Lentil Soup

With Ruby's milk allergy, I have to basically learn a completely new menu of foods - all without cheese and sour cream, and, of course, without any other milk proteins such as whey or casein. My first NEW recipe was a lentil soup recipe from Cooking Light. This was actually quite impressive and will be a wonderful base for future soups which I will be adding various vegetables and meats to. Plus, it is going to be great for winter - hooray!

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbl Olive Oil
2 1/2 C Chopped Onion (sweet is preferred)
1 C Chopped Celery
1 C Chopped Carrot
1/2 tsp dried Thyme
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 C green lentils
4 C chicken broth
1 C water
1 (14.5 ounce) can petite cut diced tomatoes, drained
2 Tbl lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
3/4 tsp black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion through bay leaf to pan and saute for about 12 minutes.

Add lentils and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Stir in broth, water, and tomatoes - bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes.

Remove from heat, let stand for about 5 minutes and discard bay leaf.

Add juice, salt, paprika, Cajun seasoning, and pepper.

Serve with crusty bread or rolls.

Our own tradition

A World Wildlife Fund catalog randomly appeared in our mailbox one day, filled with a variety of precious stuffed animals which can easily be obtained by a donation. After quickly browsing through the pages while my husband and I continuously "oohhh'd" and "aahhh'd" over them all, he mentioned this could be the start of a Christmas tradition with Ruby. I previously stated I wanted to start donating to some sort of animal foundation, whether it was giving money, food, supplies, or time to the local shelter or dealing with something different, I wanted to make sure we were doing SOMETHING - and it is now obvious that my husband does listen to me since HE is the one that mentioned going this route. We have since decided we are going to donate to the WWF each year for Christmas and Ruby will get the stuffed animal representing the animal we choose to sponsor as well as an adoption certificate, color photo, and a species spotlight card. We'll keep all the certificates and paperwork in a photo album for her and she'll have the stuffed animals to play with, plus, the main reason for doing this, it will teach her about donating in a way that gives her something to look forward to. Of course, once she is older we can look into doing something along the lines of soup kitchens or Susan Komen events, but for now we can begin this as a tradition that we hope will stick with her for the rest of her life.

That, and what does a 3 month old really NEED for Christmas? I mean, the clothes are really for us, not her and we'll obviously buy her toys as time goes on. AND, it's not like she will be able to OPEN anything herself, so at least this way she has something from her first Christmas even if she won't remember it.

If you are interested in what's available, you can see it all here.

You can't bottle this up or I'd be a millionaire

As I sit holding my daughter, who is sleeping so soundly it renders me motionless, I am overcome with a wave of emotions so strong it becomes almost impossible not to cry. I am quickly learning what it means to be a mother, and how simple acts such as sleeping and eating become the most precious moments of my day, times where I am able to forget the rest of the world and instead snuggle with this ball of love my husband and I created. It is times like this when I understand what people mean when they previously muttered "You won't understand until you have your own child" because in all honesty, there are so completely right.

Looking down at her while she is sprawled across my chest makes me feel like life is just too good to be true and any minute this magnificent existence is going to slip away from me as I wake up from the best dream ever. It's that feeling of "this is too perfect to be happening to me", and I can only compare it to the feeling I had as I was walking down the aisle at my wedding, the complete giddiness of what's to come and how wonderful I felt, that total amazement of the moment actually being MINE, knowing this moment, this life, everything turned out so much better than I ever could have expected or hoped - and recognizing that for the rest of my life, there will never be a shortage of love. And even all THAT doesn't truly explain just how euphoric she makes me feel, because there are no words that can ever sum up what it means to be a parent.

So, as a wise person once told me, you'll finally understand when you have a child of your own.

Diapers, diapers, diapers

After fighting with the fitted and covers and learning the one's my cousin gave me are still either too big or don't fit right, I finally found a cloth diaper that seems to work on Ruby - the BumGenius 3.0 one size. We currently have 2 of these, I ordered a few more as well as a I figured I'd give a few of the other one size diapers a try. Lucky for me I was able to not only get free shipping, but I also got $10 off my order. (You can too at diapers.com, use coupon code RUBY to get $10 off your first order - plus they carry disposable diapers, formula, clothing, bottles, etc.) Now I wait for my "fluffy mail" aka cloth diapers to arrive. Once we get a few more so that my husband can get more experience with them, then I'll look into buying a full set so that we can finally get Ruby OUT of the disposables completely, and I can take them into our daycare and attempt to convince them to use them. I may need to purchase another diaper pail liner or large wet bag to use at the daycare, but I'll wait until they agree to use them. Keep your fingers crossed they say yes!

And so it goes...

