sickness update!

well everyone is better around here thank goodness, they just have the lingering after effects of their colds, little runny noses but both are great now! the colds usually last about 10 days and there is really nothing you can give to them i usually just dish out the vicks baby rub and the vaporizer and all the nursing for paisley and loves and cuddles for carrson that they can stand and then one day they are just better. :) christmas is coming fast! wow!! and carrson is now 3 yikes! too fast just too fast!

Sick kiddos... :(

Well after 6 months and 4 days Paisley is officially SICK :( she has a runny nose, and cough and watery eyes. The cough and runny nose I can handle, I know things need to run their course and there isnt much you can do to interfere. But today when her normal cough turned in to a barking cough, thats when I start to interfere. So instead of calling her Ped where all they are going to say is come in and then there we are just exposed to all kinds of germs right now while all kinds of kids are sick with much worse, I call my trusty midwife Kelly. So now both the kids are on Elderberry and Robitussin DM as needed. Carrson is getting better, his cold seems to be on its way out, he only coughs occasionally mainly at night or when he has been playing too hard. But Paisley is right smack in the middle of hers, right at the point where it gets worse before it gets better, so stuffy (sucking out her nose like crazy)and congested to where her little nose just leeks. Her little cough is so sad but for being sick she at least seems in good spirits most of the time besides needing to eat every 2 hours and taking some really long naps lately but hopefully our house if clear of the yuck very soon!

Dream-eze!!

I began the journey of cloth diapering when carrson was 10 months old...that was over 2 years ago. Since then i've used many versions of cloth diapers and if it wasn't easy I wouldnt be doing it. And if you know me at all you know this is true. I'm all about easy easy easy! We've used Bum Genius, Fuzzi Bunz, Prefolds, just to name a few. Right now my new FAVORITE is called DreamEze in the cloth diapering world its known as an All-in-one or AIO I love it because its trim, usually with cloth diapers you get some bulkiness issues but this one is trim, not as trim as a paper diaper but still trim, and so so so soft on the inside its made with organic cotton and just soft as can be. It also snaps which is more durable than the velcro on some diapers because over time it wears and becomes shabby, and if your going to resale them which you can!! so you save even more money!!! than snaps are the way to go! I ordered mine from a local dfw mom and whom also happens to be part of my playgroup :) at www.simplebaby.com Shannon is the mom to adorable Coco and the site is awesome they have lots of cool SIMPLE things on there.

on another note Paisley is now 6 months old so now the solid food adventure begins! Its recommended to wait until 6 months to start solids to prevent the development of food allergies, and really solids are for fun anyway until the kiddo turns a year old because nothing has a higher caloric intake than breastmilk or formula. Solids should NOT replace nursing or bottles EVER and are just given in addition to so the baby can practice eating in preparation for their second year of life. We are taking an approach to solids called Baby Led Weaning more can be read about that here http://babyledweaning.blogware.com/ but it skips purees and rice cereals all together and Paisley is having lots of fun with it! We are too :)

We go for the kids' well baby check ups on Carrsons 3rd birthday, which is coming up way too fast! so we'll have an official weight and length for her then but I have a baby scale at home and according to that she is a little over 16 lbs now. She has been sitting up un supported for well over a month and she hates being on her belly so who knows when she'll crawl but i'm in no hurry for any of that to happen cause then that means i'll have to invest in a $100 baby gate to reach from the wall to the bar to block off the kitchen and i'd like to wait till after christmas to make that purchase :) Other than that the kids are doing great and we can't wait till christmas!

Fall Update

I know its been a while, life happens and things get busy! So a little update :)

When school started at the end of August (my last post) I started homeschooling my little brother and sister. Its actually a virtual academy and just public school from home but School at home none the less. It was kinda crazy at first before we figured out a routine and got organized but its been great and now that it all flows like it should its so easy and they are both really happy with it! Especially now that we found a home school social group. They do stuff almost every day of the week! So we meet with them around once a week maybe twice if they get ahead on their work and its great fun, its local here in burleson and the kids are their age! Definitely a great school program www.k12.com has going for them :) Their teachers have it the best though they get to "teach" from home! we have talked to a few of them at the latest field trips that we have gone on and they all just love it! but who wouldnt ;) doing less for more money :) and they still get to work with the kids.

Its Official Carrson has Learned the Potty!!!! He is in underwear full time now except for at night of course but that comes with time. We are so proud at how fast he took to it! Over the course of the last year we have been trying and practicing and making him familiar with the potty and then after all summer of not being interested because, well baby sister was in diapers so why shouldnt he get to be......Well I decided it was time to try just one more time and really go for it! No more half and half cause that can be confusing when your 2 wondering if at that moment you had diaper or underwear on so I decided just to go for the underwear full time! No more confusion! and he has done EXCELLENT! I think a combonation of being relaxed not having any expectations or timeline of when it SHOULD happen and being flexible and waiting for him to be ready really made it easy.

Last weekend we went to the pumpkin patch in flower mound. I had heard it was great and that it was free best of all, but we had been going to a pumpkin patch here in Burleson for the last few years, so we decided just to try it and well....it was ok...not that great but carrson had fun none the less. We will be going to our hometown pumpkin patch next weekend! We should be redeemed then :) We did get lots of pictures but really it was just cold and wet and muddy!

