Saturday, July 30, 2011

Mckinley Grace

Was born July 27, 2011 at 6:05 a.m. She was 7 lbs. even and 19 3/4 inches. She is absolutely amazing and the most beautiful thing in the world. I will hopefully be back soon with her birth story, but it may be a few days because I am having too much fun with my precious baby girl.

Sweet Cheeks

Baby Girl

The Fam

Proud Papa

Monday, July 25, 2011

Rain Rain Go Away

So my hubs can cut the grass like he should have this a.m.


This is not our house, but I am afraid this is what it may become very soon. The best part is my love has now decided since it is thundering that this is the prime time to get started. God bless him. Me thinks he just wants to be out of the house away from me.

Looky Looky Looky

Unless I have a baby sometime soon I want to make these.
For breakfast we shall have

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Yield: 4 servings (4 pancakes)
Prep Time: 25 min
Cook Time: 10 min
An absolutely decadent morning treat...

Ingredients:

PANCAKES:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
CINNAMON FILLING:
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:
4 Tablespoons butter
2 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Prepare pancake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in milk, oil and egg, just until batter is moistened (a few small lumps are fine).
2. In a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Scoop the filling into a small zip baggie and set aside. You don't want this to remain super-liquidy. It's best if it becomes a consistency similar to toothpaste.
3. In a medium, microwave-safe bowl- heat butter and cream cheese until melted. Whisk together until smooth; whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla extract; set aside.
4. Heat large skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with nonstick spray. Scoop about 3/4 cup batter onto the skillet. Snip the corner of your baggie of filling and squeeze a spiral of the filling onto the top of the pancake. When bubbles begin to appear on the surface, flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a baking sheet or platter and keep in a warm oven until ready to serve.
5. When ready to serve, spoon warmed glaze onto the top of each pancake.

Tips:

*Keep the heat low or your pancakes might cook up too quickly. Don't flip them until you see those bubbles starting to pop on top. Flip them with a wide spatula so you can grasp the whole thing without batter and filling dripping all over the place!
*It's best if you pour the batter onto your skillet, wait a minute or so and then swirl the cinnamon onto the batter. That'll give it a chance to set a little before you add the swirl.
*If your baggie of filling begins to get too thick, just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it up again. On that same note, it shouldn't be too runny. The consistency of soft toothpaste is perfect. If it's melty and runny, it will tend to run all over your pancakes. Once you micro it, let it sit on the counter at room temp for a while until it thickens slightly.
Source: RecipeGirl.com

For dinner we shall have

Easy Chicken Santa Fe

Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 3 hrs
It's a little embarrassing how easy this is. And your family will think you've gone all out for them. Delicious!

Ingredients:

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 small bag frozen sweet corn (or 2 cans, rinsed & drained)
1 cup bottled chunky salsa
6 skinless chicken thighs (or 6 skinless chicken breasts- see tips below)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (low fat is fine), cut into chunks
1 cup shredded cheddar

Directions:

1. In a slow cooker, mix beans, corn and 1/2 cup salsa. Top with chicken and pour remaining salsa over the chicken. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 hours, or until chicken is tender and cooked throughout.
2. Remove chicken to a cutting board and cut into bite-sized pieces. Return chicken to slow cooker along with cream cheese. Stir and let cream cheese melt into the mixture to create a creamy sauce.
3. For serving: You can serve the chicken & sauce over rice with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese on top. Or you can serve these as tacos with cheese and a couple of taco fixings such as lettuce and tomato.

Tips:

*For chicken, the thighs will turn out more moist and tender than the breasts in a slow cooker. I used bone-in thighs and removed the skin. After the 3 hours, I removed the thighs, cut off the chicken, discarded the bones and returned the chicken to the slow cooker. You can use breasts too, just be sure not to overcook them or you'll run the risk of drying them out.
*Alternately, you can use boneless, skinless thighs and you can prepare this in the oven- 350 degrees F. for about 70 minutes.
*If you're watching your weight, you can most certainly leave out the cream cheese. It makes an awfully yummy sauce, but the corn/beans/salsa/chicken mixture would also make for an excellent dinner over rice or inside tortillas. If you're preparing this recipe as GLUTEN FREE, use GF corn tortillas for tacos!

Both recipes came from Recipe Girl

Happy Due Date

Happy Due Date Mckinley Grace.

