Becoming Crunchy!

The term makes me giggle everytime I hear it, but I’ve been informed that I am becoming just that! 🙂

Everyone used to joke that I would become a “tofu eating, natural remedy, health freak” when we moved to California. Typical stereotype. That definately didn’t happen (though I did enjoy the vegan restraunts and having options that weren’t ALWAYS deep fried or “chicken fried!). Seems like my bigger transformation began when we moved to Chicago though!

We started changing small things to become greener after moving last year but when we found out we were expecting we really started looking more into what we use/eat/buy. I should probably say “I” started looking and Dan is more along for the ride! 😉 Hehe! Guess this is what happens when you have too much time on your hands during the day! Google, blogs, & online communities give you tons of info quickly!

The first two things we started were cutting out canned foods & our cleaning products with chemicals. All the research on BPA found in plastics & cans is really eye-opening! I really feel that many of these perservatives are the reason cancer & other diseases continue to increase with each generation. We mangaged to cut this out by throwing away all tupperware (we now use glass pyrex with snapping lids to store foods or for lunches), buying reusable water bottles (no more plastic!), and getting rid of canned foods. The hardest part was the canned foods! We typically didn’t use much but canned tomatoes & beans were used in a LOT of our recipes. I’m still struggling with the tomatoes (I have heard they have them in glass at Trader Joes…but I can’t seem to find them!). I’m still experimenting with cooking/storing dried beans for future recipes…any tips would be great! At this point the only canned item we keep in the house is canned pumpkin as an occassional treat for the dog!

As far as cleaning goes we have removed most of our chemical cleaners. We now use a vinegar/water mixture for cleaning our hardwood, dusting, showers, tubs, and windows. It can’t be used on granite (vinegar pH is too acidic) so we try to use basic soap/water most of the time….still use special granite cleaner with sealer occasionally. We’ve also cut out dryer sheets (1/2 cup vinegar works great & I’m looking into getting wool dryer balls) and will be switching to a “greener” detergent this month since we are finally running out of our Tide! We still keep bleach around since our couch, sheets, and towels are white! We don’t use it a lot…but sometimes it becomes necessary! 😉

Other steps we are slowly attempting with our food intake is to get rid of processed foods (most!). We really try to stick to the outer edge of the grocery store…and we love our Trader Joes! Our local farmers market starts up in 2 weeks and I cannot wait to buy fresh local produce! We are attempting to make the full switch to organic, no hormones milk (it is hard since we drink about 2-3 gallons a week! That adds up quick!). I’m going to look into almond milk next month since it seems to be a healthier alternative! We also want to switch to local grain-fed meat but haven’t found a way to (1) work it in our budget and (2) store it! I’m hoping there are some local farmers at the market to talk about buying some chickens or part of a cow from! I wish we had the room for a deep freeze but we don’t so storage will be a major issue. To fit it into the budget I am slowly trying to limit the amount of meat we typically eat each week. I don’t care for red meat on most occassions so we typically fill our meals with chicken (lots & lots of chicken!) & ground turkey. My goal is to get us down to 3 days of meat a week (1 day of eating out). The other days I’m attempting to cook veggie dishes or experiment with tofu. Anytime I get annoyed at all this effort I watch Food, Inc. again (highly highly recommend EVERYONE watch this…it is on netflix) and I’m reminded how screwed up our food industry is in this nation! The only processed food we haven’t figured out how to cut out/ cut down has been cereal! We looooooove cereal & go through a disgusting amount each week. I don’t care for eggs and pancakes definately aren’t healthy everyday so cereal is our fall back! We have substituted a little with oatmeal (Irish oats…so yummy…reminds me of those gorgeous mornings in Ireland!), but our cereal intake is still way too high! Any tips for how you’ve managed to cut out processed cereal?! I’m thinking of attempting to make our own granola…..

I can say that Dan & I have already noticed a major improvement in how we feel since we have been cutting out all the “crap” from our diet. It definately takes more effort but hopefully soon it will be just routine.

Our last step has been to do everything we can to not use our car! We walk or take public transport almost everywhere (thankfully this is much easier in Chicago!). We can usually get away with only using our car once a week or every other week! Usually only when we want to go to the suburbs for something (that is where all the large baby stores are!) or we are heading to Madison to visit the in-laws. This month we managed to only spend $40 on gas! Yay! It is getting harder & harder for me to walk any distance but I’m still trying! Hopefully it keeps me in shape for labor & losing the baby weight! 🙂

Becoming “crunchy” hasn’t stopped there! It has also taken over our plans for baby! I’ll save that for the next blog post, but it seems I have officially become a “crunchy mamma”! hehe! 🙂 Get ready for a post on cloth diapers, cloth wipes, breastfeeding, baby-led weaning, and babywearing! Oh aren’t you excited?! 😉

And any recipes for veggie dishes would be great! I’m still needing help with this!