Paisley is getting so big! she is starting to get the cutest little personality, she is now trying to grab everything she can get thats right in front of her, really starting to use her voice and just being cute as ever. She rolled over for the first time a few weeks ago but now every time you put her on the floor on her back she flips over to her stomach. She loves playing with her feet and I'm sure as soon as she figures out how to eat them, they will stay there full time. I'm proud to say that some crazy cold/fever/sickness went around the house and little P didnt catch anything but a watery eye! yay for mama milk :) everyone in the house is better now but it was nasty whatever it was that went around here. I know so many people that have the flu right now, I know its just a matter of time, I'm not scared of it just waiting on it I guess. But maybe we'll still luck out...Just remember that warm soapy water is better than hand sanitizer! She is still a wonderful sleeper, which is so nice compared to Carrson WOW :) even Teething has officially started. She continues to surprise me with just how easy going she is.

My sisters baby will be here soon She starts her 3rd trimester next week! crazy!! its going to be very busy the next few months with birthday parties and baby showers :) Exciting!

3 months old!

Paisley turned 3 months old this past Thursday she is about 12 and a half pounds and looong with the cutest chunky thighs you've ever seen! She has the sweetest personality always smiling and talking to us when she isnt sleeping or eating. Lately she has enjoyed some play time in between her regular just sleeping and eating pattern. She loves her brother he talks to her and is so very sweet to her, she definitely lets him know when she's had enough and he is quick to back away once she does ;) . We just got back from our first road trip with a baby who hates the car and she did AMAMZINGLY well!! We are so thankful! maybe the real issue is she just wants someone to look at while she rides in the car...

Thats about it for us right now...

Congrats to Amorey and Brandon and Aunt B and Uncle Josh on the birth of Baby Hadley Jackson!!

family pic preview #1

2 months!

Paisley had her 2 month well baby visit yesterday and everything looks great! She is our long and skinny girl just like her brother, most babies when the gain weight they gain it in rolls well Paisleys cheeks get bigger and her legs get longer ha! But she is healthy and growing well and dr said he likes what he sees :)

She is SUCH a good baby, she smiles and coos and talks and sleeps well, her only rough spot is her belly issues but thats mostly my fault, i guess i'm a little scared to give up dairy again even though i know that it wont be forever. I just hate to see her cry after the gas from the foods i've eaten builds up on her after about 2 or 3 days cause its about every 3rd day that we get a crying fit out of her poor baby :( I bought this stuff called Colic Calm and it REALLY helps i guess this is why i'm hesitant to actually give up the dairy because i know this stuff works and helps her out! its like mylicon TIMES 10! its the best stuff i've found and I wish I would have had it with Carrson!

Carrson keeps doing better and better with her, he is so sweet to her the only thing that makes me nervous is when he tries to move around next to her, his knees and feet get a little wild but i just remind him that he has to move slowly and then he pays attention better. He loves to talk to her and hold her and play with her on her little toy mat. He really does love her :) for now anyway ;) We'll see how he feels when she starts moving around and going after his trains he has set up all around the house....HA!

Paisley's Photoshoot!

Heather took these for us! Thank you Heather!!

Paisley's Chiropractor Visit

I took Paisley to the Chiropractor yesterday for her "newborn chiro exam" and got her all checked out to make sure she was all aligned ;) and told her about her being gassy at night and how it makes her pretty unhappy and she adjusted her and all is well in our house! so if the gas starts agitating her again i'm calling dr. kristy! newborn chiropractic care is safe AND recommended!

Paisley's first 4th of July!

We went CAMPING!! the entire family went and a good time was had by all! Paisley was a sweetie, and took great naps so I could go swimming with Carrson a few times and have fun with him. Carrson had a GREAT time with his cousins Bella and Sophie. We watched the most beautiful fireworks display and then went back to the campsite and set off a few of our own fireworks! Thats always fun, Carrson wasn't too impressed with the loudness of the fireworks so his hands were firmly pressed against his ears for the entire show but he enjoyed them from afar. Now for the best part of any vacation is unpacking and doing laundry.... omg the worst :(

First Day without Daddy!

Rusty went back to work today after 4 weeks and 6 days off! what a blessing it was to have him at home while we transitioned in to a family a 4. We had a great day today no road blocks today at least everybody got fed and clothed and diapers were changed and the house got picked up so i'll say it was pretty successful! Carrson had a little bit of a testing time this morning where he was testing me and still making sure that all the same rules still applied even though Rusty wasnt home and we worked through it, it turned out being a great day! We sure do miss Rusty being home with us but somebody has to work in this household!

Paisley is a smiley little girl now! She will be 5 weeks old tomorrow and is just precious as ever! Carrson is so sweet to her, when she cries he says "mommy pick her up!" or "mommy she needs num nums!" or if we are in the car he says "its ok paiswey-no cryin" he is so sweet and caring :)

We are getting ready to celebrate our first holiday with her! The 4th of July and we are going camping (renting a cabin) on Lake Whitney should be a great time we are really excited to go out with the whole family!

I'll post some pics soon!

3 weeks old!

