When is the time right?

So lately the hubby and I have been asking ourselves the "when is it time for another one" question.  My husband's answer varies greatly from mine at this time (and for the past year).  His answer is "now, please."  Mine is more like "whoa whoa whoa, at least buy me dinner...." 

One of my reasons is that I feel like I have just gotten my body back or reclaimed or whatever you want to call it.  Although I was so sad to be done with nursing, at the same time it was such a relief to not worry about pumping or nursing on schedule.  Also, William is at such an amazing stage right now!  He goes to bed at 8 without a fuss.  He sleeps 10-13 hours a night.  We don't really have to worry about packing him special food when we go out since he eats just about anything.  He is so much fun to play with.  He wants to play with his toys.  He wants to toss a ball.  He wants to wrestle.  He wants to dance and listen to music.  He snuggles when I rock with him before bed.  He will drop a toy to come give me a hug.  It's pretty much amazing.  Then there's the question I hear a lot of first time parents ask themselves - "How could we possibly love another child more than we do now?"  I'm not too worried about that last one because I realize we could and would.  But I still can't prevent it from entering my mind.

Then there's "logistical" discussions.  Adam finishes school in about December of 2013 - do we wait until after that?  My sister gets married in June 2013 - do we plan around that?  What time of the year do we want our next kid?  Can we afford another one?  Is our house ready for a second little one?  Are WE really ready for another one?

Then I stop and wonder if perhaps I'm over thinking it all.  Other times my heart about bursts thinking about the possibility of feeling a baby kick or having a chance at a VBAC or introducing William to his little brother or sister or nursing another little one.  There are other times when I wonder if we should just throw our hands up and let things happen like they are supposed to happen....


[No, Mom...this does not mean we are trying to conceive your second grandchild....we are just simple talking.  hehe]

An Infant's Guide to Building an Immune System

1. Anything at a restaurant tastes fantastic.  I'm not talking about the food (let's face it, you probably don't even have teeth yet!), I'm talking about anything around the vicinity of the adults while they are eating.  Start with the table edge, then the high chair, then hopefully one of those paper/menu displays in the center of the table.  Feel your immune system getting stronger by the second.
2. Shopping cart handles are excellent source of immunity.  Never mind that thousand of people touch it on a regular basis and they are left outside for hours - that's just what gives it that excellent, unique flavor.  Good for your gums.
3. You may have to look for them, but you may find there are specks of dust or paper or dirt or hair on the rugs since the last time your mom vacuumed five minutes ago.  These might be considered sprinkles on ice cream (you'll learn what those are later).  Take full advantage of your tiny fingers and your proximity to the floor and gobble these up.
4. While you are on the floor gobbling up bits of "stuff", go ahead and put your entire mouth on the floor.  No need to work on your finger coordination picking up small pieces on the floor when you can just dive in for the real thing.
5. Do you live in a house with a dog?  You have the immunity-building jackpot.  Hopefully your doggie is nice and cuddly and loves to give you kisses directly on/in your face and mouth.  You can reciprocate by sticking the tail or snout in your mouth for a big ol' baby kiss.  Maybe you could lick the floor together for some lovely bonding time.
6. While your mom or dad (or aunt, grandma, grandpa, uncle, second cousin, babysitter, anyone will do) is changing your diaper - there are a few exciting options.  First option - grab your private parts before the changer can clean you off and then bring your hand to your face/mouth area.  Watch as said changer freaks out and quickly tells you no.  They aren't upset with you, just upset that you are stealing all the immunity.  Make sure to offer them your hand to help with their immunity.  Another option is to stick your foot in the diaper and then it becomes the perfect time to suck on your toes.  Yum.
7. You know those vegetables that taste funny that your parents try to feed you?  Those are not meant to be good for you.  The adult human folk will try to tell you that it will help you get big and strong.  It's just a trick to keep little and cute. 

That is all.....