Today is my official due date and I knew she wouldn't come today. I am just hoping she doesn't wait until Friday to show her pretty face. Thankfully I have something else to take my mind off of waiting. My good friends are actually at the hospital right now waiting on their precious baby boy. My friend Jill was due last Thursday and it took her sweet baby a few more days to get ready.
So now we are watching and waiting for some news from them which is really helping me take my mind off of waiting.

We have texted a few times this morning because I wanted all of the dirty details from my pregnancy buddy. I of course wanted to know how bad it hurt to which she replied it was pretty bad at first, but the epi has made it easy breezy (thank goodness for drugs!) I am so proud of her and her adorable hubby. They will be amazing parents. I am just so thankful we have such good friends who will be going through the same things we are very soon. I am so ready for play dates and mommy lunches.

Good luck Jill and Ben!







I have already told everyone I know and love that I am not answering my phone today (maybe this entire week) because the more people who call me and ask "is the baby here yet" or "when are you going to have that baby" are making me more anxious for her to get here. I promise people we will call you when something starts happening. So don't be alarmed if you can't get me I am not just ignoring you I am ignoring everyone, but I promise I still love you.

My plans for today to take my mind off of waiting are to clean the house again, file bills and papers, and make more hair bows for Baby Love. f it wasn't so darn hot I would get up in the attic and start arranging things into piles we want to keep and piles we want to sell in our garage when it starts getting cooler in December (anyone want an antique sewing table?) The oh so nice thing is Brent is officially on vacation. He started his paternity leave early so he could make sure to be back to work to start his new position as supervisor before his current supervisor leaves. We are hoping Mckinley gets here the next few days so this week isn't a waste. I am just happy he is here with me even though he is still sleeping and not entertaining me.

Oh and I am posting this here and now. I mentioned to the husband that he should go ahead and cut the backyard because it was nice and shaded and not that hot, but he would like to wait until 2pm. I can not wait to see how much he complains and whines about how hot it is and if it rains before he gets to it he may just suffer the wrath of his little wifey who can pop out a baby at any minute. I just wanted to have it said somewhere that I tried and laziness conquered.

Here are some flowers to brighten my day of uncut grass.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Baby Flowers

I have been wanting to make some cute flowers for headbands for whenever Mckinley gets here. I actually contacted the newborn photographer today and decided I wanted some cute headbands for her to wear. I want to make a few different styles and colors, but these are what I have made so far.


 The quality of the pictures are pretty bad because I was too lazy to get my camera and take the time to upload them. After I make them into barrettes I will take some better pictures.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Weeding in 100 degree weather naturally induces labor right?

Friday, July 22, 2011

Another Project

Since I will have a new clothesline to hang Mckinley's precious diapers on I will be needing a clothespin bag to place my unused clothespins and to make hangin laundry easier. I shall ahev 2 hands to do laundry once I figure out how to put Baby Love in her Katan sling and once mom and I make my ring sling, but I need something cute to hang out there to make things even easier.
I like this pattern and will be looking for some cute on sale outdoor fabric in justa  bit when I run to Hancock fabrics to find replacement fabric for my mom's headboard we will hopefully be making tomorrow unless thsi stubborn baby shows up We are going out for Mexican tonight with Ben and Sarah tonight to see of that OWT works.

Clothespin Bag Tutorial
I AM BORED! I don't think I can take it anymore. Thank goodness Brent is starting his paternity leave early. I am hoping Mckinley comes this weekend (wishful thinking) or early next week so it won't be wasted and he will get to spend more time with her, but just to have someone at home to talk to is going to be amazing!

I have now been home for 2 months all alone and I am going mad. My mom and some wonderful friends have kept me company a few days, but I now know that I could never be a stay at home anything. Even with Baby Love here I know I would go insane being in the house all day long. I am sure there are oh so fun things to go out and do, but I am meant to be out of the house working.

Thank goodness for The Tudors and True Blood. I don't mind that Netflix changed their shipments and fees because it has worked out better for us. We never used the streaming so instead of 1 movie we get 2 now. Today I watched 5 episodes of the Tudors and was thoroughly entertained. I think I would be insane by now if it wasn't fr some blood drinking and crazy kings.

Yesterday was a good day because I didn't have any time to be bored. After finally going to sleep around 4 and thankfully waking up at 9ish (thanks Jen) mom and I made a beautiful headboard for B and my bedroom. We (mom) cut out the headboard and legs, we put the supports on, screwed it all together, padded it, covered it, and stapled the fabric on. All in all it took us about 6 hours with lunch and a hair appointment in between. I still can't believe how good it turned out. My mom really is amazing and she can make ANYTHING. She also started teaching me how to do some simple dress smocking and embroidery. I am planning on embroidering a pillow or something to hang on our wall of stuff I am going to start putting together in our den and maybe one for the kitchen.