Paisley will be 3 weeks old on Wednesday, and did i miss something somewhere that says when you have a baby your supposed to stay locked in the house until the random people at random stores say its ok to come out???? I dont think so! so people keep your comments about my tiny baby going to the store with us at home! We were at babies r us and this lady is standing behind me and she says oh how old is she....i reply and she says oh my goodness can you imagine being that tiny out in this heat? are you kidding me lady seriously we live in Texas, she is dressed appropriately and taking a nap...looks comfy to me...ugh

speaking of going out places a fall back to being a 2nd child is that you have an older sibling to keep up with and big brother has to keep entertained so we went to the water park last week and mama and pais stayed in the shade with the nice breeze and big brother and daddy had a blast at Bedford Splash water park! This week we are going to the Cleburne one....and dont worry baby police she will stay shaded and comfortable just like last week :)

Paisley is getting better at lifting her head and holding the support of the big old thing lol, its so cute, she is starting to get the "attitude head" going its cute...she has also found her "witching hour" its normal at this age for babies to have a fussy period during some time of day, and she has found hers...at about 7-8 pm she starts getting fussy and inconsolable and gassy :( its not too bad rusty and i switch off taking turns trying different things to console her, i wish it was as easy and her nursing and being happy again but not so much. it usually lasts till about 10:30 or so and then she is ok and goes to bed and sleeps just fine at night. Its just getting to that point and juggling, nursing, burping, walking, rocking, rubbing her belly lightly, bicycling her legs, changing her diaper and starting all over at the beginning when none of that works or when it only works for a few minutes. But the great website of www.Kellymom.com tells me this is normal

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/fussy-evening.html

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/fussybaby.html

http://www.kellymom.com/pantley/pantley22.html

anyway hopefully this tiny little phase passes fast, i hate hearing her cry and not being able to fix it, makes me so tense to not be able to fix whats wrong! anyway i need to upload some more pictures from my camera and hopefully i'll have some time to do that sometime this week :)

2 week check up!

well our baby girl is now 2 weeks old, time is flying! and she is still precious as ever, thank goodness because her big brother is becoming a lovely little handful :D we had our 2 week check up with Kelly in Peaster and Paisley is now weighing in at 8 lbs 6 oz, she only had to be back to birth weight by 2 weeks but she has definitely surpassed that! She also got her 2nd newborn screening (blood test) done and it didnt go as well as the first in regards to her tolerating the heel prick...poor baby, the first one she nursed right through and didnt even budge...this one, not so much, she was latched on and as soon as her heel was pricked she unlatched and was MAD but it was over fairly fast and she was ok again. I also got checked out to see how I was healing up and so far so good, I'm feeling great too so thats a plus. We go see Kelly again in 4 weeks just to check on us one more time :D I'm sad that we wont have any appts after that I sure will miss those girls.

Paisley also saw Dr. Young today our Pediatrician for the first time and he also gave her a clean bill of health she is 21.5 inches long now and her head is 14 5/8 inches so she is growing everywhere perfectly just as she should and he said she looked perfect and to keep doing what we are doing :D . We'll go back again on July 27 for her 2 month check up.

Paisley also saw her first movie in the theater today, Rusty and I went to see "The Hangover" wow it was very funny and Paisley did pretty good we only had to leave the room once to change her diaper and the rest of the time i was able to nurse her just fine and then to get her back to sleep i just walked her in the little hall way so i was still able to see the movie so i did'nt miss hardly anything at all!

SLIDE SHOW!!

http://www.dfwbirthphotographer.com/Paisley.html

this is more pictures in slide show form of paisleys birth

First Bath!!!

her cord stump fell off on day 6! thats crazy fast it took carrsons 3 weeks to fall off...anyway so she can enjoy baths now...and she did she loved it! Rusty gave her her first bath and she didnt even cry :)

DFW Birth Photographer!

pics can bee seen at www.dfwbirthphotographer.com just scroll down till you see her name!!

Happy Birthday Paisley!!!

