7 Months!

Well my baby is 7 months now. I was super excited to get to the 6th month mark, but now that we are at 7 months it's actually kind of sad. My baby is growing up :(

He isn't crawling yet, but he is sitting up very well. He has also mastered the art of sliding across the floor backwards on his belly.

Also sadly to say I only attempt to breastfeed him in the morning and at night. He got in this habit of trying to eat, being mad it wasn't coming out fast enough, biting me... and then pulling away crying. Therefore breastfeeding seems to only work when he's very calm and things aren't hectic. Well at least I'm still somewhat trying.

Making Baby Food - The Right Way

If you don't know already making your own baby food is MUCH cheaper than buying the canned/pouch stuff. For instance a can of baby applesauce is around $1.00. Instead you can buy an apple for less than a dollar and make around 3 cans with it. Much cheaper.

Anyway after making many bunches of baby food I've decided to let you know how I do it.

First of all Baby Bullet.... Great cute gift, great idea. Not very practical....

The Baby Bullet system comes with a blender, short cup, little jars, and one freezer tray. The blender is great is you're only going to make one of everything. Like put one apple, one banana, one sweet potato, etc.... But that can take FOREVER!!! If you only make one of each thing you'll just have to make it all over again in a week.

Baby food can last for a month in the freezer, so why not make as much as you need for a month and freeze it all? Problem is the Baby Bullet really can't handle that much. It takes FOREVER to blend anything besides a banana. You're constantly opening the container shoving the spatula in there trying to figure out why the thing isn't moving anymore. Pain in the butt... Also after you've spend ten years trying to blend a sweet potato you can't even put this blender in the dishwasher!

My solution? Just use a regular old food processor. You can put like 3 sweet potatoes in one and done in seconds! Also you can put all the pieces of a food processor in your handy dandy dishwasher.

Okay second part that isn't really necessary that the Baby Bullet has. The little jars to put the food in. Great I guess if you're constantly eating somewhere besides home and you need to put your food in jars. Problem with the jars is they are also way too much food than your child will actually eat in the beginning. Also major problem is you can't refreeze or refrigerate food after you have stuck a spoon in the jar that was in your child's mouth. Bacteria.....

So because of this issue the best solution is the freezer trays. The Baby Bullet comes with one tiny freezer tray, but if you're making loads of food like I am you'll definitely need more.

So buy more trays! My favorite are the Kiddo Feedo ones. Around $17.50 on Amazon. You probably only need two trays. These are great because they are silicone and therefore you can just pop out the food like an ice tray.

So you blend your baby food in a food processor, then pour it into the trays. Stick the trays in the freezer, then about 12-24 hours later pop out the "cubes" and put them in freezer bags labeled with food and date.

I've made all kind of food this way! It's great.

Usually for dinner I pop out 4 cubes onto a plate and then microwave them. I use these plates.


Here's a couple ideas for making food.

Peas (buy organic frozen, steam in bag)
Green Beans (buy organic frozen, steam in bag)
Sweet Potato (boil in water on stove or steam in microwave(20 mins)) (buy at your local grocery store or hit up a farmer's market)
Butternut Squash (boil, steam in microwave, or roast in oven) (buy at your local grocery store or hit up a farmer's market)
Apples (steam in microwave(5 mins)) (buy at your local grocery store or hit up a farmer's market)
Pears (steam in microwave(5 mins)) (buy at your local grocery store or hit up a farmer's market)
Avocado (no cooking!) (buy at your local grocery store)
Bananas (no cooking!) (buy at your local grocery store)
Peaches (no cooking!) (buy at your local grocery store or hit up a farmer's market)

6 Months!!!!

I can't believe my little man is 6 months now. He's getting sooo big!!!! I know everyone tells you time flys by so fast and it seriously does! I can't believe how grown up he's starting to look. He's even sitting up now!

When I first started this blog I told myself I was going to continue it after I had my kid. Ya well that's a lot harder than I thought. Working part-time, taking care of a baby, and attempting to make mommy friends takes up a TON of time! Luckily at least I'm having fun.

The first couple months home alone were definitely hard. Your baby doesn't even really interact with you at all. He just kind of sits there. Then life starts to get better with each smile, laugh, sound, etc. Yesterday while picking Avery up from my mom's house he even reached out his hands to me. I just wanted to melt right there. That's a pretty adorable gesture.

Some other info about not being pregnant anymore. The massive shedding finally stopped around 5.5 months which was glorious. I was literally finding tumbleweeds in my house of my hair! Also my wonderful pregnancy nails are GONE. Back to massive cracking and flaking.

