Seriously, what the title says. This sickness I speak of is buying baby clothes when I probably don't need any for Belle. BUT THEY'RE SO CUTE! Althought, I don't buy just any clothes. I am very partial to the Carter's brand. Their onsies are always adorable and they fit my kiddo more so than other brand I've come across. She's not very long, but she is very slim. The Carter's brand onsies accomodate her body. And they look really freakin' cute on her!
There is a part of me that wishes it was just as easy to buy clothes for myself. My mind is completely gone when it comes to myself. I can't find anything that I think looks good on me. In turn, I end up wearing maternity clothes that don't sag off my body. This often leads me to think, "I'd be skewered alive by Stacy and Clinton!" Can't lie though, that would be totally amazing to be on What Not To Wear. If for no other reason, I would have $5000 to spend on clothes that I actually do think look good on me. Then again, I'd probably just a couple Coach bags and some kick ass shoes.....but I suppose we'll never know.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
I've got personality!
Taking personality tests are kind of alot of fun! I like to know what my answers and actions say about me. It's also super creepy when they peg you fairly closely to how you actually are in real life. Some of the personality traits that they say you have are there, but perhaps you've never noticed them.
I find it interesting that the test I took a little while ago stated that I have trouble letting people in at first, but, after a while, my lack of trust dissappates after some time. It's true, I can be quite suspicious of people's motives and I think that's something that has developed over time. Perhaps it has something to do with low self esteem or hearing about all of the horrible things that happen in the world, but I tend to assume that if someone I'm not familiar with is being friendly with me, something is behind it.
Although I can be suspicious of others, I don't have much trouble letting someone into my heart and soul. I don't let my suspicions get the better of me. I am willing to share stories and talk candidly about life with people who want to do the same. I enjoy sharing my thoughts and opinions, and I try to do so without judging others. In doing this, I have met and become friends with some really amazing and very different people throughout my life. I am privy to all kinds of walks and ways of life because of my friends and I love that about my life! It's those people that get me through the day. Even the little things that some of them will do can brighten my day. So suspicious or not, letting people in is the best and coolest thing anyone can do and I don't forsee myself changing that anytime soon.
Social Butterfly Out!
I find it interesting that the test I took a little while ago stated that I have trouble letting people in at first, but, after a while, my lack of trust dissappates after some time. It's true, I can be quite suspicious of people's motives and I think that's something that has developed over time. Perhaps it has something to do with low self esteem or hearing about all of the horrible things that happen in the world, but I tend to assume that if someone I'm not familiar with is being friendly with me, something is behind it.
Although I can be suspicious of others, I don't have much trouble letting someone into my heart and soul. I don't let my suspicions get the better of me. I am willing to share stories and talk candidly about life with people who want to do the same. I enjoy sharing my thoughts and opinions, and I try to do so without judging others. In doing this, I have met and become friends with some really amazing and very different people throughout my life. I am privy to all kinds of walks and ways of life because of my friends and I love that about my life! It's those people that get me through the day. Even the little things that some of them will do can brighten my day. So suspicious or not, letting people in is the best and coolest thing anyone can do and I don't forsee myself changing that anytime soon.
Social Butterfly Out!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
OMG Snow in spring! Kinda cool right. At least it gave us a chance to get pictures of Belle in the snow, sort of. We put her in her cute bear suit and went outside to take pictures, but really, there was no way she was going in the snow. She didn't even want to be in the suit, as seen here:
NOT A FAN!
But still, we were able to get evidence that it did snow in her first year!
The other exciting news for Arabella was that she can now eat rice cereal. Yum. It does have to be a certain type because of her food allergies, but that's ok. I mean really, how can organic be BAD for the baby? Not at all, that's what I thought.
I can safely say that feeding Belle with a spoon is probably the funniest thing we've done so far. It's not the prettiest of affairs, but it is very entertaining!
Yummy cereal.
This is quite an adventure, I must say. Next on the list, flying. Can't lie. I'm a little scared about that one. But it will be well worth it to see our Philly friends again and some of their little ones!
NOT A FAN!
But still, we were able to get evidence that it did snow in her first year!
The other exciting news for Arabella was that she can now eat rice cereal. Yum. It does have to be a certain type because of her food allergies, but that's ok. I mean really, how can organic be BAD for the baby? Not at all, that's what I thought.
I can safely say that feeding Belle with a spoon is probably the funniest thing we've done so far. It's not the prettiest of affairs, but it is very entertaining!
Yummy cereal.
This is quite an adventure, I must say. Next on the list, flying. Can't lie. I'm a little scared about that one. But it will be well worth it to see our Philly friends again and some of their little ones!
