I had several things on my To Do list for yesterday. I needed to pay bills and get them in the mail, wash the diapers, fold the ever growing pile of clean clothes (I manage to do the laundry with one hand, but folding is annother story), buy groceries, return some things to Target, Feed Trevor's Fish, Write Thank You Notes, Figure out health insurance for Kamrynn, and get gas for Daddy. I had no help in any of this as daddy was at work.
Here is what happend instead: I ate a sandwich while Kamrynn screamed in her swing. Fed Kamrynn, then changed her, then changed her a second time because she wasn't finished when I changed her the first time, put her in her carseat, went to the bathroom while she screamed some more in her carseat, lugged the carseat around the house to keep her quiet while I hunted down my grocery list...found the grocery list in my coat pocket! Installed the carseat in the 4-runner without the base while Kamrynn screamed at the top of her lungs...I was just about to take her out when she finally calmed down (I was beginning to think she was being pinched or something). Finally we were off. We arrive at Target, and rather than dealing with installing the carseat after we were finished, I just took Kamrynn out. That's when I discovered she had been crying because she had a poopy diaper. We changed the diaper in the back of the 4-runner... slanted leather seats are not conducive to diaper changes! We exchanged our items for a baby carier, and off to get the Car from Trevor's work to go put gas in it. Paid $3.15 for gas, and Kamrynn cried every time the car stopped moving. Took the car back to Trevor and Kamrynn decided she was hungry. She took her sweet time eating (falling asleep almost instantly)and even longer burping (we got one small burp out of her). I changed annother dirty diaper, but got smart this time and opened the very back of the 4-runner where it is flat. While putting her in her seat, she spit up, and I took her out and wipped her off... I just had a spare onsie and didn't want her legs to get cold getting groceries in the carrier so I left her in a stinky outfit. Finally we were off to get groceries!
Getting groceries was the easiest part of the entire trip! Kamrynn LOVES the carrier and fell asleep almost as soon as I put her in it. She cooed a couple times, but other than that I did not hear a peep out of her! I did find it too difficult to carry the groceries inside with her and she screamed in her swing every time I went outside to get annother bag. Thankfully daddy came home and helped with the last one!
Kamrynn ate dinner while we ate a pizza, and actually went to bed at a decent time last night. The fish starved. The rest of my list has been added to today's To Do list, and now Kamrynn is hungry. Bye for now!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Thursday, September 30, 2010
BIRTHDAY
KAMRYNN KAY
8lbs 7oz, 21" long
Tuesday, September 28, 2010 @ 10:03pm
Getting ready to go home!
What we did once we got home:
Friday, September 24, 2010
Babies
We're at 40+1weeks today! One week from today and half of US babies have been born by then (those who are healthy, and mother's aren't induced by impatient doctors). One week, six days from today, and half of babies world wide have been born by then. Three weeks from today and the vast majority of all first, singleton, babies have been born by then (not sure if that is world wide, or just for the US). I really thought our baby would have been here shortly after it was safe for her to come out at 37 weeks (considering she has a very impatient father who wants everything NOW), but it looks like that's not going to happen.
I have only two things left to do before I am as ready for her as I'm going to be.... I need to steralize the receiving blankets, and clean out the car and figure out how to get the carseat installed so Trevor cant come along and move it more than the 2" it is allowed to move! Oh, and I also need to pick the house up once more.... It stays clean all four days that Trevor works, but for some reason, by Thursday nights it is a disaster! I wonder why that is.... :)
We watched the Happiest Baby on the Block DVD the other day. Pretty much, the steps to quieting a baby are: 1)Swaddle 2)On the side 3) Jiggle 4)Shhhhhhhhhhhh 5) Uh oh...I forgot! Guess I'll have to look that one up! I also looked into the Dunstan Baby Language. Apparently babies tell us exactly what they need when they cry: A hungry cry sounds like NEH; Tired is OWH; needing to burp is EH; having gas is EAIRH; and just uncomfy is HEH. I am beginning to be able to distingush between some of them when I listen to them on YouTube, so hopefully I'll be able to tell what the baby needs without too much frustration! Trevor thinks our baby wont make the same noises, but we'll see!
Here's some pictures for you!
I have only two things left to do before I am as ready for her as I'm going to be.... I need to steralize the receiving blankets, and clean out the car and figure out how to get the carseat installed so Trevor cant come along and move it more than the 2" it is allowed to move! Oh, and I also need to pick the house up once more.... It stays clean all four days that Trevor works, but for some reason, by Thursday nights it is a disaster! I wonder why that is.... :)
We watched the Happiest Baby on the Block DVD the other day. Pretty much, the steps to quieting a baby are: 1)Swaddle 2)On the side 3) Jiggle 4)Shhhhhhhhhhhh 5) Uh oh...I forgot! Guess I'll have to look that one up! I also looked into the Dunstan Baby Language. Apparently babies tell us exactly what they need when they cry: A hungry cry sounds like NEH; Tired is OWH; needing to burp is EH; having gas is EAIRH; and just uncomfy is HEH. I am beginning to be able to distingush between some of them when I listen to them on YouTube, so hopefully I'll be able to tell what the baby needs without too much frustration! Trevor thinks our baby wont make the same noises, but we'll see!
Here's some pictures for you!
Sucking my tummy in! Cant do that for very long so Trevor has to be quick taking the picture!
Friday, September 17, 2010
I finally got around to checking my email this evening. I had one email and a bunch of junk and some forwards. The email was from my sister telling me how bored she is and that I need to update daily what the baby has been up to. Soooooo.......