Breastfeeding is still happening, just not going as well as I imagined. I feel like the older Avery gets the harder is gets. Half the time these days I hook him onto my boob and then he starts sucking for a little while then he pulls off and starts yelling at me.... Basically I assume he's saying "mommy this milk isn't coming out fast enough!" Great.... Sadly if it gets really bad I resort to giving him Similac Supplementing Formula. Yes I know mother's out there this isn't the greatest solution for my low milk supply these days, but a mom has to do what a mom has to do. I can't sit there and listen to him scream at me while I attempt to keep re-latching him. I'm still attempting to get rid of formula. Most days I can get through the entire day with no formula until nighttime. Then he just gets so hungry so I feed him one of those 2oz pre-mixed formulas. This and feeding him like a ton of mush food a night keeps him asleep for like 11 hours. Hmmm sleep is sooo good.

I've also pretty much given up pumping. I really hated it. I tried for a long time, but it just kept getting me frustrated. I would hook the entire machine up to myself and turn it on and I would end up with less than an ounce from each boob. OMG what a waste! Just seemed pointless. So now when he's with me I feed him from my boobs. Then when he isn't with me whoever is with him feeds him formula. Works well for us.

Back to feeding baby solids. I tried at 4 months. Didn't happen. So tried again at 4.5 months and it worked out much better. We went with the mushy rice/oatmeal cereal stuff by Gerber that you mix with breastmilk. It went pretty well for awhile until I realized Avery was pretty much never going number 2. So I started introducing other solids, mushed peaches, apples, pears, peas, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, prunes, and avocado. Got rid of the cereal all together and the whole bathroom issue fixed itself. Also prunes are a godsend. I make all his other food, but the prunes I buy. They are from Gerber in the plastic square boxes. We feed him a container of prunes at lunch now and then like 6 tablespoons of the other stuff at dinner. Works out pretty well. A well fed baby is a happy baby. As you can see in the photo above - my son's chunky cuteness.

Anyway hopefully I'll be able to write more often. 

5 months!

Better late than never - 5 months!

Transitioning from Rock N Play to Crib

Transitioning from Rock N Play or Bassinet to Crib.

Transitioning from a small bed space to a large spacious crib is difficult for babies. But I have found a solution after much research and some ideas of my own.

First thing I did was transition Avery for nap times then eventually starting putting him to sleep in his crib too.

First thing you'll need. Crib wedge. You can get them for like $17.

Then you'll need towels. Any old towels will work.

Then you put the crib wedge under your sheets and the towels. Form the towels so that they make an oval. I use zip sheets so it's super easy to do!

Here's my towel oval with crib wedge and my little man in his oval! So cute! Works perfectly!

4 Months!

3-4 Month Shed Feast!

So when pregnant everyone always talks about how you never shed. And your hair turns into a wonderful full beautifulness. 

What no one ever tells you is that around the time that your baby is 3-4 months old you start shedding all that hair. LIKE MAD CRAZY! Like apparently some people complain about going bald... 

Luckily I'm not going bald, but oh my god I've never seen so much hair come out of my head! IT'S EVERYWHERE! All over me, all over the floor, and all over my poor little baby. He constantly has my hairs stuck in his hands, neck crevasse, toes, etc. 

Expert advice from baby websites? Cut your hair.... Not the best advice if you like your hair long like I do. Guess you just have to wait it out. 

Biggest concern with shedding like mad is to make sure none of your stray hairs get wrapped your baby's fingers, toes, etc. Be sure to just check them periodically for hairs and make sure no toesies are turning blue!

3 Months

I can't believe how much my little boy has grown up! It's amazing how fast they grow. I can't believe in another 3 months he'll be eating, sitting up, and crawling.

Amazing Breastfeeding Product

So my friend recently told me about this amazing breastfeeding product. And since August is breastfeeding awareness month I decided to share with all of you.

For those who are not breastfeeding yet, when breastfeeding you constantly have to wear these horrible diaper like pads in your bra, basically to catch all the milk that is leaking out of your boobs. Well guess what I have come across? A breastfeeding pad that actually stops the milk from leaking annndddd best part about it - YOU DON'T HAVE TO WEAR A BRA!!! YOU CAN NOW SLEEP BRALESS! AMAZING! When I found this product I just couldn't believe it wasn't more common.

Anyway here it is Lilypadz.... $19.95 for a pair.

These are seriously amazing. Basically it's a silicone pad that kind of looks like a pasty... like what chicks would wear in a strip club, but clear. It works by actually inverting your nipple and then flattening out the rest of the pad around your boob. Sounds weird, but totally a miracle product. 

Only thing is.... You really need to keep these things legit clean. The best bet is to use the actual Lilywash. Trust me I tried to use just normal soap and it didn't really pan out. My pads got covered in tiny particles and fuzz. 

Lilywash works great, but it's like $5.95 a bottle. 

Anyway just wanted to let you all know of this miracle product I have found. My suggestion? Buy the two pack of Lilypadz from diapers.com along with the two pack of Lilywash. Will definitely save you some money. 

Boobs & Diapers

Boobs and Diapers.... well that's an amusing headline.

