Wardrobe Malfunctions
I have the worst luck with clothes. Seriously. This is part of the reason I hate shopping as well as how I can be just as happy with a $5 shirt as a $50 shirt…it doesn’t matter how much or little it costs, odds are I will ruin it just the same.
Unfortunately $5 nursing bras don’t exist. Nope. If they did I’d have more than one. I was going to buy a few more now that I’ve experienced how handy they are but then I found this tutorial on how to revamp your existing bras into nursing bras and decided that would be the thrifty way to go. Regardless, you can imagine my frustration when I took my one and only genuine nursing bra out of the laundry to find a bent hook.
Grr! You’d think after this has happend a couple times with regular bras I’d be more committed to washing them by hand or using a lingerie bag. Well, I do it for awhile and then I get lazy. In the past I’ve thrown away the mangled bras because they simply will not hook and I thought they were ruined. My creative juices must’ve been flowing this morning because I got the idea to sew on one of those nifty bra extenders to fix this problem.
When my ribcage was expanding on my ever-growing pregnant body I was too cheap to buy all new bras and instead bought some extenders for less than $1.00. Seems like a pretty good idea to me! And now I know how to fix the stupid bras that get eaten in the washer and dryer! Judging by the rest of my morning went I should probably repair the bra ASAP today rather than put it off for another day. Keep reading to find out why.
I pretty much hate clothes (due to all the trouble and stress they cause) but I have lots of them. Enough to fill two closets and then some, but I only have a handful of items that I like and truly fit well. However, having a post-baby body has only complicated things. Pre-baby I had a few pair of jeans that fit well. Those jeans *almost* fit post-baby, but still not very well. I was pretty excited this morning when I found a pair at the bottom of a pile in my closet this morning, pulled them on and they fit! A little snug, but not too bad. I was happy to be able to wear “regular” jeans today as opposed to my maternity jeans which are now loose and sloppy, yet better fitting than 99% of my “normal” clothes.
I took a quick glance at myself in the mirror and decided they my outfit was good enough. Note: I did not check myself out from the back view. Big mistake. (Are you picking up on the foreshadowing I’m laying down people?!) I was in somewhat of a rush as Kayden had a doctor appointment and I needed to get things rounded up before heading out.
After our doctor appointment (which was awesome, by the way, - My big girl has grown 2″ and is at an acceptable weight of 8 pounds 1 ounce!) we met my Aunt Sharon at Village Inn for brunch. As we are walking in with Aunt Sharon behind us, I hear, “Um, Laura…did you know your jeans have a rip in them?”
Uh oh. “WHAT?”
I reach back, place my hand on my rear and feel a tear along the side of the pocket. Oops. Suddenly I remembered WHY these jeans were at the bottom of a pile in my closet…I was always going to repair them but I forgot about it as I couldn’t wear them while pregnant anyhow. That’s what I get for not doing projects when I think of doing them!
Thank goodness I was also wearing an undershirt, which I immediately pulled down to cover my exposed rear. It probably looked a little stupid, but better than what was hiding underneath.
Oh. Em. Gee. I just walked around the doctor’s office like this:
Classy Laura, real classy. (And yes I did just post a photo of my bare buns on the internet. I am overflowing with classiness today.)
I don’t know what’s worse…that I grabbed a thong for the first time in who knows how many months, or that I could’ve been wearing my Hello Kitty or polk-a-dot granny panties for all to see. Actually, looking at the photo I think the absolute worst thing is realizing that at some point my butt got so so large that not even stretchy denim could contain it. I could blame that on being pregnant at the time but does that even count/matter now that I’m not?! Baby or no baby, there’s still too much junk in this trunk.
Ugh. 4 lbs to get back to pre-baby weight (which was still my all-time high so that isn’t saying much I guess) and pre-baby shape is another story. Maybe I better consider Andy the Giant’s offer to help get me on a meal and exercise plan. Grrr. Why can’t you burn a ton of calories surfing the internet??? I am so not a fitness freak any more. =( You’d think that would motivate me to jump on the treadmill the moment I walked in the door. Nope. Instead I had to run to the computer to tell the world what a fat-@$$ I am!