All I need now is the bed frame and we will be all set with a brand new non squeaking non shaky bed. We covered it with the prettiest deep brown fabric (my darling mother was going to use it for her own headboard, but she loves me so much she wanted me to have it). It matched our bed spread so perfectly she couldn't say no. I am so excited not to have that horrible bed anymore and it will be so much easier to climb into bed and reach Mckinley without having to walk all the way around the bed to climb in.

In progress

I will take some pictures of what our bed looks like now for comparisons because it is going to look like a completely different bedroom by the time I am done. I can't wait to start looking for a piece of furniture to replace the dresser with and maybe 2 new bedside tables. Once it starts to get cool we can start taking Baby Love to some yard sales and flea markets to start looking.

I guess I need to start a post baby To Do list of all the things I would like to get done in our house.

1. hang clothesline when it finally arrives to hang diapers to dry/sun
2. paint back exterior of house
3. repaint all trim and doorways in house
4. repaint kitchen cabinets white (I am bored of the tea stain)
5. find and refinish dresser for bedroom
6. find and refinish 2 bedside tables for bedroom
7. redo wall in den above couch
8. build cage with door around vegetable garden to keep wild dogs out

I am sure I will think of many other things I want to do in the near future, but I think that is wnough for now. 

Thursday, July 21, 2011

To Do

Since we officially have everything checked off of our Mckinley to do list except the whole Mckinley actually being here I thought I would make a to do list of things I can't wait to do when she finally shows her pretty face. I was at lunch with my friend Courtney and her oh so adorable handsome little man Harrison and she was telling me how she loved being pregnant and I had to admit to myself that yes I have actually loved feeling teh little lady in my belly everyday even though it has been pretty painful because my child is some sort of in utero karate expert, but by golly I am so darn ready for her to be out. Without further ado here is my list in no particular order.

  1. sleeping in a different position other then on my sides with numb arms and sore hips
  2. roll over without assistance or getting a rolling start
  3. weeding my garden and getting my yard back in "no we are not your trashy neighbors" order even though we have a door, a vintage sewing table, and leaves from this past fall still in our carport (thankfully I cinally got rid of the old paint cans from last summers house painting)
  4. snuggling with baby girl
  5. not worrying about eating too much sodium because I will get all swoll like a fat ole water balloon
  6. no more carpel tunnel hands and scary witch fingers in the am
  7. carrying baby love in her awesome pink sling as close to mama as possible
  8. shaving! I can't wait to shave my legs without contorting like a circus acrobat
  9. I know I will still have to pee a ton because I drink way too much water, but I can't wait to not walk out of the bathroom just to turn right back around to go again
  10. I know it will be a while before I can, but I can't wait to run, workout, lift weights, walk, something other then take a few steps to the bathroom then take a few steps back to the couch and repeat
  11. painful belly is a syndrome I can not wait to rid my body of. the area around my belly button is so sore even though it never popped and each time someone wants to rub my belly I flinch and die a little inside because I like my belly being rubbed, but ouch.
  12. I am ready for cuddling, crying, baby baths, naptime, cloth diapers, figuring out baby schedules, no sleep because baby is up not because I am uncomfy, cuddling in bed with daddy and baby, walks to the park, nursing, rocking, smocked dresses, baby newbies, and everything else that comes included with baby
  13. using my diaper bag insted of my purse
  14. watching people I love cuddle my little
  15. feeling good because I can fit into my pre baby clothes
  16. friends and family visiting to meet the newest team member of Team Doyle
  17. no more sipping maalox and worrying I won't be able to find the berry flavor and will have to get the nasty peppermint flavor
I could keep going on and on forever, but I have to get up in the morning to trek to my lovely mother's house to start making a new headboard for our sad little bedroom. The time is now 3:14 am. Brent should be waking up in about 3 hours and then I will have maybe 3 more hours before my wonderful mother calls to see when I am heading over. I just don't understand how I am not the least bit sleepy right now.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Since Mckinley is taking her sweet time getting here she is giving me plenty of time to think about the future. We have a few holidays coming up so I want to be prepared for her first Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

First things first is Halloween. Since she will be so little this year we are not planning on doing anything wild and crazy. Maybe we will visit with the family and pass out some candy. Our good friends Kim and Jonathan have filled her closet with precious clothes and other little girl needs and one thing included in the bundles and bundles of clothes they so kindly gave us was a precious flower costume

Kind of like this
Next comes Thanksgiving. We definitely need a cute smocked dress with turkeys on it or some sort of turkey applique
I wish I really knew how to sew sometimes because these look super easy.
I could definitely see baby girl in this adorable smocked number.