First let's talk about boobs.
My whole life I wanted bigger boobs. I looked at other women and always thought to myself... man I would look so much better if I had bigger boobs.

Well I do now! But it's definitely not the best...
First of all pregnancy/breastfeeding boobs are not very attractive. Like me you might get stretch marks on them. And of course everyone's areola turn darker which is not very attractive.

And now I have back pain.... I'm not sure if it's from having bigger boobs or hunching over all the time flopping my boob into my kid's mouth. Either way it sucks....

I went from a small 34B to a 38C. GOODNESS GRACIOUS!!!!
I do kinda enjoy how I look in a swimsuit now though :)


Ok now onto diapers.
I found this super handy chart on how many diapers you really need.
So far it has worked out pretty well for me!!!

Newborn/Size 1 = 320 
Size 2 = 870
Size 3 = 870
Size 4 =728

2 Months!

Gosh I haven't written anything in forever....

Anyway today my little man is 2 months old! He's a chunky cute little monster! He's already 13.5 pounds! I even got him to smile for the picture!

Life with a baby is slowly getting easier. Avery is even sleeping 8 hours or more a night. It's amazing!!! Usually he sleeps from 10pm-6:30am then 7am-9:30am. God I love sleep! Sometimes he wakes up a little bit, but if I put the pacifier back in his mouth all is good. Our daily life consists of sleeping, going on a walk with the puppies, eating, and chilling. And of course me working part-time from home.

Anyway hope you enjoy my little man's photo! I'll be sure to try and write more!

Breastfeeding Hurts

Breastfeeding. O so cute feeding your cute little baby.... Luckily I read a bunch of articles and information before I started breastfeeding so I knew it would hurt and some other parts of suckiness about it, but I honestly think I was not fully prepared for the amount of hurt and other stuff that comes with it . So here's my story so you have an idea. 

My opinion? If you can get through the first week you're golden! The first week is absolutely horrible though. 

It first starts in the hospital. As you're trying to learn how to feed your baby you are also in an extreme amount of pain. Not only does it hurt when your little one is sucking on your nipple your body also decides this is a great time to start contractions. The contractions are great because it's your uterus going back to normal size, but it HURTS like a BIOTCH! So picture your tiny baby basically pinching your nipple, you being frustrated about attempting to hold them with two hands, and to top it all off pain that feels like horrible cramps... great... Just attempt to get through it. The cramping feeling left me at 1 week and the nipple pain was a lot less by then too. 

Hmm nipple pain. Definitely feels like pinching. What sucks is the pinching usually ends up with blood too. Your nipples will have like scabs on them. YUCK! My suggestion is nipple butter. Get a jar to keep in every area that you'll be feeding your baby. Put it on every single time after you breastfeed for at least the first week. It helps A LOT! Also this stuff is much better than Lanolin because you don't have to wash it off before feeding. 

There's good and bad things about the first couple days of breastfeeding. Your actual milk hasn't come in yet so your boobs still feel normal and you can even not wear a bra to sleep. Then it happens... you wake up one day and feel like your boobs are going to explode. And then they start leaking, Like you get out of the shower and try to dry yourself off and you keep feeling like water is dripping on you. It's water right? o no it's not.... it's milk... gross. Quick grab some breast pads and a bra before it drips everywhere!

Also my advice on breast pads. Just get the disposable ones. It's nice to attempt to save the earth with washable breast pads, but remember those scabs I was telling you about? Ya washable breast pads will stick to those scabs, meaning every time you take out your boob to feed your baby you're pulling off a breast pad which is now stuck to your painful scabby nipple. Even after those scabs so away your nipple will still stick to the washable breast pads. Definitely horribly painful. I use the Avent Disposable Breast Pads. Get them on Amazon, get them on subscribe and save, then it's 60 pads for only $5.74. AMAZING! Also I just use the "day pads" for both night and day. The night pads are a little bigger and bulkier, just depends upon how much you're leaking. 

Another thing no one tells you about... Oversupply or fast letdown. WTF is that??? Everyone always says you might not make enough milk so be sure to get some formula and be prepared. No one ever says you could have too much milk to the point where your little one is CONSTANTLY spitting up. Like projectile getting everyone and everything messy spitting up. Like 4 outfits a day spitting up.... for you and your baby. Basically I make too much milk. Therefore my baby has been eating too much milk for his little self and then the projectilling happens.... Yes I just made that word up... Luckily if you do have this problem by 4 weeks they tend to grow out of the massive amounts of spitting up. So life is much better for our clothes and stomachs these days. 

So far there's my life of breast feeding. A whole 5 weeks! Time is definitely flying by and my little one is getting super chunky and cute! Hope my trials of breastfeeding can help you too!

1 month old!

The Hospital

Well I'm a little late with posting this, but figured I'd give you all a little info on the 48 hour greatness of being at the hospital after you have a baby.

