Swim Lessons

Today marked our 2nd swimming class. Every Monday we head over to the nun convent *yeah, they have a pool!* and take a 45 minute swimming class. A friend of mine and her 9 month old daughter are taking it with us.

Last week was a little rough. Olivia hasn't been in a pool since last summer *she was 8 months in August*, so she was a little freaked out. She loved the pool before, but I guess now that she's more aware of her surroundings, she was hesitant to let me go. She had a death grip around my neck the whole class and was semi crying/whining the whole time.
She just wasn't herself and I blamed it on 2 of her molars coming in and she woke up with a cold that morning.

Today went a lot better. She was smiling and having a good time in the water. We practiced going to the wall and holding on. Moving our arms to swim. Kicking our legs. Floating on our back. Then, we had to let them go under. I actually wasn't even scared to let my daughter go and let her sink. She's got to learn some how, and I don't want her to get freaked out if she goes underwater.

I did like the teacher did and counted to 3 out loud and blew in her face and let her go. She went under and I grabbed her a couple seconds later. She didn't cry or anything. I gave her a high five and said I was so proud of her.

She went underwater 8 times today. That's my girl. :)

Mommy and Me Monday #5

It was a rough week. My little one was sick, I was sick, and so was Russ. There weren't many photo ops, but I did manage to get this candid moment from tonight's bedtime routine.

She's not really letting me brush her teeth. :) She's getting to be such a big girl. When I say, "Let's go brush our teeth." She'll run to the bathroom, try to get her stool to the sink, and step up all on her own. Such an awesome thing, but yet, it's sad. My baby is growing up.

Hosted by Krystyn

How To: Bow/Clippy Organizer or Memory Board

This is my first How To type post. I'm not a very crafty person, but with the help of my hubby, we've been able to make some really neat things for Olivia. Before she was born we made her a small chest and a cork board for all kinds of pictures of her and family.

This was before she was born.

This is now, all her birth papers and lots of pictures of family holding her.

Anyways, I came across a board that was made for putting hair clips and bows on to organize them. As a mother of a little girl, I have the urge to put cute things in her hair. So, I've bought a lot of hair accessories in the year she's been alive. It didn't look hard, so I just decided to make one myself. Here is what I did:

Picked out fabric and ribbon. The fabric I bought was quilting stuff. Its lightweight and they have more of a selection to choose from. I just coordinated the ribbon with the colors of hearts. I bought a yard of each.


Russ picked this piece of board up at Home Depot. He cut it to size.


This is just quilt batting.


I cut the batting to fit the piece of wood, leaving about an inch on each side to staple it to the board.


Detail of the stapling.


Finished with batting.


Cut the fabric to fit the board.


Staple fabric.


Decide the layout of your ribbons.


Staple ribbons and add a hanging fixture. This one happened to be on photos we bought a couple years ago and never used.


Finished product.


Close up.

This was actually very simple to make. It was a bit easier with Russ there helping me hold down fabric and ribbons, but I could have done it alone. The hardest part was stapling. We have a cheaper Craftsman stapler, for me it was hard to press down.

I liked this idea because it will help me organize Olivia's hair things, but when she gets older, she can use it as a photo board or something alone those lines. So, even if you have a boy, you can make one for his room!

The final cost was about $30 with the wood, fabric, batting, and ribbons. I could have made 2 of them.

Rockin' Green Giveaway!

Head on over to All This Fluff for a chance to win some Rockin' Green Detergent!

Something else....

After months of watching what I eat and doing moderate exercise..I've only lost 2lbs. Ugh. I KNOW I have to work out more. I have an elliptical at my dad's house that I bought way back in 2001. I just have to go pick it up and bring it home. I WORK at a gym, therefore, I don't even have to pay for a full gym membership. They don't have childcare there, so it's hard to go when I have Olivia all day. I could technically work out 7 days a month when Russ is home and I'm working. But, I don't think that will cut the cheese.

Here is a quick run down of my weight loss journey.

