a not-so-spooky halloween pj party

To say that I have a slight obsession with pjs would be an understatement. Both for myself and for my lil one. I may or may not go crazy every month holiday and buy all sorts of pjs for both of us. Halloween is no exception. And when I saw that Darci and Meredith were going to host a virtual Halloween Pajama Party linkup, i couldnt resist buying more pajamas joining (albeit a lil late). Ill spare you all the pictures this mamarazzi took and just share a few from this past week that I caught with my lil boy happy as can be in his jammies.

 

 

 

And because, lets get real here, any holiday gives me a good excuse to go on a little shopping spree, here are some other goodies that we may have collected throughout this month

Pajama 2 pack // Trick or Treat Longsleeve // Racoon Hoodie // Funfetti cupcakes & icing // Ghost pjs

If you havent already done so, you should defintely join the linkup so we can see your kiddos in their cute pj's, here's are all the info

Hope you all are enjoying your weekend!

so what wednesday

this week im saying so what if....

-ive fallen off plan the past two weeks and am guaranteed to gain at least 3lbs at weighing tonight, at least i can admit it and jump back on plan this week

- i took my newest nephews newborn pics almost 3 weeks ago and still havent finished editing them yet, it was a free session for them, technically cost me $75 to rent the lens, plus my sisinlaw isnt planning on sending out baby announcements and told me to take my time

- aunt flo decided to visit me 2 weeks early, wtf?!?! And im on birth control so this shouldnt happen, and what im most upset about is the fact that it will probably come again next week when im supposed to have it :/

- its completely irritating me that i cant figure out this whole dropping to only 1 nap a day thing for matthew, its driving me insane, so much that i ordered "on becoming pretoddler-wise" since babywise helped with his sleeping habits in the beginning

- i also order "shitty mom" while i order the previously mentioned book to hopefully lift my spirits a little considering its the parenting guide for "the rest of us"

- ive decided that in order for me to catch up on matthews monthly posts im ditching the previously used template for the post ive already done and going straight to a bulleted list to get them done ......finally

- i found a new blog to read, baby rabies, and ive started in her archives of her first post ever and am reading all the way thru, it may take me forever but i love how the author writes

- im so jealous of all you northerners who get to go to real pumpkin patches and apple orchards to do your picking, so jealous that ive convinced the hubs and a close friend to drive 45mins north to try to go to a patch that ive heard is awesome

- im already thinking about my birthday (dec 17th) and that i want to go to orlando and do mickeys very merry christmas, ive never done it before and usually dont get to do fancy things for my bday since its so close to christmas

- i also am contemplating buying tickets for disney junior live thats coming to our area in february and want good seats

- we dont really have the money to do any of the things noted above

- i didnt do spell check, nor correct punctuation in this entire post

dont forget to link up with Shannon and let us know what your saying So What to this week

wednesday weigh-in: weeks 17-38

If you couldnt tell by the huge gap between the weeks in the title of this post, I have been a major slacker in updating you all on my progress with Weight Watchers. The last time I checked in on the blog was back in May. In short, I want to start off by saying that I have had positive results, however, it hasnt always been the easiest over the past few months, evidenced by my below progress report.

You can see there were a couple of weeks I skipped, and *gasp* a few weeks where i actually gained back more than I would have liked. That last spike, the week of Sept 19th, when i hadnt tracked a single thing for 2 whole weeks, and I undoubtedly gained a whopping 4.8lbs, that was my last straw. You see, basically since June Ive plateaued. Ive been in that grey area where i either need to step it up or give up. And i sure as hell was NOT giving up. As i stated in my very first check in, back in January, this time is different. Im not doing this for some grand event (graduation, wedding, etc), although those are good mini goals this time around, its not my main goal.

My #1 goal this time around is to do it for good. To make this a lifestyle change. To be healthier for me. For my son. For my husband. Yes, its nice to look thinner, but thats really not all that its about this time. A major perk, most definitely, but its more about being able to teach my son healthy habits. To be able to play with him outside without feeling winded. To be happier with myself, thus happier with my relationship with my husband.

Im officially back to pre-pregnancy weight, actually even less than that. And when i gained majorly 2 weeks ago, I told myself I needed to go back to basics. TRACK.TRACK.TRACK! And that is what I did, both this week and last week. Heres a little look at my tracking skills from last week.

I definitely made up for the minor setback the previous weeks by getting rid of 5.6lbs. I exercised 3 out of the 7 days this week, so that probably was a majorly influence as well. I love that weight watchers online lets you look at progress reports like this. I can totally tell where my weaknesses are. For starters, I need to drink waaaaaaaaaaaay more water. But thats always been an issue for me :/ and i think i may need to just start taking a multivitamin before i got to bed when i take my birth control, because I seem to forget taking it the majority of the time.  However, you'll noticed i tracked everylittle nibble, taste, bite, and snack. Even if I went over my points values a couple days. And yes, there were a few days i didnt reach my points plus target, but i honestly wasnt hungry and i need want to eat empty calories for the sake of reach my target.

Now, for what you really want to see, progress pictures. I always hate taking these kind of pictures, but in truth, its what i look for when i read someones diet progress, and considering i havent updated for so long, i figured i kinda owe it to you. So, without further ado, first are the before pictures i took when i joined in January.

