my baby story #3

Let's see where should I start?  How about the morning of August 30th at 5:30 am.  This was the day I was I scheduled to be induced.  I was 39 weeks and 3 days pregnant.  My first delivery went all wrong and my son has problems now from all the complications that took place from my delivery so each delivery afterwards has been scheduled a few days early with my doctor on hand in case any complications arise.

So here I am at 5:30 am calling the labor and delivery department to find out when I am supposed to come in for my induction.  I did this same exact thing with my last pregnancy so I expect the nurse to tell me to eat a little something and head on in to the hospital.  Unfortunately, that didn't happen this time.  This time 10 women went into labor the previous night and the labor and delivery department was packed.  I was told that I would be called as soon as a bed opens.  I'm totally bummed but try to go back to bed and rest up since I am certain they will call very soon.

12pm- I was losing hope that they would ever call.  My husband kept telling me to call my doctor, to call the hospital back, to call my senator, etc. Ok, the last part was a bit dramatic but you get my point.  I called my friend Jessie and complained about how bummed I was.  She came over shortly after with a box of baby clothes and diapers her little boy grew out of and a bottle of castor oil.  Up until this point I was certain that I did NOT want to try the castor oil but I was depressed and feeling like I would never have this baby (yes, totally dramatic).  Jessie made a mint chocolate chip/castor oil shake and I drank it up.  Looking through the baby clothes she brought over helped me feel a little better and so I decided to join my family on a walk a few blocks away to get some tacos for lunch.  I quickly realized that leaving the house was a BAD idea after drinking the castor oil and I basically ran home to the bathroom (yes, tmi) avoiding food entirely and feeling like I was gonna die.  My stomach was cramping so bad.  I started to have contractions but was in so much pain that I couldn't tell what was a contraction and what was gas from the castor oil.

3:15 pm- Sure enough, while I am laying on the couch doubled over in pain the nurse FINALLY calls and tells me they are ready for me.So we pick up my son from school and give the kids a kiss goodbye and get in the car.  We live over an hour from the hospital and shortly after getting on our way my contractions started to get worse.  They were about 10 minutes apart.  We stopped to get some food before we got to the hospital and at this point I was in a lot of pain.  I honestly can't even remember what I ate. 

5:30 pm- We arrive at the hospital and I am in labor with contractions 2-3 minutes apart and I'm dilated to almost 6 cm.  They decide to skip the pitocen since I no longer need to be induced cause I'm in labor.  The doctor pops my bag and they start entering my information as fast as they can.  My sweet husband lets the nurse know that I prefer an epidural and they better get on it soon.  Yeah, he's a keeper.  The nurses were afraid that there might not be enough time for the epidural and gave me a pain pill of some sort.  The pill works and I am now as high as a kite.  The doctor finally shows with an epidural but I don't remember much of that.  By the time I get my epidural I am 7 cm dilated and moving along fast.  They keep informing me to let them know when I need to push which makes me think my little boy is coming soon.  I still feel the pain from the contractions and let the nurse know so she ups my epidural.  Looking back now I realize that was a mistake because I'm pretty sure now that I was feeling so much more pain cause it was just about time for me to start pushing. 

9pm-ish- I am 10 cm dilated and my doctor is on her way.  I am told that there won't be any practice pushes because this baby is coming too fast.  She shows up and I start pushing.  I realize now that the extra meds from the epidural was a mistake because I don't feel the urge to push like I should.  I pay really close attention to my body and the nurse and push with the next contraction.  I do this 2 more times, each time it's easier for me to feel when to push and on the third set of pushes my son is born.

9:48pm- Our sweet boy is born and nothing else matters in the whole world as I hold him and fall madly in love with him. 

My labor was very easy and short but the downside of this was that my legs were numb for quite some time afterwards since my epidural was given to me just an hour or so before the birth.  Both baby and I ran into some problems after the birth but we are both doing better now and he is a happy and healthy little boy.  I honestly couldn't have asked for a better labor.

We are so blessed.

Baby is here

As you probably already know the baby has arrived. He arrived a month ago. I'm hoping to post my birth story soon but at this very moment I'm typing this on our iPad which is hard for me to do. Imagine me typing one finger at a time while holding a newborn. Not easy.

So I'll share a quick picture with you until I can get my birth story up with some good pictures.

terrible me

It's been months since I posted an update on my blog.  To be honest I have considered whether I wanted to close it down or maybe take a break from blogging.  I'm sure many of you moms out there understand how hard it is to find the time to blog (or take 15 minutes for yourself a day).  To make matters worse my awful 5 month long morning sickness just made it even harder to find any time to blog or do pretty much anything. 

