I'm thankful for QUIET TIME!
We've had a couple fun filled days with family, laughing and visiting, and kiddies running around in the background making lots of fun loud memories. But at the end of the day, I'm so happy to come home and snuggle with my little baby with some peace and quiet. I sure love my nieces and nephews, but my ears are still ringing tonight.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
#25 HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
I'm thankful for TRADITIONS!
I love traditions. Something about the memories of years gone by that once again had me reminiscing today. When I was little, we'd travel the 6 hours to my Grandma's for Thanksgiving dinner and while the ladies cooked a fabulous meal, the men took the kids to the fish hatchery. We would take our nickels and feed the fish jumping out of the water. It was sweet to see my brother take the kiddos today to the fish hatchery and have the little ones smelling like fish food when they came back. Ahh, the memories.
It's fun to watch this next generation of my nieces and nephews get the same joy out of rainbow jello that I did, (and still do) and eat themselves full of it with no room for turkey. I recall a Thanksgiving I got sick on Jello...so why do I still make it? Well, it's tradition of course. It wouldn't be the holidays without it. Hope yours was a good one. We've got so much to be thankful for!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
I love traditions. Something about the memories of years gone by that once again had me reminiscing today. When I was little, we'd travel the 6 hours to my Grandma's for Thanksgiving dinner and while the ladies cooked a fabulous meal, the men took the kids to the fish hatchery. We would take our nickels and feed the fish jumping out of the water. It was sweet to see my brother take the kiddos today to the fish hatchery and have the little ones smelling like fish food when they came back. Ahh, the memories.
It's fun to watch this next generation of my nieces and nephews get the same joy out of rainbow jello that I did, (and still do) and eat themselves full of it with no room for turkey. I recall a Thanksgiving I got sick on Jello...so why do I still make it? Well, it's tradition of course. It wouldn't be the holidays without it. Hope yours was a good one. We've got so much to be thankful for!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Yesterday...
I've concluded that the Beatles don't know anything about "Yesterdays." Doesn't their song go a little something like..."Yesterday, all my troubles seems so far away." Well, yesterday was the day of my troubles. I'm trying to be EXTRA thankful since today IS Thanksgiving, but I was still so riled up from my day that I couldn't think clearly enough to write anything. Looking back on the day, I am now seeing the silver lining.
YESTERDAY, I had to go to the DMV. LOOOONG story. I'll sum it up with my thanks.
My # 24's
I'm thankful for my mom. She came along to watch Avery in the car thinking it would only take 30 minutes. 2 HOURS later she still had a smile on her face. THANK YOU!
I'm thankful for a good baby who slept most of the time while I was at the DMV.
I'm thankful for heaters in cars that kept them both warm while they waited. (Not so thankful for the rock that made a small chip in my windshield on the way up that is now 6 inches long!)
I'm thankful for my brain, and my intelligence. I'm not the smartest person in the world, but seeing all the scarecrows at the DMV made me very thankful my brain waves weren't running on a flat line.
I'm thankful for Birthday Clubs! I got a free DELICIOUS burrito for signing up. I've also got a couple free hamburger coupons, free ice cream. I'm excited! Although, I'm NOT thankful my birthday's so close to Thanksgiving since I'd rather enjoy leftovers than go out for something to eat. It was a fun pre-birthday treat though.
I'm thankful for my home. That I have a home to come home to at the end of the day and it's warm and cozy.
YESTERDAY, I had to go to the DMV. LOOOONG story. I'll sum it up with my thanks.
My # 24's
I'm thankful for my mom. She came along to watch Avery in the car thinking it would only take 30 minutes. 2 HOURS later she still had a smile on her face. THANK YOU!
I'm thankful for a good baby who slept most of the time while I was at the DMV.
I'm thankful for heaters in cars that kept them both warm while they waited. (Not so thankful for the rock that made a small chip in my windshield on the way up that is now 6 inches long!)
I'm thankful for my brain, and my intelligence. I'm not the smartest person in the world, but seeing all the scarecrows at the DMV made me very thankful my brain waves weren't running on a flat line.
I'm thankful for Birthday Clubs! I got a free DELICIOUS burrito for signing up. I've also got a couple free hamburger coupons, free ice cream. I'm excited! Although, I'm NOT thankful my birthday's so close to Thanksgiving since I'd rather enjoy leftovers than go out for something to eat. It was a fun pre-birthday treat though.
I'm thankful for my home. That I have a home to come home to at the end of the day and it's warm and cozy.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
#23
I'm thankful for BABY EINSTEIN & BABY SWINGS!
So I've been running on empty the last few days...I don't do well on empty. I desperately needed a shower longer than the 5 minutes Avery allots before she begins to cry. With a little inspiration, and desperation, I put her baby swing in front of the TV and popped in Baby Einstein. I watched her for a minute to see if she was enjoying herself and then took a leisurely shower. Ahhh, how thankful I am for a nice warm shower on a cold, blustery day...and one longer than 10 minutes. Heaven. The things I used to take for granted...if I only knew how much I'd miss them! I got out expecting to hear a fussy little lady but not a peep was heard. I even got to put some make-up on before I heard her rustling for some attention. It was just what I needed to make it through the day.
So I've been running on empty the last few days...I don't do well on empty. I desperately needed a shower longer than the 5 minutes Avery allots before she begins to cry. With a little inspiration, and desperation, I put her baby swing in front of the TV and popped in Baby Einstein. I watched her for a minute to see if she was enjoying herself and then took a leisurely shower. Ahhh, how thankful I am for a nice warm shower on a cold, blustery day...and one longer than 10 minutes. Heaven. The things I used to take for granted...if I only knew how much I'd miss them! I got out expecting to hear a fussy little lady but not a peep was heard. I even got to put some make-up on before I heard her rustling for some attention. It was just what I needed to make it through the day.
Monday, November 22, 2010
#22
I'm thankful for DAYLIGHT!
It's been an interesting week full of 2 hour cat naps all night long. I was feeling a little guilty when our baby girl slept so well (sometimes 7 hours at a time), waking up only once to eat at night. Well, that was VERY short lived and now she's up every 3 hours like clock work. I hate clock work. And how is it that such an adorable baby can be so NOT adorable in the middle of the night? I am so relieved when that first inkling of daylight creeps through the blinds in my bedroom. It's the angels singing my relief that I've made it through another night!...all to be repeated in 12 hours. Sheesh...this is turning into a not so thankful post, but I am thankful for the days--they are MUCH better than the nights.
It's been an interesting week full of 2 hour cat naps all night long. I was feeling a little guilty when our baby girl slept so well (sometimes 7 hours at a time), waking up only once to eat at night. Well, that was VERY short lived and now she's up every 3 hours like clock work. I hate clock work. And how is it that such an adorable baby can be so NOT adorable in the middle of the night? I am so relieved when that first inkling of daylight creeps through the blinds in my bedroom. It's the angels singing my relief that I've made it through another night!...all to be repeated in 12 hours. Sheesh...this is turning into a not so thankful post, but I am thankful for the days--they are MUCH better than the nights.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Yes, I'm behind.
I realize I haven't posted my thanks in 3 days, but I have a good excuse!!
And, I assure you, I have written my thankful leaves for my little tree. It's becoming quite beautiful. While the trees outside are losing their lovely colored leaves, mine is blooming with gratitude!
So here's the recap of the last three days.
#19 I'm grateful for THE ARTICLES OF FAITH!
Read them HERE. Wednesday night with my girls we went over the Articles of Faith and I was so grateful for their simplicity in explaining what we believe as Latter-Day Saints. They answer most every question of the gospel in plain ol' English. I recall these posted on our bathroom wall--or was it the 10 commandments? I'm not sure, but they were posted in our home and we were bribed..ehem...encouraged with candy to memorize them. The girls are trying hard to memorize #13 and I decided to make it my new mantra:
We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.
Life will be better believing and hoping all things and seeking for virtuous, lovely and praiseworthy things.
I LOVE THE ARTICLES OF FAITH!
#20 I'm grateful for FOOD!
Yes, food. More importantly the variety of food I enjoy. This revelation came while I was feeding Avery and trying to decide what to make for some friends to come over for dinner. I started feeling a little bad for her eating milk for her meals 8 times a day. Poor girl has it rough. Can you imagine having only a cup of milk to drink every 3 hours? EVERY DAY! Or worse, people kibble for all your meals. I'm so glad we have such an abundance of food at our fingertips.
#21 I'm grateful for BATH TIME!
Avery loves the bath. Tonight, after a very long day of church and "pre-Thanksgiving" at Brian's parents, Avery was less than happy. After coming home we plopped her in the tub and she relaxed and put a gummy smile back on her face. It's a nice wind down for me too because she'll sit in their for a good half-hour until her feet are sufficiently pruned and the water has lost it's warmth. She hates getting out though and makes sure we know it by screaming till she's dressed, but then is a cuddly, fresh smelling, happy baby! It's bliss!
She might not look happy in these pictures, she's just playing it cool.
And, I assure you, I have written my thankful leaves for my little tree. It's becoming quite beautiful. While the trees outside are losing their lovely colored leaves, mine is blooming with gratitude!
So here's the recap of the last three days.
#19 I'm grateful for THE ARTICLES OF FAITH!
Read them HERE. Wednesday night with my girls we went over the Articles of Faith and I was so grateful for their simplicity in explaining what we believe as Latter-Day Saints. They answer most every question of the gospel in plain ol' English. I recall these posted on our bathroom wall--or was it the 10 commandments? I'm not sure, but they were posted in our home and we were bribed..ehem...encouraged with candy to memorize them. The girls are trying hard to memorize #13 and I decided to make it my new mantra:
We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.
Life will be better believing and hoping all things and seeking for virtuous, lovely and praiseworthy things.
I LOVE THE ARTICLES OF FAITH!
#20 I'm grateful for FOOD!