And heres my "half-way" pictures. Same outfit. Same pale skin ;)

Its not a huge drastic change, but its my half-way point, and I am DAMN proud of myself! I have my next weigh-in this evening, so hopefully me jumping back on the bandwagon as helped me shed even more, but only the scale will tell....

So to do a quick recap

lbs shed this week: -5.6 (technically this was last week, i wont know till tonight what i did this week)

lbs shed in total: -33 

lbs still need to shed: 17

first goal: 10lbs - reached on 2/13/13

•     reward:  mani/pedi and possibly massage (still havent done this yet)

second goal: 25lbs - reached on 6/6/13

•     reward: new rollerblades (I also got the BOB stroller and with the two its awesome!)

final goal:  50lbs

•     reward: epiphanie camera bag or maybe the 50mm lens ive been dreaming about :)

success: im a tracking maniac! lol, no but seriously, every tiny thing that went into my mouth i made sure to put in my tracker, even if i went over my points.

set-backs: i need to make sure I drink more the minimum amount of water each day. im horrible at this. plus need to start taking a multivitamin too

exercise: rollerblading with matthew in the mornings before breakfast seems to be the best for me. I feel so much better if i get it done early and dont have to worry about it for the rest of my day. Also, walked to/from my parents to swim in the pool with matthew, my neice and nephew. Every little bit of exercise helps!

One last picture, which Im kinda horrified and proud to show. I hate when any picture shows my stomach, but I couldnt not post it because it shows such progress for me! :)

sorry for the bit of underwear display, the pants literally are falling off me lol

So how are all of you doing with your weight-loss journey? Would love to her what has helped keep your momentum going when you hit a plateau or have a bad week!

5 on Friday + a winner

O*N*E
Well I promised that on Friday I would announce the winner of the The Little Mermaid Giveaway, so without further ado.....

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats Maria!!!

Please make sure to email me your address by Monday September 30th, so i can give it to the sponsor. 

T*W*O
So after seeking out some advice from a few of my favorite photography bloggers, I decided to go ahead and rent the 50mm 1.4 from borrowlenses.com. Let me just say, OMG!!! I love this thing!! I havent even really had the chance to fully use it yet on a client/subject, but i played with it in my backyard on the dogs and i think im in LOVE! I cant wait to use it tomorrow on my new nephew. Thank you Mandy for your suggestion!!! Now if only i can convince someone to buy it for me for Christmas. Only 88 days to persuade someone, who will be the lucky winner? :)

my mother-in-laws black lab, Sophie

T*H*R*E*E
Im so proud of myself for jumping back on Weight Watchers full force! And not only because i can see a difference on the scale, but also because I feel like i am making better choices. Like right now, i just went on to plan what im having for dinner because I know we are going to a mexican restaurant since its my mother in laws last night in town. I tracked all the points, yes everything down to how many tortilla chips im going to eat, so that i know i will make a better choice while im at the dinner table. go me! (oh and look for an upcoming post where i will do a complete update on my progress thus far)


F*O*U*R

via

Ive been thinking about what I want Matthew to be for halloween this year. Surprisingly hubs agrees with my idea, normally he has some kind of remark on it being cheesey. But you see my mom has been calling matthew "bam bam" for quite some time now. So i think it would be really cute if he was Bam Bam from Flinstones. I could even be Betty Rubble, or Wilma Flinstone. Highly doubt hubs would be willing to dress up as Barney or Fred, but I could give it a shot. lol. My issue is, we live in south florida, and EVERY.SINGLE. costume i find for kids is like a full body suit. Dont the makers realize that my kid might die of sweat? And come on, its Bam Bam for god sake! all he needs is a little skirt-like thing and a stick! but no, all the ones i can find look like this. Not only is it a full body suit, but the whole hair thing makes it look really weird to me. So i think i might just bite the bullet and shop for the costume on Etsy. It may be a little, read ALOT, more expensive to have someone make it, but i think it will look way better. Anyone know anyone that could make me a bam bam costume? Im sure it wouldnt be too difficult, and i could probably make it, but i just dont have the time or will power to try and figure it out.

F*I*V*E
Not only have I had major baby fever lately, but i think Ive also got a case of the "i wanna bigger house" fever too. The two kinda go together. You see i want another kid soon. Like would love to be pregnant before the new year (no we are not currently trying), but we honestly dont really have a big enough house to add another kid into the mix. Technically we could enclose the carport, which is what we have wanted to do all along. But 1) we dont really have the money for that right now and 2) that still wouldnt give us the space we need. Ideally, i would love a 5bd/3bath. I know, i like to dream BIG. But think about it 1-our room 2-matthews room 3-baby #2's room eventually 4-my home office and 5-a spare bedroom, or possibly baby#3. Technically kids can share rooms, so thats always negotiable, but i need a separate room for my office. Currently its in whats supposed to be a dining room. But technically we cant afford a house like that out east where we live now, and i really dont want to live out west if i can avoid it. So basically i just have to live with my baby fever and big house syndrome until someone decides they just want to give me lot and lots of money! any volunteers? Id be happy with something like this:

via

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

If youre new here, leave a comment and ill make sure to hop on over to your blog too!

So what wednesday

This week im saying So what if....