we had an appt with our midwife at 5:00pm on Tuesday May 26, we went I gained 2.4 lbs and she sounded great, but was still in an odd position, so Kelly (midwife) showed rusty an exercise we could do to try and get her to turn. I never even got checked because I couldn't stand to be dissapointed with an unreachable posterior cervix like last time. We left the birth center and I was having random contractions here and there but nothing that alarmed me, yes I could feel them in my back but I just assumed it was because we were in the car. Its an hour drive home and I even mentioned to Rusty at one point that we needed to get home so I could get a break from these contractions (HA!) and get out of the car for a bit. We got home at about 7:30 and quickly had to get BACK in the car again because rusty was buying a cell phone off of craigslist and the guy was ready to meet right then. Contractions kept coming but I just thought it was because of the car, we got back home about 9:00 pm and at that point I'd noticed that the contractions were still coming. Rusty and Carrson got ready for bed, he gets up at 4:45am for work, so he was tired, Rusty and I did the turning exercise before he went to sleep and I had a few contractions inbetween, so I got out the Ipod Touch and with the contraction master application started timing them just to see if they had a pattern...well low and behold at about 10:00 pm I notcied they were about 8-10 min apart, and I could still talk through them I'd just rather not at that point. I decided I'd better just send a text to Kelly to let her know what was going on and that I was going to try a bath and just get in bed. The bath felt great, contractions kept coming, they were still manageable at that point but I wanted to hurry up and get in bed to get some rest (HA!) at 10:30 I decided to let rusty keep sleeping but called my mom to come over and be with me, by that point I'd moved from the bed to sitting on my exercise ball leaned over on the bed into some pillows, the contractions were still very manageable at this point and not too painful, but it felt better to have some counter pressure on my back. Kelly asked if I wanted her to come, it was about 11:40 at that point and I said that during a contractions i was starting to feel like I wanted her company but inbetween contractions I was fine, so she said she was on her way. I woke up rusty at about 12:30 and told him Kelly was on her way and I needed him with me now. It was thunderstorming in the metroplex like crazy which made AMAZING back ground labor music/noice I loved it, but it added a little travel time to the midwives drive. By the time Kelly got there, at about 1:00am I was having contractions 3-4 min apart and they were to the point where I was starting to hum with some but not all of them. Inbetween contractions we checked my cervix and I was 75% effaced and 5cm dilated and baby was at 0 station, the best news was she was in the RIGHT POSITION!!! I WAS IN SHOCK! my body WORKS! with no IV's and no pitocin OMG! the contractions were still ok at this point and they started filling up the pool.
**time gets a little fuzzy at this point**
Things started to pick up and I was starting to get ticked that the pool felt like it was taking forever to fill up. I WANTED IN!! at some point I asked rusty what time it was and I remember him saying something like 2:30 I got in the pool soon after that, or maybe it was closer to 3:00 I dont remember. The water felt wonderful, I got in just in time for the all wonderful transition stage (whew!) I started saying I can't do this, I wanted counter pressure on my back, but I didnt, so rusty got in the pool with me and pretty much just did whatever I could muster out at the time to tell him to do, mom was rubbing my arms and my hair, which felt wonderful and Kelly was in my ear, keeping me going, all of a sudden I started pushing and Kelly said "are you pushing?" and I was like I think so, so she needed to check me to make sure I was complete first and sure enough I was I couldnt believe it! so I started pushing with contractions and at first it felt great to push like I was doing something, but then my hips started to feel like they were cracking in half so my sister was pressing them together during contractions and inbetween, bless her heart, she is so sore now! But I needed it, after a few pushing contractions I felt like I just wanted a break inbetween and my body was giving me one, thank goodness and during one I just started pushing with everything I had, I was draped around rusty and kind of semi standing, one knee down, one leg up to let gravity help me push, it did the job, didnt feel great so kelly checked me again and a lip of cervix had come back so kelly had to hold it back while i pushed and it didnt feel wonderful but it worked! a few more contractions later with her head at +3 my water broke, with force! it felt like a giant POP! quickly after that she came on down and to feel her head about to emerge from my body was the COOLEST feeling in the world I just couldnt believe it! The next push and her head was out! no tears at that point, next I had to push her shoulders out and i was SO DONE pushing at this point that I didnt care what happened to my va-jay jay, I knew Kelly could fix it ;) so with the next contraction I gave it EVERYTHING I had and rusty caught her and we held her together just so in awe and amazement it was amazing!! Paisley was born ever so gently in to her daddy's hands at 4:16 am Wednesday May 27, 2009. At some point I was threatened to have to get out and get on the birthing stool but I was determined to not leave that water I just couldn't fatham moving so I just pushed with all my might and force and in 2 contractions she was out! It was everything I dreamed my homebirth would be and more, yes it hurt pushing but everything else was just fine, I am just in awe of what our bodies are capable of doing and I wont birth any other way. I needed to have Carrson in the hospital just so I could fully appreciate how awesome and amazing Paisley's birth actually was. She was a loud little thing for the first hour and a half that she was here, but once we got that latch perfected she has been a sweet angel ever since. Carrson slept the WHOLE time and woke up to a new baby sister he was shocked! He is doing ok, he knows she is here but doesnt really have much to say about it, he's been giving lots and lots of extra cuddles today so he knows that just because his baby sister is here, we still love him just as much! I did need some stitches but nothing got to the muscle so they werent bad tears just some nice good skid marks that needed some help and Kelly did a wonderful job fixing me up - yes I got litocaine and plenty of it ;)
You dont ever grow out of room in your heart as your family grows your heart just swells up as large as you need it to. I love my husband so much he was AMAMZING through everything, he was my rock! My mom was wonderful and soothing and comforting everything you want your mommy to be. My sister! GOD BLESS HER! for squeezing the life out of my hips it was perfect! she never complained one ounce even though she was aching! I could'nt have done it with out her! or any of my support team! The midwives were absolutely amazing and I couldnt be happier with the way things turned out!

Paisley Madison Dean Martin
7 lbs 4 oz 20.5 inches long
long fingers and toes
black hair-not long but its there!
and perfect as pie!!

Paisley Madison Dean Martin born in the water into her daddys hands at 416 am May 27, 2009 7lbs 4oz 20.5 inches long

still pregnant

i know, i'm past my due date, but i'm not going to explode :D i'll be ok...i still feel great, and i'm even losing weight now...wierd...but anyway she still is doing wonderful, although completely sunny side up :( , and still growing beautifully. yes i know the tricks, walking, sex, spicy food, all of it is pointless if she isnt ready anyway, and only she knows when that is, she can't read a calender, so we are just being patient and waiting on her :D she is worth it! i'm not going to go forcing anyone out of their home that isnt ready to leave yet :) I WANT HER HERE! dont get me wrong i want her here so bad right now! but she isnt ready and well i just cant make her so....we wait! my next appt is tuesday, they are pretty uneventful at this point but none the less we check her growth and listen to that precious little heart beating away, i'll update more on tuesday!

39 weeks!

I'm 39 weeks and ready for her to be here! I'm not ready to start trying desperate measures or old wives tales to get her here but i'm excited to know that she is coming soon! Physically I feel fine, so long as i keep getting adjusted at the chiro I think I'll be in good shape and besides being a little bit more emotional lately about stupid things (crying over the DUMBEST things!) but i'm still hanging in there. Rusty is really ready for a vacation from work (he's taking 4 weeks) but were are just waiting on little munchkin before all that can start, then i'm sure it will just all go by too stinking fast anyway so part of me is in no hurry at all, just excited. I'm so excited to have a newborn in the house again, those tiny little diapers, little snuggle bunnies, and sweet baby cries :) but it will come soon enough. Until then...she is still cooking!! I have another midwife appointment on Thursday so I'll update more then.

oh p.s. I got the pedicure yesterday from my moms lady and she was WONDERFUL! I've never had a rub down like that :D I really enjoyed it!