Yesterday:
We have a 20+ year old Full sized bed that we've been sleeping on and will continue to until we've purchased a house. We've already picked out the bed we'll be getting. It cost $3000. Quite a sizeable chunk of money. Money we'd like in our savings account until after the purchase of a house and anticipated repairs are made. So, until then, we squish ourselves. I've been sleeping ON TOP of pillows. I call it my belly nest. :) Some nights, if I dont get the pillows situated quite right, I toss and turn all night and wake up with a sore upper back. This happend one too many times and I decided we were getting a mattress topper. I thought I remembered Bed, Bath & Beyond having Temperpedic mattress toppers for about $100. Having just moved to the city, we dont know where one is, so we punch it into the handy dandy GPS. There are two that come up. One is 8 miles (about 30 minutes) and the other is 180 miles away. We select the 8 mile one and off we go. The highway is backed up, and we end up taking side streets. Finally arriving at our destination, we go in search of the bedding section. Of course, we walk the wrong way around the store! The mattress toppers are Therapedic and cost abou $200 for a FULL. The TWINS are cheaper though... only $180! I decide I'll just do a better job arranging my belly nest every night.... Knowing my luck, we'd buy the $200 topper, get it home and on the bed and have the baby before we even crawled in for the night! How many more nights will she stay in there now? Well, I'm afraid several more weeks! Grrr....
Yesterday was the third Thursday of the month, and there was supposed to be a Carseat Inspection at the Jeep dealership. I found them off a national website, searched by state and city. We find the dealership, and apparently they haven't done them in years...and then they were put on by the police department. We're told to just go to a firestation. I'm skeptical of this, as Trevor is a firefighter and is not certified to inspect carseats, nor does he know any who are! So, we have a baby comming soon, and between the two of us cant seem to get it snuggly installed in my car. I thought I had it installed, but when Trevor tested it, it moved around alot more than 2 inches! So much for LATCH! Or maybe Trevor is just too strong for our own sanity? :)
Baby: On to the more interesting information (notice I saved this for last so you'd have to read about our adventures from yesterday?). Baby was very active yesterday, and is taking a rest today. She is still in LOP, and actually had herself turned completely Posterior the other day. She needs to be Anterior for birth. I have had no signs or symptoms that she'll be born anytime in the next two weeks, unless you want to count our uninstalled carseat and that the water will be shut off for most of the day Tuesday while the city repairs the water main. If I were betting, I think I'd have to agree with Trevor's guess of when the baby will be born. Tuesday. While we have no water to fill the pool. While we have no water to bathe. While we have no water to do laundry. She'll either come Tuesday. While we have NO WATER! Or in three weeks. :(
Yesterday:
We have a 20+ year old Full sized bed that we've been sleeping on and will continue to until we've purchased a house. We've already picked out the bed we'll be getting. It cost $3000. Quite a sizeable chunk of money. Money we'd like in our savings account until after the purchase of a house and anticipated repairs are made. So, until then, we squish ourselves. I've been sleeping ON TOP of pillows. I call it my belly nest. :) Some nights, if I dont get the pillows situated quite right, I toss and turn all night and wake up with a sore upper back. This happend one too many times and I decided we were getting a mattress topper. I thought I remembered Bed, Bath & Beyond having Temperpedic mattress toppers for about $100. Having just moved to the city, we dont know where one is, so we punch it into the handy dandy GPS. There are two that come up. One is 8 miles (about 30 minutes) and the other is 180 miles away. We select the 8 mile one and off we go. The highway is backed up, and we end up taking side streets. Finally arriving at our destination, we go in search of the bedding section. Of course, we walk the wrong way around the store! The mattress toppers are Therapedic and cost abou $200 for a FULL. The TWINS are cheaper though... only $180! I decide I'll just do a better job arranging my belly nest every night.... Knowing my luck, we'd buy the $200 topper, get it home and on the bed and have the baby before we even crawled in for the night! How many more nights will she stay in there now? Well, I'm afraid several more weeks! Grrr....
Yesterday was the third Thursday of the month, and there was supposed to be a Carseat Inspection at the Jeep dealership. I found them off a national website, searched by state and city. We find the dealership, and apparently they haven't done them in years...and then they were put on by the police department. We're told to just go to a firestation. I'm skeptical of this, as Trevor is a firefighter and is not certified to inspect carseats, nor does he know any who are! So, we have a baby comming soon, and between the two of us cant seem to get it snuggly installed in my car. I thought I had it installed, but when Trevor tested it, it moved around alot more than 2 inches! So much for LATCH! Or maybe Trevor is just too strong for our own sanity? :)
Baby: On to the more interesting information (notice I saved this for last so you'd have to read about our adventures from yesterday?). Baby was very active yesterday, and is taking a rest today. She is still in LOP, and actually had herself turned completely Posterior the other day. She needs to be Anterior for birth. I have had no signs or symptoms that she'll be born anytime in the next two weeks, unless you want to count our uninstalled carseat and that the water will be shut off for most of the day Tuesday while the city repairs the water main. If I were betting, I think I'd have to agree with Trevor's guess of when the baby will be born. Tuesday. While we have no water to fill the pool. While we have no water to bathe. While we have no water to do laundry. She'll either come Tuesday. While we have NO WATER! Or in three weeks. :(
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Baby Statistics
If you would like to participate in the baby game, please follow this link: http://www.expectnet.com/games/NewBaby1
If it does not work, you can copy and paste it into your browser. Our baby game is: Newbaby1
Please do this soon, as I am hoping to be able to lock the game sometime in the near future... I'm sooooooo ready for this baby to be here!
If it does not work, you can copy and paste it into your browser. Our baby game is: Newbaby1
Please do this soon, as I am hoping to be able to lock the game sometime in the near future... I'm sooooooo ready for this baby to be here!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Anniversary Celebration: We celebrated our anniversary yesterday. I cant believe it has been a year already! We spent the majority of our honeymoon in Cannon Beach. We stayed at this little Inn for several days and fell IN LOVE with the town. I would love to have a home there, right on the beach so I could look out and see the ocean every day, as well as catch the probably not so occasional storm! Back to the anniversary: Trevor had to work on our actual anniversary, so we had decided to celebrate Tuesday instead (Trevor's 1st of three days off). Unfortunately, the forecast was for rain. As was Wednesdays. But NOT Thursday! So off we went to Cannon Beach... we did get rained on on the way over, but not too much. The beach was cloudy and warm. We walked all the way down to the most photographed rock (in probably all of the world!), on the beach, then back through town after we enjoyed a nice lunch/dinner at Doogers (we had eaten here while on our honeymoon - they even seated us in the same seat!). Trevor had the Admirals Platter - a sort of seafood sampler, and I had the Alfredo Linguine with Shrimp. Really Yummy!