The biggest upcoming holiday is Christmas. We need lots of cute outfits because we have lots of important places to take Mckinley. We have 2 Christmas celebrations and of course Christmas mass.
Perhaps something like this
 Anavini Smocked Christmas Trees Red Corduroy Dress
or this
Anavini Smocked Ornaments Christmas Bishop Dress
I also have a few Christmas presents in mind. We won't be doing a huge first Christmas because Mckinley will only be 5 almost 6 months, but there are a few things I have been eying and I am pretty sure the G-parents will go a little overboard.Here's what I am thinking. I really like toys that babies/kids have to use their imaginations (hence why I do not have any toys in my classroom that need expensive little batteries to work) and I LOVE wooden toys. Here are a few things that will for sure be under our tiny Christmas tree.

#1 Melissa & Doug Classic ABC Block Cart
 
#2 Melissa & Doug Shape Sorting Cube

#3 EverEarth Activity Walker & Push Toy for Toddlers



Can you tell I am ready for her to get here? Well just in case she doesn't show up soon we went ahead and scheduled her eviction date. Monday July 25 is Mckinley's official due date and trust me I am pretty almost 100% sure what her actual due date should be because when you are actually trying (temping, charting, etc) you know when you got knocked up. So 40 weeks exactly should be this coming Monday. now I am really ready for her to get here, but I don want to rush her or suffer unnecessarily so if she needs a few more days we are giving it to her. We have scheduled my induction date for Friday July 29 at 8:30 a.m. This also happens to be my great aunt's 102 birthday! I think that would be a pretty neat day to celebrate Aunt Dolly and Mckinley.

Mckinley Grace I am asking you right now to please show up before that, but if not we will see you in 9 days . I think knowing an exact date is scarier then her just "showing up".

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

You Dip

I am very pegnant and in need of snacks. I have almost all of the ingredients to make this (thanks Chelsey for letting me use this) and this.  I just may make them tomorrow if I am not in labor (Come on Mckinley).

Can you tell I am bored. I am blogging about dip.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Mommy Hair

I refuse to have a mommy haircut (yes I did recently go shorter, but no it is not a mommy cut). I actually saw this hair tutorial long time ago on Facebook, but never tried it out. 39 weeks into this pregnancy and after 8 weeks of being trapped at home I decided I would try it out today.

I took my daily bath and after getting all soaped up and relaxed I got out one of my trusty running headbands and began wrapping the hair around the band. I did not want to wait for my hair to dry so I sat under my hair dryer for a while while reading "The Lovely Bones" (hair drying time is my favorite time to read). I was way too impatient for my hair to dry all the way so when it got about 90% dry I took out the band and gently dryed the rest of my hair curling the curls around my finger.

I now have my hair half pulled up with bobby pins and after spraying generously with hairspray my hair looks awesome and is holding the curls nicely.

When Mckinley FINALLY gets here I plan on showering at night, blowdrying my hair and sleeping with my hair like this a lot to get nice curls for school without any work and to give myself more time in the mornings with my little.

Sorry there will be no pictures because I have fat pregnant face right now, but maybe someday after I have lost a few baby lbs. i will show you how my yucky baby fine and thin hair can actually look cute without any work.



The End Of An Era



July 15 has come and gone and since there are no pictures of Mckinley she of course did not make an appearance yesterday. The moon was full and bright, but the only exciting thing that happened was the viewing of the Last installment of the Harry Potter movies.

It had been so long since I had read the book that I honestly had no clue what was going to happen next, but it was awesome! I am sad that it is over, but I can't wait to watch Deathly Hallows Part I and II again because I honestly forgot what happened in the first one already.

