Saturday, July 30, 2011

How to save a ton of money: DIY dresser

I had a really specific look in mind for the nursery furniture. My in-laws were gracious enough to offer to pay for the nursery furniture (love you two!) and so I was thankful I was able to find the crib and changer online that matched my vision for a "reasonable" price. However, the matching dresser that was supposed to go with the "set" was NOT my vision and nothing I came across really hit the spot either. So I decided to start scouring local thrift stores, antique shops, and even the local classifieds. I looked at dozens of dressers trying to find the right one and started freaking out that it was so late in the game and I didn't have one yet. And then... I found it.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

My iron story - a follow up

So, I refused to mention the iron again after posting about it initially because I didn't want to write about how well it was going, only to have it be immediately jinxed. So, since I knew it was going to happen one way or another I just figured I'd wait until after my overly dramatic "I'm throwing up so hard all of my insides are going to come up and I'm going to die right here on the bathroom floor" moment was over.
                                               

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

(Almost!) 29 weeks with a picture!

Since I'm almost 29 weeks, I'm also getting excitied because that means I'm almost 30 weeks! Which means I almost only have 10(ish) weeks left! Oh, how the weeks have flown by. As we get into the final stretch, I've noticed some things becoming more prominent than before.

I am completely exhausted. I literally look like someone has punched me in the face every morning when I wake up. I fall asleep around 830 or 9 each night because I can no longer keep my eyes open and I wake up at 550 each morning. Yeah, that's like 9+ hours of sleep everynight. And I'm still exhausted. I wish the kid would just get here already so at least I had a reason to be tired. This could also be a combination of my thyroid going crazy (Again) or my low iron. I'm hoping after a week of taking the iron supplements I'll start to see a difference.

Monday, July 18, 2011

My love hate relationship with iron.

I have been a die hard blood donor since I was 17. Every 58 days I donate blood - I even have a donor card! This is something I feel really strongly about, and when I found out I was pregnant and (foolishly) tried to continue to donate they shot me down. I was shocked! "But, I'm PREGNANT! I'm making even more blood now... more of a reason for you to want to take it - right?" The woman looked at me in the eye with such...confusion?... and said, "Sweetie, you're donating your blood to a much better candidate now. We'll see you again in December." Due to constantly giving blood, I had always closely monitored my iron - taking supplements when needed. So when I got pregnant I didn't think it would be a big deal. Turns out my prenatal vitamin had 256% of my daily value of iron. JUST THE VITAMIN. Not to mention the iron I was absorbing already from my daily diet. I was receiving WAY too much iron and I believe that's what caused a lot of my first trimester sickness. When I told my midwife that's what I believed the issue was she told me to stop taking it and if I needed to, we would resume taking iron supplements later on.

I went for a few weeks of my first trimester and all of my second trimester not having to go back on the iron. And I felt great! I wasn't feeling deprived or depleted. Then today... I got the call.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

My addiction to all things V8

I have a confession. v8 products have taken over my fridge, my pantry, and my heart. It started with making sure I was getting all my servings of fruits and veggies and has turned into a monster. Between Bolthouse farms protein shakes for breakfast and v8 continuously throughout the day I'm amazed that I'm only running to the bathroom once an hour. Seriously my day goes something like this:

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

The Third Trimester

I have read that the third trimester ends the "comfortable" stage in pregnancy and kick starts the "crap the kid is almost here" stage in pregnancy. I didn't think it would be so much like flipping a switch. I woke up the day I switched from the 2nd to the 3rd trimester feeling awful. I was nauseous, sweating, swollen, and even threw up. I haven't been able to sleep in any other position but a 90 degree angle due to the awful heartburn and it feels like I can only eat 1/10 of the amount of food I used to before I feel like I'm about to vomit everywhere.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Mommy’s little helper

Dear little girl,
You know how I know you love me? You’re already such a big helper.  Just a few examples of how you help me…

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Talking about our feelings: The Bradley Method

There are SO many different birth classes that it can be really over-whelming. However, it was not even an option in my mind to go with anything other than the Bradley method. For those that aren't familiar, in a nut shell Mr. Bradley grew up on an animal farm, assisting the farm animals and watching them give birth. When he stepped into the field of obstetrics and saw how birth was handled in the medical field, it sickened him. He had grown up knowing birth to be completely natural and at a pace that was decided by the baby alone; whether it took 3 hours or 3 days. So he set out to revolutionize the way birth was handled.

Yesterday was the first class of our twelve week Bradley course. Unfortunately my husband was unable to attend. I walked in and there was only one other couple. I asked if the class started at 5 and where the other couples were. The instructor gave me a confused look and said that their classes only accept two couples per course. A twelve week, couple focused birth class. I am spoiled.