Yes, food. More importantly the variety of food I enjoy. This revelation came while I was feeding Avery and trying to decide what to make for some friends to come over for dinner. I started feeling a little bad for her eating milk for her meals 8 times a day. Poor girl has it rough. Can you imagine having only a cup of milk to drink every 3 hours? EVERY DAY! Or worse, people kibble for all your meals. I'm so glad we have such an abundance of food at our fingertips.
#21 I'm grateful for BATH TIME!
Avery loves the bath. Tonight, after a very long day of church and "pre-Thanksgiving" at Brian's parents, Avery was less than happy. After coming home we plopped her in the tub and she relaxed and put a gummy smile back on her face. It's a nice wind down for me too because she'll sit in their for a good half-hour until her feet are sufficiently pruned and the water has lost it's warmth. She hates getting out though and makes sure we know it by screaming till she's dressed, but then is a cuddly, fresh smelling, happy baby! It's bliss!
She might not look happy in these pictures, she's just playing it cool.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
#18
I'm thankful for WEB MD.
Let me explain.
I woke up around 3am yesterday morning to feed the babes and had a weird backache on my right side. It was hard to feed her and started to get super painful so I handed her off to Brian to put her back to sleep. I then tried to go to sleep myself but this odd backache was getting worse. I couldn't find a comfortable position and it started to spread to my front side under my ribs. I got a little sleep here and there but the pain kept getting worse. I even took some Advil to take the edge off and no relief. By 6am it felt like someone had taken a chainsaw and sliced through my body halfway. I started to get really scared and panicked a little as I realized I couldn't handle this getting anymore intense. Well, it did! I couldn't sit up without feeling faint and dizzy and I was getting short of breath. Then the cold sweats came. I was FREEZING and soaking. It was a miserable mess. Thankfully Brian was still home and decided he needed to take the day off, and was deciding if he needed to take me to the hospital so he hopped on webmd. We concluded it must be my gall bladder and my mom and bro-in-law had both had a bout with attacks so I called up my mom to see if she had any remedies for the pain. Through my short breaths we determined I was indeed have a gall bladder attack.
It's the worst pain I think I've ever felt and yes, I did just push out a 10 1/2 pound baby. It's not like contraction pain where it builds, peaks, then goes away for a minute, it's CONSTANT, can't-get-a-breath-in pain. The scariest part was not knowing what it was. It was so painful it made me cry, which then made the breathing thing even harder. I then had a crying hungry baby that I had no idea how I was going to feed. Ugh, it was a mess. It started to lighten up around 9am enough for me to get some rest and when i woke up, it was back to the dull back ache it began as. But I'm thankful for web md that saved me from a trip to the ER. I really don't like hospitals.
After investigating a little more, I read the Gall Stones and attacks are common after having a baby. Why didn't the doctor warn me??
Let me explain.
I woke up around 3am yesterday morning to feed the babes and had a weird backache on my right side. It was hard to feed her and started to get super painful so I handed her off to Brian to put her back to sleep. I then tried to go to sleep myself but this odd backache was getting worse. I couldn't find a comfortable position and it started to spread to my front side under my ribs. I got a little sleep here and there but the pain kept getting worse. I even took some Advil to take the edge off and no relief. By 6am it felt like someone had taken a chainsaw and sliced through my body halfway. I started to get really scared and panicked a little as I realized I couldn't handle this getting anymore intense. Well, it did! I couldn't sit up without feeling faint and dizzy and I was getting short of breath. Then the cold sweats came. I was FREEZING and soaking. It was a miserable mess. Thankfully Brian was still home and decided he needed to take the day off, and was deciding if he needed to take me to the hospital so he hopped on webmd. We concluded it must be my gall bladder and my mom and bro-in-law had both had a bout with attacks so I called up my mom to see if she had any remedies for the pain. Through my short breaths we determined I was indeed have a gall bladder attack.
It's the worst pain I think I've ever felt and yes, I did just push out a 10 1/2 pound baby. It's not like contraction pain where it builds, peaks, then goes away for a minute, it's CONSTANT, can't-get-a-breath-in pain. The scariest part was not knowing what it was. It was so painful it made me cry, which then made the breathing thing even harder. I then had a crying hungry baby that I had no idea how I was going to feed. Ugh, it was a mess. It started to lighten up around 9am enough for me to get some rest and when i woke up, it was back to the dull back ache it began as. But I'm thankful for web md that saved me from a trip to the ER. I really don't like hospitals.
After investigating a little more, I read the Gall Stones and attacks are common after having a baby. Why didn't the doctor warn me??
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
#17
I'm thankful my PARENTS LIVE SO CLOSE!
So 10 years ago, I would have NEVER DREAMED of living close to my parents. In fact, it was everything I could do to continue living with them at the time I'm sure. You know, bratty little teenager. But I love being only 10 minutes away from a shopping trip with my mom or handy man help from my dad. It's especially nice now that I've got a baby in tow as they love to see her. Free babysitting is a great perk!
I do have to share a funny story on the free babysitting note. Avery was about a month old and I had been hanging at my parents when we decided we needed some peanut butter kiss cookies...mmm...don't those sound delicious? We were going to run to Target to get some kisses and my dad offered to watch Avery, who was sound asleep, while we ran out. So off we went!
Target is one of those stores I go to just for fun and browse all the isles. It was especially delightful since I hadn't been out much...it felt like a whole different world. So, we were enjoying our Target run (for Kisses of course) when my mom's phone rang. It had been on speaker and all I hear is my baby SCREAMING! Then my dad said, "It's been 8 minutes and she hasn't stopped crying!!" He sounded a little panicked. I had to laugh because he had always considered himself a baby soother, but then I felt bad because it was the time of night Avery gets a little cranky and my little girl can really wail. So we wrapped up our adventure and while we were checking out, the phone rang again..."WHERE ARE YOU?? (baby still screaming in the background...)" We assured him we were on our way out and would be home in 10 minutes.
There was another call of "How much longer? and Where are you?" But the best as we were a couple minutes away the last phone call with a very distraught Grandpa saying, "Hurry! I think there's something really wrong with her!"
This actually sounds kinda sad now that I think about it. But I promise, it was funny at the time...for my mom and I anyway. We could hear Avery and knew she was okay. It was just her 'I'm overwhelmed with the world and need to be swaddled and rocked to sleep' cry. So we got home and rescued the Gramps. Kind of an anti-climactic ending but I did need to document the funny phone calls. I don't think he'll be offering to babysit anytime soon. Bummer.
So 10 years ago, I would have NEVER DREAMED of living close to my parents. In fact, it was everything I could do to continue living with them at the time I'm sure. You know, bratty little teenager. But I love being only 10 minutes away from a shopping trip with my mom or handy man help from my dad. It's especially nice now that I've got a baby in tow as they love to see her. Free babysitting is a great perk!
I do have to share a funny story on the free babysitting note. Avery was about a month old and I had been hanging at my parents when we decided we needed some peanut butter kiss cookies...mmm...don't those sound delicious? We were going to run to Target to get some kisses and my dad offered to watch Avery, who was sound asleep, while we ran out. So off we went!
Target is one of those stores I go to just for fun and browse all the isles. It was especially delightful since I hadn't been out much...it felt like a whole different world. So, we were enjoying our Target run (for Kisses of course) when my mom's phone rang. It had been on speaker and all I hear is my baby SCREAMING! Then my dad said, "It's been 8 minutes and she hasn't stopped crying!!" He sounded a little panicked. I had to laugh because he had always considered himself a baby soother, but then I felt bad because it was the time of night Avery gets a little cranky and my little girl can really wail. So we wrapped up our adventure and while we were checking out, the phone rang again..."WHERE ARE YOU?? (baby still screaming in the background...)" We assured him we were on our way out and would be home in 10 minutes.
There was another call of "How much longer? and Where are you?" But the best as we were a couple minutes away the last phone call with a very distraught Grandpa saying, "Hurry! I think there's something really wrong with her!"
This actually sounds kinda sad now that I think about it. But I promise, it was funny at the time...for my mom and I anyway. We could hear Avery and knew she was okay. It was just her 'I'm overwhelmed with the world and need to be swaddled and rocked to sleep' cry. So we got home and rescued the Gramps. Kind of an anti-climactic ending but I did need to document the funny phone calls. I don't think he'll be offering to babysit anytime soon. Bummer.
#16
I'm thankful for my LITTLE CAR!
So first off, I'm thankful to have a working car, but I'm more thankful it's a Jetta right now because I parked on the street to get my hair cut last night and got pretty well blocked in. After a 22 point turn (ok, only 9) I finally escaped. Happy for my little car.
So first off, I'm thankful to have a working car, but I'm more thankful it's a Jetta right now because I parked on the street to get my hair cut last night and got pretty well blocked in. After a 22 point turn (ok, only 9) I finally escaped. Happy for my little car.
Monday, November 15, 2010
#15
I'm thankful for MONDAYS!
I may be alone in this thought, but let me explain. The weekends have become ridiculously busy as I try to cram in as much stuff as I can while I have Brian home to help with Avery. Saturday I'm trying to bring my house back from the shambles it has fallen to over the week or do a quick project...(like finishing Avery's room)...and Sunday I get so stressed about Avery screaming at church that I'm on pins and needles the whole time. So yes, I'm grateful for Mondays when it's just me and my baby girl at home. Ahhh.
I may be alone in this thought, but let me explain. The weekends have become ridiculously busy as I try to cram in as much stuff as I can while I have Brian home to help with Avery. Saturday I'm trying to bring my house back from the shambles it has fallen to over the week or do a quick project...(like finishing Avery's room)...and Sunday I get so stressed about Avery screaming at church that I'm on pins and needles the whole time. So yes, I'm grateful for Mondays when it's just me and my baby girl at home. Ahhh.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Weekend Thanks
So I'm gonna have to cheat a little because yesterday I was so busy getting ready for TODAY and trying to fight off the tail end of this sick bug I've got that I was being cranky and decided I wasn't thankful for anything! bah humbug! It's days like that I really need to remember my blessings and count them up!