• I let Matthew cry for a good 15mins before i decided he just wasnt going to take his afternoon nap today
• It only took $14,000 in credit card debt for me to realize i need to tame my shopping habits
• I brought up the whole debt situation to my father in hopes he might help me out somehow, even if its only to borrow the $ from him to avoid interest...... 
• Im getting less work done for work this week because i kept Matthew home with me an extra day to save a bit of money
• I gained 4.8lbs last week, but i made up for it this week by getting rid of 5.6lbs! Woohoo!
• If i look forward to wednesday weight watchers meetings to just get out of the house and have hubby feel the full responsibility of matthew for a night
• I only mowed the front lawn today, when the back is really what needed it, but it started pouring and at least it gives me some exercise for tomorrow
• I left 2 loads of clean laundry in the living room, in hopes my mom would fold and put away while she came over to watch matthew before hubs got home
• I had a dream my birth control failed due to the use of antibiotics this month and ended up pregnant....dam baby fever....and aunt flo arrived today so no it wasnt a premonition 
• I wrote this post from my phone so the likelihood of the layout being all messed up is pretty darn good ;) (update: i went back and reformatted thursday to make it look right lol)

Dont forget to link up with Shannon and let us know what your saying So What to this week

5 on friday

I really love these 5 on Friday posts. Especually since Ive been slacking majorly in the whole blog department, this gives me a chance to catch up on the small things

O*N*E
Im officially an aunt again! my sister-in-law gave birth to a cute baby boy, Francis "Frankie" James, on Tuesday Sept 17th, 7lbs 3oz, 20inches long. This means that Matthew is also officially a big cousin! Im so happy he is going to have a cousin around the same age as him, seeing that my sisters kids are 13 and 6, these two lil boys will only be a year apart. I cant wait to see them be best buds and having lots of family get-togethers where they are running around with each other. And oh-my-aching-ovaries!!! lets just say holding him when he was less than a day old did not do any good for the looming baby fever ive been having.......

T*W*O
So with my nephew being born, and the maternity/1yr photoshoot i booked for my friend a couple of weeks ago, its really got me starting to think about turning this little photography hobby of mine into a business. My friend said that she got so many compliments on the photos i took of her lil expanding family and her lil girls 1st bday, and mentioned that she wished i had a facebook page for my photography so she could tag them/recommend me. Which then got me into thinking of a logo for my possible business. what do you think of my first idea? After playing around with my initials for a little while, i feel like it almost looks like a butterfly, and i LOVE butterflies. So im sure there could be a few tweaks, but im really liking it so far


T*H*R*E*E
More photography stuff (sorry its been on my mind alot lately), i cant really afford another lens right now and while scouring pinterest for newborn session ideas for my nephew, i came cross this site called borrowlenses.com, have any of you used it? I asked a couple of my photog friends and they all seem to recommend the 50mm as a wonderful lens to use. So im definitely contemplating whether to rent it for a week or two to try it out on my nephew. And then if i fall in love with it, maybe i can ask for it for christmas?

F*O*U*R
Ive had enough with this whole laxidasical (did i spell that right?) approach ive been having with weight watchers over the past 3-4weeks. I know the program works, i know i can do it, i know im successful with it, but im just too dam lazy. urrgghh. so this week i told myself there were no excuses. Granted ive only just said that yesterday (since wednesday was my weigh in day and i gained basically 5lbs in the past 2 weeks), but im going to track, eat healthier, exercise, and NOT step on the scale until next wednesday. so far so good. ive tracked every single little bite ive put in my mouth, i went rollerblading yesterday morning before matthew and i even ate breakfast, and im going to publix on my lunch break to stock up on healthy food. wish me luck.

F*I*V*E
Its actually starting to feel like fall around here as of this morning. As I walked matthew out to my sisters car this morning for pickup, i could feel a cool breeze and the i wasnt covered in sweat when i made it back in the house. and that says alot when you live in south florida. I love fall. Not winter, but fall. Normally right around Halloween is when i feel like our seasons somewhat change around here. But i have to to admit, i am completely jealous of you ladies who are already rocking the boots, scarves, and jeans. Oh and also those who get to go apple picking. I LOOOOOVE me some apple! I wish we had an orchard somewhere around here, but i think thats only for you northerner :( but that wont stop me from making this apple cinnamon baked oatmeal recipe. Not only is it apple, but its also weight watcher friendly. If any of you are following the plan, you must go check out Emily Bites. She has some great ww recipes that do not disappoint!!! (and you dont even have to tell your hubby its diet-friendly, he wont be able to tell!!)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

And if you havent already, go enter my latest giveaway to win a The Little Mermaid Diamond Edition 2-Disc Blu-ray+DVD Combo Pack with Digital Copy!

If youre new here, leave a comment and ill make sure to hop on over to your blog too!

a quick update and a giveaway

Wow, you know how everyone tells you once you have kids time seems to literally fly by? Well they werent kidding. I cant believe it is already half way through September. Alots been going on around our neck of the world. Lots of projects at work, lots of random house projects (including building a swingset!), baby shower for my sis-in-law, and now she is actually at the hospital as of last night getting induced due to a liver condition they found in her. All is well so far, and I cant wait to meet my new lil nephew hopefully later today! <insert baby fever here>

But along with all that good news for me and my family, I have some good news for you, my bloggy friends, too! I have the opportunity to give one of my lucky readers The Little Mermaid Diamond Edition 2-Disc Blu-ray+DVD Combo Pack with Digital Copy!

