tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72164984770649645992024-03-13T12:21:07.274-05:00{The Labor of Love}Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.comBlogger115125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216498477064964599.post-62874476500363115212016-04-30T20:37:00.001-05:002016-05-01T00:26:24.312-05:00We did a thing!I know it's been a while. Life has been hectic! But we did something that has been in the works for months and months. We finally bought our first house! It was such a long process, but we were finally able to close on it this past Thursday. We're so excited! Not one bit of this process has gone smoothly, and we're still in the throes of those rough waters, but it is finally ours! We have yet to stay there still; we're still working on moving out of our rental. All of our planned moving help bailed on us, the days that Nate was able to get off of work were based on an earlier closing date (I lost count of how many times closing was delayed), and so we've been having to move by ourselves, without help, with Nate still having to work long hours. Which is hard on its own without having a three year old and a one year old to "help." But, it's getting to the point where we can see the light at the end of the tunnel!<br />
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Today we dropped off our first load of stuff and walked through the house for the first time since we closed. When we first looked at it, it was in February and was snowing. Such a difference from how it looked today! Everything is in full bloom, all the trees are super lush and green, and to us it's just beautiful. The house came with a little over two acres of land and is located in a nice quiet cul de sac. We're already day dreaming about how much fun the kids are going to have growing up there!<br />
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Anyway, as the house is currently, the decor is really not our cup of tea. We have so many plans of what we plan to do to make it our own. I thought it'd be fun to blog about the transformation! Today while we were there I made sure to take a ton of "before" photos so I could share them in the first blog of the series. Without further ado, the photos!<br />
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Here is the outside of the home. I didn't go through all the land to take photos, since we were in a time crunch (Nate had to work). This is from the front, standing in the cul de sac:<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And from the back deck:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is our garage:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once you walk in from the garage, the first thing you see is the kitchen. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Right in front of the kitchen is the living room. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To the right of the living room will be the kids' playroom:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The playroom flows into the dining room:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 15.36px;">The dining room is attached to a short hallway that holds the pantry and a small half bath. The hall leads back into the kitchen, essentially making a loop around the stairs.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 15.36px;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 15.36px; text-align: left;">And really that's it for downstairs. So now for the stairs. The tread on these stairs is so narrow! It was almost a deal breaker for me, but we plan to make it wider eventually, and we liked so much more about the place than we disliked, so I figured it was something I would get used to and live with. So here are the stairs as they are now and the small, tiled entryway:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 15.36px; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 15.36px; text-align: left;">Which leads you to the landing area at the top of the stairs.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 15.36px; text-align: left;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://googledrive.com/host/0B4XfxEUXnUvOZ1hkMUMxc3lkYzA/IMG_8962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://googledrive.com/host/0B4XfxEUXnUvOZ1hkMUMxc3lkYzA/IMG_8962.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://googledrive.com/host/0B4XfxEUXnUvOZ1hkMUMxc3lkYzA/IMG_8958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://googledrive.com/host/0B4XfxEUXnUvOZ1hkMUMxc3lkYzA/IMG_8958.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://googledrive.com/host/0B4XfxEUXnUvOZ1hkMUMxc3lkYzA/IMG_8952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://googledrive.com/host/0B4XfxEUXnUvOZ1hkMUMxc3lkYzA/IMG_8952.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 15.36px; text-align: left;">To the right of the linen closet is the kids' room. For now they're just sharing since they refuse to sleep alone and we bed share anyway. Down the road we will probably make the playroom an office and then the office a second bedroom. But for now, being able to close off breakable office things (and whatever else) is important to us!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 15.36px; text-align: left;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://googledrive.com/host/0B4XfxEUXnUvOZ1hkMUMxc3lkYzA/IMG_8961.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://googledrive.com/host/0B4XfxEUXnUvOZ1hkMUMxc3lkYzA/IMG_8961.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://googledrive.com/host/0B4XfxEUXnUvOZ1hkMUMxc3lkYzA/IMG_8960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://googledrive.com/host/0B4XfxEUXnUvOZ1hkMUMxc3lkYzA/IMG_8960.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://googledrive.com/host/0B4XfxEUXnUvOZ1hkMUMxc3lkYzA/IMG_8959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://googledrive.com/host/0B4XfxEUXnUvOZ1hkMUMxc3lkYzA/IMG_8959.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 15.36px; text-align: left;">And then to the left of the linen closet is the office.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 15.36px; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 15.36px; text-align: left;">Pretty much right in front of the stairs is a full bathroom.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 15.36px; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 15.36px; text-align: left;">And that's it! I feel like we have our work cut out for ourselves as far as everything we plan on doing, but I seriously can't wait to start posting "after" photos! Stay tuned for lots of those. </span></div><span class="emoticon_text" style="clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); height: 1px; line-height: 15.36px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; text-align: left; width: 1px;">smile emoticon</span><span class="emoticon emoticon_smile" style="background-image: url("/rsrc.php/v2/yx/r/pimRBh7B6ER.png"); background-position: 0px -340px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 16px; line-height: 15.36px; text-align: left; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;" title=":)">:)</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216498477064964599.post-71816223594567558982015-04-16T20:35:00.002-05:002015-04-16T20:44:14.733-05:00The Birth of Jack OliverI know I've fallen behind horribly on the whole blog thing, and did zero blogs throughout this pregnancy, and I apologize! Sophia killed the charger to my laptop (again), and we just haven't bought a new one yet. And before that, Nate would bring my computer to work since it was our only laptop and he needed to have one for the job, and before we moved his desktop would never connect to the internet. BUT, now we're in a new place where it will connect, so I'm going to attempt to get back into it, because I've really missed it! Even the last post I made with the tutorial was done from my phone, and it was a bit of a pain to post from there!<br />
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Anyway, moving on, our family has grown! I'm pretty sure that I mentioned on this blog that we were trying to conceive, and after five months of trying we found out I was finally pregnant again! I really wanted to have a home birth, but in the end we just couldn't afford it (the ones here are all out of pocket), so I opted for the next best thing, and that was a natural birth at a birthing center. At 19 weeks, we learned that I was carrying a healthy baby boy, just as I had suspected. My pregnancy was completely uncomplicated, so always a good thing!<br />
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On March 24th, I had an appointment in the late morning. I'd been steadily dilating, and had been fully effaced since 36 weeks along. We had discussed with the midwife at the previous appointment about possibly doing a membrane sweep at this appointment if I had dilated more, mainly because the birth center was an hour away, and if you remember, Sophia's labor only lasted an hour. Obviously we didn't know how long this labor would be, but just in case it'd be nice to be nearby. I definitely wasn't interested in laboring all that way in the car! Or birthing there.<br />
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Anyway, at the appointment I was 4 cm dilated, so 1 cm than i was the week before. We decided to go ahead and try the sweep, and if he wasn't ready, things wouldn't progress. She told us that if labor hadn't started by 5:00 PM, just drop by so she could do a check to see if any progress had been made. So, after the appointment we went to this big park not far from the center and hung out there literally all day. The weather was beautiful, Sophia loved it, and we got a lot of walking in. I barely had any contractions though, so i wasn't really expecting too much once 5:00 rolled around.<br />
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Surprisingly, during that time I had dilated to 5 cm, so she decided to go ahead and give us a room to hang out in. After checking me, she did a little more of a sweep just to encourage it a little more and had me drink a little castor oil (ick, never again). I felt a little more crampy a little bit after the second sweep, but mainly just hung out. Sophia hardly had a nap (like maybe a ten minute one on the drive from the park back to the birth center), so she was kind of being a hyper terror, so that part wasn't really amazing. I can totally see the appeal of having someone watch your other kids during labor and birth.<br />
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After a bit, I could tell I was having contractions, but they weren't really painful, just pretty much felt the same as all of my braxton hicks contractions/prodromal labor. I could still talk through them and manage them. Eventually I decided to sit on a birthing ball, mainly because the bed wasn't too comfortable and I've always liked sitting on them.<br />
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At around 8:00 one of my midwives came in to time the contractions to see if they were regular (I hadn't been timing them and really had no idea if they were or not). So that's when I learned that apparently they were 2-3 minutes apart and around a minute long.<br />
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At 9:00. she came back and asked if she could check me to see where we were at since I was starting to get the shakes, and I was at 8 cm. I was shocked! I was heading into transition and honestly wouldn't have even known I was in labor if I hadn't been there. I was just seriously not in pain. The contractions were uncomfortable, but I could still talk, text, laugh, etc through them.<br />
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Pretty much more of the same, just hanging out and contracting, and at 10:00 I was checked again (because I really felt shakey and cold at this point) and found that I was now at 9-10 cm dilated. After being at 10 cm for a little bit and nothing really going on (no urges to push yet, etc), we decided to break my water to help him come down some (which they had a lot of problems breaking my water; guess I make strong amniotic sacs!). Looking back I kinda wish I didn't, since after doing so the contractions actually started to feel pretty painful. Not to the point where I had to be vocal, but it was definitely harder to work through them. Plus, at this point I had moved onto the bed, since they were wanting me to be where I planned to push him out, and I figured that if I couldn't have a water birth there, might as well have him on the bed. So I think it would've been easier to find pain relief on the ball, or better yet in the tub. That was the first time I really felt an urge to get in the water; before that I just didn't really have the desire to and I really wasn't in pain, just a little discomfort.<br />
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Anyway, after a little bit of having the intensified contractions, they suggested that I start trying to push with them to bring him down (I wasn't really planning to push until I felt the urge, but now that the contractions were worse, I decided to go with it so I could quit contracting). It really didn't take long before he was crowning, and that HURT. With Sophia, pushing was such a relief. Her contractions were painful despite my water being intact, and with pushing I could do something to lessen the pain. With Jack, the rest of the labor really wasn't painful, but I kept pushing just to get that part over with. During this part, I HAD to be vocal. A little earlier, the second midwife came in to hang out too and started playing with Sophia, so that part was really nice. I think she was finally a little concerned though when I was pushing, since I just couldn't keep quiet through that sort of pain. After a couple of pushes, at 11:18 PM, Jack Oliver was finally here!<br />
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Nate was a little sad because I guess he didn't get to catch him completely; I guess one of the midwives helped him some? I'm honestly not sure since my concentration was entirely on pushing him out. I do remember her putting her fingers inside me while I was pushing, kind of up under his head, I guess to help support things? I'm really not sure, but it hurt. Nate said that since she was doing that, her hands were kind of in the way of things. He told me that he much preferred the intimacy of birthing with just us, or maybe a homebirth with a midwife.<br />
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He really took to nursing right away, which was just so amazing. He's the first of all my babies to do so; I guess third time's a charm! After a bit, we weighed him and measured him. I figured the whole pregnancy that he was about the same size as Sophia. He was 6 lbs, 7 oz, and 19 inches long. So one ounce heavier than her and a half inch shorter.<br />
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Jack has really been the perfect addition to the family. We're just SO in love with him! He's such a content, easy baby, it's so nice! Sophia is obsessed with him, which honestly makes a lot more work for me most of the time, but I'm so glad she loves him. I can't believe that he's already three weeks old! Seriously, where has the time gone? I weighed him yesterday, and he was 7 lbs 4.8 oz. The week before, he was 6 lbs 6.4 oz, so that's basically a 14 oz gain in the matter of a week. I was shocked! Little piggy for sure. :)<br />
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As for me, I'm doing great! Back into that awkward "none of my clothes fit" stage, and tired, but so happy. I gained a total of 18 lbs during the whole pregnancy, and he was born at 39 weeks 3 days.<br />
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So, I suppose I will leave it at that for now! Hopefully I can really keep up with more blogging now, since I have a lot of ideas for future posts.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216498477064964599.post-31195918470813787052015-04-08T18:58:00.000-05:002015-04-08T18:58:52.883-05:00Newborn/Small Fitted Tutorial!I recently made some newborn/small fitteds for my little squish due next month, and had so many requests for a tutorial! So, here it is. :)<br />
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Materials I used:<br />
-Flour sack towels (FSTs)<br />
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First, you want to trace your pattern onto the FST (or the "wrong" side of your fabric if you're using a different fabric). I made my own pattern, and when I can figure out how to upload a printable version for that onto here, I will. But similar patterns would be <a href="http://prefold2fitted.blogspot.com/2012/02/changes-to-newborn-small-fitted.html?m=1">this</a> one (but without the snaps) for the newborn/small size, or if you want a bigger "one size" pattern, <a href="http://handmadebyrita.blogspot.com/2007/10/classic-rrp-ritas-rump-pocket-pattern.html?m=1">this</a> would also be the same concept (but instead of the pocket opening in the back, I'd put elastic there). Make sure to mark where your elastic goes!<br />
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You could just trace this pattern twice onto the FST, but I take the lazier route. I cut out the first one I traced (make sure to leave a seam allowance!), pin it to the next area that I'd trace (if you're using a fabric with a "right" and "wrong" side, you're going to want to flip it over), and then cut around it. </div>
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Once your two pieces are cut out, pin around the edges. </div>
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Now, time to sew! Using a straight stitch, stitch around the edge of the diaper, leaving an opening at the top of the diaper (aka NOT the side the elastic is going to go). Don't forget to back stitch at the beginning and end! I used white thread, so I marked on this one where my opening was so you could see better. </div>
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Quick note: if you're getting a lot of bunching/puckering in the fabric as you sew, try reducing the tension and the stitch length. My personal sweet spot to prevent this was the tension set at 1 and a 1.5 stitch length. Every machine is different though, so you might have to play around with yours! </div>
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Once the diaper is all sewn together, trim your seam allowance, except for the opening. </div>
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Now it's time to sew on the elastic. If you've never done it before, it might sound intimidating, but it's actually really easy! I prefer to use a zigzag stitch all the way down the length of my elastic, so that's the method I'll show you. </div>