YouTube and Droid save the day

So, I am one of those people with a smart phone.  I text.  I email.  I browse Facebook.  I pay bills.  I search the internet.  I play games.  I love my phone.  Don't hate. My phone even has magical make-baby-happy powers.  The scenario:

Last night, I was out geocaching with my sister.  [Yes, I geocache.  I'm a nerd and I realize this but that's a topic for a totally different post]  We are out the last one of the day and William starts to get fussy, so mother of the year just looks faster to find the cache.  No luck so I get in the car to head home.  William's fussy turns to screaming-so-my-ears-bleed crying in about .067 seconds.  Great.  My sister sits in the back seat to try to settle him down.  She shook a toy lion in his face.  Nothing.  She tries tickling his toes.  Scream gets louder.  Still 10 minutes from home.  The next move literally made me about cry from laughter.  Since William seems to entertained by remotes, cell phones and shoes, she took off her shoe to show him.  I thought it was hilarious.  William....did not. 

So my sister now has one shoe on.  My ears are bleeding from the screaming (OK, maybe not really).  William is a soggy, crying disaster.  We are a mess. 

Then, I pull out the big guns.  How could I have forgotten.  I whip out my phone (no, no, not while I was driving) and use my YouTube app and search "Bob the Builder Theme Song".  I play this and hand to my sister in the back seat.  Not only did William stop crying, he is now laughing.  Laughing! 

It worked.  I don't care what it says about my parenting ability.  It worked.  Thank you, Droid for making this possible.  Thank you, YouTube for the great app.  Thank you, Bob the Builder for having a wonderful, scream-stopping theme song.  Thank you, EricEngelwood for posting said video.  Thank you, Melanie for taking off your shoe.  You guys make mommy ears everywhere feel better.  :)

One year later....

Happy one year of blogging at Does This Baby Make Me Look Fat!  I started this blog to track the months thru pregnancy and thru the experience of becoming a new mommy and many things in between.

One year ago was the day the day we found out our lives would change forever when we saw Two Lines on a simple pregnancy test that would start us on a roller coaster of adventure.  It's been quite a journey so far....

Happy one year later and all the good things a year can bring!!!

[Today my baby is 4 months old too!!  Time has flown by and I have fallen in love with our new family!]

My Favorite Things - 3 months

Lil' man is almost three months old and hubby and I are starting to get the hang of things.  In general, we are trying to make an effort in our life to "minimize".  Really trying to think about what we buy and trying to clear out stuff we don't need around the house.  We are making some progress, but have light years to go.

With that said, most things are completely not necessary at all when you welcome a new baby, but they can still be amazing at making your life easy.  Three months in, this is my list of "my favorite things" for baby.

1. Boppy - when creating a baby registry, my husband fought me on this one.  His reasoning: "Can't you just hold the baby while you nurse him?  We totally don't need that!"  Umm....no, we don't "need" it, but it's wonderful!  I use it almost every time I feed LM and it's a nice support if I need to set him down for a sec.  I know there are plenty of options for nursing pillows out there, but I love my Boppy!
2. California Baby Calming Diaper Rash Cream - YES, PLEASE!  We really struggled with LM's diaper rash when we brought him home from the hospital.  Since he wasn't big enough for his CDs, we were using another diaper rash cream and it just wasn't cutting it - almost 'burning' him.  Something needed to be done!  A reader suggested California Baby and we have never turned back!  It's definitely more expensive than other products, but it's all natural and CD friendly!  William's hiney is very happy!
3. Co-sleeper Bassinet (by Arm's Reach) - It has been wonderful to have LM so close at night and if I needed to nurse him and just didn't want to get out of bed, he's right there to grab and feed.  He's still sleeping in it!
4. Bravado's Original Nursing Bra - OK, this one is for mom.  I have absolutely loved my Bravado nursing bra!  It is so comfortable and is perfect to sleep in and it offers enough support that I can wear it during the day!  Must Have!
5. Rumparooz Cloth Diapers - We have multiple types of fluff in our cloth diaper stash, but I'm a huge fan of Rumparooz one-size diaper.  There is an extra gusset inside so it's perfect for containing LM's running diapers!  You're going to pay more for these, but it's totally worth it in my book.
6. Moby Wrap - It has taking some getting used to and I definitely had to practice to figure out how to use it, but I'm loving on the Moby wrap!  From going to the grocery store to carrying LM while I'm folding laundry, it's been wonderful!
7. Changing table - we have a changing pad on LM's dresser in his bedroom upstairs, but it's so nice having a changing table in the living room. Completely unnecessary, but totally convenient.
8. Medela Pump-in-Style - definitely a must have since I returned to work.  I knew I wanted needed a double electric pump to be able to pump efficiently at work and I haven't been let down