I was so beyond excited to be able to host this giveaway! We all know we love Disney around here, and The Little Mermaid just so happens to be one of my all time favorite Disney classics. Funny, I was just talking to hubby about how when I was growing up, i would have definitely considered myself a Disney kid (opposed to Nickelodeon). I think i had every classic Disney movie on VHS (omg, showing my age now with the VHS reference), but the few that stayed in my normal rotation were The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, and Sleeping Beauty.

And honestly, it kind of makes me sad that all my old VHS's will go to waste, and my kid(s) wont have those for their viewing pleasure since we dont own a VHS player anymore. But luckily, The Little Mermaid is coming out of the Disney Vault for the first time on Blu-ray Combo Pack and HD Digital on October 1st!

If you want you chance at winning a free copy for your kiddos (or yourself, if youre a fanatic like me lol) then just simply enter below through the rafflecopter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Oh and you can also check out is the movie's website, which includes clips, games and activities by going here.

Good luck!

I received a copy of the movie in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.

Five on Friday vol 2

Linking up again this week for Five on Friday

O*N*E
I booked my first unofficial photography gig a couple weeks ago for a close friend who is pregnant with #2 thats happening tomorrow afternoon. Im a little nervous to say the least. Im no professional, and am honestly scared that we will end up with no good pics. My friend has complete confidence in me and says shes knows that im just beginning, but that she thinks i take really good pics. (if youve see pics on here of matthew and his girlfriend sam, thats her firstborn). I told her she didnt have to pay me unless she liked how the pics came out. That way its a win-win for both of us, cuz honestly Id do it for free just to get the experience, and this way if the pics dont turn out good then she can hire someone else to take pics. :/ Wednesday during my lunch break I even went downtown to the location to scope out some areas where we can hopefully have some nice background scenery. Now only if I could figure out how to make my camera do the focused foreground blurry background trick when i want it to (i only sometimes get it, and it frustrates the crap outta me!)

T*W*O
We finally put up the swingset that Matthew got for his birthday back in June, this past weekend. It took hubby and 3 of matthews uncles to build it in 2 days. It sits so nicely in our big backyard and I can already picture many future playdates with lots of kids. Matthew already is attached to it. He'll grab his shoes, bring them to me to put on, and then head straight to the back door. And also, his changing table is right next to the window that overlooks our backyard, lets just say diaper changing has become a complete challenge since he can see the swingset thru the window. Look forward to a whole post of the swingset, but for now, ill leave you with this pic.

T*H*R*E*E
Kinda fitting I pick to write about this third. I have this weird theory that everything comes in threes, but more particularly life and death. So if someone tells me they are pregnant or that someone has passed away, im always looking for the second and third person to be pregnant or pass away. (sorry if the death one is kinda morbid, but its true) So basically, where this comes into play is i think i have major baby fever right now. Matthew is starting to act more and more like a toddler and less and less like a baby. He has his own characteristics, and is becoming so smart that its hard for me to enjoy it because i already miss his small baby squishiness (yes, i made that word up). So when a friend of mine announced her pregnancy, I immediately started looking for the next couple of preggos, and OMG they just keep coming. Literally

1. Friend - Sarah L
2. Acquaintance - Krista G
3. Friend  - Julie F
4. Friend's wife - Jamie L
5. Friend's sister - Daniella S
6. Friend - Ciji J
7. Friend - Kristina
8.  
9.  

And these are all IRL friends. I dont really count blog friends since I dont know them personally. So basically Im am literally chomping at the bit wondering who is #7 & #8. And unfortunately even though baby fever has come in at full force, i know for a fact its not me :( we're not trying yet, but hopefully soon.

F*O*U*R
Ive been a total slacker on weight watchers lately. I feel like a drop-out. But i refuse to give up. So what if ive have a few bad weeks, as long as i go back on it i am good. Im still down 30lbs so Im happy about that, but i finally got my bob jogging stroller and ive had my new rollerblades in my closet for a good 1-2months. So i have absolutely no excuse not to be exercising now. Plusalso the temps should be dropping at least a degree or two soon (thats alot cooler for us floridians lol) so i should be able to rollerblade after work before dinnertime. We shall see. I just need a good kick in the butt! Any volunteers? jk

F*I*V*E
We finally booked our Thanksgiving cruise. Its kind of a tradition on my side of the family to go on a cruise for Thanksgiving, but we missed last years due to matthew being too young.We were debating going on this years because it goes to a port we've already been to and because its only a 4day cruise. But at last minute we decided a short cruise is better than no cruise. So basically the countdown begins for when i need to be in a bathing suit in front of people. Which brings be back to point four above. My small goal is to be down at least another 10lbs before the cruise. My final goal weight is about 20lbs more, but Ill be happy with 10lbs by Turkey Day. Wish me luck!

Thats about it for me. Hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!

If youre new here, leave a comment and ill make sure to hop on over to your blog too!

the marry-wed game

Recently Ive become more aware of the dynamics of my marriage. Most likely due to lots of friends getting married within the next year. Now, i am no expect by any means, when it comes to the success of marriage, but i do feel like I have a little bit of an upper hand considering hubs and I have been together for going on 11 years (2.5 of those being married). I know we're young and still have alot to learn, but it feels nice to have my newly-engaged or newly-wed friends come to us for some advice. Granted the questions are more like "It gets better right?" and "All of this is worth it right?"