I do have to say I was very grateful for number #13
#13 I'm grateful for WARM APPLE CIDER!
In the midst of planning and baking and mixing and washing and cleaning and baby feeding, I had a few cups of apple cider to keep my cough at bay and the irresistible feeling of fall warmed my body and heart. Delicious!
Today I have a lot to be thankful for. But mostly...
#14 I'm thankful for BLESSINGS!
Though I'm thankful for all the blessings I receive, today I'm extra thankful for Priesthood Blessings. Avery had her first blessing today, which was very special, but it made me think about the blessings I've had over the years from my own dad. I always took for granted our start of the year Father's blessings not realizing what a big deal it is to them as well. It wasn't until I saw Brian become a nervous ball all weekend hoping he would say the right things, making sure he could be inspired by the Spirit that I saw the love fathers have for their daughters. So thanks Pops for the blessings you've given me over the years. I sure love you!
I do have to say I was very grateful for number #13
#13 I'm grateful for WARM APPLE CIDER!
In the midst of planning and baking and mixing and washing and cleaning and baby feeding, I had a few cups of apple cider to keep my cough at bay and the irresistible feeling of fall warmed my body and heart. Delicious!
Today I have a lot to be thankful for. But mostly...
#14 I'm thankful for BLESSINGS!
Though I'm thankful for all the blessings I receive, today I'm extra thankful for Priesthood Blessings. Avery had her first blessing today, which was very special, but it made me think about the blessings I've had over the years from my own dad. I always took for granted our start of the year Father's blessings not realizing what a big deal it is to them as well. It wasn't until I saw Brian become a nervous ball all weekend hoping he would say the right things, making sure he could be inspired by the Spirit that I saw the love fathers have for their daughters. So thanks Pops for the blessings you've given me over the years. I sure love you!
Friday, November 12, 2010
#12
I'm thankful for PRAYER!
More importantly, I'm thankful for the knowledge I have that my prayers are heard and answered by a loving Heavenly Father...not just sent out to a vast void in the universe.
Avery got her first shots today. Enough said.
I've been praying a lot today--that she'll feel better--that she'll stop screaming--that I'll figure out a way to soothe her--that she'll calm down enough to eat--that my hubby with come home soon--that I can keep my cool to not throw her out the window. (what, you never wanted to throw your kid out the window?)
It's been an interesting day and although none of my prayers were answered with the swiftness I would have liked, I knew I wasn't alone. And that's a feeling I'm grateful for.
More importantly, I'm thankful for the knowledge I have that my prayers are heard and answered by a loving Heavenly Father...not just sent out to a vast void in the universe.
Avery got her first shots today. Enough said.
I've been praying a lot today--that she'll feel better--that she'll stop screaming--that I'll figure out a way to soothe her--that she'll calm down enough to eat--that my hubby with come home soon--that I can keep my cool to not throw her out the window. (what, you never wanted to throw your kid out the window?)
It's been an interesting day and although none of my prayers were answered with the swiftness I would have liked, I knew I wasn't alone. And that's a feeling I'm grateful for.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
#11
I'm thankful for MUSIC!
I love the way music can change your mood. I can hear "boogie shoes" and instantly dance my way out of a funk by its contagious funk. Carrie Underwood's the best to sing along with at the top of my lungs. And yes, every now and then I pull out the ol' Justin Timberlake as a wonderful pick-me-up. More specifically though, I'm grateful for the piano and the talent I've developed to play it. Now, with my mom as a piano teacher, I will tell you that my sister compared our piano lessons to our household chores, like learning how to do the laundry. While this might have been true, I VIVIDLY remember begging my mom to go over songs with me and hearing her correct me from the kitchen, "Try a flat!" as my lessons seemed to coincide with dinner prep.
Anyway, I just started piano lessons up again after Avery. I kept meaning to schedule them and another week would pass by, and another...It would always slip my mind until I no longer had a baby in my arms and by that time it was 10pm. Oh how I've missed my students! I'm so grateful to be able to share and teach others the joy I feel playing the piano. And selfishly, it's ridiculously rewarding watching their hard work pay off after mastering a difficult song.
My piano is my therapist. I go to it when I'm sad and sing it songs, or happy and play a little ragtime, or bored and just mess around with whatever I happen to pull up.
I think I'm rambling. Bottom line: I LOVE MUSIC!
I love the way music can change your mood. I can hear "boogie shoes" and instantly dance my way out of a funk by its contagious funk. Carrie Underwood's the best to sing along with at the top of my lungs. And yes, every now and then I pull out the ol' Justin Timberlake as a wonderful pick-me-up. More specifically though, I'm grateful for the piano and the talent I've developed to play it. Now, with my mom as a piano teacher, I will tell you that my sister compared our piano lessons to our household chores, like learning how to do the laundry. While this might have been true, I VIVIDLY remember begging my mom to go over songs with me and hearing her correct me from the kitchen, "Try a flat!" as my lessons seemed to coincide with dinner prep.
Anyway, I just started piano lessons up again after Avery. I kept meaning to schedule them and another week would pass by, and another...It would always slip my mind until I no longer had a baby in my arms and by that time it was 10pm. Oh how I've missed my students! I'm so grateful to be able to share and teach others the joy I feel playing the piano. And selfishly, it's ridiculously rewarding watching their hard work pay off after mastering a difficult song.
My piano is my therapist. I go to it when I'm sad and sing it songs, or happy and play a little ragtime, or bored and just mess around with whatever I happen to pull up.
I think I'm rambling. Bottom line: I LOVE MUSIC!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
#10
So I laid down in bed and realized I hadn't posted my thankful thought for the day...
hmm...
I'm thankful for SPARKLY PINK NAIL POLISH!
Pathetic I know, I'm tired. But I told myself last night I couldn't get sick and slammed water with honey and lemon every time I was up with Avery...(which has become more frequent than normal). I convinced my body I was going to be well this morning--and wah-la!--better. Okay, not really, but better than I was.
The nail polish I found today though was totally the remedy I needed for my cold. So tonight, I'm thankful for it.
hmm...
I'm thankful for SPARKLY PINK NAIL POLISH!
Pathetic I know, I'm tired. But I told myself last night I couldn't get sick and slammed water with honey and lemon every time I was up with Avery...(which has become more frequent than normal). I convinced my body I was going to be well this morning--and wah-la!--better. Okay, not really, but better than I was.
The nail polish I found today though was totally the remedy I needed for my cold. So tonight, I'm thankful for it.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
#9
Is it really November 9th already?
I'm thankful for my HEALTH.
I often take for granted my good health as I really only get sick a couple times a year. But when I do, I really go for it with passion. I thought I've just had allergies the last few days, but I don't think I've ever had scratchy swollen glands the size of golf balls in my throat from allergies. Ahh, the misery. Hopefully I'll bounce back quick--it's no fun being sick!
I'm thankful for my HEALTH.
I often take for granted my good health as I really only get sick a couple times a year. But when I do, I really go for it with passion. I thought I've just had allergies the last few days, but I don't think I've ever had scratchy swollen glands the size of golf balls in my throat from allergies. Ahh, the misery. Hopefully I'll bounce back quick--it's no fun being sick!
Monday, November 8, 2010
#8
I'm thankful for MY HARDWORKING HUSBAND!
So, no one wants to hear me get all twitter-paited about my man...(well, let's face it, I'm not the twitter-paited type)...but I do want to share how grateful I am that he found me...and never gave up.
He works hard all day at his office job and comes home and works just as hard at his new dad job, leaving me some MUCH needed relief.
Love you babe--and now everybody knows it!
So, no one wants to hear me get all twitter-paited about my man...(well, let's face it, I'm not the twitter-paited type)...but I do want to share how grateful I am that he found me...and never gave up.
He works hard all day at his office job and comes home and works just as hard at his new dad job, leaving me some MUCH needed relief.
Love you babe--and now everybody knows it!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
#7
I'm thankful for RECIPES!
I like to think of myself as a pretty decent cook. Let me clarify. I am VERY good at following a recipe. Without such instructions, my repertoire would consist of bean & cheese burritos or grilled cheese sandwiches. I'm just now learning the art of throwing a few ingredients together and being confident it'll turn out. I've had a couple epic failures--like this morning's eggs with some leftover tri-tip. I thought, steak and eggs, why not? It was weird. Not my best idea.
Anyway, this rainy day made me so in the mood for some warm spicy Indian food...of which I have a single recipe: Chicken Tikka Masala.
Super delicious. I would never have thought to marinate chicken in yogurt, ginger and cayenne pepper to put into a tomato based sauce with serrano peppers and cilantro? So thank you recipe wizards for my wonderfully scrumptious meal.
ps...my two new favorite recipes sites:
Mel's Kitchen Cafe & Our Best Bites
I like to think of myself as a pretty decent cook. Let me clarify. I am VERY good at following a recipe. Without such instructions, my repertoire would consist of bean & cheese burritos or grilled cheese sandwiches. I'm just now learning the art of throwing a few ingredients together and being confident it'll turn out. I've had a couple epic failures--like this morning's eggs with some leftover tri-tip. I thought, steak and eggs, why not? It was weird. Not my best idea.
Anyway, this rainy day made me so in the mood for some warm spicy Indian food...of which I have a single recipe: Chicken Tikka Masala.
Super delicious. I would never have thought to marinate chicken in yogurt, ginger and cayenne pepper to put into a tomato based sauce with serrano peppers and cilantro? So thank you recipe wizards for my wonderfully scrumptious meal.
ps...my two new favorite recipes sites:
Mel's Kitchen Cafe & Our Best Bites
Saturday, November 6, 2010
#6
#6 I'm thankful for the TEMPLE.