Sweet Dreams, Little One: During one of the downpours we experienced on Tuesday, Trevor decided it was time to put the bassinet together. Please excuse the mess in the background... as you can see I still have unpacking to do!
Here is the finished product in it's new home. Still waiting for the changing pad to arrive, which will go on top of the dresser.
The Bump: 38 Weeks - Come out soon please!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Virtual Labor
I was just browsing around on the internet and found Virtual Labor. I did it several times, each time was different. It was pretty interesting to see the effects of the choices I made. Hopefully I'll make good choices in Real Labor too!
I've also included a link to the right under "Fun and Games."
I've also included a link to the right under "Fun and Games."
Friday, September 3, 2010
So Much To Do!
The Bump
Alright... I thought I'd post the bump pictures first because I know that's what you've all been waiting for! haha
Been feeling uncomfy for the last couple of weeks or so, but I still don't feel like it is time yet... I feel like my tummy should feel huge, and even though it looks like it...it doesn't feel like it.
To Do before Baby
Alright... I thought I'd post the bump pictures first because I know that's what you've all been waiting for! haha
Been feeling uncomfy for the last couple of weeks or so, but I still don't feel like it is time yet... I feel like my tummy should feel huge, and even though it looks like it...it doesn't feel like it.
To Do before Baby
- Finish Unpacking House
- Order Emergency Birth Supplies
- Cord Clamps
- DeLee Suction
- Herbs
- Shepherds Purse Tincture
- Angelica Tincture
- Goldenseal Capsules
- Peppermint Oil
- Postnatal Sitz Bath
- Steralize Birth Supplies (done in the oven - similar to an Autoclave)
- Swap Washingmachines (the one in our new apartment has been leaving rust stains on the white clothes and doesn't do a very good job, so we brought up our washer and will use it)
- Set up the Baby Area
- Put bassinett together (Trevor's Job)
- Move Dresser
- Stock up on easy to fix meals
- Wash cloth diapers (requires me to purchase diaper safe laundry detergent)
- Find the connector to hook the hose up to the sink to fill the pool
- Purchase extra batteries
- Keep cell phones and camera batteries charged
- Clean the Bathroom :(
Thursday, September 2, 2010
We made it!
The baby can come anytime now! It is safe. She will be able to breath all by herself without assistance! Whan an accomplishment for her! I'm hoping she comes sooner rather than later... Trevor is taking time off starting Oct. 1st, and we really dont want him sitting home with no baby! He had a chat with her this morning and told her to come out today! I told her to stay in a little longer because I have a very messy house (we cleaned out the garage and brought everything inside that needed to be...I just have to finish unpacking it all), I need to find the connector to fill the birth pool, and we have some tinctures to get yet (Trevor's only hesitation about a home birth was that he wouldn't have access to his drugs...so I did some research and found some herbs that will do the same things as his drugs will do...stop excessive bleeding, etc.). Last night I had lots of Braxton Hicks... four of them in about twenty minutes, then the peetered out and this morning I'm still having them once in a while.... So I think we're getting close!!! I'm guessing three weeks. She is still up pretty high, needs to rotate a little to the right as she is still in LOP position.
Today we are going to pick out a birthday outfit for her. I have an outfit that, if it fits (it is for up to 3 months), will work really nice if SHE is actually a HE. :) But we dont have anything that looks like girl. And since Trevor is being so agreeable today (he put a hualt to my baby clothes buying about 3 weeks ago), I figured today is as good a day as any. Maybe I can talk him into a back up boy outfit in a smaller size!
I'll update tomorrow with some bump pictures! Have a great day!
Today we are going to pick out a birthday outfit for her. I have an outfit that, if it fits (it is for up to 3 months), will work really nice if SHE is actually a HE. :) But we dont have anything that looks like girl. And since Trevor is being so agreeable today (he put a hualt to my baby clothes buying about 3 weeks ago), I figured today is as good a day as any. Maybe I can talk him into a back up boy outfit in a smaller size!
I'll update tomorrow with some bump pictures! Have a great day!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Being Productive
We got back late last night from Trevor's Family's Reunion, and I wasn't sure if I was going to get up when Trevor did or not. But, when his alarm went off at 6:06am (I know, weird time!), I was hungry. So, out of bed, and into the kitchen I went. I fixed Trevor his lunch while breakfast was cooking, then after he left, I sat down at my computer to get some baby stuff ordered. This was my top priority for the day, as it is almost time when she could arrive and be OK, and all I have is the carseat, diapers, and some clothes.
I proceeded to check my email, then facebook, then my blog and my email once more (for some reason I have to do these things, in that order, before I can get anything done). This took about 45 minutes as I had some emails I responded to, and a bunch of junk mail to mark as spam! Then it was off to the shower with me... I know.... I sat at the computer to order baby stuff, and what do I end up doing.... Anyway, in the process of dressing for the day, I realized I didn't have any clothes to wear, so I donned some sweat pants and began sorting laundry, thinking that multitasking was good and I could order the baby stuff while the clothes washed.
The third load is in the wash now, and I successfully contained myself to the computer chair and have ordered the Breast Pump, Nursing Pads (these supposedly really cool ones called Lily Padz, they have great reviews, so we'll see how they work out!), some nipple cream (just-in-case), as well as the Co-Sleeper. The Co-Sleeper is similar to a bassinet, but it has a side that folds down to provide easy access to the baby without getting out of bed... meaning I get to sleep more! She'll stay in it up to 23lbs or whenever she can pull herself up...then will move to a crib. It is also on wheels so I can wheel her around without disturbing her while I get things done (ie: shower, make food, etc.). AND I almost forgot about the scale I ordered. It is digital and acurate to 1/2 an ounce! I figure Trevor will get good use out of it weighing his fish he catches (AFTER we use it to weigh the baby of course!). ;) Remaining items to get are the Snap N Go: a stroller frame so we dont have to lug around a regular stroller in the back of the car (we'll save the regular one for walks), changing pad and covers (which I think I'll make), baby toiletries (wash, lotion, diaper rash cream, a wipes dispenser), as well as some breast milk storage bags. I also need to order the birth pool, some emergency cord clamps (just incase the cord needs cut) and herb tinctures (incase of excessive bleeding because eating the placenta just grosses me out) which I think I should be able to find locally.