35/35

This past Friday we hit another milestone! 35 weeks! What is even more fun is that once you hit that point you only have 35 days to go! WOW! Just over a month (or less) until we meet our little monkey!

I think at this point the nerves are starting to hit both Dan and I. I’m not really worried about taking care of a newborn (I have had pretty good practice the last 4 years..), but I am nervous about the 24/7 aspect of it! Mostly though I’m nervous/sad/excited about the change this is going to bring to my marriage. A baby changes everything and I am 100% sure that it will bring Dan & I closer…..but it is sad to realize that it is no longer going to be just about us! We have had a good thing going for almost 3 years (5 years together total..) and it makes you nervous to realize that it is all about to change! I know deep down though that it will definately be for the better!

Dan’s nerves are a mixture of those above AND taking care of a newborn! He hasn’t had much practice so the closer we get the more worried he becomes. It is pretty cute! I remember watching him in the newborn nursery the day we had clinicals there…..he will be fine! He can change a diaper like a champ (though he needs more practice for the cloth diapers!) and he is definately NOT going to be one of those “hands-off” dads! Anyone who knows him knows that will not be a problem! 🙂 I’m also lucky in that he is great at housework, laundry, and cooking and has no problem doing it all if needed. That will be a huge relief the first week or two while I’m healing and getting breastfeeding down! I can’t imagine being married to a guy who didn’t help out!

All in all we are just at the annoying part of pregnancy where you are just waiting (anxiously) for the baby! The room is ready (except for a few pictures that need to go up), we will be packing the hospital bag this coming weekend, hypnobabies lessons are over (just in maintenance mode now), and contractions are starting! The contractions are starting to build up which is both exciting and worrisome (I don’t want LO to come for at least another 2 1/2 weeks!!). I get my GBS test at my OB appt this Thursday so we will find out then if anything is “going-on”. We start weekly appts this week (which I have been dreading…too much work to get to the office!) so frequent updates should be coming!

My 35/35 photo! (blurry but oh well!) 😉

Weekly Update:

• How far along? 35wks, 2 days
• How big is baby? 19-22 inches and 6lbs! The size of a very large cantaloupe
• Total weight gain/loss: approx (+) 10.5 lbs! It is hard to get an accurate number since some days I’m swollen & others I’m not! I try to weigh early in the morning before I start puffing up!
• Stretch marks? Nope – It is crazy to me!
• Sleep: I’ve given up
• Best moment this week: Getting to hang out with friends at the dock! Haven’t seen most of them since the start of winter!
• Movement: Never ending! It is pretty painful at times! 😦 Kiddo gets the hiccups all the time too! Used to be cute…now kinda annoying!
• Food cravings: Pineapple and ice cream (not together!). Luckily pineapple is in season but I’m trying hard to limit my ice cream! Once or twice a week & that is it! (and for the record I never did eat the Luther Burger!)
• Gender: No idea but I’m getting impatient!!
• Labor Signs: Increase in contractions & LO has definately dropped but that is it! I hope things start slooowly moving (but don’t come out until at LEAST 37 weeks kiddo!).
• Belly Button in or out? Still a half & half! I’m terrified of what it will look like after this is all over!
• What I miss: Wine and being able to cuddle with my husband! Belly gets in the way!
• What I am looking forward to: Hitting full term (37wks!)
• Weekly Wisdom: Can’t think of anything!
• Milestones: Officially entering my 9th month!

Photographer Picked!

We are booked for newborn photos!!! 🙂

I have spent the last 2 months looking for a newborn photographer that fit our tastes & budget. I honestly thought it would be easy…..boy was I wrong!! I got spoiled in California with a group of amazing photographers that I loved and had used for various things. I thought a city as large as Chicago would have tons of options for amazing photography, but apparently the northeast has different tastes than I do!

I kept a list of every photographer I looked into (so I could remember) and I’m scared to count it up! Lets just say it is several pages! I even began looking out of state (Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana…) with no luck. Out of all those photographers I found 3 that I liked and 1 that I absolutely loved. Next step was to get price lists….