Sept 2005 - Started losing weight for my wedding (181lbs)
Feb 2006 - Wedding (weighed in @ 154lbs)
2006-Aug 2007 - Maintained my weight and even lost a few more (145lbs in August)
Sept 07 - Started taking Zoloft for my anxiety disorder
Feb 08- Gained 25lbs from the medication, told doctor I need to get off and try something else (172lbs)
March 08 - Got pregnant (172lbs)
December 08- Delivered (211lbs)
January 09- Lost 27lbs (184lbs) Pregnancy is good for weight loss. LOL
January 10' - Lost 10lbs in a year (174lbs)
Today - 2lbs down from beginning of year (172lbs)

As you can see, the medication really messed up my mojo. Its been really difficult to lose since having Olivia. Anyways, I picked up a box of SlimQuick. Its made for women. I'm going to give it a shot. I don't eat THAT bad. I try to eat a lot of fruits, veggies, and limit my eating out. I just don't understand why I'm not losing ANYTHING anymore. So, I'm giving this a try to help kick my body into losing weight.

Here is me on my wedding day:

Here is a picture of me in July 07'. I was 145lbs, it was my happy weight and I was totally healthy and LOVED my body. I was still a size 10/12, but I looked awesome. :)
This is me now. Even though I'm the same weight I was when I got knocked up, my body shape is different and my pre-preggo clothes still don't fit right.

A Birth Story

*I posted Olivia's birth story on my other blog when I had her, but since I don't have it over here, I'm going to post a better one. Every mommy blog I read has one, so I'll jump on board too.*

December 7, 2008

It was Sunday morning, I woke up without Russ next to me because he was at the hospital visiting a family friend who just gave birth to her son. I refused to go because I was so sick and tired of being pregnant and she was due AFTER me. So, here I was 8 days overdue. I was laying in bed trying to bribe myself out of bed with a donut that sat in the kitchen when I had this painful twinge in my belly. My whole pregnancy, I never had a Baxton Hicks contraction until I hit my due date (11/29). This was no BH. I thought to myself, "That was my FIRST real contraction!" Hooray! I called the hubby up and told him I had a contraction. I told him I'd like to go walk around to maybe get things moving along. I got up and took a shower and proceeded to have more contractions. I started timing, but they were very irregular, so I stopped watching the clock and went about my day.
My mum was scheduled to come in from NC that afternoon. I was suppose to drive with my cousin to the airport to pick her up, but I called and told her the situation and that I was just going to walk around with Russ until she got there. Russ finally got home and we went to the grocery store, to which I walked for all of 5 minutes because it just was too painful to walk anymore. *I had HORRIBLE hip and back pain from about 24 weeks on* I suggested we go to Starbucks and get some hot chocolate. While he was running in, I texted my mum and said "I think I'm in early labor.". I guess she got it right as she was boarding the plane, because I never got one back until later.
We went home and I cleaned up the apartment and did all the last minute things I could think of. I was finally starting to think "This is it. I will have my baby girl soon!". My mum arrived in the afternoon and she walked in the door and said "Holy Crap, Amy! You are huge!" Gee, thanks, Mum. :) She then proceeded to tell Olivia she could come out now because her gramma was here.

We spent the rest of the day watching the Steelers football game, and Russ made dinner of penne pasta with meat sauce. During this time, we sat on the couch using the Contraction Master online tool. My contractions were about 5-10 minutes apart. Russ called the on call number for my OB office and talked to the on call OB. She said I should come in to L&D to get checked out.
This is the point where I started FREAKING out. I started crying, saying I couldn't go because I was scared. Scared of the needles, pushing a baby out of my lady bits, etc.

