Hospital Bag Edition

Here's what I got for me and Brian-

* Travel sized toothbrush and tooth paste. 

* Trial deodorants. Brian got my favorite- the Axe Dark Temptations (smells like chocolate). Maybe he thinks I won't want to kill him in the delivery room if he smells like chocolate.

* Shampoo Conditioner because I can't read. (I picked some shampoo up the next day) 

* For me, Maxi pads. These are staying at home. Unfortunately, a huge necessity. And a pain in the ass to find. Did you know that I couldn't find these maximum absorption ones to save my life? All the brands they had on the shelf were for "light flow days" like wtf. But I found these stuffed in the back of a shelf with some dust on them. I will give them purpose.

* Heating pad. Although I'm not really sure I will need one, but it never hurts to be prepared.
* Lansinoh lanolin cream. This bad boy was $10 for less than 1.5 ounce tube... but you really do not need much at all. And it totally helps! A small pea sized amount is all I need and I only need it once a day. I went from cracked, bleeding, sore breasts to just sore in about 3 days.
* A night gown. It's a size 2x from Wal-Mart- but it fits me perfectly and with the baby bump it actually hits about mid-calf. It's perfect. Big, loose sleeves. Zipper from top to bottom. POCKETS. I'm a little bummed about a 2x but I'm not going to get hung up on it. In fact, I want another in blue. This one is pink.

Here's what I got for the baby- 

* A going home outfit, complete with matching hat. 

* A heavy receiving blanket to wrap him up in on the way home
* The baby book. I already filled out some of it- like the "How Mommy and Daddy felt when they found out" and "What Mommy and Daddy got at the baby shower"
* Baby booties from the baby shower cake. I can't wait to write his name, date, weight and length on them. I am so excited! 

I love the little extra padded knee area. Brian said its to clean our floors. Hahaha

Airplane! Vroom!

He's already a pro. 

It's not a bi plane... its a butt plane! hahaha

Aww the hat

Yes a matching blanket too! Yay!! 

Just look at how cute this baby outfit is! It makes me squeal and go AWWWWWWWWWWW every single time I see it. It's a 0-3 Months so I can't wait to put the little bugger in it! :>)

Is there anything else I need to pack? Besides clothes for me and Brian?

Ps That rocking chair is soooo comfortable. I sit in it for like an hour each day just because I can! 

I Got Baby-Baby Fever!

Okay, since I watched the birth videos, started thinking of baby names, and cry every time I think of the moment where we heard the baby's heart beat for the first time, I'm going to suggest that my baby fever has reached a new high. It's the kind of fever I hope doesn't break!

I've been thinking on and off about my baby shower since I found out I was pregnant, but today I started planning in earnest. I write down every little idea that pops in my head and I started updating the registries we have. We have two. One at Wal-Mart and one at Babies-R-Us/Toys-R-Us (since they are the same company)

I had a checklist printed off for the registries and I went down the list and went to Wal-mart's website, going through each baby category that the website had and checking off things on the check list. Then I went to Babies-R-Us and am doing the same. I have a "must haves" list and there are 4 pages. I have almost 2, but not quite, completed. It's a lot of hard work. But oh so fun.

Next, I started scribbling out ideas. In keeping with tradition, I am not going to host my own baby shower. 1) I lack the physical space required 2) I lack the funds to do so. But that doesn't mean that I can't help out and I have got the best ideas ever.... so I wrote them all down. I'll just type what I wrote, verbatim, so you can see my thinking process! :) Comments/redaction's are in [brackets]

Baby Shower

Date- Oct 15 or 22- want to do on a Saturday so most guests can make it. Also want to do it before bad weather hits. 7 mos preg, so will have time to exchange/return/buy what is needed.

Number of guests- ???? Butt loads. Will have to get names, addresses, phone numbers from Linda [my mother in law] me? want Carissa, Allie, Kayla, mom and gramma there. [my list is so small lol]

Location- ?? [Brian's] Aunt Sheri's???? Or can rent clubhouse. Maybe [apartment complex] clubhouse

{Look for baby shower invite designs- collect these}

{have Brian design/print cardstock }

{can embellish, label and address by hand}

{NEED STAMPS- Registry #'s/online links}

[yep thats how I wrote it out with little squigglies included]

Baby shower cake designs??? google, collect, hoard

maybe ultrasound turned into edible?? 

Zoo theme! 

Girrafe! Monkey! Hippos

Games?? Diaper pin in jar/trivia/???

Favors/prizes???

Snacks!! -> cheese tray (must) [LOL]

-> fruit/veggie tray

-> juices/sodas/water

This is complete with little doodles of cakes and what not all over the page. There's also reminders to talk to my mother in law about things and take her out to lunch, which she has been hinting for me to do since we got married and I havent done yet.... considering she is the closest family to us... it's time to build up that relationship so I can have a baby sitter ;) (kidding... mostly...)