Now that I have eaten my lunch (while writing this...gotta love multi tasking), I need to head out to the garage with some empty boxes (saving them for our next move), and bring in some more to unpack.... gotta love moving! Then figure out what to make for dinner... I'm thinking some BBQ chicken - or should I do fish??? - cob corn, and either a baked potato (which would require me to make some ranch) or some herbed pasta... leaning towards the pasta, even though it would take longer to make than the ranch! haha.
To ensure you have a great afternoon, I'll leave you will some Bump Pictures!
:)
I proceeded to check my email, then facebook, then my blog and my email once more (for some reason I have to do these things, in that order, before I can get anything done). This took about 45 minutes as I had some emails I responded to, and a bunch of junk mail to mark as spam! Then it was off to the shower with me... I know.... I sat at the computer to order baby stuff, and what do I end up doing.... Anyway, in the process of dressing for the day, I realized I didn't have any clothes to wear, so I donned some sweat pants and began sorting laundry, thinking that multitasking was good and I could order the baby stuff while the clothes washed.
The third load is in the wash now, and I successfully contained myself to the computer chair and have ordered the Breast Pump, Nursing Pads (these supposedly really cool ones called Lily Padz, they have great reviews, so we'll see how they work out!), some nipple cream (just-in-case), as well as the Co-Sleeper. The Co-Sleeper is similar to a bassinet, but it has a side that folds down to provide easy access to the baby without getting out of bed... meaning I get to sleep more! She'll stay in it up to 23lbs or whenever she can pull herself up...then will move to a crib. It is also on wheels so I can wheel her around without disturbing her while I get things done (ie: shower, make food, etc.). AND I almost forgot about the scale I ordered. It is digital and acurate to 1/2 an ounce! I figure Trevor will get good use out of it weighing his fish he catches (AFTER we use it to weigh the baby of course!). ;) Remaining items to get are the Snap N Go: a stroller frame so we dont have to lug around a regular stroller in the back of the car (we'll save the regular one for walks), changing pad and covers (which I think I'll make), baby toiletries (wash, lotion, diaper rash cream, a wipes dispenser), as well as some breast milk storage bags. I also need to order the birth pool, some emergency cord clamps (just incase the cord needs cut) and herb tinctures (incase of excessive bleeding because eating the placenta just grosses me out) which I think I should be able to find locally.
Now that I have eaten my lunch (while writing this...gotta love multi tasking), I need to head out to the garage with some empty boxes (saving them for our next move), and bring in some more to unpack.... gotta love moving! Then figure out what to make for dinner... I'm thinking some BBQ chicken - or should I do fish??? - cob corn, and either a baked potato (which would require me to make some ranch) or some herbed pasta... leaning towards the pasta, even though it would take longer to make than the ranch! haha.
To ensure you have a great afternoon, I'll leave you will some Bump Pictures!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Time is Flying
Wow. I cant beleive we're over halfway through August already and I haven't posted anything. We just got internet in our new place today. It is still a mess or I'd take and post some pictures. It is pretty nice, even Trevor agrees, and he is hard to please... housing-wise atleast! ;)
We ended up signing a 6 month lease on a one bedroom that comes with a garage. We're not planning on staying long.... we're ready to buy a house. Hopefully by the end of our lease agreement, we'll have saved the other half of our house fund (we're anticipating whatever we buy to need immediate repairs...roof, flooring, etc). Moving was a little crazy. My poor little car was packed to the brim (suprising how much it can haul) for many trips to Portland. Thankfully moving expenses are tax deductible, because our gas bill for the month was outrageous. Our next move we're renting a giant U-Haul and making one trip!
Gotta get some dinner going, but here's a quick update on the baby.
She weighs aprox. 5.5lbs, and is over 20" long (this is average of all babies born at this time, not necessarily OUR baby). She's just sitting in there developing her brain and lungs and putting on the ounces! Her favorite thing to do is get up under my ribs and make it so I can hardly breath. Her second favorite thing is to lodge her heel at my rib and push. Not a pleasant feeling!
More later!
We ended up signing a 6 month lease on a one bedroom that comes with a garage. We're not planning on staying long.... we're ready to buy a house. Hopefully by the end of our lease agreement, we'll have saved the other half of our house fund (we're anticipating whatever we buy to need immediate repairs...roof, flooring, etc). Moving was a little crazy. My poor little car was packed to the brim (suprising how much it can haul) for many trips to Portland. Thankfully moving expenses are tax deductible, because our gas bill for the month was outrageous. Our next move we're renting a giant U-Haul and making one trip!
Gotta get some dinner going, but here's a quick update on the baby.
She weighs aprox. 5.5lbs, and is over 20" long (this is average of all babies born at this time, not necessarily OUR baby). She's just sitting in there developing her brain and lungs and putting on the ounces! Her favorite thing to do is get up under my ribs and make it so I can hardly breath. Her second favorite thing is to lodge her heel at my rib and push. Not a pleasant feeling!
More later!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
32 Weeks!
Baby: YAY! We've finally reached the point where we will make efforts to save the baby if she is born early. Before this point, we didn't feel that she would have a "life" if we attempted to saved her and were successful. Now, she may or may not be able to breath on her own, but would probably have difficulties and require oxygen as she is just starting to get surfactant in her lungs. She would probably be able to suck, meaning she could nurse rather than having a feeding tube. Because her liver is so under developed at this point, she would need to be under special lights to help her body process the Bilirubin (Jaundice) to prevent mental retardation. She has a minimum of 5 more weeks before she can make her entrance and most likely be OK. At this time, she weighs over 4lbs and measures about 18 inches.
