Baby Georgia Maye's Birth Story, Part 2

After the nurses left us with the baby, we were a little panicked. We looked at each other and wondered what to do. In fact, I found the nurses to be rather irresponsible to just leave that baby alone with us...without telling us what to do next. James had the bright idea to change her diaper, because, well, that's what you do to babies, right? Luckily my legs still weren't working properly, so I didn't have to help. Babies' first poos are called meconium. It's black and tar like, and is reportedly impossible to wipe off of their skin. So 2 minutes into being left alone with the baby, James was panicking. "It won't come off! What do I do?!" I relaxed and took comfort in the fact that it wasn't my problem.

After using half of the package of wipes, baby had a clean diaper on, and we tried to get some sleep. Baby did some gagging and choking and spitting up, and that made us worry. In an effort to get some sleep we sent her to the nursery. A couple hours later, the nurse wheeled her back in because "she needs to eat." Lame. Breastfeeding was difficult and precarious at first, with latching and what not. It was often a 2 person job. James at the very least was a good coach, since I dragged him to the breastfeeding class. And at his best, he was a helping hand.

We spent the next day or two luxuriating in the hospital - or I did anyway. They'd come by in the morning and declare the day's menu to me, and they'd come in and feed me pain meds or come by and take the baby whenever I wanted. I seriously wanted to stay there.

Since I waited so long to write this post, I think I forgot a bunch of it. But I will say that recovery is worse than the actual delivery. For me anyway....

Baby's first outfit. Ready to leave the hospital.

Baby & Daddy

So after the second night in the hospital, we had to prepare to leave. And take baby with us... Since Kentucky is like #1 for shaken baby syndrome, I had to watch a video and take a quiz about it before we could leave. I passed. We got her dressed in her own clothes, which was weird. We had an "expert" show us how to use the car seat. I rode out of the safety and security of the hospital in a wheel chair with a newborn in a car seat on my lap. We drove home, at like 5 mph. I kept seeing all these crazy drivers whizz past us, going the speed limit, and I was terrified. Luckily we live just a couple miles from the hospital because I dont think we could have made it much longer.

Welcome Home Baby!

At home we were greeted by balloons on the mail box and a dozen yellow roses from grandpa, AKA "Poppy." Aunt Beth and Uncle Jake came by and held the baby.

Baby & Uncle Jake

Aunt Beth, Uncle Jake, Daddy & Baby

Grandma brought us some food and everyone left pretty quickly to allow us some time as a family. I honestly don't remember what happened over the course of the next few days. I know James took the week off work. And we tried to figure out this whole baby thing. We struggled with putting her to bed at night. She was waking up every 2 hours or so, as a newborn does. But we were bumbling to say the least. As I write this, 3 months later, we are pros. 

All swaddled and ready for bed. Not. 

Much needed afternoon nap.

The first week was pretty good. James was home, so I had company and a helping hand throughout. My mom came down to meet baby the next weekend.

Baby & Grandma

And then the next Monday, I was on my own. I wasn't happy about that at all. Caring for the baby was draining, especially since I was up with her throughout the night. This time alone. James needed to sleep so he could work. The baby blues started settling in. I got them pretty bad, I think. It never turned into PPD, luckily, and it went away a couple weeks later. But those two weeks or so felt like an eternity. It was so bad that I swore that I'd never have another child. Spoiler alert: it got better, and I want another....

I will admit though that I am not looking forward to the newborn stage again. I'm just not cut out for newborns. Once they start smiling and holding their heads up, they are more my speed. In the next post I will try to catch up to present day.

Baby Georgia Maye's Birth Story, Part 1

My 39 week checkup on Friday, July 22 showed no new progress, so I was pretty disappointed. I started to think I would be one of those people walking around at 41 weeks, waiting to explode. The good news was that I was holding strong under 150 lbs...That evening I told James that it was time to start eating all those things that "they" say starts labor. That evening we got Chinese take out. No baby.

Saturday we continued getting the house ready, running errands, etc... We had leftover Chinese for lunch. Still no baby. That evening around 8, as we were watching a marathon of True Blood, I started having slightly uncomfortable contractions. I didn't mention it to James because I was sure it was in my head, and I didn't want to worry him. During the weeks leading up to this, anytime I moved in the night, he was alarmed, thinking it was time. So I thought it best to wait and mention it when I was sure. I kept watching the time, and the contractions were regular, at about 20 minutes apart. We had been told numerous times to wait until they were 5 minutes apart, and so painful that I could not walk or talk through them. This was not that...After he caught me looking at the clock over and over, I told him about the contractions, and he was shocked that I was hiding it from him. I told him not to worry and that it was probably nothing. We went to bed that night around 11 or 12, and I woke up at 2AM in pain. The contractions were about 10 minutes apart, and were really starting to hurt. I sat, awake until about 3 and downloaded a contraction timing app. I got to where I could fall back asleep, but every 8-12 minutes would be awakened by those painful contractions. After it passed, I'd fall back asleep, and in a few minutes wake up again. It was the worst sleep ever, to say the least. But I had read so many stories on Baby Center about ladies going on like that for days, or being sent home from the hospital. So I didn't get my hopes up. When the sun came up I did some laundry, just in case. By the time James woke up and we started with our day, they were getting more and more painful. But they were staying around 7-8 minutes apart. James did some more work around the house and I laid on the couch and slept for 8 minute increments. Around noon he was going to start a concrete project in the mudroom, and my contractions were so painful that they were starting to make me cry. Luckily before he could mix up the concrete, I started spotting, so we decided to go to the hospital - just in case. We felt like we would probably  be sent home because the contractions were so far apart, but we decided to go to be on the safe side. We took our time packing up our stuff, and left around 12:30 or 1. We got to the hospital, and didn't even park in the laboring mothers section. We got a regular spot and went in through the main entrance, not the short cut laboring mothers entrance. All this to say we really didn't think it was time. 

