Summer Blog Challenge, Day 17

Day 17: 3 Things You Are Proud of About Your Personality

I stand up for what I believe in, I'm proud of what I believe in and what I stand for. I'm emotional and wear my heart on my sleeve, I think it's good to cry and let it out! I love hard, I love like my life depends on it... those three things are the three pieces of my personality that I am MOST proud of!

Summer Blog Challenge, Day 16

Day 16: Fitness Guru or Couch Potato? Talk About Your Fitness Habits

LOL, wow... I'm kind of in between I guess? Although I have been more of a couch potato for the past few months due to not feeling well (between being pregnant and getting sick)... typically though we're pretty active chasing Boogie around, walking around town, etc. I don't really consider that "fitness" but more just going on with our everyday life and not sitting on our butts all day. I'm not all that worried about fitness right now, I'm more focused on eating whatever I can because I need to eat to nourish me and baby  and so far... I have only lost weight, so hopefully I'm eating enough!

Summer Blog Challenge, Day 15

Day 15: Post a photo that you took that you're proud of.

This is one of my FAVORITE pictures of Boogie that I took myself when she was 3 months old... I miss this itty bitty squishy baby! I adore the young lady (gah... that's hard to type) that she is becoming, but nothing beats those sweet few tender months of newborn life! 

Summer Blog Challenge, Day 14

Day 14: Give your followers 15 tips to get through life.

1. Rely on Christ, without Him life just isn't what it should or could be!
2. Do what you love, be with the one you love, and take time to appreciate those joys... 
3. Remind yourself that you are beautiful/handsome (even when you're miserable and pregnant... like I have been today!)
4. Have babies... they will change your life. And take the time to enjoy every snuggle, every smile, every giggle... every EVERYTHING. Time FLIES.
5. Don't worry too much about the rough times, before you know it your life turns around and things are good again. Worrying too much SHORTENS your life!
6.  Dance. Sing. Act crazy... life is to short to be cautious and shy!
7. Have an adventure. Whether that's traveling the world or diving into parenthood... all adventures are worth it!
8. Have pajama/movie days with your significant other, best friend, or your kids... sometimes we all need some downtime!
9. Whether you are 15, 30, or 65... it's ok to still act like a kid sometimes. In some ways, we never truly grow up!
10. Stop and smell the roses... I know, cheesy right? But really, stop, bend down, and smell the roses. And the daisies. And the lilies. And any other flower. 
11. Educate yourself. No matter how old you are, what stage of life you are in you CAN get an education.
12. Don't let other's opinions of yourself dictate who you are or how you act. 
13. Don't yell. Don't scream. Stay calm, pray, meditate... I know it's hard, I'm still working on this.
14. Don't be afraid to follow your dreams no matter how BIG or how small.
15. Take pictures, lots and lots of pictures. Memories can be captured with just a click!

Summer Blog Challenge, Day 13

Day 13: How You See Yourself by the End of the Year

Our whole family dynamics will be different by the end of this year. I will be a mother of two little ones (I'm still having trouble wrapping my mind around that one) who will be 1 month and 2 years old. I will have been married for 5 years and that is INSANE! I see myself graduated from the community college with my Associate in Arts, nursing nursing nursing 24/7, chasing a rambunctious toddler, starting tot school with my girl, and hopefully planning on a big move for the Spring. Lots of big things happening this year...

Summer Blog Challenge, Day 12

Day 12: Worst Injury You've Had and How it Happened...

I think there's a tie between two different injuries. In the 6th grade during Christmas break we had a pretty long snow storm. My brother and I went out to sled and mom asked me to hold our dog, Rags' leash while she ran inside for a minute (or something like that... the details are a little blurry in my memory). Anyways, I was brilliant and thought it would be smart to try sledding while holding the dog's leash. BAD BAD BAD idea... I started sledding down the hill, the dog ran in front of me, I tried to slide myself out of the way of hitting him and ended up flipping myself over, tangled my leg up in the string on the sled and the leash and injured my leg. I ended up cracking my growth plate and breaking several bones in my foot. It was incredibly painful and the urgent care didn't set my foot, so for a week I was on pain killers until the swelling went down so that the orthopedic doctor could set my foot and put it in a cast. Ugh.

