Sickling

I have a little sickling.  It started on Monday with a fever.  She had a chiropractor appt that day so we went and she also had some fluid build-up so the chiro was able to drain that. 

**side thought regarding chiropractors:
If you've never brought your child to a chiropractor, I would recommend it.  They don't crack your kids back.  They just massage and press pressure points to help fluid drain, make sure alignment is right, etc.  Back when Elise was 10 or 11 months old, she got her first ear infection- a double ear infection.  She was put on antibiotics for 10 days.  It didn't help.  So on to another 10 day round of antibiotics.  It helped one ear, but the other ear was still infected.  So on to ANOTHER round of 10 day antibiotics- and her Dr. said that if it didn't help, we would have to consider surgury (tubes).  I was honestly getting a little frustrated here.  30 days straight of antibiotics and surgury for her FIRST ear infection?  Isn't tubes a route that people take when their child has chronic ear infections? 
Now, I'm not the "must do all things all-natural all the time" type.  (not that there's a problem if you do feel that way) I'm doing her immunizations on schedule.  I'm not against antibiotics.  But something just didn't seem right with that much antibiotics for a little girl who wasnt' even 1 years old yet.  So I talked to my friend Jamie who took her kids to the chiropractor to drain their ears.  I was a little skeptical at first.  But when she explained to me that there is no cracking on your baby, I decided to try it.
I called and they got me right in as soon as possible once they heard my story with the ear infections and antibiotics.  So the chiropractor is a little more toward the "must do all things all natural all the time" type.  But I'm totally okay with it.  She did a few things while I held Elise, and what do you know....her ear infection was gone at the next check up.  I couldn't believe it!!  I have been taking her there monthly and she hasn't had an ear infection since!!  All this to say, sometimes pushing the drugs isn't always the answer!!  (as much as i love my ibprofen when I have a headache!)**

Back to my sickling:  So she got a fever on Monday,  Runny nose started Wednesday, and Coughing started today (thurday).  But also she has been fever free all day today.  Silly girl has all these symptoms starting and ending at different times and getting her mama all confused!  Well I have a feeling that this is just a cold.  I'm ready for it to be over though....I'm all done with being housebound.  We miss interaction!!

 

It's my birthday....bang!

Yay!  It's my birthday! (well it was 6 days ago!)  The nice thing about having a birthday so close to Labor day is the 3 day weekend!  Score!  I had an amazing weekend!  We started it off with a movie night on friday...Hunger Games!  Loved it!  It was the first time that I saw it.  When the movie was in theaters, I decided to start reading the books, so I never made it to the theaters to see it.  So after a long wait, it finally came to redbox.  We were able to find it at the 3rd redbox that we went to....i was beginning to give up hope.  Anyways, it was good.  Nick even liked it.
Saturday, we got to bright and early and went Apple Picking with friends!  It felt a little weird going apple picking so early and with it being very hot outside, but we didn't care!

We went home for a quick nap, then off to an "apartment warming" party for a friend.  We got to catch up with some old friends there, and then headed out to dinner with Lauren and Giuseppe.  It was a good and busy day!

Sunday started out with church, of course.  That afternoon, we went to Elise's friends 2nd birthday party!  It was Matthew's racecar party =) She got a purple matchbox as a favor.  The game at the party was a car race. So cute!

Then we went straight to a family clamsteam with some of Nick's mom's cousins.  There are a couple of girls a little older than Elise, so she was happy to just follow them around the whole afternoon.  Monday was just as busy!  We had some friends over for a cookout and visit. Then, that evening was my first birthday celebration!  PF Changs with Nick's family.  I love it there.  But now they post the calorie count of each dish.  Man, that makes my fav (sesame chicken) look like one of the worst options!  sigh.

 

Since we were at the mall, we couldn't resist a walk through the Christmas Tree Shops.  Why is that store so fun to walk through!?!?  I LOVE it!

 

Wednesday was my birthday!  Started it off with a playdate and the kids being jealous that it was my birthday and not theirs.  Yes- seriously they were.  That night Nick took me to Moe's.  Yes- I requested Moe's as my birthday dinner.  I love it there.  I ate there almost on a weekly basis when I was preggo.  yumminess!!  He surprised me and invited my friends to join us!  Loved it!  Thanks everyone for coming out!!

After Wednesday comes Thursday.  Every week.  Yes.  Thursday is where things take a turn and where the title of this post changes to BANG.  Picking up my daughters toys after she went to bed- just a normal thing.  Until I smack my head so hard on a bookshelf.  Not just any bookshelf....