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First, place your elastic where it's marked to begin. I used a wide zig zag stitch (I set my stitch width to 4) for this. Set your stitch length to zero and stitch back and fourth a few times to tack the elastic down. </div>
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Next, set your stitch length to whatever you want it to be (I set mine to 2) and, making sure the needle is in the elastic, pull the elastic taut. </div>
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While keeping the elastic stretched, sew down the length of the elastic until you've reached the end marker. Once you have, set the stitch length back to zero and do a few more stitches to tack the end down. Snip the end of the elastic. </div>
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I found it was easiest to do both of the legs and then the back. :) This is how it should look after all the elastic is added. </div>
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Almost done! Now, turn the diaper right side out, making sure to push the seams out well. Pin the opening of the diaper shut. </div>
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Top stitch around the diaper. I prefer the leg elastics to not be encased so they can roll in, but if you prefer them to be encased, then go ahead and do it! To encase the elastic, just basically sew around it while stretching it out, making sure to not catch any of the elastic this time. </div>
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Now, if you want to leave them white, you're done! These will need an insert to be the actual absorbent part. Here's what they look like with a preemie prefold for an example. </div>
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To size them to fit your baby, just fold down the front to whatever height you need and wrap the wings around. Depending on the insert, you may have to fold that down too. I have them modeled on a little bear, since my newborn hasn't made it earth side yet!</div>
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If you want to dye them, go ahead and do it now! I used the Dylon brand dye and I was very please with the results! I just followed the instructions on the package. I ended up doing seven violet, seven blue (I think they called it Bahama blue), and then left six of them white, for a total of twenty diapers. Now he just needs to get here to test them out!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216498477064964599.post-19248124658989746802014-03-18T00:05:00.004-05:002014-03-18T00:05:30.134-05:0015 monthsHow in the world has another month gone by already??? I lose at the keeping-up-with-more-than-monthly-posts game. I think it's just because I spend my days stranded at home, just Sophia and I, and nothing too exciting happens. Living a glamourous life over here!<br />
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Anyway, the weather is finally starting to kind of warm up some. It's been in the low-mid 60s, and even though that isn't the mid 70s like Florida is getting, I'm glad it's not in the 40s. Baby steps! But, that means that on the warmer days that it's not raining, Sophia and I can spend some time on the back deck! Let's just say, she is quit the fan! She's so upset when we go back inside. Seriously, she plants her feet down firmly, and when I go to pick her up to go in (since she's not moving) she turns her arms into noodles, trying to not get whisked inside. I can't wait until it's even nicer out and we can start going on walks in the nearby hiking trails. It's so pretty out that way.<br />
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Nate has really been enjoying his new job at the dealership. Which definitely makes me happy; something he likes to do <i>and </i>pays the bills? Yes please! With a lot of our tax return money, we bought him pretty much a new wardrobe of clothes, since he was seriously lacking in nice clothes and the ones he did had were basically hand-me-downs that didn't fit great. He really deserved it too, since in all our time together, I don't think I'd seen him ever get new clothes (except for shirts at the restaurant we worked at). He told me that he hated clothes shopping since he couldn't find things that fit well and he would just get frustrated and give up. We really hit the jackpot though! For one it was during President's Day, and the stores were having AMAZING deals. So now that he's actually had some great luck in finding clothes (and they look really nice on him!), I think he actually enjoys shopping. When we go to stores he always wants to check out the men's section too to see what they have. I've created a monster! Haha. But it's nice having him be more interested in it (since I happen to love shopping, even if not for me!). He didn't dress bad or dumpy before, he just didn't have anyplace to wear such nice clothes. So yeah, yay for that!<br />
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Sophia has been so so <b>so</b> into singing and dancing lately. It's pretty stinking cute! She loves to twirl around in a circle with a huge grin on her sweet little face. Sometimes she really gets into it though! Like does some moves that really look like they're from a lyrical dance. And she's always pointing her toes and such...I hope she enjoys dancing as much as I did/do! And she sings along with music, or if I'm singing to her, or sometimes just on her own. Just the sweetest thing! She doesn't watch much television (especially since we don't have cable), but I do have a Sesame Street DVD with an episode about the alphabet on it, and she LOVES it. I'll usually play it for her when I'm trying to unload the dishwasher (since otherwise she's trying to grab every single dish/glass in there, and I'd love to not sweep shards off of the floor and worry if she's cut up), and she's just so entranced. It has a lot of songs on it, and she dances and sings with all of them. And at the end there's a story about the letter "P," and when they're reading it she always goes "puh!" when they say a P-word. What a smarty!<br />
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We also turned her crib into a toddler bed the other night. We love it! It's so cute! We still bed-share, but I want to start having her take naps in there at least. The first day I was able to get her to nap in there, but only for about an hour. She only takes one nap a day normally, and that's really short for her. Usually it's about a two hour nap. Then the next day we were out and about still during nap time, so she napped in her ring sling and only for about thirty minutes and never went back to sleep. That wasn't such a fun evening! And then today I was just exhausted and napped with her on the couch, so maybe tomorrow I'll get back to work with the toddler bed napping.<br />
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I think pretty soon we're going to get a little potty for her and start working on that. She's so into copying everything we do lately, and she's been holding her pee for longer amounts of time and going all at once. So, I think I'll put it in our bathroom and have her sit on it whenever I have to go, and maybe she'll pick up on the idea. I'm not going to push it since it's still pretty darn early for her to potty learn, but I don't think offering it will hurt. Plus, she loves sitting on little chairs sized for her (such as the rocking chair), so I don't think she'd mind. Especially with her diaper off? Her cup of tea.<br />
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Sophia also got to ride her first carousel ride! It was just a small coin operated one inside of a shoe store in the mall (yes, random I know), but I think she had fun! She looks a little uncertain in the picture, and I think she was, but after I'm pretty sure she decided that it was fun, as she kept running over to it and checking it out. </div>
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As far as our trying to conceive goes, this month was a bust. Everything was perfectly timed (I've been charting my basal body temperature), but it just didn't happen. I'm not sure if we'll try again this month or not, since the due date if it did happen would be December 22, and I'd kind of rather each baby have their own month. Plus, having a winter baby (even in Florida) was pretty dang hard! It's a lot of work to bundle up a baby that tiny to go anywhere. But, then again, I probably won't really be going too many places at that age anyway, I don't think I went many places with Sophia at that point. I'm not sure, we'll see. If I decided to not have a winter baby at all, that'd mean holding off until June or July to start trying, and I'd really really like to not wait that long. I guess it'll happen when it's meant to happen, but I wish it were this month all the same. Hopefully soon!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216498477064964599.post-86276350361704070372014-02-19T13:59:00.001-06:002014-02-19T13:59:56.776-06:0014 monthsWowsers, sorry for the long hiatus! For a good while we didn't have the internet, but now thank goodness it's back! SO, now to play catch up. A lot has happened since I've been away!<br />
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First of all, Sophia had her first birthday! I wasn't anything that I had planned, but it ended up being okay and she had a good day. We unfortunately couldn't make it down to Florida, since Nate just got a new second job at another restaurant and he was training. She looked adorable in her birthday dress though, and since he was training the entire week before her birthday, AND working the other job, we went shopping for her presents...on her birthday. I don't think she minded though! She didn't really know what to think about ripping open the presents. That really surprised us, since she loves ripping up paper that we'd rather her not touch, ha. We got her a corn popper and some alphabet magnets. She really enjoyed both of them!<br />
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Then there was cake. I had plans of making her a cake from scratch, and then those plans turned into, "well maybe just from a box" since I needed pretty much all the ingredients and we were really broke, and then we were out so late trying to get her presents and whatnot that it turned into buying a red velvet cake from the bakery. It was good, but I was a little upset that I didn't get to bake her first cake. Oh well, there's next year. And then we'll know more people too hopefully, so we could maybe for real have a party. Anyway, she was a definite fan of the cake! Oh! And on her birthday she magically started walking. Before that she would take some steps alone, but not full blown walking. From that day forward though, she's been a pure walker. I guess she took toddler-hood very seriously!<br />
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I suppose the next big day was Christmas. We were still pretty broke, but we were able to scrounge up some money for a few presents. I ended up making Nate's though. For Sophia we got her some mega blocks, a glitter bouncy ball, some glow in the dark stars for her wall, and some number magnets to go with her alphabet ones. Nate got me a pair of brown riding boots that I love love love. I've been wanting a pair for a few years, and we found an outlet store that had a pair in my size that were way marked down, so I'm really excited for those. I've worn them almost everytime we've gone somewhere. For him, I made him a rice heating pad for his neck/shoulders and an embroidered handkerchief with the lyrics to our wedding song on them. That took forever and ever to make, but it looks nice at least! And he's used the heating pad plenty too, especially after serving.<br />
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So then, the new year started. My mom, sister Cheyne, and her baby/my niece Jade all came up to visit us for a few days. That was fun! I really missed them, and was sad to see them go. Sophia remembered them, especially my mom, and fell asleep on her every night. It was so sweet! I could tell Mom was eating it up. And Sophia was soooo fascinated with Jade! They're about the same size, even though Sophia is about five and a half months older. She thought it was pretty neat having someone her size though! It was so sweet, she kept stroking her head and being really gentle with her (for the most part). We went to toys-r-us for the first time with them and Sophia had a ball. I'm attempting to convince them to move up here, since they don't want to live in Florida anyway. They're actually thinking about it! Their lease isn't up until I think October (maybe November) though.<br />
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So, the week they were here, Nate quit his second job, which I'm kind of glad, since he absolutely hated working there, and it was barely anything extra with way more hours. So, he decided to try his hand at selling cars, since here we've heard there's some good money in it. So he updated his resume and I helped him snazz it up (looks pretty good, I must say), and he sent it out to a few that were hiring. Not long after, he got a call back from one of the dealerships. He got an interview, and the job! He just started there on Monday (today is his third day), since he had to work out his two weeks at the other restaurant. So far he really likes it! Which makes me so happy, since above all I want him to enjoy the work he does. If he does that, then everything else will somehow fall into place.<br />
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Oh! And we've had snow fall, enough to cover the ground, twice! It was fun to play in! I really does look like the beach, but colder. Sophia seemed to like it though! We were surprised it snowed, since we heard that it usually doesn't here, maybe once every five years, and not enough to cover the ground. It's been a really harsh winter though. I feel like I acclimated to the new weather though pretty well, this coming from someone who's always cold!<br />
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Valentine's Day was pretty low key here. Nate bought me a thing of candy, which was perfect for me. I love chocolate, too much! Sophia does too!<br />
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Sophia has been just growing and learning by leaps and bounds. She's not much of a talker still (well, of the English language), but she will occasionally kinda say "mommy," "daddy," "bye bye," "cheese," and kind of "yeah." She loves to stand by our living room window and wave at cars driving by. Pretty cute! Oh, and she loves sesame street. Seriously, loves it. And is a little dancing queen too. And she's started singing a little with songs. It's so sweet! And gives kisses, along with blows kisses too. She is just such a little joy to be around!<br />
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That being said, we're really wanting to get pregnant again. My fertility has FINALLY come back this month (Sophia still nurses quite a bit, so I was wondering if it ever would), so now we just need to get down to business! That would put them about about two years apart if it worked right away, which hopefully it does! So cross your fingers for us! I'm sure Sophia will be a really great big sister.<br />
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I think I'm just going to leave it at that today. There's a little bit more in the works, but this is already a long catch up post! The next one should be very soon!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216498477064964599.post-79231773341338129542013-11-16T18:25:00.000-06:002013-11-16T18:25:10.592-06:0011 months!So much good news! Okay, first off, Nate finally got hired! He got a job at a classy restaurant that's very close to our house. Yay! What a relief. It feels so nice to know that we'll have an income! And tomorrow he's leaving for a quick trip to Florida to check out this really nice opportunity. But, I'm going to leave y'all in the dark until we know more about it. :)<br />
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Anyway, earlier this month Nate and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary! I can't believe it's already been a year. But at the same time, this past year has been so extremely eventful, it's hard to believe it's only been a year. And I'm still so in love with him! We didn't really do anything too special; had lunch at Cracker Barrel and then he cooked dinner that night. We had wanted to go on this train ride that also serves dinner and such, but money was/is tight, so maybe next year.<br />
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The night of our anniversary, Sophia really started walking more! She still doesn't do it alone all the time, but it's been more frequent! I hope she's a pro at it by her first birthday. I can't believe that her birthday is in less than a month. Holy cow. Time is seriously flying by! She's definitely starting to look more like a toddler and less like a baby, and it's sooooo bittersweet. And gives me baby fever. But that's a whole other story. She still doesn't really eat solids too well. Her gag reflex is super sensitive, so yeah. But, she's still happy and healthy on primarily breast milk, so I'm not too worried! She'll figure it out when she's ready. In the mean time, I'll just keep offering her food to practice with and watch her closely.<br />
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I finished the TV stand! And I've got to say, I'm really happy with it! We still need to get the cords behind the wall and I still need to decorate the top a little more, but yeah! I also plan to get a big basket for the bottom shelf to add some texture. I'm not 100% sure on what I'm going to store in it, but I'm thinking probably some of Sophia's toys. Possibly her blocks? I'll figure something out.<br />
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Other than that, things have been pretty quiet. I've been busy sewing some things, but I'm going to wait until my friend receives them before posting photos! It's a gift, so obviously don't want to spoil it for her! Anyway, I suppose that's all for this post. Hopefully Nate will come home with good news Monday night!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216498477064964599.post-83916894808075622972013-11-02T20:56:00.002-05:002013-11-16T16:50:21.719-06:0010 monthsOkay, sorry once again for the delay! It's been pretty hectic here, and haven't really had AMAZING internet connections, so it's sort of hindered my ability to post!<br />