We had a momentous occasion in our family today. Brian's Grandma received her endowments in the temple! We are all so proud that she made this decision on her own. It was extra special as Brian went through for his Great-Great Grandpa and his brother for their Great-Grandpa. Pretty neat. A little sad I haven't got Avery on a bottle yet because I wish I could have joined them. I love the temple. This past year I've gone more frequently than ever before with my Mom and Grandma and what a sweet experience to perform ordinances that bring families together forever with my own family. We even had four generations a few times with Avery in my belly. :) I could go on for hours about how it blesses my life but I'll leave it at LOVE.
LOVE LOVE.
We had a momentous occasion in our family today. Brian's Grandma received her endowments in the temple! We are all so proud that she made this decision on her own. It was extra special as Brian went through for his Great-Great Grandpa and his brother for their Great-Grandpa. Pretty neat. A little sad I haven't got Avery on a bottle yet because I wish I could have joined them. I love the temple. This past year I've gone more frequently than ever before with my Mom and Grandma and what a sweet experience to perform ordinances that bring families together forever with my own family. We even had four generations a few times with Avery in my belly. :) I could go on for hours about how it blesses my life but I'll leave it at LOVE.
LOVE LOVE.
Friday, November 5, 2010
First Five
So I checked out the leaves on my thankful tree for these first five thankful days and here's the re-cap.
#5 I'm thankful for FAMILY!
Tonight we spent time with some family on my Dad's side including an Uncle I'd never met before and some family I rarely see in the area. My Grandpa has also recently moved to the area and at 90 years old is still kickin'. I've got a friend with a lofty goal of being alive to see 100 of his posterity and I roughly counted my Grandpa's and he EASILY has that many. He started out with 11 children--most of them had a small army themselves and he's got more great-great grandchildren on the way everyday. Pretty amazing. Not only am I thankful for extended family, but for my immediate family and in-laws. We have more fun together than really should be legal. I think I chose wisely when I picked them in heaven.
#4 I'm thankful for my WASHER & DRYER
I'm in love. The sound of those high capacity steel drums turning are music to my ears. After having Avery, I went from 3 loads of laundry a week which I easily washed and folded Saturday mornings to at LEAST a load every other day...added to the 3 on Saturdays. Before they were merely part of the scenery called in for duty once a week. NOW I jam-pack those puppies nightly with clothes covered in cheese curds from both ends of the baby girl. Delicious I know. But guess what?!? In 40 minutes, with a little oxy-clean, they magically appear as good as new! I can't help but think of living two generations ago where each piece of clothing had to be washed by hand and hung to dry. I can't even keep up with the folding! It seems the laundry goes from the clean basket back into the dirty hamper before I've had a chance to put it away where it belongs. Yes those are dirty clothes on the floor in the laundry room but I won't complain. I've got it pretty good.
#3 I'm thankful for AFTERNOON NAPS
Oh precious dreamland. I know I've been away, I'd love to visit you more often. I did manage to sneak in an accidental nap after feeding Avery. It was pure bliss. I felt so fabulous afterward I could hardly sit still. One problem though. I couldn't get to sleep that night until 12:30 and every night since has been the same story.
#2 I'm thankful for the SUNSHINE
If you recall my last post, I did gush a little bit about fall weather. Well, this first week of November has been anything but! I have nothing bad to say about it. It has been GORGEOUS! 80 degrees as a high is pretty nice. So nice that I picked Brian up from work and we got some sandwiches to enjoy at a park near his office. I love the feeling of the sun's rays on the back of my neck when there's a slight breeze. It was a perfect day, complete with my new addiction: Mr. Pickles. A friend introduced me to their sandwiches a couple weeks ago and I can't get enough. And I don't even LIKE pickles. Well, I should clarify--sandwich--as I've only had the House Combo....4 times. Try it, you'll like it. I'll come!
#1 I'm thankful for a HEALTHY BABY
When I was pregnant and before I knew if I was having a boy or girl, people would ask what I wanted. I always said, a HEALTHY baby. Well, when all 10 lbs 9 oz of her popped out, (well, got sucked out) I was pleasantly surprised by how healthy she was. I was grateful for a baby without an ounce of frailty. Well, last week we thought she had an ear infection...not my favorite day. With Brian having 9 sets of tubes in his ears before turning 10 years old I thought, here we go! Turned out to be nothing and I'm sooo glad it was only a day's worth of torture. She's back to her happy and SMILING self.
#5 I'm thankful for FAMILY!
Tonight we spent time with some family on my Dad's side including an Uncle I'd never met before and some family I rarely see in the area. My Grandpa has also recently moved to the area and at 90 years old is still kickin'. I've got a friend with a lofty goal of being alive to see 100 of his posterity and I roughly counted my Grandpa's and he EASILY has that many. He started out with 11 children--most of them had a small army themselves and he's got more great-great grandchildren on the way everyday. Pretty amazing. Not only am I thankful for extended family, but for my immediate family and in-laws. We have more fun together than really should be legal. I think I chose wisely when I picked them in heaven.
#4 I'm thankful for my WASHER & DRYER
I'm in love. The sound of those high capacity steel drums turning are music to my ears. After having Avery, I went from 3 loads of laundry a week which I easily washed and folded Saturday mornings to at LEAST a load every other day...added to the 3 on Saturdays. Before they were merely part of the scenery called in for duty once a week. NOW I jam-pack those puppies nightly with clothes covered in cheese curds from both ends of the baby girl. Delicious I know. But guess what?!? In 40 minutes, with a little oxy-clean, they magically appear as good as new! I can't help but think of living two generations ago where each piece of clothing had to be washed by hand and hung to dry. I can't even keep up with the folding! It seems the laundry goes from the clean basket back into the dirty hamper before I've had a chance to put it away where it belongs. Yes those are dirty clothes on the floor in the laundry room but I won't complain. I've got it pretty good.
#3 I'm thankful for AFTERNOON NAPS
Oh precious dreamland. I know I've been away, I'd love to visit you more often. I did manage to sneak in an accidental nap after feeding Avery. It was pure bliss. I felt so fabulous afterward I could hardly sit still. One problem though. I couldn't get to sleep that night until 12:30 and every night since has been the same story.
#2 I'm thankful for the SUNSHINE
If you recall my last post, I did gush a little bit about fall weather. Well, this first week of November has been anything but! I have nothing bad to say about it. It has been GORGEOUS! 80 degrees as a high is pretty nice. So nice that I picked Brian up from work and we got some sandwiches to enjoy at a park near his office. I love the feeling of the sun's rays on the back of my neck when there's a slight breeze. It was a perfect day, complete with my new addiction: Mr. Pickles. A friend introduced me to their sandwiches a couple weeks ago and I can't get enough. And I don't even LIKE pickles. Well, I should clarify--sandwich--as I've only had the House Combo....4 times. Try it, you'll like it. I'll come!
#1 I'm thankful for a HEALTHY BABY
When I was pregnant and before I knew if I was having a boy or girl, people would ask what I wanted. I always said, a HEALTHY baby. Well, when all 10 lbs 9 oz of her popped out, (well, got sucked out) I was pleasantly surprised by how healthy she was. I was grateful for a baby without an ounce of frailty. Well, last week we thought she had an ear infection...not my favorite day. With Brian having 9 sets of tubes in his ears before turning 10 years old I thought, here we go! Turned out to be nothing and I'm sooo glad it was only a day's worth of torture. She's back to her happy and SMILING self.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
I LOVE NOVEMBER!
So, November happens to not only be the month I was born, but also Thanksgiving! Sometimes the days even combine! That's always been fun. The world is then FORCED to be thankful for me. HAH! I do love the gratitude that's in the air and the beginning of the Christmas season where people begin to think of others...Not to mention comfort food and FALL WEATHER! Ahh, crisp fresh air and crunchy leaves. Not much beats it.
Well last year my mom and I took on a hefty craft project copying pottery barn's thanksgiving calendar. Each day you write something you're grateful for and put it in the pocket and on Thanksgiving you pull them out and read them all. You can try and guess who's is who's or just bask in the splendor of all the blessings we receive.
Before pulling this monster out, I had seen a great idea online for little thankful trees. I'm always thinking about good craft projects for my activity day girls and with a little help collecting sticks, we pulled it off nicely. They write on a leaf everyday what they're grateful for and then hang it on the tree. By Thanksgiving, they're trees are bursting with colored leaves!
Looks like they had a good time huh? And they turned out rather cute!
So yes, you counted correctly, I now have two items to fill with blessings. I'm sure I can come up with enough to fill both! But THEN I read my sister's blog (which by the way is fabulous if you need a good read HERE)...and she started THIS:
So I'll be sharing my blessings here as well. Really "recording" them here as I don't plan on keeping scraps of paper leaves for years to come. Grab the button and join in!
I'll be playing catch up tomorrow because honestly, when the bambino goes to bed...I do too. G'night!
Well last year my mom and I took on a hefty craft project copying pottery barn's thanksgiving calendar. Each day you write something you're grateful for and put it in the pocket and on Thanksgiving you pull them out and read them all. You can try and guess who's is who's or just bask in the splendor of all the blessings we receive.
Before pulling this monster out, I had seen a great idea online for little thankful trees. I'm always thinking about good craft projects for my activity day girls and with a little help collecting sticks, we pulled it off nicely. They write on a leaf everyday what they're grateful for and then hang it on the tree. By Thanksgiving, they're trees are bursting with colored leaves!
Looks like they had a good time huh? And they turned out rather cute!
So yes, you counted correctly, I now have two items to fill with blessings. I'm sure I can come up with enough to fill both! But THEN I read my sister's blog (which by the way is fabulous if you need a good read HERE)...and she started THIS:
So I'll be sharing my blessings here as well. Really "recording" them here as I don't plan on keeping scraps of paper leaves for years to come. Grab the button and join in!
