Daycare

 

So Since October of last year I have been out of a job. Which worked out okay since I was pregnant with Noah. And up until then I had not had to put Aiden in any kind of daycare because of the flexibility I had with my previous job.

Well last week I was BLESSED with a new AMAZING job…which made me realize that BOTH boys would have to go into day care. I knew that Aiden would be going into school soon but had put it off because the school I was interested in required that he be potty trained…and we are not quite there yet. But the realization that Noah would not be in my care until he was 2 like Aiden just broke my little heart.

Paul and I both agreed that in home child care would be preferable. And after PULENTY of research and a failed visit…we found a woman that we liked!!!! And today was their first day!!!! I am so proud of myself…I didn’t cry and I only called once!!!

The fact that Aiden  was SUPER excited to go today made it easier on me…lol. And when he got home he was STILL excited!!! Which makes me very happy. Noah of course cried for about half of the day but then warmed up to her and enjoyed the rest of the day…whew.

So this the beginning of a new journey of us. Keep us in our prayers!!!

UPDATE TIME!!!!

I know I know...I have been MIA since Noah was born! Well no one told me that having 2 boys 20 months apart was gonna be such HARD WORK!!!! I have slacked off in updating ALL of the blogs. So I am here to say that tonight I will be posting some wonderful pics of my now 2 year old SUPER big brother Aiden and my most adorable 6 month old little brown bear Noah!!!! So check back tomorrow to get the low down on this journey I have been on!!!!


Signed

Exhausted Mommy

Door Knob Covers!!!!!

Today (for the second time since he was born), Aiden has scared 10 years off my life. This time Paul got to be scared with me (last time he was running an errand). Recently Aiden learned how to open doors using a traditional door knob. He LOVES going to his PaPa’s (Paul’s Dad) house and his Lubby’s(Paul’s Mom) house because they have the door handles that open all the doors. He has been able to open those for about a year…lol. We also realized recently that he knows how to unlock doors as well…and he is so durn tall that he can unlock the top lock on the front door!!!

On a daily basis he goes outside to walk our dog with his Daddy-Dad(what he now calls Paul…lol)…no big deal right? So this afternoon he decided to take him out on his own. I was upstairs putting the baby to sleep for his nap and Paul was going to get the water out of the car. We both thought Aiden was with the other parent…that always is a bad recipe.  So Paul comes upstairs, after I hear doors open and close about 5 times, and asks me if Aiden was with me. OH HELLLLLL NO!!!! Good thing the baby was sleep because I put him in the swing and ran out the house. My strategy was to find the dog because he was going to hear me calling and come running before Aiden would hear me. And I assumed that Aiden would be with him. THANK GOD I WAS RIGHT!!!! I only had to call out once and a man asked me if I was looking for a little boy and pointed down the street. And sure enough Aiden was following behind park. But he was ALL THE WAY DOWN THE STREET. He was crying and happy to see Mommy!!! And boy was I happy to see him!!!!

So what did I do as soon as I got in the house I told Paul…we HAVE to get door knob covers. We have a 3 story townhouse so we only need them for the 3 doors downstairs. So let the research begin. I went to Babies R Us first because I assumed they would have more than one brand, but I was wrong. They only carried the Safety 1st Twist & Grip Knob Covers that had HORRIBLE reviews everywhere I looked. The most common reviews were that the material was flimsy and that the child would figure out pretty quickly that if they put their fingers thru the holes they could grip the door knob. Then I went to Amazon.com because they have everything. So next up I looked at the Mommy’s Helper Door Knob Safety Knob Covers and those reviews were a little better but the most common review stated that they were made of flimsy material and easy to break with pressure.

So I tried one more brand…American Red Cross Door Knob Covers. I mean you want a product that will prevent the CHILD from getting out and not the ADULT….lol. All of the reviews stated that after trying 4-5 different brands this was the one that worked!!! So I ordered those puppies!!! I mean you get 3 for $3.59 (free shipping and no tax!!), and I am willing to loose that little bit of money to get a WHOLE lot of piece of mind. Aiden is a VERY smart child and I am sure that he will figure out how to get around the door knob locks but at the same time he could also get mad at this little obstacle and forget about trying to go outside. Or get distracted by one of his trucks or trains while trying to get around the cover…lol. We can all hope huh?

 

So be on the look out for my update to this entry on how they work. I got free second day shipping and they shipped out about an hour and a half after I placed the order!!!! How about them apples….I will have them in the mail box on Monday afternoon!!!!

Child Seat Belt for Airplanes!!!!!!!!!!

