Separation Anxiety?

 

I worked all week to make it to the weekend only to suffer a case of separation anxiety.  Normally this is reserved for toddlers who love their parents so much they just can't let go of their necks.  *insert snicker here*  Although this weekend it hit Lady S's father and me.  This is the first weekend in her 2 years of life that she has spent more than a few hours away from us.  And quite frankly I have no idea what to do with myself.  I have not broken out into tears, screaming fits, or full on temper tantrums but as I type this I am close!  

Since Lady S was born I struggled with allowing her to stay with someone other than us.  As a matter of fact, when we found out she had a peanut allergy, we were put on high alert.  But this translates into control.  Control over Lady S and fear quite frankly.  It is quite impossible for us to turn off parent brain.  For the last 2 years our lives have been all about Lady S so the prospect of her not being here baffles me.  I should preface by saying that Lady S is with my mother, her Gigi as she calls her.  And believe me she is in good hands.  After all Gigi raised me to perfection.  *insert snort here* 

So I packed her suitcase with all the necessary components, briefed Gigi on what to look for in case of an allergic reaction, and proceeded to drop her off.  I waited around for 3 hours before finally leaving.  It felt good to roll the windows down and blast the music in the car.  Things I did before I became a mom.  To sleep in without worrying about if Lady S has met the maximum absorbency of those Huggies nighttime diapers.  To be able to kiss my husband without a toddler in between us.  But it has also been weird.  I did not have to make sippy cups of milk or juice or bring baggies of Goldfish or Pirate's Booty.  We were able to enjoy brunch without having to escort a crying, flailing toddler out because her attention span had maxed out.  

This small glimpse of the life we had pre-kid has been nice.  But the only cure for separation anxiety is to be reunited with the person you miss. 

One thing for sure is that when I see Lady S's face tomorrow I'll be grateful for my small slice of life sans the kiddo.  But more importantly I'll be happy to see her face again! 

Until next time, 

Mom to Lady S 

Days Go By...

Now the birth story is officially inked, the real fun begins.  The last two years have been the most amazing time of my life.  To go from being a newborn to infant to full on toddler has been quite the journey for Lady S and us.  The first two months are a blur of breastfeeding, diaper changes, inspecting baby poop, and cooing in Lady S's face for endless hours.  Ah....but lets not forget the sleepless nights.  For any of you that are thinking about getting pregnant or are pregnant right now, you will have many sleepless nights.  MANY.....You will walk around like a zombie.  You won't remember what day of the week it is even if you have gone back to work.  You will be amazed at how much you can function on as little as 4 hours of sleep. Yes folks that is real life when it comes to parenting an infant.

But it does get much better.  Once that beautiful babe starts sleeping through the night, which Lady S did at 9 months, you won't know what to do with yourself.  It will be like God himself came down and blessed you with his holy grace.  But you won't know what to do with all that free time.  Maybe wash and fold mounds of baby clothes.  Perhaps dust your house that has dust bunnies doing the cha cha slide all over it.  Or perhaps find the strength to see if your mojo still works.  In any case, it's a joyous occasion.

After the kiddo becomes mobile, the fun starts!  Your house will never be the same.  But this is when your child's personality really begins to shine.  I will say that 10 months until now has been the best time of our lives.  The language development is astounding.  Lady S picks up on words that I have never imagined she knew.  Note though this is a double edged sword.  Those four letter words that kids shouldn't say probably should be guarded for when they go down to bed.  That way you have all that precious time while they are sleeping though the night to be as crass as you like!

The downside to all this wonderful growth is that the kids grow so fast.  In a blink of an eye you have a talking, demanding, loving, opinionated toddler who is quite good at telling you were to get on and get off.

In the end the days go by.....they go by too fast...but the ride is so much fun!

Mom to Lady S

Blame it on the kid....