38 week midwife appt.

The appt went great! I gained NO weight! Baby is measuring well and doing great as well, she is estimated to be 7 lbs next appt is Thursday the 21st!

38 week update! Looooooooooong!

38 weeks! I'm hardly believing it, but I must admit its getting a bit more real now, she is so active it hurts! but amazingly enough I love it! she is in my hips and out my sides and all up top all at the same time its an amazingly wonderful feeling but part of me is nervous! how big is she? well I hope big enough so that I have something to push against when it comes time to push her out! Which I'm getting so darn excited for! I know to some its crazy that I'm excited for pain but I'm not thinking of it as pain I'm thinking of it as hard work that my body knows how to do to get her out here to the world safely! I can't wait! I've been watching lots of Natural homebirth/waterbirth videos lately and they all seem to go about the same calm and collected until transition (stage right before pushing, where women often "lose it") and then they all make some sound of their choice while pushing, some scream, some moan, some grunt, some flap their lips like a horse, i'm sure I'll have my own birth song but as soon as its over these women are pain free! and then whats even better is reading the birth stories and seeing how all these women WILL ADMIT that yes it hurt but it was the best feeling of their life and they would do it over and over and over again. I can't wait to have a birth story of my own! and YES I had an epidural with my first people GET OVER IT! I've learned so much about my self and my body and what we are capable of since Carrson's Birth, With him I knew NOTHING just nada, I was scared out of my mind and just wanted someone to knock me out put me under and give me him when they were done. But I've grown so much from that place and that way of thinking and I'm SO excited to have this journey and this amazing and natural process happen just the way god intended it, I can do it! YES PEOPLE I CAN DO IT!

All of our things are ready, all I have to do now is go to Sams and stock up on some freezer items so we dont have much to think about when it comes to dinner for the first few weeks, and we'll be making that trip this Saturday. Oh and I have one more pedicure promised to me by my wonderful mother by HER lady, (no one else has gotten the privilege of using her when we get our toes done, only my grandmother) and I'm so excited! I told her to brush up on her labor inducing skills so when I get there she can put me into labor, lol, she said she'd see what she could do :). Its more real now to me that there is a baby in there and she is going to come out, maybe its cause i KNOW and can FEEL her running out of room and we are going to have her at our house (no pun intended) and she will be all ours! We'll get to nurse (i'm so excited!) and change her diaper, and her clothes, and we'll get to have a newborn again! Thank you lord for blessing our family again! We are so thankful!

We had our home visit last Thursday and it went well, they found our house no problem, so they know where they are going now when I give them the REAL call and we talked a little bit more about my sciatic nerve thats been bugging me so bad and causing me so much leg pain, well I buckled down and took their advice and saw the chiro they suggested that they've seen do right by pregnant women :) and she is AWESOME so I went on Saturday and it felt wonderful, I was a little sore walking out of there, like i'd had a good workout at the gym or something, and then we came home took a nap and I woke up feeling great, and now I'm back to the sore feeling again, but she showed me a stretch too that I can do to make my leg feel better and it works, the pain is at least tolerable and I'm going back again on Saturday just to make sure my body is all aligned and hips/pelvis etc is all in order and ready for upcoming birthing and i'll just continue to go every week until I deliver.

As far as feeling 38 weeks pregnant I'm pretty lucky I guess I feel as good as I think I should given the extra poundage I've put on my body and so while naturally I've slowed down a little, and its hard to get up, or change positions etc. I feel like I'm getting along just fine if you have a few extra seconds to let me catch up :D I'm sleeping great (rusty said he caught me snoring the other night) so I feel good in that area Thank God for the HUGE maternity pillow that wraps the entire way around my body. It looks like a huge U so its the same on both sides and it works wonderfully! I'm having some digestion issues, not "heart burn" because it doesnt burn but its taking a little bit for food/drink to go down, I have to make sure I sit up in the upright position for a while after a meal other wise it gets burped back up, reminds me of Carrson's acid reflux really but at least mine doesnt burn, just uncomfortable. Rusty and I are taking Carrson to a Ranger Game tomorrow so a little family date before Paisley gets here will be nice for us. We are going right after our prenatal so its going to be a long afternoon but I'm excited for it! I'm not getting checked because I have no desire to know how effaced/dilated I am cause all it does is make everyone anxious and like I've said before it has no direct relation to when I'll go into labor.

Mothers Day was wonderful we all went and had a picnic at the park. My entire family and Rusty's family also my brother in laws family all went to the park and had a barbeque cooking hamburgers and hot dogs and such and it was fun! The whole family got to be there and everyone had a great time! The Kids were pooped! Then my sister mom and I went to play Sunday Night Bingo and that is fun as always, would of been better if we won, but we didn't :( Maybe next time!

I probably wont get to update again until Wednesday but I'll let ya know how the midwife appt went! Have a great week!

xt from my phone like I'm doing now until then see ya tuesday! 38 weeks tomorrow whoo hoo!!

Modem went out.....great! At&t has to send us a new one maybe tuesday or wednesday, if there is any baby news (don't hold your breath) I'll update via te

Finally! A bra that fits!! Thank you Motherhood Maternity!

Testing mobile blogging :)

is it really almost time?