Now I've done as much planning as I can without getting "crazy" and will have to talk to my MIL about the rest and see what she would like to do. I kind of promised her that she could plan it, just because Brian's family is so large (she has 6 siblings I think? who all have kids...etc etc) and because I have no idea how many people are actually going to be there or be involved. I'm really hoping that Aunt Sheri will let us use her lake house (it's the 'get together' spot) and we can go from there. It would be much much cheaper that way.

But I still got another 3 months to get it all planned. I want to be closely involved on a few things, as I really have some suggestions but I won't be heart broken if my suggestions aren't taken.

Anyway, off to read some baby magazines. Hope you all had a great Sunday. Any ideas for showers/games/etc that I should be aware of?

Thanks!

Pregnancy and Fitness: The Game Plan

Okay, I am far luckier than most women who get pregnant. I've only been sick a handful of times (usually it's what I ate that brings it on) and I really only suffer from intense fatigue. Headaches, check. But over all, it's a really easy pregnancy. So why can't I exercise?


Mm... that intense fatigue? Leaves me so tired that most days, I can barely keep my eyes open for a few hours. I heard it gets better in the second trimester, which is coming up soon for me. I made a game plan. And it's a really really good one. Are you ready for it??

Good. Because here it is.

Starting today, Sunday, I am going to ride my exercise bike, Stella for 5 minutes, 2x a day. That gives me 10 minutes. Monday, I'm going 6 minutes, 2 times a day. Each day until Friday I am going to add one minute until I get to ten minutes, twice a day for a total of 20 minutes of Friday. Saturday, will be a rest day.

This adds up to 90 minutes of activity for the week.

Next Sunday will start Week 2 of the plan and it will go like this: 7 minutes x 2, 8 minutes x 2, 9 minutes x 2, 10 minutes x 2, and 11 minutes x 2, with Saturday being another rest day. This also equals out to 90 minutes of activity for the week.

Gradually I am going to up it, repeating a week or two depending on how I feel, whether or not it's too hard, or upping it if it seems too easy. And "easy does it" is sort of the corner stone of pregnancy-fitness. I'm also going to take up a prenatal yoga dvd that I got off of Netflix, and once the weather stays hot, I am going to go swimming too, even if its just floating around a little and working on my tan.

But I am not going to do more than 90 minutes of biking a week. I think even that will help me get ready for labor and I might end up losing a few pounds too (not that I am trying... but I haven't gained weight in 13 weeks, and I am not really following a calorie-based meal plan, so it might happen.)

I'm also going to record how many miles I've done (my bike keeps a running tab, no matter how long its been since the last ride) and how I felt before, how I feel after, and whether or not my mood has improved.

But right now, I need to go take a nap. I have to work on applications and stuff all night, rework my resume and do custom cover letters so I need a little shut eye. Keep sending good thoughts my way... I really need a job! :)

Birth: Not So Sci-Fi Anymore

Ok... I admit that being pregnant to me, felt like more of a sci-fi movie than anything else. Here is this little parasite inside you, growing bigger and bigger with each passing second, with an insatiable desire to f$%k your stuff up and make you act like someone else. Suddenly you have more acne than you did when you were a teenager, you're starting to look like a Sasquatch, you're decided whether or not you should puke now or later, your hormones are so far off the chart that you are crying inexplicably and you take everything personally.

 Then you start wondering if you can have this or that, and you do some research and find out that if you take this or that, your baby's going to come out with a club foot or a hair lip or 10000000 other deformities, so you suffer through it all for the sake of the baby, and you are still unsure if you are going to wake up tomorrow and have your period. Some days you pray that you will, other days you feel like a monster for even thinking that.

Then you start looking at pictures of what your baby looks like as it's developing and once again, it seems so science fiction, instead of science fact. Your baby looks like a seahorse but it's only the size of a sesame seed. Then it grows eye spots, where eventually eyeballs and eye sockets will form; followed by arm/leg buds which will hopefully grow to be functioning limbs. Then, about week 8, your child starts developing things that seem a little out of the ordinary... things you would think would be kind of the last items on the list... fingernails. Uhhh... weird!

And the most sci-fi thing of all has got to be birth. It's such an alien concept to me (har har) I had watched a documentary on Netflix called BABIES and they show a woman giving birth and it freaked me out... I had not wanted to give birth at all....

But last night, cruising around on babycenter.com, I came across videos of live births. And different birthing methods. Intrigued- because now, birth is inevitable and starting to be wanted- I decided to watch them. I watched a natural birth, a c-section, the birth of twins, an induced birth. While they were very much nude, and there were vajayjays on full display... it wasn't graphic, really. There was some blood sure, but not this torrent I was expecting. And each woman was different. They were all in pain... but none of them were cursing, screaming, threatening to kill every one in the room like the movies make it out to be. Brian even watched them with me and he said "That doesn't look so bad."