I'll be playing catch up tomorrow because honestly, when the bambino goes to bed...I do too. G'night!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Smiles & Songs
So the days keep passing by and I rarely pull out my camera. Today I was determined to catch a smile. I couldn't ever get one in a snapshot, so I decided to put it on video mode. Ignore my voice...please. Am I the only one who thinks their own voice sounds strange when it gets played back? Anyway, enjoy!
I'm totally in love with this sleeping face...
also, what am I supposed to do with all this hair??
I'm totally in love with this sleeping face...
also, what am I supposed to do with all this hair??
Monday, October 11, 2010
Editing Helps
okay, on not such a humongous screen and the help of a little editing, some of Avery's pictures turned out cuter than at first glance. Here's a couple more. The first one totally makes me laugh--I think she looks like a new puppy. You know, how they scoot around and are totally clumsy. Pretty cute.
Old Hat, New Hat
So I'm feeling a bit like a Berenstain Bear.
What? You don't see the connection?
I've made it a goal to shower in the morning. I know, I shoot for the moon here, but I feel so much better when I do and Avery has started to entertain herself looking around long enough for me to get a quick shower or make some breakfast. That's the good part.
The problem comes when I get dressed after I've reached my lofty goal of showering each day. I look in my closet, see the maternity clothes and say, "too big" but my pre-baby clothes are still "too small." I try them on weekly just to see how I'm doing and my pants button, but not without some SERIOUS muffin top. We're talkin' poured way too much batter into the tin that it's joined all the adjacent muffin tops like Pangaea. Not pretty. So, the maternity clothes get put on and they are "too baggy," "too saggy."
Then I try on all the clothes I threw on the floor yesterday to see if a miracle has occurred overnight and suddenly they fit. They end up on the floor again in case you're wondering. Too fancy, too frilly, too shiny, too silly...you get the idea. I get so frustrated after a few minutes that I sigh, (it's more of an angry huff actually) pull out some pajamas and think, "just right."
p.s. I tell you this so if you stop by to see Avery, which you're welcome to do, you won't be offended when it's 2:30 and I haven't changed out of pj's for your visit. But hey, I SHOWERED!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
One Month
So I don't have much to say except that we've survived a month! I'll give you more details when I get some time, but I just wanted to get a new picture of her up, and one with her eyes opened. I took her to a picture place to see what they'd do with her and I wasn't impressed. This is the cutest of the bunch. Poor quality because I copied it from their website and messed with it a bit, but you get the idea. Enjoy!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
2 Weeks Old...a week late
I realize my baby is 3 weeks old now, but the camera doesn't get pulled out much. Here's our little Avery at two weeks old with a VERY tired me. Yes, you can see the gigantic bags under my eyes as proof that there isn't much sleeping happening at night around here. She's getting better and is generally a really good baby. I made a deal with her while I was pregnant that as long as she was inside me, she could continue to make me miserable, but when she was born, she had to be an angel child. (And let me tell you, she took FULL advantage of reeking havoc until the moment she entered this world! I just have to remember how horrible being pregnant was and a 3am wake up call doesn't hurt so bad.) For the most part, she is a great baby. She's easy to read and generally only fussy when a normal person would be...hungry, dirty, tired. Sometimes I wish I could just cry when I was hungry and food would magically appear, or when I'm tired someone would soothingly rock me to sleep. Pshh! She's got it too good!
Another happy moment, I think my body is finally adjusting to functioning off of a few hours sleep. Maybe not well, but surviving at least. I don't think there's really any way to prepare yourself for parenthood. I knew mentally I would be exhausted and the life support of another individual, but until your crying newborn wakes you up to eat after just an hour cat nap, the idea isn't fully realized.
Anyway, life is good. Oh, and please look past the grammatical errors and run on sentences, my brain has yet to return. Yesterday, I was copying down a recipe and wrote "flower" instead of "flour." Yikes.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Confessions.
So I might have pretended not to hear Avery when she woke up to eat at 2am.
Sorry Brian.
In my defense, she is closer to his side of the bed.
Sorry Brian.
In my defense, she is closer to his side of the bed.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Short Story of a LONG labor.
So....to continue the arrival of our little girl, the contractions never stopped. We made it to the doctor on Tuesday and I was truly hoping he would admit me to the hospital. We threw our bags in the car just in case. I was 2+ centimeters and he said I probably wouldn't make it to my due date. ***side note--I would like to know the precise way they are measuring how dilated you are. There's no ruler, just a guess it seems to me. Hmmm...*** I asked him about the recommendation for an induction because of my baby being on the large side, and he said I was already in the laboring process and that the ultrasound is just an estimate. (HA!) So, he sent me home with a prescription to help me sleep.
I was totally exhausted and a little upset we couldn't get this show on the road. I think a friend must have read my mind and offered to bring dinner by for us. (btw, thank you soo much!! We'd been eating cold cereal for dinner the last couple nights. Not that I don't like cold cereal, but a real meal was truly appreciated.) So off to bed I went after a fabulous dinner and my magic pill. It unfortunately turned out not to be so magical after all as I was up most the night breathing through more contractions. I didn't think much about them at first because they had gotten progressively stronger every night but by 2am I couldn't lay down anymore. I started pacing the hallway trying to get some relief and at around 3:30 I was so sick of it we went to the hospital. This time I was sure they would keep me.
So we called them up and off we went. It's a good thing we did call because by the time we got there, 3 other women were on their way. They went from a quiet evening to a labor and delivery room so full they had a lady waiting in the nursery. The nurses decided it was the barometric change from a hot summer day to a foggy fall one. Whatever it was I was happy to hear I was dilated to a 4 and having a baby!!!
It was a little surreal at first...(okay, it's still surreal almost two weeks later as I type with my left hand holding a sleeping girl in my right.) But I was actually glad to have gone a few days before to the hospital because all the check in info was already done. The nurse then asked me about my birth plan and I must have been a little out of it because this is what I told her...
"HAVE A BABY, BE PAIN FREE."
It makes me laugh now, because truly that's about as far as I had thought things through. I was going to go without drugs as long as possible and then have an epidural, but when I got to the hospital I was so exhausted that they gave me something through my IV to take the edge off so I could get some much needed rest. I finally felt some relief and got some rest between the nurse coming in and out checking things. My doctor came in at about 9am on Wednesday and broke my water and things started to progress a little quicker. The anesthesiologist was hanging around labor and delivery around 11am so I figured I may as well get it over with. I was expecting an epidural to hurt a lot, but really, the IV hurt worse. After that I was pretty relieved and just slept and relaxed. I actually began to feel a little guilty that I was feeling so fabulous while in labor.
The nurses continued to check me and each one had the same comment after telling me how dilated I was. "WOW, she's got a lot of hair!!" they'd say. I was dilated to a 10 about 3pm but they decided since I didn't feel any pressure yet that they'd let my baby continue to work her way down with the contractions that were still coming at a decent pace.
I had had two great nurses so far but a little after 3 I had THE WORST NURSE EVER!!! I am still contemplating writing a complaint letter about it. She had me start pushing about 4pm and I pushed like my life depended on it. After about 5 pushes, she left the room and told me to just keep pushing as I felt contractions. Are you kidding me?? This is not how they show it on A Baby Story! I had no idea what I was doing. She then would check the monitors, type some stats in her computer and then about every 15 minutes, see how I was doing. I began to feel super sharp pains on my left side that she told me was "just pressure honey" like I was some naive teenager having a baby. Trust me, I know the difference lady! Anyway, I finally told her to find the anesthesiologist because my pushing wasn't very effective with the pain that had now spread across my whole abdomen. I couldn't get a deep enough breath to push because the contractions hurt so much. The magic man came and saw that I was still on the lowest drip on the machine and cranked it up one notch...ahh, relief. And yes nurse Beth, I still feel pressure--THAT was not it.
I was so grateful for a staff change at 7pm. I had been pushing with Beth for 3 hours and was making minimal progress trying to figure out how to push as she moved me into different positions with not much advice. I ended up with the nurse that had checked me in at 4am. It was nice to see a friendly face and she was excited to be able to help finish the job she started. I ended up pushing another hour and a half and with each contraction that came I was nervous I wasn't strong enough to deliver my baby and have to have a dreaded c-section after all this work. So after 4 1/2 hours of pushing I finally said I didn't want a c-section, but I was keenly aware of the circumstance. She said I was pushing the baby down with each contraction, but just minuscule amounts. She got the doctor on call and they decided to use a vacuum to help get her out. I was thankful there was an end in sight as my lovely Beth said I would probably only be pushing for an hour. (psshh!)
So in came the doctor and the respiratory therapist and some additional nurses. This was it! I gathered the last ounce of energy I could find for the last few pushes with the vacuum. It took a little longer than anticipated as the vacuum kept losing suction because our baby has so much hair. Finally, at 8:55 our little girl was born! The whole room gasped as the doctor put her on my stomach and they saw how big she was. I remember thinking, "Holy cow! No wonder I couldn't get her out of me!"
They began cleaning both her and I up and it was funny to watch everyone lingering in our room waiting for them to put her on the scale. People were guessing in the 9 lb and 10 lb range and I was still in shock. Literally. I couldn't keep my body from shaking uncontrollably. I realize now how severe the situation was as normally they wouldn't let a woman go that long before performing a c-section and once they realized her size, they REALLY wouldn't have suggested a natural delivery.
Yes, you read the scale right. 10 POUNDS 9.2 OUNCES!!! And check out her hair!!
We laughed about naming her Ally--for "finally she was here" and then Bessie because of her enormous size. She didn't look like any of the names we were thinking about. I envisioned this tiny little frail baby and instead was looking at a severely cone-headed 3 month old! (normal baby cone head + vacuum sucker = keep that beanie on please!) Both of our parents had been waiting at the hospital since I began pushing and they were growing increasingly nervous as each hour passed by. They were as relieved as I was she was here and healthy and excited to meet a new grand-baby.