Moving: Trevor got a new job in Hillsboro a couple of weeks ago. He gave over two weeks notice at his current job, and we gave our 30 days notice on our duplex. He has worked up there three days so far, and I hunted for a place for us to live. The first two days I had ZERO for luck. Everywhere was either full and only had 2 bedrooms for super expensive and required a 12 month lease, or had rather expensive 1 bedrooms and charged $50-100/month extra to do anything shorter than a 12 month lease. Yesterday, however, I widened my search radius to include Beaverton, and found two places with rent in the $600 range and 1 month free if we sign a 12 month lease! To break the lease, they charge 1.5 times one month's rent, so really, we'd only have to pay an extra $300 or so to move out if we couldn't find someone to take over the lease. Also, both of these places have pools! Sunday, I'll show Trevor and let him decide! We will be moving in the morning of the 7th because Trevor works the following three days in a row, but we dont have to be out of our duplex until the 12th, giving me plenty of time to put the non-essentials in a storage unit and clean so we get our deposit back.
Moving: Trevor got a new job in Hillsboro a couple of weeks ago. He gave over two weeks notice at his current job, and we gave our 30 days notice on our duplex. He has worked up there three days so far, and I hunted for a place for us to live. The first two days I had ZERO for luck. Everywhere was either full and only had 2 bedrooms for super expensive and required a 12 month lease, or had rather expensive 1 bedrooms and charged $50-100/month extra to do anything shorter than a 12 month lease. Yesterday, however, I widened my search radius to include Beaverton, and found two places with rent in the $600 range and 1 month free if we sign a 12 month lease! To break the lease, they charge 1.5 times one month's rent, so really, we'd only have to pay an extra $300 or so to move out if we couldn't find someone to take over the lease. Also, both of these places have pools! Sunday, I'll show Trevor and let him decide! We will be moving in the morning of the 7th because Trevor works the following three days in a row, but we dont have to be out of our duplex until the 12th, giving me plenty of time to put the non-essentials in a storage unit and clean so we get our deposit back.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Preparation for Baby
Carseat: The carseat will be here Monday! I'm sooo excited. This is the first big thing for the baby. My parents got it for her, so Monday I'll be heading to their house to await the UPS Truck! After much research, we decided on the Safety 1st onBoard 35 Air in McKenna. I actually liked the pink and gray one (one of the few girly items I actually like out there - hot pink just isn't my thing), but we dont know for sure we're having a girl...and what if the next baby is a boy... we'd like to be able to move this baby into a convertable and use the same bucket for the next kiddo (hopefully before the seat expires!). Originally we were going to just skip the bucket, and use a convertable, unfortunately, it wouldn't fit in my car rear facing at the angle needed for a newborn.
Diapers: My cloth diaper stash is nearly complete for the first 4-5 months or so. In the right hand column I've listed what is in it. I got all but one of the Nubunz for $3 EACH! Apparently, they got a bad batch of fabric and didn't know it until it was too late, so they're selling all the diapers made at that time at a huge discount. Customers have been reporting about a 25% failure rate, and some even luck out with all good diapers! Depending on how many are bad, I will probably have to get some more. Trevor's mom found a bunch of soakers (what goes inside the diaper) and a couple of used diapers that have been added too. The soakers were great because I ordered the Nubunz without them... the reviews on their soakers weren't all that great.
Diapers: My cloth diaper stash is nearly complete for the first 4-5 months or so. In the right hand column I've listed what is in it. I got all but one of the Nubunz for $3 EACH! Apparently, they got a bad batch of fabric and didn't know it until it was too late, so they're selling all the diapers made at that time at a huge discount. Customers have been reporting about a 25% failure rate, and some even luck out with all good diapers! Depending on how many are bad, I will probably have to get some more. Trevor's mom found a bunch of soakers (what goes inside the diaper) and a couple of used diapers that have been added too. The soakers were great because I ordered the Nubunz without them... the reviews on their soakers weren't all that great.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Update
Lets see....
N. Umpqua Fishing Trip
We went fishing up the North Umpqua. Trevor had never been fly fishing and got a bite on his very first cast. The second cast he caught this fish:
N. Umpqua Fishing Trip
We went fishing up the North Umpqua. Trevor had never been fly fishing and got a bite on his very first cast. The second cast he caught this fish:
And a few casts later he caught this fish:
He fished the remainder of the day, at three different spots along the river but didn't catch anything else.
Job Hunt
Trevor got the job with Metro West Ambulance in Hillsboro. He has decided he is not going to work both jobs, so I have been packing our house. We plan to put everything in storage except the essentials, and find something cheap to rent in Hillsboro or Beaverton until we can find something more permanant. Right now, there is only one house on the Good Neighbor Next Door Program list and it would take Trevor over 40 minutes to get to work.... So, we wait. So far, Trevor really likes the job, and LOVES getting EMERGENCY calls! He will continue his current job through the end of the month, then is on the schedule for August with Metro West.
Baby
The baby has been moving around a lot. Not many kicks but TONS of stretching and buldging. Her heart beat was 140bpm (138bpm last month), and she is still measuring about two weeks ahead. Her fingernails have reached the end of her fingers now, and it's possible for her to scratch herself... poor thing! We have one more week until she is developed enough that we will try to save her if she is born early, but she really, really, needs to wait annother month and a half to have no problems. She is about 17" long and weighs about 3.5lbs.
Here are some bump pictures:
30 Weeks
And I finally figured out how to set the self timmer on my camera, so these should be much clearer from now on!
31 Weeks
Here is the Belly Map from today:
And here is the interpretation of it:
If the interpretation is correct, she is Left Occiput Posterior. She has flipped, but is not in the best position for birth. There some exercises I will do to help her face backwards closer to birth.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Evidence-Based Medicine
Even before we became pregnant, we looked into pregnancy and birth. I've spent countless hours looking at real research surrounding birth, and Trevor spoke (on a professional level) with OBGYN's while he was in clinicals for Labor & Delivery. We have listened to other's opinions surrounding pregnancy and birth, mainly, those who came to the same conclusions we have. One of my favorite blogs on the topic is Stand and Deliver. I agree with alot of what Rixa has to say (but not all, of course). Her most recent post got me thinking.
