6 More Weeks

I am so excited for only having 6 weeks left in my pregnancy. We are so close to having a baby in our house and I am scared and nervous. We are still getting everything ready, I feel like there is so much left to do, but at the same time, I have no idea where to start.
Sophie's bedroom is still in the exact same condition it was last month, we have all the major items for the room that we need, even though she wont be sleeping in her crib for at least a few weeks. My sister gave us our Pack N Play last week which we set up in our bedroom. Sophie will sleep in there for the first few weeks since it will keep her close at hand for all of those late night feedings. Her Pack N Play has a small rocker and a changing table connection so I wont have to walk down the hall for anything in the middle of the night. This will be extremely helpful while we have guests staying with us, especially since Sophie's door is directly across from our guest bedroom and I would feel bad about keeping people up at random times at night.

I am so paranoid that Sophie is going to show up early and we wont have everything we need. So after we get paid on the 15th, we are going to go get her car seat, set it up, then get it checked to make sure it is in properly. I have already started packing my bag for the hospital; clothing to come home for me and Sophie, socks, iPod, and other small things that I don't have to use between now and then. My biggest worry is that Adam is going to completely freak out and forget how to get to the hospital. He worries so much- if there is a noise (not even a loud one) while I am upstairs he panics thinking that I fell or something. It's cute, but sometimes overbearing since he hovers at times.

Time is going to be going by very quickly from now on (until she is born). Starting Monday, I have appointments 3 times a week. Every Monday and Thursday continue for my Non Stress Tests, which are more of an inconvenience than anything since it is a 45 minute drive each way to and from the hospital, then I am really only there for about 35 minutes while they monitor the baby for heart rate reactions to movement- which she always does immediately then I just have to wait for the 25 minute minimum time to pass. Additionally I start my weekly check ups to monitor for signs of labor and progress. The best part of 3 doctor visits a week are that I will definitely know if I am even close to labor and at a medical facility every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, so I really just have the weekend to worry about being caught off guard.

Nanny and Papaw are coming out to visit, getting here probably on the 10th and staying for about a week, along with Aunt Ann. And then, Tammie is going to try and come out either the weekend of the 17th or 25th, I'm not sure if this trip will be just her, with the kids, and/or with her husband. Additionally, the clinic that Adam works at is throwing a baby shower since there are like 3 women due around the same time, on the 23rd. This makes my Thursday a little busy- have to get my NST early in the morning to allot enough time in case someone decides to be a crack baby again and prevent the nurses from getting a baseline heart rate. On Monday I spent 2 solid hours at the hospital being monitored since she did not stop moving the entire time, literally. This is an issue because when she moves, her heart rate reflects that, so instead of her normal baseline being 130-135, it took 2 hours to get a base of 150-155 bpm. Fortunately this really isn't a bad thing, since her extra movement just shows that she is getting plenty of blood, oxygen, and nutrients. She has plenty of extra energy, lets just hope I can keep up with her when she gets here.

To Cloth or Not To Cloth

That is the question that I am sitting on right now. Which is going to be a more economical solution for us to do?
Given that newborn diapers bought online in a case of 140 diapers for $31 and you supposedly use 72 diapers on average each week, we will spend around $186 in the first 3 months of her life. From between 3-6 months if they use 5-7 a day, at $47.19 per box of 276, it would be an additional $94.38. Then from 6-11 months an average of 5 diapers a day for $47.19 for an additional box of 276 diapers. This does not account for the difference in sizes which will obviously skew the numbers since she will not wear the same size diaper for 6 months so 1 box will not last that long. But given these numbers, it will be at least $327.57 for the first year in diaper cost. Plus the use of baby wipes. I can get a box of 720 baby wipes for $20.49.

I know that the upfront cost of using cloth diapers is a little bit more, but will this save us money in the long run?

Making use of unemployment

So I am still unemployed. I am trying to make use of my time to get things ready for Sophie, making use of what I have here. Adam just left for the week to go to Fort Belvoir to get work done at the dental clinic there and we had 2 heads of broccoli and a bag of carrots we bought last week that I didn't want to go bad.