Ouch! Those that know me know that I will gladly pay good money for photos that I love, but these prices were crazy! The photographer that I loved wanted almost $600 just to schedule a session! After that fee you have to buy each individual print and at $40 for one 5X7 (or $75 for one 8X10) that added up quick! I asked about buying a high-res CD of all photos and it was $2800!! OMG! Considering they ususally only get 30-35 photos from the session that was CRAZY!

Out of the 3 photographers that I liked one never emailed me back (after 3 emails from me), one is on maternity leave and couldn’t do the photos, and one was overpriced for the quality of photos (they were nice but for a few hundred more we could go for the photographer I loved!).

At that point I pretty much gave up! I figured it just wasn’t going to happen……then I happened to stumble on a blog of gorgeous newborn photos and realized that the photographer was located only 2 hrs away! I almost didn’t email because I was frustrated with the whole process but decided to go ahead.

Aaaannnndd…….she is (almost) in our budget!!! Woo-hoo!!! I convinced Dan that the extra $ was worth it, they only stay in that “newborn” stage for 2 weeks and I wanted pro photos to document it!

Here is her website for a preview:

http://www.heatherwoodwardphotography.com/

We are scheduled in for July 2nd, though that could change based on when this kiddo makes it’s appearance!

Although she has all the props needed I can’t resist buying these two hats for the photos (will give away the one that is the wrong gender!). I have been obsessed about these since we first found out we were pg!

Aaahhh I love them! I can’t wait to see our LO ready for his/her photoshoot! 🙂

Boy…Girl….Alien?

I know I promised that my next blog would be over the nursery, but we still have a few things to put up on the walls! The room won’t be completely finished until after baby arrives because 2 walls will have pictures/prints that are specific to our LO (little one)! Our chair did arrive though & I love it!!! So comfy & perfect for long nights with an awake baby! 😉 So glad we opted out of the overpriced glider from the baby stores & went with the leather rocker/recliner!

While we wait for the room to be finished I thought I would update from our ultrasound last week. We weren’t expecting another u/s after our 20wk anatomy scan since my OB doesn’t routinely do 3rd trimester scan (really there is not medical point to them!). The only reason we got one was because I had been diagnosed with placenta previa after my 20wk scan (that my OB somehow forgot to inform me of!! Hmph!) and they had to make sure that everything had moved up so I could be cleared for a natural delivery.

To be honest I really wasn’t looking forward to the ultrasound. I loved getting a quick glance at LO but I was terrified that the gender would be revealed!! Can you imagine making it 8 months without finding out, only to have a slip at the last minute?!?! I’m sure Dan and I drove our tech crazy telling her over & over that we didn’t know & didn’t want to know! We kept our eyes closed at the very beginning so she could get babies position (I’ve heard that some techs put the wand on and the first shot is a perfect “money” shot!). It was hard to relax during the entire scan, though she later told us that the baby was in a position where she couldn’t have told us if we begged her to! Good modest baby!! hehe!

We did ask if she could take time to try & get a profile shot for us. Poor lady tried her hardest but this kiddo was not having it! It was face planted into the side of my pelvis and no matter how hard she pushed with the wand it did not want to turn toward the camera!! Stubborn kid! She turned on the 3D viewing to see what type of picture she could get (she was soooo much nicer than the tech at our 20wk scan!) and we got a few facial shots. Our print outs are not very good because the baby was moving so much (blurry) trying to push away the wand, but we could make out some chubby little cheeks and crazy full lips! Neither one of us can figure out where those lips came from! We only tried for a cute shot for a few minutes because LO started getting mad at being pushed around and started crying. 😦 So sad (but kinda cute!).

Here comes my “bad mommy” confession: I kinda wish she wouldn’t have done the 3D viewing! I have never liked the 3D/4D ultrasound pics and always think the baby looks like some deformed alien in them. While I know that our picture is horrible due to positioning and movement (plus the normal weird 3D look…), I can’t get it out of my head that my baby is going to come out looking like some deformed alien! Gotta love hormones! I know that I am going to think my kiddo is the most gorgeous kid on the planet no matter what…..but until then I do not have the best mental pictures (or dreams!). Sometimes a little mystery is a good thing!!!!

Here is our “best” facial photo:

So what do you think? Boy, girl, or alien?!

Poor little thing isn’t even out yet & I’m already winning the “bad mommy” award! I am just ready for it to make it’s appearance so I can stop dreaming funky dreams & just love on my adorable baby! 🙂

Other than that the ultrasound went great & I was cleared for delivery! Yay!!! Kiddo is measuring in the 60th percentile (meaning it is bigger than 60% of babies at this gestation) so everything is right on track! It is also extremely low and already head down & engaged! Yikes! That explains the intense pressure I’ve been having along with the severe hip/back pain. The tech kept saying she felt sorry for me having seen what position it was in! Now I feel validated and not like just a whiney baby! 🙂 I’ve also been having TONS of braxton hicks contractions and a few real ones thrown in for fun ::cough cough::. While realistically I know that this means diddly-squat about when I will go into labor a small part of me hopes this means we will be closer to 38wks and not head towards 42!

