Happy Valentine's Day!

Oh the fun of Valentine's Day... scrambling to get the cards & candy for Kaely's class (try saying that 5 times fast)- especially after the child decided to give away 2 of the suckers the day before- so now she is short... I wanted to scream- I couldn't let her take in the cards without enough candy for all the kids, but I couldn't let her go in empty-handed... so I scrambled and improvised. So frustrating to hear "uhhh- I forgot I wasn't supposed to get into the candy"- riiiiiiighhhhttt...

Then we have my fantastic appointment for the morning (my 6 week checkup- just what every woman wants)... and will have to enjoy sending messages and thoughts back and forth with Dave since he's a good 3 hours away. So- it'll be me & the kids tonight for a Valentine's dinner complete with mac & cheese! or maybe I'll go out on a limb and order pizza... haha.

I can't complain though, because there is nothing better (maybe sharing the same rank as) than snuggling with my baby boy all day- and I'm so grateful he's here, healthy, and growing stronger every day. Whenever I get bummed or frustrated I just have to hold him to bring myself back- amazing the power packed into his 6 pound body :) Much love to all my family- how lucky am I!

Completely unrelated to anything baby-wise- but this show cracks me up and has been my indulgent "me" time I spend everyday- and this is why... brought laughter to my day:



My favorite Valentine's Day clip... all in good fun!!! Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Diapers: Generic vs. Namebrand

The big debate! I am someone who does not particularly enjoy shopping- the "high" I get from shopping is in the hunt for bargains- and in how much I can save. So, when it comes to diapers & other disposable items that are ultimately pooped in, it's hard to spend the extra money for the name brand. When Kaely was a baby, for nearly the first year, the generic brand Target had were manufactured by Pampers I believe. It was the same quality- for almost half the price- awesome. Then they changed their manufacturer, and since it's been... well... spotty. But to save at least $3 each time (based on around 30 diapers)- it is hard to splurge.

That is, until, you get poop leaked on you. Or pee for that matter. Which is, of course, what happened to me the other day. Plus, all his lovely "mustard" diapers you can see through the back the color you're about to discover when you open it up. Yuck. So yesterday I went to Target while Dad hung out with Chase, and I stood in that stinkin' aisle staring and comparing and debating on whether or not to pay the extra for the diapers I know worked really well. I mean- it's "only" an extra $3, right? But when you go through about 8-12 diapers a day- a pack every 2-3 days- that really adds up! So 10 minutes later, after picking up and putting down the different brands- I gave up and (even with my $3 coupon and 10% off) grudgingly decided to splurge. Am I really that much of a cheapskate that it's such a big deal??? haha. Maybe.

So, I have a consumer test going on at the house with all the brands- seeing which one really works best- and if I can get away with saving money for a tad lower quality- or if it really is worth spending the extra.
Oh the joys of a baby butt!!!

In any case, we have been hiding all morning because it's freezing out! Here's a glimpse into what we do in the mornings- just staring and laughing at each other :) He's getting so big!!!

Happy Due Date!

6 1/2 weeks later... we finally reached his original estimated due date. More or less the whole "adjusted age" deal is based off his gestational age and estimated due date when considering milestones such as holding his head up, crawling, walking, etc. This way he's not considered abnormal if he's not reaching these by his "calendar" age- since he still had to develop as much as a baby still in the womb. So if you consider the adjusted age vs. his calendar age, he's pretty far ahead of the curve- definitely acts older than a newborn, but maybe not as "mature" as a full-term 6 week old. Either way, he's got the eating thing down, we've been doing tummy time and other mild-stimulating activities during his wakeful periods now, and seeing how much stronger and alert he is everyday.

I think we will be packing up his preemie clothes this week- a couple more outfits have been tossed in the "does not fit" pile, hard to believe how quickly it all happens! Not to mention this weather is confusing me when trying to make sure we have outfits that fit & are appropriate..

I will work on officially getting our birth announcements out this week- of course if you are reading this blog you obviously know he's here and see the latest & greatest photos- but it's still the old-fashioned thing I have to do! Thanks for all your patience & understanding in general- nothing about the past month or two is normal or planned :)

Happy Sunday everyone!

"Life doesn't always turn out exactly how you plan it, sometimes, just sometimes, it turns out better"

2/10/12

To say this past year has not gone as "planned" is an understatement... Chase- and everything about him- has taught us that you can plan all you want, but something bigger than us has a different idea. We had all these plans about the timing of our wedding, school, jobs, even a ballpark of when we'd ideally like a baby to enter our lives.

I don't think one of those things went "as planned"- the wedding was supposed to be a different date/time/location at one point- but I think how it turned out was better than I had envisioned. School took forever to get into my program, and I had every intention of going to a different school - but clearly that didn't work as I'd thought it would- the program I ended up with was perfect for how our year turned out. Our jobs? hahaha. The frustration & all that went with the disaster that was our jobs early last year, then me being fired after being put on bedrest and all that drama... well,  it worked out for the best on my end- how else would I have been able to spend an entire month at the hospital with Chase- giving him the support and presence not everyone can provide- and enjoy every day with him since? Dave's job down south has been the hardest part of it all, but the insurance alone has saved us- seeing some of these hospital bills trickle in has been an eye opener. The distance has made us value each other (I believe) and realize that anything that comes easy just isn't worth it- we have to work that much harder to fight for what we have. Still not sure the lesson or apparent end-result of the job/location/move- but I know there is a reason behind that as well.