Jesus! I have not posted to this blog in over 2 years.  Bad Bad Blogger I am.....Amazingly I am still here and still trucking right along.  Of course by now you can do the math and realize that I've given birth.  Actually I gave birth 25 months ago!  I have a live, goldfish eating, demanding toddler whose favorite words seem to be "mine", "daddy", and "have it".  Go figure that.  So where do I start to bring this blog up to speed and current.....Let's go all the way back to her birth which I remember like it was yesterday.... 


June 27th, 2010  THE DUE DATE!!!! 


I started the morning out feeling overall tired.  Completely rundown and ready to get the whole pregnancy thing over and get to parenting.  That morning I spent the entire day on the couch because at that point my lady parts felt like they were being constantly assaulted by a little baby head.  Pair that with my ribs being constantly jabbed and jumped on and I was over it!  The entire day was pretty relaxed.  The hubby and I spent time together since we knew that was soon coming to an end.  In retrospect my back hurt all day long. A throbbing pain that would come and go over and over but I chalked it up to typical 40 week pregnancy aches and pains.  That night was the BET Awards and the 3rd episode of the season of True Blood.  I remember telling the baby that if she wanted to come that night, let it be after I had my fill of Eric Northman and all his vampirey sexiness.  So we settled in with a spicy Qdoba dinner of chicken nachos and watched Prince and Eric.  That's when my back really started to hurt but again I thought it was nothing.  On a whim I did my hair at 10 p.m just in case something happened.  Finally hit the bed at midnight and after a last ditch attempt to get things going fell asleep.  BUT I could not get comfortable to save my life.  As all pregnant mamas know sleeping is a thing of the past long before you bring a screaming newborn home.  So I woke up at 2 a.m. and had to use the bathroom.  But it never stopped flowing...I thought "Dear God this is it....I think".  I woke up the hubby and said I thought my water had broken but the bed wasn't wet so I was going back to sleep. HAHAHA!!!  Never happened....I could not get comfortable and eventually the water kept coming.  So I made the necessary calls to my OB and my mom.  After a quick bite to eat and a shower off to the hospital we went.  


We made it around 4:15 a.m and after being poked and prodded in my neither regions it was confirmed my water was broken and I wasn't leaving the hospital without our daughter.  The darn nurse poked me twice and could not get an IV started.  I guess because she kept talking which I appreciated but I wore those bruised arms for 2 weeks after giving birth.  The second nurse got it on the first try and we were checked in. The next 8 hours were a haze of walking, breathing, positioning, and prayer.  Man I wanted it to be done but apparently I wasn't in a good contraction pattern.  This is where it gets hairy.  I'll spare the details but I consented to being given Pitocin at about noon.  All I will say about those contractions is imagine being stabbed over and over in your uterus and then someone pouring rubbing alcohol on the wound....repeatedly....and then imagine that pain for 2 minutes straight....it disappears for 30 seconds and then comes right back.  That is honestly the best way I can describe it.  After an hour of that rollercoaster I had an epidural placed and just waited....literally....I will say the doctor and the nurses were phenomenal.  They were very encouraging except towards then end when I had only dilated 6 centimeters after 15 hours of labor and the C-Section word popped out.  


About this time I sent the hubby home to shower since it was going to be a long night and that was the BIGGEST mistake ever.  Thankfully my mom was there with me but needless to say I will NEVER send him on a errand again while I am in labor.  The doctor came in and checked me at 9:30ish and it was time.  I was 10 centimeters dilated and the baby was descending on her own.  Funny thing I had no idea...my epidural numbed every nerve I had from the waist down...it was all dead weight.  After giving 3 practices pushes, my mom frantically calling my husband, him going 80 mph down the road to get back, and security denying him access to get to me, the doctor announced we couldn't wait or she would make her way out on her own.  So they broke the bed down and in 3 pushes this beautiful baby came into the world with eyes wide open.  I was in shock and happy and amazed!!! This was my baby and all I could do was smile at her.  My first words to her were "Hi there beautiful!  Mommy loves you!"  My mom cut the cord and there she was....My own little human being...my daughter...my love....my life.  All I could do was smile.  The doctor did his thing and my hubby came in less than 5 minutes after she was born.  I directed him straight to her....the after birth fiasco is something he didn't want or need to see!!!!!  