Is it really almost time to have this baby? Part of me "gets" that but the other part of me doesnt. I'm excited to meet her but sad that this time in our life (me being pregnant with her) is going to end, yes of course it will be exciting to open a new part of our lives together with her here, but you never get these precious moments back! you never get any of them back! time flies way too fast so i'm enjoying every kick, every ache and every elbow in my hip ;) its cute and i know i'll miss it like crazy when she isnt in here. I've also been planning and researching and looking forward to this homebirth for SO long i'm scared for it to be over, i'm excited still waiting for it with anticipation and excitement! its like waiting for graduation and then bam its over, and then planning a wedding and then bam its over, so i know its going to be BAM over soon but i'm enjoying the time just being patient and waiting for it.

I got a pedicure today and it was wonderful! I'll probably get one more before she gets here and then this coming friday I'm getting my hair done for the last time before she gets here so I'll be all set :)

Braxton Hicks contractions are increasing in frequency and intensity so thats good, i'm still trying to find a happy medium with my leg hurting so bad, some things make it hurt so bad and others not so much and other times it just has a mind of its own so whatever i'm just dealing with it and moving on. Acid Reflux has kicked in, it doesnt hurt it just "is" does that make sense i can just feel things hanging in my throat and taking longer to digest and i guess my digestive tract is just on slow mode which is normal at this point...just annoying. I've also noticed that my feet are feeling a little more "plump" i wouldnt say swollen just tight feeling so thats odd for me, so now i'm dealing with the tightness in my fingers/hands and my feet. Which is all new to me, I never got any of this with Carrson. I also can't really bend over if anything falls to the floor i HAVE to squat to get it, I dont have a choice getting in the car or bending over to get something i'm reminded quickly that i can't do it lol its just an odd feeling that makes me go, yikes can't do that any more, it doesnt hurt or anything just feels odd.

Midwives come to our house on Thursday! I'm excited!! I'll update more then!

Why can't I be lucky!!

Why can't I be one of the lucky ones to deliver early?!?! oh no my butt will still probably be here HUGE in June..... :/ Everyone's having their baby BUT ME!!

vent over...i can now go on being pregnant forever :D

36 week prenatal!

went well! gained some more weight, but thats what your suppose to do after all ;). Listened to the baby, she sounds great, she was resting and her heart rate was 135. Measuring good still. And Hip Hip Hooray-she is in the right position!!! she is no longer "sunny side up" I've been working hard on this, so i'm relieved at the results! She is also estimated to be 6 lbs 8 ounces so thats good too I'm happy she is healthy in there and at a good weight especially with the 2V cord (most babies have a 3V cord), so even though my body is having to work extra hard to get her everything we needs i'm relieved at our efforts :). Usually at ob offices they start checking you for cervical dilation/effacement etc. but we dont do that here at the midwives place and i'm actually just fine with that because it doesnt tell you SQUAT! if you are dilated then you get excited thinking baby could come any moment (which can happen anyway) plus it gets family all riled up and excited which adds more pressure for the pregnant mother and adds more questions like "when is baby coming?" I still dont know! lol and if your not dilated to anything that its a big fat disappointment thinking you'll be pregnant forever. So I'm glad to just be at peace with whatever is going on down there whatever it may be :)

Greatest news is since something is up with the place you order the birth kit from, guy is out of town, etc, Molly went ahead and ordered some before he went out of town because he told her it would be a bit before he started re-filling orders so anyway that is one less thing we have to do now, and since i got it from her i dont have to wait for it to be delivered! so we are all ready to go!!!!! i'm pumped! it feels good to have everything in one room and in one place all ready for her whenever she needs it. All we need to do now is go to sams and stock the freezer so we dont have to think about food for a week or so after she gets here. I feel like I can just relax now and enjoy the rest of this pregnancy, whatever is left of it, because i know i'll miss it once its gone. Even though she'll be in my arms i'll miss the little rambunctious thing in my stomach :)

Next appt is the Home Visit!! its next thursday, and if anyone knows my husband than you know he is already freaking out about cleaning his already clean house! LOL he is insane!

36 week update!!

Thats right 36 weeks!! 9 months pregnant, and only 1 month to go!! well maybe/maybe not thats part of the fun the last month brings is when will she come?? eh who knows...only her and god know that, but all i ask is when she comes she is ready which at this point is the most likely thing to happen, so we've at least made it to that point where if she were to come today, i could still have her at home! I've been dreaming of this homebirth for a long time and I'm so glad that its so close! I'm so excited!!

Physically...... :( I'm hurting, my sciatic nerve is REALLY REALLY bothering me! sometimes it doesnt hurt as bad but its a lingering pain that never goes away. Things that make it worse are if its the end of the day and I've been going and going all day, and then I go to get up and its SO HARD to walk, included with limping and everything. Things that make it not as bad are trying to walk through it, the more I move the better it feels sometimes even though at the end of all the "walking through it" is when it gets bad, so its just a never ending cycle but its not the worst thing of course, its nothing I can't get through just....bothersome I guess is the right word. My uterus is so high up sometimes I feel like its in my throat! Well its not really of course but its been in a battle with my rib cage and so far the uterus is winning because the rib cage is hurting pretty bad especially at night, but with a few extra pillows at least I can sleep, unless I go to rollover which then brings on the sciatic pain FULL FORCE! but every day we just keep on going, its all part of the deal :) I'll make it through only a few more weeks! These few aches and pains are going to be NOTHING compared to the real deal only, when in labor there is an end and a purpose...and this random pain just seems so pointless and annoying! thats whats bothering me the most about it!