We think Ruby has a milk allergy. Le sigh. This means eliminating ALL dairy items from my diet for at least 3 weeks to see how she reacts. Okay, no milk, cheese, yogurt - simple enough. Not. It means no products that contain any milk proteins, which means nothing with milk, butter, whey, or casein in the ingredients. It's amazing what that cuts out. Some breads, frozen french fries, rice-a-roni's, and on and on. Basically, 80% of what I eat has some trace amount of dairy in it - usually in the form of cheese (cream cheese, Parmesan, etc). It also means I have very little options when it comes to dining out since I have no way of knowing what is in what I'm eating, and since my husband is working evenings and Ruby hates being put down, cooking dinner is close to impossible so I need quick, easy choices. And yes the moby wrap lets me "hold" her without using my hands, but since it puts her right up against me and she is notorious for spitting up ALL THE TIME, I limit how much I use it right now - one can only handle smelling like spoiled milk for so long! With that, wish us luck that either 1) she isn't allergic to milk and it is something simpler like a simple stomach bug or allergy to something I rarely eat or 2) this dairy free dining gets easier. In the end, as long as Ruby is happy and healthy, it is all worth it.

Bottle Drying Rack

I registered for this during one of my "add everything" frenzies and then regretted it once I got it since we are using the Playtex Drop-In's, thinking I wouldn't get any use out of it. I was planning on returning it but never got a chance to to do it since things got so crazy between being put on bedrest and then actually having Ruby, so it sat in her room. And now, I'm so glad I did keep it! It's perfect to use for drying the pump parts, the milk storage bottles, the bottle nipples, and her binkies. Who knew? It's actually to the point where I'm sure I would regret it if i actually HAD returned it, since we all know the bottles and parts wouldn't dry as fast or completely by just laying them on a towel. Hooray for being a procrastinater!

Bottle drying rack - 2 thumbs up!

Month 1

The day we brought her home:

Ruby at 1 month:

Ruby turned 1 month old on November 1st and while I was hoping to make this post then, she had other plans for me: she introduced me to a night of colic. So, I apologize for being a little late on this but I've also learned that we are no longer on OUR schedule, we are now always on HER schedule, meaning LATE is going to happen. With that, lets get on to the good stuff.

First off, I'm going to go back to the hospital days and list what I took and found useful while there. (This is just a copy from what I previously posted on a message board)

Remember, this is coming from someone who was induced, a needle phob who had an epidural, who is breastfeeding, had a very mild, grade 1 tear, and dealt with 9 full months of heavy throat mucus which lead to nausea most of the time.

Hospital bag - what I used:
My own pillows (both DH and I)
Blanket for DH
Towels (hospital ones suck)
Slippers
Comfy clothes for after birth (they helped me feel much more human than the gown - although I did use the gown as a sort of robe since I didn't have one)
My own toiletries - showers before made me sick and the first shower post birth was like heaven, and so nice to have my own stuff.
CD of calm music - used when I napped during the day
Notebook - used to track questions I had as well as my birth experience
Snacks - after birth
baby clothes / blankets - the 0-3 months swollow her so I'm glad I brought extras, as well as she spit up before we even left, and the blankets were good in the pictures.
I did not bring make -up but I don't ewar it often anyhow. I did have lotion and chapstick though.
Camera, cell phones, laptop, and chargers
Boppy - I LOVE this pillow and use it often, both to support Ruby as well as to lean on since my back is sore
Breast cream (Lansinoh)
Money for parking and for snacks / soda

And here are a few things I learned those first few days:

The epidural was NOTHING compared to what I expected. I am a HUGE needle phob and just cry when they MENTION taking blood. Seriously, it hurt worse when I have a big pimple on my back than the epi did. Also, the epi is applied by gravity, so don't sit up too much. I did, and it wore of on my left, I started have extreme back labor and thought I was going to die. I can't IMAGINE going through that without med's. My IV sucked 10x more than the epi.

I think being completely numb also takes away any modesty I had. I had no issues laying there for all the world to see and examine since I couldn't feel anything - and I've always been one to be a little more modest, even at the doctor (I refuse to go to a male OB/GYN). Amazingly, even being numb, I was still able to push just fine and had Ruby out within half an hour.

Recovery is not nearly as bad as I expected. My back and abdomen are more sore than my vag is. Bowel movements haven't been that bad either, although the pushing is a little strange feeling - not sure how else to explain. Make sure to take your colace and just be patient and you shouldn't have any issues.

The bleeding didn't last nearly as long as I expected. I figured it would still be heavy, but honestly, the heavy, red stuff was basically gone by day 2.

I didn't feel that immediate connection when she was first born since it STILL didn't seem completely real to me, so don't feel bad if it doesn't happen to you. I have since gone through those emotions though and am totally in love with her. There are still days it doesn't seem real and I'm waiting for her REAL mom to come take her back - luckily I AM her real mom so that won't happen.

Now, on to the first month of her life, which by the way is filled more with her dad and I learning than it is with her milestones.