I got it together and we left around 8pm. My hospital was only about a 15 minute drive, so we got there fairly quick because it was a Sunday evening. I arrived, checked in, and got sent to a triage room where I was instructed to get undressed, pee in a cup, and get on the bed. I got hooked up to a monitor, and saw that I was indeed having contractions. A male doctor came in and checked me. I was 2cms and 80% effaced. *I was 1cm/80% effaced at the OB's appointment on Friday (12/5)* PROGRESS! But, they sent me home telling me I was in early labor and to come back when I was having "strong, painful contractions that aren't like menstrual cramps." I wanted to punch the doctor in the face. I cried. I wanted this baby OUT of me. I was a mess on the way home. But, I think the doctor checking me, made things move along. I got home and I was bleeding and having some more painful contractions. My mum told me to take a shower and get some sleep. While I was taking a shower, I got doubled over in pain. I calmed down, got dressed for bed, said goodnight and hopped into bed. This was around 11pm. Russ had the laptop open to time my contractions. At one point, I remember being in a lot of pain, I couldn't get comfortable on our bed. I got up and leaned against the outside wall. It was cool. The lights were turned off and Russ was laying on the bed asking if there was anything he could do. I just propped myself up and breathed through every contraction, watching the clock. At one point, Russ fell asleep. I was dozing off between contractions.

December 8, 2008

1am, 2am, 3am came and went. I was still propped up on the floor, sitting Indian-style. Russ was sleeping on the bed next to me. Contractions were becoming more intense, and coming in 5 minute increments. Around 4:30am, I woke Russ up and told him we had to leave now. My contractions were lasting more than 3 minutes and my breaks were getting shorter. He got up, packed everything into the car while I got dressed. I had my mum help me because I just couldn't move during a contraction. I leaned up against the wall and just breathed. Russ was amazing. He never once panicked or freaked out. He got everything in the car, warmed it up and helped me get into the passenger seat. I turned the radio off, and just stayed silent. We probably got there in 10 minutes, but it seemed like forever.

Russ dropped me off and I waited in the main lobby of the hospital for him. I was fine until the nurse started asking me questions. How the hell does someone answer health questions in the middle of a contraction?
Got sent to a different triage room, didn't have to pee in a cup this time though. Another male doctor came in, checked me like he was trying to reach to my throat. If I wasn't in an extraordinary amount of pain, I would have punched him in the face. I was 5cms/100%... TIME TO HAVE A BABY!

I got wheeled into my Labor and Delivery suite, and it was a whirlwind of nurses asking questions, getting an IV started, one of them asked me "Would you like an epidural?" Um, yes please. This hottie doctor came about 10 minutes later and hooked me up to the good stuff. Honestly, the IV hurt more than the epidural. It was sweet relief almost instantly. I could see on the monitor I was having contractions and I could feel the tightening of my belly, but no pain. I was only allowed on my sides since I got an epi, but that was alright with me. The labor and the epi made me shake a lot. My HR kept going above 90 so alarms would sound and my nurse kept telling me to take deep breaths and calm down.

Around 9:30 or so, my doctor came in to check on me. She told me that around noon, she'd come in and break my water. She was standing beside me filling out something on her computer when I felt a really warm sensation down below. I figured it was my water breaking. I told my doctor and she went to look. "Yep, and you're 8cms dilated!" Woohoo!

Around 10:30 or so, I started feeling a lot of pressure in my bum. I knew this was the baby pushing her way through the birth canal. Every contraction felt like I had to hold it in. You know the feeling when you got to poop, but can't because you're not anywhere near a bathroom? Yeah, it was like that. I was talking to my dad and other family members, when I just couldn't handle the pressure anymore. I told the nurse and she paged the doctor. My OB came in and checked me and I was fully dilated and ready to start pushing.

It was around 11:20ish or so when I actually started to push. Price is Right was on the TV, and Russ was watching it between pushing. My nurses thought it would be better if they turned off the epidural, to help me feel where and how I was pushing. I was slowly bringing her down.
At 12:35, Olivia was starting to crown and my doctor was still not in the room. I had to keep her in, stop pushing.... SHA RIGHT (as Wayne would say). That was the most agonizing couple of minutes. Your body has the URGE to get the baby out. Holding it in sucked. My doctor finally got her ass in the room and suited up. They pulled the table apart, turned on the UFO lighting, and I was ready to go. 1 push, 2, push... HOLY CRAP GET THIS BABY OUT OF ME NOW!! 3rd push she was out. I seriously thought I had to deliver her body still, but apparently, she had already been out. It was the weird feeling in the world. They plopped her on my belly and wiped her down. Russ cut the cord. They whisked her away to clean her up and check all that good stuff. Russ followed. I delivered the placenta, which was CAKE compared to a baby.

