non moms out there) full time now! She's only in the bed for a couple hours in the morning when she wants to wake up, but Mommy's not ready. She'll dose off in my arms and then that way I can keep sticking the binky in her mouth. haha!
* She's in 3 month clothing and size 2 diapers!

What else... Oh her lopsided, flat head. So... she favors her right side. She ALWAYS has her head laying to the right. Well I noticed her head getting flat, so I asked the doctor and she said yep, it's pretty flat. Actually a little worse than even I thought. She said it's pushing her face forward on that side and everything. So... her orders are lots of tummy time, and to get her to turn her head to the left. It should correct it since she's still so little, but if not we might have to do the helmet. Dun dun dunnn! Oh god no! Not the HELMET! That's like one of my worst fears. Yeah, I'm shallow like that. Her head is for headbands, not helmets! And don't lie, when you see a baby with a helmet you're thinking "what the hell is wrong with that baby?" So yeah, she's doing pretty good since we left with keeping her head to the left. I thought she would fight me on it, since she is the most stubborn baby ever, but she really hasn't. It was hard getting her to sleep that way. I'd turn it to the left when I put her down, but every time when I woke up it was to the right again. Ugh. At least I'm keeping her head to the left most of the time. Not sure what to do about night time.

New Roof, New Paint.

2011-02-07T17:47:00.000-08:00

Back in October we got a pretty bad hail storm. I mean, golf ball sized hail and bigger!

See? And, this was after it had melted in the yard a little.

Anyway, roofing companies and even car repair companies capitalized on that storm. At first we were like, "nah. It's fine. We don't need a new roof". Then by the 5th roofing company knocked on our door, Husband told him we probably didn't really get much damage, so we don't need a roof. That sales guy took him up on the roof and showed him that there was indeed quite a bit of damage. Plus we figured a new roof basically for free(we would have to pay our deductible, but that just comes out of the check they send us, so no money out of pocket) was a good idea.

We got the check and a new roof. Then we decided that it's definitely time to paint the exterior. We've been wanting to to this for some time. And since Husband can do anything himself, it was very inexpensive.

Here's a before picture of the exterior. Don't you just love that mauve paint?(Click on pictures to make larger for a better view)

And here it is now with a new roof and fresh coat of paint.

We decided to give the door a pop of color. Husband also added some trim to the door to make it look brand new! I wish I had taken a before picture. The middle piece was barely hanging on by a thread.

I'm so happy with the way it turned out.

ABC

2011-02-03T17:36:00.000-08:00

So I just realized something. Our initials are ABC. Totally not intentional. Cute! Thinking about changing the blog name to something about ABC's, but I'm not creative enough. Any suggestions?

And I leave you with baby pics...

Her first sponge bath at home. Pay no attention to my fugly kitchen in the background. That's why you have never seen a picture of my kitchen. I HATE it. Anyway, little baby bath....

More recent. Look how much she's already grown. She's getting chunky!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-02-02T13:51:00.000-08:00

Mommy Has A Tattoo

2011-02-01T17:39:00.000-08:00

I bought this book today at Hissyfits, an awesome kid consignment boutique today. It's super cute.

This is the new children’s book out to help youngsters understand that tattoos aren’t as scary as they might look. Phil Padwe has started "teaching tattoo tolerance" through his illustrations and colorful characters. When James sees The Tattooed Man, he is immediately frightened and hesitant to meet his new neighbor. However, after learning that his mother also has a tattoo, James reluctance melts away and he becomes friends with the once-terrifying character. This book should be in the home of every tattooed family.
(from Prick Magazine) - don't ask, I just googled images and this "Prick Magazine" article is what came up.

If you are awesome and are a mom with tattoos, I highly recommend this book. :)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-19T15:34:00.000-08:00

Bundled up after bath time. :)

1 Month (long)

2011-01-17T19:00:00.000-08:00

Cailin is one full month old as of yesterday! Some may say, "One month already?!" I feel more like, "It's ONLY been one month?!" It's been the longest month of my life, that's for sure. It's been rough, but I wouldn't change it for the world (okay, maybe I'd change a couple things, but I wouldn't change having my little princess here).

We had her one month checkup today at the pediatrician. She's now 9lbs 7oz (55% ile) and 21 1/2 inches long (60 something % ile). She's pretty average. :) I don't remember what they said for the head.

Pretty much sums up her first month of life...

It's been one thing after another for my poor little girl. First let's talk about breastfeeding (or lack there of). From day one this girl just flat out REFUSED to do it. I mean, I REALLY wanted to BF. I took two classes, went to a couple Le Leche League meetings, read up online, books, etc. Did everything to prepare myself for BFing. I knew it would be hard. Formula wasn't even an option for me. Although I never had anything against formula feeding, it just wasn't my first option. I barely had any bottles. I took them all back and kept just a few because like I said, I had planned on exclusively BFing. WELL, all those classes that I took, meetings that I went to and reading never said anything about what to do if your child refuses. She would literally scream at the sight of my boob. I tried making her. The nurses tried, we had a lactation consaltant helping us. We even stayed an extra day in the hospital to help with BFing. After 24 hrs of her just simply not eating anything I started supplementing with formula. She HAD to eat something. I wasn't going to make her starve, and plus she was jaundice so she had to eat, so she could poop and pee and wash the jaundice out of her system. And it just broke my heart to see her so upset about something that's SUPPOSED to be so natural. I also think I had a supply issue. My milk never really came in. My boobs got just a little engorged about a week after giving birth. We rented a breast pump, because I figured I'd exclusively pump instead or until she will latch. Well I pumped for like a week and 1/2 to 2 weeks, and I was pumping for like 30 minutes on a hospital grade double electric Medela pump, and I was only getting like a half an oz of breastmilk. So I gave up. Sucks big time, but I'm not going to dwell on it.

Second, we had a pretty nasty diaper rash. I mean super red and blistered. She was only a week old! So we stopped using wipes, using only warm wet washclothes. We tried Desatin, which was helping a little but not really doing the trick. So after a week I heard about using Auquaphor for diaper rashes. Who would've known? Luckily we have a jar of it because it's what we use to heal our tattoos. After using that it started clearing up right away.

Then she got a cold. :( Stuffy nose, wattery eyes, sneezy. Nothing too bad. No cough, thank goodness. She gave that cold to Daddy, and Daddy gave it to me, and I'm just now getting over it. Mine turned into a whole respitory thing, which I was dealthly afraid of giving to her.

Then another diaper rash, but not as bad as the first.

Then the gas and colic started. OMG. So awful. For her and me. It started with farts. She farted a lot. Then it was like she was straight up in pain. That broke my heart. She'd be so incredibly hungry, but every time she swallowed she was in so much pain. Her eyebrows would shoot up, she'd straighten her whole body and she'd just wail. She was fussy all damn day. Couldn't sleep. We would go a whole day without sleep. Maybe one three hour nap, instead of sleeping every three hours, up to eat and diaper change, then back to sleep for another three hours. Nope. Poor baby couldn't sleep. This went on and on. Some days would be okay, and it'd only be a few hours of it, and some days were a whole day deal. I started the gas drops, which helped a little, but not all that much. So this went on and on and on. I got to the point where I was telling Brian "I can't do this. I don't know if I can do this! I'm not supposed to have a fussy baby that cries non stop." Not only is it sooo frustrating, I feel so bad for her. There's nothing I can do to soothe her some days. I tried the three "S's". I tried the swing, I tried EVERYTHING. Some days there's just absolutely nothing I can do. Finally I called the doctor and she said go ahead and switch her formula to the sensitive formula. That was about a week ago. Things are getting better. She still needs to be held in order to sleep most of the time, but at least she's sleeping. It's getting better each day though. Past few days it's been a pattern of her waking up during dinner time and starting the fussiness until about midnight. Each day is better though. Night time is getting better.

She sleeps with me in bed. :/ Don't judge! She's never slept a whole night in her bassinet. She used to sleep just fine in the pack and play during the day, but wouldn't at night. Now she has this mommy attachment going on where she needs to be around me and will only sleep with me. And as of right now I really don't mind cause I'm not going to lie, it soothes me too. Well, it's okay at night (and I'll do ANYTHING to have her sleep at night), but it's getting to the point with the colic where she won't sleep by herself during the day (unless we're out running around cause she likes the car and will pass right out while i'm driving and stay in her car seat for hours).

Some fun facts about Cailin: She loves music. Not that annoying Canon in D (which is on every mobile by the way, weird), but my music. :) I love that. She loves car rides. But she has to have the music on the car rides. My iPod has to be playing, and she prefers Paramore. haha! She's starting to be more alert, making eye contact and loves when I talk to her. It's amazing how from day one they respond to your voice. Amazing. She loves looking at ceiling fans. Just the past week I've noticed her noticing things like ceiling fans or things on the walls, and also her mobile on the swing. She'll watch that for a few minutes. I love seeing her grow. Just waiting for that first smile!