The biggest "unplanned-planned" event was Chase himself. We knew we wanted a baby, we just had no idea he'd arrive so soon- both in his surprising us back in June with knowing he existed, and then his impatient arrival in December to be in our arms. He has turned us on our heads- as a couple, a family, and in searching our individual hearts. I thought I knew what I wanted and when- but so much of what was given to us instead was better than I could have imagined it. He has made us realize what is most important when you strip away everything else. My desire to be a nurse has increased ten-fold, but the timing of that has become the least important. Knowing that not everything has to happen "now" - and maybe there's something else I'm meant to be doing and somewhere else I need to be.

The grass is always greener- but all it takes is a little reminder to remember just how fortunate you really have it.

Feeling Human Again May Take A Village...

Getting motivated to take a few photos with Kaely & Chase meant getting the energy up to straighten my hair & put on makeup... standing back (an hour or so later) and looking in the mirror, I think, wow- what a difference- I look half human! It is so sad that I've come to the point in my life that I have to rely on makeup to look alive (I have faith this is temporary- once I can sleep again and be more active I think I'll be a smidge better). How on earth did I ever do this every day for work? Do my hair, do my makeup, get dressed, etc? When I walked out in the sundress over the weekend for the photos with Dave & I, I believe his exact words were "Woah- I know what I'm getting you for Valentine's Day" -as he's laughing at me, I am beyond white- more like translucent (his gift would be a spray tan). Come on, Chase is darker than I am- hahaha. Point is though- that as silly and superficial as all this is, it makes me feel soooo much better to feel human and feminine, and just wish it didn't take so much effort!

The past week or so has inspired me to truly make a date (yes, I wish it were with my husband- working on that part) for myself. To get out for an hour or two and get pampered. Fortunately I get the pleasure of making it a girl's afternoon as well- and you know? Something as simple as planning to get our toes done is nearly as exciting as anticipating Christmas morning. So my advice to new moms is to eventually build up the confidence enough to escape for a little bit of time to try to remember what you used to look and feel like. I will never be the same person- that is okay- but I don't want to lose myself entirely.

Lucky for me though- Chase doesn't seem to mind if my hair is a mass of curls, or all you see are freckles all over my face, or heck, even if I smell like milk all day :) So since he's the one who sees me most, I say it's not so bad. My lovely daughter, however, likes to remind me of the changes- hence the infamous questions of "why do you still have a belly?" or "why are you wearing your pajamas still?"... ehhhhh... oh well :)

Happy 6 weeks my beautiful baby boy!!!

Atrocious Apricots!

Dried apricots- a handy snack that's quick and easy, with a bit of tart to go with the sweet- I thought it was a decent thing to have around. However, first, I realized that my allergy to sulfa/sulfur started kicking in since they use sulfites to preserve the dried fruit- and between the headaches and stomach aches, I figured I should consider tossing them. But the clincher was opening up a generous diaper with yellow poop that smells like apricots- Gross! This has gone on for about 24 hours now- and if a person can really eat apricots (or anything else) that ultimately smells like poop- then I guess more power to you. BLECH. I just can't wait until he starts eating solids... will definitely have to make sure that the trash is taken out frequently for that. For now though, I'm waiting for the association to leave my nostrils :)

On another note- ummmm- I've wanted to serve jury duty for about 13 years now- never have gotten called until now. The notice came when I was at the hospital and had no clue about it. By the time we got home, settled, and I sorted through the stack of mail- the required 10 day notice for request for excuse had passed. Then I try to send anyway and realize I have no stamp- so another day goes by. Luckily I found there is a place you can go online to fill out the request form, but since it has been less than 10 days... oh boy. So I call in to the line last night to see if my "number" is even called- and yep- go figure it is. There is no way of leaving Chase with anyone (no offense to anyone- just not possible yet with him being so young and all), plus I don't have a pump or place to store milk if I were to be there for a potential 8+ hours, then there's Kaely, we no longer use the before/after school service and so there's nothing for her either, and there's no way of taking him with me. So I'm just praying I don't get charged with contempt of court if they decided the notice wasn't given in enough time. AHHHHH!

Okay, a belated pic to make me smile in the meantime :)

Our New Year's Eve-Eve Baby!

What To Do When You're Housebound???

I'm getting better about putting Chase down while he snoozes (unless I'm joining him in a much needed rest!), in order to do things like cook, shower, clean up a bit, etc. Now that I am getting back into a loose routine, I'm itching to get out! But we are still looking at a couple more weeks of restriction regarding going out or having visitors- just trying to give him the required time to build up immunity and all that. Which of course makes all the silly stuff like grabbing a movie, or getting my hair cut, sound so appealing- simply because it's not the ideal timing yet. As mad as I was at Netflix (price increases out the ... yeah...), I'm tempted to sign up again. And online shopping?? hahaha... No, I haven't given in to either temptation, but it does make me wonder what other people do during this time.

Unfortunately, the most appealing thing to do appears to be cleaning the house (sooooo needed!), but that's no fun! I would love for one of those mobile dog-groomers to appear and make the dogs hair- and smell-free again. Cooking? Well, did that yesterday, and I really need to eat the food that's left over. Sigh... no attention span yet to study for next semester in school, or to even read a fiction novel. One more week before I should be able to exercise (yoga mat purchased and ready to go!), and hoping to get Kaely a new bike soon so she can cruise and I can walk this stuff off! Until then??? I am one big bum!

Oh well- guess I'll do what I do best right now- feed and stare at Chase all day- hehehe... works for me!

On a side note- boredom has led me to enter a couple photo contests on the BabyCenter website- take a look and vote if you care to! :) 

http://community.babycenter.com/contest/entry/52829/

http://community.babycenter.com/contest/entry/52841/taylor_swift_look-alike..._her_idol