First of all it sucks. You're in pain, you have a brand new baby that's crying, and people keep walking into your room non-stop. Basically good luck getting any rest. It's pretty much impossible.

Let's talk about pain. Make sure you ask for ibuprofen and oxycodone. You'll need both. The worst part about the meds is the fact that you have to continue to ask for it. Wake up in pain at 2am? Yep you need to call the nurse in and hope her walking in doesn't wake your sleeping 1 day old.

Be sure you use all the products they give you. My hospital had these ice packs that were also pads. They don't last very long obviously since that area is very warm, but the coldness on your lady parts feels amazing. Basically you take the ice pack pad and stick it to the normal huge pad, then put this loveliness into your disposable underwear. You are seriously styling now. By the way disposable underwear sucks. They aren't very tight and they aren't really shaped like underwear. They look more like two triangle pieces of fabric sewed together at the crotch. Also they don't really keep everything nice and tight so chances are the mess will probably leak out the side. Meaning you'll probably get blood on your disposable underwear, the pee pads they make you sit on in bed, and you're stylish hospital gown. My advice, don't wear your own clothes. I wore the hospital gown, disposable underwear, and hospital socks almost the entire time I was there. I didn't want my own clothes or items getting ruined.

On to another hospital stay topic, your baby. Your baby still probably won't be breast feeding that much. Especially if you have a boy and get them circumcised. Boy babies tend to shut down for a full 12 hours after being circumcised. The pain is so much that they just decide to sleep through it. Anyway your baby, your cute adorable oh my god what do I do with this thing baby. Luckily while your in the hospital your baby should be sleeping a lot. Also you shouldn't be doing much of the daily tasks with your baby, leave that to your husband, partner, whatever. Your job is to focus on getting better and making sure you get the hang of breastfeeding. Have your partner do majority of the changing, swaddling, etc. You just sit in that hospital bed and try to enjoy your pain meds. Another good thing about being in the hospital is having the nurses to help. The nurses are also great because they can take your baby away to the nursery for awhile. Awhile meaning a max 3 hours. So there's your sleep, 3 whole hours. Then they will bring your baby back to you and he or she will probably be wide awake when it's 2am in the morning. Take advantage of your 3 hours, it's glorious.

Speaking of your baby make sure you buy some actual newborn clothes. Everyone will buy you 0-3 month clothes that are all super cute. You'll think you have enough clothes, but trust me you don't. Go to Babies R Us and buy the newborn onesies in a pack. Nothing on a hanger, the stuff on hangers is too big. Buy the pack of 4 that's covered in cardboard and tape. Also be sure to grab some of Babies R Us footy pants for newborns. There's your outfits for the first 2 weeks. Newborn onesies and footy pants. If it's warm out maybe just the onesies. Then you'll need to find some socks. Try to find premie socks. Regular socks won't fit yet. I remember folding all the 0-3 month clothes thinking they were so small. They definitely are NOT! Trust me on this one, buy the boring onesies in the pack.

There's some of my advice on your hospital stay. Most of it is grueling, but at least now you have an adorable baby instead of a huge stomach? It's the little things in life.

My Birth Story

I decided now would be a good time to tell my birth story before I forget.

May 2nd started out actually as a horrible day. As told by the nurse, Josh (my husband) and I woke up super early to be at our appointment at 5:30am at the hospital. Having been told the night before by a nurse to not eat anything I already knew the morning would be tough. We checked in and headed up to the Labor & Delivery floor. We pressed the buzzer to be allowed into the department. We were told to sit in the waiting room. The only problem with that was the fact that there were tons of people sleeping in there with the lights off. We decided we would just sit down on the floor outside the waiting room. After a horrible 30 minutes of sitting and waiting Josh finally decided to press the buzzer again. A nurse came out and the news was not so great. Apparently they were super busy and probably wouldn't be able to take us until 7am. After a not so good confrontation from me about being hungry and not wanting to wait I learned that I actually was allowed to eat breakfast. Let's just say no one should come between me and food. We were told to head down to the cafeteria and hang out and eat something. They would call us whenever they were ready.

We get down to the cafeteria and of course it's closed. They don't open until 6:30am. Well here comes the tears. I'm exhausted, I slept like crap, and now I'm starving and can't eat. After some consoling and food 30 minutes later I'm finally a normal person again. Let's just say you don't want to be near me when I'm hangry...

The nurse finally called us at 7am and we headed up to the Labor & Delivery floor. Things got much better from here. We checked and I got all hooked up to the monitors.

After this things got a little boring for awhile. I ate some popsicles and chilled out and waited for the doctor.

Finally at 9am they started the induction. They hooked me up to an IV and started giving me Pitocin. At 9:30am the doctor came in and broke my water. Which felt super weird. Basically just feels like a gush of water and every time you move after that more water gushes out.

My contractions started getting regular as the Pitocin levels went up. They started me at level 2 and increased it every 30 minutes or so.