Breastfeeding SUCKS at first. I've never been one to have tender breasts so I was hoping this would be fairly easy for me - nope. There were several times where I sobbed while feeding her because I was in so much pain and told my husband I was ready to give her a bottle. Luckily, I also told him BEFORE her birth that I'd need his support at times to encourage me when I felt that way - which is exactly what he did. Between the first and second week I remember it being the worst, and one side hurt more which lead me to favor the other side. I was a little worried it would cause supply issues on that side, but by pumping that side some as well as still letting her feed on it every 3rd or 4th time, we never had any issues. By the end of week 2 the horrible, miserable, stabbing, my nipple is being chopped off pain went away and while it still took another week or two for the discomfort to go away, it was significantly much more manageable. Now, at over a month, we are still strictly breastfeeding and while there are still times its uncomfortable, I am glad I didn't give up. There are even times where it is stress reducing and feels like nice bonding time with her. With that, I'll say the same things I've read from other people a million times, don't quit until you've stuck with it for at least 3-4 weeks (unless of course you have other health reasons).

Speaking of feeding, we also introduced her to a bottle at 4 weeks, since once I'm back at work she'll have to take a bottle at daycare. I pumped, filled the bottle for dad, he gave her the bottle and she took it like a champ, drank a full 4 ounces, then came back to me a nursed a little longer - so it appears she isn't too picky about where her food comes from, as long as she gets it. Hooray!

Diapers - this has been a rocky road for us. I'm still planning on making it to 100% cloth diapers, but we've been fighting major leaks and issues. The fitteds and covers seem extremely bulky on her and leave red marks on her legs, which of course worries me some. I had to get some help on how to put the covers on to prevent leaks and I think we MAY have this down with them, but the red marks still bother me. Not sure we'll keep using those particular diapers but who knows. The really cute ones my cousin made still seem to leak, so I might contact her to see if she has any suggestions. According to the pediatrician today, Ruby is a very long and lean baby, so the lack of chubby thighs might be part of the problem. Also, she can be a pretty heavy wetter at night and the fitted diapers get soaked quickly, so I just bought some BumGenuis 3.0 one size that so many people swear by for night time - we still need to try these out and see if they work. I know I might have to try several different brands to find some that work, I just hope I can find them before my husband decides we don't need to spend anymore money on cloth diapers that don't seem to work. Meanwhile, we continue with a combination of cloth and sposies while we work through our trials. Wish me luck!

The Moby Wrap ROCKS. Ruby doesn't like to be put down so once my husband went back to work, it was hard for me to get ANYTHING done. That, and I feel guilty if she's awake and I'm not holding or entertaing her so I really try to limit the amount of time she is in her swing or bouncer. This of course leads to my house getting clutter and me getting stressed out. So, when I went to our local cloth diaper store (Babies Bottoms and More) to ask about her leaking, I was also able to talk to them about a carrier. They had me try the Moby Wrap. I bought one, then went to Babies R Us and used it - holy cow this thing is wonderful! Our BRU was having a huge sale so the store was filled with families and strollers and just wandering through the aisles was a chore. However, since I had her against my chest and didn't have to manuever a stroller through the chaos, it was a rather stress free trip for me. Oh, and Ruby slept through it wonderfully. I can't rave about this enough.

Those are the main things for now. I'll be back later to add pictures and anything else I forgot, but at least I've got this started!

4 Week Pictures

Ruby turned 4 weeks old on Wednesday, so we took her to Sears to get some pictures. Hopefully we'll be going back monthly for a while since we joined the club they have and now don't have sitting fees - yay! It's so hard to believe it's been almost a month already, especially since the 9 months of being pregnant felt like a LIFETIME, but now that she's here, everyone said time would fly by. And it has. But, enough of the parental boo-hoo'ing, on to the images!

Booo!

Some quick pics

Don't have much time to post, Ruby is getting restless, but wanted to post some pictures of her with her grandparents and other cuteness! Enjoy!

Bu-bye for now!

For Jess ...

I apologize for not including a picture of Ruby in my previous post ... here is one to make up for it!

Birth Story

It's been a little over 2 weeks now and I want to get this posted while I still remember, bear with me though since the times will be off - we didn't completely keep track of when things were happening. You'll get the idea though.