Today I made use of our rice cooker/veggie steamer we got from the wedding and our food processor and cooked up some of the broccoli and carrots. Since obviously Sophie isn't born yet, and I don't have any jars or cans and no idea how to do either of those, I have to find a way to save this food. I have a large ice cube tray that will make perfect 1 oz servings. Stick them in the freezer until solid, then I can simply put them in zip lock baggies until she is ready to eat them.

I did find out via the internet that I probably shouldn't give her broccoli until she is about 8 months old due to the high fiber and the tendency to cause gas. But, I am prepared for when she is ready. I'm not being neurotic, which most people tend to attribute to me since I like to be overly prepared for many random situations. I am just trying to keep from wasting money on veggies that I cannot possibly eat all of before it goes bad by myself.

So at 4 months old I can start giving her fruits, like apples, bananas, peaches, pears and veggies like sweet potatoes and squash. So anytime we have an extra of these, I will save and make into baby food and save. Doing the research, it is so much cheaper to make your own baby food than it is to buy. For example, $0.24 per oz for store bought food versus only $0.02-$0.04 per oz of home made. Plus you know exactly what is in the home made without any additives. 

I know making your own food isn't something everyone can do, especially if you have a job, but since I have plenty of time on my hands at the moment, it makes sense right now. Plus it will help offset me not bringing in much income. 

I am still selling Scentsy and will hopefully be able to have a few parties here in the near future. Although we didn't make very much at the APG Yard Sale this past Saturday, I did have a few women who were very interested and took my information about having a home party and ordering. I am also trying to get everything situated in the house so that I can start doing Open Houses on weekends and try to bring in business that way, as well as meet more people around here.

Slacker of the Year goes to...

I have been completely lazy in my blogging lately. In fact, I have simply been extremely lazy in all regards this year. I originally started this post 3 months ago, and today I pick it up again to finish it.

We have moved to Aberdeen, Maryland this month. We are living on post in a 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath townhouse with a nice carport and plenty of additional storage. We are slowly but surely getting everything unpacked and set up. Slowly is the operative word since last week I got put on bed rest for 24 hours but Adam is a worrier so he made it like 48-60 hours.

On Thursday we went to Lowes and bought me 2 rose bushes and a calla lily to plant in our little flower bed area then went to lunch. When we pulled into the parking lot for some Chinese food I suddenly got a sharp pain in my abdomen. I assumed that Sophie just moved into a bad position and was pushing on a nerve or a muscle or something to cause it. We went in, had lunch but I couldn't get the pain to cease or anything. As I stood up to leave the pain felt so much worse and I couldn't stand up straight or even get into the truck without Adam's help. Adam of course freaked and immediately took me to the clinic on post to see what the issue was. APG is a very small installation and does not have any OB equipment so after they did the normal triage stuff I got an ambulance ride to Upper Chesapeake Medical Center to get checked out. I cannot lie and say I wasn't worried, but I knew that Sophie was okay because she would still kick (right where I hurt). I was hooked up to a fetal heart rate monitor and a monitor for contractions to ensure I wasn't going into preterm labor. Thank God that I wasn't. Turns out that I strained the round ligament on my right side due to the increased activity lately. And no, I have not been over doing it, even the increased amount of walking we've done has contributed to it.

Our dining room is set up minus hanging up a painting (and a rug which we have to get at a later point in time). The kitchen, our bedroom, and guest bath are complete. the living room/office area is mostly complete as is our bathroom and the guest bedroom (just needs curtains and a little bit of storage cleanup). Sophie's room is the only one that is in total disarray. We need to get a dresser for all the clothing that my wonderful cousin Karen and amazing friend Augusta gave us. If we even tried to buy the amount of stuff they gave us we would be completely broke right now. We are both very blessed. Once we get our downstairs set up we can start doing Scentsy Open Houses and hopefully start bringing in some business.

(The above was written May 20th)

The slacking has continued as we try and continue to get things in our life set up.