So I was at the doctors office today to get my IUD (that will come in another post) and decided to read the Parenting magazine to see if they had any fun summer ideas for me to do with Aiden.  There is a page in there where they have a bunch of different ads for products that Mommy’s would love and I came across something that DEFINITELY caught my eye!!!

Aiden will be 2 on the 29th of August and we will be taking his last flight before I have to buy him a plane ticket the weekend of his birthday. When I researched what will be the protocol after he turns 2 the airline website listed that I will have to bring a car seat on board. WHAT!!! I mean I did purchase the Sunshine Kids Radian 65 that IS FAA approved but I don’t want to lug that sucker thru the airport in addition to Aiden, probably Noah and all the goodies that keep our flight friendly for the res of the passengers. I have NEVER seen a child with a car seat on the plane so I assume that this is not a policy that has a strict enforcement. Then I thought, well the seat belt on the airplane can NOT be safe for children…I mean seriously.

So next month I will be purchasing…drum roll please…a CARES (Child Aviation Restraint System) for Aiden!!! It is a belt buckle device specially designed for children 22-44lbs!!!! And it is the ONLY harness type child aviation safety restraint ever certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

             

              

I can’t tell you how excited I am to find something like this. It will make flying with both boys a MUCH easier process. I mean Aiden is normally ALL OVER the place so I know he is NOT going to sit in his own seat if he can unhook the regular seat belt…which has been able to do since he was 17 months old.  But with this he won’t be able to get loose!!!! It is essentially a car seat without the big ole car seat!!!! Here is some exact wording from their web site:

Each year more and more young children fly. But until CARES came along, what was missing was a convenient, hassle-free way to keep young flyers safe. Here’s what makes CARES such an invaluable travel solution: 

• CARES is the first and only harness type Aviation Child Safety Device to be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as an alternative to a car seat.
• CARES is an elegantly designed belt-and-buckle device that works in conjunction with the regular airplane seat belt and provides young travelers the same level of safety as a car seat.
• CARES weighs just one pound and fits into a 6" stuff sack! It is easily portable, simple to install, adjustable to every size airplane seat, and usable on any seat in the airplane, except in the emergency exit rows.
• Need your car seat on the other end of the trip? Just check it through as luggage – and carry CARES on board in your pocket!

CARES is manufactured exclusively by AmSafe Aviation, the foremost manufacturer of aviation seatbelts and pilot restraints in the world. (Turn over your airplane seat belt buckle. Chances are it says AmSafe.) CARES is made of the same industrial-strength webbing as your own seat belt and is engineered to the highest aviation-safety standards.

I mean how cool is that!!!! It does cost a little bit more than I would like ($74.95) but it will be well worth it!!!! It even comes with a little bag to carry it in that will fit easily into your diaper bag so not toting a big car seat anymore!!!! (Insert Happy Mommy Dance!!!!!)

Happy Flying!!!

DEALS!!!! (***Updated***)

I have been meaning to do a post about places online that I love for deals on baby and kids stuff!!! Of course I am a SERIOUS fan of Old Navy and BabyGap and get emails regularly about their sales...I suggest all Mommy's out there to sign up for e-mail alerts to their favorite places to shop for their little ones. You get heads up on deals before everyone else!!!! You can also go in the store and ask them when they put new items on sale so you can get that cute outfit you have had your eye on!!!

So there are two web sites that have daily deals. And they have some GREAT deals. Just a couple days ago one site had 6 pair (3 for boys and 3 for girls) of See Kai Run Shoes on sale for 55% off!!!! They have sales on everything from cloth diapers to diaper bags to stainless steel water bottles to clothing!!!

So visit Baby Half Off and Baby Steals. If you are on FB or Twitter be sure to follow them so you get the item of the day first!!!!

UPDATE!!!!

I have also added Kid Steals and Baby Cheap Skate to my list of Mommy faves!!!! Kid Steals are deals for toddler and kids. And Baby Cheap Skate is coupons, coupon codes and special deals for babies, toddlers and kids!!!!

Noah's Newborn Shoot

As I posted a few weeks ago we did a newborn shoot with the wonderful Paul Wendl at his studio. Paul and I have been waiting to be able to see the wonderful pics and we FINALLY got the proofs last week. And needless to say we were MORE than satisfied!!!! You can visit Noah's blog to see the pictures. But I thought that I would share with you the first and only (so far) family picture of ours.

Hot Chicks, Hot Food Picks!!!