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First off, we moved! We finally did it! Made it out of Florida and into Tennessee! And I've got to say, we all love love love it! The weather is nice (well, a little on the chilly side for me, but both Nate and Sophia love it), less mosquitoes, and it's sooooo beautiful! So far we've found a house to live in and are pretty much all moved it, but Nate is still looking for steady work. He's been hired as an actor at a comedy club, which is awesome since he wants to get into stand up, but the pay isn't much. You got to start somewhere! He'll also be waiting tables some nights there, which pays pretty well, but the place is only open weekends and I have a feeling it won't be super often. Outback is looking promising though and they're doing new hires starting the beginning of this coming week, so hopefully it's soon!<br />
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When I said we're pretty much all moved in, I mean we're all the way minus the TV stand area and dining area. When we moved we sold our current dining set (was given to us free and we're crazy about it), and we haven't bought a new one yet. Waiting for cash flow to come in so we don't spend ALL of his savings in a few short months! TV stand wise, we bought one, but we're giving it a make over. We found a mostly real wood one at an antique store for a good price, so we've been working on sanding it down and then painting and staining it. I can't wait to see how it turns out! We've both really been working on it together, and it's been fun. We make a pretty good team!<br />
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Anyway, enough about that and onto Miss Sophia! I can't believe she'll be a year in only a month and a half! She's getting so big! She took her first few steps on October 15th, the day after turning 10 months. I think she probably would have done it sooner if we tried! But with the move going on and all the packing, unpacking, it was so busy and she was pretty clingy through the whole process (understandable). She's definitely not walking alone full on yet, but if we're holding one or both of her hands she's pretty fast! That's her favorite mode of transportation right now! She's really getting pretty steady with only one hand being held, so I think it'll be soon that she won't need any hands being held! Now if only we could get her to wear shoes. Not that she needs them inside the house, but walking outside I definitely want her to wear some! But, she always points her toes while wearing them and always manages to get them off some how. Stinker! Also, we recently got her a rocking chair of her very own. It matches Nate's that he got from his dad! Pretty much the cutest thing ever. EVER.<br />
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Lately she shakes her head no for everything. It's too cute! And she's so into dancing. It's so sweet! Anytime music comes on she starts dancing. We love it! She says mama and dada a lot too, but I don't think she always means it for us. I'm pretty sure she does sometimes though! For example, my mom watched her while we went to a Halloween party last weekend, and during that I guess she had a few moments of fussiness and she went "mama, dada!" during it. How heartbreakingly cute! So sweet she missed us. We missed her too! It felt so weird being alone without her.<br />
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Speaking of Halloween, her first one was really uneventful. We dressed her up in Halloween themed colors, but nothing costume-wise. That's the day we got the TV stand, and we also put some money down on a tiny rocking chair for her. It's so cute! We're thinking that can be one of her birthday presents. I've been working hard planning her party too, and I think I have all the details worked out! Now to just buy everything (the not fun part). It'll be nice to FINALLY get to throw one though!<br />
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Well I suppose that's about all that's really been happening here! I'll leave you with a super cute photo of Sophia and Daddy rocking together.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216498477064964599.post-40336974260709652902013-07-27T22:36:00.001-05:002013-07-27T22:42:50.760-05:00Seven monthsWhy is she already seven months old? This isn't fair, I want her to be my little baby forever. :( And what a handful she is! Into absolutely everything. Nothing is safe! She's learned that she can go to different rooms, so she is one traveling baby! Busy, busy girl. It's so fun watching her explore though. I love her sense of wonder.<br />
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I've also been really getting into wrapping lately. I bought a wrap and have been practicing with it. Sophia seems to like it too!<br />
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And I've been trying my hand at making things for her to wear. For example, for the Fourth of July I made both her and Jade matching festive tutus. I think they turned out pretty cute!<br />
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And then for one of my friend's wedding, I sewed up this bubble skirt for her the day of and tucked in a shirt she already had to give it a dress feel. I think it turned out pretty good too! It's a little bit big on her, but hey, room to grow! And we all know babies like to grow. The other day she weighed 17 lbs 3 oz and was 25.5". Where has my baby gone???<br />
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In other news, one of the reasons that I've been a little quiet on here is because we're trying to decide if we should move or not. We've been toying with the idea of moving to the Chattanooga, TN area since at least April, and now our lease here is just about up. Which means decision time is soon; should we stay or should we go?<br />
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I have mixed feelings on the subject. For one, I'm super excited to move, ready to leave this place behind, and can't wait to start on this adventure with my little family. We've heard from tons of people how beautiful it is there, and some natives that we've met have told us that the tourist season doesn't end, so you can always make money in the service industry. That'd be great, because only making money about three months out of the year pretty much stinks (to say it nicely). Although hopefully he won't even have to get a job like that, but just in case that's all that's available at the time, it's nice to know.<br />
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I think I'm mainly nervous because we haven't even visited the area. We don't have a place lined up to live. Nate doesn't have a job up there. We'd be going in completely blind basically, staying in a hotel until we could (quickly) find a place to live. I'd rather have some more security than that. Especially with having a baby. If it were just us, it'd be a little easier to deal. I just don't want to end up having to live out of our car.<br />
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The other thing is that I've never moved away from this area. I've never had to start over. I'd have no friends and no other family other than Nate and Sophia. I'm shy as it is, so I'm worried that it'll take a while to make any friends. But, I have started joining some crunchy mom groups on facebook trying to make friends, so that's a start. Looks like they have a group that meets up somewhat regularly and are pretty active in the community, so maybe I can make some friends there. I hope so, if we do the move!<br />
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Our lease is up this month (yes, as in days). But, we'd stay an extra month here, so we can finish getting our ducks in a row. Plus, I have family coming into town to meet Sophia and Jade, and that would be at the end of August/beginning of September, so we'd probably have to stay in a hotel for that time period. Fun? Not really looking forward to being homeless. Or moving. Moving house is NOT fun. It feels like we just did it not long ago, even though it's already been a year.<br />
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Although I'm nervous about the rather sporadic possible move, I do know that Nate has never failed to provide for us in whatever way that he can. He's definitely one to put his family first, and I absolutely love and appreciate him for it. Really, how did I get so lucky? But anyway, I trust him to know what he's doing, which hopefully he does. He wants this move SO bad, even more than I do. I guess we'll know sooner rather than later where this life path will take us though. I'll try to keep updating on here on what happens.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216498477064964599.post-79316953196753538722013-07-03T19:35:00.000-05:002013-07-03T19:36:47.681-05:00Just a random Wednesday blogIt's crazy how much things change over time. While some things I've always wanted (breast feeding, for exampe), others have developed over time. Such as cloth diapers. While I was pregnant with my first I thought the idea of cloth diapers was gross. But then some of my friends were getting into them, so I started researching online and just fell in love. Never looked back! I used to not care for the way woven wraps looked. Now I'm loving them! Maybe I'm just plain turning into a hippie. I'm okay with that!<br />
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Another thing that has changed in the recent years is the home I see myself in a few years from now, when I'm all settled in and don't plan on moving for a LONG time, if ever. I used to see a house in a neighborhood with a perfectly manicured lawn and all the bells and whistles. I guess similar to where we're living now, but nicer. And with a nice lawn. And no neighbor kids across the street who keep deciding to throw rocks on our roof and play in our yard and bounce balls off of our garage door. Anyway, these days when I picture it, it couldn't be more different. Well, I suppose I would still like to live in a nice house with ample room for everyone, but even more than that I see land. A decent amount of land with food growing and some animals (I'm seeing goats and chickens, maybe sheep just because why not?), a line to dry clothes on weather permitting, lots of space for our kids to play, and no close by neighbors.<br />
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The idea of living so far away from other people used to legitimately scare me; now I couldn't want anything more. I think if I were single and alone, the idea would probably still scare me some, but I'm not. I would love to grow our own food that's not GMO, have fresh air to breathe, fresh eggs, maybe fresh goat milk (haven't tried it, so I'm not sure). I would actually like to cut out milk all together and go with almond milk. But I receive WIC for now, and they provide about a million gallons of milk, so no sense in wasting it. I halfway wonder if that's why my eczema has flared up a lot recently actually. Could be.<br />
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I want to make our own bread fresh. I want to make everything from scratch myself. This coming from someone who has never really cooked much. The only thing I wouldn't care for is preparing meat. I'm picky about what meat I'll eat to begin with, but preparing raw meat...just eww. I could easily be a vegetarian! Good thing Nate isn't bothered by it. And also good thing, he's totally on board with alllll of this. I love it, and I love him. We're so good for each other to have, it's crazy.<br />
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In other news, Sophia is definitely getting around and into everything! She was playing in her room this morning and I walked away for a second to do something. It wasn't very long, but when I walked back in she had crawled over to her dresser, pulled out the bottom drawer, and was using it to pull herself to standing. Also today she has been putting her feet flat on the floor and sticking her butt up in the air, like in a downward dog position (yoga). It's so funny! But I feel like she could be working on standing up herself. Strong little lady!<br />
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Also today, her Aunt Andrea and her five kids came over to visit. Most of her kids had never met Sophia, so everyone was excited. Except Sophia. She was so overwhelmed by so many new strangers, and she pretty much fussed the whole time. I felt so bad! For both Sophia and her Aunt and cousins. I'm sure they probably think she's an unhappy baby, but I promise she's not! Right after they left, she was back to being all happy and smiles. Stinker.<br />
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Oh! And Nate got his night shift for tomorrow covered! So we can FINALLY spend a holiday together! This is the first one all year; every other holiday he has been a double. But of course, it's supposed to rain, so I'm not entirely sure what we're doing, but I'm just glad we'll get to spend it together.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216498477064964599.post-88031589528086463272013-07-01T21:31:00.000-05:002013-07-02T00:56:48.300-05:006 monthsSophia is now six and a half months old...um, what? Seriously, where is this time going? And what a little ham she is. Too cute!<br />
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The most obvious milestone she's hit has been mobility. She can crawl, although not a pro yet, sit up on her own, and really get to anything she has her mind set on. She's been trying to pull up on EVERYTHING lately, and occasionally has success. Basically, she's successful whenever she's able to get a really good grip on whatever it is. I love that she's more mobile, since that means she's more able to entertain herself, but at the same time, I definitely have to watch her like a hawk. It's so sweet watching my little girl get around though!<br />
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She also LOVES her cousin. Well, babies in general. It's very cute watching her interact. She really likes holding hands with other babies, and just cheeses at them hardcore. What a little sweet heart!<br />
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<i>Sophia holding hands with her little friend, Ambrose</i></div>
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Oh, and I've been trying a little bit of baby led weaning. The only thing I've really given her are red bell peppers that I roasted, and wow, she loved them! It was messy, but definitely worth it.<br />
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<i>Eating a red bell pepper and loving it!</i></div>
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For Father's Day, (well, the Friday before, since Nate was off) we went to the beach as a family for the first time. Sophia loved playing with the sand, but the waves scared her, which I could see why. Also, the water was pretty chilly that day, so I wasn't exactly keen on taking her (or myself) in it!<br />
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<i>Sophia at the beach with Mommy and Daddy!</i></div>
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Last week though, we went to a near by creek that has a man made lake attached, and that was sooooo nice. The water was a great temperature and calm, and Sophia just loved it. She had so much fun! Just a splashing, kicking mess. She's at such a fun age right now where she wants to experience everything. Anyway, I'm attempting to convince Nate that he needs to take us there for the 4th of July and cook out, since they have grills and everything up there. He was able to get his night shift picked up, and I don't think he's opposed to the idea. Guess we'll find out soon enough!<br />
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<i>Sophia and I swimming in the creek</i></div>
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The day before yesterday I attended a babywearing workshop. It was so informative, and I finally got to really play around with wraps. I have probably the sweetest mama friends ever, and a friend of mine leant me a wrap of hers that she hasn't been using. In the meantime, I sold a couple of carriers that I wasn't really using anymore to fund a wrap of my own, so I'm thinking maybe I'll get it Wednesday. I hope so! I'm so excited! It's a different size than the one I'm borrowing, but that's probably a good thing, since I've found that one is a kind of awkward length for me. I keep ending up with long tails that aren't quite long enough to wrap a second time and tie, so they're left hanging. That one is a 6, and the one I ordered is a 4. Sophia loves being wrapped though, and it's super comfortable. I also have a ring sling that I love, but I think I've been wearing that <i>too</i> much, and my shoulder has been getting a little sore. I don't have that problem when I use a carrier with two straps though! And for short trips it's still not bad. And it's handy to be able to just throw into my bag to always have.<br />
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I updated the blog a little last night; hope y'all like the new cover image! Because I'm pretty sure I love it.<br />
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<i>Sophia sitting pretty after picking out her own bow</i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216498477064964599.post-31756887399294494712013-06-18T00:55:00.000-05:002013-07-01T01:49:09.854-05:00Tutorial Tuesday! Okay, so I'm going to try my hand at doing a tutorial! Usually whenever I'm making anything, I just plain forget to take photos of the whole process. Seriously, it's so easy to forget. You just get so caught up in what you're doing, you just forget until it's all done...and, well, I'm definitely not undoing the sewing just for the sake of photos. Can you blame me?<br />
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<i>Finished product</i><br />
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So anyway, today I'll be making a changing pad for little miss Jade. Cheyne didn't want a traditional diaper bag and opted for a backpack instead. Well, most of those don't exactly come with changing pads, and it's for sure a nice thing to have when out and about! Public changing tables are pretty grody, if I do say so myself! Besides, this will be softer and cuter than the one that would come with a bag anyway.<br />
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<i>Supplies</i></div>
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Okay, to start out, you're going to need a few things. Here I have some fleece, flannel, a yard stick, fabric scissors, a fabric pen (love this, it fades after 24 hours and writes easily!), and then not pictured, of course a sewing machine. I suppose you could also do this by hand, of course, but it's going to take you MUCH longer. I didn't really have a size for the pad in mind, but I happened to have a piece of the fleece already cut out from some other past project, and it just so happened to be a perfect size. I <i>think </i>it ended up being about 14" x 17" though. You can of course make it whatever size you'd like! Oh, and also, prewash your fabric! Always prewash if you're not using the same fabric for an entire project, as different materials shrink differently. </div>