I just can't wait till she's 3 months old and the colic is gone and I have a happy baby again. :)

I'm doing great. Besides being sleep deprived(which I really don't mind most of the time), I'm healing well. Actually I'd say I'm probably about 95% healed. I've only lost 15lbs, WTF? Those nurses were jsut being nice when they said it was water weight. Oh the joys of sucky metabolism. I can't wait to start working out. I started taking walks a few days a week. I am going to start karate back up in a couple weeks. I'm ready to be out of maternity clothes already!

Newborn Photos - Sneek Peek

2010-12-27T10:23:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday we had Latricia come out to do our newborn pics. OMG she is amazing! She really took her time and got some amazing pictures. I haven't seen them all yet, but the very next day she sent me a few sneek peek images that I am in love with!

My absolute FAVORITE! Funny story - she pissed all over Daddy right after taking this shot! haha! Love it!

Gah! I love them all! I can't wait to see the rest! It's going to be so hard to choose which ones I want, and I'm going to go broke(r) buying these up.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T08:32:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone has a happy and safe Christmas!

[Birth] Story Time!

2010-12-24T08:25:00.000-08:00

Okay so warning... this will probably be long. Because I like to babble...

So... where do we start? We were finally called to go into the hospital for induction on Wednesday evening, Dec 15th. We got there at 5PM and they took blood, started IV's, pelvic exam, etc. I was still only 1cm dilated and about 60% effaced. The started me on gels to soften my cervix. We did 4 cycles of the gels every three hours. They would insert it, I'd lay down for an hour, then walk for the next hour, then chill for another hour, and repeat. I had a bit of contractions with the gels. They hurt but were tolerable. Actually the last gel was a higher dose and my contractions were hurting more with that last one. I wasn't able to sleep. A lot of back pain.

At 5AM they came in and started me on Pitocin.

I was still only 1cm dilated. Apparently there's a scar in my cervix from a surgery I had back when I was 18 that was keeping my cervix from dilating.

At somewhere between 8:30 and 9AM the doctor came in and broke my water. Oh my God. Grossest. Feeling. EVER. Seriously. I even said "ewww that is SO gross!" out loud. I won't go into detail. If you've experienced it you know what I'm talking about. I let the nurse know that as soon as they broke my water I wanted that epidural, so they had already called the anesthesiologist and he was there as soon as the doctor was done breaking my water. Literally as soon as the doctor left they came in to give me my epidural. After he left I started feeling very overwhelmed. A lot had just happened at once, so I started crying.

Then we waited some more...

The epidural is the best thing ever. I highly recommend it. ;p

A DPS officer came in... no joke. I thought they were joking when they said it was the DPS. Apparently around Christmas they go to the hospitals or something? He gave me a teddy bear.

My baby was in a posterior position, meaning she was facing upwards towards my belly instead of towards my bottom like she should be. The nurse said she could tell from my contractions that she was positioned this way. So she would come in and help me turn from side to side every hour or so, to try to get her to turn around.

A couple hours later the nurse came in and checked my cervix. When they broke my water I was 2cm dilated. At this time I was about 4. She came back another 2 hours later, said I was still about a 4 or 5. Then she broke that scar I was talking about and then she said, "okay now you're between 7 and 8."

Another couple hours later she came in and said, "okay are you ready to have a baby?" WHAT?! Um... okay. At this point I really got emotional. It was just everything we've been through to get here and now it was finally happening. It was just sooo surreal. I was anxious, I was scared, and I was happy. I had to try hard to get control of my emotions at this point. I cry just thinking about that moment.

I started pushing at 3:00PM. Pushing is HARD. I'm out of shape as it is(hadn't worked out at all this whole pregnancy), and then the whole holding your breath thing is really hard for me. But I did it. She was still posterior and had the cord around her neck as she came down, so the doctor used the vacuum to help get her out at the end. Poor thing.

Cailin Paige was born Thursday December 16th at 3:43PM! She was 7lbs 10oz and 19 1/2 in. When she came out he put her right on top of me (at my request). It was the best moment of my life. Then they took her away and everyone else in the room (besides my doctor to deliver the placenta and stitch me up of course) left my side. My baby did not scream. I was freaking out, "Why isn't she crying? Is she okay? How's her breathing? Is she breathing? OMG. Does she have a fevor?" Yeah I was freaking out a little. I just wanted to know she was healthy. Yes she was just fine, just not a screamer. She was making these little squeeking sounds that were super cute though. This girl never gave me a cry when she came out. Daddy was in instantly in love. He did not leave her side. He went with her to the nursery and from what everyone has told me had a grin from ear to ear the whole time.

I had a 3rd degree tear, but Cailin got a clean bill of health, although she was a little jaundice. We stayed in the hospital until Saturday to help with breastfeeding and to watch her jaundice. Breastfeeding isn't happening, but more on that later....

Motherhood has been AMAZING so far. I feel like I've been doing this forever and it's only been a week. She's a good baby, only fusses when she's hungry. Sleep is good. She sleeps for 3 hours, wakes up, eats, goes back to sleep for another 3 hours. I'm surprisingly not exhausted, although I may still be running on adrenaline. I'm hoping she stays chill. And I think she will. Both mommy and daddy are really laid back. So let's hope. I can't wait to see her real features. To see who she really looks like. Everyone says me so far. She gets cuter every day though. :) We are SO happy and SO in love!

I'm Still Pregnant...

2010-12-15T10:40:00.000-08:00

So it's Wednesday and I'm still home, and I'm still pregnant. I guess all those ladies going into labor naturally are a priority. Well poo on them. Just kidding. I've been bumped 2 days now, due to no room, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that tonight is the night. They said I'm on top of the list for tonight. So I'm really hoping. My maternity leave is now just wasting away...

Anyway, since I have some time, I figured I'd share the final nursery photos! We got a new camera this past weekend on an emergency basis since my camera decided to take a shit last week. There was NO way I was going to have my baby without a camera. It's kinda important. Anyway, we decided on the Canon Powershot SD1300 IS. So far I absolutely LOVE it!

Here are the final nursery photos... now keep in mind that we do still need to find curtains, which I am working on. We're going to go with a white curtain and then I'll probably make some cute little ties... I went shopping at a few different places last weekend but they didn't have the ones I wanted in stock. So we're still missing curtains.

Closet - right side. There's her basket of hair bows/headbands and lots and LOTS of diapers. I love this dresser we got from IKEA.

I made the tissue poms. The monogram is from Etsy seller Open Heart Creations. I love it, but wish I would've chosen a darker color for the monogram because you can barely see the "C".

Husband painted the closet doors. Wish we could afford to replace them, but they look much better than before.

Okay, I admit it.. I think the monkey is kinda cute.

Closet - Left side.

I love the mummy piggy bank. These are all gifts from the baby shower.

Finishing this blog challenge 28-30

2010-12-08T11:57:00.000-08:00

Okay I'm finishing this damn blog challenge up today!

Day 28-Something that stresses you out

Money for sure. It's my #1 stress in life. I don't think I agree with the "money doesn't buy happiness" shit. Really. My life would be much easier and I'd be much happier if I had a couple million.

Day 29-3 Wishes

I wish my induction goes smoothly and I have a safe vaginal delivery.
I wish Cailin is 100% healthy and happy
I wish 2011 will be better financially

Day 30-a picture
Belly cast we did this weekend! My friend really has been wanting to cast someone's belly but no one will let her. I'm not shy, so I said sure why not! Nipples have been censored. haha! So family, you may not want to scroll down any further...

37 Weeks

2010-12-08T10:31:00.000-08:00

And my last update before she is here!

Had my weekly doctor appointment yesterday. I am 1 full cm dilated although I know that really means nothing, but good to know that things are progressing. We are keeping the original induction date I talked about way back at the beginning of my 3rd tri, due to my PUPPPs rash.

So this time next we I will have my baby! And I'm sure will be thinking, "okay, now what do I DO with this thing?!" I'll be working on making breastfeeding work for us (which is my #1 goal. Breastfeeding). I'm so excited and a little nervous on how much my life is going to change in less than 1 week!!

We're ready though. We have everything we need for her. Nursery is done (except I am still looking for curtains). I'd post pics but my stupid camera broke! Add that to my to-do list this week. Like I said, we have everything we need for her, but now I need to get some stuff for us/me. I need to...

* put together my hospital bag (diaper bag is ready though!). I have things I need to buy to get the hospital bag ready.
* I bought 2 nursing bras that I didn't try on and they're a tad too small. So I need to exchange those.
* I need to get some after birth stuff like pads, granny panties, and stool softners.
* I need to cook and freeze some meals. At least enough to get us through the first week or two. And maybe get some stuff to make crock pot meals. I just don't want to be eating out every night. Sending Brian out to get unhealthy food while we're both sleep deprived.
* Oh and go purchase a new camera now. Ugh. What a perfect time for my camera to break, huh? I need one stat! Good thing I'm getting a holiday bonus this week.