The best part about the movie last night was the AMAZING seats I snagged us in the theatre. We bought tickets for the 7:30 movie and after a yummy dinner at Panera we headed off to wait in line for an hour. We arrived at 6:30, but the line was already packed. We waited in line about 30 minutes and I couldn't take it anymore and headed off to use the restroom. This was the greatest timing any pregnant woman has ever had because as I was walking out of the restroom the line was being let into the theatre. I hesitated for a second and felt bad because those people had been waiting in line longer then us, but then I remembered I was 9 months pregnant and about to push a living being out of my hoohaa any day now and by golly I deserved a comfy seat for my swollen feet! I was the 3rd person to enter the theatre and quickly texted Brent that I was already seated. I got us middle row  middle of the theatre seats and didn't feel bad about it for one second.

Poor Brent had no clue what was going on throughout the entire movie and my mom decided to sneak into another movie (Zookeeper) because she has sleepy through almost every Harry Potter installment and had no clue what was goign on either, but Dad, Jen, and I LOVED the finally.


Today is our next deadline day. Brent's mommy had another day in mind she thought Mckinley would show up. For some reason she had the 18 circled on her calendar with a B next to it so we shall wait and see what the day brings. I did have a ton of contractions last night that went away before I fell asleep, but there is a lot of nesting to do today so maybe that will help.

I was just glad my water didn't break in front of 100's of people dressed like wizards!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Mommy Likey


This website is really cool. It has ton of information for Memphis families. I especially like the Free Fun Category and the Kids Eat Free and Cheap categories. I know we have a few years before we can do any of this fun stuff with the M-Dog (I am adding a new nickname to the list Joan D. feel free to use this one I think it is a keeper), but it is still fun to look.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

38 Weeks


There are no words. I am huge!

Now for the pies de resistance......... the belly from week 4-week 38 (minus week 7 I forgot to take a picture that week somehow!)


The first set of pictures make me realize how crazy I was to think I had gained a ton of weight pre baby and the last few pictures make me realize how big my belly has gotten. Being pregnant really messes with your head because you know you haven't gained that much fat, but it still can make you a little crazy to see the nurse scooching the marker up and up every visit. I started off pre baby at 122 lbs. and I am currently around 162-164 (my heart just stopped when I typed that number). . I was really swollen with fluid last time I was weighed so  I am not sure what my accurate weight is but the Dr. said I was weighed at 169, but about 7 lbs. of that was just fluid (gross). So my total weight gain is somewhere around 40 lbs. This chart makes me feel a little better.

Baby: 7 to 9 pounds
Placenta: 2 to 3 pounds
Amniotic fluid: 2 to 3 pounds
Uterine enlargement: 2 to 5 pounds
Increased blood volume: 4 to 5 pounds
Breast enlargement: 1 pound
Fluid in maternal tissue: 3 to 4 pounds

So let's say we are going to use the top numbers from this chart (ha ha ha I had typed shart thank goodness spell chekc caught that) because it makes me feel better. That would be 30 lbs. in baby, placenta, fluid, uterus enlargement, blood volume, breasts, and other fluids so that would be around 10 lbs. I have gained in actual weight. That makes me feel a little better about how I look right now.

Now that I am done whining I can definitely say Mckinley is definitely, 100% more then worth it. Especially when she gets here and starts draining some of this fat off of my body!

I Need A Craft Room

I keep telling B whenever we get a bigger house we need 2 extra rooms so he can have a man room. Now I am not sure what he would do in a man room besides what he already does in the bedroom like  watch sports tv in his boxers, but Mama needs a craft room!

I like to think of myself as a "crafty" person and I know he gets sicks of bits of string and felt lying around everywhere.

The whole point of this pots is to say I need a room because I am about to start making some of these and these. Here are some reference pictures.




 I shall be making some flower hair clips for Baby Love. We already have a ton of cute flowers with jewels that can be interchanged, but I have the felt and a TON of time on my hands so I shall busy myself with making some cute flowers for the scraggly hair I am sure my poor sweet baby will have (mommy had awful hair and I am sure Mckinley will be cursed with it). Now all I need to do is find my glue gun and glue sticks. This project would be much easier if only I had a craft room.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Plan Of Action

I am already scheming up a post baby weight loss plan. I know I have days/weeks before Mckinley is here, but I want to have a plan of action ready and waiting to go.

I am a firm believer in Weight Watchers and have successfully worked the program (I sounds like one of Brent's clients) before with awesome results. I know it works for me so I plan on going back to something tried and true.

Yesterday I was doing some research about breastfeeding and dieting especially using WW (Weight Watchers) and there are some things you are supposed to do.

First things first if you are breastfeeding it is best to wait 6-8 weeks before really trying to diet. I do plan on not eating some of the crap I have been eating while pregnant (bologna and tons of cheese).