The gentle birth formula has been increased to 3 times a day now and its ok, i'm getting used to it I guess. I just keep in mind that its at least good for me if nothing else, I'm really hoping it works like they say it does and helps with the labor/delivery! We have been really getting busy getting things marked off on our list of things to get for the baby, we just have to order the birth kit from "inhishands" which is the website we'll get it from and we'll be good to go! I would of ordered it last week so it would of been here in time for 36 weeks but the man who runs the website or something like that was out of town for 10 days so the midwives said they thought I could wait. I really dont see myself delivering before 40 weeks anyway, that way if I do it will be a surprise, but for now the end of May is what I have in mind :) plus the closer to rusty's anniversary date (the 27th of May) at his job the better that way he'll get his vacation time and we'll have to jump through less hoops to get him off work for FMLA paternity leave. He'll be taking 4 weeks and I'm SOOOO looking forward to having him home with me to all bond as our new family of 4.

I've also felt myself avoiding people so I dont have to answer questions, lol, I just want to wear a sign that says, yes i'm due any day, yes i'm ready for her to be here, no i dont know how much longer, and yes i'm having her at home. :) but thats just normal 3rd trimester hormones talking because i'm normally not one to avoid people or be rude. I like people and love hanging out with our friends and engaging in conversation normal things like that but when i'm this close all the questions just add to the anxiety for some reason.

I have my 36 week appointment on Tuesday with Kelly and then weekly after that until she gets here, so I'll update again then!

Here is the 36 week picture...the 1st one is with Carrson

Excuse me Uterus!

I'm not sure that my uterus could stretch any farther up in to my ribs...although i'm sure i'll be proven wrong...

Picture Update

i look lopsided LOL
from the side
Big Brother & Little Sister Shirts :)
Her Lady Bug onesie :)

35 weeks!

35 weeks seems just unreal!! This Friday we will be safe to deliver....seriously?!?!?! Now that could go all the way in to June but the window for her arrival is definitely opening!!!! We got several things marked off of our list but not everything, although its coming together nicely, we have a storage bin in Paisleys room and when we get things we put them in there that way they can all be together, when the time comes that we need them.

I'm getting used to the gentle birth formula, I'm not staring at it for so long before I actually put it in my mouth and swallow it lol. The evening primrose oil is going well too I suppose, the first night I didnt feel anything different but the more nights I do it I'm starting to feel yucky down there, just wet and gross, not sure how else to put it lol, so sorry if that was too blunt ;)

Physically things are changing for me, for sure. I've started full out leaking now, so thats good she has something to eat when she gets here ;). My ribs are aching and hurting something serious! Its more of a soreness really but its so bad especially at night that I'm having a hard time sleeping on either side. My sciatic nerve has also started up again...just like it did with Carrson around this time :( nothing seems to make that pain go away except for delivery...I've tried all kinds of stretches and sometimes just walking it out a bit helps but its a shooting pain right at the top of my left leg, and when I take pressure off of it is when it hurts the most, think standing up to put your pants on, when i stand on my left leg to lift my right leg in, its no big deal but i have to sit down to put the left leg in cause i'm afraid i'll fall otherwise, standing on my right leg and lifting my left one up is just too sore.

You know your almost 9 months pregnant when:

there is no lap left for your laptop :(

your belly is so big that your boobs actually look small, even at a full D

if your sitting down and want to lean forward you have to spread your legs a little farther so your belly fits between and you can get some leverage to get up

Oh we also found her first two outfits! yes out of all the clothes she has I couldnt find anything that I just couldnt wait to put on her for her first outfit but we've found them! I'm so excited! I've taken pics and I'll upload them with my belly picture. My poor stomach is hanging in front it looks like lol, oh well it can only get bigger :) We'll just have to wait and see!

gentle birth formula

tastes HORRIBLE! but I'm gonna deal with it ;) 2 dropperfuls twice a day until next friday when the dosage ups to 2 dropperfuls 3 times a day! YUCK

my new mantra...."this will help me, i love gentle birth formula, this will help me i love gentle birth formula"

34 week pre-natal

so I'm going to try and not jump around so much I have a lot to write about our appointment so i'm going to do my best to keep on track and my thoughts in order lol...

1st- my weight gain is up to, oh i dont know the total but i weigh 141, thats the most i've ever weighed in my lifetime lol guess it has a lot to do with me not working for the entire pregnancy like i was with Carrson...

2nd- i've got two new pregnancy concoctions i'm going to be taking starting at 35 weeks, which is friday. I've got something thats called "gentle birth formula" and its a liquid form.....i DESPISE liquid meds :(....but will do my best to take my dosage just like i'm supposed to, its got all kinds of good herbs in it, pregnancy related, its been perceived to assist in a much easier labor and delivery, advanced dilation before discomfort arises, minimization of postpartum blood loss (this is of course a big one for us), shorter recovery time, less pain during labor and delivery, shorter and easier labors for those who tend to have long difficult births and happy well contented babies....so even if the formula does nothing...it can't hurt me for sure :) The Next thing i'm going to start taking is Evening Primrose Oil, I'll insert one capsule vaginally every night and this will help soften my cervix and get it ready to do the hard work that is ahead :)

3rd- I'm measuring 33.5 weeks so she is growing perfectly, when Kelly (midwife) first felt around she was exactly as she should be, anterior, but then we saw my belly go soft, lol, and the little stinker and completely turned around!! i've got to keep doing all i can to keep her in an anterior position and for her to quit turning like that! Her head is down and low but not engaged..once its engaged she'll quit turning over so much, but when she engages we need her to be in the anterior postion NOT POSTERIOR!! come on paisley!! Her heart rate is also 148 which is spot on for her...PERFECT! Kelly also says she has plenty of fluid so go me for drinking all the water like i'm supposed to. The next time we go which is at 36 weeks Kelly will start guessing about how much she weighs, i'm not nervous at all about this because fat squishes and i'm confident that my body will not grow a bigger baby than i can birth...even if it is 8-9 lbs...seriously its not something that freaks me out, i actually wouldn't mind a bigger baby :)