Now, lets start the off by saying I do love being married, but the hard honest truth is marriage isnt necessarily about how much you love someone. Instead, to me at least, its about how much you are willing to constantly work on having a relationship with another person for the rest of your life. Yes there are many good times, fun memories, romantic nights, and life events that just make you smile and your heart beat a lil faster. But there are a hell of a lot arguments, disagreements, and just plain old trying days too. Some like to phrase it as "picking your battles." Which indeed is true. Just like you as a person change as you grow older, so does your marriage. And quite honestly sometimes the physical day-to-day becomes so routine that you kind of feel like youre in a slump. You see this person everyday, talk to them numerous times a day, and usually if anything new happens the other person is standing right there with you as it happens. Conversation are based on house projects, kids, finances, etc. And so it becomes hard sometimes to just enjoy a conversation with each other because you feel like there is nothing new to talk about.

This brings me to the real point of this post, sorry i got so deep up there ;)

I have a board on pinterest that is completely dedicated to married life. I like to go back to it every now and then when i feel like we are in a "slump." And for those of you who have your head in the gutter, im not talking about physically :P but more about the relationship itself. I pin things like date nights, quotes, gift ideas, etc. Well i came across this pin last night that was a little game, kinda like the newlywed game. Only it was catered more towards people already married, and basically was comprised of 20 questions on how well you know your significant other. Normally hubs isnt real into doing these things because they end up taking a long time, but seeing as Matthew was already asleep and we were just hanging out back on our patio, we decided to give it a try. (Note: i clicked on the pin and it keeps taking me to an error page, so i took it upon myself to make a lil printable/graphic)

I thought it would be fun to share our answers. Hubs answers for me are in blue, mine for him are in pink. Anything in italics is the other persons comments to the answers.

1. fav comfort food
mac & cheese and pork loin <yep>
mexican food or chicken parm <so which one?> probably chicken parm <yep>
  

2. dream job
stay at home mom <i was so wondering if you would think that as a job, good answer>
probably a wildlife enforcement officer, although its hard because you just recently changed careers <yeah, i would probably go with having my own recruiting agency>

3. bed cover hogger
YOU!
hehe (lmao)

4. fav color
purple....blue <well i kinda have alot, purple, blue, teal, pink>
green? <actually blue, but i like green too> thats probably because i always take the blue stuff and give you green

5. toothbrush color

 light blue? <yep>
green! please refer back to question 4 ;)

6. last book read
well you havent read 50 shades of grey, was it one of those eclipse, vampire books? <eclipse? you mean the twilight series? > yeah the vampire book <lol, no it was the hunger games series >
i cant remember the last time you even read a book, but i know what book you would read again <what?> the old man and the sea <yeah, and that was probably the last book i read too lol>
 

7. fav hobby
photography <yea>
fishing, or golfing now <yeah, but id still rather go fishing>

8. fav date night
dinner and movie
same

9. strangest gift
ive never really gotten a strange gift
yeah, we dont really get strange gifts for each other 

10. best vacation
either our honeymoon cruise or cruise we got engaged on
defintely the cruise we got engaged on, it was really the only vacation we have gone on alone and had a really good time without anyone else  

<note: on our honeymoon we met with my best friend when she lived in st thomas, so it tech wasnt completely alone> 

11. first date
skipping school and going to the court house <that wasnt really a date>
i dont think we actually ever went on a "first date" <we went on alot of date> 

12. first kiss
same as question 11 <we didnt kiss that day>
honestly cannot remember <so it was the time at the court house> no, i promise you we did not kiss that time, but i just cant remember when the first time was :/

13. fav dessert
strawberry shortcake <and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and cannolis....i have a sweet tooth>
tiramisu <yep>

14. fav sport
softball <probably>baseball or golfing <yeah probably>

15. fav restaurant
melting pot <fo sho!>
Roasted Pepper, Franco & Vinnies, Giannis, anything italian, oh and mexican too! <Roasted Pepper is too far, but yeah prob all of those> 

16. excites you
<somehow we completely missed this question. oops>

17. name of first pet
butterscotch? <close, cinnamon, but they were both golden retreivers>umm, chuck? <no cracker, a black lab> cracker? why did you name your black lab cracker? <because his tail was constantly hitting the wall, and it made a crack sound>

18. fav household chore
making the beds <i guess, i dont really like any chores lol>cooking dinner <i dont think thats a chore but ok> 

19. home from work, first activity
to say hi to matthew <well i was going to say, go pick up matthew, but same thing>go take a poop (sorry tmi) <i always say hi to my son first...then go poop> lmao

20. eggs cooked
scrambled, with cheese, the way i make them <YEP!>over easy, a little runny <thats not how you order them, you just say over easy, then i make them runny> whatevs

So basically, hubs knows me extremely well, and i could probably pay a little bit more attention lol, but at least we had a good 20mins of casual fun conversation. I definitely suggest trying this with you significant other and see how well you now each other! If you do, blog about it and leave the link so I can read all about it!

 

Matthews Birth story part 2

You can find part 1 here.