So I think that about sums up my list of make-my-life-easier things so far!  I'm sure I will discover plenty of other wonderful baby-related goodies as I go and my list will change as William gets older.  We have an upcoming trip and I know this list is accurate since all of these things (with exception of the changing table) will be packed and loaded in the car to take with us!! 

What are you favorite baby-related things that make your life easier?!

Swaddling it is....

I'm a mother of a newborn - who just turned three weeks old....my expectations for sleep are very low.

Even with that said, SOME sleep would be nice, right?  I will always feed lil' man before I head to bed, it usually ends up being between 9 and 11 pm when he gets hungry.  After said feeding, he is more awake than any other time of the day - go figure.  He wants to be held and look around and move his arms and legs.  Adam has been staying up with him during these times, until he falls asleep or wants to eat again.  He's had been eating every 2 hours or so, even at night.  This equals a tired mommy.....

Until I decided to try swaddling again at night.  Thanks heavens!!

The past two nights have been glorious!!!  Sleeping much better and going about four (even five!) hours between feedings!  Mommy is a happy camper!

Things on my mind

So I know I have been absent from blogging for a few days now.  I can't really help it!  William's arrival is less than 48 hours away!  Even typing that out seriously makes it impossible to believe that it's almost THE day!  I finished up my last day at work yesterday [insert huge sigh of relief].  Finishing up laundry, trying to straighten the house and finish putting together and putting away baby stuff.  Setting up video monitor.  Adam installed the car seats.  Got a mani/pedi - because a gal has to have nice nails for her hospital stay.  And every moment of doing all of this, trying to begin to comprehend what is about to happen to turn our lives upside down!

It's not sinking in.....

I'm so excited and anxious but am still unable to visualize or imagine what is about to happen!! 

My family is coming into town tomorrow night and Friday morning, Adam and I will make the drive to the hospital where we will anxiously await the arrival and first meeting of the baby we have already fallen in love with - our William!

Thanks for all of your support!! 

He knows....

There is no doubt that our puppy, Tressel, knows there is something up and he's about to be a brother soon.....spending a little time cuddling with mommy and feeling William move and listening to baby.

William's Birthday will be November 12th!!

OK....as we may have been expecting - little stinker did not turn and is completely content where he's at in the breech position.

Over the last week, I have done a little reading and asking around regarding external version and I made the decision that it wasn't best for me and baby boy.  I did not want to put any unnecessary stress on the baby and I'm less than thrilled at the idea of having to have an emergency c-section or it being completely unsuccessful (as many are...).

Also, over the last week, I have let the idea of a c-section sink in and have accepted that this is what will be best for upside-down William and me. 

So....with all that said - November 12th should be William's birthday!!!  Unless I go into labor between now and then, surgery is scheduled for 15 days from now!!!  YIKES!!  [deep breaths......]

William is almost here!!! 

[in the spirit of football season - he'll be here in time for three Ohio State regular season games!!  Vs. Penn State, Iowa and of course the big rivalry, Michigan!!  hehe, I know, I'm pathetic]

Can you ever be prepared?

As the day gets closer and closer that Adam and I will be welcoming William into our family, we are trying to get things ready to be as prepared as possible.  We have set up the baby's room, washed clothes, set up the bassinet, ordered our cloth diapers and set up the car seat.  All the "obvious" get-ready-for-baby tasks. 