Hooked up to the monitors in triage

We made it to triage, and I had to change into a gown. James took care of most of my paperwork while I was changing. The nurse hooked me up to the monitors and checked out the progress. After she checked, she said with a smile that I will probably be sticking around and having a baby that day. She said I was 5 cm, and she asked why we waited so long to come in. Great. I totally didn't have to suffer that long. Before the day was over, we were asked several more times why we waited so long to come in. 

In the labor and delivery suite.

Once the nurses got the paperwork done and I was admitted, they moved us to the labor and delivery room. The nurse checked my progress and took my blood to be sure I could get an epidural. I had progressed to 7 cm, and they thought I would probably have the baby by 6PM. It was about 1:30 or so. I got my epidural by 2PM. Lucky for James, they send the dads away during that procedure. I guess too many of them had passed out that it became an issue. The process wasn't fun, but it wasn't the worst either. I did jump when I felt that thing moving around in my back. It didn't hurt, but it was just a weird feeling. It took about 20 minutes for her to get it in and put tape all over my back to hold it in place. They suggested I spend the next couple of hours napping because I would need the energy later. 

While James was gone, I asked him to pick me up a pack of gum from the vending machine. When he came back, he had 3 types of gum and breath mints. He panicked at the machine, not knowing what kind I wanted, so he got them all. He also made phone calls to let everyone know we were having this baby. My mom didn't answer and his parents didn't answer. The only one he could get in touch with was his sister. So she was on her way to the hospital and doing her best to contact their parents, who were 3 hours away at the lake. After calling several people, they realized that they were on the water, so they contacted them over the boat radio and let them know that they'd be grandparents soon. They rushed home right away. Eventually my mom called back as well, so everyone knew what was up. James had one friend be the relay for the rest of his friends. So he would text Chris with an update, and Chris would forward it to everyone else. 

Resting, waiting for more progress

I slept off and on for the next couple of hours. My epidural had gone to the right side of my spine, so my right side was dead, and my left side was still usable. They kept me laying on my left side since the epidural works on gravity. They hoped it would make my right side less numb. Normally they want you to switch sides occasionally because that encourages baby to get in position to exit.

James was back and forth in the waiting room and with me. He had several family members there waiting. As 6PM grew closer, we realized that we wouldn't be having this baby anytime soon. The epidural had halted my progress, and I was stuck at 7 cm. We waited and waited, and the doctor decided to go ahead and break my water. Besides commenting that it was thick and felt like it was made of teflon, that went smoothly. But it still didn't make me progress any more. By 9PM they decided to start giving me Pitocin, which makes you have more, regular contractions. My contractions were weak and sporadic, so the baby wasn't moving. They started me on the lowest dosage and every 15 minutes or so would increase it a little. Around 11PM it was finally time to start pushing. I felt the pressure of the baby's head bearing down and knew it was close.

They just told me I was about to have this baby and were preparing for delivery

 So James texted Chris "We're about to push." And apparently everyone got a text from Chris that said, "We're about to push." People found it funny that he didn't change the wording, that it sounded like he was in on the effort. They put my legs up in the stirrups and taught me how to push. Since my right leg was completely numb, James was in charge of moving it for me with each push. One time the doctor and nurse told me to push and started counting, it caught James off guard. I pulled my leg up, but he didn't have my ankle, so my leg flew wildly at the doctor's face. Luckily I didn't kick her, but it was close. After about 30+ minutes of pushing, the baby's head...and arm came out. I guess I tore pretty badly because the doctor just went ahead and pulled her out the rest of the way. They cleaned her off a little and put her on my chest and gave me a cloth to continue cleaning her. Once she was on my chest James and I had a moment where everything around us disappeared and we looked in each others eyes, both crying, and smiled. He said that she was beautiful, and I asked him what we wanted to name her. We had narrowed it down to two names. He picked Georgia Maye.

Born at 11:44 PM, July 24, 2011

A few moments later they clamped the cord and asked if Daddy wanted to cut it. James has a history of passing out under bloody circumstances, so up until this point, we weren't sure if he would be able to do it. But he was totally under control. It even sprayed a little blood on him, and he handled it like a champ. I'm also happy to say he handled the whole delivery process very well. He was nothing but encouraging and supportive.

An apprehensive Daddy cutting the cord

Still cleaning off the baby and admiring our creation

After a few more minutes they took Georgia across the room to weigh and measure her. James followed with the camera, and I hung out while they stitched me up. Which seemed to take forever. I don't know how many stitches I got, and I don't really know the extent of the damage. Nobody told me, and I didn't ask. I did overhear the words "third degree," but that was all.

7 lbs 1 oz

20" long

 When they were finished measuring and weighing her, they gave her a bath, which she hated. And still does... They finally finished stitching me up, and the room started to clear out. Daddy finally got to hold the baby.

Daddy holding Georgia for the first time

First family portrait

Georgia was finally calm

Around 1AM James' parents and brother and sister came in to meet the baby. They hung out for a while, taking turns holding the baby. And his sister brought me food! I hadn't eaten in well over 24 hours, so I scarfed down chicken fingers, macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes and gravy. Around 2:30AM or so we were moved to our room. We had to stay for 2 days, and to tell the truth I would have liked to stay for longer. It was probably 5 AM before the nurses were done with us and we were left alone with this little baby. After the door closed for the last time, we looked at each other, terrified, and were wondering what to do. We didn't know how to take care of a baby!

End of part 1.

the bathroom is a woman's domain

I'm back with pics of the new place before we moved in...Afters will come later. I'd like to finish a few more things before I show off the semi-final product. We still have a couple of things left for the baby's room: art and a mobile and a rug. Our bedroom is huge, and pretty much all we have is a bed, so one day a dresser and night stands would be nice. The living room is close to finished, but it needs an oatmeal colored shag rug and a couple of other things - its a bit cold and drab right now. And the kitchen could use some personality, but it is at the bottom of my list. Oh. And the bathroom... 