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<i>Measuring and marking the material</i></div>
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On the wrong side of your material, use the yard stick to measure out the size you want the changing pad to be, and draw on the lines. These will help guide you while you're sewing as well. If you want to cheat and go the lazy route (uhh, but who would want that?), just draw the line on one piece of material, and then lay that piece on top of the other piece (right sides together!) and cut both pieces at the same time. That's what I did, kinda, since the other was a scrap piece anyway, and pretty much cut to size already. </div>
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<i>Both pieces of material cut out</i></div>
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Then, of course, cut out the material. Don't cut right on the line you just drew; instead cut maybe 1/4" outside of the lines. This will be your seam allowance; remember, the lines are what you will be sewing on top of. I occasionally will not be thinking and cut on the actual line, and then realize right after that I'm now going to have to improvise. Maybe I should have said this before: I'm definitely NOT a pro at sewing, just something I enjoy to do and a hobby I only just picked up towards the end of Blake's life. Even then, for a while I took a long hiatus from the sewing world, since I didn't have any little ones to sew for.</div>
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<i>Pin both pieces of material together, right sides facing each other. </i></div>
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As the picture above says, pin away! You can never have too many pins. Especially if you're working with stretchy material, use LOTS of pins. If you pin them horizontally, then you can sew right over them as you go. Otherwise, you have to take them out as you go. Either way works! As you can see, I, again, took the lazy route. I've decided it's okay to cut corners where you can when you're trying to finish the project during your six month old's nap that could end at ANY minute. Catch my drift? </div>
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And now for the fun part! Sewing! Yay! Again, leave about a 1/4" seam allowance. I usually just try to keep the foot's edge at the material's edge. It looks like I decided to sew on the side I didn't draw lines on. I'm not sure why I thought that was best. Probably again a result of trying to finish before Sophia awakens. Oh well, it still worked fine! Make sure to leave about a 3" opening; this is where you will turn the changing pad right side out. I used a straight stitch (zig zag would work too) and be sure to back stitch at the beginning and the end. </div>
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And this is what you have after sewing around! Go ahead and trim the edges of the pad where you sewed, but NOT at the opening. You'll want that little bit of material there for when you close it up! At the corners, clip the material straight across, being careful to not cut the stitching. This will just help the corners stick out more like they should. Now, turn it right side out and admire your nearly completed changing pad. Then think to yourself how much cuter this is than the stock ones that come with diaper bags. Okay, you're not quite done yet, and you're racing the clock against nap time, so get back to reality. </div>
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Once it's all turned right side out, pin the opening shut. </div>
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Starting at the opening, topstitch all around the changing pad, again being sure to back stitch at the beginning or end. I still kept with the straight stitch, but you could do whatever stitch you'd like. Just take extra time to make this neat, since this will be visible and all. </div>
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And then, ta-da! You're done! You just made an adorable little changing pad, you little seamstress you. Now you can take this time to admire your work until the little one(s) awaken and demand your attention.<br />
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So there you have it. Hopefully it was easy to follow! This is a super easy project to do, so I would say a definite great beginners project. And quick! They're so cute, you'll probably have your other mommy friends begging you to make them one too!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216498477064964599.post-85077289734915985642013-06-01T21:52:00.000-05:002013-06-30T22:07:46.639-05:00She's here! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Jade Ariana Miller finally arrived just before 3:00 PM yesterday afternoon! And holy baby! 9 lbs, 4.3 oz and 21.5" long. Umm, where did that big baby come from? If anyone knows, Cheyne is a pretty petite mama, like me, and she didn't get huge or anything during the pregnancy. She just had some major baby hiding abilities I suppose! Anyway, she pushed that baby out without an epidural, so proud of her! She's just precious though, and even though Sophia is only 6 lbs heavier, Jade still looks tiny. I'm so happy for her though! She's going to be a great mom.<br />
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She allowed me to come visit today and take some pictures of her new little bundle, so of course, I'll share!<br />
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Short post for today, I'm exhausted!</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216498477064964599.post-29045758309853831762013-05-31T13:17:00.000-05:002013-06-01T13:23:54.478-05:00Exciting day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Why is my little girl almost six months old? That's just crazy! A couple of weeks ago, I weighed her at the birth center, and she's a whopping 14 lbs, 15.5 oz, fully clothed and diapered. What?! She's still pretty petite though; definitely not considered to be a "big" baby. So what has she been up to this month?</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Well, she full on laughs now. It's true, she finds my hair pretty hilarious. I guess most of society would too during the times she does. #glammomlife. Is it inappropriate to use hashtags while not on instagram or twitter? Probably. But anyway, it's so darn cute! Now for the story of how she even came to laugh loudly.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I had been just making her laugh her usual way, which is quiet, but definitely a laugh. My Granny had sent me a video that featured a dad and his quadruplets (holy wow), where he was being silly and they were all four just cracking up. As she watched it, I couldn't tell if she was concerned or amused. Either way, she watched it very intently. So after that video, I went back to trying to make her laugh, and she started laughing and squealing like crazy. It's like she watched the video and thought, "Oh, this is how I'm supposed to laugh!" What a smart little girl. :)</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Also, as of yesterday, she started getting up on her hands and knees! Woo! It won't be long before she's crawling. Then I'll really really have my hands full! I can't believe how grown up she's getting. And then today, she was on her hands and knees (as I sat her down she got into that position), and she proceeded to get herself into a sitting position, on her own. So crazy! </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And now for some more super exciting news, my sister is in labor! Wooooo! I wanted to mention that she was pregnant so bad on here, but she kept it quiet for a good while, so I obliged to her wishes. I can't wait though! The last I heard as I'm typing this was that she's 8 1/2 cm, so not too much longer! Can't wait to meet little Jade! I did some maternity photos for her too. Here are some of my favorites from that shoot! I'm planning to take some more of her once she's finally here. :) I know I'm technically already an aunt, since I married into it, but this is the first time I really FEEL like an aunt! More to come soon!</span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216498477064964599.post-67376380254234897662013-05-13T23:38:00.000-05:002013-05-27T18:16:40.985-05:00What's in my diaper bag?I finally did it! And I also finally FILMED a video! Well, I've filmed plenty of Sophia, but not really vlog-style ones. Even though I'd like to, but I'm not super sure of myself on camera yet. So, I played it safe and started out BEHIND the camera! Haha. So, if you don't feel like reading pretty much everything I say on the video, feel free to just watch the video at the end of the post! Enjoy!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wqdMM9vKAYw/UaPkdzdv1JI/AAAAAAAAASE/YQZsoRXNvJc/s1600/8856794153_12ea3154bc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wqdMM9vKAYw/UaPkdzdv1JI/AAAAAAAAASE/YQZsoRXNvJc/s320/8856794153_12ea3154bc.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">So to start out with, I have the
Skip Hop Versa bag in black. I really wanted a bag that was functional but
didn't really have the look of a diaper bag. I loved the classic black bag look
with gold hardware (and Sophia seems to, too!), and the bright blue interior.
Really makes it easier to find things! And I like blue. And bags that have fun,
slightly unexpected interiors. Anyway, I really have been enjoying this bag,
and the fact that I got it on sale was even better! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MCuJfLVwpnk/UaPkfBAE9ZI/AAAAAAAAASY/FNQT4_qgLyA/s1600/8856829745_481ffb2394.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MCuJfLVwpnk/UaPkfBAE9ZI/AAAAAAAAASY/FNQT4_qgLyA/s320/8856829745_481ffb2394.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">So, moving on. I guess I'll start
on the back. The only thing I have in the back zipper pocket is the changing
pad the bag came with. Nothing too exciting. I made a couple of changing pads
to go in my diaper bags that were softer and squishier, but they don't fit as
smoothly into that pocket as that one does, so I just make due. In all reality,
I haven't really had to change her in public restrooms too often (I try to
avoid it if I can), and so I haven't had to use the pad much. Don't worry
though! I still use the pads I made plenty for when she's having "nakey
time" or for the bed to catch leaky milk. :)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FVyLLniAKNA/UaPkgT4RV-I/AAAAAAAAAS0/LThGd5SGH-o/s1600/8857411524_e46a74e47b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FVyLLniAKNA/UaPkgT4RV-I/AAAAAAAAAS0/LThGd5SGH-o/s320/8857411524_e46a74e47b.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Clear Correct braces case</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Next are the two open front
pockets. I almost called them "open to air" pockets. Oh nursing
school, what have you done to me? Anyway, in the left one all I keep in there
is my braces case, in case I need to remove them to eat or something. In the
right side, I normally would keep my phone, but since I wasn't going anywhere
today, I didn't have it in there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-whwir2ZrAas/UaPkdlBrb9I/AAAAAAAAASA/MdK5p2MSq8E/s1600/8856805481_da1d08c8a4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-whwir2ZrAas/UaPkdlBrb9I/AAAAAAAAASA/MdK5p2MSq8E/s320/8856805481_da1d08c8a4.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Notebook: Target. Sunglasses: Relic from TJ Maxx. </i></div>
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<i>Pouch: American Eagle</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Now for the two side zipper
pockets. These are kind of "my" pockets, since the whole inside of
the bag is dedicated to her. I'm so not up to carrying around a second bag just
for my things, so I find a way to cram everything into one bag. It's really not
hard actually. Especially since we're still EBFing. Anyway, we'll start with
the left pocket. I have a pouch, sunglasses, and a notebook. In the video
below, this pouch isn't in there, but that's because I recorded it a few days
ago and decided I wanted a pouch to help contain my stuff. And I didn't feel
like redoing the video, since my computer isn't updated enough to post videos
to youtube these days. SO that's why I took the video with my iPhone. And I
know I can easily take notes on my iPhone, but I love having a notebook.
There's just something so satisfying about writing lists/notes/etc. out. Fun
fact: I've kept a diary since the first grade. Can you tell I love to write? I
still have a separate diary I write in outside of blog world. You learn
something new everyday, eh?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gQdkVxu2Xfw/UaPkd9YTVcI/AAAAAAAAASI/g4NxCpv1BnQ/s1600/8856811277_2f086a99e8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gQdkVxu2Xfw/UaPkd9YTVcI/AAAAAAAAASI/g4NxCpv1BnQ/s320/8856811277_2f086a99e8.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Inside of the pouch there is a
random assortment of items. I have a fold up brush/mirror, EOS lotion, emory
board, tape measure, pen, mints, and a little plush thing that my youngest
sister, Cheyne, made for me a few Christmases (is that how you spell that?)
ago. I just tend to carry it around with me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HHg-0xZ8-Rw/UaPkhBwozPI/AAAAAAAAATE/7LBtFOb9Cbo/s1600/8857429532_077dede7db.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HHg-0xZ8-Rw/UaPkhBwozPI/AAAAAAAAATE/7LBtFOb9Cbo/s320/8857429532_077dede7db.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Wallet: Vera Bradley. Lanyard: Vera Bradley. </i></div>
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<i>Wristlet: Pretty sure it's a Coach knockoff.</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">On the other side, I have my
wallet, my keys on a lanyard, and yet another pouch that wasn't featured in the
video. I decided that I wanted to start carrying around some hair ties, bobby
pins, and diaper pins with me, so that's all that's in there. Not very
exciting, so I didn't take a detailed photograph of that. I like to keep my
keys on a lanyard just because it's easy. Easy to carry around, easy to find in
the bag, just easy. This one I've had for years, so that's why it looks filthy.
I really should wash it, but there you go. My wallet is one that my husband got
me for Christmas, and I love love love it. I used to have it in a different
print for years, but it was getting a little tattered looking. Still useable,
by all means, but I was eyeing this one. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OIksT2Q7dP0/UaPkhg8wxAI/AAAAAAAAATQ/ZO5-wd-ZXno/s1600/8857435832_834ee8f591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OIksT2Q7dP0/UaPkhg8wxAI/AAAAAAAAATQ/ZO5-wd-ZXno/s320/8857435832_834ee8f591.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>First aid kit: Target. Tissues: Kleenex. Hand Sanitizer: Bath & Bodyworks. </i></div>
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<i>Lip balms: Chapstick and Burt's Bees. </i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Next is the little pocket up top.
It actually is a lot bigger than what it appears! In this I keep a mini first
aid kit (basically just band-aids and alcohol swabs), a pretty much empty
tissue pack, sensitive Wet Ones, hand sanitizer, and two lip balms (one tinted,
one not). Not bad for that tiny pocket, right?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QJMMc0CCwro/UaPkfCNIGuI/AAAAAAAAASg/DJxtog9dq94/s1600/8856835679_6dc05db325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QJMMc0CCwro/UaPkfCNIGuI/AAAAAAAAASg/DJxtog9dq94/s320/8856835679_6dc05db325.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">And NOWWWWW for the inside!
Inside there are four pockets, and then the big, open middle space. I guess
I'll start with the left rear pocket and work my way clockwise. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l7X7kKWfuwU/UaPkiGEZgvI/AAAAAAAAATc/nx1nAqYkNm8/s1600/8857453496_78bedd4b31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l7X7kKWfuwU/UaPkiGEZgvI/AAAAAAAAATc/nx1nAqYkNm8/s320/8857453496_78bedd4b31.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Receiving blanket: Carters. Burp cloth: homemade.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">In this pocket I keep a burp
cloth and a receiving blanket. This is just a cheapie one from the store. I don't really care for
these as blankets, since they're not that big and not that soft, but I really
like them for impromptu play mats! I always like having a clean surface for
Sophia to play on, and this will always provide it for her. Well, until she's
mobile. Then it'll provide it for her until she sees anything else (everything
else) that she wants to play with and takes off. Anyway, I go to play dates
often and a little mommy and baby
meeting weekly, so this sees a lot of use!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mT-9XqBxohI/UaPkfaol5CI/AAAAAAAAASc/2Yl-5zVHF7E/s1600/8856847947_ab8c0a4308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mT-9XqBxohI/UaPkfaol5CI/AAAAAAAAASc/2Yl-5zVHF7E/s320/8856847947_ab8c0a4308.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Wipes case: Pampers. Wet bag: Bummis.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">The next pocket over I keep her
wipes and wet bag. The wet bag is only there while it's empty; with a diaper
inside I don't think it'd fit in the pocket, or at least I don't feel like
trying to make it, so it then will just go in the middle compartment. This is
actually just her wipes case also; I use cloth wipes and just put them in as
I'm leaving out the door. I know some people just have a spray bottle of wipe
solution and a dry wipe, which works too, but I have a wipes warmer for her, so
this way they're pre-moistened and ready to go. I've done both methods and
prefer it this way! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a_ZQQ6807YQ/UaPkiAiDYpI/AAAAAAAAATY/IrQUM5AFiWE/s1600/8857472150_28c42e7544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a_ZQQ6807YQ/UaPkiAiDYpI/AAAAAAAAATY/IrQUM5AFiWE/s320/8857472150_28c42e7544.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>I think both are by Infantino. </i></div>
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<i>They were Blake's, so it's been a long time!</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">This pocket contains her toys.
These are two that I tend to keep in there all the time, but I'll usually add
another toy in there (i.e. Sophie the giraffe, since she loves that thing).