Here's a belly picture from Saturday. I'm in the purple. This was my friend's baby shower.She's only 5 weeks behind me!

How far along? 37 wks

Total Weight Gain? 42lbs total. More than I wanted, but at least it'll be under 50. Hoping it's mostly baby and water weight. haha.

Maternity Clothes? yeppers. Barely even fit into those

Stretch Marks? yep. New ones, and new rash on top of them.

Sleep? not great.

Best Moment This Week? getting the good news about having my baby next week.

Movement? Same ol'.

Food Cravings? I was craving Mr. Goodcents subs BAD last week. Mmmm and now it sounds good again.

Gender? GIRL!!!!

Labor signs? I've definitely had some Braxton Hicks and slight cramping, but no real labor signs. I've also had some spotting here and there.

Belly Button? half in half out. Top is out, bottom is in. <--- same.

What I Miss?same stuff as the last week. But now it's actually alittle painful to do some of those everyday things.

What I Am Looking Forward To? next week!!

Milestones? well i'm going to say that she's now considered "full term" at 37wks! And that we are at the END of a pregnancy! I never thought that we would get this far, and I just cannot wait to have her in my arms and know that she's healthy.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 27

2010-12-06T11:33:00.000-08:00

Day 27- Pets

Yay! I've been waiting for this one! You know I love my doggies. They've been my babies, so I am curious to see how they act or how I act once we have a real baby in the house.

First I have my cat, Tipsy. I got her when I was 19 and living on my own for the first time, so she's special to me because she was my first pet. She's well... she a cat. Nothing too special to say about her. Cats are just... blah. She's pretty though. She has super pretty crystal blue eyes. This is the only picture I could find. She's a hermit and only comes out when she wants food... This is with my other cat who we gave away. Tipsy's the one in the back.

Then we have Gizmo. Gizzy, Gizmeatloaf, Jerry Garcia, Bubbers, Butthead, Giz, Buddy, Gizmeeto... He has a lot of nicknames. I'm not going to lie, he's my favorite. Everyone loves Gizmo. He's definitely a people person. He doesn't really care much for other doggies, although he's not agressive at all. Just ignores them. He thinks he's a person, I swear. He's lazy, he's stubborn, He's like a grumpy old man although he's only four years old, but I looooves him.

Then we have Lily. :::sigh::: Lily is the baby. She's freaking insane. She is an attention whore. She's an alpha female for sure. Balls and toys are like crack to her. Seriously. You give her a toy/ball and her eyes get SO big, and then she's after that thing all day. Non.stop. She will play fetch with you non stop. I have to take it away from her or else she won't stop or even sleep. When i take it away she literally shakes and cries about it. Like she's going through withdraws or something. Don't even say the word "ball" in her presence. I only give her the ball a couple times a week. I have to limit it. On the other hand, she's super smart. Girlfriend was potty trained in like two weeks when she was a puppy. She's also the biggest cuddler in the world. She's a lap dog for sure. She always has to be near me. She follows me around, whereas Gizmo is more independant. She sleeps with me every night, cuddled up underneath the covers (even in the summer) next to me. When she was itty bitty she would sleep right on my neck. She's super needy. When she gets overwhelmed or scared she wants me to hold her, but I won't because I don't want her to think that's okay. She gets jealous. We are going to some major jealousy issues around here when the baby comes, that's for sure. She loves kisses. Getting them and giving them. She will come up to you and put her cheek right in your face and keep it there until you give her kisses. She's pretty funny and has a ton of personality. Although she's kind of a scardy-cat (dog) with strangers. People don't really like Lily because she's pretty overwhelming and hyper. I think she's hilarious. Keeps us entertained that's for sure! And she's super cute.

Itty bitty baby Lily. Soooo damn cute.

See that crazy look in her eye?

Don't let her fool you with that innocent look.

I love my doggies to death, and I am very interested to see what happens after Cailin's here. The dynamics are about to change for sure. They haven't acted like they have a clue as to what's going on. We already have issues with Lily trying to steal baby socks and toys. Gizmo likes the toys that make noise as well. We've already tried reinforcing and telling them "no!" when they get close to the baby stuff. Good thing most of the bigger items scare the crap out of Lily.

I'm a slacker - 30 day blog challenge

2010-12-02T09:18:00.000-08:00

Day 26-Picture of your family

Pictures of my whole family are hard to come by. Here's my mom's side. My oldest Brother, younger sister, Husband, Me, Mom, youngest sister. I could've swore I have a family picture with my dad from our wedding, but I'm not finding it.

Inlaws :)

Our nieces. Love these girls

36 Weeks

2010-11-30T13:06:00.000-08:00

I'm in my 9th month! Yay!! We're in the home stretch here people!

I had a doctor's appointment today. Had my first internal. No progress yet. I'm not dilated or effaced at all. Bummer, but really not. I mean, not like it would change anything if I were 1cm dilated, you know? I could walk around for weeks like that anyway. So we're just taking it week by week seeing how it pans out. She did say my cervix is softening though, so that's good I guess?

Here's a crappy blurry camera phone picture of my belleh:

How you're feeling: Okay actually. Other than the regular end of pregnancy aches, pains and uncomfortableness. I'm done complaining. :)

How far along? 36 wks

Total Weight Gain?Thanks to Turkey Day I was up another 4lbs this week. Yuck.

Maternity Clothes? yeppers. Barely even fit into those

Stretch Marks? yep.

Sleep? Okay. Not great, not terrible. The pregnancy insomnia has returned a bit. I'm tired.

Best Moment This Week? putting up xmas lights and the xmas tree.

Movement? Same ol'.

Food Cravings? sweets. I actually had a pretty big craving for ice cream the other night. Note to husbands all over the world: Do NOT tell your 9 month wife she doesn't "need" ice cream. It was really one of my first legitimate cravings, and he refused to go get me any, telling me "you had a lot of sweets over T-giving, you don't need ice cream." Yeah... 30 minutes later guess who went and got me some god damn Cherry Garcia?!

Gender? GIRL!!!!

Labor signs? Nada

Belly Button? half in half out. Top is out, bottom is in. <--- same.

What I Miss? The littlest things I will never take for granted again: bending over, closing a car door (once you're inside the car), getting up off the couch, touching your toes, crossing your legs. Geeze!

What I Am Looking Forward To? Getting this baby OUT!

Milestones? 9 months!

2010-11-29T13:40:00.000-08:00

Day 24-Something you've learned
Hmmm another hard one. I'm so horrible at coming up with things off the top of my head. I always have these great ideas when I'm laying in bed at night. I had to go look at a couple other people's blogs to get some ideas. Jenni had a couple good ones that I definitely agree with, so I'm stealing them from her.

* Nothing comes free. You have to work for what you have. At least I always did. Nothing was ever handed to me.
* "I have learned to let the chips roll" (from Jenni). Yep. Let things fall into place. They will eventually, right?
* "I am learning to let go of the stupid stuff" - Agreed again. ESPECIALLY when it comes to relationships. Let the little things go. Don't hold grudges or start a fight over something silly or small. I can tell you that Husband and I rarely fight. I'd say we have little arguments here and there, but they're mostly in a joking manner. I'll tell him if something's bothering me (although he's not as good at that). But in regards to real fights, I'd say we maybe really fight once every one or two years (although they end up being big ones sometimes), but at least we're not constantly at each other's throats. I don't understand couples like that. Couples who are always yelling at eachother or giving eachother the silent treatment and just always "fighting".
* "I have learned that bills SUCK" - haha for sure, Jenni!
* "That mistakes happen, no need to dwell, just move forward" - Yep. I would say that I let a LOT of stuff go. Mistakes, comments etc. I'm not really a pushover, but it's stupid when people hold grudges or get mad etc over things that people may have done/said/mistakes, etc. Just let it go. Why do you want to be miserable all the time? Also, things like Oh, my order was wrong. I don't ever send food back (also for fear that it may get spit in haha), but it's like oh well, they made a mistake, I'll eat it anyway, no biggie. I have friends that get SO mad about stupid stuff like that and it drives me crazy. Deal with it!
* Expect the Worst, hope for the best.

Day 25-Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs

1.Taking Back Sunday - New American Classic
2. Tiger Army - Pain
3. Authority Zero - Revolution
4. Justin Timberlake - Sexy Back (haha!)
5. Social Distortion - Story of My Life
6. Dropkick Murphys - Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya
7. Rancid - Maxwell Murder
8. Taking Back Sunday again - Number Five With A Bullet
9. Bad Religion - Stranger than Fiction
10. Snoop Dogg - Gin and Juice

30 Day Blog Challenge: day 23

2010-11-24T16:37:00.000-08:00

Day 23-Favorite vacation

Ever? This is a toss up between Seattle or Sea World. Sea World was awesome. It was Husband and I's one year anniversary as a couple. It was just the two of us, and we had a great time. Well, except that whole I was under 21 and got busted for a fake ID thing. haha!