I am honestly proud of myself for not going crazy just because I was pregnant (we are not counting the sour punch straws and runts I splurged on last night. In my defense it was a last minute date night and we splurged. I have however not been as healthy as I am normally. Being pregnant really does something to your brain. It makes you eat things you wouldn't normally eat on a regular basis. I never ate any weird combos of food together, but 10 pieces of cheese everyday was a tad odd.

Second on WW you are supposed to add 500 calories to your diet while breastfeeding because you are burning a ton of calories. We are hoping breastfeeding goes well and hoping that like so many of my wonderful friends who keep telling me this is how they got their bodies back that it works as good for me. I am not getting my hopes up and who knows if breastfeeding will even work for us, but stubbornness and not giving up on things is one of my better qualities (i.e. cloth diapering even though everyone keeps telling me It is too hard, disgusting, I will never keep it up) the harder you tell me it is the harder I will work to do it. And just like my cloth diapers my cheapness is hoping this will save us even more $$ since we won't have to spend tons of $$$$ on formula.

So I will wait my 6 weeks before dieting, working out, and doing other things (wink wink) because that is what is best for my baby and my body, but believe you me when those 6 weeks are up IT IS ON!

And for your viewing pleasure here is what I have been enjoying all day while sitting on my couch watching really old reruns of Project Runway. This blog is called Tacky Weddings and it is FANTASTIC. It isn't only Irish Traveler weddings, but just downright tacky weddings. For example the Russian Gothic Wedding
IMG_3931

And this Amazing wedding photo reminds me of my in laws wedding photos (I will have to scan a few someday soon) . there is nothing like a super imposed tiny bride or a face into lovingly cupped hands.
esterne221624032207162622_big

Now this is just inappropriate.
esterne221624002207162628_big


And just because I love gypsies and gypsy weddings so much
quatro
Why is the mom cupping her daughter's boob??
And yes this is honestly what I do all day after cleaning my house while waiting for Mckinley to get here. It is just too dang hot to leave the house!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Love

Photobucket

I plan on making one of these little forts for Kinley and perhaps one for my reading center in my classroom. It is made from pvc piping which is one of my favorite things to make stuff out of. I have made many classroom items out of this fantastically cheap material.  Baby Love will definitely have one of these in her room when she gets a little bigger. I am in Love.

Letter From Pregnant Women Everywhere

This made me laugh and cured a little boredom


Dear non-pregnant friend
 
 
hope you find these guidelines helpful in your interactions with pregnant women, as failing to follow them may result in serious physical harm. If you are thinking, surely she doesn’t mean me – then you should probably read this twice.
 
 
1. The appropriate response to a couple telling you they are having a baby is ‘Congratulations!’ with enthusiasm. Any other response makes you a jerk.
2. Through the wonders of science, we now know that babies are made ONLY by the mother and father – not grandparents. Unless the baby is in your uterus or you are the man that helped put it there, you may not ever use the phrase ‘my baby’.
3. On the same note, unless you made the baby as defined in 2, the pregnancy, birth, and raising of the child are not about you. You do not have input. No one wants to hear your opinion unless they ask for it
4. The body of a pregnant woman should be treated the same as any other body. You would not randomly touch someone’s stomach if they were not pregnant, nor would you inquire into the condition of their uterus, cervix, or how they plan to use their breasts. Pregnancy does not remove all traces of privacy from a woman.
5. Likewise, no woman wants to hear comments on her weight…ever. A pregnant woman does not find it flattering that you think she is about is pop, must be having twins, looks swollen or has gained weight in her face. Telling her she looks too small only makes her worry that she is somehow starving her baby. Making such comments invite her to critique your physical appearance and you may not act offended. The only acceptable comment on appearance is ‘You look fabulous!’.
6. By the time we are 20-30 years old, most of us have picked up on the fact that the summer is hot. We are hot every summer when we are not pregnant. We don’t need you to point out that we will be miserably hot before the baby comes. Nor do we need to know how badly you will feel for us because we will be pregnant during the summer and how glad you are that YOU will not be pregnant this coming summer.
7. There is a reason that tickets to Labor & Delivery are not yet sold on Ticketmaster. Childbirth is actually not a public event. It may sound crazy, but some women really do not relish the idea of their mother, MIL, or a host of other family members seeing their bare butt and genitals. Also, some people simply feel like the birth of their child is a private and emotional moment to be shared only by the parents. You weren’t invited to be there when the baby was created, you probably won’t be invited to be there when it comes out either.
8. Like everything else in life, unless you receive an invitation, you are NOT invited. This includes doctor appointments, ultrasounds, labor, delivery, the hospital, and the parent’s home. You do not decide if you will be there for the birth or if you will move in with the new parents to ‘help out’. If your assistance is desired, rest assured that you will be asked for it.
9. If you are asked to help after the birth, this means you should clean up the house, help with cooking meals, and generally stay out of the way. Holding the baby more than the parents, interfering with breastfeeding and sleeping schedules, and making a woman who is still leaking fluid from multiple locations lift a finger in housework is not helping.
10. The only people entitled to time with the baby are the parents. Whether they choose to have you at the hospital for the birth or ask for you to wait three weeks to visit, appreciate that you are being given the privilege of seeing their child. Complaining or showing disappointment only encourages the parents to include you less.