Oh well. So a few people may have seen my lovely torn jeans. So what…at least it was an accident. It still doesn’t qualify me as one of the People of Walmart, does it? Now these people KNOW they are leaving the house looking like that! (Oddly enough Wally World was on our list of places to go today, but I kept checking that my undershirt was in place to hide the damage!)
Besides, it could’ve been worse. As a new nursing mother I have a tiny fear in the back of my mind I’m going to go walking out of the house with a bare boob exposed one of these days. (LOL - on that note, the other day I was nursing Kayden on one side and pumping on the other when Andy came home. He said ”Ya know, I always imagined you walking around the house naked but this is NOT what I had in mind.” Haha!)
Ahhh, the trials and tribulations of being a new mom. I’m guessing this is only the beginning.
The Big Decision
RETRO POST
I wrote this last year and kept it in a safe place until I decided whether or not I wanted to publish it. Although it’s quite personal, maybe it will help others who are feeling the same as I was at the time.
* * *
I am writing this post today, October 2, 2009 not knowing when I will be able to make it public, if ever. I debated whether or not it’s a good idea for me to write about it at all, but I’ve always had an innate need to write, mostly and especially when I have serious or deep thoughts about something. This is a big and very personal decision in my life and I feel the need to write about it, even if no one will ever read it or if it will be read a long time from today.
I want to talk about my/our decision to try to start a family; my current feeling is to keep things private until we are in the clear so I will tuck this away until the time is right.
For many, many years I couldn’t wait to grow up, get married, have a baby and start my family. I always thought I’d be one of the first Moms out of my group of friends from high school. Turns out I’m one of the last. At one time it really bothered me…I didn’t want to be an “old” Mom. In fact, I wanted to be done having two, possibly three children by the time I was 25. Yikes! Looking back, I don’t know what I was thinking!
Obviously it was important to me to have other things situated – the right husband, a nice home, a higher education, and a good job. As Andy and I began to build our life together I got really excited about the idea of having a family with him and I couldn’t wait to get married, get a new house, have a baby. When we talked about when would be a good time a few years back I didn’t think I could stand to wait until 2009 or after! But, I wanted to do things “the right way” and I wanted to take time to enjoy planning our perfect wedding, and to finish our MBAs.
Funny thing is, now that 2009 is nearly over and those things are a thing of the past, I started to think quite the opposite; I really liked our life and at one point began to question if I wanted children at all anymore. There were so many things to worry about when you’re a parent and the only way I knew how to prevent them from happening was to avoid it completely. I remember just a few months ago when I was out in DC I went to a bookstore. I walked past the pregnancy section and remembered how I used to feel about being excited to have a baby. I picked up a few books and flipped through them. I no longer felt excited or happy about it. In fact, I surprised myself by getting almost nauseous and stressed out about it. My heart was racing and I was driving myself nuts at the mere thought; I had to get away from those books – the thought alone was making me sick! I couldn’t believe it! Now that my life was absolutely perfect in every way I could ever want, for the first time in my life I suddenly didn’t think I would want to have a baby, ever.
Andy never wavered. He stood by the fact that he wanted kids one day but was agreeable to waiting awhile. He assured me my fears were not uncommon and could be conquered if we both worked together to be the best parents we could. If I wanted to wait, he was fine with that. (He is amazing, isn’t he?)
It has been a crazy few months. I’m not sure when exactly it started, maybe after graduation, but I have been questioning this subject almost on a daily basis. Ugh. It has been terrible.What do I really want? Can I overcome my fears? Why do I feel like this? What if I wait too long and change my mind? What if I can’t have children? Sometimes I would bring up the topic with Andy and bless his heart he has been so patient, promising me it’s not as bad as I think. He suggested I stop thinking about all the potential negative aspects and instead focus on the good parts.