LET THE MOVEMENT BEGIN!!!!! I am an AVID FB poster...and normally my posts have something to do about food. I have a Line Sister that lives in Chicago that shares my love of all things YUMMY!! People tell us all the time that we should have a show on my FAVORITE channel...The Food Network. And we have decided that we agree!!!! So we have created a page on Facebook. You can link to it on the left of my blog...feel free to click the like bottom at the top of the Hot Chicks page. You will get regular food reviews (on spots that we go to in our home cities as well as when we travel), recipes, restaurant deals, videos of spots we visit, etc. You can even post your own reviews or recommend places for us to visit!!!!

We are super excited. You can also follow us on twitter @ChiLantaFoodies!!! Tell your friends...and tell your friends to tell their friends. Maybe if we get enough followers on FB and twitter The Food Network will take our tape seriously once we send it in...lol.

You can visit Cherish's blog at http://therealcherish.blogspot.com/ where she talks about fashion, food, traveling, among other things!!!

Breastfeeding!!!!!!

Let me begin by saying that being a Mommy of two is HARD WORK!!! lol...but I am loving every minute.

In August of 1999 I had a breast reduction...that was much needed. And at that time children and breast feeding were VERY far off of my radar. So when I got pregnant with Aiden I knew that being able to breast feed was something that was up in the air and I would not know if I was able to do so until after he was born. While I was pregnant I did TONS of research about breastfeeding after a breast reduction and basically everything told me what I already knew...it was going to be a crap shoot.

Most of the research said that if the reduction was done more than 5 years before the birth of the child then you had a greater risk of being able to. And that if you pump or attempt to breast feed with your first child then you will more than likely have more milk for the children that follow.

Well with Aiden I had milk...but not much of it, and Aiden was greedy so when he latched on and it was not shooting out he was not having that!!! So I pumped for about a month and then my little bit of milk went bye bye. Even with pumping I only got 4oz out of one breast ONCE...and I was too excited. Most commonly I was getting about 1.5oz out of each breast. So he was at least getting a little bit. It was really hard to be pumping every time I fed Aiden. I mean I would pump for 30 minutes right after I fed Aiden...then it felt like by the time I was done it was time to feed him again!!!!! I was exhausted!!! But I did what I had to do.

And I am glad that I did because with Noah I CAN BREASTFEED!!! YAY!!!! Noah is much more patient than Aiden. Noah latched on in the hospital and has worked with me from day one...lol. I felt my milk coming in the day I was being discharged so I pumped a little bit, but by the time I got home I was FULLY engorged and in agonizing pain. Poor Noah tried to help Mommy out but my breasts were so hard that he could not latch on. I felt so much better when my mommy brought the pump and I relieved that pressure.

I knew that I would not be able to exclusively breast feed but Noah has gotten quite a bit of breast milk. There was even an instance where I was naked and my milk was shooting out of one of my breasts...I was SOOOOOO excited...lol. He normally gets breast milk all through the night and formula during the day. Which works for me and him. But I think he is getting lazy and not wanting to latch...either way I am MORE than happy that I have been able to give him SOME breast milk for the past 9 weeks!!!

So for all you mommy's out there that have had some type of breast surgery dont be discouraged. Pump pump pump and it will give you a better chance of producing more the second time around. And if you are going to have some surgery done and have yet to have any children express your interest in being able to breast feed in the future. That way they can be cautious around your milk ducks.

If you want more information go to Breast Feeding After Breast and Nipple Surgeries and if you want information on increasing your milk supply go to Low Milk Supply.

Knowledge is Power with stuff like this!!!

My Boys!!!!

Here are some pics of my boy...the Douglass'...just chillin in the bed with Mommy!!!! Love them to pieces.

Big Brother Aiden checking the temp of the milk...lol...

Northside vs. Crawford Long Hospital

Okay so I know I was suppose to do this post like weeks ago but needless to say two little boys have me fully occupied!!! Aiden was born at Northside Hospital and Noah was born at Crawford Long (now Emory University Hospital Midtown). And I have to say that my experience was totally different at each one, but neither experience was what I would call a bad one. I will list my pros and cons for each one, but like I said....I did not have a BAD experience at either...they were just different.

Northside Hospital
1000 Johnson Ferry Road
Atlanta, GA 30342-1611
www.northside.com

Planned to have a vaginal birth but ended up having a cesarean after 24 hours of labor due to developed fever. Was sent to the hospital by mid wife at 41 weeks due to low amniotic fluid.

Pros: One of the top Maternity hospitals in the country...they have nicknamed this place the baby factory!! Hospital was easy to get to from the freeway, but if you go into labor in the afternoon (as I did) it will be difficult to navigate through traffic. You can pull up curb side right to the Maternity center and father/coach can move the car once you are checked in...which was GREAT. Parking was FREE for the father!!!!