Thinking back on it there were a few things I will do differently with our next child.  

• Labor at home longer - The waiting at the hospital was killer...and boring... I honestly feel like that was one reason I didn't progress.  I need the freedom to move around, grunt, squat, otherwise progress birth on my own. 
• Refuse Pitocen at all costs - I am not against this drug but the contractions it induces and what ensues afterwards is not what I wanted. 
• The husband will go nowhere for obvious reasons. 
• Epidural?  Yes Please!!!!  I know there is this big argument for or against epidurals but that is a personal decision for each woman.  For myself, I'll have one with a Popsicle on the side.  Thanks!

So there it is.....Post from here on out will be about our adventures into toddlerhood! 

Signed 

Mom to Lady S 

And for your viewing pleasure. 

It's been two weeks since my last update so it was time for an update.  We attended our first baby class which was both enlightening and entertaining.  Alot of the information that was given we already knew....some was just plain hilarious.  All of the men in the room looked liked they would have much rather have been somewhere else!  Go figure!  The only thing that perked the men up was the nurse said SEX.  However that was shortlived when she said that sex is usually not on the priority list of a pregnant woman!  It was terrible because all I could think about the entire class was food....I was so hungry!   The tour of the hospital I had to go alone since the hubby had to work.  It really put it all into perspective..... I toured the labor/delivery room, post partum room and the nursery.  Which might I had there were two absolutely adorable babies in there that had just popped out of their respective ovens.  THAT reall hit home.  In a few short weeks we'll have our little on at home.  Which I think we are ready....materialistically speaking.  We finally put the crib together with her bedding and painted her name on the wall which will not be disclosed until she's born.  Sorry all!  I posted the bedding in the last post but I don't think I have posted the baby seat. 

We opted for this travel system which I really love.  And I have to give the credit to her daddy for picking this out.  It was all his idea and I love it!

&   

So to date all the big stuff has been purchased.  I am looking forward to the baby showers next month and in May.  So I will be updating between now and then!

Excuse me but are my hips still in my body???

Hello Hello! 

We made it people!  We made it!  Ok....we aren't at the end but hell we made it to 24 weeks/6 months pregnant!  Where in God's green earth did the time go?  Didn't I just pee on a stick and get two pink lines!  But here we are and we are so blessed.  Our little one, who is now over a pound in weight, is busy as a bee!  This child kicks and kicks and flips and punches the living daylights out of my insides.  The OB nurse said "Oh she should be still during the day! Walking is like swaying the baby to sleep!"  She obviously doesn't know me very well.  I have a sneaky suspicion this little girl is going to be just like me! Which means that not only will she be busy but stubborn as well which she proves anytime they try to find her heartbeat...she does this jucking and jiving move to get away from the wand.  Go figure!  At least she's healthy and apparently happy as hell in there.  I feel like she sits right underneath my rib cage and have been feeling some shortness of breath because of it.  The OB says it's normal....I say it's scary as hell.  I guess as she gets bigger, I'll slow down some.  Although that's easier said than done. 

We haven't been buying anything new although the crib is going up this month and we need to get the mattress for it.  I am ready to be done with the baby's nursery and I haven't even started it.  Laziness I guess...or maybe it's because my pelvis is falling out.  Just to let you women know who haven't been pregnant before....there is this lovely hormone that causes your ligaments to loosen...ALL of them...so imagine that, coupled with the pressure of your little one obliterating your insides and you have pregnancy.  I can only imagine what this is going to feel like 4...8...12 weeks from now....(insert fainting smiley here)

On a lighter note, we have baby class this week.  The hubby and I are going to see what we can learn new about newborns.  I still need to sign him up for New Daddy Bootcamp even though he swears he knows all there is to know about newborns.  To that I simply say this...