But Seattle was more recent so I'll blog about that. Last summer ( i think) is when we took a trip to Seattle to visit my sister-in-law. We went for our niece's birthday and the 4th of July. It was sooo pretty up there and perfect, non Seattle weather. It was warm, perfect weather, sunny, and we only got the true Seattle rain the last day we were there. Which I didn't mind. We did LOTS of outdoor stuff.

Like visit the ice caves.. So cool.

Take a Ferry over to an Island (forget which one).

Eat Delicious, FRESH seafood...

Watch the sunset on the beach (at 10PM, might I add).

Have the BEST 4th of July EVER! We got to set off our own fireworks. And real fireworks. The whole neighborhood was going off. It was awesome. Much different than here where we drive and go sit in a parking lot full of people in 115 degrees, sweating our butts off. Then sit in traffic for an hour to get home.

Visit the city and play "Where's Edward?" (okay so I was the only one playing that game)....

And lots of family time! It was such a great trip. One I will remember for sure. :)

35/35

2010-11-22T17:22:00.000-08:00

Had a doctor appointment today. We remeasured her, and although she's still running about a week ahead, she's not the giant baby they predicted her to be at 29 weeks. She must've had a growth spurt around that time or something. Now, at 35 weeks she's measuring 6lbs. Oh, and she's still a girl. I had them check just ONE more time to make sure, since everythng I read about PUPPs rash says it happens mostly with boy pregnancies and they think that boy DNA has something to do with it...

I'm pretty confused as to what's going on at this point. Doc hasn't mentioned anything about keeping the induction or not. Obviously I want her to be ready and don't want to take her before she's ready, but I cannot even fathom going another five plus weeks at this point! I will die, I'm sure (okay a little dramatic, just kidding). And plus, I already bought her a cute little Christmas outfit and was REALLY looking forward to introducing her at the annual Christmas Eve party... Plus Husband's working out of town, and I want to get rid of this rash. Totally selfish reasons, I know. So, I have another appointment next week, which starts my weekly appointments. I'm just really hoping she comes on her own at about 38 weeks. Wishful thinking, huh? So please Cailin, be good for mommy and do me a favor and get yourself nice and cooked up and healthy and come around 38 weeks, kay? Mommy and Daddy REALLY want to meet you. We love SOOO much already, and we know that will only grow when we see your pretty face for the first time. :)

How you're feeling: The rash has actually gotten a teeny tiny bit better. I mean, I really didn't want to say that out loud because that means it'll flare up, right? I actually do have a couple new stretch marks which means new rash. I've been feeling a lot of pressure in my pelvis lately. Some days it's really painful.

How far along? 35 wks

Total Weight Gain? 35lbs total

Maternity Clothes? um... the maternity clothes are actually getting too small at this point. I now have to wear long maternity tank tops underneath my shirts so my belly doesn't hang out the bottom. Oy.

Stretch Marks? yep. and some new ones.

Sleep?:::knock on wood:::: but it's gotten a little bit better since my rash has gotten better. I sleep for two hours straight now instead of one. Yipee!

Best Moment This Week? It's always great when I get to see my princess on the ultrasound. And knowing she's not huge is good.

Movement? she doesn't have much room in there to move anymore. So I still feel her but she's not doing a whole lot of kicking these days.

Food Cravings? nothing in paticular, I just can't seem to ever get full.

Gender? GIRL!!!!

Labor signs? Nada

Belly Button? half in half out. Top is out, bottom is in. <--- same.

What I Miss? not walking like a duck. I remember when I could move my hips when I walk. Yeah, can't do that anymore with a 6pounder in between them!

What I Am Looking Forward To? Thanksgiving!

Milestones?35/35

I'm baaack!

2010-11-22T16:57:00.000-08:00

I was on a haitis last week because I was working from the office. I usually work from home, which gives me much more time and freedom to blog. But I'm back now. I know, you missed me!

Day 21-Picture of yourself

This is like 2 years old, but it's one of my favorites. My makeup and hair looks cute, and I don't have a double chin.

Day 22-Favorite city

Definitely San Diego. It's beautiful. I love the ocean, and the weather is always perfect.

Nursery Progress - Need your input

2010-11-12T10:58:00.000-08:00

Nursery is coming a long great! We have all of our furniture, bedding, etc. At this point we just need to get the chair rail, new (or paint existing) baseboards, curtains and a few other decorative items.

First off, let me show you my inspiration.

First we were planning on doing vertical stripes on the top of the walls with a chair rail, then solid chocolate brown on the bottom. We did a sample, and I just wasn't feeling it. It was just too busy for me. I came across this picture (sorry I cannot remember where I found it), and loved the soft colors with the horizontal stripes on the one wall, with the chair rail. We decided to do something similar.

We went with soft pinks instead of gray (even though I love the gray/pink combo). I also knew from the beginning if we were having a girl I wanted white furniture. Here's what we have so far. Again, it's not the final reveal.

Here's where I need your help. I feel like there's starting to be too many polka dots. I was planning on sewing curtains. I was going to do a solid brown then a polka dotted boarder. Do you think it would be too many polka dots if I did that? Or should I just go with a solid color? And if I did brown, would there be too much brown? We have the brown (and polka dot) bedding, brown shag rug, brown (polka dotted) changing pad, the pink and brown (polka dotted) canvas bins, and are getting a brown glider. I feel like I'm over-doing the polka dots here. What do you think? HELP!

Crib wall and stripes. I am not a fan of bedding sets for babies. I don't like all the cartoon looking prints (you know like animals, teddy bears etc). I think they're cute, just not what I wanted. I actually found this simple bed set at Target on clearance marked down from $65 to $16! I had to swoop it up. It's just a 3 piece bed set. Blanket, bumper and sheet. Although I replaced the sheet with a solid pink sheet. The other sheet was white and it had different colored brown polka dots. Oh and the other side of the bumper and blanket have stripes.

We knew that the changing dresser wouldn't be enough storage, so we made a trip to IKEA. I love this dresser. It's sitting in the closet for extra storage.

We also purchased the floating wall shelves (2 of them. the other will go above the changing dresser which hasn't been installed yet), and this box thingy. Husband's original idea was to hang it, but it was way more bulky than we thought, so it's there on the floor for organization.

Finally got the changing dresser!

Stupid wooden monkey. I hate it, but Husband just HAD to have it. We're going to hang it above the changing table. It's the only thing that Husband REALLY wanted, so I let him have it, even though I hate it.

30 Day Blog Challenge: 19 & 20

2010-11-11T12:20:00.000-08:00

Day 19-Something you miss

Hmm... I'm trying to think of something non pregnancy related, because no one wants to hear me complain about that anymore. haha

I really can't think of anything. I am one of those people who enjoy and embrace change.

Day 20-Nicknames

Ambie
Wife
Princess (my dad calls me that... still)
Muffin (my friend Jana calls me that)
Ambie Bambie

30 Day Blog Challenge: 18

2010-11-10T11:39:00.000-08:00

Day 18-Something you regret

Ooh another easy one!
The thing I regret most in life is being a beauty school dropout. :(

Beauty school is actually pretty grueling. I mean, it's easy and fun and all, but it's so time consuming. Part time hours consist of Monday through Friday evenings 5-10pm. And it'll take you almost 2 years to complete (they go by hours. I believe you need 1600 hours total to graduate). When you work full time this is not an easy task. So my day basically started at 6:30AM, I'd get to work at 8AM, only a half hour lunch break so I can leave by 4:30 to get to school by 5:00. I got burnt out quick. And not only that, but at the time (this was like 5 or 6 years ago) I had a really bad roomate situation. So not only was i tired because of my schedule, but i wasn't getting any sleep at night because of the roommate situation. I mean, real school isn't even that bad! You go a few days a week and have options on doing it online. Beauty school is either full time (8-5 mon-fri) or part time, which i mentioned above.

I know, I'm making excuses... I should've just delt with it. What I did, was take a break. I swore to all that's holy I was returning in 2 months.... yeah. It's been like i said 5 or 6 years. I don't see myself returning at this point unless I don't have to work full time (especially after making babies), and i'll never be able to not work or only work part time, because we can't afford it. I should've gone back like I planned way back when. Oh wellsies!

30 Day Blog Challenge: 17

2010-11-09T13:13:00.000-08:00

Day 17-Something you're looking forward to

Well this is a big fat DUH! The only thing I'm looking forward to right now is having a sweet baby girl! I'm super anxious for that day to get here. I'm READY! I'm ready to never sleep again, or leave the house without getting a kid ready. I'm ready to change diapers, get spit up on, and just everything else that comes with being a mom. :)

33 Weeks

2010-11-09T11:13:00.000-08:00

How you're feeling: Miserable. PUPPP rash is getting worse. It's now covering my whole body. The only way I can sleep is with ice packs. It's so frustrating.