We waited for what seemed like hours, but in all honesty was probably only 10-20mins. The triage nurse came in and explained that they were going to monitor me to see how far apart the contractions were. She asked me all the normal questions, including if my water had broken. At this moment in time it hadnt. But I swear those contractions ever couple of minutes were pretty intense. I remember squeezing Matts hand through each one. I would cringe my body up real tight and basically stop breathing. Again something they tell you not to do. But I just couldnt control it.

It had been about 30 more mins of monitoring when all of a sudden I felt a leaking sensation. (sorry for the tmi) Not a pop. Not a gush. Almost like I had just peed in my panties. I even told hubs this. "Either I just peed all over the bed, or my water broke." And truthfully, I really didnt know which it was. lol. And at that moment, the nurse had come back in. She was coming to tell me that my contractions were not coming as often as I had reported when coming in. They were now 6 mins apart. Basically meaning that I would be sent home.

To which I replied, "umm I either peed or my water broke." She looked at me kinda funny and asked if she could check. She lifted the sheet and confirmed, "Well, you just bought yourself a ticket to being admitted!" You mean this is real. This is really going to happen today? I couldnt believe it. And then another contraction hit me. Quite hard. The nurse said she would be back with clean sheets.

I turned to Matt. I think im going to vomit. Get a garbage can. Get a bag. Get something. Somehow I held it in the time it took him to find the ever so clever "barf-bags." I couldnt understand how i even had anything to throw up. I hadnt had anything to eat since the night before. And it was going on 2pm. Then I remembered those delicious fruit pops. They didnt tast so delicious coming back up thats for sure.

When the nurse returned, she noticed how pale i looked. Hubs informed her of what just happened. Then she said something that kinda amused me;
"I bet youre 4cms now."
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, I dont know why, but the minute someone says theyve thrown-up, they are normally at least 4cms dilated"

Sure enough, she was right. I was now 4cms. She told me they would be moving me to a room and out of triage. As we were waiting for the room my sister was actually able to come back. When she did, she also let me know that the other doctor at the practice, Dr. Coe, was the doctor on-call that weekend. Quite a coincidence if you ask me, being he is my sisters dr and had delivered my niece and a few of my friends children. (lil back story, i actually first went to this practice to have him as my dr, but then found out he didnt take my insurance. however, one of the other partners, Dr. Fahey, did. At that time I was a little relieved because she is a woman, and Coe is a man, and i had never had a male Gyno.) I wasnt the least bit upset either. Dr Coe knew me very well, as i had been extremely involved with my sisters 2nd pregnancy, and i was at least happy i knew who would be delivering our lil boy.

The next few minutes are a little blurry to me. I remember them asking if I thought i could walk to the new room. I had said that would be fine, and then all i remember is halfway there (which wasnt very far) the contractions started to hit hard. I grabbed onto the nurses station and had to have Matt holding me up because I couldnt move. Then the next thing i remember is getting onto the bed.

Throughout my pregnancy I had always been undecided about the epidural. First, Im allergic to epinephrine, the main ingredient in most epidurals. My dr assured me that it isnt always in epidurals and just to let the anesthesiologist know, and they should be able to make a different cocktail of drugs that would work the same. And secondly, i really wanted to be able to move around and not be limited to the bed during labor. Hopefully allowing me to use the tub if possible. So i had told my hubs and sister, the two who would be in the room with me, that i would like to hold off on the epi for as long as possible and see if i could make it natural. But never being 100% against it, knowing I may demand it at some point ;)

Sure enough, as im getting on the bed, the nurse asked me if I would like an epidural. As in, if-down-the-line i would like an epidural, but first you need to sign paperwork. But before she could even explain to me the part about the paperwork I was already forcefully saying "YES! PLEASE!!" At which point my sis and hubs began hysterically laughing, as well as the nurse, who then explained she would call for the anesthesiologist and be back with the paperwork. Looking back, I am sure glad I said yes at that point, because turned out i wasnt able to get it for another 1.5hr due to the hospital being busy that day.

During those 90mins i was so uncomfortable and in pain. I would get really cold and shake. I would have a contraction and shake. I couldnt talk to anyone. I could barely rest between the contractions. I believe my sis-in-law and mother-in-law came in sometime during this time. And they say I wasnt very pleasant.... I would squeeze matts hand, hold my breath, and cringe everytime. And then the anesthesiologist finally showed up. I was really nervous at how i was going to be able to sit still during a contraction, as i was involuntarily shaking uncontrollably during each one. The nurse assured me I would be fine and asked everyone, including matt to the leave the room. Which he had absolutely no objection to. Then she had me lean over a pillow as she stood in front of me and told me i could hold on to her or the pillow. She said we would do it right after a contraction ended so I had a better chance of staying still.

Surprisingly it honestly did not hurt nearly as bad as I thought it would. Yes, its a needle, its gonna hurt. But trust me, compared to the contractions your feeling every couple of minutes, that needle is like a small pinch, followed by a small burning sensation. And then she said it was done. They put me back on the bed lying down and explained how my legs would start to go numb. Which they did.

They continued to monitor my contractions and even had to inform me when i was having one. I was so surprised at how it literally took the pain away. I mean i knew it would, but the relief to be able to relax in between was so calming. Then everyone came back in, to which they all informed me I seemed to be in a much better mood. And I was actually able to talk to them.