I had a 1st degree tear inside, but I didn't have to get an episiotomy. I got stitched up. Which was actually tickling me.. not hurting. Weird.

They announced my little bundle of joy was 8lbs 4oz and 21.25 inches long. Russ was holding her all swaddled up, and he finally handed her to me for the 1st time. Ah-Mazing moment in my life.





Remember that moment when she's almost 16 months old and throws a fit on the floor because she didn't get a Pop Tart. :D

Ugh

Things that stress me out:

#1- Russ's job schedule. He switches from nights to day for 3 weeks then he gets a week off. I really wish he had a normal hour job. He also worked 12 hour days and we live about 30 minutes from his work.

#2- Work. I wish I could work more. But, putting Olivia in daycare isn't an option. I will not pay $30+/day for a glorified babysitter. As of now, I work 7 days a MONTH. So technically I'm a SAHM, which I don't like. (No offense so you AWESOME SAHM's. It's just not for me)

#3- My whiny, always getting into things she's not suppose to, sick, snotty 15 month old girl. I don't dislike her, but I dislike her behavior at this point in time. I cannot go a minute without watching her because she'll either be in her room eating wipes, pulling her clothes out of drawers, PLAYING WITH CAT LITTER, taking all my pots and pans out, PULLED DOWN MY CANDLE STAND (breaking it), taking DVD's out of the boxes, falling down and SCREAMING like she's lost a leg....ETC ETC ETC
I think the only option at this point is to gate her.. which she wont like and most likely with throw a fit on the floor.

I'm seriously on the brink of screaming at everyone and telling them to screw off. I feel myself falling back into the ugly spiral of being in a bad mood 24/7.

I need a vacation. Alone.

Mommy and Me Monday #4

This weekend was beautiful. Unfortunately, I was sick as a dog for most of it. :( I did get out for a little bit to enjoy some time with my little girl. She was playing in the dirt (YAY!), so her face, hands and clothes were such a joy to clean up. But, she's little and that's what made her happy at the moment. :)

I feel so bad for her now. She got whatever I had and is now a snotty, stuffed up mess of a toddler. Thank goodness for Little Colds Baby Rub, Infant Motrin, and Vick's Vaporizor. Although, she's still unhappy. :(

Hosted by Krystyn

SNEEEZE!

It's the first day of Spring. It's sunny and beautiful outside here in Pittsburgh. Here I sit, on the couch, sick as a dog. I felt a little 'off' Wednesday at work, but thought I was just having a little post-nasal drip. I felt fine Thursday. I went to get a facial at the spa yesterday and when I came home, OMG, I felt like a truck hit me. Sneezing, runny nose, sinus pressure, headache... BLAH. I think the steam from my facial brought everything to the surface. I suppose it's a good thing, because it would have dragged on for another week and I would have been sick while Russ was on night shift. But, I feel terrible. I feel like I'm going to sneeze every minute, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.

I woke Russ up at 7am this morning and asked him to drive to the store to get me some DayQuil so I could get some sleep. He came home with medicine (however LIQUID medicine, YUCK), a new humidifier (ours are lost somewhere), and sugar donuts. :) I took some medicine and went back to sleep until about 11:45. Got to spend sometime with Olivia until she went down for a nap. She's still sleeping. I really hope I didn't get her sick. I heard her sneeze a couple of times this morning. Ugh.

Having a sick baby is no.fun.

While I was feeling better yesterday, we went outside to enjoy the weather some more.

Spring Swap

This will be my first Swap. I'm excited! If you want to participate, you have to get your name in by TODAY! :)

Mommy and Me Monday #3

Ok, so I'm kinda sorta cheating on this one. I didn't get a good picture of the 2 of us this past week, but I do have one from a few weeks ago.