But....I kept finding myself missing my blog and wanting to share my projects or news with my readers and decided after a nice break I'd like to come back and start blogging again.  I'm sure with a new baby due less than 2 months away I won't be posting regulary but I will be posting again.  Lots of updates coming soon!

and then there were 3

If you are a friend of mine you already know that I am pregnant again.  If you are just a fabulous reader of mine I will share the good news with you now.  We are expecting our third child in the beginning of September. 

The ironic thing about me getting pregnant again is that at one time it wasn't such an easy thing for me.  In the beginning of our marriage (back when we lived in Arizona) we struggled to conceive my son for over a year.  As soon as we made that 1st appointment with a infertility specialist to get some answers I ended up pregnant without the help of any doctors.  Unfortunately, my pregnancy ended in a miscarrage.  This was devastating but also a sign of hope for us since we knew we could get pregnant.  About 6 months later I was pregnant again with this guy.

  My son was a hard baby to care for.  Some people think it was because of his difficult birth and maybe that had something to do with it.  He grew out of it and turned into the best toddler I could ever ask for.  So when he was a toddler we decided to try for another baby without any luck.

We moved to North Dakota when he was 4 years old.  Only 5 months after moving to North Dakota I was finally pregnant.

My son had a baby sister.

and only 5 months after she turned one...

we found out were are expecting again.

I realize that this can be a bit of a personal thing to write about online for all the world to see.  My message isn't 'move to North Dakota to become fertile' but  maybe to give someone suffering from infertility hope.  In my case I learned to make the best of the blessing(s) I was given and to trust in the Lord and his plan.

fabric resolutions

If you follow my blog you know that I sew a lot and happen to have a huge stash of fabric.  If you don't follow my blog or just wanna see my huge fabric stash click here. 

 It's a sickness. 

BUT there is hope yet for me.  This year I've decided that I will refrain from buying any new fabric (unless absolutely necessary) and I will sew through ALL of the fabric I already have.  By the end of the year I hope those shelves are bare.  The reason for this?  My craft room is always a mess and I feel so wasteful just buying new fabric all the time.  It could also be an early case of the 'spring cleaning bug' taking over me.  I'll keep my scraps cause I always use those but will have to find a better way to orgnanize them. 

 If there is such a thing. 

Most of my fabric is about a yard or two long.  Perfect length for toddler pj's.  I made these spring pajamas for my daughter.

(notice that I've mentioned spring twice so far...yes, I'm ready for winter to be over).

I'm proud to say that I've been sewing clothing without a pattern and as challenging as it may be at times it's also very rewarding.  I usually will just use a piece of my daughter's clothing to give me measurements for the new item I'm making.

I picked up this Eddie Bauer wrinkle free women's button down blouse at my thrift store for $1.  I loved the design (but would never wear the shirt) so I made big plans to design my own toddler dress out of it.

And here is that same shirt in a toddler's size 12 month dress.

and the back.

Hey, it's hard to keep a toddler still.

And if you're wondering about the bathroom I'm happy to announce that we are over half way done. We are waiting on a contractor for some drywalling but aside from that and our closet area everything is moving along nicely. 

Here is an action shot of my hubby ripping out the old vanity.

H-O-T!!!

my favorite things

I'm going to be like Oprah and share with you some of my favorite things.  Unfortunately, I'm not a millionaire and so you won't be taking any goodies home.  Sorry, you'll have to go on the Oprah show for that one. 

 I included a link to the items but I actually buy these things in stores and not online.  It's just to give you the actual item in case you MUST try one of my favorite things for yourself.

Ecos liquid laundry detergent
Ok, first up is this awesome all natural laundry detergent. We cloth diaper so natural detergent is important because dyes and perfumes build up on the diapers so we don't want that. Not only that but my kids have super sensitive skin and this stuff doesn't bother them at all.

Oh, and if you're worried about it not being able to to handle big stains please refer back to the beginning of this paragraph where I said I wash dirty poopy (had to say it) diapers with it. This stuff works great. Oh and did I mention that it's under $10 for 120 HE loads (at Wal-Mart)?

My beloved i pod.  I rarely leave the house without it.  I listen to it at home and in the car.  My husband bought it for me and it's pink!!  Need I say more?

I love cetaphil face wash and lotion for face.  This stuff rocks.  It's gentle on my sensitive skin but cleans without drying out or causing breakouts.

This is the facial lotion I'm using at the moment and it's great for the winter months when you're skin gets super dry but it never makes me feel greasy or oily.  Love it (Oprah voice)!!!