After that we have the hospital tour which I am especially looking forward to.  So I'll keep everyone posted! 

The Anti-Pink Mama!!!

Well now that we are on the homestretch of this lima bean to baby process, it's definitely time we get started on outfitting the baby's room.  I should preface by saying that we are having a girl and I am VEHEMENTLY against pink.  Now before I get bashed let me just say that I am not against pink...I just don't care for it at all.  When I see all pink nurseries I think that someone surely ingested way too much PeptoBismol and threw it up everywhere in a fit of morning sickness.  We had pretty much decided that no matter the sex of the baby we would not go all pink or all blue.  So we settled on a neutral palate of brown, green, and ivory.  I just couldn't stomach yellow.   And since the entire world is on an organic movement we jumped on the bandwagon as well.  We opted for an organic bedding set.

We haven't decided on the mattress yet but am aiming to go organic there as well.  Call it the stupidity of first time parents, but we want what has the best reviews, looks good, and doesn't introduce too many unnecessary chemicals to our little girl.   With that said...the crib isn't organic.  LOL  Its from Target and its cute.  It's the Graco Lauren Crib in Espresso.  NOTE that is not our nursery...it's way too pink

And lastly but not leastly we are deciding to cloth diaper.  *GASP*  Most people that think cloth diapers think the old school cloth folded and pinned with those gigantic safety pins.  Not so much the same thing anymore.  There are so many options one might get overwhelmed.  So we started our cloth diaper adventure this week and brough 4 to try out when the baby is born.  We hope to start the cloth diapers when the umbilical cord falls off and she gains some weight.  You can cloth diaper a newborn but I hear they have poop like tar when they are born and I am NOT cleaning that mess off cotton.  No way no how!  So just a peek into what we have gotten ourselves in to, the cloth diapers look like this give or take a few features depending on what you buy...

These are AIO's or All In One's meaning you wash the entire thing.  There are pocket diapers, prefolds, covers.....an entire lot of diapers!! 

For now I'll spare you any more details on those.

As for the mama and daddy to be....well we are in shock and excited and worried and in love and overjoyed!  She kicks all the time now!  Mostly in the morning and at night when I am most relaxed.  Its amazing how strong her kicks are getting now that we are in the 22nd week.  I can't wait for Randy to be able to feel them on from the outside.  I am feeling ok but definitely can tell that she is getting bigger as I feel like I am losing space in my body.  If you are pregnant then you know what I mean.  We picked out a name but we aren't sharing it.  So Sorry!!!!! 

So I will be back soon to update after our appointment on Monday for updates! 

Greetings! Hola! Como esta! It's been awhile since I last updated and again I promise to try and do better!

We are currently 20 weeks and 4 days pregnant! I suppose you could say we are on the down side of the hill. We climbed the first 20 weeks and I feel like they have flown completly by! It was just like yesterday I found out I was pregnant and here we are with 19 weeks left.

At around 15/16 weeks I was sitting on the couch and thought I felt something move. Well initially I figured it was gas since as anyone who has been pregnant knows gas and pregnancy go hand in hand. Well then it happened continuously for about an hour and I knew it wasn't gas at all....it was our Little Monkey in there having a party! Feeling the baby move is something I had been waiting on the entire pregnancy. It seems to make it all so real! Initially it feels like flutters and then rolls and then one day it will be solid kick to the bladder. And then 5 minutes later time to go pee....again..... As the baby grows so do the trips to the restroom!

We found out at our anatomy scan that we are having a little girl! A precious, curly headed, doe-eyed baby girl! I am so excited and overjoyed! Randy is over the moon about our new little girl and picked out some darling outfits from Target for our little one. It's going to be such an amazing thing to watch an incredible husband be an outstanding father to his daughter. We have a name picked out but aren't going to share it simply because while respect everyone's opinons they can keep them to themselves. :)

So as it stands all is going well with the pregnancy. Baby is growing ahead of schedule and doing wonderful!