Tuesday September 30, 2008: We went to dinner with my husband's family and then headed in to the hospital - it was an extremely surreal drive since we knew it was the last time it would just be the two of us. It was one of those moments where I was both totally ready for what was coming, from NOT being pregnant anymore to finally getting to hold our daughter, and yet it was a little sad too since it was the end of "just the two of us". We've both had worries now and then about what a child would do to our relationship, since so far things have pretty much been perfect. We checked in to the hospital at around 8pm and were in our room by 8:10pm - which I was completely surprised by. They had me change into the hospital gown and get settled in, and then started the Cervadil around 9pm. The also set me up for an IV - which SUCKED completely - even though I was never hooked up for fluids or anything until the next day. Apparently my veins are so good that the nurse got squirted with blood and my arm was covered, of course telling her she had only one chance to get it in due to my fear of needles probably encouraged her to make sure it was right to begin with. For the next few hours we just sat and watched TV. At about 11:30pm or so we figured we should probably try and get some sleep since we were expecting it be an early morning and a LONG day. Unfortunately, the monitors they had on me seemed to alarm almost every 30 minutes which meant the nurses kept coming in and having to re-attach them. Sometime during the night I started feeling some contractions.

Wednesday October 1st, 2008: At about 4:30am, after not getting ANY sleep and putting up with the mild contractions that were getting more uncomfortable, I asked for some pain meds. This was one of the smartest things I did since I was FINALLY able to get to sleep once the Norco kicked in. About 7:30am they came in, removed the Cervadil, checked me (soft, but not further progress - this exam was rather painful too, I'm pretty sure it brought tears to my eyes), and started me on Pitocin and IV fluids. Ughh - that damned IV STILL hurt in my arm. This was the story all day though - sometimes it throbbed to the point of putting me in tears and sometimes I couldn't feel it. Within a short time I started having more irregular contractions. They were still uncomfortable and not extremely painful, but enough that I wanted some sort of pain meds to help deal with them. I personally saw no need to deal with pain or tough it out to a certain dilation, it was more a play it by ear sort of thing. Originally I was just going to go with some pain meds being added to my IV, but after talking to the nurse, who basically said if I was going to get an epidural, I might as well get it now instead of delaying it any - so I agreed. Of course, I started crying as soon as I agreed because the thought of a needle in my back REALLY freaked me out, but not as much as labor did. The anesthesiologists came in and had me sit on the edge of the bed as he prepared my back. I am sobbing to the point where I was afraid I was going to hyperventilate and the doctor is attempting to joke with me (think "I've done this twice" type jokes). My husband is trying to console me and is thinking the doctor is nuts while I'm trying not to pass out - but in all honesty, I'm glad the doctor was attempting to lighten the mood verses being serious, even if I wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying. Amazingly, the epidural was NOTHING like what I expected - it hurt far less than my IV did, and even hurt less than when you get a big pimple on your back. Again, totally amazed at how easily the process went. Oh, and within a short time the contractions were GONE as far as I was concerned (the monitors showed otherwise). He said they start with a low dose and only turn it up as needed, and then went on his way. They put in a catheter and I felt NOTHING. I think they checked my progress too, but no idea what it was other than I still needed to make a bunch more. After this, I sort of lose memory of what happen when and exactly in what order, but you'll get the idea. Within a few hours or less of getting the epi, I could start to feel the contractions so I asked for it to be turned up - so the anesthesiologists came back and turned it up, and all was good again. Sometime in there they hooked me up with an internal contraction monitor - it might have been at the same time as the epi or it might have been later. My doctor came in some time around lunch to check my status and while again I don't remember my progress, she did say that at the rate I was going, she expected the kid to be born sometime around 6pm. My husband's parents came up and were in and out as well. I napped on and off after getting the epi as well. At one point, the 3 of them went to eat in the waiting room while I tried to nap. I started getting some more contractions and I could feel them in my back. I just tried to stick it out since I couldn't move my feet and didn't want to increase the epidural again, but it started getting worse so I called my husband and told him I needed him to come back into the room. Within a minute of him coming back in the contractions get horribly painful in my back and I started sobbing. We called the nurse and told her I needed the epidural turned up again and once the doctor came in, he said I apparently sat up too far in the bed and since the med's were relying on gravity, it was all going to my legs instead. He laid me back down and gave me some more drugs. I think this is the time my contractions really ramped up (see picture, the bottom graph is contractions). Apparently with the intense contractions the baby's heart rate wasn't responding well so all of a sudden we had 4-5 nurses come in the room and were checking things out. The decided to switch me to an internal baby heart rate monitor and put me on oxygen as well. My husband was a little freaked out, but I was clueless as to what was going on so by the time I learned what happen, everything was all good again. After this, it was back to my husband and his parents coming in and out and me napping off an on.