And then, almost instantly I changed my mind again. It sounds odd, I know. It’s not like I’m deciding what I’ll have for lunch…I’m talking about a human life, a decision that will affect not only my life, but to some extent the lives of our families, too. I’m not really sure what happend. My whole perspective started to change, like almost instantly. I got to thinking about the time I spent with my nieces, and the things we talked about during our Girl Trip. My old BFFs and I talked a lot on the way there and back about a ton of things in life. When KC sang “There Goes My Life” Natalea leaned over to me and said, “This is really what it’s like.” When I got back that weekend I finished reading “The Big Love,” which is about a girl in her early 30s going through relationship issues. There were several meaningful passages in that book that really hit home and it made me stop and think about how wonderful my life is with Andy, how I didn’t want to live the rest of our lives just the two of us, and how I wanted to experience the joys and even the challenges of having a family with him. Suddenly, I very much wanted that to happen. Like now!
Andy & I had the big discussion recently and decided that we would start with (excuse the pun) baby steps by no longer taking measures to prevent it from happening. Of course, my controlling/planning /obsessive self took over almost immediately and the next thing you know I’m all excited, doing everything I can to help my fertility and really hoping that it happens…soon!
So, if you are reading this it is either because I am in fact pregnant, or am having trouble getting pregnant and have opened up about the challenges I’m experiencing. Let’s hope it’s the first option. I’m usually not this lucky, but I literally just wrote this post on how I’m oddly happy today. In the back of my mind I am hoping it is because my body has a secret and that I am in fact one of the very lucky girls who is in the process of getting pregnant right now, on the very first attempt.
* * *
Well, here we are just 10 short months later and I am sitting with our beautiful baby asleep in my arms. Not once during this incredible journey did I question our decision or get scared about the future again. I know there will be some challenges in the years to come, but I hear the joys outweigh the bad stuff tenfold. Plus, come what may, I truly believe Andy & I can get through anything together.
Despite numerous people telling us how our lives will never be the same…do this and that now before it’s too late, things will be chaotic…etc., Andy & I both agree the transition into parenthood has not bothered us one bit. I decided it must mean we were definitely ready and the time was right. No doubt about it, Kayden is a wonderful blessing and a welcome addition to our life. Now that we have her I cannot imagine a moment without her.
She is unquestionably one of the best decisions and greatest accomplishments of my entire life.
Free Canvas Print
I’m super excited…I was poking around the Freebies on the How Does She blog and I found an offer for a free 8×10 canvas print! Or, you can do like I did and upgrade to a larger version at a discounted price plus shipping.
You may recall the card we received from Andy’s Grandma in this post. I loved it so much I knew I needed to do more than just save the card so I used the verse on one of our favorite photos to create this:
I used the special offer from the Canvas People to save $55 off a 11″ x 14″ canvas print. Cannot wait to see it! I may cry every time I read it.
What a Guy
As I was going through my photos today I realized I don’t believe I ever got around to posting this. Since I haven’t started a pregnancy journal or baby book (I know – GASP!) I wanted to blog it so I don’t forget to put it in the baby book one of these days (years?!)
A couple months back when I was in “busy season” at work I told Andy how stressed out and exhausted I was that day. He always asks “What can I do to help?” Usually my response is “Oh, nothing…I just need to vent.” That day, however, I wanted chocolate. I wouldn’t really say that I’ve had cravings being pregnant, but I have more-so taken the opportunity to give into my usual urges which are primarily focused around chocolate. So, I asked him to bring me something chocolate on his way home from work. I didn’t mean the whole aisle of chocolate, but Andy’s a bit extreme. 
This is what I got:
A whole smorgasboard of chocolate!
Another similar stressful day around that same time, without asking for anything, he brought me brownies, a smiley face cookie and flowers…
What a guy.
No wonder my bump is growing, growing, growing!!!