Sincerely,
All the Pregnant Women in the World

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

I Don't care If Your Kid Has Diarrhea


I started my blog so friends across the country could keep up with our little family since we would be having a new addition soon. I never expected anyone to really read it, but I have made a few friends online who actually follow what I do from day to day. The other reason I wanted to make a family blog is so people didn't have to read my thoughts on something like facebook especially since I never write anything on facebook and I refuse to join any other social network (yeah I'm talking to you twitter)

 


 


Facebook has slowly fallen out of favor with me over the past few years mainly because I can't stand reading some people's daily, hourly, minute by minute accounts of what they are doing, eating, or what bodily functions are coming out of their children.

So I am promising here and now I will not make people suffer from reading about the daily intake and output of my child's body.  I will post pictures of what we are doing from day to day, but I will try to make it as painless as possible.

I guess I like my blog so much because you don't have to read it unless you really want to and I guess I could do that on facebook and I just might start blocking people.

 
Now that I am done judging other people you are more then welcome to judge me on what I am about to divulge. Yes I am almost 30 years old and about to have a baby, but by golly I love me some Brittney Spears. I think I might go so far as to purchase her latest album with the left over itunes card Brent got me for Christmas. I am rethinking my ipod running mix and I think Brittney may be just the thing to get me re motivated post child birthing to get back in the groove.

You sly little minx you!

Things To Come


Since I am awake and have been for most of the night thanks to baby kicks in my belly and some wicked heartburn (no more mint chocolate chip Klondike Bars right before bed) I guess I will type since I have nothing better to do. Brent isn't even awake yet and I hope he slept better then I did because he has his interviews today for a supervisor job which that means more/less b/s at work to deal with depending on how you look at it, a little more $, more time at home with his girls so we are really hoping he is his amazingly charming self and gets himself a new position before paternity leave when Baby Love gets here.

I was thinking last night about the changes I want to make in our little (tiny) homestead. My mom and I were chatting this weekend and we have mapped out a plan for a few changes in our bedroom. We are going to be making a new headboard and getting rid of the awful squeaky cheap bed frame we currently reside in. She actually recently made a headboard for someone else who didn't care for the fabric (I happen to like it) so we will probably just use that and we will add some nail studs around the edges.

(Something like this)

 
 










I also want to start searching yard sales, consignment shops, and flea markets for a nice big piece of furniture to replace the dresser in our bedroom. The furniture we have right now is a set from an Ashley Furniture type store that Brent bought pre Team Doyle. Needless to say it isn't top quality. I finally made him realize older furniture is sturdier and much better made. I promised him I would redo it and make it Brent worthy and "cool".
Last night was so much fun. Brent and I met up with my girlfriends Nicole and Hayley for a meet and greet of Nicole's new man Brent! We call him Brentx2 or Brent squared. I love that he has the same name as my hubs since I have been known to call people's new boyfriends by previous boyfriends names (sorry Jen and Nicole). We went to Pete and Sam's (yummy). Sadly we saw no gypsies, but there were other strange people to entertain like the lady with giant white bandages from her wrist to almost her shoulder. We ate yummy pepperoni and Italian spinach pizza and chatted up the new man. Everyone came back to our place to have a nursery viewing and to chat. It was so much fun hanging out with good friends I don't get to see very often especially Hayley who lives all the way out in Colorado. Hayley also brought a very special gift for Kinley. We now have an adorable outfit for next summer, but the best part of her gift was a miniature Chewbacca doll that makes awesomely realistic  wookie noises when you press his belly. I laughed harder last night then I have laughed in a while and I look forward to hanging out some more this week.
I have another Dr. appointment today and I am looking forward to see if my poor beaten body has made any progress in the baby front. I have a feeling it won't be a spectacular amount if any this week. I am also trying to think of any questions I have for Dr. Williams since she always catches me off guard and I can never think of anything to ask in the moment. I honestly can't think of anything to ask her because I feel like our birth class and my books have pretty much answered everything. I just hope I can stay awake until my appointment this afternoon.