Finally around 12:00pm I decided the contractions were too much for me to take. Grabbing onto the side of the bed with one hand and squeezing Josh's hand with the other I said I needed the epidural.

After about 30 minutes the anesthesiologist came in. It's kind of weird when you get an epidural. They tell you to put your feet off the bed on one side and the anesthesiologist gets on the other side. Josh sat in-between my legs and held my hands as the anesthesiologist started. You are supposed to bend over and arch your back like a cat. The worst part was the first numbing prick. They numb you, work for awhile, then numb you again, then work for awhile. It all takes about 15 minutes. The numbing pricks are definitely the most painful. 15 minutes after the drugs finally started to kick in and life was glorious. My legs started becoming numb and I could no longer feel the contractions.

Around 2:30pm my doctor game in and said I was at 10cm. Time to push!

The nurse came in and started getting things ready. The beds in Labor & Delivery are so weird. The bed like splits in half. They take away the lower half and out comes the stirrups. Then you place your numb legs on the stirrups.

I'm not sure how things work without an epidural, but this is how it works with one. The nurse gets on one side, your husband on the other. They look at the monitor and watch for when a contraction is starting. Once the contraction starts the nurse and your husband pull your legs up to your chest. Then you bring your head up to your stomach and push as hard as possible. You push for 10 seconds then release, then another 10 seconds, then release, then one last 10 seconds, then release. Then you sit there for 3-4 minutes until the next contraction starts. Then the pushing and releasing starts again. If you have an epidural like I did you don't feel any pain from this. Just when you're pushing make sure you push with all your might so your face turns red and use your "poop" muscles.

Apparently this step can last for hours. Luckily mine didn't last very long. After about 20-30 minutes the nurse called the doctor in and told her she thought we were ready. The doctor started getting things ready. Setting up a table in front of me, putting on a gown, setting up cloths and other things below me.

By the way your husband is looking exactly at this whole process. He is right in the action staring at the head coming out. My husband told me yes normally these are his wife's lady parts, but during the birth of your baby you aren't concentrating on that. You are concentrating on your baby's head and how exciting it is.

I started pushing at 2:55pm. Avery Joshua came out at 3:37pm. I only had to push for 42 minutes. Apparently this is very short and I am super lucky.

By the way my Pitocin level only got up to 12. The highest you can go is 20. A lot of people end up going all the way to 20. Just makes me know Avery was ready to come out!

Sadly I ended up with an episiotomy. Avery's shoulders were facing my back so he was having a little trouble getting out. The ideal position is for your baby's shoulder's to be facing your stomach. After having the episiotomy he slipped right out.

This next part is kind of a blur. Avery came out and they put him on my belly to clean him off a bit. I held him for a bit and then they took him to fully clean him off and weigh him. The nurse sent Josh off to take pictures of him while the placenta came out and I got sewed up. After this they also do a horrible massage on your stomach to get your uterus to start contracting. This does hurt a lot and you can definitely feel it!

I just remember saying "Josh, look at him, look at him". I think I was completely amazed that this tiny human just came out of me.

After that things were pretty normal. They put a huge pad in-between your legs with some awesome disposable underwear and put your bed back together. They also take out your epidural. They cover you up and recommend you do some skin to skin contact. I attempted to breastfeed at this point, but honestly it doesn't really happen. Your baby probably won't be interested yet and probably won't want to eat until a couple hours after birth.

You chill in the Labor & Delivery room for around 2 hours until they take you to your room/prison/cave that you will spend the next 48 hours in. Luckily ours was bigger than the room we saw on our hospital tour. I chilled on my bed, Josh had a chair to sleep in, and Avery was put in a plastic bin on wheels. All was good.

There's my birth story! Don't worry I'll be back to tell you more about our hospital stay and the trials of breastfeeding and the first week with Avery at home.

Week 1 with Avery

Here's my Week 1 photo with Avery!

40 Weeks

Well I made it to 40 weeks. By the way never listen to your doctor's if they say you might go before then it will just depress you more when you finally get to 40 weeks....

I'm just so glad that tomorrow I'm being induced. I have no idea how long Avery would stay in here if I wasn't!

Here's my 40 weeks pic. And for Thursday throwback here's the first photo I took at 7 weeks! AHHH I'm HUGE!!

39 weeks + 5

Well I'm still pregnant. If anyone hasn't realized....

Really getting sick and tired of the comments/questions. "omg you're still here?" "haven't popped that baby out yet huh?" Nope I'm still here. If I had a choice I'd be at home curled up in bed hating life.

Ya spirits aren't too high currently.

Got through the wedding in Gettysburg this weekend. Was a good time except for the size of my feet afterward. Here's some pics from it.

Went to another appointment yesterday. Sadly they would not schedule my induce date until Friday. So at the very latest Avery Joshua will be born Friday, May 2nd.