Check in was quick and painless. The Birthing suite was BEAUTIFUL!!! Very spacious and they were very accommodating to the family. They had all of the delivery menu's in a folder for easy reference. Standard gowns but they didn't provide those socks with the traction on them...but I had some of my own. The nursing staff was FABULOUS and I found it hard to decide which nurses got my Godiva Chocolate treats that I got for them. Thank goodness I has some nurses more than one day/night. The anesthesiologist was great and I felt NO pain while prepping for or recovering from my c-section. Paul was able to take pictures throughout the procedure which was great!!! I was in recovery FOREVER while waiting for them to take me to my room...FOREVER. They had one nurse in the recovery room so I had to wait for her to deal with people that got in there before me before she could get me sent upstairs...UGH!! But they gave Aiden his first bath and allowed me to hold him before they took him to the nursery.

Security was great for the baby and the photo people came the day after he was born. They did a good job and were good with Aiden. Window seat where Paul had to sleep was a little small and the mother/baby suite was a tad small, but we were on one of the older floors and not in a new mother/baby suite. Bathroom was a decent size but I don't remember them providing toiletries (even though I had my own). But they DID have these cute buttons for all of the family members that were free. Buttons that said "I am the Grandmother" "I am the father" "I am the auntie/uncle" etc...very cute!!!

Food was okay, but it was hospital food. Lactation people were great and I was able to rent a pump from my room!!! They showed me how to use it and got me the attachments that I needed. Check out was not slow but not fast either. But they were very accommodating and checked on Aiden and I often to see if we were okay or if we needed anything.

Pro's: GREAT facility, easy check in, good infant security, pump rental on site, free parking, GREAT nursing staff.

Con's: not close to our home, no extras like socks and toiletries, small mother/baby unit, small sleeping area for partner/father/coach

Overall I loved this hospital...the only reason I ended up not going back was because the OB that I wanted only has privileges at Piedmont an Crawford Long.


Emory University Hospital Midtown (Crawford Long)
550 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA 30309
404-778-7777
www.emoryhealthcare.org

This was a 7am scheduled cesarean at 39 weeks 5 days after no dilation or cervical change.

Pre op testing that was done the day before took FOREVER and I had Aiden (20 month old) with me, but it made check in the next morning very quick. Facility is close to my home and very easy to get to from the freeway. But it is downtown Atlanta so the possibility of getting stuck in traffic is pretty high. Parking is not free nor is it cheap. You can get a week long parking pass for $25 otherwise you will average $7 per day in the parking deck. You can be dropped off in front but there is no area for idle parking so your partner/the father would have to leave you there and go park in the MASSIVE parking deck.

We were only waiting for maybe 5 minutes until we were taken back to pre op. In that area I was given a standard gown and SOCKS with the traction on them. They also gave me a garment bag for me to put my clothes in!!! That was a nice touch. Paul was able to stay with me until they took me into the operating room and he was allowed in there after I as prepped. Anesthesia was not as pleasant this time but that is because I felt them do the spinal this time. With Aiden I was in so much pain that I didn't feel when the epidural was administered.

When Noah was born they gave us this really cool certificate of birth (not official) that had his foot prints on it...an it was on really nice paper. They did not allow Paul to take pictures until he was out of my stomach. The recovery nurses were great and I didn't feel like I was in there that long but I only got to see Noah for a few seconds in the operating room before they took him up to the nursery where he got his bath and was weighed. But I did have my own personal nurse in the recovery room that put a lot of effort to get me up to my baby.

Security at Crawford Long was just as great and in some ways better. In the new hospital wing they took your picture and had to see ID before you could go back. Our OB requested that we be taken to the old Maternity wing and once I got there I realized why. The room was HUGE!!! I mean HUGE. She was thinking of us and the fact that we had a 21 month old that is very active and the extra room came in VERY handy!!! They didn't take your picture in the old wing unless you went thru the new facility to get to the old. But you could not go past the nursing station without signing in. One problem with being in the old wing is that it was hard to find!!! Everyone that came to visit was like...dang it was hard to find you guys!!!

The photo people came in the day after he was born and he was sleep so I asked for them to come back later that day or the following morning. Well they NEVER came back!!! I had to call them on the day I was suppose to leave in order for them to come and take his picture. But they did a great job and did different poses that Northside's photo lady did not offer.

Once again...food was okay...lol. But the lactation people had me on the fence. They DID come and see me like 4 times but for some reason they got the impression that I didn't want to breast feed (even though I asked about pump rental). so they showed me a lot but it was not until the last day I was there that I got a FAB nurse that brought me a hand pump then offered to bring me a real pump!!! WHAT!!! The lactation people told me they didn't have pumps!!! One thing I didn't like was that the hospital did not have rentals available. So as I went home, beginning to engorge, I had to have my mom go and get a rental pump!!! ugh...I was in so much pain!!!