Every parent has to decide what is best for their family. What I don't understand is how people can just go along with what "professionals" say without looking into it themselves, and then try to force their beliefs onto others. Many of these "professionals" don't practice Evidence-Based Medicine. They practice what I like to call Routine-Procedure-Based Medicine. They do this because somewhere along the line, a patient needed the procedure and it wasn't done. A policy was made to ensure that this wouldn't happen again, and it stuck. No one considered the side effects this now routine procedure would have on those patients who don't need it.
I realize that these professionals are very busy and don't have time to pour over all the research. I also realize that research is a never ending process, and the more technological advances we have the more the conclusions that came from that evidence can change, and we can even find new evidence. I even realize that change is a slow process!
The first book on birth I read was on the Bradly Method titled "Husband Coached Childbirth." It was originally written to advocate for fathers being in the delivery room at the time of their child's birth instead of pacing the halls of the waiting room. It also talks about how animals give birth and how we should try to replicate that...that Natural Childbirth has the best outcomes for all involved. It may Talk the Talk, but it does not Walk the Walk. It is laden with Routine-Procedures...Interventions of natural childbirth. Interventions that are sooooo routine and so accepted their not even considered interventions.
I am no longer shocked by the numbers of people who think birth is an emergency, and is dangerous, and is the "worst pain of your life," and needs to be managed by a doctor. I am beginning to become amused by the number of people who want to be "Kept in the dark" regarding birth and pregnancy. I've had numerous people tell me, upon hearing our pregnancy and birth preparation and plans, that it was so much easier when they had babies... they didn't have to do anything, the doctor just told them what to do. How can they have so much trust in a doctor to keep them and their baby healthy... someone they see once a month, and have zero trust in their body to grow a perfectly healthy baby? Women have grown babies and given birth since the beginning, then all of a sudden we have technology and doctors and medications available and they MUST be used! I find it hard to believe that God, as Awesome as He is, would design us incapable of growing and birthing healthy babies. I think it is much more likely our interference with His plans for us that renders (some of) us incapable of growing and birthing healthy babies.
This Technology, Medication and information the Doctors have are gifts from Him, and have their place. However, because doctors don't do the research, and don't have time to review the research, they practice Routine-Procedure Based Medicine entirely too much. Especially in birth. Birth is not an emergency (there are some things than can become an emergency, but birth in itself is not an emergency), it is not inherently dangerous (driving a car is more dangerous), it is not "the worst pain of your life" (this is the media and general stigma surrounding birth - rent the movie "Orgasmic Childbirth" if you don't believe me), and it does not need to be managed (did Eve deliver her babies in a hospital with a doctor telling her what to do? I THINK NOT! Also, in other countries - Britain for one - you do not go to the hospital to give birth, babies are born at home).
I will not subject myself or my baby to Routine-Procedure-Based Medicine just because that is the view of our culture. We will not have a managed birth. We will not go to the hospital unless there is an emergency. We will not be induced leading to an epidural leading to difficulties in breast feeding and infection needing treated with antibiotics which leads to allergies in the baby which leads to feeding formula which leads to more allergies and food intolerance. I will not have a c-section if there are more than 12 hours between the water breaking and birth - this is necessary in a hospital because of risk of infection (my opinion - but a land fill probably has less antibiotic-resistant strains of germs). There will be no cervical checks to give me permission to push - again the germ thing, and I will push if and when I feel the need to assist my body. I will not be hooked up to an IV to keep me hydrated so I don't eat or dring anything in case of c-section. I will not be forced to lay on my back to give birth - which leads to tearing or an episiotomy and often a "stuck" baby requiring removal by forceps, suction and even c-section. The umbilical cord will not be cut or handled until it has stopped pulsing on its own - early cord cutting cause Rh sensitization in mothers if the baby and mother don't have the same blood factor, which leads to a managed pregnancy for the next baby, which leads to a multitude of other interventions. It also deprives the baby of its own blood which leads to an anemic infant and stresses its body in more ways than I care to list right now. She will not be suctioned, baby is capable of clearing her own passages given that the cord is not cut early. The baby will not be given painful stimuli to make her cry (many babies born in water don't cry and it does not effect their apgars). There will be no cord traction or uterine massage which can lead to turning the uterus inside out, partial release of the uterus, hemorrhage and maternal death. The placenta will come out when it is ready. There will be no Vitamin K injection - causes problems in getting a blood sample to check for the PKU test, nor will she be vaccinated for Hepatitis B - her body cannot process the other stuff in the vaccine and she is not at risk at this time in her life.
After we've had a chance to get to know our baby a little, get some food in all of us, bathe and get everything picked up, and rest a little, we will call our parents to come celebrate with some Birth Day Ice Cream Cake. :)
This is what is best for our family. To those of you who roll your eyes at me and give me speeches on what is best for my baby, you add humor to my day. You did what was best for your family given the information you had at that time. Do not tell me what is best for my family using the information you had at the time you decided what was best for your family. I'm choosing not to be stuck in the past, to live in the present, and have faith in the future.
Every parent has to decide what is best for their family. What I don't understand is how people can just go along with what "professionals" say without looking into it themselves, and then try to force their beliefs onto others. Many of these "professionals" don't practice Evidence-Based Medicine. They practice what I like to call Routine-Procedure-Based Medicine. They do this because somewhere along the line, a patient needed the procedure and it wasn't done. A policy was made to ensure that this wouldn't happen again, and it stuck. No one considered the side effects this now routine procedure would have on those patients who don't need it.
I realize that these professionals are very busy and don't have time to pour over all the research. I also realize that research is a never ending process, and the more technological advances we have the more the conclusions that came from that evidence can change, and we can even find new evidence. I even realize that change is a slow process!
The first book on birth I read was on the Bradly Method titled "Husband Coached Childbirth." It was originally written to advocate for fathers being in the delivery room at the time of their child's birth instead of pacing the halls of the waiting room. It also talks about how animals give birth and how we should try to replicate that...that Natural Childbirth has the best outcomes for all involved. It may Talk the Talk, but it does not Walk the Walk. It is laden with Routine-Procedures...Interventions of natural childbirth. Interventions that are sooooo routine and so accepted their not even considered interventions.