We got Sophie's room all set up (minus things like a mattress, changing pad, and stuff like that). Her walls are all painted; one wall is painted Pink Whisper by Valspar with circles painted in Very Berry, Nautical, Berries Galore and Roasted Coffee. On the other 3 walls we added circles in the Pink Whisper to carry the theme around the room. I have actually sorted through all of the clothing so generously given to us from our friend and cousin.
(Yes that is our "I [love] My Big Al" onsie that I am planning on using to bring her home from the hospital in, draped over the edge of the crib)

We have been getting things all set up here. I had an interview at Picerne Military Housing here on post to be a Relocation Specialist on Tuesday. I really hope things went well, I should hopefully know whether I got the job on either Tuesday or Wednesday. Please keep your fingers crossed for me- this job would relieve about 82 tons of stress out of my life right now.

Thursday Adam and I drove down to Franklin Square Medical Center and had a follow up sonogram to check on things due to issues found at our 20 week one done in Wichita Falls. After that appointment I was informed that I had a low lying placenta which doesn't exactly cause issues with the pregnancy but more the delivery. Because of being early in the pregnancy the doctor wasn't entirely worried about it and just wanted it to be sure and recheck later since it usually moves upward as the uterus expands. I am so thankful that it did. Another matter of stress was being informed once we got here, which Wichita Falls Dr did not tell us, was that I have a 2 vessel cord instead of the normal 3 vessels. Normally there are 2 arteries and 1 vein in the umbilical cord to supply blood and nutrients to the baby. This is something that is relatively common apparently with side effects ranging from nothing up to being born small, heart defects or even Down Syndrome. Well, we've done the chromosomal testing and Sophie is good there, her heart looks perfect, and as of yesterday- she is DEFINITELY not small. Given her measurements she may actually be born in August rather than September. I know that only potentially moves her up a week or so but since 6 weeks ago she was measuring almost a week small, I am so thankful. Sophie has big feet, long legs, and her Daddy's head size- measuring in the 97.7%

We are looking forward to people coming to visit us. I know my sister in law is planning on visiting with her family in July, as is one of Adam's former coworker who is going to stop through sometime in July. Nanny and Papaw are going to probably take a road trip up here before the baby gets here since they are also coming up in December for the Army Navy game up in Philadelphia. My Aunt Kathy is planning on being here for the birth so she will be coming up end of August/early September. SIL is planning on heading our way as soon as she gets the word from Adam as well. I do want our family to know that they are always welcome to come visit, just let us know when since we only have 1 spare bed and 1 large couch (2 people can easily sleep on it). I'm not exactly sure when my Dad is coming up, but I recommended end of September/early October that way I can have some semblance of an idea what I am doing before he gets here.

And so, before I get too bored again or distracted, I guess I should end this blog otherwise it will be another few weeks before I ever finish and post something again. I promise- future posts will definitely be shorter and more on a single thought. 

Difficult few weeks

It has been a very uncomfortable few weeks for me. I am pregnant, which I am so happy about, but apparently my baby likes me to feel like poop. I have had the normal morning sickness, although mostly at night, but this past week has been something of a completely different variety.
We went down to Fort Worth this past weekend for my sister's bridal shower, which was beautiful thanks to the hard work of my SIL Katie. Sunday morning rolls around and my stomach felt not so hot, and not the normal "I need to puke" sensation. I took my anti nausea meds from my doctor and went about my day, even though I really just wanted to curl up and go to sleep forever. I managed to stay awake all the way up until 7pm then went  to bed until 645 Monday morning when we had to head back to Wichita Falls for me to be at work by 10. I got sick- normal for waking up and moving around too quickly immediately- but the feeling didn't go away. I basically slept the entire 2 hour drive home (with a cup next to me just in case). We made it home, and I got sick again- everything I ate that morning was no more. Go to work (which was from 10-7 since I had to get someone to work Sunday for me to be in Fort Worth) and barely survive the day.
I got home and ate my baked potato, something that's been safe so far then too my shower and got ready for bed. Oops, potato was no longer safe. I get sick and completely empty my stomach of everything, take a nausea pill then went to bed (at 8). 2 hours later, I am woken up to be sick again, then again at 1130, 1230, and finally at 150, I wake Adam up to take me to the ER since I was beyond empty and couldn't hold down water.
If you know me, you know I am not a "lets just go to the doctor" kind of person, I prefer to just sleep it off if possible. Well, obviously that didn't work last night, so we get to the ER and I run to get sick again while Adam checks me in and they immediately get me a room. Blood drawn, IV hooked up, and blood pressure taken first thing. They gave me more anti nausea meds through the IV and my body sucked up 1000 mL of fluid in less than 20 minutes. While waiting for the results of my tests, since they didn't know why I was so sick, I slept (ish) and I'm assuming Adam tried to sleep in his chair. At 430 they came back and told me all my tests were normal, and that I was dehydrated from emptying ever pore in my body of water, but that I can go home since they got the meds into my system. One last blood pressure check- 96/60. Wait that cant be right, so she did it again, 86/54. Whoops, thats not good. I thought they were going to admit me then, but I had to drink a couple cups of water, and it went up eventually to 106/72. So it was FINALLY time to go home, at 530am.
Needless to say, I did not go to work today, since I am still dehydrated and extremely weak. Adam went into work late due to him having to be at the hospital with me for 4 hours instead of sleeping. I am not a fan of doctors still, but I am so happy I went last night because I think if I had gotten up one more time to be sick, I probably would've ended up passing out in the bathroom and hitting my head on the toilet.
I am 11 weeks and 4 days, so close to being out of my first trimester, PLEASE let me start feeling better. I think I'm going to go take a nap again.