The baby's room, is also the front room of the shotgun house. To my back is our bedroom, and to the left is a door that leads to the foyer and front door. We won't be using the front door, though, because there is a side door that goes into the living room. 

This is our bedroom. The doorway on the right of the photo goes into the baby's room, and the open door in the baby's room leads to the foyer, and the sliver of window beyond is on the front door. Those two windows look onto a side porch that leads to the side door AKA our new front door. To the left, aligned with the doorway into the baby's room is the doorway to the living room.

This is our new front door, and just 2 feet to the right of the door is our bedroom doorway. We are using the space in front of that window as our dining area. Behind me is the kitchen, and to the right is the living space.

This picture was taken from the front door. The dining space is to the right, the kitchen is through that blue doorway, and the living space is where all the junk is. 

This is the kitchen before we got appliances. The stove and fridge are now on the wall to the left. The doorway to the living room is behind me, and the door to the bathroom is on the right. 

James put his personal decorating touch in here. I insisted that the bathroom is a woman's domain and that I had to have the black/gray/white oversized floral print shower curtain from Target for $19.99, but he had something else in mind. He thought he was being sneaky by hanging this shower curtain, but I let him do it. One of these days I will have my bathroom back, but for now, it's his...

Improvising before we put the legs on the chairs and brought in our dining table.

And this is James sleeping in. I told him that if he didn't get out of bed when I did, he'd have to make it. So he just asked me to make it with him in it. And then he passed back out. I'm not sure how he exited the bed when he woke up, but it was made, so I was happy. 

So in baby news, I am still progressing well, and on the 12th the doctor said that she'd expect to see the baby in the next 2 weeks. So, that would put me a little early, but I can't complain about that. I am so ready to get my body back! My progress so far:

35 weeks: 50% effaced, no dilation, soft cervix. Baby's head is down. 146.5 lbs

36 weeks: 50% effaced, fingertip dilation. 147.2 lbs

37 weeks: 75% effaced, almost 2 cm dilation. Baby is starting to engage. 147.2 lbs

I'm maintaining steady progress, and I hope it keeps up. I have Braxton Hicks contractions all the time (painless practice contractions, basically). But they are starting to hurt a little at night and come with lower back pain and cramping, which are the signs of real contractions. But from what I read, I could be in this in between stage for a while. 

Tonight we are going to ANOTHER wedding. I am looking forward to the cake, of course. 

Speaking of cake, James made me a cake for my birthday, and it was delicious. He iced and decorated it himself, and although it wasn't the prettiest thing I have ever seen, it hit the spot. I love cake....Anyway, he got me some flowers, a card and one of the prints I wanted from Etsy for the baby's room. His sister brought some flowers over, and his parents got me a microwave! I was really struggling without one. So my 30th came and went without any scandals, unfortunately :) But 31 is going to make up for it for sure. 

The other day James won tickets from the radio station to a Gillian Welch concert at the end of August. It looks like we have our first post-baby date planned!

I think that's all for now, but I should be back soon with after pictures!

That's my goal. Don't weigh 150 lbs.

So we are finally in our own place. We moved July 1 after James got off work and I got my official Kentucky driver license. We started around 3:30 in the afternoon, and James' parents and sister helped. We had 3 cars take 3 trips, and we had just about everything. Of course I wasn't allowed to lift heavy things, so I made frequent trips with small things, but overall, it was my easiest move ever. It helped that we hardly have anything, but the place is looking good and coming together nicely.

We bought that buffet/hutch I mentioned last time, a vintage olive green vinyl couch (I stick to it big time - booo), and a dining table, which is made out of recycled bowling lanes. We were given a dresser for the baby's room, a coffee table, a bed/mattress, the baby's bed and a glider by James' family. And I brought 2 dining chairs and an old wooden ironing board to the table. Because the house is old and has only one closet in the entire thing, the landlord furnished 2 armoires, one of which we are using as an entertainment center, and one in the baby's room.

We have a bunch of projects that we are working on. James is refinishing the bowling lane dining table and the coffee table. James' mom is painting the baby's dresser, and we picked out new hardware from the architectural salvage place. I am making new cushions for the glider and a bedskirt for the crib. We have a bunch of curtains to  make (because the ceilings, and therefore the windows, are really tall). There are more projects to do, but those are first on the list.

We still have to get a car, which is stressing me out. We need it before the baby comes, but we are also really weary about money because James' job lead has been put on hold for an unknown amount of time. So he is back to looking for a real job, and I am still doing the online work, but the hours have been slim.

But other than job/car (two huge things...) things are coming together. The baby's room is no longer a phantom baby's room. It is real! It won't look exactly like I planned because finances won't allow us to buy the rug or the art I wanted, but I am making some art, and a rug will come eventually. We are using our resources wisely to put the nursery together, and I like it better that way. There's no need to spend a fortune. I will put some photos up in the next few days.

On Sunday I hit 36 weeks (out of 40). Next Sunday I will be considered full term. We don't think she will be coming anytime soon though. There is some progress going on down there, but it is on schedule I think. July 31, here we come.

We have a list of about 5 first/middle name combos. So we are going to wait and give her her final name once she's born. I'm not going to tell you what they are, though.

I am pushing 150 lbs these days, which is tragic. But the last two dr visits (they are weekly), I have only gained .5 lbs, so if I keep that pace, I won't hit 150. That's my goal. Don't weigh 150 lbs. FYI I started at 119.

In other news, I'm turning 30 tomorrow. Woo (please note the sarcasm). I have no plans. No big "Dirty 30" party or night out on the town. Thanks, Baby.

I told James all I want is cake. He started looking at the "fancy" bakery's website. I told him he could get it from Wal Mart for all I care. I just want plain white cake. And maybe a back rub....

Guess that's all the news for now. Pics of the house to come soon.

So we wait...