The second injury was in 8th grade playing soccer, I fell funny when I was battling the ball away from the other team, the girl side swiped my leg, I fell and landed funny. Turns out I tore the muscles and tendons around and above my knee.Excellent. That injury still hurts now and then. It kept me from playing soccer as much as I would have liked throughout school, and I am almost positive it was part of the reason I had so many fractures in my ankles playing indoor soccer. I just wasn't as strong with that injury and it hurt playing, which ended up in me falling or twisting my ankle in the process. Geez.

Summer Blog Challenge, Day 11

Day 11: Best Day of Your Life

That's easy... December 28, 2010. The day my beautiful little girl came into the world, she changed my life and has kept me on my toes everyday since! Here is her birth story:

Boogie is finally here! She is absolutely perfect, absolutely beautiful... and I have fallen head over heels for my sweet pea! I'm going to try to write my birth story, but I'm sure I'll forget some things... let's see...

On Monday night, the 27th, I was sitting in bed watching Bones and surfing the internet and felt a little trickle down there. I thought I had peed on myself a little, because being super mondo pregnant, it happens... a lot! So I went to the restroom and nothing else leaked out so I was sure it was just urine. I went back to bed and turned Bones back on and BAM! Ok, not bam... more like EEK! I could feel it start trickling, so I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom as fast as a fat pregnant woman can run and managed to make it to the bathroom just before my water broke EVERYWHERE. I yelled for Justin and got cleaned up and we got dressed to head to the hospital.

After calling and speaking to one of the midwifes, the decision was made to stay home for 12 hours or until contractions started and picked up a bit. Janelle came over so that she could take us to the hospital and be my second support person (thank GOD for her). We watched some more Bones and we all got some sleep, not nearly enough, but a couple hours atleast. Nothing happened... just some measly (sp?) little menstrual like cramping. Around 6:30am we called my mom and asked if we could come hang out at her house until it was time for us to head to the hospital... I really wanted her to braid my hair to keep it out of my face, she's a french braiding pro LOL.

Finally, around 9:30am on the 28th we headed to the hospital. We were so excited, a little bit nervous, but incredibly excited. They checked my progress in the L&D triage unit and I wasn't having any contractions, and the nurse couldn't get a sample of my water because it wasn't trickling anymore... however when the midwife came in to check my cervix it was DEFINATELY leaking again. I was 3.5 cm dialated so they admitted me and started me on pitocin to kick start my contractions.

The beginning of my contractions were totally manageable. My goal was to have a natural, drug free labor, with the exception of the pitocin ofcourse. However... sometimes your plans change. The regular contractions were painful, but I was handling them really well. Then a couple of hours into labor I started having terrible back labor... horrible, painful back labor. I can't even describe to you the pain I endured, they were lasting a minute or more, were a minute apart. I had no time to breathe, no time to relax, no time to get a grip and deal with the pain. It was continuous... and even in that tiny 1 minute break, the contractions would stop but the back pain never went away. I asked about alternative pain medications... if you don't know me very well, then let me tell you... I am horribly afraid of needles. I was terrified of getting an epidural or a spinal... absolutely terrified. They offered me a drug (I can't remember the name of it) that would help me relax between contractions, however, after talking to Janelle we realized it wouldn't be the best choice for me. Apparently a lot of people that use that do rest between contractions, but because they rest so deeply they end up feeling like they have one endless horrible contraction... and never realize that they did in fact get to rest in between pains.

I chose to have an epidural, I was around 6.5 cm dialated at this point... this was after all that back labor, trying heating pads, the water tub, etc etc. I was so scared, I was crying in pain, crying in fear... and I was so incredibly blessed to have my amazing hubby and amazing friend Janelle there to support me. They loved on me, and reassured me the entire time. I got on the bed and into position to get the epidural and I was so afraid that I wouldn't be able to hold still during my contractions. Janelle and Justin stood infront of me, Janelle prayed over me and held my hand, Justin held my hand... and I cried. It was over with pretty quickly, but I can assure you that that moment was the most terrifying moment in my life.

