Monday, August 31, 2015

For your entertainment.



In my fridge, you'll always find:
Spicy mustard, strawberries, and beer.

Favorite family recipe:
Zac's red beans and rice.

Favorite junk food:
Chips and Swiss Rolls.

I'll do anything to avoid:
Touching raw meat.

My secret cleaning weapon is:
Lemon-scented disinfectant wipes.

Before company arrives, I hide:
Unfolded laundry.

I love to shop for:
Seasonal decorations, candles, and crafts.

I hate to shop for:
Groceries and clothes.

Bad habit:
Procrastination.

I just learned:
Starfish have eight eyes; one on the end of each "leg".

Stuff I can't live without:
Moisturizer, herbal tea, music.

Weird housekeeping compulsion:
I like clean surfaces. The floor could be lava, but the tables are always neat.

On bed-making:
I like when the beds are made up. It makes the room feel comfortable.

Personal motto/mantra:
What is normal to the spider is chaos to the fly.

I wish I could tell my younger self:
Save your money. You won't even wear all those piercings in ten years.

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Elias 3 Weeks

Three weeks already! Can't believe it. He's even holding up three fingers (kinda).

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Bath & School

Another micro-blog post:

Zac created a super-awesome phone case for me. He printed out the picture online and colored it in, cropping it to fit around my camera and speaker. By far, the best case ever... and it's Loki. It's practically impossible to find anything Loki.


I gave Elias his first bath last night since his umbilical stump finally dropped off. The fresh, clean baby smell is adorable. He was quite content and I only got peed on.


I start teaching again next week. I'm looking forward to the routine. We've had a very, very, very long break. Five months! I miss teaching, to be honest. I miss the schedule and the quiet concentration. Now that the school/play room is ready, I've just got to keep my Kindle charged and have a pile of yarn to play with and I'll be set to sit with them. Elias has a cozy spot by the window to nap and I found a cabinet in the garage that will be a nice place to store toys and hold the TV so there will be more floor space. I've also decided to go to Party City and Hobby Lobby this weekend to get the prize-rewards and crafts. Fall is happening, so I'm excited to buy all the things pick out autumn-themed art projects.

A little bit Elsa, a little bit Merida

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Elias 2 Weeks

With my other kids, I never really documented their ages. After discovering Pinterest, I've seen a lot of cute ideas I'd like to try.

Milk-wasted

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

One Week Later (Kinda)

My littlest pumpkin is already (over) a week old, O.M.G. The newborn-ness has taken some getting-used-to, but we're figuring things out, slowly but surely. I am less awkward now that my belly isn't so huge, but my bones are still sore as well as my boobs. Sorry, TMI.


I've started getting school stuff ready for September. I'm probably more excited than the kids are, but it's only because I've got everything organized. I still need to get to Party City and buy little trinkets for the prize box, as well as stickers. Tons and tons of stickers.


The weather is slowly turning cooler, so Jac and Leah have been playing outside every day. Our pool is drained for now, so imagination is taking over. I bought Jac a Frisbee and Leah a hula hoop, so they aren't completely bored in our barren back yard. I started bringing Elias outside and find that it calms him when he's fussy.


I wish there was more to say, but I'm sleep-deprived and my days are all out of order.

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Birth Story

My Elias Wayne is here!
He was born August 9, 2015 at 8:16am, weighing 7 pounds; 5 ounces, 19.5 inches long. My shortest delivery of about three hours and my first completely natural birth.


The Birth Story:

Wednesday, I had my 39 week check-up and to my disappointment, I was only dilated half a centimeter, which is basically nothing. On Saturday, Mom came back from visiting Meredith in Texas. Emily, Dad, the kids, and I rode together to pick her up at the airport and she took us out to eat at Applebees. I made a joke that if I ate something spicy, it might kickstart labor (thank you, Applebees' Grilled Chicken Wonton Tacos). We came home and I felt sudden nausea. I put a cold rag on my face, breathed through what I thought was false labor and had a difficult time falling asleep.

Around 4am, I woke up to use the bathroom. When I sat up, I felt a small pop. I checked my underwear and felt the bed, but everything was dry. My nausea had subsided and Elias was hiccuping. I laid back down and dozed off. At 5am, I felt a strong urge to pee, so I hurried to get up. I barely made it to the toilet and was soaked. I was half-asleep, trying to decide if I had peed myself or if it was my water leaking. When I stood up, I noticed pink color in the toilet and liquid was just falling out of me. I woke Zac, told him my water broke, then woke my parents. I called Dr. W, grabbed my hospital bag, then Zac and I headed to the hospital, stopping for gas along the very bumpy way. 

By 5:30, my contractions were intense and two minutes apart. There was so much burning pressure on my pelvis. We made it to the hospital and I checked in. I told them I wanted to see how I labored without medication (which received a ton of support) and I didn't want to be confined to the bed. By now, it was 6am and I was dilated to 5 centimeters. I overcame a few waves of nausea, sucking on ice chips, groaning, and wiping my face down with a cold rag. I decided that laboring on all fours or on my knees would be as comfortable as I could get.

At 7:30 or so, I was hooked to a monitor to check the consistency of three contractions. I was practically leaning over the edge of the bed to get the pressure off my pelvis, so I was told to face the head of the bed and hold on to it when it was upright. I was at 8 centimeters, second-guessing myself for not requesting an epidural, and was told if I felt the urge to push, call the nurse back in. One contraction later and I told Zac to get her back in there ASAP. I was up on my knees holding onto the upright section of the bed, forcing myself to breathe deep. Dr. W arrived, confirmed 10 centimeters, and I started pushing. It was a pain I never felt before. Constant pain and pressure, my body pushing against my will. I kept my eyes closed, feeling the movement of a head and arms. I was waiting for the "ring of fire" that never came. I held my breath and pushed as hard as I could, just wanting the pressure to go away. I felt a gush, then relief.

When I opened my eyes, the room was spinning. All I wanted to do was sleep! I looked down and saw the cord hanging from me. Blood was everywhere. I kept hearing "Okay mama, take a look". I was still up on my knees and Dr. W passed my little baby to me from underneath. He was covered in vernix, making tiny cries. The nurses helped me take my shirt off so I could give Elias skin-to-skin contact. Zac cut the umbilical cord after it stopped pulsing and I passed the placenta. My lower region burned, but I didn't tear... at least, not enough to require attention. My little Elias had arrived, a lot of hair, gray eyes, perfect little fingers and toes and probably the most vigorous boob-latch of all three kids.

We were discharged this afternoon and I've been trying to get used to a newborn again. He's content, but demanding. When he's hungry, there is NO negotiating. He likes to be held, hates to be naked, digs my singing, and is loved so very, very much.

Friday, August 7, 2015

Ready2Pop

Nine days to go! I'm so ready to have this little baby. I've got clothes washed and ready and things are in place. Just need a little bundle to add to the picture.

All the foxes!
A room full of toys and they play with dog food.