Friday, March 19, 2010
What on earth is wrong here?
I spent the first 3 to 4 months of my kiddo's life freaking out. Straight up! We had a rocky start, as she was in the NICU for some very minor problems. She had very low sugar levels, as well as low blood platelet counts and a dislocatable hip. However, there was one issue that ended up not being an issue at all, but that didn't stop it from sucking all of the fun and quite a bit of the joy out of having Arabella with us. The pediatrician at the hospital I delivered at was very suspicious about her bowel movements. More so, she was concerned about their having to give her medicine to get one from her. Then her stomach was beginning to puff and other little symptoms of a disstented bowel were beginning to rear their ugly little heads. So, 24 hours after I gave birth, my hospital's NICU pediatrician came to tell me that my child had to be sent to a level 3 NICU because there was a strong possibility that she would need surgery......um EXCUSE ME!
She said we could give it until the morning to see if her stomach would deflate and if she would have a bowel movement, but, if she didn't, the hospital would definitley transfer her in the morning. It was odd how displaced I was from the situation. I think I was so upset that I just shut down. Once everyone left the room, I finally cried. My nurse gave me one look and asked if I'd like sleeping pills. She knew just from looking at me that I needed to escape, at least mentally, and there was no way I was going to get sleep on my own. She was right. After the pills wore off, I spent most of the rest of the night in the NICU watching my little girl. Well, nothing changed over night and off we drove, with me in the ambulance and my husband following, to a larger hospital in downtown.
By the time we arrived at the hospital, I was fairly calm and in good spirits. I mean what was I gonna do. If surgery had to happen, then that's the way it would be. I couldn't allow myself to become catatonic. Once we arrived to her new room for the next few days, the nurses and doctors gave her a one over. In the middle of all of that chaos, apparently something clicked in Arabella's body. Steve came over to me, I was sitting in a chair because of very swollen feet, and told me that she had made a mess. I guess the ambulance ride shook things up, because on the warm in the NICU room, Belle pooped EVERYWHERE. That was all it took for the pediatrician there to say that things were definitely looking up. She told us that surgery was probably off the table now, but she would need to be monitored, of course, to be sure.
Everything was fine after that. However, they had to keep her to monitor her sugar levels and they wouldn't release her until they were consistently at a certain level or higher. It was surreal to be there with her (I spent most of every day at the hospital of course, since they didn't have a room for me) because her roommate was a preemie, as were most of the babies in there. Most of them were quite sick, but my baby really wasn't. It broke my heart.
It was a real experience being in the NICU. I was kind of an emotional wreck, not only because of the stress from the odd medical complications Belle had, but because the NICU is a stressful place. When nurses would rush around and you could her a monitor going haywire, my eyes would start to water because I knew what it ment. All I can say is that I'm greatful for all the care they gave Belle even though she wasn't very high maintenance in comparison.
The next 3 months were certainly a rollercoaster ride. After all of that, it took soom time to get Arabella to breastfeed. She had been on the bottle with breastmilk for so long that she was quite the lazy eater and breastfeeding was a bit too much work for her. Then we discovered she has a few food allergies and I had to change up my diet to accomodate (that was not easy AT ALL). Finally, even at 4 months, she wasn't getting enough food and wasn't growing. Back to the bottle we went. Now, after all of that, she's gaining weight consistently and is starting to reach some of the developmental milestones that she fell a bit behind on! Steve and I have to laugh at what "noob" parents we are, but hey, it's all part of the process right. The first kid is the ginuea pig (we were firsts too, so we have sympathy for her). Now, it seems that we're dealing with teething....at least that's normal. But man can this kid scream. She's not enjoying this one bit. Just a day in the life I suppose :).
She said we could give it until the morning to see if her stomach would deflate and if she would have a bowel movement, but, if she didn't, the hospital would definitley transfer her in the morning. It was odd how displaced I was from the situation. I think I was so upset that I just shut down. Once everyone left the room, I finally cried. My nurse gave me one look and asked if I'd like sleeping pills. She knew just from looking at me that I needed to escape, at least mentally, and there was no way I was going to get sleep on my own. She was right. After the pills wore off, I spent most of the rest of the night in the NICU watching my little girl. Well, nothing changed over night and off we drove, with me in the ambulance and my husband following, to a larger hospital in downtown.