Check out was SLOW and the nurse that was handling the check out was SO RUDE!!!

Pro's:Room size!!!! security was good...recovery nursing staff was great!!! Closer to home and family.

Con's: expensive parking, not a lot of food options (esp ones that deliver), no pump rental, nurses were just okay, don't get to spend any time with the baby after c-section other than the few seconds you see the baby in the operating room.

So when if I had to choose between the 2 hospitals I would choose Northside (if my OB had privileges there). But Crawford Long is the hospital you want to go to if your baby is a preemie and needs NICU support! But for a standard delivery/cesarean Northside is the place to go!!!!

A Star is Born!!!!

He is here!!!! FINALLY!!!! On Tuesday May 18th I went into the hospital for a 10am scheduled c-section and Noah Oliver Douglass was born at 11:06am!!!! I was anxious and scared as hell to get that spinal block (which did NOT feel good!!). But once I got it and we got to going I just wanted to see the new man in my life!!! And he was SO worth the LONG wait!!! He came out SCREAMING and pissed off that we took him out of his comfort zone!!! I wanted to get off the operating room table and soothe him so bad, but of course I couldn't!

Everything went smoothly, I got to recovery and was ready to see Noah!!! Of course he was up in the nursery meeting Daddy and Granna. My Mom was ending me pictures via text...yes I had my phone in recovery...lol. By the time I got to the room it was almost 2pm!!!! But I was happy on I got there. Noah was beautiful he has this head full of black hair and the juiciest cheeks and lips!!! I was in love from first sight!!!

I can honestly say that I was concerned while I was pregnant. Concerned that I would not love Noah as much as I love Aiden. Aiden is my first born and I could not imagine loving two people as much as I love Aiden. Someone told me that as soon as I saw Noah that concern would go away and they were SO right.

We were in the hospital until Friday afternoon and Saturday we had lots of visitors. I over did it that day because I was HURTING for a coupe days after wards. I should NOT have been going up and down those stairs like I was, but people kept showing up...lol. Learned my lesion.

Recovery has actually been a little better this time around. Maybe it is because I knew what to expect and knew what I should and should not do. So I have been keeping my butt in bed...well as much as I can take. My responsibility is Noah. Paul takes care of me and Aiden...and he has been doing pretty durn well!!! Hopefully I will get to escape out of the house soon just to do something simple like get a pedicure!!!

So below are some pictures from when we were in the hospital. Aiden stayed with Auntie Lauren and Uncle Travis the first 2 days and stayed with Granna the second 2 nights. He was in hog heaven and was not worried about coming home on Friday night. But he LOVES his little brother!!!! He wakes up asking about "baby" and kisses him first before he goes to bed at night!!! It is a beautiful thing...especially since I know it will be short lived once Noah gets a little older.

I will be doing a post this weekend comparing my experience at Northside to my experience at Crawford Long...and they were TOTALLY different. Enjoy the pictures!!!!

At the hospital bright and early...7:45am to be exact!!!

Waiting patiently for Dr. Davis-Williams to be ready for me...

Paul is dressed and ready to go!!!

My last belly shot...39 weeks 5 days!!!!

A Star is Born!!!

Isn't this cool!!! Didn't get one of these at Northside!!!!

Noah looks like he is in a burrito for real...lol

Love at first sight!!!

Hi Granna!!!!

Hi Daddy!!!

Me in recovery waiting to be able to bend my knees before they will let me go to my baby!!!

GrandPaul...the first one to get to hold Noah. (He was the first to hold Aiden too)

Proud Parents

Aiden meeting his brother for the first time...he was in awe...

Happy family...Aiden saying "feet" and pointing to Noah's feet. How cute!!!

Daddy Diaper Duty!!!!!

Aiden taking his little brother for a stroll around the room...

Noah Oliver Douglass

Oreo mouth Big Brother...Aiden Joseph Douglass

Aiden helping Daddy feed Noah his bottle...

Proud GodParents

I see the light....

This may possibly be my last post before Noah arrives!!!! I had a WONDERFUL Mother's Day weekend!!! Friday my Mom had Aiden so Paul and I could go on a date before Noah arrives. We went and say Iron Man 2 and it was GREAT!!!! But of course I was having PLENTY of contractions during the movie. And man when we got home they just kept coming and coming...like 5 minutes apart!!!! But I REFUSED to go to the hospital unless I was 100% sure I was in labor!!!!