Around 4:30pm the nurses came in to check on things and said my doctor was on her way and she was going to see how far along I was. It took her a while to get there and I started feeling really crappy - I was really starting to have issues with not being able to move or feel my legs and feet, my head was starting to hurt, I started feeling a little nauseous, it was basically a general, overall nastiness. Finally, my doctor came in, checked me, and said I was ready to push. WHAT?!?! Everyone talked about feeling pressure and all that jazz, but for me, it was nothing. Other than feeling sick, I didn't FEEL different as far as being ready to push and such. My husband and I looked at each other and were totally in shock. The nurse started prepping everything and getting me ready and at about 6pm, I started pushing. After a few times, I told the nurse I was going to get sick and her and my husband rustled around to get a pan for me. And then I yakked. The nurse took the pan away and I told her I needed another one since I was still feeling like I was going to get sick. At this point I was totally annoyed because I KNEW I was going to vomit but they didn't seem to care too much and were not hurrying - and the last thing I wanted was to lay there in vomit, especially since I had my own pillow from home. I coughed a little and think I got some in the nurses face (not on purpose at all and I did apologize to her). Then it was back to pushing. I couldn't really feel what I was doing but they told me I was doing great - so after about 28 minutes and a few sessions of pushing, Ruby Ann was born - October 1st, 6:28pm. They took her over to clean her up and my husband was helping while they finished with me. My doctor said I had very minimal tearing - hooray! They did all the typical stuff like deliver the placenta and rub on my belly - but who cares, I had my beautiful HEALTHY daughter and that's what mattered. I will say the one thing I was NOT ready for was I had a few bouts of what felt like back labor AFTER delivery. Luckily it was only a couple and they were completely gone with in a hour or so from delivery.

And, that's the story of how Ruby came into the world. It was a lot easier than I expected and i can't even imagine how I would have done it without pain meds. I applaud anyone who does it natural, but it is DEFINITELY not for me.

That's enough for today, I'll post more about things I learned and what we found useful next time. Ruby is getting hungry so I'm off to feed her.

Parenthood - the beginning

What a wild ride! My husband and I have been doing pretty good with Ruby since we've had her home and both been off work, and of course we've had help from both his parents and my mom being here - but boy am I nervous about doing it on my own! Let's start by saying she was almost back up to her birth weight at her first pedi appointment (6 days post birth) which made us feel good the breast feeding is going well (not to even START talking about the pain). We have both been pee'd on already, and I have to admit I didn't think little girls pee'd UP, but we've since learned otherwise. We've also learned to place a flat diaper on the changing table to soak up the pee and poo that she holds until she has her diaper off - little stinker. Even today she managed to shoot OUT of the packNplay changing table and half way across the living room. Le sigh. My husband was worried about getting poo in the washer from the cloth diapers, well, even without cloth diapers we still have poo in the washer. Guess that concern has since gone out the window!

Speaking of cloth diapers, we tried them a few times but since her cord stub is so low, the diapers are irritating the stump so we've decided to wait until it falls off to go back to them. Since we are washing burp rags and the soiled flats from the changing table daily, we'll be able to throw the cloth diapers in at the same time so I'm not expecting much of an increase in laundry once we do switch. I guess we'll have to wait an see. Meanwhile, I still have high hopes for them.

On to burp rags - man we go through a TON of these in a day. Ruby is a spitter for sure. As soon as we put her in a new outfit, she spits up. As soon as we lay her down, she spits up. With in a few minutes of stopping feeding, she spits up. Oye. Then yesterday happens - she threw up what seemed like an entire feeding in the morning - all over me of course. Fed her a few more times during the day which seemed fine, had LOTS of dirty dipes, and then yesterday even BAM! She threw up another entire feeding - so I of course lost it. My husband was out picking up my mom from the airport so I was alone with her, bawling, trying to leave a message for the after hours nurse. I was having an emotional day and this just made things worse. Our orders are to feed her for less time, but more often. She spit up more than normal first thing this morning, but not nearly as bad as yesterday - and so far today she is doing fine. So, we'll just keep watching her. Luckily, tomorrow is Monday which means the pedi office will be open if needed. Otherwise, her next appointment is Wednesday for her 2 week follow up. 2 weeks already, its hard to believe!

Now, the breast feeding saga - as much as I didn't want to believe it, it SUCKS at times. Seriously sucks. There have been several times where I've just cried because it hurt so freaking bad and wanted to just give up and use formula - but my husband has encouraged me because 1) he knows I WANT to breast feed, 2) it is healthier for her, and 3) our budget likes it more. But at 3am when you're exhausted, emotional, and feel like your nipple is being ripped off, quitting sounds like a GREAT plan. We haven't given in to that temptation yet, but its not even been 2 weeks so I'm cautious to say we're even close to being past the hard part. Luckily for me, I can feed on the right without much pain and she takes it just fine. At least we have that going for us. The left is much more of a struggle. It hurts and then leaks all over her and me while we try to get her to latch. It is quite comical but frustrating all at the same time. We're wondering if the flow is just too much for her on the left, so we got a pump today and if she continues to be fussy, we'll try things like pumping a little first before feeding and such. If we continue to have problems it might turn into feed her on the right and pump on the left. Hey - I'll need to pump when I return to work and I also want to have the little bit of additional freedom pumping / bottle feeding can offer, so this isn't a bad thing in my book. Soooooo - everyone says to at least try to stick with it for 4-6 weeks before giving up, and so far that's my plan. I'll let you know if things change, but since my husband is so supportive we just might be able to make it!