The weirdest one to me was a water birth... the woman used hypno-baby techniques to stay calm and then gave birth under water... yep, seriously.

So we decided on a birth plan- no "Little Mermaid" water birth for me!

I'm going to go the all-natural, drug free way... unless for some reason the pain is so bad that I need something to take the edge off (Plan B). But I'm not keen on an epidural, because I've heard that it takes longer for the sensation to return to your body after delivery/complications can arise (use of forceps/c-section). Naturally, the pain disappears right after birth and from my mom and other women I've read about, it's like really really bad potty cramps... Like you really have to poop and you really have to go NOW. So I think I can handle that.

Plan C- Let's hope plan C doesn't happen, because that would be a C-section and would require 6 weeks of recovery from surgery. I'm not sure I'd have that kind of time off from my job (assuming, positively, that I am going to get a job!)

Anyway, lots of baby planning happening in our household and I am finally getting pumped for baby. I think it all started with that heart beat... I can't stop thinking about it. It makes me cry-smile every time. Aww.

So, moms, tell me your birth story! But please remember... too many horrible details will probably freak me out... so be kind in your editing! :) (as in, I looked up if Tylenol was safe and it said it could cause club foot, so I started researching that... then I freaked out... so please be kind!)

Baby Details and Gameplans

Weeeelp.... I've been reading baby literature. I've been kindly forbidden from buying anything for the baby by my mom, or Meemaw as I am going to forever call her now. Gamma and Meemaw want to buy everything from a garage sale, and I think that is a fantastic idea. Also- Open invitation- if you have any lovely baby treasures that you do not need, or someone you know does not need, well, send them my way. I'm poor and I love second-hand goodies :D

I've been thinking of what I should and should not do not that I am a momma-to-be and I have decided on a few things for sure, and the rest I'll hash out after I've talked to my lovely OB. I need to call him tomorrow and make an appointment to go see him. Office was closed when I found out the news officially.

Gameplan:

I am going to severely cut back the caffeine. Reading some horrific things about it and I need to severe my own addiction. I found the most I could have is 150 mg a day, and that is plenty. I am going to be drinking lots of water and a Diet Dr Pepper or 2 a day. Instead of my usual 6. So that will help me a lot.

Also I am no longer going to take aspirin or ibuprofen. Tylenol is what is recommended, so that is how it will be. I don't take a lot of medicine any way. I'm also not going to take any of my Xanax- not that it matters, I take it pretty scarcely. I will be adding this to the list of things to ask my OB about.

As for weight loss and eating healthy- I am not using this as an excuse to give up, but I am definitely not going to expect to see losses on the scale for a while. I do want to start eating more cleanly- ie whole foods, fruits veggies blah blah blah... I was talking to Brian about it and he said "well, it's a great time to start because it's no longer about what you want." So true. That man has wisdom. He also amended, after I gave him some side-eye, that he would still go get me Mexican or ice cream as I saw fit. LOL He knows me too well!

But of course- nothing is for certain until I go in and talk to the OB seeing what they recommend and what they don't recommend. I am going to try really hard not to become Momzilla. Slap me if I do.

Hubby and I made the calls to family members and every one was really thrilled! We did get a spot of bad news though- his grandpa Tom passed away yesterday. Grandma Ruth is doing okay though, she said she was happy he was no longer in pain. The baby news helped a little too, she said. Also, Grandma Dottie fell down the other day and broke 3 ribs. Geez! Brian told her she had to be extra careful now that we have a baby on the way (<- how effing cute is that??) She said that she is doing alright and it's not too bad.

I also broke my promise not to buy anything- I bought 2 skeins of yarn to make a baby blanket. While I am 99.99999% sure we will have a boy, I picked gender-neutral shades. Pastel yellow and pastel green. I am going to make an afgan. I've got 9 months so I figure this will be the perfect project. I will absolutely, positively, 100% make sure my gauge is correct and count my stitches. :D It will be awesome, I can't wait.

Oh, and I tracked it- My due date is going to be somewhere between December 30th and January 2nd. If at all possible, my Granny wants me to have the baby on New Year's, which is also my father's birthday.

And yes, we have names picked out.

Boy- Korben Dallas Farrar (Yes, that is Korben Dallas of Fifth Element!)
Girl- Miranda Kelley Farrar (I was going to go with Sabriel after my favorite book, but couldn't think of a good middle name or a good nickname for her, so that one is out.)

Squeal!! I am so excited. My best friend, Kayla, told me that she is going out on the town and telling everyone she is a godmother now, and she and her fiance would have a drink to "successful sex" for us!