I'm still hoping he makes an appearance sooner than that. The doctor even stripped my membranes yesterday. After reading up on it more seems like some people went into labor a few hours after that happened and of course others still waited a week before their baby was born. I really wish there was a way that actually works to get this baby out! I'm tired of trying every idea in the book and nothing working out.

So ya just so everyone knows. NOTHING YET, YES I'M STILL PREGNANT!!! AHHHHH

The 5% I never wanted to be a part of...

Went to my 39 week appointment yesterday. I have not progressed... :(

Still 4cm 80% effaced.

And then the doctor told me this. 95% of women do not walk around for a week being 4cm.

I AM THE 5% THAT DO!!!! WTF!!!!

Basically 95% of women would have had their baby by now. But not me. Apparently Avery just wants to stay in there forever!

So here's the deal. I spent all week doing everything I could to start labor. Now I've decided I'm not going to do anything. I have a wedding to go to in Gettysburg tomorrow. It's like an hour and 20 minutes away from my house. I AM GOING TO THAT WEDDING! So now Avery just needs to stay put until Sunday afternoon.

Also made a doctor's appointment for Monday. Doctor said if Avery doesn't show by then we can make an appointment to induce. I think I'm going to shoot for April 29th or April 30th. Then I can still have May all to myself for my bday haha. Yes I know selfish and ridiculous. But May is mine. My birthday, mother's day, and my wedding anniversary. Avery can share April with my husband since his bday is in April too.

Didn't take a chalkboard pic yesterday but here's a funny selfie of me!

Can I Give Up Yet?

I'm ready to throw in the towel. I just want to give up.

I can't deal with the pain, lack of sleep, feeling like crud, etc.

My clothes don't even fit anymore. Better yet this morning I ripped my shirt a little bit trying to put on deodorant because everything is so tight! Of course I still wore the shirt because I was not going to take the effort to actually pick out a new outfit that would also not fit me.

I would love to be able to actually sleep. Like not wake up every two hours to pee. Being pregnant gives rolling out of bed a whole new meaning. You really do have to roll. Then once you stand up everything slumps down and you remember the lovely pain your pelvic area is in.

Who knew being pregnant was also so unattractive. The stretch marks are overtaking my stomach. They have been all over my boobs for awhile. But now they are invading my stomach. Where my belly button was pierced looks like a root system of stretch marks. The thing that sucks about it all right now is the fact that now that I have all these lovely stretch marks I won't even look cute after I'm pregnant. Because not only will I be attempting to loose the 40 pounds I have gained I am now sporting lovely purple and red stretch marks. Goodbye bikinis I'll miss you. It's one thing to be unattractive while pregnant, but now knowing that I'll be unattractive afterward just depresses me even more.

O right depressing me. Can you say let's cry and freak out constantly? Yep. My dad said yesterday that he never had fun on our family beach trips and it took all my energy to not break out in tears in front of my parents, husband, aunt, uncle, and cousin. Also I'm pretty much just a bitch now. I'm mean to my husband about stupid stuff. And I don't want to put up with anyone's stupid stuff. O you have pain, go F yourself. O you're dealing with some family issues, get a life. Yep that's me currently. Huge, raging, emotional, fat, bitch. The end.

Please come soon Avery. I'm starting to not recognize myself.

Blah

Well I've had a somewhat exciting past couple days. More like annoying I'd say though.

Woke up Thursday morning to having two cups of clear fluid just pour out of me. Well I had assumed that meant my water broke and time to head to the hospital. So we get ready and head on over. After a couple tests they decide my water has not broken.... Maybe I just peed myself? So we get sent home....

After that I decided to work from home. After smelling what had spilled on the floor and everything else I was still convinced my water had broken. By the way I even attempted to take the 2 tablespoons of castor oil in orange juice. Definitely did not work. Continued to have contractions that day, but still no baby.

Friday morning. I'm still completely convinced my water did break on Thursday. Decide I'm going to work from home just in case. Call the doctor, tell them I think my water did break, was told to head back to the hospital.

Drive to the hospital yet again. Run a couple more tests. Including an ultrasound to see if Baby Avery is still living in liquid. He is. So I get sent home once again.

Doctors, everyone says I probably won't make it through the weekend.

On Friday I was 4cm 80% effaced. Seems like labor should start any second right? Well definitely not.... Even the doctor's were like any day now.

Spent Friday trying other techniques. Walking, taking primrose oil, etc. Nothing...

Spent Saturday trying again. More walking, sex, primrose oil. Nothing....

Spent Sunday trying again. Walking, primrose oil, even nipple stimulation. NOTHING

So I've decided he's just not going to come out. I'm going to be huge forever with my baby living inside of me. The end.

So now today is Monday. I'm back at work feeling like a fool because everyone thought I was going to have this baby on Thursday. "Yes I'm here" "Nope baby is still here" AHHHH

Wish me luck. I WANT THIS BABY OUT!!!!