On to a few of those precious pictures I know you are ALL waiting for!

Ruby likes to nap with daddy, and unless we swaddle her, she LOVES to lay on her side. Can a sleeping baby BE any cuter?


Ruby sporting her future college wear, you can tell how proud mom is!

Ruby after her bath, we don't want her to go around smelling like sour milk and spit up do we?

Ruby and daddy on her first walk, she seemed to enjoy it - and so did we!

And don't worry, I am still planning to post my birth story once I get some more time, along with some of the things we learned as far as what was useful in the hospital and such. Hopefully with my own mom here I'll have a little time to post it soon. Until next time!

Welcome home Ruby Ann!!!

Welcome home Miss Ruby Ann!!! Our beautiful daughter was born on October 1st, 2008 at 6:28 in the evening. She weighed in at an even 8 pounds and was 20 and 1/4 inches long. Her apgar score was a 9 / 9 - which basically means all her functions were great at birth and remained great into the real world. There is so much to tell but it will have to wait until a later date so I can get back to being a new mom - I just wanted to post a few pictures and give a quick update. I promise to update with more of the details at a later date, just know the whole induction process went almost as well as we could have hoped and wasn't nearly as traumatic as I thought it was going to be. Morning sickness was MUCH worse than labor and delivery, if that says anything! On to the short story in pictures and stay tuned for future updates.

Here is mom during the day, just waiting for things to happen. The epidural was wonderful, although I started to have mental issues with not being able to move my legs - and by this I mean I was starting to go a little stir crazy.

Mom and Ruby after the birth and initial cleaning.

Dad putting on the first diaper; needless to say Ruby was already crying. She continues NOT to like having a diaper put on.

Our first family photo.

Just Ruby.

Ruby's first car ride home, I think dad was tempted to drive 10 miles an hour all the way there! It's about time SOMETHING helped him be more cautious. (Don't tell him I said that!!!)

Thanks to everyone for all the well wishes! Off to be a family...

Almost done

Thank goodness. Pebbles is still being stubborn, so I go in tonight to begin my induction. I'm a little freaked out but oh so ready. My fingers are so swollen right now that typing this hurts, she's beating up my insides, and I just feel like poo. I was hoping to spend the day cuddling and just enjoy my last day with my husband before we have anyone else to worry about, but at this point I feel so miserable I just want to be done. So with that, I expect my next post to seriously include more information on Pebbles, including pictures and a name. Hang tight until then!

Being responsible

On taking a hint from my sister-in-law, I'm going to revise my 101 Things to do in 1,0001 Days by replacing the items that cost money with alternative goals. This means stuff like replacing our cabinets and such - those things that while I would like to do them, they just don't make sense in our lives right now between the downturn in the economy and with our new focus needing to be on Pebbles. So, while we hope that this down turn just means that we get to buy more with our 401(k) and get a better deal on our retirement funds, we still need to be smart about our spending NOW and prepare to take care of our family, knowing that there is always a chance that by the time we want to retire, we may not be able to. It really is a scary thought and while it is several, SEVERAL years away, we can't just ignore it. I've spent times where I was counting my pennies and dimes to see how many taco's I could get at Taco Bell and I don't want to go back to that. My husband and I have done our best to live well within our means so that we were never put in a situation where we REALLY had to worry about money. I'll also admit that lately, we've sort of lost track in keeping up with the budget and I think it is more important now than ever for us to try and get back on track. I know we're not in trouble yet, but since no one knows whats going to happen tomorrow, a little more preparation and planning for what-ifs will help ease my mind some.

Meanwhile, I'm sorry this update doesn't include the great news of Pebbles' birth, but I think its important to get out there while its on my mind - so now I'm off to update my goals and get our budget back in order! Stay tuned, because Pebbles WILL be coming soon!

Safety first

Looking around at various safety items, we decided to go with these safety plate covers (by Mommy's Helper). From everything that I've found, they are easy to use AND seem to be the safest option. Once you pull the plug out, they immediately snap closed and restrict access to the plug. I did see a few comments about some looser plugs having a harder time staying in, but safety is more important so we'll have to figure it out. They are quite a bit more expensive than the standard little plastic plug in things, but its worth it to keep Pebbles safe.

Meanwhile, we'll need to still get pinch guards and table guards and all those other wonderful items to keep Pebbles from getting into cabinets and falling into the toilet. I'm not sure what pinch guards to get since the one's I've seen are used on the door handle side, but don't hold the door open enough to keep her little fingers from getting squashed in the hinged side. Maybe that won't be an issue, but I'm still going to do a little more research. As for the table guards, it seems the foam pipe covers is recommended and MUCH cheaper than those guards specifically made for toddlers and way over priced.