The next couple of hours are blurry to me. Dr Coe came in to check on me and say hi. Letting me know he would be the one to deliver. I know i was able to rest a little. I know they turned the lights down low so I could try to nap. I was exhausted, but too anxious to sleep. I remember the nurse checking me a couple times, and me progressively dilating further. I think somewhere around 11pm the nurse said i was at 9 cm and that she was going to call the dr to come in and check on me.

Around 11:30pm Dr Coe came in and said I was now 10cm, he had me do a couple of pushes. I guess to see how well I would do? i dunno. And then informed me that I would need to push for a little while. He let me know that he would be at the nurses station doing some paperwork and would come back to check on me soon. And then, get this, youll see how informal we really are and how close of a relationship we have with this doctor....With my legs spread open from him doing the internal check, he turned around and started watching and commenting on the Miami Heat game that was on the TV. Him and my husband were literally watching the basketball game as I was "laboring" on the bed. Till this day we all laugh about this. (Sidenote: the Heat did win that game! lol)

He left after a few more mins and my nurse came over to have me do a couple more pushes. I guess I wasnt doing it right. And if im being completely honest, i think it was the thought in the back of my mind that I might poop on the table. It wasnt that I was scared to or anything, i just didnt want to, and i think that thought was hindering me from pushing as hard as I could. The nurse finally came out and said it, and informed me that she could tell I was tensing up as I pushed each time. She said she could see his head coming down but then I would kinda suck him back in (Sorry if thats too visual). She said I needed to push like I was going to poop. So I tried, and she immediately exclaimed "Yes! Just like that!" After only a few more "test pushes" as I like to call them ;) she said she was going to go get Dr Coe because our lil boy would be here very soon. And explained that since I had had a fever all day that they would need the nicu nurses to be in the room during birth.

By this time it was around 12:10am. Dr Coe came back and said "I didnt even get to do any of my paper work!" Which lightened the mood a tad. He scrubbed up, the nurse got the baby table all ready, and we started doing the "real pushes." My sister was on one side holding up my leg, and hubs was on the other. I swear it felt like hours later, but with literally only about 20mins of pushing our lil boy was born at 12:38am at 8lbs 12oz. They put him on my chest, and I just held him for a couple of seconds, not realizing the weight of what just happened. I was still in shock and quite out of breath. But he was there. Our lil boy was here.

They then took him over to the table to clean him up and weigh him and such. I remember hearing him cry, but it was what they called an "extended cry." Im not sure how long it was, but i remember hubs going out to the waiting room to tell family he was finally here. While he was gone, it was only me and my sis in the room. I dont remember exactly how long it was, but I heard one of the nurses say he had a fever. And then I heard my nurse say that "he probably had a fever because the mom has had a fever all day too." Probably due to me being in the pool & sun earlier that day.

My nurse came back over to me and explained that he had a little bit of an extended cry. Probably due to a tiny bit of fluid being on his lungs from not being squeeze out at birth. And that since this was happening and he had a fever, that they would need to take him to nicu for further monitoring. They wrapped him up and asked if i wanted to hold him before they took him down. I of course said yes. At this point hubs had come back in the room. I just looked at my sis and told her to explain what was happening. As I was still a little out of it and just wanted to hold my baby.

I asked Matt if he wanted to hold him before they took him, since he hadnt held him yet. I think he was too nervous to, and said no they should just take him to make sure hes ok. They then put him in one of the transporting beds and wheeled him out. By now i tears welling up in my eyes and trickling down my face. I knew he would be ok. I knew it was just precaution, but I wanted so badly to do the skin-on-skin contact. And to try breastfeeding. And to just hold my baby boy.

Matt and his mom followed the baby down to the NICU while my sis stayed with me. My nurse came back in and let me know she would help me go to the bathroom, as I had to pee badly. The epidural had worn off by now, and I could feel my legs. She led me in the bathroom and helped explain "the cleanup." We were transferred to our room somewhere around 3am. Still no baby with us. Then around 5am they came in to check on me. They insisted I could go to see him whenever I wanted, but I could barely move, let alone get into a wheelchair to be able to go in. I was so tired and told them I would go as soon as I could get up and shower off. Around 8am hubs was awake, I showered, and we went down to see our precious boy.

He was getting oxygen through a helmet, and was on a little bed warmer. I wasnt able to hold him, but he was so precious. All i kept thinking was we dont belong here. I mean, as i walked in all i saw was tiny babies, babies that were fighting for their lives. My son was gigantic compared to them. Remember he was almost 9lbs.

Ill skip over the next few trying days. He spent a total of a week in NICU. I had to be discharge from the hospital without my baby. I never got the experience of having him in my hospital room with me. It was odd that people came to see him/me, and it was literally just me laying in my bed. Only close family and few close friends were able to actually see him in NICU. But it was literally the best day of my life when they told us he could come home with us!

matthews birth story part 1

Ive been meaning to write this for a while now. I dont want to forget any details of the day my precious lil boy was born. And since there are so many bloggers who have had babies recently, its made me really want to share my story. Its actually a pretty simple story, but nonetheless still very meaningful to me.