Then I had a nice relaxing day on Saturday and Sunday started off with me going to the grocery store to stock up on items for the house before Noah arrives. That same morning before Paul and Aiden went to Mass I got hugs, kisses, and a Pocket Reader!!!! I have been wanting one forever!!!! I look forward to reading plenty of books on it!!! Then my Mommy, cousin Jareen, and her two kids came over to fix a Mother's Day Brunch!!! Aiden and Paul came home right on time to eat...lol. Then we all got out the house and went to the Auburn Festival downtown Atlanta. It was a beautiful 71 degrees in Atlanta which was perfect because if it was any hotter I would not have made it.

I had the bright idea of going to the festival so I could attempt to walk Noah out...well that didn't work. All that happened was me get frustrated with all the people there and end up in SERIOUS back pain for the rest of the night!!! We came home and threw some stuff on the grill and I made my first peach cobbler that came out WONDERFUL thanks to my line sister Tasha who gave me the recipe!!!

I am now 38 weeks and 5 days pregnant and we go to the doctor tomorrow afternoon. And just to be sure I will be bringing my overnight bag with me!!!! I hope that they admit me to the hospital for pitocin because my cervix has ripened more and I have dilated to 2-3cm!!!! Otherwise we will be going in for a c-section on Wednesday or Thursday...but I PRAY that does not happen. Stay tuned to Noah and Aiden's blog to see pictures of both because I have a feeling that once Noah comes I will be too wore out to update anything!!!!!

Nursery is underway!!!!**Updated*

This weekend was VERY productive!!!!! I am SOOOO excited!!! Saturday Paul FINALLY started on the nursery!! He put the second rack up in the closet and painted both the stencil and the stars on the adjacent wall to Aiden's name and dots. The closet looks FABULOUS...as a matter of fact it inspired him to put another shelf in his closet for his shoes...lol. And the stars came out wonderful...unfortunately the stencil did not come out so good, but it has nothing to do with anything that Paul did or did not do correctly. It looks great from a distance, but up close you can see the bleeding that occurred on the WHOLE stencil. Which is super strange. It is the same stencil company and paint that we used for Aiden's name, but the result was totally different. We are trying to decide if we want to just get another stencil with the same font or change the arrangement of the name completely. Paul took pictures with his camera...and I took a few with mine. So below are the ones I took with my camera.

Today I cleaned the infant car seat, put Aiden's clothes on the bottom rack and some of Noah's on the top rack, re arranged the drawers in the dresser (I think we may have to buy a second one...ugh), cleaned all the covers for the bouncy seats and swings, um.....lol...the list goes on. needless to say I am in a serious nesting mode. I didn't nest while I was pregnant with Aiden and that may be because I was super swollen at the end and just ready for it to be over. With Noah I am in serious pain (back and nerve pain) and anxious to see if I will be able to have the vaginal birth that I desire so badly to have!!!!

I am having PLENTY of contractions but not all of them are painful. But I average about 4 an hour...which is good I guess. We have a doctors appointment tomorrow (37 weeks 5 days) and I HOPE she tells me that I have dilated to AT LEAST 1cm!!!! If I am not dilated I will be very disappointed and closer to accepting that next Thursday I will be having a c-section...and that will make me very sad.

There are still things on my to do list!!! I need to get the pack and play up from the closet in the guest room and clean that, bring the swing up from the guest room, we need to order the crib and get the mattress, re arrange the nursery, finish packing my bag, go to babies r us to get a couple items that I still need, find some bedding that I love (the one I fell in love with was sold out and discontinued so that is out!!), ....um...lol. I am sure that I am missing some things. So I hope that I can get them done this week just in case Noah decides to come!!!

Wall with just the stencil

Wall after the name stencil has been painted as well as the stars

Aiden's wall...directly across from Noah's

Beginning phase of Paul putting the shelve up...
He is making GREAT progress...
And the finished product. I put Aiden's clothes on the bottom so he can access them (and he LOVES that) and only have hung up newborn and 0-3 month clothes. I need more hangers!!!! lol

**UPDATE*** I got more hangers and will be hanging up a TON (60 hangers worth) of clothes today!!! YAY!!! Also, I contacted the company that we use for the stencils (Woodland Manufacturing) and they are going to send us out a replacement stencil at no charge!!! How about that customer service. What I love about them is that you can customize the stencil to whatever font you want to use!!! How FAB is that????

How do I look?????

Well I think I look big and uncomfortable!!!! Mommy took this picture of me yesterday when Paul, Mommy, Aiden and I were at the Inman Park festival having a ball when I had to take a break because I had the nerve to wear some sandals. Well I didn't really know that we were going to actually get to go, but we did. And we had fun. Unfortunately my body was not having as much fun. Lmbo. I knew that I would be paying for all that walking later last night and sure enough I was. But it was worth it. I am posting pictures of all the fun that Aiden had on his blog, but I had to post this picture of me at 36 weeks and 3 days!!!!