I'm still alive!

I know it may not seem like it based on my entries here, but I am still alive. I have been extremely busy over the last few months and I am so excited for the next few to make it here.
My birthday is on Friday and our anniversary is on Sunday. And while I will not be alone on Friday, I will be celebrating alone on my anniversary. The husband is still deployed, even though it is for only a few more weeks. He has been gone for nearly a year, and our anniversary just makes that seem all the more noticeable. I do get to go out to dinner with my Dad, Brother, and Sister in Law on Friday and I am getting a massage on Wednesday- which I desperately need. I was so stressed out prior to A coming home on his mid-tour leave that I started getting sick, gave myself stress ulcers and was just down right bitchy. But not this time. I am getting my massages, I get to play with my kids 3 days a week, and I have plenty to keep me busy between quilts, Wookie, school, and my grandparents.
A lot has changed since A was home on leave, I moved out of my apartment due to some very unfavorable decisions on my roommate's part, and moved in with my grandparents. Its actually pretty nice, they love my dog, and they keep her entertained all day and she keeps them entertained while I'm at work. Lucky for me, she is a very well behaved dog, and she loves her Papaw. I also no longer work for Delta Airlines, it was too stressful and too much bullshit to put up with for 40 hours a week making $1700 a month. So now, I work 1/3 of the hours, for 1/3 of the pay (so same rate) and I am HAPPY. I love the school I work at, I love the kids, and the staff. I have learned so much from them in such a short period of time. The only downside is that my job is 45 miles from my grandparents' house, so it is a bit of a drive but I'm perfectly content to make the drive for the time being. I'm getting that much needed experience, and it has let me know that this is definitely something that I want to do with my life.
A comes home soon! Only a few more weeks and he'll be here, and we can finally take that honeymoon that we didn't get to take last year. We are going to Hot Springs, Arkansas for 5 days the week of Thanksgiving. Sorry Family, but we will not be at Grandma's for Thanksgiving. We are staying in a little cabin in the middle of no where, apart from everyone else, and will just enjoy being together. I am so thankful for him coming home to me, and being safe and healthy. Apparently he has lost close to 40 lbs the last time that he weighed himself, and I could not be more proud of him. He is eating healthier and working out, and I don't have to worry about him as often.

Please try and help me keep busy for the next few weeks until my love comes home to me, and keep me from stressing myself out if at all possible!!

Scentsy Launch

With encouragement from my friend H that I was in boot camp with, I have become a Scentsy Consultant.
I am extremely excited to get my starter kit in the mail this week and hope that all of my friends and family will embrace this new direction in my life and spread the word to their friends.
My website is here and will be available 24 hours a day, obviously since it is online, for any of your home, car, or personal fragrance needs!!

Dont forget that Mother's Day is this Sunday, and you still have time to place your orders for those last minute gifts in case you forgot to get mom something already.