Before the Baby Shower

James, Nate and Me

We had our baby shower on the 5th of June. It was a long but fun day. We had it at James' parents' house, and our first guest was a grad school friend who was passing through on his way back to Michigan. The picture with him and the picture of the cake table before the festivities was all that I managed to get. Ooops. The cake table had the dresses and bibs I made hanging around it. Also a baby picture of James on the left and me on the right. And on the left corner of the mirror is his first baby hat, and on the right is a bonnet of mine. The picture to the left is the first picture of me since I have been showing. Too bad you still can't see much because I am sitting... We just keep forgetting to take pictures. Anyway, the shower lasted until about 6 and we had a large turnout. It was mostly James' family and friends, but my mom and brother came as well. After the shower was over we opened all of the lovely gifts. Needless to say, we got a lot of pink outfits. We got a couple of things off the registry, but overall, people got what they wanted to get. Which is fine. We are definitely just happy to have the stuff in the first place. We did get some duplicate items that we had to return. And we got a bunch of gift cards and cash, which are always welcome. Since the shower, we have been trying to cross the remaining items off the list. We even got the crib - a gift from James' parents - but it is in a box and needs to be assembled. I can't wait to see it though.

Every now and then we say to each other, "I think our luck is turning around." We said that on the 10th, which was James' birthday. We got an apartment and he got a job that day. Kind of.

He got off work early that day and went out to drop off resumes at a couple of places. He hadn't heard back from the most promising lead in a couple of weeks, so he was ready to move on. His contact at that company had not been answering emails or returning calls. He decided that if he had time, he would go by and see that guy as well.

On the way there he got a call from the owner of a property we had been looking at, and the guy said he'd like to meet on the next Monday to work out lease details and sign a lease! This place is located in a neighborhood close to downtown called Butchertown. It is a shotgun house with a vacant upstairs studio apartment. It has 3 rooms plus a kitchen and bath. It was built somewhere around 1850, has 14' ceilings, tall windows and exposed brick in one of the rooms. It has washer/dryer hookups, a dishwasher, and a side yard. It is currently being renovated, so we will be the first to live in the new space. We found out about it through one of James' mom's friends. Her friend is friends with the owners of this place, so we knew about it before it went on the market. Plus we had a personal recommendation.

He Caught the Garter

Anyway, back to the 10th. He was worried that the good news about the apartment meant that there would be no good news about the job because we rarely catch a break, and never 2 breaks in one day! But he managed to stop by and see his contact with that company. He apologized for not getting back to James sooner, but had been super busy, etc... James asked him if there was still an open position or if he should move on. He mentioned that time is getting tight for us with the baby coming soon, and the guy said that as far as he is concerned, "it's not a matter of if, but a matter of when" he is hired. The guy asked if he could wait a little longer - maybe around 30 days. So we took that as more good news!

Some Bubbles for Romantic Effect

Overall a pretty good birthday for James. That evening he had to go to a wedding rehearsal. He was a groomsman in his friend's wedding, so he got to see some old friends that evening too. I met him at the rehearsal dinner and we stopped by a bar to see some of his other friends on the way home.

The next day was the wedding, which was lovely. The reception was lavish, and lots of fun, but much more fun if you could drink, I suspect. I don't miss drinking very often, that is, until we get around an open bar and everyone is celebrating...

Our First Piece of Furniture

The next Monday we met with our future landlord. We got the paperwork and agreed on a monthly rent. The next weekend we started furniture shopping. We got one piece. It is a 50's or 60's buffet with hutch. It is pretty cool. It reminds me of something my grandmother would have had. It was originally $395, but had been marked down to $195. We offered $150, and they accepted. Here is a crappy cell phone picture of it. I can't wait to accessorize it with my Pyrex... We also got a set of 4 little Pyrex bowls for $1. Can't beat that.

Our move date is July 1, and I am crawling out of my skin to get to that day. We have so much baby stuff to unpack and organize, so much furniture to get, so much to do before the baby comes. None of it can really be done until we get into the house. So we wait....

I feel the beast stirring inside of me

Our luck is tragic, really. At least when it comes to apartment hunting. We didn't get the historical apartment that we applied for. Someone beat us to it. As usual. So with a renewed determination, I went back to the apartment hunt. I check craigslist about a thousand times a day, and as soon as something promising shows up, I call. I try to be the first to see the place so that no other renter can have a chance to put in the application. But that's not always possible because I don't have a car. But I thought I had done it the other day. I found an awesome place, and I called as soon as they posted it. I made an appointment for the next day. The realtor told me I was first in line, and after a quick walkthrough, I knew I wanted it. I went straight home and submitted an application. Two days later I called to check on it, and she was all, "I was just about to call you" (yeah, right). Turns out that someone had mailed in an application the morning I saw the place, and they got that person's application before mine. Laaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeee. I was so angry and frustrated. What do you have to do around here to get an apartment? It is seriously a full time job. 

There was another apartment that would have been good, and it was cheap. But the woman was going to require us to get a co-signer, and her attitude about it was unyielding and unapologetic. We didn't care for her attitude, so we didn't submit an application. 

There was another guy who was supposed to show us an apartment, and he was super shady. The way he was acting made us feel like we were being profiled or something. I don't like. People need to recognize that as a pregnant woman in the heat of the summer, I am already a ticking time bomb. If they cross me, heads are bound to roll. I haven't lost it yet, but I feel it building up. I feel the beast stirring inside of me (or is that just the baby?). It's just a matter of time. Who will be the one to incur my wrath? 

And there have been more. All disappointments. We have one more lead at the moment. It is a pretty cool duplex that James' mom's friend's friend owns. Got that? So as far as I know we are the first ones to know about it, and since it is still under renovation, we should have a pretty good head start. Let's hope that our connection to the owners will give us an edge. The only worry about that one is that it won't be ready until July 1 (booo), and they don't know how much they want to charge yet. Patience, Raven. Patience. 

Assuming the baby is on time, and assuming we get this place, I will have 1 month to get our apartment together! That is insane. Especially because we have nothing. Well, we have kitchen stuff, a mattress, 2 chairs, and an old wood ironing board. And some baby stuff. I am already the type of person who likes to unpack the second I get back from vacation. Or who likes to unpack and have the house in order 2 days after a move. Combine that with my nesting instinct, and I might kill myself trying to get the place ready. 