And on another note, this is the gate we are hoping to get to keep Pebbles away from the kitty litter, but still allow our furballs access. Funny thing - we figure we'll have to take Tuggles with us to the pet store to make sure he can FIT through the little door. I mean, he is 18 pounds with a head the size of a grapefruit!

Well, thats it for now! Keep your fingers cross that my next post is AFTER Pebbles is here and includes her name and cute little pictures! If not, I'm sure it will be soon.

The latest dilemna

Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo


Evenflo Smartsteps Exersaucer

The big question is which one do we get, or is it worth getting both? They both have glowing reviews so I doubt we'd be disappointed with either one. In the end, its just money right? Ughh! I know I can wait, but we still have our 10% off coupon to use as Babies R Us so ideally we could pick it up when we use that coupon, but maybe we should just wait. Decisions, decisions, decisions. Please, if you have any advice, let me know!

Nope. Nothing. Nada.

We should have known from the 3D ultrasound, we've got a stubborn one on our hands. The doctor said I've made no progress towards having pebbles in the past few weeks. I'm in the exact same position I was 3 weeks ago and so is pebbles. Ughh. I'm so ready to just be DONE. Soooo, I have my last doctor appointment scheduled for next Monday and then I'm scheduled for an induction on Wednesday October 1st, which is sort of bittersweet. Sure I can still go into labor and have her before then, but since its more common for first time moms to go overdue and since I'm showing no progress on my own, I'm planning for October 1st. And why do I say its bittersweet? Well, if I have the choice between September 28th and October 1st, I pick October first since really, October is my absolute favorite month. Its the month I get engaged in, its the month I got married in, and growing up in Michigan, it was the month it really started feeling like fall and you prepared for the holidays. Yeah, it sucks to have to wait, but honestly, I'm even more excited at the thought of her having an October birthday - does that make me crazy?

A little of this, a little of that

Here is another post full of random tidbits.

Bed rest: A Typical Day

My husband is currently on his day shift rotation for training, which means the alarm goes off at 4:30 am. I'm not even sure I knew this time existed before, but I've quickly learned it does - the sun is not up, there is no sign of life, the radio is filled with music and not your normal morning talk, and the news isn't even on yet. It is quite a strange time if you ask me, but so be it. Now, before bed rest, when I was still waiting for my alarm to go off around 6:30am, which was always too early for me, I would make sure my husband was up and then go back to sleep. I mean, 4:30am was just way too early to even think about getting up. But yeah, now that my schedule has changed a little and I don't have to worry about getting up, battling through the shower and teethbrushing that usually ends up with me gagging and possibly getting sick, and then sitting in the car for 45 minutes while driving to work, now, when I can actually stay in bed and sleep until about 7:30am or so and then just mosey into the living room in time to log on for work by 8am, well now, now I can't sleep once the alarm goes off at 4:30am. So I lay in bed while he gets ready for work, giggling at my cats picking on one another and talking to my husband as he runs around like a zombie getting ready for work. He'll leave about 5am and I finally get up and plop my butt onto the couch, turn on the morning news (because 5am is finally late enough for the news to start) and turn my computer on. I spend the next few hours browsing on the internet (catching up on blogs, checking out my baby forums, other random searching), watching the news, eating breakfast, cuddling with my kitties, and snoozing in and out on the couch. Around 7-7:30am I start my work at home time, taking my breaks for lunch and to hear updates from my husband as the day goes on, and some more kitty cuddles since they force themselves into my lap and make typing a little difficult. What is funny is I still feel like I get more done here than when I'm sitting at my desk, even with my attention hungry furballs. My husband gets home usually close to 4pm so I'm able to finish up what I'm working on while he showers, checks email, and does whatever he does to wind down from the day. Our evenings are spent together, we figure out dinner, and the only real change here is that we're usually in bed by 9:30pm so we can do it all over again the next day.

Now, let me explain the most difficult part of this - staying off my feet! I mean, even riding in the car to pick something up to eat I notice how quickly my fingers and feet begin to swell, so obviously this whole bed rest thing is doing its thing, and you might think "Wow! I wish I was prescribed rest and relaxation, I would love it!". On one hand, it is nice to know that sitting around with my feet up is truly what's best for me, but on the other hand, its so hard not DO things - like cooking and dishes and laundry and all those things I want to do to keep the house clean. It's hard to sit and watch my husband clean up the kitchen, I feel so GUILTY. Luckily, my husband is a wonderful man and was with me when the doctor told me to get off my feet and rest, so rather than resent me, he makes sure I'm following the "rules" and he does what he can to ensure the house is taken care of. The best part of it all? He keeps asking "Is the baby coming yet?" with this look of excitement in his eyes that tells me this question has nothing to do with him having to take care of the house until she's here but that he's so excited about the birth of his daughter and getting his wife back that he can hardly stand it. These are the moments where I'm looking more forward to seeing him with Pebbles than I am about holding her myself. These are also the moments when I think to myself that once Pebbles IS here, we may have to hire a housekeeper because I have a feeling we are both going to be so excited / thrilled / overwhelmed / tired when she's here that neither of us will be interested in emptying the dishwasher and swiffering the floors. Oh well, only time will tell!