How far along? 33 wks

Total Weight Gain? It's starting to slow down! only 1 pound the past two weeks! So i'm up total of 33lbs now. :/

Maternity Clothes? yep

Stretch Marks? my belleh is MESSED up. especially since the rash makes them look 10 times worse.

Sleep? here's my sleep schedule:
9PM: scrub the body down with Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap, get a couple bags of ice, place on itchiest parts of body and go to bed.
11PM: Wake up to pee. Itch itch itch... scratch scratch scratch. Rub myself down with cortisone cream.
1AM: wake up to pee. Let Lily out to pee. itch itch itch... scratch scratch scratch. apply more cream, get new ice packs. Oh great. Now I'm so fucking itchy that I can't stop scratching and I can't go back to sleep. Aaaah!!
2:30AM: still awake because of the itching. Seriously going crazy. Go wash myself with Gpa's Pine Tar Soap again, and lay back down. Turn on the TV to distract me from thinking about how bad I itch.
3AM: finally fall back asleep.
6AM: wake up to pee. Itch itch itch... scratch scratch scratch. Apply cream and change ice packs.
7:45: Alarm goes off, push snooze, but I start itching so I give up and get out of bed for the day.

Best Moment This Week?can't say anything that great has happened.

Movement? Less kicks, more rolling and wiggling. She's actually pretty chill. Hope she stays that way!

Food Cravings? nothing in paticular, I just can't seem to ever get full.

Gender? GIRL!!!!

Labor signs? Nada

Belly Button? half in half out. Top is out, bottom is in.

What I Miss? Not itching non stop.

What I Am Looking Forward To? Getting this baby out so I can stop itching.

Milestones? Can't say that there's been any lately.

2010-11-08T11:04:00.000-08:00

Day 15-Bible verse

Uh... I've never read the bible.... skip!

Day 16-Dream house

Reality: I'm a very simple person. I love the older homes here in AZ. I don't like the new "cookie cutter" houses. They're too close together, no yard, and all look the same. I/WE would love an older home on some land. Ok, so HUSBAND would like an older home on land. I actually really love our house and our neighborhood. If we only had the money to finish remodeling. A new kitchen is a must have. Mine is a super small, fugly, outdated galley and I HATE it. Also, our master bathroom needs to be gutted as well as the backyard, complete with a new pool deck, landscape the front yard, paint the exterior... okay so if we could win the lottery and do everything we needed to do to our house it'd be perfect for us.

Fantasy:
A beach house. It's my unrealistic dream of living RIGHT on the boardwalk. Somewhere like San Diego. Keep dreaming.

30 Day Blog Challenge: 13 & 14

2010-11-05T13:19:00.000-07:00

Day 13-Goals
Hmm... well I did have that 101 in 1001 list... what happened to that? haha!

* Have a happy healthy baby.
* Exclusively breastfeed for a year.
* Lose at least 50lbs.

Day 14-A picture you love
Gizzy trying on one of Cailin's hats. I love picking on him. He just takes it. He's so damn cute. And you can see the mess from when Husband was painting the nursery behind him.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 12

2010-11-04T17:04:00.000-07:00

Day 12-What you believe

Hmmm... this is a hard one. Are we talking about religion? Just in general?

* I believe in God.
* I do NOT believe in organized religion.
* I believe in soul mates. That there is one person on this earth that was put there just for you. Weather or not you find that person is a different thing. I believe I found my soul mate. <3 awww.
* I believe that pets are indeed family.
* I believe money buys happiness, MOST of the time anyway. Because seriously, if we were rich I'd be a MUCH happier person. Money makes the world go round. It sucks, but that's how it is.
* I believe sex is important in a relationship/marriage.

That's all I can think of...

2010-11-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

Day 11-Favorite tv shows

Wow. Well, I am a TV junkie. I don't know what I'd do without cable. Here are my top favorite shows.

True Blood
So You Think You Can Dance
Vampire Diaries
Chelsey Lately
South Park
I Survived (Have you ever seen this show? It's insane. Stories of people that survived the craziest situations)

Hmmm... I'm sure there's more. I channel surf TLC, E!, Food Network, Travel Channel ( I like Man Vs. Food and Bizarre Foods w/Andrew Zimmerman), Style Channel (Jerseylicious!), and Comedy Central.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 10

2010-11-02T16:50:00.000-07:00

Day 10-Something you're afraid of

Bugs. Ew. Any kind of bugs. It's my phobia. I even hate butterflies and lady bugs. Gross. Cockroaches are the worst. If a bug flies by me I scream bloody murder, toss everything that's in my hands and run. It's like an automatic response that I can't control. I can't tell you how many Starbucks drinks I've lost. Husband says he's scared I'm going to throw our baby and run. I need to get a handle on this. It's really not something I think about till afterwards, when everyone is laughing and staring at me like a crazy woman. Although I highly doubt I'd throw our daughter. I'll probably hug her closer to me to protect her from that fly/butterfly/bee/moth/whatnot.

I'm Over It.

2010-11-02T11:53:00.000-07:00

I'm so over it. Pregnancy that is. I have been pregnant for over a year, off and on, and I am done. Literally, October 25th 2009 is when I found out I was pregnant the first time. Then I wasn't pregnant for most of November. Then I was pregnant again in December, and then I had a break from January to April after the D&C. So yeah. I think I deserve to be over it.

*My back hurts after standing or walking for more than 5 minutes at a time.
*I am miserable from PUPPP rash (a pregnancy rash that 1% of pregnant women can get. I'm just THAT lucky!) I itch constantly. It sucks balls. The only thing I have found to give me some relief is washing it with Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap, which smells like ass. Honestly, if it wasn't for the rash, I would probably still be okay with being pregnant.
*I'm sick of worrying every time she doesn't move for a small period of time. OMG is she still alive? Is she okay? I know it's a little dramatic, but after what I've gone through, all I want to know is that she's healthy and okay. I just don't think that's going to happen until I have her in my arms.
*I'm SUPER anxious to meet my baby girl. I just want to hold my baby in my arms. I want to know what she looks like. Does she have my eyes? Is she blonde or brunette, or bald? Does she have full lips like Daddy?
*My husband won't have sex with me. He's scared he's going to put me into preterm labor and just freaked out with the whole idea knowing that our child is in there. And although he won't admit it, I know my pregnancy body is gross and probably does not turn him on. Oh well, in a couple more weeks it's actually doctor's orders (to ripen my cervix before induction)! haha!
* I can't take a shit like a normal person. It hurts like hell, and let's just say I am now a pro with a plunger.
* I'm swollen and my legs and hands cramp up.
* I cannot.stop.sweating! Seriously, It's disgusting. I have to put a towel on my chair while I work (thank goodness I work from home) because my chair will be soaked with ass sweat in a matter of an hour. Any time I'm up and running around I am sweating balls. It was embarrassing the amount of armpit sweat I had going on at my shower. Thank God it's cooling off here in AZ finally! ... but I'm still sweating away!

So yeah. Pity party for two(the second being Cailin. She wants to come out too. She told me so.)... Sorry, but up until now I have not complained at all about this pregnancy. Even in my first trimester when I felt nauseous all day. I have felt lucky for every ache and pain, and took it all as a good sign, and I still do, but now it's just all those things together and like I said the PUPPP rash is slowly.driving me.insane! It's all over my belly, the worst on my stretch marks. And it's turned my stretch marks into these hideous looking things. They're all welted and scarred now. and I think I feel it spreading to my arms, legs and hips. Awesome. And don't get me wrong, I am no way shape or form wishing for her to come early either.

Anyhooters... Now that you know how miserable I am and listened to that big ol' long complaint...

How far along? 32 Weeks

Total Weight Gain? I'd rather not know anymore. :(

Maternity Clothes? yep

Stretch Marks? see above.

Sleep? Up every two hours to pee, then wake up for like 3 hours at a time just WIDE awake. It's cool though i need to get my ass used to not sleeping. When I am sleeping though I'm sleeping good.

Best Moment This Week? Getting nursery put together. We're like 90% done!

Movement? Feeling less movement these days since she's getting so big. More wiggling and changing positions than kicks. I love watching my belly dance though! Oh, and she gets hiccups all the time which is a funny feeling. :)

Food Cravings? nothing in paticular, I just can't seem to ever get full.

Gender? GIRL!!!!

Labor signs? None, which is good. I still haven't even felt Braxton Hicks.

Belly Button? half in half out. Top is out, bottom is in.

What I Miss? Being able to stand up without help

What I Am Looking Forward To? labor... ? Well you know, not labor itself, but the whole "I get a baby for all that" thing. 6 weeks till induction!

Milestones? hmmm baby shower?

Baby Shower

2010-11-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

Last weekend (Oct 24th) I had my baby shower. It was Amazing, fabulous, excellent, anything that describes awesome. I was floored by not only the amount of people that showed up, but the amount of gifts we received! Words can't even describe how greatful I am for my great family and friends.