She looks less than thrilled to be getting kisses from mummy. :)

Hosted by Krystyn

My Kind of Parenting #3

Cloth Diapers vs Disposables

My brother and I were raised up with Pampers. So were the rest of my cousins. In fact, I never came in contact with a cloth diaper until my older cousin had a baby. I was younger and I didn't understand the whole reasoning behind cloth. I really just thought it was gross. I mean, who wants to wash POOP out of a diaper? Plus, I was always under the assumption that there was tons of laundry involved and it was just easier to buy Pampers and call it a day.

When the time came for me to pop out a baby. I was all about disposables. I didn't want the hassles of cloth, plus, Russ didn't really want to deal with them either. So, a Pampers family we became. I've pretty much tried every diaper on the market except for Walmart's brand Parent's Choice. Target, Pampers, Huggies, Kirkland... those we've used over and over again.
I don't regret putting my daughter into disposables. But, I'm seriously considering making the cloth movement on #2.

I have a few online friends that are really into cloth and I read everything they talk about. I had NO.IDEA. what kind of market cloth diapering is. It's not just the old cloth and pin diaper anymore. They have so many different types out there. Sure, you can still go the old school way and use diaper pins and different folds. But, they have ones that you use just like a regular old disposable and just launder it when you're done. No need to fold, tuck, pin.

My only concerns are...

1. The price. These diapers are not cheap. Although, it would save more in the long run, its a hefty price to pay out to make it full time cloth diapering. If *I say 'if' because Russ isn't totally on board with this idea yet* we were to CD, I think I would shop my entire pregnancy here and there for them, instead of just full out buying them at once. For instance... how many CD's do you need? Do you use them on newborns or wait until the umbilical cord falls off?

2. Laundry... I do enough laundry as is. I wash Olivia's clothes once a week, plus everything else in the house. Plus, I've read that you have to do all this special stuff to wash CD's. Is it possible to just wash and dry?

3. Family... will our families support this and CD our baby while we're away? I actually wouldn't care if they didn't. Its not like I'm all Disposable Nazi or anything.

There you have it. This isn't really a post about the pros and cons of the 2. I'm just really interested in what parents do for their babies.

Bye Bye Sun

Bye Bye Sun
Originally uploaded by ravergurlies824

Russ took this picture the other night while he and Olivia were out on the deck enjoying the last minutes of the nice day we had. Firstly, I LOVE. MY. CAMERA. Seriously. You cannot take pictures like this on a point and shoot. I'm so so HAPPY we invested the money into a DSLR. Second, I edited it to make the colors stand out more. :)

My Big Girl

It's a working week for me, so I forgot about posting Olivia's 15 month update. She turned 15 months on Monday (8th). I went in late to work so I could take her to her doctor's appointment in the morning.

She did very well. Except when it came time for her shots. The nurse suggested she get the shots in her arm now that she's walking. *This AFTER the fact that I put her shirt back on* I figured she's probably has a good point so, off the shirt went.

1st shot... not even a flinch.
2nd....the "What was that? Ouch!" look.
3rd...."What the hell are you doing to me Mummy? Was I bad?"
Then she had to get her toe pricked for a hemoglobin test she should have gotten at 12 months. Thats when the boogies, drool, and tears were just a free for all. Poor thing. :(
Thankfully, her next appt (18 months) she'll only have to get 1 Hep A booster. Then she's done til she's 2, I believe.

Her 15 month stats:

Height: 32.5" (96%tile)
Weight: 25.8lbs (85th)
Head: 46.4cms (68th)

I'd say she's pretty well proportioned. :)

My Kind of Parenting #2

This is kind of a silly one, but it's something that really irritates me. Again, if this is your things, by all means, keep doing what makes you happy. This is just my opinion.

Paci vs Thumb

Before my daughter was even born, I stocked up on cute little pacifiers that said "Mommy's Angel" and "Daddy's Girl". I mean, how cute can you get? Anyways, Russ and I decided that a paci was the way we were going to go. I was a thumb sucker and I had to get braces at age 11 and I had them on for 5 YEARS! 5 years, people! Thats a lotta time with metal in your mouth, but my teeth were so horribly disarranged that that's what it took.