Now I realize the photo is kinda weird but I've been using my Turbie Twist Towel for years.  I even bring it on vacation with me.  It's super absorbant, lightweight, and never falls off my head.

I used to have a diet coke a day habit but after reading the ingredients on the side of the can I decided to go with natural Zevia soda that's made with stevia sugar.  We've tried just about all the Zevia flavors and Ginger Ale is by far my favorite.  The nice thing is that this soda fits in nicely with my lifestyle diet.

My family follows the Belly Fat Cure by Jorge Cruise diet and we love it.  It's similar to a diet of a diabetic.  I've personally lost over 20 lbs. and feel great.  Even my hair and face look better.  It's amazing what cutting back on the carbs and more importantly the sugar can do for your body.

As you know I'm an avid sewer and a bit of a fabric snob as well.  My absolute favorite designer is Anna Maria Horner.  I love her style and often use her fabric to make purses for myself.

And last but certainly not least is my Free Country Fleece Jacket.  I LOVE this jacket.  I picked it up for like $29 at Sam's Club and it keeps me warmer than my $250 bulky Columbia jacket.  I was sporting this baby on black friday outside for an hour when the temperature was -7 degrees and I was comfortable.  The best part is that it's not bulky and I don't heat up fast inside when I'm wearing it.  Can you tell that I love this jacket???  The only place I was able to find the exact style/model that I have was on ebay. 

I could add a few more items to this list like my earrings that dress up any outfit but it's taken me two days just to get this written so I better hit publish before the kids find me.  So there you have it...my favorite things.

our arizona vacation

We recently got home from a fantastic trip to Arizona.  We try to make a trip out every year in the winter to enjoy their nice weather but this year we made different plans.  My 10 year high school reunion was this October and after much debate I decided I wanted to go.  It was fun seeing old friends and I was surprised by how many people were exactly the same. 

I guess some things never change, huh?

Here I am with some good friends.

We also went to Apple Annie's Orchard in Wilcox, AZ.  We took my son a few times when he was a toddler and it was fun so we went again and everyone had a good time.  Here I am with my husband and little girl.

When we moved to North Dakota we had to leave our Sulcata tortoise behind.  We left her in good hands though.  She now resides in my in-law's backyard where she is spoiled daily with a wide variety of veggies.  She has gotten so big. 

 My son is 6 years old if that gives you an idea of how big she is.  And she's still growing.

We had a great trip and we loved spending time with our families.  I also loved all the shopping.  I have been deprived of great shopping here in the sticks (a.k.a. where I live).  My new favorite store is definitely H & M.  They have a ton of super cute yet affordable clothes.  Although I'm not a fan of the men's or boy's section.

When we left Arizona the temp was in the 80's and when we arrived in  North Dakota it was in the 40's.  As much as we loved the warm flip flop weather it's nice to be home and experience the fall season.  After living here I don't know if I could ever live anywhere without a true fall season.  I love it! 

Now don't get me started on winter though.

busy busy busy

Since we got back from our trip to Minneapolis we've been super duper busy.  I haven't had any time to craft, work on my new shop, or blog.  Poor Lacy.  What has kept us so busy, you ask?

Well, first it's the garden.  We LOVE being able to go out back and pick food for dinner along with 100 mosquito bites daily.  And lately, picking the veggies in our garden has been a daily chore because they are growing like crazy.  We plan on pickling the cucumbers and canning some tomatoes for winter. 

So far we have froze several squash (after blanching them) and will be blanching green beans for freezing this week as well.  I think we'll have a nice supply of food for winter.  I'm most excited about the tomatoes because I plan on making it into homemade pasta sauce (100% natural with no preservatives or sugar) and it looks like we'll have several jars when I'm done. 

We go through a good amount of pasta sauce in this house.

We've also gotten some back to school shopping done for my son who's going into 1st grade. I've heard boys are much easier than girls when it comes to back to school clothes shopping and I'd have to agree. He picked out 5 new shirts in about 5 minutes and I bought him 3 new pairs of pants online and we're done. Everything else (new shoes, glasses, socks, etc.) was purchased throughout the summer as needed. I doubt my daughter will be this easy when it's her time for clothes shopping.

Luckily, I have about 3+ years before I have to worry about that!

Speaking of the little princess....

She has grown again and I'm packing away all her baby clothes 9 months and smaller.

She has a TON of clothes thanks to Grandma, my friend Janna (who has 3 girls and handed down a ton of stuff to us), and of of course my own love of shopping.