It's a double cornered piece of wood.  I immediately grab my face and lay on the floor to writhe in pain.  Nick comes in the room, thinking I stubbed my toe or something.  He asks to see my face since he sees me holding it.  I start to cry a little.  I'm thinking I'm gonna have the biggest egg of my forehead.  Then I hear Nick's tone change, and he wants to pray.  So he says a prayer, then goes to get a rag to cover my forehead.  I start to freak out a little, then look and see blood on my hands.  I start to freak out even more.  Not knowing how bad it was made it worse.  When I finally made it to the mirror, I knew I needed stiches.  So off to urgent care we went. (mom came so we didn't have to wake up Elise)

I'm doing fine at urgent care, until the dr says that the cut goes right through my eyebrow and there's no way of knowing if the hair will grow back properly, if at all.  I start crying like a baby.  Nick thinks it's no biggie, but it's my face for crying out loud!  I'm so upset.  Then the dr suggests a could get my eyebrow tattoo-ed if need be.  at first i'm thinking she's crazy....but then I realize she means a cosmetic tattoo, not a junkiemulticoloredhippie tattoo parlor.  okay, sounds a little more reasonable.

So 4 stitches later, I'm on my way back home.  Great start to my 28th year!

Elise's birth story

My plan was to stop working the Friday before my due date. Then I would have a week to get the final things in order, such as call the pediatricians office, etc.  That was my plan, but not hers. =)

My due date was Friday, April 1st 2011.  My last day of work was March 25th.  We had a great weekend- went to Chili's for dinner on Saturday night and ran into the D'Arcy's.  Amanda told me to rock in my rocking chair for a LONG time- that it may help induce labor. (at least it helped with her 2 girls)  So we went home and I rocked myself to sleep.  Nick kept rocking me after I fell asleep for awhile before we moved into bed. 

In the middle of the night (around 2am on Monday) I got up to go to the bathroom.  Not too uncommon for a 39 week preggo.  After I finished my business, a rush of more liquid came out....at first I didn't know what happened- and then I realized- my water broke!  I called for Nick (the heaviest sleeper EVER...) and he was instantly up and asking if I was okay. I decided not to call the dr right away since I already had a scheduled appt for 8:30am. So I went back to bed. Light contractions started around 3:30am. Nick came with me to my appt and we were sent right to the hospital. We got there and checked in around 10:30- I was only 1 cm. yes, I had a long way to go.

I think it was around 10:30ish when I got a dose of painkiller (not an epidural, yet) that helped with the pain.  It did make me a little loopy though.  My mom came in around that time, and I really don't have much knowledge of what was said while she was in the room.  Around 11:45pm, I was 5cm. At some point, I got one more dose of that same painkiller, and it didn't help for as long as the first dose did. Actually, it barely helped at all.  Around 3am, I was 6-7cm.  It was around 4am that I knew I needed an epidural.  My plan was to make it as long as I could.  And I had gotten to the point after 24 hrs of labor/contractions that I was so tired and spent and in pain that I needed some rest.  So I got the epidural and was able to get a little bit of sleep.  At 5:40am, I was 9cm. 

Now this is the part of the story where things are a little more fuzzy, and I have no concept of time....so bear with me.  At some point, I remember feeling the urge to push.  I pushed for an hour with Elise's head right in view the whole time.  She wasn't making it through.  The Dr. suggested that we turn down the epidural medicine so that I might be able to feel myself pushing better.  I agreed, hoping that it would make the whole process go faster!!  So we did that and WHOA contractions!!!  I can't even explain how crazy the contactions were after being on the epidural for a couple hours!    After another hour of pushing, I was informed that I would only be able to push for one more hour before I would have to be sent in for a c-section.  They thought that maybe her head was big and preventing her from coming out easily (seeing as she was right there for 2 whole hours of pushing)  This is the point in my story that I wish I had pushed for one more hour.  But I can't go back and change the fact that I decided that I couldn't make it any longer and gave the okay for the c-section.  and then I cried.  so much that they needed to calm me down before they could re-administer the numbing medicine for surgury.  I also had to drink a major yuck orange syrupy drink.

C-sections are so fast moving.  They roll you in, set up the curtain and pretty much start right in.  They asked me if I could feel anything, and I think they were cutting me as they were asking!  Also, they were starting by the time Nick was able to walk in and sit down. So fast- and so many people there! 