My sister and BFF dayna put together a Halloween themed shower for me and it turned out perfect!

Here are the pics.

The latte girls!

Remember this post? Lisa got it for me! Thanks Lisa!

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 8 and 9

2010-11-01T13:24:00.000-07:00

I'm doubling up today.

Day 8-A place you've traveled to
and
Day 9-A picture of your friends

A Place you traveled to. Here are my favorites. Sedona, AZ. My favorite place in AZ. We visit a few times a year, even if it's just a day trip up to Oak Creek.

And Seattle. We visited my sister-in-law and family last summer and it was so awesome. I want to live here.

Day 9-A picture of your friends

I have a few different groups of friends.

First off, my BFF's. In this picture we have Me, Tonya (who i've been BFF with since 7th grade), Dayna (BFF since 2nd grade), Nora which is really not one of my friends, so we can count her out, and Jana, who i've really became close with the past three or four years.

Then we have some girls who were Husband's friends growing up that are now more of my friends. Or Husband's friends wives.

This is Me (making the stupid kissy face like usual. i think it makes my face look skinnier haha), Melissa, Jenna and her sister Karly.

Then we have a very special group of girls which are the Latte girls. We all met when we were planning our weddings on Theknot.com several years ago! Here we have Jenni, Katie, Kirstin, LisaP, Me looking awful, Mya, Kim, Jaye and LisaA.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 6

2010-10-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

I'm a slacker, I know. At least i'm still doing it!

Day 7 - Favorite Movies

Elf - I mean, is this not the best holiday movie ever?

Purple Rain - Prince. 'Nuff said.

Twilight - really is a horrible movie, but I can never turn away if I catch it on TV. I pretty much know all the lines too. It's pathetic.

Just Friends - Hilarious and I LOVE Ryan Reynolds (he was my #1 before Robert Pattinson came into my life. and I love Anna Farris too).

Happy Anniversary to me!

2010-10-27T10:47:00.000-07:00

This is our 8th anniversary together and 3rd being married. :) I love him. He's not perfect, but he's pretty close, and I cannot wait to start this new chapter of our lives together.

Past

Present-ish (this was valentine's day)

Future

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 6

2010-10-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

Day 6-A picture of something that makes you happy

Baby shower loot! (baby shower post to come)

2010-10-22T10:46:00.000-07:00

Day 5-Your siblings

Got busy there, so I've missed a couple days.

Siblings... I have 2 younger sisters and an older brother.

Lindsey and I are only 18 months apart, so we're pretty close.

And here's everyone... Me, Husband, Lindsey, Kimberly, Damien and his wife, Beth. :)

Day 5-Your siblings

30 Day Blod Challenge: Day 4

2010-10-21T16:44:00.000-07:00

I just realized I don't have many pics of my parents and I... so they're both wedding pics.

My mom and I.... we don't have a very good relationship. Never have. We just don't get along very well. I get along with okay now, but when I was growing up it was a different story. The reason I get along with her now, is because I don't have to be aroiund her or talk to her if I don't want to. I can really only handle her and my sisters in small doses. haha!

I'm a daddy's girl. The whole family knows I'm his favorite! He was the first person to touch me when i was born. He literally caught me, and we share a special bond you can say. I'm a lot like my dad. I look like him and have a lot of his personality traits. He's tall, goofy , and forgetful. He's also a 3rd degree black belt and owns two martial arts studios here in AZ.

Day 4-Your parents

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 3

2010-10-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

Day 3-Your first love

Oh god. I'm not going to lie, Husband was not my first love. He's my best love, but not first. My first love was in high school. We started dating sophomore year. I really did love him, actually. But he broke my heart. Cheated on me, apparently he was a drug addict (which i had no idea the entire year and 1/2 we were together). He got me to do things I wouldn't. Very bad influence. The break up was soooo dramatic. I was so depressed that I couldn't eat or sleep. I was literally skin and bones for months after the breakup. Like I said, dramatic. haha. I am definitely glad that I experienced heartbreak at a younger age. Couldn't imagine being depressed like that when I would have to go to work every day. It was a learning experience, and I definitely grew from it.

There were a couple other boyfriends in between that I said "I love you" to, but I would have to say that looking back, the first love and Husband are the only ones I really did love. The other two I was just in love with being in love.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 2

2010-10-19T11:08:00.000-07:00

Day 2-Meaning behind your blog name

Well, it's pretty self explanitory. Husband's a carpenter, and I'm his wife. Not much to it.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 1

2010-10-18T10:02:00.000-07:00

Day 1-Introduce, recent picture, 15 interesting facts

Hi. I'm Amber. I'm 28 years old, married for 3 years this month, have two dogs, 1 cat, and our first baby on the way.

I don't really have that much of a recent picture. I'd say this is most recent, and it's from before the pregnancy. No one needs to see the amount of chins I have going on right now... haha

"Interesting" Facts:

1. I don't find myself to be interesting at all.

2. My BFF Dayna and I have been friends since the 2nd grade. That's 7 years old, so we've been friends for 21 years. Wow! Love her, she's like a sister to me.

3. I was a cheerleader. Shocking, I know. Well actually it was the Spirit Team. Which meant that we were cheerleaders and pom dancers all in one. I cheered starting 8th grade, and all the way up the middle of senior year, when I was actually kicked off the team because the new coach did not like me. It was my life. I loved it, and dammit I was good at it! I was doing both JV and Varsity my freshman year! Being kicked off was devastating to me. I had invested so much time in that damn squad, and when we got a new coach, she decided she didn't like me, so she came up with this demerit system. If you get x amount of demerits you'd be kicked off. She would give me a demerit for not having my freaking hair bow in right! Seriously! She didn't give ANYONE else demerits. She didn't enforce any of her stupid rules to anyone else. She had it out for me. Yep. I'm still bitter and hate that evil bitch. haha I also danced starting freshman year, so after getting kicked off cheer, I put all my focus into dance. I was actually a choreographer for my class.

4. I have this irrational fear of ghosts, or being possessed by the devil or something. I always think my house is haunted at every single little crack it has at night. I think this started when I watched the Exorcist at a way young age.

5. Even though I have said irrational fear, I LOVE scary movies. Bloody gory are my favorite. Love cheesy, old, vampires, ghosts, zombies etc. Any scary movie! Love.

6.I have a tween obsession with Twilight and Robert Pattinson. I'd probably leave my husband for RP. ;)

7. I am an Arizona Native. One of the few. I would LOVE to experience living in a different state. I hate it here. I'm sick of the ugly, dry desert. I'll probably never leave though. Husband likes it here, we have a house, and we are starting our family. I couldn't take my kids away from their family. Oh well.

8. Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday. I'd take it over Christmas any day.

9. I am always late. ALWAYS. I usually run about 10 minutes behind. Don't ever expect me early. I'm sorry in advance. I don't do it on purpose, I promise! I'm also assuming I'll be even later once I have a kid to get out the door. Sorry!

10. I am a daddy's girl. He still calls me "Princess".

11. I have 6 tattoos

12. I love Taco Bell. It's really the only fast food I will eat. Maybe Wendy's but I have to really be in the mood for that.

13. I would love to be a stay at home mom. It's my dream job. Unfortunately, that's all it is, a dream. We can't afford to have me stay home. Stupid bills.

14. I'm very unorganized. I can tell you where something is hidden underneath a pile though. If Husband cleans and moves it where it should belong, it gets lost.

15. I have an eyebrow obsession. I always notice when someone's eyebrows are overplucked, bushy, shaped weird. Just get them waxed people! It's the best way to keep them nice and shaped well. It will make your face look so much better.

30 Day Blog Challenge anyone?

2010-10-15T15:16:00.000-07:00

So I was looking at random blogs, and I came across a blog called Katie's Journey. I never have much to say on this blog, and so if I updated it as much as I wanted to, it'd be even more boring. So I thought I'd spice it up with Katie's 30 Day Blog Challenge. Seems easy enough. Here's what it entails:

Day 1-Introduce, recent picture, 15 interesting facts
Day 2-Meaning behind your blog name
Day 3-Your first love
Day 4-Your parents
Day 5-Your siblings
Day 6-A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 7-Favorite movies
Day 8-A place you've traveled to
Day 9-A picture of your friends
Day 10-Something you're afraid of
Day 11-Favorite tv shows
Day 12-What you believe
Day 13-Goals
Day 14-A picture you love
Day 15-Bible verse
Day 16-Dream house
Day 17-Something you're looking forward to
Day 18-Something you regret
Day 19-Something you miss
Day 20-Nicknames
Day 21-Picture of yourself
Day 22-Favorite city
Day 23-Favorite vacation
Day 24-Something you've learned
Day 25-Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs
Day 26-Picture of your family
Day 27-Pets
Day 28-Something that stresses you out
Day 29-3 Wishes
Day 30-a picture

Wanna join me? go go!