Just whatever she's been loving at the moment. So needless to say, this pocket
changes up often. In fact, I think it might be slightly different than the
video as well. Ahh, the life of a mom!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1o5l12sJttM/UaPkg6HnDOI/AAAAAAAAAS8/ltbPQRznaXI/s1600/8856854075_bf7f6f7041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1o5l12sJttM/UaPkg6HnDOI/AAAAAAAAAS8/ltbPQRznaXI/s320/8856854075_bf7f6f7041.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Leg warmers: homemade. </i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">This last pocket is just where I
keep her change of clothes. Right now all that's in there are a pair of baby
leg warmers, but usually I'll have a bodysuit or shirt or something in there as
well. But, she wore that last night while at her Grandma's, so I just hadn't
replaced it yet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sr5oY0oTjnY/UaPkidOANMI/AAAAAAAAATg/ND-zjsjJGis/s1600/8857478100_e0fbf9c33a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sr5oY0oTjnY/UaPkidOANMI/AAAAAAAAATg/ND-zjsjJGis/s320/8857478100_e0fbf9c33a.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Comfy Joey linen ring sling.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">And last, but certainly not
least, we have the main compartment. First thing you'll see is my ring sling.
We're talking my baby wearing nirvana here. Can't believe it took me so long to
try these out, but so glad I finally did. And it's so nice how it easily fits
into my diaper bag too. Love it! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oPa64bEi8tU/UaPki9t2qiI/AAAAAAAAATw/eHl8jlgqCEs/s1600/8857491068_cd341fed3d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oPa64bEi8tU/UaPki9t2qiI/AAAAAAAAATw/eHl8jlgqCEs/s320/8857491068_cd341fed3d.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zX2Uk2omcT0/UaPkgeHG6WI/AAAAAAAAASw/c6JOWznZDFA/s1600/8856872615_a4aab112c1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zX2Uk2omcT0/UaPkgeHG6WI/AAAAAAAAASw/c6JOWznZDFA/s320/8856872615_a4aab112c1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Softbums Echo cover with a flat diaper pad folded inside.</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">The only other thing I carry in
the middle are her diapers. I don't have any in there now, since we aren't
going anywhere today, but this is what a set up might look like. Pretty easy! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">And that's about it! Hopefully your nosey streak has been satisfied! :)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216498477064964599.post-81928934536368038932013-05-12T21:00:00.000-05:002013-05-27T18:16:00.364-05:00Happy Mother's Day!<br />
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Happy Mother's Day! Wow has time flown. Really, I mean where is it all going? I feel like I blink and a whole month goes by. Is that normal? Probably in mom-land.<br />
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Anyway, it was nice to finally be able to celebrate Mother's Day again. As an active mom. Hard to believe it's been three years since I've been able to, isn't it? I actually didn't really celebrate too much today; Nate had to work, so I guess we're celebrating tomorrow. I'm not sure how exactly we're celebrating, since he says he has a surprise, and I have a feeling that I know what the surprise is. Not 100%, but he's not the best at keeping secrets, and he's been egging me on to guess (I haven't, and I know it's eating away at him to tell me). If it's what I'm thinking, then I'm excited for sure! Whatever we do tomorrow though, it'll be nice to spend time together as a family and outside of the house (grocery shopping doesn't count).<br />
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Today, however, didn't really start out great. Sophia decided to wake up at 6:30 this morning, while she normally wakes up usually between 7:00 and 8:00. So, I'm exhausted from less sleep, and as I made my way into the living room after giving her a change, I see something on the couch. What, I wasn't sure, thanks to me not wearing my contacts, so I get closer to investigate. Two words: cat puke. Thanks Gus. I've never seen Gus throw up or found his vomit anywhere, but he chose today to break that lucky streak. So I got to kick my morning off with cleaning that up, always fun. Glad I have a strong stomach. Sophia wasn't much for napping either, and Nate wasn't much for doing anything other than sleeping until 10:15 when his alarm went off to get ready for work. So, I didn't get any help out of him until after he himself had gotten all ready for the day and such. So, annoying start to my day, but it got better from there. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful.<br />
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I did make my mom (well, his too, but slightly different) this little Mother's Day gift:<br />
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<i>DIY glitter jar, kisses, and homemade card</i></div>
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Let's see, what's new with Sophia. Well, at around four and a half months, she was 14 lbs even. Getting so big! Still small, but still a growing girl! She sits much better these days too. She will still topple every once in a while, so I'm not comfortable just walking away while she's sitting, but she's definitely having less falls than she used to. She also rolls both ways now, though doesn't do it all that often.<br />
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I recently got the walker we had for Blake out for her to try, and we have a fan. She's all about playing in it. Don't get me wrong, eventually she's over it just like with anything else, but it's soooo nice. I can unload the dishwasher in the mornings while she plays happily nearby where I can watch her. I can cook a quick meal and keep her safely away from all things hot. Sometimes, I can even eat a meal and use BOTH of my hands! I know, quite the luxury.<br />
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<i>Totally in love with the walker</i></div>
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I've also recently gotten up the courage to try to carry her on my back in the Beco carrier we have. And what a new lifesaver. I can do so many household chores while toting her along and without having to work around a growing baby sticking out the front. Honestly though, my favorite carrier has been my ring sling. Love it so so so much! Why have I not owned one of these things sooner?! Well, I know why. My very first carrier I ever had (with Blake) was one of those pouch slings. For one, I think I needed a smaller size, and for two, I hated that thing. It was so uncomfortable to wear, and he never felt supported in it. So, that's what I was picturing the ring sling to feel like. Boy, was I wrong! It's so fast (I'm lazy), easy, and cute! Plus I can dress like a human again, and people can see! And it fits in my diaper bag easy peasy, so I can have it with me all the time. You seriously never know when you're going to need it, and I'm definitely one of those "just in case" type of people. You know, the kind that likes to keep many random items in tow just in case. Because as soon as you leave said item at home, that's when you end up finally needing it, even though you haven't the past four months you've been carrying it. Is that just me? Anyway, Sophia also loves the ring sling, so an added bonus. Plus, she's definitely a cuddly baby, and I love when she falls asleep in it, and she's all cuddled with me and her chest is on my shoulder (I usually do the hip carry in it). Oh, it's love. It's so much love, that my sweet friend Kate made me a shorty wrap, sewn and dyed herself, and I've yet to REALLY get a good use out of it. I feel bad, because it's so darn cute, but I've just been too lazy to wrap! That on top of me sucking at wrapping, since that is officially the first woven wrap I've owned, I'm just not motivated. I need to get on that. Besides, I could do a wrap that's just like the ring sling. I just need lots of practice!<br />
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Lately, I'm so over wrap style covers. She always puts up a fight for getting them (and any diaper) on, and it's getting harder to get a good fit because of it. Her legs are either scrunched up, or straightened and flexed, pulling the diaper down with them. Plus, Since around the time that she was four weeks old, I've been battling diaper rash. It hasn't really been extreme, but still, I don't want ANY! I've switched detergents several times, thinking that had to be it, used all sorts of creams, switched to disposables for a day, nothing was working. And I was told by a couple of medical professionals (including her pediatrician) that it didn't look like yeast. It'd start to go away during the day, but would all come back at night, and I'd have to start over. Well, I did even more research, and found some babies are soooo sensitive to synthetic materials that they can't use them at all. At that point, a light bulb lit. Her night time fitted diapers had microfiber in them. They were covered with bamboo terry, but still, I wondered. During the day I pretty much always use prefolds. What can I say, I love them! So, I cut out the microfiber and did a larger prefold with a hemp doubler, and guess what...no rash! Woo! It was gone until I used a doubler that contained microfiber one night in a pinch...bad idea, but at least it proved that she is in fact sensitive to it. The rash is pretty much all gone again, but it's amazing how many diapers use microfiber. Back to the cover issue though, I've been getting interested in wool, a lot. That same sweet friend, Kate, leant me a wool cover to test out so I could see how I liked it, and I AM ADDICTED. It's so soft, so breathable, so CUTE. Even Nate really likes it, and is willing to help fund the switch (once we have more cash flow...hellllllo summer!). Plus I love that it's all natural. And she doesn't fight the cover. In fact, she seems to like it!<br />
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<i>Sophia in an XS sbish wool cover</i></div>
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I'm also in need of new prefolds. Her other ones don't fit anymore, besides the few huge ones we have that we use for over night, all folded down. I can only use the other current size she has trifolded, which works, but I prefer them snappied around her. I love bamboo, so I think I want to get some prefolds/flats that contain it. So, trying to decide between bamboo/cotton prefolds, or bamboo terry flats. I guess I'll just have to get some of both and then decide! I definitely want some of both though! Any suggestions? Oh! I've also gotten a little better at pinning diapers too. :)<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Well, I think that's about everything. Can't believe she's about to be five months! Hopefully the next update isn't in another month! I'll also try to get a "What's in my diaper bag" post up really soon, maybe even the next post. Until then!</span></div>
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<i>Kisses, or sneak attack?</i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216498477064964599.post-64483370963508502862013-04-14T16:23:00.001-05:002013-04-14T16:25:09.216-05:004 months! <br />
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Where has the time gone??? I can't believe my sweet Sophia is officially 4 months old today! And can't believe how much I suck at blogging consistently (okay, yes I can). It's just when she's asleep, I have a ton of things to do (aka, cleaning), and by the time I'm finished, in the event I actually get to finish, she's already awake again. Maybe someday I'll get into a better routine. Maybe. :)<br />
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Anyway, let's see what's new. She's so close to sitting on her own! She actually can for periods of time, but I'm definitely not comfortable enough with her sitting abilities to not keep my hands close by in case of a topple. She can ALMOST roll over onto her belly from her back. And that being said, she's apparently taken a sabbatical on rolling from her belly to her back. I'm not sure why, because from 8 weeks on she used to do it all the time, but now she's just stopped. I'm not really too worried about it though, I know she'll figure it out again. And maybe it's just that she doesn't want to be on her back anymore. She's definitely enjoying her tummy time tons more than what she used to. Probably because she's getting stronger and had no problems playing with her toys that way. And she's a scooter. If she's on her back (especially when she's naked) she scoots all over the place. Pretty darn cute. :) And even on her belly, she's managing to scoot a little bit these days. She still hasn't gotten onto her hands and knees or anything just yet. She loves to grab. Anything in her reach, she wants. Glasses. Cups. Cans. Faces. Toys. Phones. She's not picky. :) She's so silly, she seems to think she can just do one big crunch and magically sit up. That's what she tries to do anyway. Did I mention she's just precious?<br />
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And oh my gosh, is she ever growing like a weed. It feels so odd to me, having a baby really GROW. In pants, she's been in size six months since near the beginning of last month. Same with her sleepers. I feel like she almost skipped the size three month in pants. Her legs are the culprit, they're so long! She's still short for her age, but in proportion, they're long. Ballerina? :)<br />
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And, I'm afraid to say, but I have slacked off on the photos. I got to week 13, and then...well I'm not sure, I guess things just got busy, and on days we weren't busy, it'd be storming or cloudy. So, I think I'll just do monthly photos instead (much easier to keep up with!) and just make the book from that. It'd be better I think, because a 52 page book would NOT be cheap! Plus it will be easier to think up milestones for the month as opposed to just by the week.<br />
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Let's see, what else. Oh, her eyes are still a beautiful blue, just like her daddy's. :) Also, we're toying with the idea of moving MAYBE to Tennessee. Not sure though. We're going to try to visit it next month, if the funds are available. Also, since my sister (Cheyne) finally announced it, I can too: I'm going to have a little niece next month! Her name is Jade! And I'm so excited to meet her. I love babies, and I love that Sophia will actually have a cousin near her age to play with, even if it's just for visits.<br />
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Sophia at Cheyne's baby shower</div>
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Hmm, I think that's probably about it. As far as me and Nate, things have been good. Nothing really exciting going on besides the possible trip and loving on our sweet girl. I'm just glad that I've married such a great man and even better daddy. :)<br />
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Happy Easter!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216498477064964599.post-13837631234566474992013-02-25T15:44:00.001-06:002013-02-26T00:45:13.769-06:00Parenthood hopes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, I've got to say, that I'm a little bit proud of how this time around of parenting is going. Not that I didn't think I did a good job with Blake, but I was a first time mom who didn't really know what I wanted. Well, as far as parenting styles go. This time I am so much more educated. Not that I was uneducated before, but I just hadn't even given any thought to certain aspects and just went with what most of society in America did. I had no idea what I was missing out on. But then there were some things that I wanted that didn't work out, and I was so devastated by that. I think this birth experience was therapeutic.<br />
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I've always wanted a natural, unmedicated birth. With Blake, I had complications on top of complications, and that unfortunately didn't happen. The birth I had with him wasn't what I was picturing in my head. So far off from it actually, that I was a little ashamed to talk about it. I was young then and afraid of putting up a fight with the hospital staff, and let them bully me into the epidural that I knew I didn't want. I had been induced with him for medical reasons. The only thing I was really able to retain was staying away from the c-section they initially wanted to give me. I begged them to let me try to deliver vaginally, and they reluctantly agreed, but said we'll more than likely have to resort to one anyway. Well, we showed them. After having him, I saw him for maybe two minutes before they whisked him away for hours and hours and hours. I had such a horrible experience in the hospital, I vowed to never birth at one again if I can help it.<br />
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Although this time around I had wanted to have a water birth and that didn't happen, I don't feel ashamed to talk about it. I still had Sophia naturally. In fact, the story of what actually happened is so insanely cool it's kind of cooler to talk about than what I was planning to happen. I would of course never plan for an unassisted birth at home (well, I would love a home birth again, but not unassisted!), but it was so empowering to experience. It does kind of drive me a little crazy when Nate goes around telling people he "delivered" her (um, if I remember correctly I was having all the contractions and pushing the baby out and instructing you him to CATCH her when he asked what he should do), but I guess I'll let him live out his bit of glory. Hopefully people understand that I did pretty much all of the work. I'm thankful that he was there, don't get me wrong, but the way he tells it, I was helplessly laboring and he came in and saved the day. I labored alone in the bathroom (by choice, he kept checking on me, but I kind of wanted to cope alone), which was the hardest part. Pushing felt like heaven, because I could DO something about all the pain to get some relief. I never experienced the "ring of fire." Anyway, back to what I was initially talking about, I still birthed naturally, just how we were intended to bring people into this world, and never had her taken away. We were able to have tons of bonding time, and I never had that lost feeling like I did with Blake while they had him.<br />