We stayed 2 nights in the hospital--not my favorite place to hang, but I needed the time to recover--and finally brought little Avery home Friday after trying on a few different names. It was the weirdest thing strapping her into her car seat and driving away from the hospital.
We're all doing well now. Adjusting to our new life that is forever changed. We're happy and healthy and EXHAUSTED, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
I was totally exhausted and a little upset we couldn't get this show on the road. I think a friend must have read my mind and offered to bring dinner by for us. (btw, thank you soo much!! We'd been eating cold cereal for dinner the last couple nights. Not that I don't like cold cereal, but a real meal was truly appreciated.) So off to bed I went after a fabulous dinner and my magic pill. It unfortunately turned out not to be so magical after all as I was up most the night breathing through more contractions. I didn't think much about them at first because they had gotten progressively stronger every night but by 2am I couldn't lay down anymore. I started pacing the hallway trying to get some relief and at around 3:30 I was so sick of it we went to the hospital. This time I was sure they would keep me.
So we called them up and off we went. It's a good thing we did call because by the time we got there, 3 other women were on their way. They went from a quiet evening to a labor and delivery room so full they had a lady waiting in the nursery. The nurses decided it was the barometric change from a hot summer day to a foggy fall one. Whatever it was I was happy to hear I was dilated to a 4 and having a baby!!!
It was a little surreal at first...(okay, it's still surreal almost two weeks later as I type with my left hand holding a sleeping girl in my right.) But I was actually glad to have gone a few days before to the hospital because all the check in info was already done. The nurse then asked me about my birth plan and I must have been a little out of it because this is what I told her...
"HAVE A BABY, BE PAIN FREE."
It makes me laugh now, because truly that's about as far as I had thought things through. I was going to go without drugs as long as possible and then have an epidural, but when I got to the hospital I was so exhausted that they gave me something through my IV to take the edge off so I could get some much needed rest. I finally felt some relief and got some rest between the nurse coming in and out checking things. My doctor came in at about 9am on Wednesday and broke my water and things started to progress a little quicker. The anesthesiologist was hanging around labor and delivery around 11am so I figured I may as well get it over with. I was expecting an epidural to hurt a lot, but really, the IV hurt worse. After that I was pretty relieved and just slept and relaxed. I actually began to feel a little guilty that I was feeling so fabulous while in labor.
The nurses continued to check me and each one had the same comment after telling me how dilated I was. "WOW, she's got a lot of hair!!" they'd say. I was dilated to a 10 about 3pm but they decided since I didn't feel any pressure yet that they'd let my baby continue to work her way down with the contractions that were still coming at a decent pace.
I had had two great nurses so far but a little after 3 I had THE WORST NURSE EVER!!! I am still contemplating writing a complaint letter about it. She had me start pushing about 4pm and I pushed like my life depended on it. After about 5 pushes, she left the room and told me to just keep pushing as I felt contractions. Are you kidding me?? This is not how they show it on A Baby Story! I had no idea what I was doing. She then would check the monitors, type some stats in her computer and then about every 15 minutes, see how I was doing. I began to feel super sharp pains on my left side that she told me was "just pressure honey" like I was some naive teenager having a baby. Trust me, I know the difference lady! Anyway, I finally told her to find the anesthesiologist because my pushing wasn't very effective with the pain that had now spread across my whole abdomen. I couldn't get a deep enough breath to push because the contractions hurt so much. The magic man came and saw that I was still on the lowest drip on the machine and cranked it up one notch...ahh, relief. And yes nurse Beth, I still feel pressure--THAT was not it.
I was so grateful for a staff change at 7pm. I had been pushing with Beth for 3 hours and was making minimal progress trying to figure out how to push as she moved me into different positions with not much advice. I ended up with the nurse that had checked me in at 4am. It was nice to see a friendly face and she was excited to be able to help finish the job she started. I ended up pushing another hour and a half and with each contraction that came I was nervous I wasn't strong enough to deliver my baby and have to have a dreaded c-section after all this work. So after 4 1/2 hours of pushing I finally said I didn't want a c-section, but I was keenly aware of the circumstance. She said I was pushing the baby down with each contraction, but just minuscule amounts. She got the doctor on call and they decided to use a vacuum to help get her out. I was thankful there was an end in sight as my lovely Beth said I would probably only be pushing for an hour. (psshh!)
So in came the doctor and the respiratory therapist and some additional nurses. This was it! I gathered the last ounce of energy I could find for the last few pushes with the vacuum. It took a little longer than anticipated as the vacuum kept losing suction because our baby has so much hair. Finally, at 8:55 our little girl was born! The whole room gasped as the doctor put her on my stomach and they saw how big she was. I remember thinking, "Holy cow! No wonder I couldn't get her out of me!"
They began cleaning both her and I up and it was funny to watch everyone lingering in our room waiting for them to put her on the scale. People were guessing in the 9 lb and 10 lb range and I was still in shock. Literally. I couldn't keep my body from shaking uncontrollably. I realize now how severe the situation was as normally they wouldn't let a woman go that long before performing a c-section and once they realized her size, they REALLY wouldn't have suggested a natural delivery.
Yes, you read the scale right. 10 POUNDS 9.2 OUNCES!!! And check out her hair!!
We laughed about naming her Ally--for "finally she was here" and then Bessie because of her enormous size. She didn't look like any of the names we were thinking about. I envisioned this tiny little frail baby and instead was looking at a severely cone-headed 3 month old! (normal baby cone head + vacuum sucker = keep that beanie on please!) Both of our parents had been waiting at the hospital since I began pushing and they were growing increasingly nervous as each hour passed by. They were as relieved as I was she was here and healthy and excited to meet a new grand-baby.
We stayed 2 nights in the hospital--not my favorite place to hang, but I needed the time to recover--and finally brought little Avery home Friday after trying on a few different names. It was the weirdest thing strapping her into her car seat and driving away from the hospital.
We're all doing well now. Adjusting to our new life that is forever changed. We're happy and healthy and EXHAUSTED, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Labor Day Weekend
I've always loved Labor Day weekends as school has usually started and it's a welcome break after the first couple weeks. It's the true end of summer in my book, and hopefully the end of the heat...yummy family BBQ'S or a picnic at the lake. So how did I celebrate my labor day weekend this year??
IN LABOR!!!!!
yep.
no baby yet, but I've been having consistent and increasingly painful contractions since Saturday evening. Oh the joy this child has brought me already. I can't WAIT to meet her and see what all her fussing is about.
I woke up Saturday just feeling different. Not my usual uncomfortable pregnant self, but I had a laundry list of things I needed to get done. One of which was finally pack a bag for the hospital...glad I did that. By Saturday evening, I was so exhausted I hopped into bed and started feeling the first contractions every now and then. At first it was exciting to think this baby could be here in the next few days, and I started writing them down as they became closer together. By midnight, they were 5 minutes apart like clockwork. Not terribly painful, but enough I couldn't sleep through them. I became a master at the 3 minute cat nap. At 3 in the morning I was so tired we decided to call the doctor and get some advice. She said people usually come in about that time, or that I could wait it out at home. I like my bed a little more than a hospital room, so we hung around the house.
I did have another "first" moment. My first 3am shower. Not quite the invigorating type, but I didn't want to be in more severe pain and rush to the hospital without one. I hopped back in bed and this time the contractions picked up intensity. No sleep for me!! This went on ALLLLL night, and ALLLLL day Sunday. They'd pick up the pain level about every 4 hours and by 2 Sunday afternoon I finally decided we should just go and see how far along I am to put it to rest. And then maybe I could get some rest!!
We got all checked into the hospital, they gave me a lovely outfit and hooked me all up to the monitors...checked my progress and held me for observation for 3 hours to see if I had any changes. Those were a very long 3 hours. Uncomfortable hospital bed + tight monitors across your stomach, it was 5-star luxury. Ugh, I'm so glad I waited THIS long to come. Brian snapped another picture, you know, for the "posterity only" album, but here you go:
He took it on his cell phone, that's why it's so blurry. But I'm glad it is, because you can't really see how utterly exhausted I was...and am.
Long story short, they sent me home. I happily accepted. I was dilated to a 2 and had no changes while I was there. In fact, my contractions slowed down near the end. I think I was so anxious before I got there that I was finally able to relax a little when I knew baby was good, and everything looked normal. I do have one stubborn baby inside of me. I would have a contraction, push baby down a bit and then afterward, she'd wriggle around and out of whatever position she had just been put in.
The saga continues. (you knew it would) They gave me the BEST drug to help me sleep to make sure if I came back the next day I would have energy enough to push the baby out. I slept like a log for a good 6 hours and then started getting SUPER painful contractions. Ugh. I was NOT going back to the hospital, they just sent me home. This time they were 7 minutes apart but much longer and sharper than before. I figured I'd go back to the hospital when they hit like 4 minutes apart. So, I got longer bits of cat naps this time around, but the rest of the night into early afternoon today constant every 7 minutes. They eased up this afternoon and now they're about 10 minutes apart and not so bad. OR, I've just become used to them. Luckily I have an appt. tomorrow and I'm hoping the doc will say, you need to head to the hospital now!! Wouldn't that be nice?
So, here we are...almost 48 hours of contractions. A record of my labor on Labor Day. No longer will family BBQ's be what I reminisce about on Labor Day Weekend.
IN LABOR!!!!!
yep.
no baby yet, but I've been having consistent and increasingly painful contractions since Saturday evening. Oh the joy this child has brought me already. I can't WAIT to meet her and see what all her fussing is about.