By the time we arrived at the hospital, I was fairly calm and in good spirits. I mean what was I gonna do. If surgery had to happen, then that's the way it would be. I couldn't allow myself to become catatonic. Once we arrived to her new room for the next few days, the nurses and doctors gave her a one over. In the middle of all of that chaos, apparently something clicked in Arabella's body. Steve came over to me, I was sitting in a chair because of very swollen feet, and told me that she had made a mess. I guess the ambulance ride shook things up, because on the warm in the NICU room, Belle pooped EVERYWHERE. That was all it took for the pediatrician there to say that things were definitely looking up. She told us that surgery was probably off the table now, but she would need to be monitored, of course, to be sure.
Everything was fine after that. However, they had to keep her to monitor her sugar levels and they wouldn't release her until they were consistently at a certain level or higher. It was surreal to be there with her (I spent most of every day at the hospital of course, since they didn't have a room for me) because her roommate was a preemie, as were most of the babies in there. Most of them were quite sick, but my baby really wasn't. It broke my heart.
It was a real experience being in the NICU. I was kind of an emotional wreck, not only because of the stress from the odd medical complications Belle had, but because the NICU is a stressful place. When nurses would rush around and you could her a monitor going haywire, my eyes would start to water because I knew what it ment. All I can say is that I'm greatful for all the care they gave Belle even though she wasn't very high maintenance in comparison.
The next 3 months were certainly a rollercoaster ride. After all of that, it took soom time to get Arabella to breastfeed. She had been on the bottle with breastmilk for so long that she was quite the lazy eater and breastfeeding was a bit too much work for her. Then we discovered she has a few food allergies and I had to change up my diet to accomodate (that was not easy AT ALL). Finally, even at 4 months, she wasn't getting enough food and wasn't growing. Back to the bottle we went. Now, after all of that, she's gaining weight consistently and is starting to reach some of the developmental milestones that she fell a bit behind on! Steve and I have to laugh at what "noob" parents we are, but hey, it's all part of the process right. The first kid is the ginuea pig (we were firsts too, so we have sympathy for her). Now, it seems that we're dealing with teething....at least that's normal. But man can this kid scream. She's not enjoying this one bit. Just a day in the life I suppose :).
Labor....Are you sure?
I'm sure there are plenty of mommies out there who have had that moment where they are sure their water has broken. Later they find out that, no, their water has not broken, but labor is probably imminent! Well, I certainly had that moment with my little girl. It was a Monday morning and I was being lazy since I was about to have a baby. I mean, why not be lazy while you have the chance!? Once I decided to get up and brush my teeth, I suddenly felt a little trickle down my leg. I thought it was probably nothing so I finished picking out an outfit for the day, then I felt it again. This time I figured I ought to call someone, so I called my mom of course. After that conversation, then a conversation with my hubby, I called the doctor and was told to go into the office. After they did their little test to see if I was leaking amniotic fluid, the NP told me I wasn't leaking anything but I ought to go to the hospital just in case I might be starting labor anyway! I met Steve back at home and we headed up to the hospital.
Once we arrived, I was set up in a room and hooked to some monitors to see what might be going on in my belly. I was contracting quite a bit, but they were very irregular. So I walked around for a while to see if anything might speed up but it was to no avail. After 5 hours or so, the nurses gave me the option of staying and waiting for my labor to jump start or go home and wait for my labor to officially start. Well I was totally gonna go home! If I stayed in the hospital, I would have had to continue just eating ice chips. No way I was down for that. So I went home and spent my night as usual.
Well, 5 am the next morning, I woke up and didn't quite feel good. So I figured I'd use the restroom and be fine. Not quite. I started getting awful pains in my back. After about 20 minutes of those pains, Steve decided it was time to call the doctor because he couldn't stand to see me like this anymore and it must be labor. Once again, we headed to the hospital. The nurses set me up on monitors and we were off again, but for real this time. The first, oh, 6 hours of labor were a blur. At first, the back labor was so horrible I was just curled up in pain and didn't notice anything around me. Then the wonderful nurses gave me Stadol. After that, I was so sleepy and loopy that I didn't notice the pain, much less anything else. They wanted to give me the Stadol because the anesthesiologist was tied up in a surgery. Having been at 4cm for the past week and a half, I thought I would get my epidural immediatley. Finally, the anesthesiologist was able to give me the epidural around noon. After that, I was able to pay attention to everything around me and start enjoying my labor! At that point, the nurses also gave me pitocin to speed things up. I was so tense from the back labor that my contractions weren't progressing my labor like they should have. Now that all my drugs were in place, we finally started going somewhere.