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Also, breast feeding. While me and Sophia are still working out some kinks and have had plenty of obstacles, we've been able to press on with it. I'm SO happy that we've worked through this! I wanted to breast feed Blake so bad, and I was so depressed when it didn't work out. I felt like even more of a failure as a mom with every bottle of formula I gave him. Don't get me wrong, there is a time and a place for formula, and he definitely fit the bill with all his problems. But I still think breastmilk is absolutely the best thing you could give your baby. I feel like so many mom's these days "try" and then give up much too quickly. Or many mom's have breast feeding so easy and then just quit because baby "ate too much." I hate that excuse. I mean, to each their own, but they don't know how easy they have it. I tried and failed for three long months with Blake, and only gave up when all of my milk dried up. Sophia and I have overcome the nipple shield, I've had two cases of mastitis, she has a bit of nipple confusion, and just had her posterior tongue tie clipped. Now we're trying to train her to suck correctly. She's transferring milk just fine, but am I ever sore. Still. At 10 weeks. But even if I end up being sore for the whole two years I plan to breast feed, I'm still going to keep at it, because I love it more than giving her a bottle of anything. I still enjoy it immensely, it's such an incredible bond, and I can't wait for the days when nursing is painless.<br />
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I'm so glad to find someone to agree with me on not vaccinating too. I kind of had medical professionals bully me into FINALLY vaxing Blake, even though I was uncomfortable with it. Nate is soooo on board with not doing it, and I'm so thankful.<br />
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And then cloth diapering. Sophia has never been in a completely disposable diaper. When she was brand new with meconium, we had some biodegradable inserts we put in her gDiapers, but once she stopped with that, I switched to cloth inserts. I still have some disposable inserts left, but I haven't used them since I love cloth so much. I knew I loved cloth with Blake, but I was working those days and it was hard to keep up with doing 100% of the time. Plus my mom usually wouldn't use the cloth when she watched him, so he would only be in cloth when I was home.<br />
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So this time I've had the natural birth, I'm breastfeeding, not vaccinating, and cloth diapering. Sounds crunchy, but I've wanted to be a "crunchy" mom since Blake. We're working on eating cleaner and such right now, but it's definitely a work in progress. We'll get there though! I'm just proud of myself for finally being able to become the mom I've dreamed of. Sounds corny, but I am! When I think of what I wanted to do, I realize I'm doing it. :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216498477064964599.post-87482411499246031312013-02-19T01:15:00.005-06:002013-02-19T01:21:43.037-06:009 weeks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, time to play catch up, as usual! I'm not sure why it is so hard for me to keep up with this blog, but it is. I guess life just gets to me. And now I think the fact that I'm constantly nursing this little girl, which makes it not so easy to type, plays a factor. Anyway, where to start?<br />
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Well, by two weeks old, Sophia wasn't back up to her birth weight. My midwife wasn't super worried about it, and thought it was probably because of the nipple shield. She made the decision that we should quit using it and just give her the real thing. Thankfully she COULD latch and would occasionally, it was just getting her to do it 100% of the time. Sophia put up a good fight for her when we were trying to get her to latch without it, but finally gave in. I was trying to block the worries out of my head, since that was one of the first signs of Blake's troubles, but I kept telling myself that this happens to lots of babies (including myself) and that she wasn't jaundiced. Otherwise, I was just hoping that would do the trick. It was a long day and night, but after that we really didn't have problems getting her to take the breast, NO SHIELD. It's sooo nice to not have the shield! In four days we weighed her again, and she had gained 4 whole ounces. We were all very happy with that, and I was incredibly relieved.<br />
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Unfortunately, that's not where our struggles with breast feeding ends. Mind you, I WILL NOT give up until my nipples fall off! I want to give her the best too bad for that to happen. I am so sore, even to this day. At I think five weeks I was beginning to wonder just how long this soreness would last. With the shield I did get sore at first, but it went away eventually. I figured I would get sore again since I no longer had the silicone barrier providing protection, but this was insane. It took all I had to not tear up everytime she latched on, and I would always have to concentrate on not gripping onto her at the moment. It was just so painful! There's so much trauma there, showers were excruciating even. I went to the birth center to have her suck evaluated and such to see what the problem was, since apparently you shouldn't still be sore that long after. I was thinking tongue tie; in fact, I looked up a video on checking for posterior tongue ties (since I was confident that she didn't have an anterior one) and I was pretty sure that I had seen one on her. Well, as sure as I could be not know precisely what they looked like. Plus, she would "click" often when she nursed, which I read is usually a sign that a baby is tongue tied. So, their lactation consultant there evaluated her, as well as the midwife, and they both confirmed that she did NOT have any tongue tie (though they didn't check the same way I had seen to check online), but did have a tiny lip tie. They said that it probably wasn't affecting her sucking, but they could clip it just to be sure. However, all of their equipment was in the sterilizer and I didn't have time to wait for it to finish up, so I had the choice to come back to have it done if I wanted. I don't think I'm going to have it clipped though, because I don't feel like that part was affecting her. She did say that she wasn't sucking correctly, and that she was more so lapping with her tongue at my nipple instead of cupping it. So she taught me how to do suck training on her and they just chalked it up to nipple confusion. So, that was that.<br />
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The more I tried to do her suck training, the more frustrated she got with it. She began to know what I was trying to do and just push my finger out of her mouth or just chew on it instead of suck (which I think is also because she's beginning to teethe). Plus, it wasn't getting better. I think I was starting to kind of get used to all the pain and soreness (I have a high pain tolerance anyway), so I wasn't nearly in tears anymore, but I still had my moments where I was super duper sore when she latched. Not sure why I'm referring to that in a past tense actually, because it's STILL like that. I was starting to wonder if one day it would just magically get better and eventually not hurt anymore. Or if I was going to be in pain the entire two years that I planned to breast feed her.<br />
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So anyway, on the first Thursday of this month I went to a breast feeding support meeting held by a lactation consultant that had really helped me out with Blake. I really wanted to get a second opinion about what her issues could be, and I really trust her opinion. Not that I don't trust the people at the birthing center, but posterior tongue ties aren't all that common, not extremely easy to diagnose, and, well, what that told me to try just wasn't working. So, she looked for me, and low and behold, she saw the same thing that I had seen at first: posterior tongue tie. At least now I know I'm not crazy and why what we've been doing hasn't worked.<br />
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We made an appointment with her pediatrician (her first one!), and we told him about how the lactation consultant had seen the tie. So in turn he set us up for an appointment with a specialist who could clip the tie for us (not too many in the area do posterior ties!). Today we went, and she, too, saw the tie and clipped about a millimeter of it. I'm pretty sure it's helping! At the very first I noticed the biggest difference. I feel like she's taking in more tissue, barely clicking, and her chin seemed more into the breast. All good news! I of course still have a lot of trauma that needs to heal, so I'm not 100% on the relief of pain factor, but I'll give an update on it. Hopefully it worked completely though! We have a follow up appointment in a few weeks, so if it didn't work then I guess we could let her know then. Funny story, Nate actually knew the doctor and her assistants! I guess they were regulars at the Thai restaurant he used to work at. He was the only server that worked there, so they all remembered him. So we got really good service! Not that I think we wouldn't have otherwise, they all seemed like nice people in general. But small world!<br />
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In other news, my husband loves me and bought me a bra that should hopefully fit! I've been having the hardest time finding a nursing bra to fit. Well, bras in general don't usually fit me too well since I'm an odd size. I took measurements, and it looks like I'm a 32F. Not so easy to find in stores, or even all that easy to find online! But I did find one by a brand called Bravado, which I've heard good things about. This one is a 32 F/G, so I think it will be good. I feel like I'm probably between those two cup sizes. It hasn't arrived yet, but hopefully will soon! I'm more than ready to have one that FITS! And hopefully this one does. :)<br />
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Let's see, what else. Well, Sophia is out of her newborn gDiapers. Sad day! The system I've been using mostly these days are prefolds and covers at home during the day, fitted diapers and covers at night, and then gDiapers stuffed with a preemie prefold while out and about. This system seems to be working pretty well for us! I have found that lately I'm not a huge fan of the one size covers. There's just so much extra material! I'm sure I'll like them a lot once she's bigger, but for now, not the biggest fan. Just more bulky, so functionally, they work fine. I've really been loving my Thirsties duo wrap in size 1. :) Wish I had more than just one though! I think I plan to get more of them, but I'm not entirely sure. If I had a plethora of funds, I for sure would! I also need to get an amber necklace for her sometime in the nearish future. Not needing it just yet, since she doesn't seem like she's in pain from the teething, but maybe when she's around 4 months or so I'll start putting it on her. I'm thinking I want one in black, just because it's such a classic and neutral color and goes with mostly everything. :)<br />
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I've also found that I have a small obsession with baby wraps. I got a new Moby in the design I've been lusting after. It's so cute! I'm giving my other one to my youngest sister, who's having a baby girl in May. I also have a Babyhawk mei tai carrier I've been dying to use. She's just in that awkward phase where she doesn't like to have her legs in the froggy position, but the base of the carrier is still too wide for her legs to stick out comfortably. Boo! I also have my friend making me a cotton/linen blend wrap in a size 3. I'm excited to try that one out! There are also about a million of wraps I want to try to make. Well, things I want to make in general! Haha.<br />
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I've been trying to make Miss Sophia a play may quilt, mainly because I've never made a quilt before and I wanted to try, and finding the time is down right hard! The swing is really nice for this, since she actually enjoys it a lot these days, and many times she will nap really well in it. I like to wear her too, but sewing while wearing a baby isn't the easiest thing in the world! Plus, depending on the machine I want to use, the noise could wake her up.<br />
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Well, this is getting to be pretty long! While I'm positive that I could find more to talk about, I'll just end this post now with some spamming of Sophia photos!<br />
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Happy Valentine's Day!</div>
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Love my happy girl!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216498477064964599.post-72290281202490908732012-12-31T16:32:00.000-06:002013-01-01T11:17:24.349-06:00December favoritesSo, this is the last day of December (and of 2012!), so I figured that I would do some Mommy and Baby favorites! I've planned on doing these for a long time (mostly in video form, but my system is too outdated, so I can't upload until I update), but just never have. But now I finally am! Considering I have a sleeping baby on me right now, I'm not going to get up and take pictures of every single thing that's my favorite. SO, instead I'll just include stock images (aka, I don't own any of the product images, and I would like to thank Google for leading me to them). In the future I plan to take photos of the objects myself, but we'll see how that goes. :) Anyway, let's go ahead and jump in. By the way, these are in no particular order.<br />
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First, I'll start out with the tiny gDiapers. I plan to do an in depth review on these eventually, so I won't go into a large amount of detail at this time. But, what a life saver these have been! I LOVE them! So trim, so she doesn't have a huge butt that doesn't fit into anything, and does a great job at staying clear of her stump (and now belly button). Plus, super cute, and fit soooo well. A couple of times I've used a prefold and a cover the "normal" way with a snappi, which did the job, but was ultra bulky (newborn prefolds are still a bit big on her, as were the covers), but for now I like her tiny g's sooooo much better! I just usually use them with a preemie prefold tri-folded into them, and works like a charm. :)<br />
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<center><a href="http://www.gdiapers.com/shop/little-gpants-diaper-covers/tiny-gpants-6-pack"><img src="http://dcr5b59vptzs7.cloudfront.net/shop/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/g/b/gbabybundle_large_circle_alt_1.jpg" /></a></center><br />
Next, I would have to say the aden + anais blankets are definitely a favorite. I went the slightly cheaper route and bought the Target exclusive ones (because I'm budget savvy aka slightly broke), but they are still very nice blankets! Very soft, large, breathable, and seems to keep her warm very well, even in the winter. Not that winter is all that harsh here in Florida, but still, I call it cold! And, to top it off, these blankets are pretty darn cute. :) The one in the pack with the birds all over I'm not such a huge fan of, but I liked the other three (plain white, stripes, and elephants). If I could afford it, I would get a whole slew of a+a things!<br />
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<center><a href="http://www.target.com/p/aden-anais-for-target-jillaroo-swaddle-wraps-4pk/-/A-11219608#prodSlot=medium_1_6&term=aden%20and%20anais"><img src="http://Img2.targetimg2.com/wcsstore/TargetSAS//img/p/11/21/11219608.jpg" /></a></center><br />
Sophia's swing has been another favorite. I don't use it all that often (I tend to hold her more than anything), but it's been so helpful for when I need to squeeze a shower in or am trying to put away her laundry. For most cleaning chores I wear her, but I do a lot of bending over with her clothes and such, so it's easier to not wear her for that. She seems enjoy it though, which is nice, and it does a wonderful job of keeping her asleep. <br />
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<center><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4360510"><img src="http://www.toysrus.com/graphics/product_images/pTRU1-8353876dt.jpg" /></a></center><br />
I can't do a favorites without mentioning her Moby wrap. This thing is awesome. I loved it with Blake, and I love it with her. She loves it too, and will let me get SO much done, so long as she's in this thing. <br />
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<center><a href="http://www.mobywrap.com/c-1-shop-collection.aspx"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8495/8331486868_31d03a2fa8_n.jpg" /></a></center><br />
So I know I mentioned this before, but I'm going to do it again. Her blooming bath flower tub thing. This thing is seriously awesome. She loves baths sooo much! And I am really convinced it's all thanks to this soft, squishy tub thing. Worth every penny to not have my newborn bundle of joy screaming at the top of her lungs while I'm just trying to clean her up. She's so relaxed during, I just love it! I got a gender neutral color because a) I liked it and b) I want it to be cute in photos for her and the future boy baby. <br />
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<center><a href="http://www.bloomingbath.com/"><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51-43PlojxL._AA300_.jpg" /></a></center><br />
So to go with the previous favorite, my next would have to be the Burt's Bees Baby Shampoo and Wash. This stuff smells sooo good, plus it's natural. Of course love that part. :) I'm not sure exactly how sensitive her skin is, but if it's anything like mine, then super sensitive, and I'm proud to say that this hasn't irritated her skin at all. So, two thumbs up from me!<br />
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<center><a href="http://www.target.com/p/burt-s-bees-baby-bee-shampoo-and-wash-12-oz/-/A-11008386#prodSlot=medium_1_4&term=burts%20bees%20baby%20wash"><img src="http://Img1.targetimg1.com/wcsstore/TargetSAS//img/p/11/00/11008386.jpg" /></a></center><br />
I would have to say a favorite for both of us is the Medella Nipple Shield. Although it is kind of more a pain in the butt to use rather than just my own nipple, it has preserved our breast feeding relationship. Without it, I'm not sure I would have been able to get her to latch well enough to feed. So, over all, I'm entirely thankful for it. <br />
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<center><a href="http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/583/contact-nipple-shields"><img src="http://www.medelaimages.com/product_images/lrg/MCnip001-02.jpg" /></a></center><br />