So, Olivia was born and she gladly excepted the paci. After about 4 weeks or so, she started rooting for her thumb. Ut-oh. At 6 weeks old, she found that left thumb and the rest is history. She ditched the plastic cute thing out the crib and never looked back. *sigh*

Do I wish she would have kept the paci? Yes and No. Here's why. I cannot tell you how many toddlers... even PRESCHOOLERS I see with a darn paci in their mouth. Listen, if you have to take the thing out of your mouth to speak, its time to ditch it. Seriously. That said, I never have to deal with trying to get my child weaned off a pacifier. Plus, I think a lot of parent's use it as a "Mute Button", which is just ridiculous. Deal with your crying toddler please, don't just sick that thing in his/her mouth to shut them up. Thanks.

But, now I have to deal with my little thumb sucker. The girl loves her thumb. She does it when she's sleepy, upset, not feeling well, etc. It's definitely a comfort thing for her. I'm not even sure how you can wean a child off their thumb. Its not like you can cut it off. I guess they just do it when they're ready.
I've read a few articles by dentists that say if your child doesn't sleep with the thumb in the mouth, they have less of a chance to cause damage. Who the crap knows. All I know is that I really hope my daughter doesn't end up like me. Plus, it would save a heck of a lot of money in the future. :)

Mommy and Me Monday #2

My hubby snapped this shot outside today. It's the first time Olivia has been outside (other than going to and from the car) since she's been walking. She started walking about 3 weeks after her 1st birthday. She is 15 months old today (Monday)! It was the first nice, not freezing day we've had since January, so we took advantage and let Olivia walk around in our parking lot at home.
BTW, my car is behind me (the HHR) and it looks so clean! But, its really not. I need to take it to the car wash ASAP!

Hosted by Krystyn

My Kind of Parenting #1

Firstly, this is in no way against anyone or their parenting. These are just my views and if you don't agree, take it with a grain of salt. I have a wide variety of momma friends who do their own things when it comes to different ways of parenting. Just because we share different views, (unless you ram it down my throat), doesn't mean we have arguments about parenting styles. To each her/his own. I'd like to add that until you become a parent, you have NO idea how you will be. I'm living proof, there are things I thought I would never do, but I have. So, here we go. :)

Natural vs Epidural

When I first found out I was going to be a momma, I immediately thought about how much it was going to hurt pushing a 7-9lb baby out of my va-jay. I was all about getting drugs the whole way. When someone asked, I replied, "I'm not stupid, I'm going for the drugs."
Fast forward 40 weeks, well...41 weeks 2 days (lazy baby girl), I woke up with my 1st real feeling of a contraction. "Eh, this is deal-able for now." I went on about my day. Cleaning, getting crap ready for my mother to get into town that afternoon. Throughout the day, the pains where slowly getting more intense, but still.. nothing I couldn't handle. About 7:00pm, my contractions were coming 5-10 minutes apart, so Russ called the hospital and talked to the doctor on call. She said come in to triage and get checked out. Blah blah, get hooked up to monitors, was having mild contractions at a normal rhythm. I was 2cm and 80% effaced. I was told to go home and come back when I couldn't take it anymore because I was only in early labor. Seriously, NOT the thing to tell a huge preggo 9 days overdue.
I go home, take a shower. 11pm.. the contractions were much much worse. I got out of bed and propped myself against the outside wall (it was cold) and labored there for 5 hours. I would doze off between contractions, but at about 4:30am they were coming in waves and lasted for about 8 minutes. I finally woke Russ up and told him its time to go.
Got to the hospital and was checked by this HORRIBLE man that felt like he was reaching for my throat. I screamed at him. I was 5cms, 100%. Time for baby!
The nurse asked me if I wanted an epidural then. I said, "Yes."
I still wonder if I could have done it on my own. Hell, I got to 5cms on my own.. whats the other 5? After another 5 hours of laboring with the epi (which was fantastic, but gave me the shakes bad) I started to push. They turned off my epi. By the end of the hour of pushing, I felt a lot of pain and pressure when my daughter was crowning and coming out.
The point is, after she was out, it was over. No pain. Nothing. I had a great birth experience. I would rather go through that again than 9 month of pregnancy.