Advancement!

Yay! I have advanced in the world of pregnancy!

2 cm dilated and 70% effaced.

For those of you who don't understand what that means here's a chart. By the way I also didn't really understand it until seeing this chart.

This is the least gross chart I found.

p.s. do not google image search "dilated and effaced" scary stuff.....

37 Weeks

How far along? 37 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: A million.... 37 pounds
Maternity clothes? Almost growing out of most of my maternity clothes! In this picture I look like a lamp shade! haha!

Stretch marks? Major sad face on this one :(  I found 3 yesterday. I barely saw them. They were like below my stomach where I can't really see. So 3 on my tummy, lots on my boobs
Sleep: Sleep? Who can sleep when you're peeing 4-5 times a night!!!!???? 
Best moment this week: All the ladies at Starbucks talking to me about being pregnant haha
Have you told family and friends: Yes
Miss Anything? I've decided when I legit start drinking again we should join a wine club at a local winery. Sitting around at a winery bachelorette party with my one token glass of wine sucked! 
Movement: Yes lots, not so crazy flipping anymore, mostly just kicking. 
Food cravings: Still cake. And pizza. 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope
Have you started to show yet: I've been asked if I'm hiding a kickball under my shirt
Gender prediction: We know it's a boy!
Labor Signs: Definitely been having some contractions. Kind of feels like cramps. Also feels like he's kicking me in the vag. Your stomach gets all tight and weird. 
Belly Button in or out? I'd say it's flat
Wedding rings on or off? On, but my feet are starting to look like you blew up a rubber medical glove
Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy, but the pelvic pain is really starting to get to me. I just feel huge!!!! 
Looking forward to: Doctor's appointment today. Hopefully I'm more dilated this week than last week!

My ankles are disappearing...

Here's my feet at my wedding last May....

Here's my feet now.... AHHHH

Ankles = gone....

Anyway...
Went to my doctor's appointment on Tuesday. Turns out I'm already 1cm dilated! YAY!!!! After we found that out she told me to go home pack my hospital bag and make sure the carseat was in the car. OMG! After reading a bunch being dilated 1cm it could mean anything. I could go into labor tomorrow or it could take me another 3 weeks. So who knows. She told me I probably wouldn't make it until 40 weeks. I'd love to be done NOW! The only problem is the amount of things I have to do in April. Bachelorette Party, Wedding, Parents Going out of Town, and another Wedding. Guess he'll come whenever he's ready. Totally be happy with an April baby rather than a May baby. Then I can still have my birthday month to myself! haha!

35 weeks! I can do this! 5 weeks to go!

I don't really have much new to say this week besides ugh and blah and ow.

By the way we are naming our son Avery Joshua! Middle name after my husband's first name.

I've decided I'm shooting for April. I know Avery is due May 1st, but I want him OUT!!!! Just as long as he doesn't come out during any of these April weddings I have to go to.

By the way I've also decided that they don't really make maternity dresses for those of us entering 35 weeks and beyond. I tried on a ton of dresses this weekend for the wedding and everything was a complete disaster! It was either too tight on my stomach or too big in the boobs. My stomach is so big I was undoing the pleats! Luckily I finally found a dress. It's just a huge maxi dress, but it's very cute. Even shows off my pregnancy boobs! Also sadly the perfect dress was also SUPER EXPENSIVE!!!! Originally $170, had a $30 coupon so at least I got it for $140? Jeezes.... I guess only Pea in a Pod makes cute maternity stuff for women reaching 35 weeks and beyond...

This is how I feel.... OH, YEAH!

Pregnant Chicken definitely has it right....
http://www.pregnantchicken.com/pregnant-chicken-blog/2010/5/31/stages-of-pregnancy.html

"STAGE 5:
You feel enormous and none of your maternity clothes fit. You want to crash through walls and shout "oh yeah!" like the KoolAid man. People keep saying "Haven't you had that baby yet?" You have a new appreciation for how difficult it is for the elderly and morbidly obese to get around and swear you're going to become an advocate for their rights once you catch your breath. You're no longer scared of birth you just want this kid out of you and if that means pulling it through your right nostril, so be it."

34 Weeks

34 Weeks.... 6 weeks left.... omg will it ever be OVER???!!!!!
I'm round, I'm fat, and ain't I proud of that.... not....

So a new topic to talk about.
Sex while pregnant.
Did you know it's completely normal to bleed during sex during the 3rd trimester? That doesn't mean when it happens it still won't completely freak you out. Then after you've cleaned the mess you'll be sitting there hoping to make sure your baby is still moving? Apparently it's completely normal to bleed, but a word of advice just grab some old towels and put them under yourself before doing the deed. Otherwise you'll end up cleaning.