I woke up Saturday just feeling different. Not my usual uncomfortable pregnant self, but I had a laundry list of things I needed to get done. One of which was finally pack a bag for the hospital...glad I did that. By Saturday evening, I was so exhausted I hopped into bed and started feeling the first contractions every now and then. At first it was exciting to think this baby could be here in the next few days, and I started writing them down as they became closer together. By midnight, they were 5 minutes apart like clockwork. Not terribly painful, but enough I couldn't sleep through them. I became a master at the 3 minute cat nap. At 3 in the morning I was so tired we decided to call the doctor and get some advice. She said people usually come in about that time, or that I could wait it out at home. I like my bed a little more than a hospital room, so we hung around the house.
I did have another "first" moment. My first 3am shower. Not quite the invigorating type, but I didn't want to be in more severe pain and rush to the hospital without one. I hopped back in bed and this time the contractions picked up intensity. No sleep for me!! This went on ALLLLL night, and ALLLLL day Sunday. They'd pick up the pain level about every 4 hours and by 2 Sunday afternoon I finally decided we should just go and see how far along I am to put it to rest. And then maybe I could get some rest!!
We got all checked into the hospital, they gave me a lovely outfit and hooked me all up to the monitors...checked my progress and held me for observation for 3 hours to see if I had any changes. Those were a very long 3 hours. Uncomfortable hospital bed + tight monitors across your stomach, it was 5-star luxury. Ugh, I'm so glad I waited THIS long to come. Brian snapped another picture, you know, for the "posterity only" album, but here you go:
He took it on his cell phone, that's why it's so blurry. But I'm glad it is, because you can't really see how utterly exhausted I was...and am.
Long story short, they sent me home. I happily accepted. I was dilated to a 2 and had no changes while I was there. In fact, my contractions slowed down near the end. I think I was so anxious before I got there that I was finally able to relax a little when I knew baby was good, and everything looked normal. I do have one stubborn baby inside of me. I would have a contraction, push baby down a bit and then afterward, she'd wriggle around and out of whatever position she had just been put in.
The saga continues. (you knew it would) They gave me the BEST drug to help me sleep to make sure if I came back the next day I would have energy enough to push the baby out. I slept like a log for a good 6 hours and then started getting SUPER painful contractions. Ugh. I was NOT going back to the hospital, they just sent me home. This time they were 7 minutes apart but much longer and sharper than before. I figured I'd go back to the hospital when they hit like 4 minutes apart. So, I got longer bits of cat naps this time around, but the rest of the night into early afternoon today constant every 7 minutes. They eased up this afternoon and now they're about 10 minutes apart and not so bad. OR, I've just become used to them. Luckily I have an appt. tomorrow and I'm hoping the doc will say, you need to head to the hospital now!! Wouldn't that be nice?
So, here we are...almost 48 hours of contractions. A record of my labor on Labor Day. No longer will family BBQ's be what I reminisce about on Labor Day Weekend.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
For Posterity Only
It's really no coincidence that I don't have any pictures of me plastered on my blog in the last, well, 9 months. First I was green and by the time I felt good, I already had a belly (which at the time was huge and not cute but I now realize it was cute then), and NOW I'm swollen all over (mostly fat I'm sure), with acne, and the list goes on. This pregnancy thing can be a real joy. So you see, there hasn't really been a prime photo shoot opportunity. I'm glad I'm coming to the end and looking back realize that the hardest things I've done in my life are the most worth it. So, this little girl's going to be the best thing E-V-E-R!!
Anyway, with her in mind, I had Brian snap a shot. I decided I would have loved to see my mom 9 months pregnant with me. But, please oh please don't blow it up. It's large enough! Actually it's our little girl that's large! At my appt. last week, the doctor said I had been measuring larger than I should have my last couple visits and wanted me to have an ultrasound done to measure baby versus fluid and stuff. So, we took a picture hoping I could get an 'outside' shot of baby and an 'inside' shot as well. The technician wasn't really up for a photo op and just did her measuring. She said our baby looked about 8 1/2 lbs at birth (or so I THOUGHT.)
Come to find out at my appointment this week, our chubba-lubba was 8lbs 7oz as of the day of the ultrasound!! They say these estimates can go a pound either way, which means, normal size, or a 9 1/2 pound monster! They told me they don't usually recommend inducing a first time mom, but they also are not a fan of delivering a 12 pound baby. For the record, I'm not either and I'd like to at least use SOME of the newborn clothes I have. It all became very real to me as they said they'll schedule an induction date at my next appt. for later next week. NEXT WEEK!!?! As in, 7 days from now I could be a mother. whoa. Granted, I could go into labor tomorrow, so I guess I should stop panicking.
Anyway, here I am in all my glory--this is my, "Brian, hurry up and take the picture so I can get this over with" face.
Anyway, with her in mind, I had Brian snap a shot. I decided I would have loved to see my mom 9 months pregnant with me. But, please oh please don't blow it up. It's large enough! Actually it's our little girl that's large! At my appt. last week, the doctor said I had been measuring larger than I should have my last couple visits and wanted me to have an ultrasound done to measure baby versus fluid and stuff. So, we took a picture hoping I could get an 'outside' shot of baby and an 'inside' shot as well. The technician wasn't really up for a photo op and just did her measuring. She said our baby looked about 8 1/2 lbs at birth (or so I THOUGHT.)
Come to find out at my appointment this week, our chubba-lubba was 8lbs 7oz as of the day of the ultrasound!! They say these estimates can go a pound either way, which means, normal size, or a 9 1/2 pound monster! They told me they don't usually recommend inducing a first time mom, but they also are not a fan of delivering a 12 pound baby. For the record, I'm not either and I'd like to at least use SOME of the newborn clothes I have. It all became very real to me as they said they'll schedule an induction date at my next appt. for later next week. NEXT WEEK!!?! As in, 7 days from now I could be a mother. whoa. Granted, I could go into labor tomorrow, so I guess I should stop panicking.
Anyway, here I am in all my glory--this is my, "Brian, hurry up and take the picture so I can get this over with" face.
Crafty
So, truthfully it was my mom who I conned into being crafty, but I was a very good supervisor. heh. I bought a cradle on craigslist for super cheap and have been looking everywhere for a cute bumper for it. You'd think with all the baby stuff around, I could find one I liked. Well I finally did, and of course, like my to-die-for wallpaper, it was $80. For a piece of foam and some fabric!?! Not to mention our little lady will only be in it four months max. So I started searching the blog world for a tutorial to make one. A little, well, A LOT of help from the mamacita and ta-da a totally cute cradle ready for my baby. (which is good because her room is still a little bit in shambles.)
I was then inspired to be a little crafty on my own and while looking through tutorials found one to make nursing covers. I had looked at these covers online and they're kind of expensive, not to mention they didn't really have fabric options I liked, so I decided to make some! And this time I can take full credit!
This last craft project I started as soon as I found out I was having a little girl and was a little intimidated by the world of accessories. Honestly I was hoping for a boy I could put in a t-shirt, jeans and chucks and call it a day. Don't worry, I have pink chucks for my lady. But the hair bows and the shoes and the dresses, it took me a while to warm up to the idea of it all. I'm excited now, but here are the first of the hair things I made. Amateur, yes, but I'm getting better.
I was then inspired to be a little crafty on my own and while looking through tutorials found one to make nursing covers. I had looked at these covers online and they're kind of expensive, not to mention they didn't really have fabric options I liked, so I decided to make some! And this time I can take full credit!
This last craft project I started as soon as I found out I was having a little girl and was a little intimidated by the world of accessories. Honestly I was hoping for a boy I could put in a t-shirt, jeans and chucks and call it a day. Don't worry, I have pink chucks for my lady. But the hair bows and the shoes and the dresses, it took me a while to warm up to the idea of it all. I'm excited now, but here are the first of the hair things I made. Amateur, yes, but I'm getting better.
I Spy...
I spy with my little eye, I spy something the size of a tums but definitely IS NOT A TUMS!!!
A couple nights ago after a trip to the loo I walked my zombie self back to my bed, grabbed a tums to calm the heartburn, and BIT DOWN ON A PENNY!! Shocking and scary and disgusting all at the same time. Plus, it hurt my teeth. It might have had the same alkaline effect as an antacid, but I wasn't going to take the chance.
(don't worry, the penny no longer resides near the tums, I just had to re-enact it in the picture for you.)
Olive Edwards
I had an "Olive Edwards Moment."
Okay, for the few of you who remember sweet Olive Edwards, you'll laugh at this like I did. For those of you who never had the pleasure of meeting this sweet lady, I'll try and explain.
Let's travel back 10 years or so when Olive was the organist for our church ward. She was elderly and seemed to get more frail each week. But, she diligently came to play the Hymns for us, slow and steady, no matter what the tempo should have been. After playing the first couple of Hymns, she would scoot off the bench for a more comfortable seat to listen to the speakers when, "HONK!!" she would accidentally tap her foot to a pedal and startle us. It soon became endearing as it started happening more frequently. I'm sure by others she was more well known for her kind heart, but I appreciate the comic relief she provided.
So there you go.
How do I fit into this?? Well, I've been the Primary pianist for the past little while and because we have so many kids in our ward, we have primary in the chapel. As soon as the postlude of the organ stops, I begin playing the piano to let people know, "PRIMARY IS STARTING...get a move on!" (don't worry, the music I play sends a much more subtle message than that.) So, I hop up to the piano quickly to get all situated, and this last week, as I sat down on the bench, "HONK!!" My belly played about 10 keys!! First I winced at the thought that my belly had grown that much in a week and then laughed as I thought about how I've joined the Olive Edwards club. It's makes me a little proud to be in such good company.
Okay, for the few of you who remember sweet Olive Edwards, you'll laugh at this like I did. For those of you who never had the pleasure of meeting this sweet lady, I'll try and explain.