4th- the home visit! is on May 7 and I'll be 37 weeks pregnant! dang near 38 weeks! The midwives will make a trip to our house that way they are for sure they know the way to get here, and can get a feel for where things are in our house etc, and we'll do the pre-natal from here that time...guess we'll be skipping weight that day cause i dont own a scale! HA! We also got our list for everything we need supply wise to have on hand at the house for when I deliever, things like extra towels, wash cloths, peroxide, a shower curtain to protect our mattress just in case i decide i want to deliver in our bed (which as of now i'm all about the water birth) there is some more stuff on there but i'd have to get up to get the list lol and i'm not gonna ;) we also have to order the homebirth kit, which is just a kit complied of throw away things that they will need like gloves, syringe for baby, chux pads, trash bags, etc...so there is a lot to do in just a short amount of time... HELLO PANIC MODE!! oh my there isnt enough time in the day or enough money to go around!!

I think that was all we talked about this time...there were two brand new babies there today oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo I can't wait till I get to hold mine!!!!!!! gosh they were so cute!!! Oh I did have my first baby dream, i've been having dreams all along but this was the first one actually about paisley, dreams never make sense once you wake up but try and follow along lol, Paisley had just gotten here and I fed her of course, well we laid down to take a nap and I woke up to someone else holding her, she was fussing and I look at the clock and yep right on time to feed her again, so I ask for her back and whoever was holding her (really not sure who) was just trying to console her by them self...ugh! i was pissed! i was like give me my baby back she is HUNGRY!! anyway it was kind of sweet actually dreaming about paisley and not just random crap that doesnt ever make sense lol.

Well thats all for now! we have LOTS to do and get done so hopefully before the next time I update I'll have been able to mark some things off of my lists!!!

Happy Easter!! 34 weeks!

Well its odd to me because i've had my heart set on the fact that i'm just going to be overdue, May is going to come and go and it will be June before I'm holding this little girl. Which could very well be true but its weird that all this has happened so fast! its safe for her to come anywhere from 2-8 weeks! I-N-S-A-N-E! we'll see what birthday she picks but for now, my ribs feel like they are cracking in half! i just want rusty to put one hand on each side of me and squeeze! they have been hurting really bad and i dont remember them bothering me this much last time with carrson, but if you remembered every detail from every pregnancy, no one would ever have more than one child ;) you forget things :) So I really wanted to see the chiropractor a few more times before i went in to labor but....she gave birth to her baby this past week! so i'm not sure when she'll be back to taking clients but if she isnt before I have Paisley of course I forgive her cause those first few weeks are precious! heck more than that but I do understand some have to go back to work.....I have also been noticing a little bit of swelling in my fingers....no where else just my fingers, they feel fat and tight for a lot of the day so i'm guessing thats what this is. Paisley also likes to play around in my hips! little stinker She has really made herself comfortable in my pelvis lately, its putting a lot of pressure on my pubic bone and that does not feel great but for the most part I dont notice it unless its at night and I go to roll over, for some reason that irritates it, or if i've been sitting down and I go to get up...those are the two worst things I can do that irritate that pain.

Everyone keeps asking me if i'm "done" yet...you know that feeling you get when you just dont want to be pregnant anymore....and I'm not quite there yet, I still have a few more things to cross off on my list for her and for me and for the house for that matter before I feel completely ready for her to come, so over the next few weeks we'll be crossing things off of our list and getting closer and closer to her arrival! So no I'm not "done" yet...not yet :)

Braxton Hicks contractions seem like they are all the time now, its nothing painful, some are stronger than others yes, and last for longer, but nothing that really hurts. She gets the hiccups all the time, ALL the time! I know i've talked about it before but I notice them a lot! guess its good though cause she is practicing swallowing ;)

I've been out and about more with Carrson with the nicer weather so we've been getting good walks in around the neighborhood and doing some yoga on the wii fit, as well as other stretches and sitting on my ball etc, just trying to make sure that she is in the right position for birth. I have my next pre-natal on Tuesday so I'll update with more then :)

Week 33

Not much going on this week, lots of movement i think she is OP, which means Occupit (head) is Posterior (face up) because of all the limbs i feel, occasionally i feel/see her hiney poke up, which is good because you want her to be Anterior, its easier for labor/delivery, so i've supposed to have been working on different positions to help keep her in the Anterior Position, but of course sometimes i dont....the things i'm supposed to do are keeping my self in a good position, not leaning back, because then her butt swings around toward my back, but i need to start working on all this because its going to be very important very soon for her to be in a good position, the better position for her exit will mean a shorter labor/delivery time for me...thats something we are definitely hoping for! Please no sunny side up baby for me :D

I've got her room all cleaned up and the ceiling fan is put up now it looks so good in her room! not to mention it makes her room feel wonderful! her room was the hottest in the house for some reason...guess there is always one. All of Carrson's clothes that were in storage bins in her closet are now put up in the attic...guess we wont be needing those ;). Now we'll have to start a whole new set of storage bins for when all Paisleys clothes get to small for her, which i'm sure will be fast, i hate how fast they grow at first :(

I'm ready for Easter this weekend, I have no idea what we are doing but an egg hunt of some kind is in the works i'm sure and Carrson will surely love it! Next Pre-natal is next week!

All the Pills!!! OY!

So thats what they all look like ;), its almost as many pills as a senior citizen takes :) i only took one measley pill a day with Carrson :)