The nurse got me laying down in the bed and the epidural kicked in almost immediately... thank goodness! I was finally able to rest, and ONE HOUR later I was fully effaced and dialated and ready to push! I believe they said that I pushed for one hour, seemed a lot shorter than that to me... it was incredible. I thought that getting the epidural would mean I wouldn't be able to feel anything. I was wrong though! I was tingly and definately numb, but I could feel her moving down and crowning.

At 9:07pm, on December 28th, 2010 my beautiful baby girl was born! She had the cord wrapped around her a couple of times... and she had a little bit of trouble breathing at first... but she found her bearings and cried beautiful cries. Janelle cut her cord and they handed her off to me and she had the most beautiful big blue eyes! She was 5lbs 13 oz, 18.5 inches long... and BEAUTIFUL. I only needed 2 stitches to repair a tiny tear, the epidural wore off pretty quickly, and by 12am we were moved into a mommy/baby room ready to start our lives!

Justin was amazing, he was so supportive and loving. I couldn't have wished for a better husband, God definatley had his hand in choosing him to be my life partner and best friend. Janelle was my rock, she was incredibly supportive and I believe I made the BEST choice in choosing her and her husband to be Boogie's godparents. My midwife, Dolly, was incredible... she never stopped praising me and letting me know how well I was doing and that I was making good decisions. The nurses were amazing... and despite the horrible back labor, I had an AMAZING birth experience. I know what to expect when we decide to have more children, and I'll know what to do if I have back labor in any other birth experiences in the future!
 
Boogie is a wonderful baby, she sleeps a LOT, is latching and feeding pretty well, and she makes the most precious faces. All of her grandparents are thrilled and adore her.... Uncle Josh and Uncle Pickle are smitten... and mommy and daddy are head over heels!

 

16 Weeks

How far along? 16 weeks

Total weight gain/loss:  Haven't check yet...

Maternity clothes? All maternity... except for my awesome pj's of course, lmbo. Excuse my poor wardrobe in this week's photo

Stretch marks? Mhmm.

Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty good... aside from these coughing fits due to this horrific cold I've had for TWO weeks.

Best moment this week: Feeling more movement!

Movement: Yes, it's not constant, but every now and then I feel a little thump :)

Food cravings: Snow Cones, Cheese Fries, Chicken Salad

Gender: To be determined on June 27.... as long as baby cooperates!

Labor signs: None... WAY to early for that!

Belly button in or out? In... too early for that too, lol!

Wedding rings on or off? Engagement ring is off, wedding band still fits though!

What I miss: Touching my toes without pain.

What am I looking forward too: Finding out if this baby is Bubby or Sissy!

Weekly Wisdom: You're OCD... so just get stuff done and be done with it. (We have all the baby furniture and such set up in our room now. I don't procrastinate with baby stuff!)
 
 Milestones: Growing toenails!

Summer Blog Challenge, Day 10

Day 10: Cost Aside, Famous Artist Piece You Would Have in Your Home

 

Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh

Big Girl

Where did my baby go? My baby has become a big girl, she spent her first night in her big girl bed last night! She even SLEPT IN. That NEVER EVER EVER happens when her daddy isn't home! She even woke up HAPPY. No more screaming and crying for mommy to rescue her, now she gets up, smiles, and plays! It's amazing! She's growing into such a big girl, she continues to astonish me with how smart she is, and I can't believe how far she has come from her tiny 5lb 13oz newborn self! Her vocabulary has continued to explode, she can identify almost all of her body parts (eyes, nose, hair, head, ears, mouth, teeth, tongue, chin, neck, cheeks, face, arm, elbow, belly, etc etc etc), she knows many animals and what sounds they make, and much much more! The one thing she confuses right now is up and down, when she wants up she says 'down!', when she wants down she says 'down!' LOL! So she is 'down', just can't figure out the 'up' part.

To update you on Sissy or Bubby, my nausea has completely subsided however I have had this nasty cold for 2 weeks now. I'm in the "coughing a lung out" portion which hopefully means it's heading out of my system for good soon! Not to mention that an ever growing baby pushing on mommy's bladder + coughing is NOT a good combination. Ugh! I'll be 16 weeks tomorrow, so I will update again then with a new picture. Until then, here's a few mobile pics of Boogie from the past few weeks!