Dramatic Baby
We were so lucky to have gotten a video of part of the ultrasound! The nugget was jumping all around for the first part of the ultrasound and the u/s tech kept trying to get the baby to flip over on it’s back. She was poking around, having me flip to one side, flip to the other, cough, sit up, just anything to get Nugget to move. Then, she caught this on video, as if the baby is saying, “Oh fine! If I must!” We laughed and laughed and the baby finally turned!
The Business of Being Born
I recently renewed my Netfilx subscription (love!) and decided to watch The Business of Being Born after a girl on one of my Preggo forums mentioned it. It really got me thinking and wondering about my options for our “birth plan.”
Years ago I was terrified of needles. Deathly afraid. So, I thought there was no way in hell I’d ever consider an epidural. (I’ve seen the videos of those; the needles are bigger than my arm and they want to stick it in between my spine?!) But, I’m one to face my fears head on so I got myself a couple tattoos and decided needles aren’t so bad afterall. I’ve also had the displeasure of experiencing some pretty serious monthly cramps in my time and decided perhaps a prick of one giant needle might not be so bad to the alternative of a “natural” birth.
I’ve witnessed two births in person – one with mild drugs, one epidural, both with doctors in the hospital. The epidural seemed to be the way to go as far as being cognizant of what was going on AND having less pain. After that I thought I’d be an epidural-all-the-way kind of girl. And then I watched that movie tonight.
I saw women (including Ricki Lake) giving birth they way THEY chose – at home, in water, standing up, with clothes on, etc. And I realized, hey, maybe I don’t want to be all nekked, flat on my back, feet up in stirrups with my junk up and out for all to see. No, I really don’t. Who does? The water thing looked pretty comfortable. And rolling around on a yoga ball seems much better than people strapping down your thighs yelling at you to “Push!” and “Don’t forget to breathe!”
Now, I don’t know about the whole at home thing, that might be a little too much for me. I don’t really want to clean up that mess. But I am interested in what my options are, whether they’re normal or extreme. Nobody likes stark-white, sterile hospitals. And I’ve never been one to go to the doctor for anything other than my required annual checkup. The only reason I did is because they wouldn’t give me those lovely birth control pills without a checkup. Andy nearly carried me to the doctor one year b/c I was hacking up a lung for like two weeks. I don’t know why I don’t go to the doctor, or don’t take much medicine…it’s not that I’m afraid, I guess I just think my body is capable of healing itself. I like natural, homeopathic methods too. I dunno, I’m not a hippie or anything like that, I’ve just always been a little weird I guess. I like to go against the grain.
I am going to start seeing a midwife I think at my next visit. Not that I have anything against doctors, I just think a midwife might be more my style. Speaking of style, if I could have my way I think I’d have my birthing room like a spa…quiet and tranquil, dimly lit with relaxing scents, warm blankets and atmosphere with calming music. I want to keep some clothes on. None of this completely naked, Amazon woman stuff for me. And yeah, maybe one of those birthing tubs/mini pools and a yoga ball, just in case. Of course, it would be reassuring to know there would be doctors and all that scary hospital equipment next door if necessary.
Think I can hook that up?!
Anyway, the movie was interesting and I would recommend it. But, I would like to hear stories and opinions of people of all kinds. Tell me about your past or current birthing plans – what did you like? Dislike? What would you do different or do again? Epidural? Meds? Nothing? Doctor? Midwife?
Prefenz Hand Sanitizer
My friend Heather told me about how Prefenz Hand Sanitizer is supposed to last through 10 washes or 24 hour. With all the illnesses going around I decided it couldn’t hurt to get some. It was a whopping $17 for an 8oz bottle, which is supposed to last 366 pumps. That was a couple weeks ago. I went to Hy-Vee yesterday to get a bottle for my grandparents and was pleasantly surprised to find the same bottle on sale for $9. Or, they had a purse-sized 1.5 oz bottle for $4.