I am no longer shocked by the numbers of people who think birth is an emergency, and is dangerous, and is the "worst pain of your life," and needs to be managed by a doctor. I am beginning to become amused by the number of people who want to be "Kept in the dark" regarding birth and pregnancy. I've had numerous people tell me, upon hearing our pregnancy and birth preparation and plans, that it was so much easier when they had babies... they didn't have to do anything, the doctor just told them what to do. How can they have so much trust in a doctor to keep them and their baby healthy... someone they see once a month, and have zero trust in their body to grow a perfectly healthy baby? Women have grown babies and given birth since the beginning, then all of a sudden we have technology and doctors and medications available and they MUST be used! I find it hard to believe that God, as Awesome as He is, would design us incapable of growing and birthing healthy babies. I think it is much more likely our interference with His plans for us that renders (some of) us incapable of growing and birthing healthy babies.
This Technology, Medication and information the Doctors have are gifts from Him, and have their place. However, because doctors don't do the research, and don't have time to review the research, they practice Routine-Procedure Based Medicine entirely too much. Especially in birth. Birth is not an emergency (there are some things than can become an emergency, but birth in itself is not an emergency), it is not inherently dangerous (driving a car is more dangerous), it is not "the worst pain of your life" (this is the media and general stigma surrounding birth - rent the movie "Orgasmic Childbirth" if you don't believe me), and it does not need to be managed (did Eve deliver her babies in a hospital with a doctor telling her what to do? I THINK NOT! Also, in other countries - Britain for one - you do not go to the hospital to give birth, babies are born at home).
I will not subject myself or my baby to Routine-Procedure-Based Medicine just because that is the view of our culture. We will not have a managed birth. We will not go to the hospital unless there is an emergency. We will not be induced leading to an epidural leading to difficulties in breast feeding and infection needing treated with antibiotics which leads to allergies in the baby which leads to feeding formula which leads to more allergies and food intolerance. I will not have a c-section if there are more than 12 hours between the water breaking and birth - this is necessary in a hospital because of risk of infection (my opinion - but a land fill probably has less antibiotic-resistant strains of germs). There will be no cervical checks to give me permission to push - again the germ thing, and I will push if and when I feel the need to assist my body. I will not be hooked up to an IV to keep me hydrated so I don't eat or dring anything in case of c-section. I will not be forced to lay on my back to give birth - which leads to tearing or an episiotomy and often a "stuck" baby requiring removal by forceps, suction and even c-section. The umbilical cord will not be cut or handled until it has stopped pulsing on its own - early cord cutting cause Rh sensitization in mothers if the baby and mother don't have the same blood factor, which leads to a managed pregnancy for the next baby, which leads to a multitude of other interventions. It also deprives the baby of its own blood which leads to an anemic infant and stresses its body in more ways than I care to list right now. She will not be suctioned, baby is capable of clearing her own passages given that the cord is not cut early. The baby will not be given painful stimuli to make her cry (many babies born in water don't cry and it does not effect their apgars). There will be no cord traction or uterine massage which can lead to turning the uterus inside out, partial release of the uterus, hemorrhage and maternal death. The placenta will come out when it is ready. There will be no Vitamin K injection - causes problems in getting a blood sample to check for the PKU test, nor will she be vaccinated for Hepatitis B - her body cannot process the other stuff in the vaccine and she is not at risk at this time in her life.
After we've had a chance to get to know our baby a little, get some food in all of us, bathe and get everything picked up, and rest a little, we will call our parents to come celebrate with some Birth Day Ice Cream Cake. :)
This is what is best for our family. To those of you who roll your eyes at me and give me speeches on what is best for my baby, you add humor to my day. You did what was best for your family given the information you had at that time. Do not tell me what is best for my family using the information you had at the time you decided what was best for your family. I'm choosing not to be stuck in the past, to live in the present, and have faith in the future.
3 WEEKS!!!!!!!
WOW! I cannot beleive it has been three weeks since I posted on here! Time sure does fly when stuff's a happen'.
Lets see....
Briana's Graduation party went well, we had pizza and of course cake (dont worry I didn't eat the frosting...it had High Fructose Corn Syrup - why does everything have to have that stuff in it?). She got her quilt finally. :) which she was pretty happy over...unfortunately, I forgot my camer and dont have any pictures of it finished to post. Today is my Mom's Birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!) so I'll be going over and will take a picture then.
We took a trip to Roseburg for Trevor's Job Hunt. Eighty-one people were invited to take the Physical Agility Test, 60 showed up for it and only 30 passed. Those 30, including Trevor, then went and took the Written Test, which Trevor did awesome on and now has an interview! We also stopped at the Umpqua Dam. Trevor had never been there and enjoyed seeing the fish!
We went to the lake this past weekend, and I ended up sewing a swim suit top because all the "Tankini" style ones are waaaaaay to short to cover the bump. It worked well, but I think it will be too tight across my belly in about 3 weeks, so I'll have to make annother, or break down and pay $35 for a "Maternity" swim suit top. Old Navy has them a little cheaper than that online, but I like to try things on and they're conveiniently NOT available in the store! Ugh. To the left is a picture of the ONLY fish Trevor has caught this summer. Mom was also the first person to ski, but I only have a video and cant figure out how to put that on here (which I"m sure she doesn't mind!).We went fishing the other day to Cottage Grove Lake. Trevor caught Nothing. He wasn't a very happy fisherman. Plus the wind came up and blew the boat into shore after each cast. Next time we think we'll go in the evening. We know there are fish in there because we saw a huge dead bass. It was huge. And just floating there with its eyeballs all puffed out. Yuck! We finally left the lake, and got some very late lunch at Arby's where I had a Ruben (YUM), and we lucked out with the DMV being right across the parkinglot (Trevor needed a copy of his driving record for a job he's applying for). Never again will I go to a Eugene or Springfield DMV. I'll spend less time driving down to Cottage Grove, having our number called before we even have a chance to sit down, and driving back home, than I would if I just went to the DMV up here! WOW!