Making Elastic Your Best Friend

I am going to preface this entry by saying that I am in means downing the maternity wear industry but I must must must let any woman who is pregnant or thinking about it, know what the clothing options are out there.

When I found out I was pregnant I made two promises to myself. 1) I refused to wear moo-moo outfits and 2) I was going to be the fliest pregnant chick on the block. Well I have managed to adhere to both but it's been a long hard battle. Most maternity clothes for plus-size women look like crap. Tent like contraptions with huge floral or plaid prints that are just wrong...even on skinny women its just wrong. Maternity clothes, no matter your size are expensive for no other reason than manufacturers know you need the clothes so they charge an asinine amount of money for them. I have been lucky in that I scour clearance racks of both maternity and non maternity styles so I have found some things that work no matter what. Lots of empire waists outfits and cute shirts. As far as pants go...well there is no skipping on that. So I'll brief and rate a few places I have tried out.

• Old Navy - Old Navy carries their maternity line in a FEW stores which means good luck with trying to find it. If you get lucky you can try on a few things. Their clothes are cute and well priced. The pants go up to size 20 and the shirts go up to XXL. BUT their shirts run huge. Meaning you may not need the size you think you need. And some of their stuff tends to be very sheer which in the winter is not so great. I can't speak for their jeans since I don't like them but you can check out http://www.oldnavy.com/ for their collection and size chart.



• Motherhood Maternity - They specialize in pregnancy wear and go from size small to 3XL I believe. Their clothes are cute but pretty generic. Lots of basic colors and generic prints. Their claim to fame is probably their Secret Panel Jeans. Its basically a full, seamless panel that is on their jeans/pants. It's nice, It's comfortable...if you like full panel pants. They tend to run between 30 and 40 dollars a piece. A steep price but they are comfortable. You can also check out their website for more info. http://www.motherhood.com/ BUT a word of the wise...their return policy sucks and they have a habit of signing you up for magazine subscriptions you didn't authorize or need so keep and eye on that kind of stuff.



• JCPenney - They have a nice collection of maternity wear in store and online that is both stylish for work and for social/casual settings. Their maternity jeans/pants/bottoms go up to size 3XL and are generously sized and well priced. To date this has been the most impressive maternity wear I have brought. They are well priced and if shopping online you can find alot of discount codes.



• Target - Oh Tar'Geit!!!! They carry the Liz Lange Line of clothing which is chick, cute, and stylish. Their bottoms go from size 0 to 20 and tops run to XXL. Convienently priced and is easy to just run in and get what you need.



• Consignment - DO NOT count these shops out! They are a plethora of items for both mom and baby to come! And they are cheap. Just buy what you need and wash when you get home. That simple.



• Online Auctions - Also do not count out Craigslist, Ebay, or Amazon for you maternity wear needs. You can find lots of things gently used or brand new at a fraction of the costs.

The last bit of advice is on panels. You will be faced with full, mid, no, and low panel pregnancy jeans/pants/skirts. It all really depends on how you want them to sit. I have low panel jeans at this point in pregnancy and are pleased with them. They stay where they need to for now but I highly doubt they will work when I get further along. I also have full panel pants for work and they are just as awesome. A little more comfortable than the low panel pants and they require less work. So you really need to try on all kinds to see what you like!

Little Monkey's a Swinging Around!!!!!!

LOOK AT MY KID GROW, GROW, GROWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well Hello Hello! Its a new year and a new trimester! Yea!!! We made it to the second trimester and I have finally been able to relax a little bit. The first trimester was filled with lots of sleep, sickness, and worry! But since hearing our little one's heartbeat at 12 weeks we have felt much better and it has become SO very real. So let me update.