In other news, I am doing some part time, at home internet work. That is nice, but the amount of work available is spotty, so I can't depend on a steady stream of income. But it is definitely going to help. 

Next weekend is the baby shower! I am excited about it, but a little nervous because I am not a fan of attention. Especially since 90% of the guests will be James' family and friends. So being around that many strangers/acquaintances is going to be tough. Good thing it is a coed shower, and James will be there. He can share in the attention getting. But there will be cake and BBQ, so I am pretty happy about that....I love cake. 

I keep telling James not to underestimate the power of cake. My pregnancy nemesis, Natalie Portman, quit being a vegan because she wanted cakey baked goods. Or something like that. Who cares, anyway? I'm not the only one who dislikes her pregnant guts..

We went back to Birmingham for Memorial Day weekend. We didn't do much but eat, pack up some more of my stuff and play with the dogs. I came back to Louisville with bug bites all over me. Ahhh the south. 

We still don't have a baby name. But we feel the pressure, especially since that is the #3 question asked, when discussing the baby. When am I due? Do I know what I'm having? Does she have a name? James' family thinks we have a name but are withholding information. I wish that was the case. Naming the baby has been tough. But James is dead set on a boy name. So, in the future, if we have a boy, then he will name it. So technically that means I could take full reign over naming the girl. I told him that, and he said, "That seems fair." I was hoping it wouldn't be that easy. I don't want that kind of power anyway. 

The return of the morning sickness has faded a bit. Now it is not too bad at all. The symptom of the week is rib pain, thanks to the baby poking around my ribs all day. 

Guess that's enough of an update for now. I should be back with baby shower pics next week!

I didn't get the memo

Sweet. Morning sickness is back.

I didn't get the memo that it could come back, but it can, and it did. It's not as bad as before, but that familiar feeling is here, and I am not happy about it. I am starting to get really sensitive to smells again too, which is making apartment hunting more difficult.

Did I mention that we have been apartment hunting? It's not going as smoothly as I hoped. We started off looking in the $600 range. And then we were thinking that if we could just up it to $700 then we would have some much better choices. And the other day we looked at a place that was $825. That's quite the jump. At this rate, we will eventually be in the $1200 range, and then we could really have something nice. Ha. We have gone back and forth over what aspects we will compromise over, and we actually put in an application for a place the other day. It is in a historical area downtown, but as with many cities, downtown isn't the best area to live. The historical area is nice, and it is a contained set of a few blocks. But I know the grandparents would prefer for us to not live there. They made that point last night...

But we have been to many places, and some are "newly renovated" with the fresh paint smell that makes me sick . Or they are carpeted and have pets, and were then vacuumed using a pet odor powder that makes me sick. Or they recently had a leak, which left a mildewy smell that makes me sick. I think almost every time we go into a place, the smell makes me sick. I know those smells won't stay, and I am not letting them dictate my opinion on the apartment. I just never thought apartment hunting would cause sickness in pregnancy.

Our goal was to be in our own place by June 1, but it looks like that isn't going to happen. Now it will probably be July 1. Sadly. I really really hate to wait until a month before my due date to move. Pregnant women have a nesting instinct, and I haven't been able to satisfy mine. And it will be really hard to get our place together and ready for the baby in just a few weeks. Plus, I am sure my energy levels will just keep going down.

But we're doing what we can, I guess. James has a good lead on a job, and hopefully we will know more next week. And I am in the process of trying to get a work from home job that will give us a little wiggle room. I will know if I got that by the beginning of next week.

Our baby shower is coming up in a few weeks. I made the invitations into postcards and had them professionally printed from overnightprints.com. The total with shipping for 50 invites was about $18. This is the front, and it is super cute, if I do say so myself. But I didn't make it up. I copied someone else's design. I'm not proud of that fact, but I am proud of my Photoshop skills. Did I mention that I am no longer on a Mac and I have Photoshop again? I almost feel whole again. Anyway, if we were to purchase the invites from the company who sells this design, it would have been like $80...and we just can't afford it. I did change a little bit, but that image and the "Baby Shower" font belong to someone else. Now I feel kind of bad... Well if you aren't poor and want to buy stuff from the company that sells that design let me know and I'll send you the link.

Other than the shower and moving and working and morning sickness, we aren't up to much. We've been going to child prep classes at the hospital. I gotta say that James is a good sport about it. He pays attention in class and refrains from embarrassing me. Even though I know he is secretly dying to. He has several cheesy joke questions that he wants to ask the doctor or that he wants to ask in class, and I have begged/threatened him not to. But in reality I am just glad he is supportive and participative.

I died a little inside each time.

Today I want to talk about a subject that is very important to me. It has been brought to my attention that I may be a kitchen nazi. But all along I thought I was normal, and it was others who were gross and unsanitary...I may have a problem. You be the judge.

First, I hate kitchen washcloths. They are the grossest thing ever, especially after a few days. Especially when they smell sour. Ew. I do not own kitchen washcloths. I only own like 2 bath washcloths, for guests. Anyway, I am not sure what people use them for. My mom uses them. James' mom uses them, but I still don't understand. I think they use them to wipe down countertops, which after one use compromises their cleanliness, and at that point they should be tossed in the laundry. That would be acceptable. But no one does that. It stays, perched on the divider between the two basins, and it receives remnants and splashes of everything that gets dumped in the sink. Leftover milk from 5 people's cereal, backwash from 5 people's drinks, raw meat germs from hand washing...I shudder. Then that same rag gets used to clean the counters again later?