So far I like it, it doesn’t have alcohol and doesn’t dry your hands like the other alcohol based hand sanitizers. Short of not getting sick lately, I cannot comment on the validity of its claims, however. I had every intention of looking into this product a little deeper, reading reviews and case studies of its effectiveness. But, my friend Tim (Heather’s husband) beat me to it. And, he probably did a much better job of scrutinizing its claims. He’s somewhat cynical of Prefenz, but if you read his post on the product I think his thoughts are reasonable since there are little to no true. unbiased third party opinions.
So, it’s probably easier to just say yeah…what he said.
ActivTrax – Slowly but Surely
Had a pretty good week last week:
Sunday – Went to Anytime Fitness with Andy, followed his ActivTrax routine with MUCH lighter weights
Monday – Signed up at the Anytime Fitness, once again followed Andy’s routine with lighter weights
Tuesday – Went to yoga with Heather at Ultimate Fitness
Wednesday – Went to Anytime Fitness and did my first ActivTrax Workout #1
Thursday – Took the night off but can’t remember why
Friday & Saturday – Took these days off
Sunday – ActivTrax Workout #2
So far it’s not so bad but I’ve bumped the time of my workouts up to about 35-45 minutes of weights so the breakdown is as follows:
5 min – Warmup
5 min – Stretch
35-45 min – Weights
20 min – Cardio
So, I’m at just over an hour. Andy would like me to increase it even more to coincide with his 1.5 hour workouts. We’ll see. As I’ve said before, baby steps. If nothing else I can spend another 20 minutes on the treadmill, or 20 minutes playing on my iPhone in the car.
What are your thoughts on ActivTrax? One of these days I will post more specifics for those of you who are unfamiliar with the program.
Oops!
I realized I missed Thankful Thursday last week. =( Time is flying by again and I’ve decided I need to start scheduling time for myself again (for blogging, reading, crafting, etc.) and not feel guilty about it. So, I guess I’m thankful I have a full life with more things to do than I have time. How about that?
Well, Kim is throwing a Blog Party so hopefully that will help motivate me to make time to do some crafting and blogging. I have a few ideas and even got started on a couple, but some weeks will be a challenge. If you’ve got any ideas I’d welcome them. =) I’m not super into holidays other than Halloween but I’m working on it. I do decorate for fall, but not Thanksgiving specifically. But Andy & I will be hosting Thanksgiving this year so that gives me a good reason to get a tablescape going, right? And holiday Traditions…we don’t really have traditions but I would certainly like to start some. I should look into that.
If you’re interested, she’s looking for more participants!
Here are the fabulous details:
Party Date: Monday, Nov. 16
Dare to… be thankful!
Take some time making your own DIY Thanksgiving project. It could be a fun Thanksgiving advent calendar, a banner or something completely unique. Post about what you made, how you made it and photos in its new home.
Party Date: Monday, Nov. 23
Dare to… entertain!
Show us your table! If you are not hosting Thanksgiving, take this opportunity to make your table look great. Bring out your dishes and napkins and set your table. I promise you that it will make you smile every time you walk by. Get creative and use new things. Or go true DIY and make something totally new.
Party Date: Monday, Nov. 30
Dare to… eat cookies!
As we begin to attend holiday parties, share your favorite cookie recipe for all to enjoy. It’s like a digital cookie swap. Share the recipe and a review of the cookie. If you can, add a picture. And don’t worry about the extra calories. At Christmas, cookies are calorie-free.
Party Date: Monday, Dec. 7
Dare to… give homemade gifts!
Nothing is more special than a gift made by you. Try out something new to give this year – ideas include bath and body items, kitchen gifts, hand-sewn clothing or home decor.
Party Date: Monday, Dec. 14
Dare to… deck the halls!
Make something new to deck your halls. Did you find something in a catalog that you wish you had? Wreaths, stockings, pillows or advent calendars? Make it! Inspire us all to do the same.
Party Date: Monday, Dec. 21
Dare to… have traditions!