Yesterday, we went to Hillsboro for an interview with an Ambulance Company. They're hiring 1-6 of the six they interviewed...depending on who they like. Trevor HATES Portland, and would be getting paid less if he takes the job, so I'm not sure what will happen with that. However, it is EMERGENCY, which is the issue with where he's at now (not emergency), and he really wants emergency, so the draw to it is pretty strong. He thinks he can continue to work where he is and drive up there to work that job too. I dont want that because he already works 48 or 72 hours every week, add to that annother 40 hours in Hillsboro and 12-16 of driving every week and we will literally NEVER see each other. I told him we could put everything in storage and get a studio apt. or something and just "stay" up there rather than "live" up there.... The traffic was pretty bad (I thought the closer you got to California the worse they drove, apparently, Portland is the exception), and the rodes are so close together we turned several times where the GPS told us to turn then it ended up being the wrong rode and had to "Recalculate" us with it's attitude it gets (both Trevor and I think it has an attitude with it says "Recalculating!"), didn't help that we ended up getting on the high way instead of taking the rode NEXT to the highway, where we proceeded to sit while we waited for the all the cars in front of us to get the green light to get off the on ramp and onto the high way... I really dont like those things, but I think maybe River Road and Delta Highway in Eugene need them! Might keep Beltline flowing a little better!
Baby Update:
And here's what you've all been waiting for! :)
Our baby will start to vary now from the average as the average is just that. A computation of all babies' statistics at this point in pregnancy, some weight less and/or are shorter, and some more and/or longer. But, she now weighs about a little under 3lbs, and is nearly 17" long! She'll continue to put on the pounds for about 7 more weeks (when she is more than welcome to come out), then she'll slow down considerably (and we try to wait with patience for her to come out).
She blinks her eyes, and can see lightness and darkness (I put my tummy in the sun while we were fishing and she squirmed all over the place!). She knows my voice and most likely knows Trevor's voice. Funny thing is, when we're (baby and I) are around other people, she hardly moves at all... maybe she is listening?!!??! She is still giving Trevor a hard time. Everytime I tell him she is moving so he can feel, she stops moving when he has his hand on my stomach, then as soon as he gives up, she starts moving again. However, if he lays his head on my stomach, she has no problem kicking him in the face! Poor Daddy! He says it's ok, she wont be able to avoid him much longer, but I still feel bad for him.
Found the cord to connect my camer to the computer...it was in my camera case... so here's the bumb @ 29 Weeks!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Baby
Today marks the start of week 26 and I thought I'd write something about what the baby has been up to. We're going on four days of TONS of movement. Before it would move alot and then have a day or two where it was pretty quiet. However, it ALWAYS moves around in the morning. I dont wake up from it (I wake up from starving to death), but the days I've been awake early, movement has gone from around 6:30 to about 9. The last few days have been near constant movement all day long! Maybe she's just running out of room and I feel all of them now?
Anyways, she now has nearly completely developed blue eyes, and they will open this week. Her nails are growing, and the blood vessels in her lungs are beging to grow. Alot of growing still left to do, but if she were born now, she'd have a 70% chance of making it....of course she'd be immobile with drool running down the side of her face for the rest of her life if we tried to save her, so she can just stay in there until atleast September 2nd, when it is safe for her to come out. So far, no Braxton Hix contractions so atleast the baby and my body are in agreement that she should stay in there longer, however she has been measureing about 1-2 weeks ahead. I'll start the Raspberry Leaf Tea in a couple of weeks though.
It looks like it has been a while since I've posted any Bump pictures so here ya go!
Almost 23 weeks... laying down.
About 24 weeks.
Almost 26 weeks. FYI - That shirt is size LARGE! And I'm having a terrible time finding maternity pants that fit. Finally found those ones at Ross - they're super comfy, but the lack of a butt makes it so I have to pull them up quite a bit. I was really hoping I'd get a butt out of this!
Same day - 26wks - laying down.
Busy Weekend
We had a super busy weekend last weekend, but I think we've finally recovered!
FRIDAY: Trevor worked and was up most the night running calls. I got stuff ready for the weekend and worked on the nightmare of a quilt I made for my sister for graduation (will post pics after she gets it at her grad party).
SATURDAY: 7:15AM - Trevor gets home, he takes a shower and we hop in the car. Trevor drops me off at my parents and he heads out to Elmira for a Burn. 8AM - Off to Corvallis I go with my family for Briana's Graduation.
We watch a mass of people dressed exactly alike take their seats. 
Thanks to technological advances (cell phone) we are able to spot Briana - in the back waiving her arm at everyone - while she waits for others to take their seats ahead of her.
And through much eye straing, and several more phone calls, we find her at her seat.We sit and listen to the "Important" people being introduced, and suprisingly, some very short speeches (took less time than the introductions). They called the names of those receiving their Doctorate, and they walk across the stage to retreive theire much earned diploma (yes, they actually received their diplomas at that time - no waiting until August for it to come in the mail!). Then the Master's students picked theirs up (46 of them teachers - more competition for me). And finally the Undergrads formed four lines and picked their diplomas up from the outer stages. I have a video of this, but I cant figure out how to put it on here without first putting it on YouTube.
After more phonecalls and crowd searching, we found Briana!
Then back to Eugene we went. Finally around 4pm Trevor showed up and we had Pizza and Spuds, then Trevor & I piled into the car and off to the Sister's Rodeo we went.
Every year, Trevor's parents get tickets to the Rodeo. We got there about 1/2 hr. after it started and missed the wild horse chase. None of the bull riders were injured, and hopefully none of the animals were injured...just mad as could be. I feel sooooo bad for the poor little calves with their headgear on so they dont get their horns ripped off their noggins. At the break, they had the buffalo again... then FINALLY came the good part. The barrel races! Unfortunately, most of the contestants knocked over a barrel, but one who didn't was 4 one-hundreths shy of a record, which was pretty cool.
SUNDAY we finally got back to Eugene around 5:30 and my mom made Trevor some BBQ spareribs for his birthday dinner. No idea what time we made it to bed, but Monday, Trevor was up at 6 to go back to work. Poor Guy.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Pirates
This not knowing what it is forsure stuff is pretty hard. :(
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