It started out on Sunday June 3, 2012. I woke up around 7:00am, which was actually quite early for me (ha, wish I could say that now). I had felt a couple of cramps, which I first alluded to a stomach ache, but later realized it was the beginning signs of labor. They werent really consistent and I didnt want to wake Matt up for a lil stomache. So I tried to go back to sleep.

After about 1-2 hours of tossing and turning, with so-called cramps about every 15mins that were starting to get a little bit more painful, I decided to wake Matt up. I wasnt sure how to explain it to him, and he really was kind of clueless when it came to this kind of thing. He kept asking, "well what do you want me to do?" In which case I would reply, "I dont know."

Well, if you dont know my husband, hes all about the "quick fix" with everything. If there is a problem, tell him how to fix it, and he will. But if not he gets kind of frustrated. So, since he didnt know exactly what to do, he called who he thought would be the best person in this situation, my sister. Who at that moment in time was at BJ's shopping. She told hubs to calm down and as soon as she was done she would head over to our house.

I continued to have these slightly uncomfortable cramps about ever 10-15mins. I would stop at the end of our bed and grasped tightly to the footboard. And then just like that, it would be gone. My sister showed up fairly quickly and basically took one look at me and quickly stated "Its starting!" I'll admit. I wasnt quite sure what to think. Id been wanted this baby out of me for a few days now. But the thought that today would be the day? I dont know. It kind of freaked me out a bit. Plus, I still wasnt sure if this was actually it. You hear people all the time having false alarms. And I hadnt really experienced any braxton hicks, so thats what this might be.

My sister reassured me it was ok, and that why dont we just relax a little. She actually suggested that we go down to my parents (only 2 blocks away) and just go hang out in the pool and bounce. Funny she says bounce, because that is exactly what we did back when I was in 8th grade the entire day before my nephew was born. I figured, heck, it worked for her, maybe it would work for me to. So I slipped on some clothes, still not completely sure I was indeed going in the pool, and we all headed down to my parents.

My mom wasnt home from work yet, but called and asked if we needed her to pick anything up for us on her way home. Im not sure whos idea it was, but when she showed up with fresh fruit popsicles, i swear it was like I had died and gone to heaven. Little did I know it would be the last thing I had to eat for the next 12+ hours.

I was getting extremely uncomfortable at this point. And couldnt talk through the "cramps." Instead I would just stop and basically hold my breath. You know, the one thing your NOT supposed to do. Thats why they always tell you to breathe. To help ease the pain through the contractions. My sis and hubs at this point had agreed it would be best for me to get in the pool and just "relax." I managed to get in my bathing suit and into the pool. Just hanging on to a raft that was floating in the water.

Now, I could be wrong, but if the rest of you are like me, the very last thing you want is to have visiters when you feel like a giant whale. Literally,  I mean come on, I was in my maternity bathing suit, no makeup, not able to control the pain, and just floating around in the water. And what happens? Hubs thinks its ok to have his sister and cousin stop by. And not like just stop by to drop something off and leave. But like stop by, chill with their feet in the pool, all while drinking some cool beverages, and basically staring at me going through contractions in the pool. Im sorry but to me, this is kind of a private time. I didnt mind my mom and sis, because Im extremely close to them. But with his sister and cousin there, I was extremely self conscious and waaay uncomfortable. I even made my sis bring out one of my dads shirts for me to wear to cover up while in the pool. And for gods sakes, STOP STARING AT ME! lol

Now, all the while, I was screaming that to myself (in my head), i actualy appeared quite calm to every else. The pool itself was a great idea. It made me feel buoyant. And the water was keeping me cool. Hubs was keeping count of the contractions. Telling me when he thought the next would come. They were now about 4 mins apart. Technically that was close enough to go to the hospital. But i chose to stay in the water a little longer. Knowing if I went now, they might send me home. Or I might be limited to those four walls they call a birthing suite.

It only took a few more contractions to convince me it was time to go. They helped me out of the pool, reality hit right then and there that I was indeed NOT buoyant. lol. I waddled my way to the restroom to change back into clothes and try to put some makeup on. Between hubs, my mom and sis, they were all laughing at me about wanting to put makeup on. Like they literally wouldnt let me. And kept telling me I didnt need it. Somehow they pushed me out of the house without even so much of mascara (my staple) and out the door I went. (man do i wish I had been able to put that makeup lol)

We got into hubs truck, just the two of us. My sis following behind in her own car. This was it. This was the last time it would be just the two of us. Last time we were just husband and wife. Next time we would be in this truck we would be mommy and daddy too.

The car ride there was actually not too bad. It almost felt like the contractions had slowed down. I was doubting our decision to to go to the hospital. But I figured we might as well see what the progress is. I had been dilated 1cm for almost 3 weeks, but I knew that didn't necessarily mean anything.

We pulled into the parking lot and found a somewhat decent spot. I remember walking in and thinking this is it. We weren't sure if we needed to check in at the front reception desk or just go straight to the third floor, the maternity unit. As soon as the lady at the front saw me stop in mid stride, she simply said "go on up." so that is what we did.

Thankfully, I had already preregistered with the hospital, so it didnt take long to get me into the triage area. Unfortunately, they wouldnt let my sister come in with us during this time, and also refused to let her stand in the hallway, so she was banished to the waiting area. I remember sitting on the bed, not knowing exactly what was going to happen. Even though they had went over all of this in our hospital tour.