Paper towels are for cleaning counters. I clean my counters with spray and paper towels once nightly. After I clean up my dinner mess, I spray and wipe. And then all is sanitary in my book. If I clean something off the floor, I use spray and a paper towel. I don't keep my floors as clean as I would like, so using towels creeps me out. But if I have a large spill that would use more than a couple of paper towels, I will use one of my "junk" towels. I have 3 or so old bath towels that I only use for gross stuff (and I wash them separately from clothes). For example, Beagle has been known to pee on the floor once or twice. That calls for a junk towel... then spray, then paper towels.
Hand towels are ONLY to be used on clean hands and clean dishes. At James' house there are usually 2 hand towels out at a time. And with a houseful of people, someone (James) is bound to use it for something unsavory. I have witnessed him use the hand towel to wipe non water liquids off the counter, spilled food off the floor and worse. On multiple occasions I have witnessed him wipe bacon hands on the hand towel. I died a little inside each time. I wash my hands a lot, and in an effort to save trees, I don't use paper towels to dry them. But I am so scared to use the hand towel. Once I spot an unsanctioned use of the hand towel, I mark it in my memory and refrain from using that towel until it is washed again. The other day I even dried my hands on a towel that was still in the drawer and put it back. I knew it was clean, and it was glorious. I tried to explain to James my hand towel rule (only clean hands and clean dishes), but he asked how to clean up counter and floor messes. I use a paper towel for that. He thought that was wasteful. I conceded to MAYBE getting designated floor/counter towels for him, but I don't know if I can trust him with them.

Food does not get set on counters unless I know they have been cleaned by me. And then I still cringe. James has been known to assemble a sandwich on the counter. I can't do it. If I have cleaned the counter recently, I will let something sit there for a second, but it still makes me uncomfortable. When I do that, I tell myself that I am clearly not a germophobe because I am so relaxed that I will set food on the counter... I praise myself for how chill I am.

When cooking, hands get washed with soap every time raw meat or eggs are touched. And a bunch of times in between for good measure. When I cook a meal, I must wash my hands at least 10 times or more. I already mentioned James and his bacon hands. I have witnessed it twice. The first time was very early in our relationship and I freaked out, perhaps in front of some other people. Not my finest moment, but really, people wiped their clean hands on that towel. But little did they know, they were wiping raw bacon onto their clean hands. And BTW, with bacon I usually wash at least twice after because it's so fatty. Lather, rinse, repeat.

So I have tried to explain all of this to James, and I think when I do, he has second thoughts about us. Haha. But seriously. I have tried to buffer my kitchen nazi-ness with the fact that I am pretty cool and relaxed about most other things. I have tried to explain that the kitchen is my woman cave, and I need things just so. We have also joked about me installing traps or spying on him to catch him doing wrong. Of course I would never do such a thing. But when we move into our own place I may just get those towels that loop around something (like the oven door handle) and fasten to it. That way he at least has to take an extra, conscious step to use the towel for evil.

And since I have tried to explain my ways to him, I find him catching himself before he does something gross. It's always when I am watching him cook, he will, for example, pet the dog then touch food, then catch himself. He will wash his hands and say something to the effect of "had to do it before you yelled at me." Unfortunately for him, he usually tells on himself in these situations because I didn't even notice.

It reminds me of a story about my brother. When he was 4 or so, he accidentally broke a bowl. He wasn't in trouble or anything, but when my dad got home the first thing my brother said to him was, "I didn't break a bowl."

So there's my kitchen confession. I am not like this about any other room in the house. And we joke that James will be the one to expose the baby to all those germs and bacteria she needs to build up an immune system, so it's probably a good thing he is a little... um... gross. And I am being hard on him here, but it is all in fun. He is going to be a great dad and I am lucky to have him.

Far from hand model material

As promised, I finally took pics of the dresses, but as I warned you, they will not be Photoshopped. Sigh. Click them to enlarge...

James was the helpful hand in the pictures, and as I told him, at the moment his hands are far from hand model material. He has been doing manual labor, so they are a mess with cuts and stains. He has blue collar hands, and I don't think he is too proud of them. So he was a real trooper to be my hand model anyway.

Dress #1

Two of the dresses I made were from the website of a very nice lady who designed a dress and shared the pattern with the internet. It's called the Itty Bitty Baby Dress, and it's super cute and super tiny. Because I have never sewn clothes before, I jumped into the first one with a little caution. I used some cheap remnant fabric I bought at Hobby Lobby because it's not as precious as some of my other fabrics. I have been trying to use as much fabric out of my stash as possible because there is no point in spending money I don't have to make dresses that the baby doesn't really need. Anyway, I made the dress as the nice lady specified, but made a few little changes that I think are important to the finish quality - especially because I don't have a serger. I would go into it here, but I don't think any of my readers are sewing enthusiasts, so my words would be lost.

Dress #2

I was really happy with the final product, but it was truly itty bitty, so for my next dress, I altered the pattern to make it larger. As you know, I do not have any of my own babies, so I really have no experience with sizes, but this thing looks like it wouldn't fit much more than a doll. I'm guessing she will grow out of it within a month. For the second dress, I chose some of my precious Echino fabric, which is a Japanese linen fabric. I love their stuff, but it isn't soft and cozy like a regular cotton would be. So I don't use it in my quilts as much as I'd like, but I'm happy with it in this dress, especially since the bodice is lined with regular cotton. The pattern and colors definitely dont cream "BABY" which I like. Although there is some really cute baby stuff out there, I like using unexpected fabrics as well. I am also using this print to make a bib, but it is sitting unfinished for now.

Dress #3

I made a third dress as a quick project. It is a Pillowcase Dress. It's a simple pattern, meant to be made quickly from an old pillowcase, but I made it more complicated... I lined it, so it lost the light, airy, flowy aspect of a true pillowcase dress, but it looks nice lined with hidden seams. I got the pattern from here, again from nice people who share patterns! I shrunk the pattern a bit because it's designed for older babies, but I don't think I shrunk it enough because it still looks pretty big. Oh well, hopefully she'll be able to wear it next summer... There are actually a good bit of "free patterns" out there, but for many of them you begin with something that fits your child already and trace it to make your own pattern. That's tough for me because I don't know what fits her yet, and I don't have any clothes for her yet. But if I have time when she's a little older, I know where to go for some cute toddler dress patterns. Too bad when she's older I won't have any free time.