Autumn is almost here

And I am soooo ready for it! The weather has slowly been getting cooler here in the wonderful DFW area - our highs are now in the 80's instead of the triple digits and the low's are in the 50's. We're almost to the point where I can leave the windows open all day (which I love!). What I'm also looking forward to is FALL FOODS - chili and lasagna and chicken and dumplings, hooray! I'm not sure how things will go when Pebbles first gets here, but I hope it settles down enough in a short period of time that I can utilize my maternity leave to do some serious cooking, not only on the weekends but during the week as well. I'm ready to start trying new recipes again, baking cookies, and basically spoiling my husband (and his family). Although, one flaw in THAT plan is if he does end up back on evening shift for the rest of the year, that would mean he's gone from about 2pm to about 10:30pm - so no dinner waiting on the table for him. I guess in that case I might be able to increase my breakfast recipes. I am keeping my hopes up a LITTLE bit that he ends up on days though, since they are having another guy who is promoting next week I think which means his department needs to ensure their schedules work together (since they don't want them over the same shift they came from while they are establishing their new role). So, while I'm not expecting it, I can still hope.

What is even better than all the great weather and fall foods though is that the holidays are right around the corner, and I love the holidays! I need to have my husband get the Halloween decorations out of the attic so they are all ready to put up (and we all know I'll start putting a few items out once he gets them down). I'm not sure what we are going to do with Pebbles for Halloween yet, I'm still leaning more towards a Halloween themed onesies or outfit verses an actual costume, but who knows. I am hoping to either take her on a short walk early evening to show her off on Halloween, of if my husband is working, we'll meet up with him for dinner. I know, BIG dreams since she could be quite the fussy little thing making any of these great plans more of a headache than anything else, but one can hope. And then there is Christmas. I can't wait for Christmas and to take Pebbles to get some cute pictures and everything. I am actually hoping we can get a nice family picture done this year, so here's to hoping Pebbles cooperates and that my double chin goes away. I guess there is always photo shop though!

Pregnancy rambling

A few things I'll miss once Pebbles is here:

1. No kitty litter duty
2. Never feeling cold
3. Not worrying about my weight
4. Having strangers offer help with everything

5. The anticipation and dreaming of having a baby

A few things I won't miss:

1. Bumping my belly on EVERYTHING
2. How hard showering and brushing my teeth can be

3. The swelling
4. The gymnastics involved in putting pants on
5. Not being able to enjoy sushi or adult beverages

A few things I've learned since getting knocked up:

1. I've become a much more conservative driver
2. I don't miss the bar
3. People lose all sense of appropriateness when it comes to pregnant women (I'm amazed at how easily people are willing to touch my stomach and the questions they ask)
4. How judgemental people can be about personal decisions (like how you feed your child and what type of birth you want)

5. 9 months is both a REALLY LONG time and a REALLY SHORT time

A few things I know I'm being naive about but can't help it (I'm being optimistic, please don't burst my bubble!):

1. My husband and I will be able to work happily together to soothe Pebbles and ward off colic
2. Cloth diapering is going to be easy and we'll have no trouble sticking with it (with which we'll be able to avoid blow-outs, leaking, and diaper rash)
3. I'll be able to avoid supplementing with formula and won't struggle too much with pain from feedings
4. I'll be able to cook and clean while on maternity leave
5. Pebbles will use all the clothing we have for her before outgrowing it

I know it is going to be hard and things won't work out even close to how we expect them to, but I have complete faith that my husband and I will do just fine in the end. Right now we are just ready to start this next chapter in our lives, so come on Pebbles, show yourself!

Totally random thoughts

I miss my family. I love that we live close to my in-laws and that we get along so well, but I still miss having my family close. I feel like they are going to miss out on Pebbles and that Pebbles is going to miss out on them.

I'm scared my cats are going to get neglected once Pebbles is here.

I can't wait to take Pebbles to Michigan in October to get fresh cider and donuts, go to a real pumpkin patch, and enjoy a true Fall.

I'm scared of needles. I cry when they show me the needle, before they even touch me with it. I thought I'd outgrow this fear when I grew up - so either I won't outgrow it or I haven't grown up.

I'm addicted to apples. Braeburn, Cameo, Crisp Pink, Fuji. Plain, with caramel, in salad - you name it. I guess there are worse things to be addicted to.

Thats all.