Everyone has traditions for the Holidays. Tell us all about your favorites or start a new tradition to share.
Happy Anniversary to Us
To celebrate our first anniversary Andy & I took a mini-vaca to Galena, Illinois. We headed out around 7:30 in the morning and arrived with plenty of time to stop and have a cup of coffee at Kaladi’s before our walking tour.
At 10:00am we headed over to the DeSoto House to meet our (highly recommended) tour guide, Steve Repp. Mr. Repp took us on a one hour walking tour of downtown historical Galena.
We learned that Abraham Lincoln addressed the public from the balcony of DeSoto House and people gathered around, crowding in the very street we were standing upon.
We were told about the great floods that nearly wiped out the entire downtown area until the flood walls were built. Over the years the streets and buildings have been updated but the public has fought to preserve the history of this little town as best they can.
Notice the curve of the street & the buildings:
After our tour we did a little shopping. (Mostly window shopping.) I love all the cute little shop! Lots of antiques and novelties to be found. I like to look at everything but don’t really care to bring a bunch home. We did enjoy some delicious treats from the Rocky Mountain Candy Factory. Andy & I have never met a sweets shop we didn’t like. (Reminded me of when I visited him in South Texas when we were first dating; we went to this open air mall and gorged ourselves on chocolate, toffee and other goodies.)
Then we had a couple drinks at the Grape Escape as we watched our Hawkeyes win another game! After a couple hours of walking around we thought we’d go tour the Ryan Mansion.
The wind was blowing and we huddled on the front porch. The sign read “No reservations necessary! Tours begin approximately every 15 minutes. Ring bell and we will be with you momentarily.” Perfect timing! It was 11:55pm. So I rang the bell and we waited. And waited. Waited some more as the wind contined to whip through our clothes. Andy rang the bell. We continued to wait. The wind continued to blow. At 12:05 we decided we were done freezing and did not want to see the mansion that badly. Guess they must not have wanted our $20 that badly either. Oh well.
As we were waiting there we discussed how cold it was going to be at the Parade that evening so off to Wally World we went to get some long underwear, gloves, a scarf, and some kind of earmuff/headband thing-a-majig. We were geared up, ready for the Halloween weather so we headed back downtown and waited for the parade to begin.
The parade was a lot of fun – TONS of costumes everywhere! Lots of fun floats but I think my favorite at the time were all the hot air balloon baskets that were shooting flames overhead; it was REALLY warm! Andy got a video, which I will try to post soon.
After the parade we walked down to the DeSoto House where we had our Haunted Dinner!
When I booked I had no idea what we were in for. There were people in full costume and full character all night! Ghosts and historical characters reenacted scenes from the early 1800s. Ulysses S. Grant and his wife even visted our table asking for our votes. Well, Andy’s vote anyway, as I would not have had the right to vote at that time. To remind me to stand up and fight for my rights, Susan B. Anthony and a couple other women stopped by to remind us to push for women’s right to vote.
After dinner we went up to the ballroom for dessert with the Paranormal Research of Illinois. This group gave a presentation and showed us actual footage of some of their investigations around Galena & Illinois. I loved it! Andy is convinced it was purely entertainment. I respectfully disagree. If you’re into this kind of thing you should visit their site and check out the audio and video clips – spooky!! The evening wrapped up just before the stroke of midnight so we drove to the Country Inn and Suites and promptly fell asleep.
Wow. What a jam-packed, fun filled day. I would highly recommend a trip to Galena if you’ve never been. Our original intent was to do some wine tasting, which is one thing Galena is known for. However, we never got around to it. And that’s okay, that just gives us another reason to go back.
I told Andy that we should plan a trip every year for our Anniversary. Halloween is probably my favorite holiday and there’s sure to be something going on no matter where we go. He liked that idea and suggested Vegas next year. Sounds good!
Have you ever done these things in Galena? What else should we put on our list of things to do next time? Where would you suggest we go to celebrate future anniversaries?