We have what we need to add William to our medical insurance when he's born, I have notified just about everyone at work to let them know of my impending maternity leave (like me waddling down the halls doesn't give THAT away) and everything is ready thru HR. 

We have selected a pediatrician. 

I have started stocking up on some things we need around the house - to eliminate any unnecessary trips to the store right after we bring baby home.  I have even typed up address labels of family and friends so when we decide to send out birth announcements, we won't have to take the time to write them all out (and ordered return address labels too!). 

We even went and bought a new camera to be able to capture those amazing moments with our baby boy from the moment we welcome him into our world!

We have taken the childbirth classes and breastfeeding classes.  We have read the baby books. 

Adam has notified his teachers that his baby is due to make sure they are prepared for a possible absence and to be able to submit work ahead of time.

We have attended a baptism class at our church to figure out what we need to do when we are ready to have him baptized.

The guest bedroom is ready for when my family comes to town for William's birth.

I've gotten our bills paid and up to date to avoid having to do that right after his birth.

I still need to pack my bag for hospital and I'd like to pre-register at hospital too.  I also want to buy a few nursing bras also.

Just about every idea that comes to my head to get "ready" for baby, we've been trying to get done to be better "prepared."

With all of this.....I just kind of chuckle to myself.  Like ANY of this will make a difference in trying to keep our world right side up when we are getting ready to welcome a baby into this world and into our lives and into our family.  I'm sure we still won't be able to figure out which way is up!  I realize that it is impossible to be prepared for such an amazing, life-changing event!  We are so anxious and excited and nervous!

Anything that you did before welcoming your little one(s) to try to be more "prepared"??  Or am I really missing something BIG that I should be doing???

Cloth Diaper Motivation!

The decision to try cloth diapers for William did not come without a fight....Adam suggested it.....I completely fought back!  After a little bit of research on my own, I had created a list of a few things on why I had changed my mind and finally agreed!  Not only is money a motivator, but the fact that what I would be using on my baby's rear would be healthier and make less of an impact on the environment than using disposables. 

Well, Emily over at Mommy Made Green has done it again - found a great resource to spread the "green" word!  Check out this video, The Dirties on Diapering, to stay informed on what you may be putting on your baby's bum! 

Waiting for William

It's a baby shower!!  We are "waiting for William!"

We have felt so much love from my family and friends and the showering of wonderful gifts to prepare for William!  I am still slowly washing sheets and blankets and clothes and putting things away and organizing the baby room - so pics of the finished room still to come.  In the meantime, here's a recap of two of my showers - one thrown by friends and another by family!  Thanks to everyone for all of their love and support!  [and apologies to everyone at the family shower when I wasn't much fun to be around while fighting off that ear infection, pain and no sleep!]

Friends Shower thrown by my sis and Jaclyn!

I love these ladies!

How many engineers does it take to set up the co-sleeper bassinet??  It appears 4.... 

So excited for the co-sleeper!!

Mom and aunts!

Rocking chair - Reserved for William :)

Homemade quilt and bibs from Alisha!!

Explaining how cloth diapers work - showing the Flip

GULP!

So I love having the ticker at the top of the blog to show the countdown for William's arrival.  I love being able to countdown to when we can "expect" him to make his big entrance (or close enough). 

However, the shocking truth that there are only 37 days left until my due date is just that....shocking! 

That means there are only about 37 days until my life will never the same again.  About 37 days until I get to fall in love as a mother for the first time.  Only about 37 days until I can wrap my arms around a baby boy that I have been waiting to meet for months!  Just about 37 more days to try to finish up the list of things to do around the house to prepare for baby while getting my last few hours of baby-free sleep (even though third trimester pregnancy sleep isn't exactly wonderful).  Likely another 37 days until my life is thrust into warp speed as we watch our baby boy grow at the speed of light!

Where did the time go?! 

William, Mommy and Daddy are so excited to meet you!!  We love you so much already!

I'm a Buckeye!!