Any good reads for me? I've been looking at the American Pregnancy Association for info, but you know, I'd also like to read "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and other shit treasures like that.

It's another Weigh innnnn

So I would like to point out that this past week I ate a lot. Some of it didn't get written down. Most of it did.

This week I had:

-Roast beef burritos with refried beans, Mexican rice, chips and salsa from my all time favorite restaurant. Oh and I had it delivered. Bad Christie, no soup for you!
-Approximately 2 dozen cookies
-Nachos BellGrande
-Restaurant spaghetti
-Homemade spaghetti
-Chicken with mac n cheese/or rice
-Smoothies
-Diet sodas
-Lots of coffee
-Lots of yogurt/string cheese
-Handfuls of bittersweet chocolate chips/marshmallows. Lots and lots of handfuls. In fact, Brian and I took turns eating out of the bag. That's messed up.

Yeah, I failed pretty much at life this week. I also ended up going over my weekly allowance by 12 points. I also ate all of my activity points too. Not that I earned many. I earned 3. Pitiful.

I am not going to lie, its a BIG weight change. I could whine or cry, or make excuses. But you know what? Truth of the matter is: I ate what I wanted, how much I wanted, and I paid for it by having a weight gain. I used hormones as excuses. I ate and ate and ate. I am not ashamed of my inner (and outer) fatass. I am responsible for my progress, forward or backward. Still, its not exactly pleasant seeing this big of a jump. I gained just a little over 2 lbs this week. 2.2 to be more accurate

I did not once step on that scale during those 7 days- a grievous error on my part. Most people when they step on the scale, it does their head in. They freak out about their lack of progress, or get false hope. Me? I gained nearly 60 lbs in a year because I did not step on a scale. I did not own a scale. When I lived at home, I weighed myself once every single day!

Stupid Christmas. I was like, oh I will make cookie jars for everyone! Wait, I need to try out the recipe to see if its any good <----LIES!! (its a fantastic recipe, by the way)

Redeeming moments: 

Last night, I ate a clementine. Or rather, I tried a clementine. Turns out, I love the taste, not the texture. At least I keep trying fruit, right? Thats the important thing. Lucky me, Brian loves them and gobbled the rest of it down for me.  I also found an apple in the crisper that had been sitting there for probably 2 months. I sliced it open, sniffed it, and then ate it. It was perfectly fine. And delicious! Brian was hesitant, so I made him try it too. He promptly stole half my apple. Hey! That's miiiiine!! 

I took a multivitamin yesterday. Nearly choked on the gargantuan pill, but still took it. I drank all of my water too. I had fruit! It was almost a good day! 

Here's the game plan this week. Or at least today.

-No coffee. I seriously drink all my points in coffee if left to my own devices.
-Breakfast was 6 oz of fat free vanilla yogurt with 1 small sliced honeycrisp apple, for a total of 3 points and 16 oz of water.
-Lunch is going to be 6 oz of fat free fruit flavored yogurt with 1 cup of mixed berries (pureed and deseeded, of course) and maybe one sliced apple as well, as a smoothie.
-Snack: 30 chocolate chips for 2 points
-Dinner is awesome homemade spaghetti. Recipe below.

And that looks like a very well rounded day. I even get almost all my fruits and veggies in, if you can believe it!

My homemade meat sauce consists of 2 cups tomato sauce (16 ounce can), 2 cups diced tomatoes (16 ounce can- I get "petite diced") , 1 cup of frozen spinach (thawed and pureed) and 1/2 c of frozen carrots (also thawed and pureed) as well as 1/4 cup each of diced onion and green bell pepper. Add to this 20 oz of ground turkey (93/7) and garlic powder, seasoned salt, ground black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and red wine vinegar (all to taste) and this is one hearty sauce, this is served over whole grain spaghetti noodles or whole grain penne rigate, depending on what I have in my cupboard. I watched this video that you should let your meat sauce simmer for a few hours. I am considering doing that, just to see how it would taste.

I've finally decided to permanently make the switch from ground beef to ground turkey. First off, its moister. Secondly, its usually cheaper. If I get 90/10 ground beef, I can expect to pay $4.49 a pound. If I get ground turkey, I can expect to pay $3.99 for 20 ounces. That's getting .25 lbs more for .50 less!!

I am going to ride my stationary today. Stella has been neglected for far too long. I also have my last test for my training at work today, there is an extra amount of stress. I would hate to FAIL the last day of training and lose my job :( I am going to do Couch to 5K day 1 and pedal my heart out to some music, sweat a little, earn some APs and then go and ace this test. Tomorrow is my first day of on the job training (not just classroom training) and taking live phone calls. Wish me luck! I am nervous but very excited.