Now let's talk about my diaper bag. And how in LOVE with it I am! Besides the fact that it's sooo super cute, it's also able to hold everything I need (with room for more). As if that's not enough, it's also super light weight, which is awesome since toting around any and everything a baby could possibly need can get pretty darn heavy (who knew?). It doesn't even really look like a diaper bag, which I really like. Not that I'm against things looking babyish, but I felt like I really did the whole baby-looking diaper bag thing with Blake, and now I wanted something that I wouldn't get tired of. I felt like with the ones I had with Blake I would just get so tired of looking at them and would need ANYTHING to change it up. This one is so classic and stylish, I think it will be a LONG while before I get tired of it. There are so many pockets in it, which I am a huge fan of (I like to try to stay organized), and the inside is a fun bright blue, which makes looking for things less like searching through a black hole. I'll probably do a "what's in my diaper bag" blog soon. I love watching those videos/reading those blogs, so may as well join the crowd! Oh, and since I didn't say before, it's the Skip Hop Versa bag in black. <br />
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<center><a href="http://www.growinggreenbums.com/store/index.php?product=210500&c=56"><img src="http://www.growinggreenbums.com/store/index.php?image=1616" /></a></center><br />
Last but not least, would be the Christmas present from my husband: my new Vera Bradley wallet in Happy Snail! It's so cute! The print is discontinued, but I had been eying it for a while, and the only place I saw it still available was the website. It fits great in the diaper bag too. :) I had a wallet like this before for a few years but in a different print, and while it's still holding up, it has definitely seen better days. I looked at new wallets all the time, but loved the design of mine so much that I never wanted to switch it up. Finally I did over the summer, but I started to miss the old design. So this was perfect!<br />
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<center><a href="http://www.verabradley.com/product/Category/Wallets-and-Wristlets/All-in-One-Wristlet/154832/defaultColorVariantId/178517/pc/638/c/0/sc/890/p/154832.uts"><img src="http://static.zoovy.com/img/qualityoverstock/W451-H398-Bffffff/vb/10489_111.jpg" /></a></center><br />
And that does it for our December favorites! Now I'll leave you with a totally cute/funny picture of Sophia that I took today! <br />
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<center><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8081/8331512052_09e1f54bfb_n.jpg" /></center>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216498477064964599.post-15296533846489689632012-12-28T17:30:00.000-06:002013-01-01T11:19:35.452-06:00Factual FridayI'm starting a new trend, where every Friday I plan to do one of these surveys, just to keep me on top of blogging more often (one of my resolutions!). So here is number one of many to come! <br />
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<b>What color is your underwear right now?</b><br />
Navy and white<br />
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<b>What are you listening to right now?</b><br />
Nate put in a DVD for us to watch in a minute<br />
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<b>Where are you right now?</b><br />
My living room<br />
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<b>What was the last thing you ate?</b><br />
Christmas dinner leftovers<br />
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<b>If you were a crayon what color would you be?</b><br />
Cerulean :)<br />
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<b>How is the weather right now?</b><br />
Overcast and chilly<br />
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<b>Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?</b><br />
Sabrina :)<br />
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<b>The first thing you notice about the opposite sex?</b><br />
Smile and eyes<br />
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<b>Favorite type of Food?</b><br />
Hearty meals, such as chicken and dumplings<br />
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<b>Do you drink?</b><br />
Rarely, and not beer. Usually wine if I am<br />
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<b>Do you smoke?</b><br />
Nope<br />
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<b>Ever get so drunk you dont remember?</b><br />
Not in a good while!<br />
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<b>What color are your eyes?</b><br />
Hazel (greenish brown)<br />
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<b>Do you wear contacts?</b><br />
Sure do<br />
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<b>Single?</b><br />
Nope, married :)<br />
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<b>Favorite Month?</b><br />
October, even though December is turning out to be a great one :)<br />
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<b>Ever cried for no reason?</b><br />
Of course, and especially when I'm pregnant<br />
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<b>Last Movie you watched?</b><br />
Love, Actually. But that's about to change.<br />
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<b>Favorite day of the week?</b><br />
Friday, I would say.<br />
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<b>Are you too shy to ask someone out?</b><br />
No, I've asked people out before. But now I'm married, so I don't have to worry about that.<br />
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<b>Hugs or Kisses?</b><br />
Can't I have both?<br />
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<b>Chocolate or Vanilla?</b><br />
Usually chocolate, unless it's ice cream, then vanilla.<br />
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<b>What books are you reading?</b><br />
None really, unless you count my school text books to prepare for the NCLEX. Eek!<br />
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<b>Piercings?</b><br />
One in each ear, and used to have my belly button too, but I let it grow shut.<br />
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<b>Fav. Movie?</b><br />
Hmmm, I really like Music and Lyrics. And lots of funny movies.<br />
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<b>Fav. baseball team?</b><br />
I don't watch it, so I'm indifferent.<br />
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<b>Any pets?</b><br />
Our cat, Gus<br />
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<b>AIM or Yahoo?</b><br />
Well, I use AOL mail, but I don't instant message with it. I use skype for that.<br />
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<b>Butter, Plain or salted popcorn?</b><br />
Plain! Too bad no one else likes it as such.<br />
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<b>Dogs or cats?</b><br />
Cats for sure.<br />
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<b>Fav. flower?</b><br />
Tulips I would say<br />
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<b>Have you ever fired a gun?</b><br />
Nope<br />
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<b>Do you like to travel by plane as opposed to car?</b><br />
I like to travel by both.<br />
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<b>Right handed or left handed?</b><br />
Right for most things<br />
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<b>How many pillows do you sleep with?</b><br />
Two, with a body pillow between my legs<br />
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<b>Are you missing someone?</b><br />
Always Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216498477064964599.post-22269359435960627542012-12-27T15:42:00.001-06:002013-02-19T01:22:46.162-06:00Picture day :)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Just a quick post showing off her pictures from today. :) Every Thursday I'm taking pictures for her future book featuring photos of her once a week. She already looks different from her week one pictures! And I was lucky enough to catch her in a happy, alert state. Love my sweet girl!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216498477064964599.post-77228693393296774472012-12-26T13:13:00.000-06:002013-02-19T01:26:46.276-06:00Happy day after Christmas!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Six days old.</div>
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Can I just first start out by saying that time is absolutely flying by? Sophia will be two weeks day after tomorrow, and it feels like I just had her yesterday. <br />
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Well, anyway, she's doing great. Breast feeding is going pretty awesome I would say. I'm having to use a nipple shield with her for now, but with it she's doing great. With Blake, not even the shield would really get him to breast feed all that well. And let me tell you, she is all about that nursing thing. She eats so much! Which is great, because I want to make sure she's getting enough. It's so funny when she's done, because she will usually have a little bit of left over milk trailing out of her mouth. :) Got to love when babies are milk drunk! It feels so great knowing that I'm able to provide for her in such a way. Makes me realize even more what I missed out on with Blake (can't say I didn't try though), but it also makes me appreciate even more what I CAN do for her. This time around just feels like it's going so much more smoothly. I guess that's part of being a second time mom though, too. <br />
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So far cloth diapering is going great. I love it! Nate is really good with it too. I still usually will load the diapers for him, so all he has to do is the actual change, but he's good about doing the diaper laundry while I'm feeding her and what not. As in, he's not repulsed by poopy diapers. He really is an amazing husband and father. That in itself is so different than last time. I mean, my mom really helped out tons with Blake, but it's really nice have a father for my baby that is so incredibly in love. It's so sweet. Anyway, back to diapers, I'm still using the tiny gDiapers, and they are perfect for her. And, I feel like I'll be one of the lucky ones that will be able to use them for a good while. Yay for having smaller babies. :) I'm so glad I got them though. A lot of times at night lately I'll put on a newborn prefold (I use preemie prefolds in the gDiapers) and a small cover, which works for more absorbancy, but is so bulky and not as perfect as a fit. But, it's at night, and trimness isn't as big of a deal. I think I may try to just stuff two preemie prefolds into a gDiaper tonight though and see how that works. It's only sometimes that the gDiapers will leak at night anyway (and only because the prefold is absolutely saturated), and if the newborn prefolds fit in the diapers, I would so just use that. The newborn prefolds on her are still kind of big, like I have to get pretty creative to get them on her and away from her belly button. <br />
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Speaking of belly button, I'm hoping hers is okay. It keeps bleeding. Not profusely, but enough to leave dried blood around it all the time. It fell off on its own at 6 days (aka, we didn't mess with it at all and it just naturally fell off then), but it still gets irritated. When it first fell off, I quit snapping down the rise on her diapers, but once it kept bleeding I've since started snapping them down again. Hoping that will fix things, since it seems to effectively keep the diaper well away from it. The bulky prefold option at night however doesn't do as great of a job at staying away, and usually irritates it more. So I'm not sure if I should do anything for the belly button or not. It doesn't look infected at all, so that's good, but I still don't want it bleeding all the time. It doesn't seem to hurt her either, and when I gently wipe away the dried blood she doesn't seem bothered in the least. She goes back to see the midwife for a check up on January 3rd, so I may just wait and see if it stops by then and if not ask about it. Or I may finally break down and text her to see if I should be concerned. We'll see. <br />
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Another thing that I've discovered this week: Sophia LOVES bath time! I was so shocked. Blake just hated it, especially at the beginning. He did have a short period of time in his life where he seemed to enjoy it, but that faded as he got older (I think the bath actually made him more itchy from his condition). I was really expecting her to cry through out the whole thing, but nope, she looked SO relaxed. I wish I got pictures! Nate was at work, and I thought about waiting for him to get home, but didn't since I figured that she would be screaming the whole time anyway. How wrong I was. I really think what made a huge difference was the use of her flower tub from <a href="http://www.bloomingbath.com/">Blooming Bath</a>. Although it's a little pricey (I got mine as a gift, or else I'm not sure I would have made the splurge honestly), I would SO say it's worth it! It's so soft and comfy, I want one for myself. And it wasn't just a fluke, I gave her another bath yesterday, and she still just LOVED it. The only part she doesn't like is when it's time to get out. It's so sweet though, I really wish she could have been born in the water! Even though I guess she almost was, since my water didn't break until right before she started crowning! <br />
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It's so crazy how much they change in the beginning. Even though she looks similar to what she did when she was first born, she also looks so different. I don't really see the changes day to day of course, but when I look back at pictures from her first day of life, I really see them. Which is crazy, since she's only 12 days old right now. On a super bright note, I really don't think she has Alagille's like Blake did. For one, she doesn't look like she's losing weight (her slight double chin definitely says she's well fed hehe), her poop is definitely mustard yellow and seedy (not pale at ALL), and although I think she may have been slightly jaundiced a couple days after birth, it was no where near the extent of Blake's, and hers is pretty much all gone now. Can we say relieved? Although I had a really good feeling about her being healthy, it was still in the back of my head, wondering if she would have it or not. This just gives me more hope that maybe I don't carry the gene and the next baby will also be healthy. I sure hope so! I don't want to put any child through what Blake went through, even if it doesn't end the same way his did. He was miserable, I could tell. Not from his life with us, but from the condition, and there wasn't much I could do to relieve him of it, and I felt helpless. So needless to say, I'm ecstatic that my little girl is 100% healthy. <br />
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Yesterday was her first Christmas and her first holiday. It was good, just very low key. We had some family over (My mom, both my sisters, Cheyne's boyfriend, and my mother in law) for Christmas "dinner" (more like lunch). Nate got me a wallet that I've been wanting but had been discontinued, and he wanted a cooking apron, so I made him one. We're kind of on the broke side right now, but it won't last. More reason to love cloth diapering and breast feeding. :) Sophia didn't get anything, besides life (haha), but we figured that she wouldn't know the difference. She seemed perfectly content anyway! <br />
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As far as me, I'm feeling great, other than sleep deprived. My bleeding is pretty much done, I've lost a lot of weight just from breast feeding (well, I feel like I have anyway, I'm skinnier at least!), and I haven't had any depression or anything. Nor have I really felt overly hormonal or anything. I'm proud to say that yesterday I wore normal jeans, not maternity! Woo! Size 2 jeggings, yes please. :) They're still a little tighter than I would prefer (not uncomfortable at all, but a slight muffin top still), but pretty proud since that was at 11 days postpartum. I'm on Christmas break right now from school, and when I get back all I have left is my preceptorship for a week, two days of live review (just a review for the NCLEX), and then GRADUATION. So excited to be done almost. Then i just have to get licensed after the test and I'll officially be an LPN. :) After I'm done with all that, I think I eventually want to take classes to become a birth assistant, and maybe work for my midwife eventually. I'm not sure if she's hiring or not, but I've heard she does often for birth assistants. <br />
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Well, this is actually pretty long, so I think I'll quit rambling now and leave you with some pictures of my sweet new life. :)<br />
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I plan to take a picture like this weekly and after one year make a book out of it. :)<br />
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She has Daddy's dimples. :) I LOVE dimples, so I'm kind of excited! And she actually smiles a LOT. <br />
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He's so in love!<br />
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Hehe, she's flipping off Daddy. But what a cute look she's giving him!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216498477064964599.post-67191679414359539712012-12-17T17:43:00.001-06:002013-02-19T01:27:41.314-06:00Sophia has arrived!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sophia is here! And what a story I have to tell about how she came. :) <br />
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So where to start. Well, my due date came and went on Wednesday (12/12/12 for those who forget). I had an appointment the next day, and my midwife agreed to perform a membrane sweep the next day after clinicals (so that way, if it worked, I would have the weekend off). So after clinicals I go in, and she checks me first. At this point I was about 80% effaced and 3-4 cm dilated, although she said she could stretch it to a 5. She also told me that Sophia was very low, which I knew already, and that she's ready and was probably just waiting on me. So, she did the sweep and there was a decent amount of blood after. She said she thinks that it would probably work, and the contractions usually start to pick up in 3-5 hours. <br />