BABY SHOWER PICS!!!!

So last night Paul went through and edited the pictures that were taken for at the baby shower. I have been waiting what seems like FOREVER to be able to see them and once again he did NOT disappoint. They pictures definitely captured the spirit of the event and how much fun everyone had. The above picture includes my best friends (all who came in town from Minnesota, Washington DC, Alabama and Memphis) who pulled this event off. Words can not express how thankful I am to have such caring friends in my life. I am truely blessed when it comes to the friends that I have made over the years.

Anywhoo...you can go to Noah's blog (click here) to see all of the pictures because it would just take TOO long for me to upload them to this post...lol. Oh and below is one of my favorite pictures from that day....of me and my HILARIOUS Sorors that were present.


On another note...yesterday marked 35 weeks for us and we are rounding 3rd base on our way home!!!! I am tired of being in bed the majority of the time, but I know that next Thursday will be my LAST day having to do this...lol. My mom came and busted me out of jail yesterday and drove me around to take care of a few things that were on my to do list. I was SO happy she was able to do this. She also took me to my doctor appointment. When we first got there they took my BP and it was pretty high (150/90)...and my BP has NEVER been high. During the appointment the Nurse Practitioner was concerned about it so she took it again just to be sure....and it was still a little high but low enough for her to let me go home rather than checking me into the hospital. They drew some blood to make sure nothing was going on to be concerned about and when I called today to check they said everything looked fine. So maybe all of the activity from that day (since I had not been out the house other than to go to the doctor in over a week) made my BP elevate a little.

So next Thursday I will come off of this medication that they have me on and HOPE that I go into labor within a week or two!!! YAY!!!! I will be a walking and organizing fool in anticipation!!!!

MAJOR changes going on!!!!

As I posted earlier I have been having contractions. I thought that they had slowed down and that things were back to normal. Well I guess I was wrong!!!!

Last week after our 33 week doctor visit I had to go see my very good friend THE Reco Chapple to get my dress for the baby shower. As I was trying it on it felt like I pulled a muscle in my lower abdomen. It was pretty sore but I kept on pushing. The baby shower went off without a hitch (I will post pics later) on Saturday and every time someone touched my stomach they would say how hard it was...I guess I had gotten use to the contractions...or maybe because I am always moving I was not feeling them as much.

Well the pain in my abdomen has gotten VERY uncomfortable so I emailed my doctor this morning and she had someone call me to arrange for me to come in today so they can check me out. When I got there I knew that I was not getting to see her but her PA but I talked to her in the hallway and she initially thought it was stretched ligaments and recommended one of those belly support thinggys. But little did I know that she told the PA to hook me up to the fetal monitor just to be sure.

Well after about 30 minutes on the monitor she came in...looked at the print out...and said...you are contracting pretty regularly!!!! I look at her like...okay what does that mean? She says well I am going to put you on some meds to slow the contractions, check you to see if you are dilating, and have you come back in a couple days for a possible 24 hour stay in the hospital. WHHHHAAAAATTTTT did you just say?????? So basically after checking me, I have not begun to dilate but if I DON'T take these meds my body will eventually go into active labor. Which at 34 weeks we DO NOT want. I can only be on the meds for 2 weeks...so at 36 weeks they will just let my body do what it is going to do naturally.

I am STILL in shock!!!! Besides the fact that these meds having me feeling like I am going thru withdrawal with all the jitters and stuff, I AM STUCK IN BED!!!! She put me on bed rest!!!!!! WTH!!!! I am a complete control freak...so bed rest will drive me bananas!!!!!

Upside to all of this is that I may actually get to deliver Noah vaginally!!!!! Thank GOD for my and Paul's family. My mom has agreed to do my grocery shopping this weekend and I just got off the phone with Paul's cousin (and Noah's Godmother) and she is making us dinner tonight!!!!

I am hoping that when I go to the doctor tomorrow they DO NOT have to admit me to the hospital for 24 hours to get IV fluids. I mean how much would that suck??

I hope to be able to post pictures from the MOST WONDERFUL BABY SHOWER EVER that my friends threw for Paul and I this past weekend. I can not describe the fun we had!!!!

So until then...expect plenty of blog entries as I lay here in bed...lol

Chances

(yes this is me)

No one's perfect,that's what they say,
And you've probably had a not-so-perfect day.

Well I'm not perfection,that's for sure.
I've had my bad days, those days with no cure.

~~~~~~~

There won't always be a second chance.
Sometimes your first is your final dance.
But if you are lucky and if God does so choose,
you'll be sent a message, go grab it... or lose.