I'm an alumni of The Ohio State University.  I'm in love with Ohio State football.  Heck, my dog is named after the football coach!  I can sing you the songs, I can do cheer you the cheers! 

My son....will be raised an Ohio State fan, if I have anything to say about it.  hehe

My friends and family obviously support this decision as they have been showering me with Buckeye-themed gifts (whether my hubby likes it or not!!  hehe). 

We have already collected the following OSU baby gifts - blanket, books, pacifiers, bibs, onesies, shirts, basketball shorts, shoes, hats, Mr. Potato (or Buckeye) Head [who knew they even made such a thing!], scarlet and gray homemade burp cloths, baby plate/spoon/cup, socks, rattle and a toy truck.  Seriously - we could open our own little shop of Buckeye baby gear!!!  Isn't it fun?!

Now that I'm feeling better, I'm hoping to start washing some of the baby clothes and hopefully start pulling William's room together!  I want to show off all the other wonderful gifts that friends and family have given too!  So, more pictures to come of the baby room!!

Cloth Diaper Additions!!

So, I've added a few more additions to our cloth diaper stash to start off for William!  I'm trying not to go overboard or even worry about a complete stash right now because I'm hoping to find a cloth diaper trial after William makes his arrival and to be able to try other CDs that I might not have considered previously!  So if anyone knows of a great site with a CD trial - let me know!

Thanks to my friend, Brandi, and my mother-in-law, Mary, we have added some Flip diapers to our collection!  Mary also bought me a pack of the bumGenius flannel wipes too!  Wohoo!  Now William can have some diapers and a clean bum! 

So this brings my stash to the following:

• 4 - Flip Covers (with 12 of the stay-dry inserts)
• 1 - bumGenius 4.0 OS pocket (with snaps)
• 1 - bumGenius Elemental AIO organic (with snaps)
• 1 - Thirsties duo wrap
• 1 - FuzziBunz OS pocket
• 12 - bumGenius flannel wipes

It's a start!!  Still would like to get a diaper sprayer and will definitely need to get some wetbags.

Also, am I going to be driven crazy with the snaps instead of the hook and loop?  I like the fact that they might hold up longer and will be nice when a toddler gets wandering hands and decides to try to take of his diaper...but for a wiggling newborn during a diaper change - will I be pulling my hair out wishing I had the hook and loop instead??

I know everyone is different, but if any of you CDing moms have something you absolutely love and would like to recommend - let me know!!

I'm Back!

I'm back and I'm feeling much better!!  (insert sigh of relief)

So now I just need to catch up on work, clean the house and do laundry. 

And since I returned from Cincinnati from my family shower with bundles and bundles of goodies for William - I think it might be nice to start organizing his room so we can bring our baby boy home to a happy, clean and organized space instead of one that looks like the baby department of Target and Babies R Us exploded into one of our bedrooms.  What a lovely idea.....

Mommy Guilt

I realize I've been absent from writing for a few days - originally this was due to the fact that I was traveling to visit family in Ohio for a family thrown baby shower!!  This will be my last trip before William is due - since I'm getting closer to the due date, I want to stay kind close to home.

However, the weekend had an unexpected turn.  Pain in my ear Friday, led to leaving my cousin's wedding early Friday evening, which led to absolutely no sleep that night and eventually landed me in the ER at about 2:00am because the pain was beginning to be unbearable.  A quick diagnosis of an outer ear infection, with a few prescriptions (an oral antibiotic and a pain med) and I was on my way home.  The pain medication barely touched the pain - the night continued with no sleep. 

Saturday - the day of the baby shower.  I was not well.  It was wonderful being able to see family and friends, but I really wish I was able to enjoy it more.  Had called my OB in Illinois and they had called me in some additional ear drops to help with the infection and inflammation.  The night came - another night with no sleep.  Sunday - time to head back to Illinois.  I'm so thankful my mother-in-law had made the trip with me and she was able to drive and I was able to get a little more rest.  After arriving home, still in intense pain, I headed back to the ER.  This time, the infection had become more severe and eardrum had ruptured.  Change of pain meds, a shot for the pain while in the hospital and I was sent home where I was finally able to get some sleep.