We went to the OB's office in December and left the appointment so disappointed. I refuse to put the OB office on blast but in short lets just say they sucked. The doctor offered us no information that we couldn't have looked up online ourselves. After looking for Little Monkey's heartbeat for 30 seconds, the doc gave us a disgruntled look and said oh well! Needless to say we switched offices. We are currently being services by Eastover OB/GYN @ the Arboretum and they are freaking awesome. Very attentive and very helpful! After switching OB offices, our new office found the heartbeat in about 30 seconds. So there is a baby in there! Not just some parasite sucking the life out of me! SWEET!!!!

We had our 16 week checkup today and all was well! The little one had a heartbeat in the high 150's. My goodness is he/she running around in there? The baby wouldn't be still for the nurse. That's my kid...always keeping the adults in charge on their toes! I am pleased to announce that I lost 15 lbs in the first trimester(due to morning sickness) and have only gained back 1 lb to date! Yippee!!! Being a thick lady I don't need to gain too much weight although my OB hasn't mentioned it at all. Our next appt is on January 26th where we will have our anatomy scan and finally find out what the sex of the baby is! I am praying for healthy and happy but secretly wanting a little boy. I am not so sure why but I have always imagined myself with a son. But we shall see. For all I know its a curly headed bouncy little girl!

So to date that is where we stand. In the next post I will discuss elastic, shoes, and myths...

Bubbly Bubblies and PopTarts

Greetings! Well....we made it to six weeks and why oh why do I feel like I have been pregnant for at least 6 months already! Up to this point, everything has been great other than the nausea and fatigue. Let me just say that any woman who has been pregnant knows exactly what I am talking about. I entitiled this post as such because my stomach has been on a rollercoaster the last few days. At times I can't even stand to smell food...other times I can't seem to get enough of food. For dinner this evening, it was a Strawberry Frosted PopTart eaten only so that I can have my prenatal vitamin. *sigh* It is absolutely love that is making me sacrafice a huge plate of fried seafood deliciousness from Steve's Restaurant.

Now to the sleep....I am an avid sleeper....I mean I average between 8-10 hours a night...this is a must or else I am shitty for the rest of the day! So pregnancy has done two things to my sleep pattern. (1) some nights I sleep like a newborn baby (2) other nights I toss and turn all night from nausea and then fall asleep at random times during the day. Its insane! I have never been so fatigued in all my life. The couch has become my best friend. Literally.

And well the nausea aka morning sickness...well...its the same...its comes and goes. Its guaranteed when it comes back that it will hit with a venegance! I posted the pic above of Preggie Pop Drops and Suckers that supposedly hep with the morning sickness. For me...they just taste good...especially the sour ones. Since you have to suck on them because they are had candy, they keep you from really having a chance to think about getting sick. Up until this point, I've just dealt with the nausea and not the vomiting that so many women deal with. I hope I get spared from that.

Some of the things I have found that help are:

• Never let your tummy get empty. Always have something to eat handy. For me, nothing looks good...no food...I crave certain things but the slightest smell can turn me off. Saltines are the worse but they do help.


• Always have water and/or ginger ale handy. Most ginger ale in the store is nothing by sugar water. Try your local natural foods store to find real ginger ale. It seems to work best when cold and flat.


• Seabands - These are accupuncture bands worn on the wrists that apply pressure. They are not going to be a cure all but they help to keep the nausea at bay during the night.


• Vitamin B6 and Unisom Regimine - This is a new one that I didn't believe until I tried it myself. Most women take between 30-75 mg of B6 a day and 1/2 of a Unisom at night to help with sleep. For some women it works like a charm. I have been taking 50 mg of B6 in the morning with breakfast and 25 mg in the late afternoon. So far it has been working. Just a few waves of nausea but nothing that last all day like it did before.


• Avoid the foods and smells that make you sick. Of course easier said than done when pregnant.

So as of today I am entering my 7th week with the little Junebug measuring at 6 weeks. I am not really sure how that works but that's what the due date calculator says. I have my first prenatal visit on Monday so I am super excited for that and will update with what we find out!

Until Then!

Junebug's Mama To Be