I dialated fully in a couple of hours and the nurses started working with me on pushing. I am undoubtedly a terrible pusher. Of course, it didn't help that my baby was wedged face up, making it more difficult to get anywhere while pushing. Unfortunatley, my little lady was bent on staying face up and the nurses decided it was time to try and turn her so she would be able to come out. After about an hour and a half of pushing and not getting very far, we decided to let me rest and try some other things to get her to turn. Laying on my side helped somewhat, but it wasn't quite enough. After another hour, we tried pushing again. I'm very glad my doctor gave me the chance to push more instead of opting for a C-section. After another hour and a half of pushing, I was very close to delivering but had really stalled out. Arabella was turned at an odd angle and I wasn't pushing well enough to get her out. So it was decision time. The nurses talked with my doc and came to the conclusion that we would either need to decide to try using the vacuum to help her out or go do the C-section. After looking at my progress, my doctor said that he'd be willing to try the vacuum but if we weren't successful after 2 or 3 pushes, we'd go to the OR. Well, that's all the motivation Belle and I needed! My amazing doctor put the vacuum in place and 10 minutes later Arabella was born!
October 20, 2009 at 6:23 pm my life changed forever! I couldn't have asked for a greater experience. My nurses gave me amazing support and helped me every step of the way and my doctor, although he was there for a short time, was nothing short of a miracle worker with that vacuum! I'm so excited to have Arabella in my life now!
Once we arrived, I was set up in a room and hooked to some monitors to see what might be going on in my belly. I was contracting quite a bit, but they were very irregular. So I walked around for a while to see if anything might speed up but it was to no avail. After 5 hours or so, the nurses gave me the option of staying and waiting for my labor to jump start or go home and wait for my labor to officially start. Well I was totally gonna go home! If I stayed in the hospital, I would have had to continue just eating ice chips. No way I was down for that. So I went home and spent my night as usual.
Well, 5 am the next morning, I woke up and didn't quite feel good. So I figured I'd use the restroom and be fine. Not quite. I started getting awful pains in my back. After about 20 minutes of those pains, Steve decided it was time to call the doctor because he couldn't stand to see me like this anymore and it must be labor. Once again, we headed to the hospital. The nurses set me up on monitors and we were off again, but for real this time. The first, oh, 6 hours of labor were a blur. At first, the back labor was so horrible I was just curled up in pain and didn't notice anything around me. Then the wonderful nurses gave me Stadol. After that, I was so sleepy and loopy that I didn't notice the pain, much less anything else. They wanted to give me the Stadol because the anesthesiologist was tied up in a surgery. Having been at 4cm for the past week and a half, I thought I would get my epidural immediatley. Finally, the anesthesiologist was able to give me the epidural around noon. After that, I was able to pay attention to everything around me and start enjoying my labor! At that point, the nurses also gave me pitocin to speed things up. I was so tense from the back labor that my contractions weren't progressing my labor like they should have. Now that all my drugs were in place, we finally started going somewhere.
I dialated fully in a couple of hours and the nurses started working with me on pushing. I am undoubtedly a terrible pusher. Of course, it didn't help that my baby was wedged face up, making it more difficult to get anywhere while pushing. Unfortunatley, my little lady was bent on staying face up and the nurses decided it was time to try and turn her so she would be able to come out. After about an hour and a half of pushing and not getting very far, we decided to let me rest and try some other things to get her to turn. Laying on my side helped somewhat, but it wasn't quite enough. After another hour, we tried pushing again. I'm very glad my doctor gave me the chance to push more instead of opting for a C-section. After another hour and a half of pushing, I was very close to delivering but had really stalled out. Arabella was turned at an odd angle and I wasn't pushing well enough to get her out. So it was decision time. The nurses talked with my doc and came to the conclusion that we would either need to decide to try using the vacuum to help her out or go do the C-section. After looking at my progress, my doctor said that he'd be willing to try the vacuum but if we weren't successful after 2 or 3 pushes, we'd go to the OR. Well, that's all the motivation Belle and I needed! My amazing doctor put the vacuum in place and 10 minutes later Arabella was born!
October 20, 2009 at 6:23 pm my life changed forever! I couldn't have asked for a greater experience. My nurses gave me amazing support and helped me every step of the way and my doctor, although he was there for a short time, was nothing short of a miracle worker with that vacuum! I'm so excited to have Arabella in my life now!
Just a start
So loads of my friends have a blog. I've always thought about starting one and, well, now seemed like a good time! I'm not honestly worried about whether this ever is read or not, but I am a fan of recording my thoughts. Let's face it, this is miles easier than writing in a diary. Some of my first posts will be about the past few months, but I'm sure I'll catch up to the present eventually. After all, I've got a baby to talk about! Speaking of, yay for being 5 months old tomorrow Belle!