Bib #1

Bib #2

I also made 2 bibs. The first has the green dot pattern on the back, and the second has the red and white trim fabric on the back. I have not put snaps on them yet because snaps are expensive! I need to shop around. Being poor is lame. As I mentioned before there is one more bib in the making, but if you've seen two, you've seen them all...

I will probably start another dress one of these days. The tutorial for that one is here, and of course it is super cute...

So in other news, we went to see Elton John on Friday. We had back row tickets. It was awesome anyway. He dressed fairly conservatively in a suit with coat tails and a sequin pattern all over the back. We were about 10 minutes late, but only missed one song. He played almost all of the essential songs, plus a few new ones. I think much of the crowd zoned out during the new songs, but the classics were all great. He did not play the Lion King songs, much to James' dismay. I didn't mind though. Benny and the Jets and Crocodile Rock got the crowd pretty riled up, and even though I'm not a huge fan of Crocodile Rock, it was fun when he played it. The baby slept through the first half of the concert, but she started tumbling around for the second half. I took a few pictures from where we were sitting, but there is really no point in posting them, unless you just want to see how far back we were.

Saturday was another big day in Louisville. I may not have my information correct here, but I am pretty sure James is the only one who would bother to correct me, and I think he usually forgets to read, so I'm in the clear. To mark the beginning of Derby season, there is a big air show and fireworks show called Thunder Over Louisville. He tells me that the firework show is the largest in the country, and usually about 800,000 people come to see it. That was Saturday. As was a Louisville Bats Minor League baseball game. His parents have season tickets with front row, third base line seats. Baseball isn't really my thing, but it is my thing much more than basketball is. I used to play softball, so I understand the rules and the strategies, and the surroundings are familiar to me. I like sitting outside in the nice weather, and I like how low-stress the game is.

Unfortunately on Saturday the weather was cold and rainy, so it wasn't the best conditions for Thunder. We went to half of the baseball game, went home, and came back out just before the fireworks show. The fireworks were pretty awesome because there was a barge on either side of the bridge that shot out the big fireworks, and then a bunch came from the bridge as well. It lasted just under a half hour, which is about as long as I can stand in one place anyway.

So that's about it for the updates. It was a busy weekend, but all fun stuff.

I bet that is what poor people do

Just a few updates, then I PROMISE next time I will post pics of the stuff I have been making.

Last week I went to the doctor, and all was well. I brought my records from my Birmingham doctor, and my new doc went through and commented on my blood type. She said it was rare and that if I ever donate blood, they will keep hounding me to come back. I don't know anything about blood, donating and blood types except for what James has told me. His blood type, O-, is highly desirable because it is a universal donor, so anyone can receive his blood. However, he can only receive O- blood. We looked mine up that evening, and mine is the exact opposite. Mine is AB+. I can only give to AB+, but I can receive from everyone. So bring on your blood people because I can take it. James commented that I have the most selfish blood type. And I am fine with that.

Type	You Can Give Blood To	You Can Receive Blood From
A+	A+  AB+	A+  A-  O+  O-
O+	O+  A+  B+  AB+	O+  O-
B+	B+  AB+	B+  B-  O+  O-
AB+	AB+	Everyone
A-	A+  A-  AB+  AB-	A-  O-
O-	Everyone	O-
B-	B+  B-  AB+  AB-	B-  O-
AB-	AB+  AB-	AB-  A-  B-  O-

Out of 100 donors . . . . .

84 donors are RH+	16 donors are RH-
38 are O+	7 are O-
34 are A+	6 are A-
9 are B+	2 are B-
3 are AB+	1 is AB-

We have been talking about money and getting our own place. We are hoping to do that soon, but it would be much easier if James found a real job. He has 2 leads in town now, and they both seem promising, but neither firm is in a huge hurry to hire people. He met with one firm yesterday, and they told him that they would be hiring 30 people to help with a bunch of new work that they are getting. That is awesome, except for the fact that they want to take their time with the new hires to be sure they get the right people. Of course I understand that, but James is currently working a job he really dislikes for way too little pay. He has been trying to find work, and it is just an uphill battle.

I think looking for jobs is just about the worst thing ever. At least these days it is. I am sure there was a time when it was easy to find a job, and to even have multiple offers, and be able to choose the firm that is right for you. Now, I feel like you are lucky to find anyone who will hire you, and never mind if you don't like their work or feel that they aren't paying enough. The recession will pass, and things will change, I hope. And I keep telling him that one day, when we both have jobs, we will feel like we are rich compared to now. If we learn how to survive on a $12/hour job, then when we have two real incomes, we will feel like we're on top of the world.

Part of surviving on a $12/hour job is not spending anything unless it's absolutely necessary. And yes, an emergency stop at Chick-fil-a is sometimes absolutely necessary. But clothes for me are not. But they will be soon, I fear. I bought a pair of maternity jeans from Old Navy back in February, before I even really needed them. They were on sale for $25. I bought a couple of shirts from there as well, on clearance- two of them for $13, and two for $4. Those,  and two oversized T-shirts are all I have. I mentioned to James the other day that the last of my pre-pregnancy clothes are no longer wearable, and he said, "Well you can start wearing my shirts. That's what poor people do." He said it with a laugh, but he's right. I bet that is what poor people do.

I will have to find a couple of dresses to get me through the summer though. Maybe 3. I am not above re-wearing a dress a couple of times in a week. I am not above much these days. There is one other consideration. James has two friends getting married this summer, one in May and one in June. I will also want to wear a dress for my shower, which will probably be early June, or so I hear. That's 3 occasions I need a nice dress to wear. None of my dresses fit anymore, except one **might**. But it's a sheer black with a tan slip. I am pretty sure I shouldn't wear a black dress to these summer weddings and a baby shower. So one of my 3 has to be somewhat cute. Hopefully Old Navy won't fail me this summer.