~~~~~~~~

My message came, in two bundles of joy.
That bundle just happened to be my baby boys.

~~~~~~~~~

I got my life together, and I got my "stuff" straight.
To have that little angel, Must have been fate.
Now I'm the person, I always knew I could be.
A Mommy to my angels, is all I ever wanted for me.

33 weeks!!!!!

The countdown is about to begin!!!! We had a doctors appointment yesterday and after a 3 hour wait (unacceptable) there is nothing new to report other than I lost 1 pound in the past 2 weeks. Which seems pretty good since I had GAINED 10 pounds in 4 weeks!!!

I am overflowing with excitement right now. This weekend is Noah's baby shower bash and I can't wait to see all of my girls!!!! It is VERY rare that I have all 4 of my best friends together (last time was for Aiden's baby shower almost 2 years ago)!!!! Tonya, Jewel and Natalia get here tomorrow evening and Kimmy gets here Friday afternoon with Naomi!!! We will go to the movies...maybe out to eat...then back home to chillax!!!! I will post pictures of Kim's beautiful baby shower invite creation as soon as Paul takes pictures of it. I just know that the shower is going to be fabulous!!! And TONS of people are coming from out of town to celebrate with us!!!

Yesterday after the doctors appointment we went by my very good friend Reco Chappel's studio so he can whip me up a dress for my shower this weekend and that is exactly what he did in an HOUR!!!! I was told that I can not wear a mommy-like dress...because Kimmy KNOWS that I would...lol. I LOVE my dress he made for me...he is the one that made the black dress for the formal we went to in January.

This is him whipping it together...lol
And here are a few pictures that Paul took of my and the belly a few weeks ago right before my birthday. Normally Aiden loves putting lotion or kissing on my belly but he was just not cooperating that evening...lol.

I AM IN PAIN!!!!!

Yesterday was a busy day for us. We went to The Children's Museum, Centennial Park and to the Georgia World Congress Center for a car show...and WE WALKED FROM ONE LOCATION TO THE NEXT!!!! Not to mention that allergy season has kicked off in Atlanta and my suffering has begun. Aiden had a BALL...it was so fun to watch him explore at the Children's Museum, laugh his way down the slides, and run around the car show in amazement as he wanted to get into every single car!!!! It was fun to watch as I winced in pain with each step...lol.

I knew that as long as I was moving that my body would be okay...but as soon as I was stationary for a few minutes my bones would settle and my muscles would begin to tighten. So after what had to be 3 miles of walking I got in the car and low and behold...I COULD NOT GET OUT!!!! AND I could barely walk up the stairs to get into bed where I have stayed!!!! So my feet, my back, my pelvis AND my head hurt.

I was advised by my mommy to take a log hot shower...but guess what...I could NOT stand up in the shower to take one...lol. Like I told Paul last night, I wish that men could experience what it feels like to be almost 8 months pregnant for 24 hours!!!! THEN maybe they will understand how we feel. But it will all be worth it in the end. Because when Noah is born all of these ailments will disappear and I will have a perfect little angel in may arms to love and cherish!!!!

3 x a DIME...

Last weekend it was my turn to turn 30...and I didnt feel like it was anything special. I mean I guess I was underwhelmed or disappointed. My birthday is a very important day to me and I tend to like to really celebrate. I always knew that I would be somewhere exotic for my 30th birthday, but accepted that it would not be possible because of my current condition...lol.

I wasn't surrounded by friends...who will make my birthday a big deal because they know how I feel about birthdays, but I was with Aiden, Paul and my Mommy which was good. Maybe it is that 2 of my 4 BFF's that have turned 30 recently have had great surprises for their birthdays. I just didn't feel like this birthday was about me. But oh well...it is over now.

What was great is that I got the 3D ultrasound of Noah that I wanted for my birthday!!! He is a little cutie just like Aiden...he actually looks a lot like Aiden did in his 3D ultrasound. Noah was smiling, opening his eyes, opening his mouth, and putting his foot in his mouth. It was amazing!!!



Tomorrow I will be 31 weeks and yesterday we had our check up. I cant believe that Noah will be here in a matter of weeks. But I was in the state of shock when i was told that I had gained 10lbs since my last appointment!!!!! WHHHHAAAAATTTT!!!!! That brings me to a total of 26lbs. I am so depressed!!! lmbo...it is true that I have enjoyed food a lot more this time than with Aiden but DURN!!!!! So I will have to be a little more disciplined in the coming weeks with what I eat. No more sweets, and chips, and liquids that are not water or juice. I am so sad...lol.