The 'mommy guilt' comes into the fact that I'm 33 weeks pregnant and now on an oral antibiotic, an oral pain med and ear drops.  All have been deemed fine for someone who is pregnant.  I also understand that mommy needs to be healthy for baby to be healthy - I have an infection (that eventually could get worse if untreated), I wasn't eating or sleeping because of the pain and my blood pressure was up because of the pain also.  So I'm doing what I need to do to get myself better.  Still hard for me not to feel as if I'm doing something wrong.....

Bubbles, Bubbles Everywhere....Advice Requested!

So with all the adorable clothes we have been getting for little William, I'm starting to get an itch to start washing them and putting them away!  We are trying to decide what type of detergent to use though.  We have a HE washer and currently use Tide for everything.  We are leaning towards switching to something more green, especially for baby - and have started considering something like Seventh Generation.  They have a variety to choose from and they have a liquid detergent special for baby and HE washers.

I've also been trying to figure out what to use for the cloth diapers.  The brand I keep hearing about is Rockin' Green detergent.  I'm still a little nervous about washing these in my front load washer since it uses so much less water.

So I'm asking for your help, green and cloth diapering mamas out there!  Any recommendations on detergents for clothes and cloth diapers?

Let the Nesting Begin

I know nesting is a real thing and it generally begins towards the end of the third trimester.  Lately, after working all day, coming home with swollen feet and dealing with the headaches (not pregnancy related) I've been having, I figured it would never kick in.  I've been worried I would spend the remaining time I had left before lil' man's arrival barely making dinner and doing my normal house chores and spend the rest of my evenings with my feet up on the couch relaxing while watching TV or reading. 

I had an urge tonight though!  I wanted to hang the decals I have for William's room!  Hanging decals turned into hanging pictures in his room!  Hanging pictures turned into wiping down parts of the walls!  YES!  I was on my hands and knees scrubbing parts of the walls and the baseboards in his bedroom at around the time I'm normally getting ready for bed!  Sheesh!  How out of character!

Look how cute in the monkey/jungle-themed room!!

I love it!!!  The monkey and leaves stick-ons were a present from Adam's aunt!  I found the "No more monkeys jumpin' on the bed" decal from VINYLFORALL on Etsy - super good prices, a variety of decals and it was in my mailbox within days!  Super easy to put on - as long are you're patient!!

So excited for lil' man to get here!!  About 7 more weeks to go! 

Crossing Our Fingers

So I'm just shy of 33 weeks and there is something on my mind....

The last two sonograms (at 28 weeks and at 30 weeks), our little stinker has been breech.  My doctor has reassured me that even the late "turners" can bounce around to different positions until about 35 weeks, so I shouldn't worry - but how can I not?  From the last sono, William was measuring about 2 weeks larger than "normal".  So could be potentially more difficult for him to turn to head-down position. 

'Lil' Stinker' being breech leads us down the Cesarean route, instead of the natural path that I had hoped.  I know women have c-sections everyday and I have complete faith in my doctors and my hospital to deliver my baby safely either way, but a c-section would certainly not be my first choice.  I'm more nervous about the procedure in general and about my recovery from the surgery.  Mostly what I am worried about is not being able to experience the delivery in the same way as I could have by having a vaginal delivery.  More than anything, I am looking forward to pushing and delivering our baby and having him brought immediately to my chest and being able to start nursing soon afterwards.  That's the moment I have dreamed of before I was pregnant!  Cesarean babies may need to be tended to a little more and I'll need to stay in the OR to be stitched up while Adam heads to the nursery with the little guy and I can hope to be able to start nursing while in recovery.

Today's appointment, the doctor wasn't sure, but he thought perhaps he was head-down.  We will be able to confirm in a few weeks (at around 36 weeks) with another sono to get estimated weight and position. 

I am crossing my fingers and my toes that little man turns and can come into this world with the least amount of medical intervention possible!!