Third Trimester Update

2010-10-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm a good two weeks into my third trimester! Woopie! She'll be here before I know it! I'm at the end of my 29th week. Finally going to be out of the 20's and into the 30's. It's starting to feel real. Like, OMG I'm going to have a baby in two months! I'm going to be called Mom from now on. Crazy! I'm super excited though. I cannot wait to see my little girl and hold her in my arms.

We had a doctor's appointment this week. She's weighing in a 3lbs 2oz in my 29th week. Doctor said that's in the 75-85 percentile. Yikes! He said that if i go full term she'll be close to 9lbs. As of now, the plan is to induce on December 13/14th (he said come in the evening of the 13th and i should have her the 14th). I'll be 38 weeks that week, so she'll be considered full term.

Now inducing was not my first choice. I would really love to experience the whole going into labor, rushing to the hospital, yelling at my husband to drive faster thing. I'm on the fence about inducing. On one hand I want to listen to my doctor. I trust him, and hell I would be lying if I said having her here before Christmas does not sound super duper appealing. That would be awesome. On the other hand, I've been getting all these opinions that are confusing me to no end. Especially from my femi-nazi mother. But i won't even go there... Nothing is set in stone at this point anyway. We will reevaluate in a month. They'll measure her again and see where she is, and we'll go from there. Either way I'll do what I think is best for me and my baby. I do not have gestational diabetes, however, I do have a glucose intolerance. Basically that means I'm pre-diabetic, which is why she is running big. Kinda like how GD babies are big. So we'll see.

We did the 3D ultrasounds this week as well. Unfortunately girlfriend was not cooperating. She was facing backwards (her face was to my back), and wouldn't turn around. Here's what we got, but she's all squished so it's hard to tell what she really looks like.

How far along? 29 wks

Total Weight Gain? up 27lbs total.

Maternity Clothes? yep

Stretch Marks? the same ones I've had for a while now. No new ones on my tummy. They are getting thicker though and they itch like a bitch!

Sleep? I think I'm near the end of my great sleep. I wake up every 2 hours to pee. Then around the 3AM potty break, Lily needs to potty too, so I let her out, pee, get water, and then let her back in. By that time I'm WIDE awake! Then I lay in bed tossing and turning for 2 to 3 hours. It happens at least twice a week. Moving from side to side is getting harder too.

Best Moment This Week? Seeing my baby girl on the 3D ultrasound, even though we couldn't see her well.

Movement? Same ol. I'm getting less kicks and more just moving around. She's probably getting cramped.

Food Cravings? nothing healthy and everything that's going to make me fatter.

Gender? GIRL!!!!

Labor signs? no effing thank you!

Belly Button? I think it may be on it's way out...

What I Miss? Sex. Not knowing what heartburn is.

What I Am Looking Forward To? my baby shower next Sunday! Getting everything ready (nursery, hospital and diaper bag, etc).

Milestones? Third Trimester!

Update

2010-09-19T09:44:00.000-07:00

I had a doctor appointment this week. Too much weight gained this month. :( Nurse thinks I'm retaining water. I failed my 1 hr glucose test and had to go back for the 3 hr. Keep your fingers crossed for me! And Cailin is measuring a week ahead right now. She's a big girl. I don't know the exact measurements cause it was just a quick u/s by my doctor, but he didn't seem too concerned. I go back for an ultrasound to take all her weight/height measurements in a month (and get 3D pics!). Can't wait.

I finally found a diaper bag. It's a Carters brand. Matches our pink and brown polka dot "theme".

Husband started painting the nursery. I'll keep the blog updated with that.

Um... We went to see Paramore in concert this week. It was okay. I say that because it's what I expected it to be. Tons of little girls screaming. Sucked because I couldn't really hear the band over the sea of 15 year olds. But it was to be expected. At least the venue had seats and I could sit. haha

How far along? 26 wks

Total Weight Gain? Ugh. I had a spike in weight gain this month. 8lbs in one month! Yikes! So that brings me to a total of 19lbs... Nurse says she thinks some of it is water weight though cause I look "puffy" like i'm retaining water. Maybe she's just trying to be nice. haha

Maternity Clothes? yep

Stretch Marks? 6 itchy thick ones that continue to grow.

Sleep? sleep is pretty good. I wake up in the middle of the night completely awake at times and then can't fall back asleep for hours. Don't know what's causing that, but she's not keeping me awake at night yet.

Best Moment This Week? Paramore concert with my friends. Womens expo with my mom.

Movement? Feeling new stuff like rolling, and for the first time she hurt me a little today. It felt like she stretched her leg or butt or something out and it felt like she was pinching a nerve or something. My belly was protruding a bit, and was hard on the one side. She responds to my voice now too! I love that. I say good morning to her when I wake up in the morning and she kicks back. LOVE!

Food Cravings? nothing in paticular

Gender? GIRL!!!!

Labor signs? no effing thank you!

Belly Button? still in but shallow

What I Miss?

What I Am Looking Forward To? my third (THIRD!) trimester starts next week!

Weekly Wisdom? um...... i don't like this question.

Milestones? we're in the double digits! 99 days to go!

Gah! I HAVE to have this!

2010-09-10T10:06:00.000-07:00

I saw these at Gymboree this weekend and I was SO close to buy it. But even at 60% off it was still over $15! For the shirt. The dress was like $20. So I passed on it. Cause that just seems way too much for a shirt. And we were on our way to the Carters sale, so I knew I was going to be spending money on her.

But how cute?! I picture a day at the dog park, Cailin on my lap, Lily running around doing her thing and Gizzy laying there like the big fat lump he is. Maybe Lily wearing a red polka dot matching collar? Ugh. I have to have it.

Or this.

Or both...?

Not so weekly, update.

2010-08-29T12:21:00.000-07:00

We had a little bit of a scare this weekend. Here I am hanging out with my friend, running errands etc, and I noticed my hand has been a bit tingley all day, but not much of a problem. Then we're walking through Target and I notice that my hand is feeling completely numb, so I say, "Wow, my hand feels really weird" and I look at it and it's like totally swollen and red and hard. And my friend was like, "Um.. that is NOT normal. You need to call the doctor." So we go sit down in their little cafe area and I call my doc. I felt completely fine other than my monster hand, and it was only the right hand. So he tells me to go into the ER to check for a blood clot.

I call Husband and tell him what's going on, and drive home to pick him up, then off to the hospital we go. Since I'm past 20 weeks ER won't see me so they send me to L&D Triage, which I'd prefer anyway to be honest. I go up and they admit me, and nurse comes in and asks me a bunch of questions. Did I get bit by something, etc. Of course by this time the swelling is starting to go down. They put the heartbeat monitor on and check on the baby and she's fine, they take my blood pressure which is fine, and I pee in a cup. You know, routine shit. Then they order an ultrasound on my arm, which we wait for for like an hour. Turns out everything is fine. They said probably just the walking around with my arm hanging down and swinging probably just swelled it up, and to make sure and watch it, drink lots of water, blah blah. Keep my arm elevated when walking around, and if it happens again sit down and keep it elevated and if the swelling doesn't go down come in again.

How far along? 23 weeks tomorrow

Total Weight Gain? Up 8lbs per my last doctor visit. Seems to be about a pound a week at this point, but i haven't weighed myself since.

Maternity Clothes? yep

Stretch Marks? 5 total on my lower belly that are getting bigger and darker.

Sleep? same as it's been.

Best Moment This Week? I don't know... nothing really new going on.

Movement? Lots. I'm trying to figure out her patterns but she's seems to do what she wants, when she wants.

Food Cravings? hmmm this week i was craving Sweet Tomatoes.

Gender? GIRL!!!!

Labor signs? no effing thank you!

Belly Button? Innie but getting pretty shallow. I wonder if it'll pop out.

What I Miss? Sex. It's just not the same. :( I hope it returns to normal after and my labido isn't shot for life.

What I Am Looking Forward To? Everything that's to come in the next four months, and I'll admit, I'm already getting anxious to meet our baby girl. :) Is it December yet? I'll tell you what I'm NOT looking forward to - swelling. My feet and hands are already swelling. Blech!

Weekly Wisdom? ......?

Milestones? um... nothing new. Same ol', which is why I only update this every two or three weeks.

Baby Headbands: My First Tutorial

2010-08-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

I made some baby headbands last weekend and thought I'd do a tutorial. They're super easy and came out pretty cute! Take it easy on me though. Like I said, it is my first tutorial.

Here's what you'll need:

- Panty hose. You can use childrens or adult. I used children because I wanted different colors and some had patterns. I thought that was cuter than the adults, because you can only find white and black in adults.

- flowers. Go to Michaels or Joannes and pick out any silk flowers you like.

- Hot glue gun.

- Iron

- Thread and needle for hand sewing. You don't really need your sewing machine for this.

- Bling for the middle of your flower.