Anyway another discovery. After my pregnancy massage (yes my husband bought me 3 pregnancy massages for Valentines day) she told me to have my husband stand behind me and lift my belly.... Apparently I have way too much pressure on my pelvic region. Which also explains why it always feels like I did 100 squats the night before. I decided to invest in one of those funny Maternity Support bands. I'm actually wearing it in this picture. Can you tell? Anyway it's very amusing. One piece wraps around the front of my tummy. Then one piece wraps around my back, then the last piece goes over your belly. I highly recommend if you're having pelvic pain to get one. It's $30.99 from Babies R Us and has amazing reviews. Babies'R'Us Maternity Support - Medium - Beige. It helps with some of the pain. But I also don't wear it all day. Sometimes it's just too much fabric to deal with. What I usually do is put on a cami, then put it on, then put my flowy shirt over top. It doesn't really work well with tight shirts. You can definitely see the lines. But I highly doubt anyone is going to walk up to a pregnant lady and ask her what the lines are under her shirt. So ya pelvic pain? Just purchase a funny Maternity Support Band.

Updated Nursery Pics

REALITY CHECK - 33 weeks

So I decided this week we are due for a reality check.

Here's the real pregnant me. Actually this is probably what most pregnant chicks look like majority of the time. If you came and knocked on my door any day after work or on the weekend this is what I would look like. Sporting my husband's huge USMC sweatshirt, along with some killer Victorias Secret pj pants, and of course my ever sexy slippers. Who wouldn't love to see that?

Sadly how I look is pretty much how I feel. I feel disgusting. I'm huge! I look at myself in the mirror and I'm like wtf happened to me! My stomach is probably double the size of what my body used to be. Being one of those people who wore push up bras their whole life I was so happy to have larger boobs. But let's face it they aren't very pretty. Covered in stretch marks and I had no idea your nipples/areola could get that big! I can't even see my down there area!

There are a few good things. I don't think my butt has gotten any bigger! My face and neck pretty much have the same amount of fat they always have. And everyone keeps telling me I look great even though I don't feel like it!

Basically I'm just ready for baby to get here now. Only 7 more weeks left.... O and by the way everyone and their mother has starting asking me when my due date is. It's like they all thing I should have already had this baby! Well I still have 7 weeks left!!! I guess it's not that long, but it seems like forever.

Come on baby! Hurry up! I seriously need something to pass the time....

32 Weeks

32 Weeks!

Here's some amusing pics from this past weekend - Baby Shower Weekend!

My cousin trying on the bump in the dressing room is a classic! Also me and my 7 month belly helped shovel our 150 ft driveway when we got 8 inches of snow!

31 Weeks

All the aches and pains seem to be pretty much the same these days. Still having rib pain and still having groin pain sometimes. Other than that all seems to be good! I also haven't gained any weight in the past two weeks. The doctor said I just might be one of those people that is leveling out. That would be nice to not gain a million more pounds these last 9 weeks!

How far along? 31 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 25 lbs
Maternity clothes? Most Definitely

Stretch marks? None on my stomach still. Lots on my boobs! haha
Sleep: I sleep like crap.... Roll to one side, roll to the other! Nothing is comfortable! 
Best moment this week: Getting packages!
Have you told family and friends: Yes
Miss Anything? Margaritas... 
Movement: Tons! I keep trying to video my stomach moving!
Food cravings: Cake - Chocolate cake with white icing... I even went to Giant and bought myself a mini sheet cake... I've basically eaten the whole thing by myself 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope
Have you started to show yet: I'm huge!
Gender prediction: We know it's a boy!
Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button in or out? Somewhat out. The place where my belly button was pierced looks really weird....
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! 
Looking forward to: BABY SHOWER THIS WEEKEND!!! WHOOP WHOOP!

30 Weeks! 10 More Weeks Left!!!!

Good morning my lovely blog readers.

Well I wish it was a good morning...

I slept like crap! Again.... Seems like most pregnant women get to this point and don't sleep well. Which just sucks! Everyone keeps saying get your sleep now because when baby gets here you won't get to sleep. Well they never tell you how hard it is to sleep when you're sleeping with something the size of a soccer ball attached to your stomach! I spend most of the night rolling around trying to find a comfortable position. Which can't be on your back, because you aren't allowed to sleep on your back because that vein will get smooshed between your spine and your baby. So sleeping on your side combined with lots of either sweating or being freezing it's all just amazing... Anyway get your sleep early on in pregnancy because once you get to 3rd trimester it SUCKS!

Baby Boy keeps moving a lot now. I can start to see it on the outside of my stomach just when I'm sitting here looking at it. It's pretty cute most of the time. It's like o he's kicking that's cute o wait never mind he just kicked me in the bladder, that's not cool, dammit I have to go pee again!

On a brighter note my baby shower is coming up in 9 days!!!! YAY!!! So excited to see everyone!!!!

He's my 30 week HUGE bump!

Update on Nursery Pics!