We've been so busy that we haven't even had time to take the old toilet to the dump.

Hey, I'm just keeping it real folks!

Oh, and if you're wondering, we LOVE our new toilet so much that we wish we would've gotten an extra one for our other bathroom as well.  Can you imagine us trying to fit another toilet in the car? 

road trip

We spent the last week in Minneapolis!  We all squished jumped in the car for a good ol' family road trip.  The 5-6 hour drive took us 8-10 hours.

My husband drove most of the way.  I did however drive in North Dakota.  I wouldn't dare drive in Minneapolis.  I prefer the desolate North Dakota roads.

I think the highlight of our trip was the Mall of America.

My son loves the Nickelodeon Park.  He rode the rides with my husband and father in law.  His favorite was Brainsurge.

My favorite part of the trip was the shopping.  After you've lived in a super duper small town without a Target for 2 years you really start to appreciate shopping at a variety of stores.  We may have bought a little too much.  After our visit to Costco my husband had to rearrange the luggage again.

Yes, we bought a toilet.  Weird, right?  We were super excited to score a great deal on this toilet. 

I told you we live in a small town and are easily excited by big stores and good deals.

I got to change a dirty diaper while my in-laws and husband did all the hard work fitting the toilet and a dozen other bags in the car.

This is how my son spent his time in the car.  The Nintendo DS got A LOT of play!

They finally got all our junk in the car barely. But we no longer had enough room for my father in law's beer.

So he drank it right there in the Costco parking lot.  I kid. I kid...he brought it with him.  He's a bit of a comedian.

Our last stop on the way home is one of my favorite stores.  Hobby Lobby.  It's in Fargo which is about 2 hours from our home so it's a bit of a treat to shop there for me since it doesn't happen very often.

My mother-in-law and I were stoked about Hobby Lobby but the guys weren't.  My father in law was especially bummed.

We had a great trip but we are so happy to be home.  I have 6 piles of laundry waiting for me and a new toilet to watch my husband install so I better run.

my new steamvac

The older I get the more domesticated I get and the more domesticated I get the more I get excited over new cleaning appliances. 

Weird, huh? 

 Good news is that I'm not alone.  Apparantly this is happening to many of my friends as well so that makes be feel ok about it. 

and...

my home is cleaner so it's all good if I get excited over a new steam vac right?

So if you haven't guess it after reading my title, we bought a new steam cleaner.  I've been wanting one since I paid over $100 to a carpet cleaning service for a one time cleaning.  I knew I'd save a ton buying one vs. paying for the service once a year.  So we did our research and went with one of consumer reports' favorites.

We chose the Hoover SteamVac Dual V Widepath Carpet Cleaner

While doing research on this baby I came across some before and after photos on Amazon like this one.

Pictures don't lie and I love being able to see actual proof that a product works before I spend money on it, ya know?

 Just like a kid with a new toy I put my new steamvac to work the same night I got it!  It worked great and I was impressed to say the least.  So I decided to take my own before and after pictures on the next area I cleaned (the dreaded hallway).  Our hallway carpet is a light colored low profile carpet and it gets so dirty. I tried setting down a rug in that area but it just gets tripped over and moved around too much. It's a busy area and steam cleaning seems to be our only option at this time.  Here is the dirtiest area I could find.

I was afraid it was too dirty in this specific area for even my mighty new steamvac but it proved me wrong.  So it's two thumbs up on this Hoover for me!

I haven't been paid by Hoover.  This is just my personal experience.  But if you work at Hoover and wanna send some dough my way, I'll give you my address, K? 

Just kidding...kinda

out with the old

We bought our home with some old and some not as old appliances.  The stove was newer but the door kept openning and letting out heat while it was cooking so we replaced that.  We later bought the matching black/stainless steel microwave and installed that above the stove.

The kitchen was looking better with matching appliances all except for the hideous and extremely old beige refrigerator.  It had to go but a new refrigerator isn't cheap so we decided to keep an eye out for good deals on a new one and wait to replace it.  

Well, one year after moving into our home North Dakota offered a $150 tax credit for replacing your old refrigerator with a new energy efficient one.  At the same time we happened to run across a fabulous deal  (under $700) on this beauty and knew it was meant to be.  We pricematched Sears price and took advantage of Lowe's free delivery out to our home a million miles away.

 

While filling out the proper forms  for the credit we had to get some info off our old fridge including it's age.  We weren't sucessful in finding an exact age but did find a date on it from the 1970's.  Yes, 1970.  The fridge is old than me!

We were so happy to say goodbye to that ancient beige beast.