- Ribbon

1. First start with your flower. Any kind you like. Here's a BIG one.

2. Take it apart. Start by removing it from the stem then removing the bottom part. Then (not pictured)take apart all the petals from each other, but keep them in order, until you get the top middle part of the flower removed.

3. Next you're going to glue your flower back together. You're going to hot glue each petal together. Just put a small amount of hot glue around the petal's center and put the next petal on top.

4. Once you have it all glued back together, put some bling, or a button, or anything you'd like to decorate the middle in. Go ahead and prep all your flowers. Have fun, decorate them with different colored jewels or like I said, regular buttons, decorative buttons, etc. Be creative.

5. Now on to the panty hose. For a newborn you'll want the measurements about 12 inches. From what I googled, 13 inches will fit up to a year. The panty hose stretch, so seems about right. If you already have a baby, measure her head.

You'll want to start by cutting your measurements, then ironing out all the wrinkles. Make sure you iron the hose on a LOW heating. Trust me. THey will melt. Go ahead and iron them all at one time and put them in a pile to get started.

6. Ok. Now that you have everything prepped, start by folding your panty hose in half and then sew the two ends together. Pull the thread so it scrunches it. That's what you're going for.

It should look like this when you're done.

Inside out

Right side out.

7. Glue ribbon round the sewed area. The best is if you use a silk ribbon. It will be the most comfortable for your baby's head. YOu'll end up with this:

7. Glue your flower onto the ribbon piece, and you'll end up with this!

Next. And this is very important. Make sure you test them out on your dogs.

Oh, and make sure you put the panty hose scraps on their bottoms to complete the outfit.

Just kidding. Here's a few pictures of all of the ones I made.

Baby stuff is overwhelming!

2010-08-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

So every time I walk into a Babies R Us/Target Baby section/any other baby store I get so overwhelmed. I just don't even know what I'm looking at! And then I kinda just space out. Where I'm not really looking at anything anymore and everything's kind of a blur. So then I end up in the clothing section cause clothing is REALLY easy to buy. And then I end up leaving there spending too much money on baby clothes. I don't know which items are better, or what exactly I need... Help!

Here's what we have picked out so far when it comes to bigger items.

Fisher Price Lil Lamb Swing

Graco Travel System. I am still trying to decide if I want a full size or lightweight stroller. I kind of want both. Is that bad?

I bought this on clearance for like $16! It was originally like $65 or something. I don't really care for a huge bed set. First off, I can't find any I like. And secondly, it's too damn expensive. I like the brown polka dots, however, the sheets are not the right color, so I'll just buy a pink sheet separately. All i really cared about was the bumper, to be honest.

Play Pin thingy. Are these even really necessary?

We are getting a barely used bassinet free from a friend, and we haven't even decided on furniture yet. Oi.

Bump or Chunk?

2010-08-15T14:30:00.000-07:00

So here's my first "bump" picture. I'm a big fat fatty, and I feel that I'm carrying low, so I still just feel like people that don't know me look at me like, "is she pregnant? Or just fat?". I'll be 21 weeks tomorrow.

Sorry for the crapola camera phone picture. I think my computer is on it's death bed and it doesn't let me save anything to it these days.

Halfway There!!!

2010-08-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

Well folks, we've reach the halfway mark! I'm 20 weeks today and so excited! Things are going great. I feel great, and can feel her move quite a bit! We had an ultrasound last week to finish the anatomy scan since she was not big enough to measure certain parts when we found out the sex at 17wks. The ultrasound itself sucked because of the annoying tech that was going on and on and on about how she hung out with her ex boyfriend that weekend like I give a shit. And one of the big machines were broken, so we had to use one of the old crappy ones in the exam room, so I couldn't even see Miss Cailin wiggling around. :( I did have her make sure she's still a girl though, and she showed me her little privates.

We're doing her bedroom in pink and brown. We're going to do a chair rail, and underneath the chair rail, the paint will be chocolate brown, and above the rail, we are doing soft pink stripes. The furniture will be white. I have a sample, which I need to upload that pic, but I'm thinking the darker pink is too bubble gummy, but i like the brown and light pink. We moved the office into the spare room, but that's another post.

How far along? 20 weeks!

Total Weight Gain? 6lbs total as of today.

Maternity Clothes? yep

Stretch Marks? Ugh. Three on my lower belly, and they're getting bigger on my thighs. :( Im going to be a mess after this. She totally worth it though!

Sleep? same as it's been.

Best Moment This Week? feeling all her movement.

Movement? Lots! It's getting more and more regular. More kicks than flutters now. Sometimes I can tell the different movements. I felt like she didn't stop moving yesterday. She's also learned to kick me right in the bladder, and this morning it felt like she did a complete flip. I love it! I can't wait until I can feel her on the outside, so Husband can share this with me.

Food Cravings? pizza and pickles. Not together.

Gender? GIRL!!!!

Labor signs? no effing thank you!

Belly Button? Innie

What I Miss? Beer -still this. Social functions are such a tease.

What I Am Looking Forward To? Bigger tummy, more movements, Husband feeling movements.

Weekly Wisdom? ......?

Milestones? Halfway point baby!

Tombstone, AZ

2010-07-25T16:46:00.000-07:00

Back on Memorial Day weekend we took a day trip up to Tombstone. I really didn't know much about the history there. I've heard the name Wyatt Earp before, but didn't know much else. I actually thought it was more of a theme park, and not a real place with real history right here in AZ.

We started off at the Boothill Graveyard, which again, I thought was fake. Apparently it's completely real, buried with cowboys from the 1800's. Who knew? Not me.

You got a little pamplet telling you how each person died. It was really quite amusing how many people were just shot on the street or in the bar because they were drunk and got in an argument over a poker game.

The cowboys that were killed in the OK Corral shoot off.

And to show you the level of my maturity ::giggles::

Then we headed to the streets of Tombstone.

The Birdcage Theater. By far my favorite part of Tombstone, which is highly haunted by the way. I really wanted to go on the haunted tour, but we weren't planning on staying that late. Next time.

The Birdcages...
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Just a few of the gunshots in the ceiling.

These old burlesque photos were everywhere. I loved them

Brothel rooms where the ladies "entertained".

See the face in the mirror? It's supposed to be a ghost but I think it's totally fake. Because it shows up in the picture every time on everyone's camera.

Super rad old hearse.
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The OK Corral

And so much more. It was pretty awesome. We also went on the underground mine tour which was cool, but I don't have good photos of that. It was a good trip and something I'd like to do again someday.

I need to mark some stuff off my 101 list

2010-07-25T16:09:00.000-07:00

I haven't really even glanced at my 101 list in a while, but looking at it, I can definitely mark some stuff as completed!

For the pups:
11. Walk dogs at least twice a week - completed. I should've notated on this that this is when weather is permitting. My dogs don't take the 115 degree weather kindly, so walks are out in the summer. We go swimming instead.

13. Get Gizmo into the vet to get his butt issues checked out - checking this off as completed. I had a feeling that these nasty oily rusted metal and poop smelling farts were due to fact that the groomers were not expressing his butt glands and I was right. The old groomer sold their business to a friend (they decided they wanted to do mobile grooming only), and the first time I took him in with the new owners I asked them to make sure to express his anal glands because I didn't think they were doing it previously. She confirmed that I was right. Apparently I wasn't the only one complaining about this. Ever since they took over, I haven't had any problems.

14. Learn to express anal glands (gross, but needs to be done) I guess this isn't really completed because I didn't actually learn how (tried, but I couldn't figure it out). But now that it's being done (see above) I don't need to know.

For Moi:
42. Get a brazillion and brow wax once a month I'm good at keeping up with this. It's the one thing I do for myself. Every 4 weeks I go to get tortured. And it really does hurt more when you're pregnant, by the way.

44. Cook 4 meals a week Definitely completed

47. Try 10 new restaurants (2/10) I'm sure there has been more, but I really just cannot think of where else I've been. I did go to Arcadia Tavern, a bar and grill. It was pretty good! I had a hummus appetizer and grilled buffalo chicken sandwich with sweet potato french fries. It was actually really good.

48. Go to First Fridays (2/5) I'm pretty sure I've been to at least two First Fridays since I've made this list.

58. Recycle cans, bottles, junk mail, etc. Completed. We bought a second trash can to put all of our recyclables in.

71. Have cyst removed Completed. I didn't have it removed, but it went away. Hopefully it doesn't come back.

75. Find a new OB Completed back in April. I am seeing the other doctor in my old doctor's office. Brave, I know. But I LOVE him! He rocks!

85. Change work schedule to days Completed! I'm so excited about this! I just got the okay from my boss!! Wooo hoo! I'll be working 9-6 now, instead of 1-10PM. So awesome.

99. Visit a city in AZ I've never been before Completed on Memorial Day! We went to Tombstone and it was sooo much fun. I loved it!

So there you have it. When will I update next? Who knows...