Last but not least today are 2 new belly shots.
35 Weeks

Week 37

 
Now for some exciting news. I just got back from my 37 week appointment and I am currently 2cm, 60%, and -2. Not much, but progress is progress. That means we have 8cm, 40%, and baby needs to drop down more. Hopefully things keep going and I am going to help them along. I am going to start walking in the morning or evening along with my crazy house cleaning. I am also going to keep up my stretching which makes my hips feel so much better. The best part of my appointment was when my Dr. first walked in and goes man you must be really swollen today because there is no way you gained 7lbs. in 1 week! Funny you should point that out because my feet are HUGE today! I think this is my least favorite thing about being pregnant. the swollen cankles really gross me out.

I am just waiting for target to send me my 10% off coupon and I will be 100% finished with my baby purchases. They said they sent it out in May and shock and surprise I never received it. They are going to resend it and I should get it in a few days. Hopefully I will get the rest of the stuff for baby right before or right after she arrives. Glad it is nothing I really seriously need stupid Target. There are some nursing items that could make life much easier, but we can do without until they arrive. I would also really like to go ahead and get my clothesline hung up so I can sun my cloth diapers. At first we will be trying to use up all of the diapers everyone has gifted us for when we "give up". I will be mixing them in with my newborn gdiapers especially when we go out for visits and are staying at my parent's house for the first night or so. I am assuming my mom won't want to wash any poopy diapers in her washer.

Hurry up and get her Kinley so we can start getting all of this mess figured out. Mommy is starting to get really bored sitting at home!

Monday, July 4, 2011

Eviction Notice

Woohoo Full Term Day!

As of today if Mckinley decides she is ready then they say everything should be A-Ok. Now I want her to bake as long as she needs, but this makes mommy even more antsy for Baby Love's arrival! I still have a few things to do and get, but I am so ready. I am anxious to see what the Dr. says Wednesday, but I am not getting my hopes up for more progress even though I am still having the same pains I was having before so maybe there is some hope.
My Amazing MIL has made us a few frozen lasagnas so we won't have to cook for a while when Kinley gets here, but I want to have a few more items made and frozen for the first few weeks. I am thinking of making Brent a bacon and spinach quiche this week for dinner so I am thinking of going ahead and making 2 so we can freeze one. I think I may try a few other dishes like enchiladas, crock pot BBQ chicken and stuffed zucchini. I am sure spaghetti will continue to be a staple in our house so that can be thrown in a few nights here and there.
I spent the weekend with my family at the lake which was relaxing, but somehow I feel like I ran a full marathon I am so tired. I slept pretty good one night, but I tossed and turned a lot and my hands hurt so bad they kept me awake most of the night. That might be another reason I am ready for Mckinley to make her appearance. I know other areas are going to hurt and we will be up all night with her, but I still think I will sleep better then I am sleeping right now.

. And I probably should start showering everyday again just in case something goes down because I will not, I repeat I will not go to the hospital whilst dirty. I am not being lazy I just don't see the need to wash my hair everyday if I am just sitting at home. I do take a bath everyday because it feels wonderful on this VERY pregnant body, but no my hair doesn't get washed. Like I said I won't go to the hospital dirty so just in case I will start cleansing myself more regularly. I already told Brent I will be showering before we go anywhere so he better be prepared!

So Mckinley Grace you are being served your eviction notice. Whenever you are ready mommy and daddy are ready for you to get here so hurry it up my stubborn little

Friday, July 1, 2011

Hello Friend

After using my AMAZING food steamer the other day I remember another piece of equipment we owned that could potentially make my life easier now and post birth! Friends let me introduce you to my good ole friend Roomba. I can't believe I completely forgot about this little guy! He is working on seeking out dog hair under the couch as we speak. Now he does not get the baseboards or behind stuff like I like, but just to have the main parts of the room clean really helps. I think I am going to buy the little docking station that goes along with him to make my life even easier. If he could recharge himself without me having to find him under the couch and make sure he gets plugged back in will make our relationship even better.