The baby is beginning to kick in full force. James is able to feel her more often, and I can see my stomach move under my shirt almost every time she kicks. It's almost to the point where it's annoying, but I like that. If I didn't feel her, I'd worry. I am glad she is getting stronger and is more active.

And the weather is on the upswing here. It is finally about to be consistently warm. Now I need to get off my expanding behind and do some power walking. At the doctor the other day, I weighed in at 135lbs. I started at 119. So I was up 16 lbs and barely past the halfway mark. Of course I'm not going to diet or try to lose weight, but exercise is always a good idea. She said I'm right on track with my weight gain, but when I read threads on Baby Center, I seem to be higher than most.

Guess that's all for now. We're poor, I'm fat, and I have selfish blood. Yep, that's it.

It is getting pretty dramatic up in here

Oooh...So no dress pictures this time, but as I was catching up on the internet, I got sucked into reading an article about TN changing their breastfeeding laws. And then the comments that ensued. It is getting pretty dramatic up in here, so while my popcorn pops, I thought I'd give a play by play.

The news story highlights:
-Last week the State of Tennessee decided to change its restrictive laws on public breastfeeding – but only after a lengthy debate about the “weird” things that could result.
-Under current law a mom is allowed to nurse in public, provided the child is not older than 12 months old. If she was to nurse, say, a 2-year-old, she would risk being charged with indecent exposure...it was passed just 5 years ago.
-It seems straightforward enough, but there was some opposition. Public breastfeeding, after all, can open the door to a lot of “crazy” things.
-“Is 35 a child?” asked Senator Bo Watson.
-Senator Stacey Campfield proposed an age limit of 3 years, saying, “at some point there should be some sort of line,” and agreeing, “There are a lot of strange people in this world.”
-The law eventually did pass without a limit...
-This legislation, if adopted, will provide a mother has a right to breastfeed her child. It’s only her child. It’s not any child, and it’s not anybody else.

And the comments:
-This is just as rediculous about the gay marriage debates. When one party mentions that marriage between two males or two females is harmless, the other party goes out on an extreme limb and says “Oh but soon people will be marrying animals! Where do we draw the line??"

How about we draw the line at common sense? How many instances of a mother breastfeeing a 15 year old in public are REALLY going to occur? And furthermore, it’s BREASTFEEDING. It’s proving nurishment to a human being. As odd as it may be to some to breastfeed a grown child who is perfectly capable of eating solid food, it is pretty simple to LOOK THE OTHER WAY if you feel offended by such harmless act. People are too willing to cry “i’m so offended!!” and need to grow a pair and act like adults.

-I think an age limit is ridiculous. I know some people are uncomfortable with public breastfeeding. In fact,I was before I did it because I wasn’t used to it, but as it becomes more common, people will naturally adjust. In any case, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone publicly breastfeed a child that looked over 2. In any case, in my experience people who breastfeed longer than about 16 months are doing it at home in the morning or at nap time or at bedtime–not everywhere on demand in the same way you do it for an infant who is exclusively breastfeeding as their sole nutrition. And even if they are doing it in public, that is their business.

-Come on people. I work in a NICU. I’m pretty sick of this debate–to breastfeed in public or not. First of all, I do not think that I or anyone else should “look away” if offended. That, in itself, is ridiculous. I am totally for mom’s breastfeeding if they choose. It is their right. However, I want you to understand that you take away the rights of others by doing so in public. There are other options such as pumping and feeding or planning around your child’s feeding schedule if you are absolutely determined that your child is only going to breastfeed. You may feel it is natural etc, but not all people do. You could say the same about sex…it is a function that is natural and accepted but we don’t do it in public places. (This may be radical as an example, but it is indicative of how others may feel about YOU breastfeeding in public). I think when it comes to age, you need to realize why the WHO set a breastfeeding standard to allow children to survive in countries where they might otherwise not if not breastfeeding. We do not live in a developing nation and fresh sources for food and water are available. Breastfeeding upwards of 2 and on whether for nutrition or comfort borders on the extreme. I think this debate, again, is ridiculous. Even though I spend much of my week helping mom’s learn to breastfeed etc, I do not want to go to dinner and watch YOU breastfeeding. That is my right and I don’t feel that it is fair for you to take my right away. I can’t eat around your schedule, but you can plan around your own childs. -b

-There is no “right” to not be offended in public. I don’t think you understand what that word means. I am aware that some people are uncomfortable when I nurse in public, but that is their issue, not mine; I am just feeding my child. Pumping does not work for all women, nor do all babies take bottles. Mine doesn’t. Planning around a feeding schedule is not always going to work, particularly when the baby is very young. It’s just not practical. You know what IS practical? Mom feeding her baby when baby is hungry. People who don’t like it turning their heads and looking away.
-Do you confine yourself to your house to eat? Or take your lunch to the bathroom? Or cover your head with a blanket when you’re eating? NO! So, why should a baby do that? You are a prime example of the selfish nature many people have adopted. When you see a mother breastfeeding, you should show your support and be proud of her. She’s doing what she has to do to feed, comfort and bond with her child. What’s even more ridiculous than this debate is YOU comparing breastfeeding to sex. You should be ashamed of yourself!

-I’ve eaten in many restaurants and witnessed disgusting people eating with their mouths open. To quote “B” above, I do not want to go to dinner and watch YOU mowing down on your food like it was served in a trough. And what about manboobs? And camel toe? And people who don’t wear deodorant? I do not go out in public to look at YOUR manboobs, camel toe and smell your nasty BO. So where are my rights? Why should I have to “look away”, don’t I have rights too? Should I lobby for an idiot law like this one that will prevent public displays of open mouthed eating, manboobs, camel toe and BO? GET OVER YOURSELVES. You don’t like seeing someone feed their child, YOU LOOK AWAY just like ME AND THE REST OF THE WORLD must do when you walk in the room and are not presenting yourself in a manner that meets MY standards.

Ok that is all... There are more comments, but I am done. The last one gave me a good chuckle.