So all those people who say that you can't feel anything during a c-section are lying.  You totally can feel....it's just not necessarily pain that you feel.  You feel tugging and pulling and pushing.  It actually made me sick.  I threw up all over Nick.  And yes, it was orange, just like that orange drink I had to have beforehand. (sorry if this is tmi!!!)  and yes, nick didn't bring a change of clothes with him to the hospital! lol  My dr is a tiny little lady, and when she said she needed to push on my tummy a bit, I didn't think to much of it.  until she did it.....literally felt like she was JUMPING on me.  wow.  I was actually given some benadryl at one point cause I felt awful!!  The benadryl must have made me loopy though cause I remember my arm falling off the table and I struggled to get them back up.  I really remember it. really vividly too.  Nick told me that my arms were strapped on the table though....so apparently I was going crazzzzzy.  I also remember being FREEZING.  Like literally shivering!  teeth chattering and all.

 

But then, I heard a baby crying. Elise Christine was born at 11:33.  My first thought- wow, she's here- i can't believe it!  My second thought- hearing the doctors say " wow look at her head!"

 

I pretty much don't remember much else until I woke up in the recovery area and saw Nick sitting in a chair next to me rocking our daughter.  precious!!  It was then that I first tried breastfeeding.  Thankfully she took to it pretty well.  We were moved into our room around 2:30pm.  And then there were THREE!

 

Yes, I made this picture X-Large.  Beacause it's that cute.  And because I picture is most certainly overdue!  We went Apple picking on Saturday. Sept 1st - early, yes.  But with the late frost last spring, it ruined a lot of apple crops so the pickings will be slim this year.  Some orchards aren't even doing pick-your-own.  Sadness.
I'm currently writing out Elise's birth story.  I am so behind with this, and I'm realizing that I don't remember some of the details so I want to get it out before I forget even more!  So once I finish, I'll share.
Well that's all for now.  I'm enjoying my "birthday weekend" and will update on everything once it's over!

Luxury showering

I have entered into a new world of showering.....I suppose we can call it the luxury world of showering.  The game changer?  The Loofah! (why does that just look funny when spelled out?!)

Up until a few days ago, I could never justify spending a ton of money on a loofah.  I figured they were all about the same anyways, just some were smaller than others.   I was SO wrong.  My previous loofah was from good ol' Wally world - the dollar loofah that's in the travel section.  It was getting the the point of ridiculousness.....It was hurting me- almost scratching!  And it was wasting away to almost nothing.....now I already threw it away, but took a picture of my husbands to sorta give you the idea of what it looked like....note that it was a little more ragged than his....cause I used mine a lot more.

But then, while shopping in Target the other day, I can across a beautiful loofah.  I was looking for a cheaper one, but didn't see any, so I picked it up.  Little more expensive than I've ever spent on one- it think it was 2.50- but i got it anyway.  It felt soft.  It looked more full, but I was expecting a new loofah to look better than my old one.  It wasn't until I got it home and compared it to my old one that I realized just how much more full and softer it was.  I couldn't wait to take a shower the next morning. So you can compare the difference, here's the new loofah:

Oh and what a shower it was!  I'll never forget it! haha.  It was so soft and wonderful! A whole new experience in my world of showering.  Bottom line- I will never cheap out on a loofah again.  You shouldn't either. nuff said.

Day 2 and 3

I know, I know....it's only been a day, and I've already slacked!  But I will tell you that I thought about it a few times yesterday, and just didn't get the chance until it was dark!  And you can't take a picture of the view from your window unless it's daylight =)  So folk, here you have it:

Day 2 - View from your window:

Love the view from my bedroom window!  I have a great view of my town (and the 4th of July fireworks!)

Day 3- Where you've slept

See you tomorrow!!

Photo-a-day

Because I've been absolutely terrible at blogging, I'm going to make it up to myself by doing this photo-a-day challenge for February.....

I forgot about it until just now and of course the first picture is a self portrait!  Now if I had known this, I would have actually done more than just showered today....oh well- Here ya go folks- yours truly on Day 1:

Since today was abnormally warm (54 degrees on Feb 1st in upstate ny?!?) I ran outside quickly to take this photo....oh how I miss outside pictures with natural light!!  Came out much better than the indoor ones I tried to take! 

Elise and I went for a walk today with Mike and Duke.  It was sooo nice to get outside and enjoy the warm day and fresh air!  We saw a rainbow...the brightest I have ever seen in my life!  I could see each color lined up!  It was awesome!  I always am reminded of God and His promises whenever I see rainbows.  I love that!

Christmas Giveaway!

What girl doesn't like accessories?  I'm thinking that pretty much every girl- so all 5 of you that read this should go check out Stonewash and Blooms Christmas giveaway!  It's pretty great!

Head over to https://www.facebook.com/#!/stonewashandbloom or https://www.facebook.com/#!/stonewashandbloom

Good luck! (but seriously, I hope that I win....)