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So, I went home and waited. I had some contractions around 3 min apart for a little bit, but then they went away. Around the 5 hour mark (7:30) I was getting tired and figured nothing was going to happen, since the contractions hadn't really started back up like they were before. That is, until around 9:00 when I woke up to the contractions. I couldn't sleep, and felt like maybe this would be it FINALLY. I went to the bathroom and the contractions really started to pick up. I felt like maybe I should call Nate in to help me, but instead stayed in the bathroom. The contractions were getting painful, but I could work through them through pelvic rocks and controlled breathing. Around 9:30 I had texted my midwife, telling her that it felt like things were really picking up, but I was still working through the contractions. Well, then things really picked up. Fast. The contractions kept coming and were definitely getting more painful. I wasn't sure how painful they should get before going to the center though, so I stayed in the bathroom. I was a little confused though, because all at the same time my stomach was upset, I was getting hot flashes, I felt shaky, and when Nate came to check on me (I was having a hard time keeping quiet through the contractions now) I couldn't give him any straight answers. I felt like I was going through all of the stages of labor at once, and I didn't really know what was going on. Then I started having to push with the contractions, without really any control. I reached up in there to help support everything, and could feel that she was RIGHT there. My water hadn't broken yet, and I was starting to get worried that she was coming very soon and what I would do if her water hadn't broken yet. Random thought, but that's honestly what I kept thinking about. I told Nate that I was needing to push and he asked if he should call my midwife and I told him yes and to tell her I needed to push. So he started running around, calling her and the birth photographer and trying to throw the bags in the car, while at the same time I had wandered out onto the bed. He was trying to help me get dressed, since by this point I couldn't stand having clothes on, while still running around to get everything. With the next contraction my water broke, right there on our bed, just after I had kicked the pants he had partially gotten on me off. I started pushing more and scream for Nate to get in there and that my water had just broken. I felt like she was right there and beginning to crown, and I told him she was coming NOW. He came around and I guess saw her crowning. All I heard was "Oh my God, what do I do?!" and I told him "Help me catch her!" So I THINK at this point he called the midwife back and told her we weren't going to make it, and that I was having Sophia now. During this part of the call I pushed out her head, and was waiting for the next contraction to push out the rest of her body. I think Nate was starting to freak out a little bit because I remember him asking if I was going to push out the rest of her, and I told him that I needed to wait for the next contraction before I could push again. And with the next contraction and one final push, Nate caught our beautiful baby girl at 10:08 on December 14, 2012. <br />
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Nate placed her on my chest and got a lot of towels to put over us to try and keep her warm. She was quiet at first, just wide awake and alert, looking around, but I could tell she was breathing and such. That didn't last long though, and soon we found she had a VERY good set of lungs on her! She started rooting around and I set to work trying to help her start breast feeding. About 20-30 minutes later, I delivered the placenta, which was good because her umbilical cord was on the short side. Once that was delivered, it was a lot easier to move her around. Slowly, everyone started to show up (meaning my midwife, the two birth assistants, and my photographer). We both checked out perfect, although I had some minimal tearing that I needed to have sutured. She weighed in at 6 lbs, 6 oz, and was 19.5 inches long. She's so beautiful! <br />
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In one word, I would call the experience empowering. Definitely not how we were planning it, and we were for sure lucky that there weren't any complications, but just me and my husband working together to catch our daughter was amazing. We did this ourselves, and Nate was great. <br />
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Breast feeding has been MUCH better this time. She has a little trouble latching onto me, but with the shield I feel like we haven't had any trouble. It's already going much better than what it did with Blake. My milk came in today, and I've definitely noticed that she's more interested in feeding now. That on its own is amazing, getting to feed my own baby from what I've exclusively made. <br />
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When she was first born, she looked JUST like Nate. Now she's starting to look more like a mix of us. I can definitely still see a TON of Nate in her, but I can see me now too. :) Oh, and all her hair! It's so long in the back, pretty brown silky hair. And she has all her fingers and toes, which is nice because one of Blake's feet had some that were under developed. Me and Nate are so in love with her! Even if she doesn't want to let us sleep at night lol. <br />
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Also, a little update on the newborn diapering thing, the tiny Gdiapers have been doing great. They aren't bulky, don't irritate her stump, and we haven't had one leak with them. :) And they're just as cute as can be!<br />
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Well, now I guess it's picture time!<br />
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40 week belly shot!<br />
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Sophia Gracelynn Kelly <br />
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All of that hair!</center>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216498477064964599.post-25805267081906111812012-12-02T14:18:00.003-06:002013-02-19T01:23:59.426-06:0039 weeks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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And still pregnant! I think I am definitely making progress though. Right before I turned 38 weeks I lost my mucus plug, but no bloody show. Not that it really means anything other than I'm dilating, which I kinda figured anyway. I'm still getting whole lots of Braxton Hicks contractions, many of which are uncomfortable, some even painful. Nothing regular though, and nothing that progresses. And she is very low in the birth canal. From my own checking, I would say somewhere between a 0 and +1 station. That, again, is just my guesstimation, but yeah, VERY low and engaged. <br />
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I had an appointment on Thursday (today is Sunday), and my midwife said that she still thinks I have about another week to go, which so far, she's right, since she's still baking. :) She also said she would be very surprised if I go over my due date, aka school WILL be a hassle for probably a week or two. Doesn't sound long, but when I'm missing my baby, it will feel like forever. :/ I'm actually really nervous about that part. It will pretty much be all clinical time (read as, lots of standing, walking, helping patients, etc, RIGHT after birth). I know you're supposed to take it easy right after, but that's not really an option for me, and I hope it doesn't create complications. What I'm more nervous about is breast feeding. Not the act of, but getting it to work really well this time around. I hope she doesn't start to prefer the bottle to me, since she won't have to work as hard. She will probably only get it once or twice a day for a couple weeks (maybe only one week) while I'm in school for the six hours, but still, what if it creates problems? I may need donor milk too, since if my milk even HAS come in by the time I go back, I'm sure I won't have enough saved up for her. I don't know, I may, but not holding my breath. There is a small chance that she will stay put for me to get out of school, and I hope she takes that chance! It would relieve so much of my stress. Don't get me wrong, I am SO ready to have her, but I don't want school to interfere. Yes, it will eventually get in the way some, but I would love to at least have 3 weeks of uninterrupted time with my sweet girl. And then only a week and a half of school and then NOTHING. I can't wait for that day, when I'm done. Not that I plan to work anytime soon, but it will be nice to have as something to fall back on. I'm going to take as much time off as we can afford though, since I really want to be a stay at home mom and Nate's very supportive of that idea. Plus, we plan to home school and such, so I WILL be working while at home, but not getting paid (in money) for it. <br />
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Well, anyway, away from describing all of my fears, I'm up to 127 lbs. Still less than what I weighed with Blake at 37 (ish) weeks! I was 130 when I delivered him. So not a huge difference, but considering he quit growing and she hasn't (though still going to be a little baby!), it's a little surprising. My midwife also said that she would like to see Sophia grow a bit more before I deliver, which probably isn't a bad idea, since that way she can fit better in her newborn diapers. You know, priorities. :) Either way, it will be soon that I get to meet her! I'm so excited, whenever she decides to come. :)<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216498477064964599.post-7412760399796402842012-11-20T22:02:00.001-06:002013-02-19T01:25:31.870-06:00Room tour!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I feel like this is probabaly the most prompt I have EVER been for a blog post. :) I'm so proud of myself! But I really wanted to get this up BEFORE she is born, so might as well do it right away! And just as a warning, this will be a very picture heavy post. Missing from her room that I added tonight after a target run is her diaper pail (aka a step lid trash can that I put a drawstring laundry bag in), and her laundry hamper (just boring and white, but it's pretty much hidden from sight anyway). Other than that, everything is done! <br />
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First, let's start off at the door. This is what the view looks like looking straight in from the hall way.<br />
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Behind the door, you'll find her flower tub. I have it hanging up on a hook. It's basically a fabric covered foam flower that you stick in the sink, fill the sink with warm water, and it will cradle Sophia and keep her snug. I obviously haven't tried it out yet, but read great reviews on it and looked like it would be a whole lot more comfortable than the hard plastic tubs. I still have the plastic one too from Blake, but I remember he HATED bath time in the beginning, so hopefully this well help her enjoy it a little more!<br />
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Next is the changing station/dresser. I like this option better than having a separate changing table and dresser because for one, saves space, for two, after baby is out of diapers, what would I really need a changing table for, and three, I just like the look of it better. I'm really happy with how this area turned out! I had the vision in my head, but was still a little unsure as of how it would really look in person. The tissue poms above weren't originally part of this area plan, but I knew I wanted them to be somewhere in the room, and this just ended up being the best spot. They're so easy to make, and really add a lot to the space. Hopefully Sophia will enjoy looking at all the different things when she gets a little older and needs a distraction from the diaper change!<br />
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Her diaper caddy. I have disposable wipes in the container for now, but will switch to cloth once I have all the ones I already had on hand used up.<br />
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To the right is the wall with the window. I struggled a lot with trying to find curtains that I loved for this room. The ones I really wanted ended up being discontinued before I got a chance to scoop them up, which stinks, but I ended up settling for these. Although not my original choice, I think they work well with the room. The yarn pom garland was actually something I made for the baby shower, and then forgot to hang up for it. Whoops! I needed to find a space to hang it for her room (might as well not waste it!), and Nate came up with the curtain idea. I really like it! So kudos to Nate. To the right of the window are some boxes I painted along with some vases (filled with kidney beans I spray painted) and a little silver box full of things I got when Blake passed away. Oh, and the flowers to the left of the curtains are actually night lights my friend gave me! They're from ikea and I'm so in love with them. :)<br />
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The next wall is the closet. Above the closet are more embroidery hoop decorations that Nate's mom made for her from an old baby blanket of Nate's. How sweet is that? And they fit PERFECT above the closet, so that was really nice too. :) Her closet is full of pretty much everything: clothes, toys, extra supplies, you get the idea. I think I have it pretty much organized though! I have the clothes hung according to size then style, only up to 3 months, but I'm considering making some divider tabs for the sizes. Not sure though! I'll probably pull the lazy card on that one. :) <br />
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On the last wall of the room, we have the crib. This was also Blake's crib, and I'm so in love with it. I was trying to figure out what to put above the crib for a while. I didn't really want pictures, since things can happen, and I didn't want the possibility of heavy or hard things falling on her while she was in the crib. We plan on cosleeping, but she will I'm sure still nap in there if me or Nate aren't sleeping with her. I also didn't want to hang anything with tacks, since if they're pulled out of the wall they're of course sharp and a choking hazard. So how did I hang up her name? Velcro. I sewed on the velcro to the letters (soft side), and then used the wall adhesive pieces that come with those 3M hooks to stick the sticky side of the velcro to the wall. And so far it works great! That was if she DOES decide to pull the letters off, there's no harm done. The flag bunting is hung with screw in hooks and a couple of the clear 3M adhesive hooks. Luckily that's all out of her reach though. :) I like how it turned out! I was a little nervous about sewing up her name, since I'm still relatively new to sewing, but it wasn't as hard as I was anticipating. The crib set actually didn't come with a crib skirt (which I didn't know when I bought it!), and it's since been discontinued, so I made my own. I just cut out three pieces of fleece, and then taped (yes taped!) it to the cardboard under the mattress. Worked like a charm! Much cheaper than spending $20+ on one. I won't really use it I don't think once she's out the crib stage anyway, and we had the fleece on hand. And I think it looks fine that way! Under the bed I store her blankets. Some I made, some are store bought, and then some are hand me downs from her big brother. <br />
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That's it for the main parts! I guess I'll go over what's in her drawers of the dresser. But first, a look at her comfy rug (and Gus helping me photograph everything).<br />
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Alright, first drawer is filled with her small diapers. Here we have preemie and newborn prefolds, tiny gPants (I have 6 more of these, but they're currently in the diaper bag), size small gPants, some fleece liners I made, some cloth gDiaper inserts I made (that fit AMAZING in the tiny G's by the way), and some covers (a Thirsties duo size 1 and two soft bums echo covers). <br />
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The next drawer down are mainly one size options and fitteds. A lot of her fitteds are actually pocket fitted that I made myself. I remember really liking the couple I made for Blake, so I whipped up a few more for her, since I had a ton of flannel on hand. I also have some bumgenius bamboo fitteds in size small, some flip covers (snap version), some fleece covers in size small, a bumgenius all-in-one in size small, microfiber inserts, two flip stay dry inserts, some hemp doublers, and two more random doublers. <br />
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The next drawer down is full of mainly extras and sizes that won't fit her for a bit. We have two sizes of bigger prefolds, extra wipes I made (some are flannel and terry cloth, some are just flannel), extra fleece liners I had made, extra size small snap in liners for the gPants (I plan to get more gPants once she can actually fit in them, but these are just what I had from Blake), and some birdseye flat diapers. <br />
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In the right top drawer I keep her socks, leg warmers, headbands, bibs, hats, and a couple of other random things. I separated the socks I had for her specifically and the gender neutral/a tad boyish socks, just so I can try to get as much use out of her girly socks, since I know I will have another boy someday. <br />
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Under that, I keep her burp cloths and waterproof pads. I made a lot of the burp cloths myself and love how they turned out. Not sure about function yet, but they're backed with Gerber prefolds, and I really liked those for burp cloths with Blake, so I'm sure I'll like these too.<br />
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And then under that, I just keep towels, washcloths, and little baby shoes. I actually haven't received any girl towels for Sophia, and I got a ton of towels for Blake, so I just have the gender neutral ones pulled out for her. A towel is a towel, and I don't think she'll mind not having any pink ones! <br />
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And, I think that's it. So there you have it, Sophia's little room! Hope you enjoyed the little insider peak at it all. :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345251605400362519noreply@blogger.com0