So, in the end... would I consider going it au natural next time? Probably not. I could probably do it with no drugs. Honestly, contractions were not THAT bad. Yes, they hurt. Yes, I wanted to punch my husband out. But, I did it and got through them without being over dramatic. No panting or screaming for this girl. *Except those last 3 pushes... seriously being told to stop pushing when your child's head is lingering RIGHT there is agonizing*
But, in the end, I enjoyed my time at the hospital being pain-free. I got to see family and friends while I was in labor. I watched some TV. I got to talk to my husband instead of screaming at him. So, I think the epidural was for me and will be my choice for baby #2.

Another thing to add... if you're a momma who's all about being natural and holistic and end up giving birth in a hospital and bitch about what a horrible experience it was for you. PLEASE do some research and find a birthing center that is MADE for that kind of experience. Hospitals and doctors do what they need to do to get the baby out safely. Find a hospital that has a good rep for following birth plans. Same thing goes for doctors.

My hospital is nicknamed the "baby factory". I was never pressured to get an epidural. My nurses were AWESOME coaches for pushing. They only gave me Pitocin AFTER I delivered the placenta to help speed up my uterus to contract back down. Yes, they took my baby away to get cleaned up, but I was able to hold her and breastfeed her after they stitched me up. They left me and my husband alone for 2 hours to get to know this little person.

So, do your research! I just hate reading about how much you hated your experience. It doesn't have to be like that. There are so many ways to bring a baby into the world.

My choice was a hospital and drugs. :) I don't regret it for a second and I would do it all over again in a second.

Thinking...

I've been trying to think of a new blog to write about. I was so fired up last night about vaccinating your child. But, then I thought that kind of blog could get a girl into some trouble. I'm trying to keep it low key and non judgmental.

With that, I have nothing. Any ideas? :)

P.S. I scored a Radio Flyer Pathfinder wagon on Craigslist for $45! ::happy dance::

Post It Tuesday

What are you feeding my baby?

This past weekend, Russ and I went out for lunch and ran some errands. We left Olivia with her grandparents (my in laws) for the day. She was there for lunch and dinner, fortunately we were there for dinner, so I know what she ate.

Fast forward to Sunday, Olivia had not 1 but 2 diapers that were runny. I figured it was from being over there. Yesterday, she had more runny diapers. So, I made Russ call his mother and ask what the hell they gave her to eat that's causing her to have runny bowel movements. Here's what she says:

-pierogies (which we've gave her before, but I know they were probably LOADED with butter)
-a sugar COOKIE
-HOT CHOCOLATE
-ICE CREAM

Let me say that I'm not against giving my child a little sweet here and there. Her first real taste of sugar was her birthday. I'll give her a piece of a cookie. She eats those Gerber Animal crackers. When there are birthdays, she'll have a couple bites of cake. So, I'm not totally anal about giving her sweet stuff. I just don't think it should be a daily part of her diet.

That said, that's a hell of a lot of sugar for an almost 15 month old in a day. Russ told her she never gets that much sugar and that's a lot for a person her size. So, now she's got the poops because of all the SHIT my mother in law fed her.
Russ said she sounded like "Oh well, I guess its MY fault then." kinda attitude when he told her.

Yeah, she also brings her McDonald's breakfast when she comes and watches her 1 morning a month. Nice.

This is one of the main reasons we don't take her over there a lot. Because every time she comes home, she's got the poops. :(

Mommy and Me Monday

Hosted by Krystyn

This seemed like a good idea to me! I have so many pictures of my little peanut and I'm the one behind the camera. So here is today's Mommy and Me picture, taken on PhotoBooth this morning after breakfast.