Let's travel back 10 years or so when Olive was the organist for our church ward. She was elderly and seemed to get more frail each week. But, she diligently came to play the Hymns for us, slow and steady, no matter what the tempo should have been. After playing the first couple of Hymns, she would scoot off the bench for a more comfortable seat to listen to the speakers when, "HONK!!" she would accidentally tap her foot to a pedal and startle us. It soon became endearing as it started happening more frequently. I'm sure by others she was more well known for her kind heart, but I appreciate the comic relief she provided.
So there you go.
How do I fit into this?? Well, I've been the Primary pianist for the past little while and because we have so many kids in our ward, we have primary in the chapel. As soon as the postlude of the organ stops, I begin playing the piano to let people know, "PRIMARY IS STARTING...get a move on!" (don't worry, the music I play sends a much more subtle message than that.) So, I hop up to the piano quickly to get all situated, and this last week, as I sat down on the bench, "HONK!!" My belly played about 10 keys!! First I winced at the thought that my belly had grown that much in a week and then laughed as I thought about how I've joined the Olive Edwards club. It's makes me a little proud to be in such good company.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
25 Days...
Really, only 25 days? Scary thought. The counter on the side of this blog was a bad idea. 3 1/2 weeks still sounds far away, but 25 days!! The way the days are flying by, that's practically tomorrow! AND, one more thing--that little baby floating in the bubble is totally false advertising! There is floating you can feel at about 5 months and every movement is exciting, like a little fluttering butterfly that you feel and see against your belly every so often. NOW, it's full on stomach morphing mode. At one point my stomach was completely square with her bum and part of her back pushing out of me. That's not the best exit strategy. There's a better way out my dear. Anyway, people say you'll miss the feeling of a moving baby inside you, but I don't think I'm among their ranks. I'm ready to meet this little one face to face and see what all the commotion inside has been about. (ps--she's totally kicking me right now. I think she can hear my thoughts.)
We have finally scrounged up some baby pictures to get an idea of the potential growing inside me. We've been having fun trying to guess who will pass down what traits.
Make that 24 days until we meet our little lady. I'd better get to sleeping before I don't have that option anymore!
We have finally scrounged up some baby pictures to get an idea of the potential growing inside me. We've been having fun trying to guess who will pass down what traits.
Make that 24 days until we meet our little lady. I'd better get to sleeping before I don't have that option anymore!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
My T-Rex Arms
Anyone else remember this "Far Side" comic? I recall it being funnier...and black and white. But alas, google only gave me so many options. (Is 'funnier' correct grammar? Should it be 'more funny?' oh well.) I thought of it the other day when I opened my front door and smacked my stomach. For a second I thought my arms shrunk, then I looked at my enormous belly and realized that wasn't the case.
Doing dishes has also given me a T-Rex complex. It makes me laugh in the "funny uh-oh" kind of way, not "funny ha-ha." (This is how my husband categorizes humor.) When I reach for utensils at the bottom of the sink, sometimes it's a stretch. The best is when I'm finished loading the dishwasher, I look at my belly and I've got a wet strip across my shirt where I've been up against the sink. By this point I'm laughing because it's "funny ha-ha."
I'm sure most of you have been there before, but I've had an urge to record these things for my daughter. I'd love to know what my mom went through while lugging me around for 9 months. So, I'm sorry if I'm boring you.
Confessions.
I might wear the same outfit 3 days in a row.
If you see me more than once in that time period, don't judge. I'm running out of clothes.
If you see me more than once in that time period, don't judge. I'm running out of clothes.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
I'm Already On "Mommy Time"
After talking to a friend last night about some of the joys of pregnancy, I realized that my body has been in training for sleepless nights already. The middle of the night bathroom runs are conditioning me for my newborn. Last night I checked the clock with each wake up call and here's what it looked like:
12:30--Bathroom Break
3:15--Bathroom trip again, followed by some tums, water to wash the chalk out of my mouth and a couple rounds of free cell on my ipod since it was taking so long for me to fall asleep again.
4:45--Bathroom Trip
7:30--Again with the Bathroom! At this point daylight is usually here to stay and I can no longer fall back asleep regardless of how tired I am.
I've had shockingly good sleep throughout this pregnancy and it's been my saving grace. These last few weeks I've been losing hours each night trying to find a comfortable position after getting up, or laying there running a million things through my head. Some nights I'm tempted to get out of bed and DO something besides watch the minutes tick by on my clock. Regardless, I think the sacrifice of sleep is going to be the hardest thing for me to cope with. I like my sleep. I'm sure it will be worth the time I get to spend with my baby. I'll keep my fingers crossed at least.
*side note* A couple of my piano students are learning the song "Skip to my Lou" and it totally makes me laugh now because at night it rings in my head with altered lyrics: "skip to the loo." Although truly I walk like a zombie, there is no skipping involved.
There have been some other interesting nighttime developments at the Arnold house. My subconscious has become aware that I'm pregnant as my belly has become a part of my dreams these days, well nights. It's a little unnerving. I have horrible nightmares. Embarrassingly gruesome nightmares. Situations I've never thought about in my LIFE, somehow fabricate themselves in my dreams with me as the victim. (Usually I fight them off, but it's HOW I fight them that's creepy and disgusting.) I'm sure someone could have a hay-day with how messed up this must make me. But now it's a little scarier when I float into dreamland because all my pregnancy symptoms follow me! It's not as easy to kill a river boat guide with 40 extra pounds hanging on you or run away from your neighbor-turned-serial-killer since I haven't run in months! You get the idea. Sometimes I'm very grateful for the potty breaks that come 4 and 5 times a night to get me out of my own head!
I don't really know why I'm sharing this. Rantings of the pregnant lady I guess.
Enjoy.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Nursery Update
So, our nursery is coming along...not quite like I envisioned in my head, but at least there's a crib for her to sleep in. As soon as I got some energy I boldly went to the paint store and looked for some pink swatches. Three days later, I had a hot pink wall in my baby's room that glows a little down the hallway. Yikes. I hope it doesn't induce epilepsy in my child. I was just afraid that I wouldn't feel great for that long so I made a ton of snap decisions to feel like I was actually accomplishing something. The other three walls are a few shades lighter on the swatch and by the time I finished it, I hated it. I'm not sure if it's because it took me a whole stinkin' week to do and I was sick of looking at it, or if I really did despise what I had just created. Either way, she's stuck with it, 'cause I'm too tired to re-do it!
It does still have potential for success. Her crib is white, I've enlisted the help of my dad to finish the white paint on a dresser I got on craigslist, we picked up a chocolate brown glider and I finally pulled down the giant chocolate teddy bear I had in my closet. (pictures coming soon.) I'm keeping my fingers crossed these neutral colors will break up the insanity.
Well, Pottery Barn to the rescue! I splurged on this gorgeous butterfly mobile/chandelier to save the day. I was originally going to copy cat my own for a quarter of the price, but after copying a Thanksgiving calendar of theirs last year, I remembered sometimes the savings is not worth your time.
It really is mesmerizing. When the AC kicks on, I go up to her room and sit in the glider just staring at it's gentle movement. I hope it has the same effect on me while I feed her at 2 in the morning. So, no matter what the rest of the room ends up like, at least there's one piece in there I love.
It does still have potential for success. Her crib is white, I've enlisted the help of my dad to finish the white paint on a dresser I got on craigslist, we picked up a chocolate brown glider and I finally pulled down the giant chocolate teddy bear I had in my closet. (pictures coming soon.) I'm keeping my fingers crossed these neutral colors will break up the insanity.
Well, Pottery Barn to the rescue! I splurged on this gorgeous butterfly mobile/chandelier to save the day. I was originally going to copy cat my own for a quarter of the price, but after copying a Thanksgiving calendar of theirs last year, I remembered sometimes the savings is not worth your time.
It really is mesmerizing. When the AC kicks on, I go up to her room and sit in the glider just staring at it's gentle movement. I hope it has the same effect on me while I feed her at 2 in the morning. So, no matter what the rest of the room ends up like, at least there's one piece in there I love.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
I AM
IRRITATED!
Yep, it's true, I've been taken over by another being that has turned me into a nightmare! I'm usually level headed, but this hormone shenanigans has gone on long enough. I hope my husband can survive the next 4.5 weeks of this as most of the irritation has been spewed toward him.
The worst part is that I can't hold my tongue. It would be different if I could be irritated privately and keep a smile on my face, but it's not possible. I MUST say it out loud. I have this NEED to correct people when they don't do things my way. (That's part of the reason I've become a hermit lately, I've shoved my foot in my mouth one too many times.) I mean, do I really care how Brian brushes his teeth or eats corn on the cob? OF COURSE NOT!! But that doesn't stop me from informing him he's not doing it right...and then when my brain returns, I get irritated that I'm irritated by such frivolous nonsense! It's a vicious cycle.
Wish me luck. Well, wish Brian luck.
It's getting better as the light at the end of this tunnel gets brighter and closer, so I'll get back to blogging. Despite the misery of this pregnancy and all of its splendor, we have managed to sneak in a few things worth remembering.
Yep, it's true, I've been taken over by another being that has turned me into a nightmare! I'm usually level headed, but this hormone shenanigans has gone on long enough. I hope my husband can survive the next 4.5 weeks of this as most of the irritation has been spewed toward him.
The worst part is that I can't hold my tongue. It would be different if I could be irritated privately and keep a smile on my face, but it's not possible. I MUST say it out loud. I have this NEED to correct people when they don't do things my way. (That's part of the reason I've become a hermit lately, I've shoved my foot in my mouth one too many times.) I mean, do I really care how Brian brushes his teeth or eats corn on the cob? OF COURSE NOT!! But that doesn't stop me from informing him he's not doing it right...and then when my brain returns, I get irritated that I'm irritated by such frivolous nonsense! It's a vicious cycle.
Wish me luck. Well, wish Brian luck.
It's getting better as the light at the end of this tunnel gets brighter and closer, so I'll get back to blogging. Despite the misery of this pregnancy and all of its splendor, we have managed to sneak in a few things worth remembering.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
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