Only 2 1/2 weeks until we are “full term”! 5 1/2 weeks until our due date!

Household Changes

One large adjustment in our household lately has been me becoming a SAHM (stay at home mom). I always hoped that I would be able to stay at home when my kiddos were little…but I honestly never thought it would be possible. I consider myself very fortunate to be given this opportunity!

This transition hasn’t been completely easy though! One challange I’ve been facing lately is the feeling like I’m losing a large part of my identity. For so long my profession was a huge part of who I am. At times I felt burned out at my job…and I loved to complain about the long 12 hour shifts…but I honestly loved being a NICU nurse!! I got to make a difference every single time I went to work. I got to have nights where I cuddled adorable newborns that were almost ready to go home as well as nights where I was running nonstop trying to keep that tiny 23 weeker from spiraling downhill. The ups & downs of ICU work is exhausting and exhilarating.

I’ve been told that this feeling will fade away once my sweet baby arrives. I really hope so, but at the same time I am determined NOT to let my entire identity be “mommy”! 🙂 Luckily I will be able to start back up with my graduate classes in August (had to take the semester off due to travel restrictions) so I will still be in the nursing world, just in a different aspect! If I miss the babies too much I can always try to find a Per Diem job and work one night a week! I must say it is nice to have options and not worry about childcare since Dan only works 3 nights a week!

Another thing that has had to adjust since staying at home is the family budget! It is very strange not bringing home a paycheck and I have to battle feelings of guilt sometimes (brought on by me NOT Dan!!). These feelings are completely unfounded since our options for childcare if I did work were:

– Hire a nanny (our work hours don’t work with daycare) which runs about $1500+ a month. Daycare is only about $150 cheaper anyways…talk about sticker shock!
– Work opposite days, which means we would only have one day together as a family. No way!
– Work the same days but opposite shifts. We would have more time as a family but would always be exhausted!! Working 12 hrs and then having to do all care for the baby before going back to work – No way! I have total respect for single mother nurses…don’t know how they do it!

With those choices it became obvious that the best option was to have one of us SAH and we decided it should be me since Dan will soon be back in the military and I might not be able to work where we are stationed anyways! So now I have taken it to be my job to save money every way I can (helps lessen the guilt!). We have never really budgeted for anything so it has been really interesting to track our spending! Lets just say our food budget was horrifying for just 2 people! We eat out waaaay too much!

Now that I’m home all day I have been trying to cook much more (pause for your laughter at me cooking…). It has been going pretty well and we definately cut down on eating out but our grocery bill was still pretty outrageous for a family of 2 (and 1/2).

Everyone has been telling me that I really need to do a weekly/biweekly menu plan and use that to shop (only going to the store twice a month) and that it would cut our grocery bill drastically. I was pretty skeptic…I mean really how could it save that much? Well I am now in my 2nd month of menu planning and WOW does it save a ton!! No more impulse buys, no more food going bad, and I am able to look for deals to see which grocery store I should go to! Our food bill has already gone down by almost 50% and we are eating sooo much better! I am a believer now!

Here is our menu for this upcoming week: (I plan 7 meals though we only cook 6 and save the 7th day for eating out. The 7th meal either gets bumped to the following week or made as something to use for packed lunches)

1: Apricot Cumin Chicken with Grilled Asparagus and Carrots

2. Chicken Enchiladas with Mexican Rice

3. Turkey Chili with Cornbread

4. Chicken Lasagna Florentine with Side Salad

5. Guacamole Turkey Burgers and Baked Fries (so healthy but feels so unhealthy!)

6. Homemade Pizzas

7. Pasta with Asparagus, Pancetta, and Pine Nuts

This menu will give us plenty for dinner, lunch, and something for Dan to take to work his 3 nights! The only other things I have to purchase at the store are staples (bread, milk, yogurt, fruit) and cereals & oatmeal for breakfast. I always have the supplies on hand for baking something should a sweet tooth arise! 😉 Luckily our local farmers market should be starting up in the next week or two so we will be able to get cheap, fresh, local produce! Can’t wait!!

Now that I’m getting a good hold on our food budget I’m looking for more way to save some moolah! Every dime saved is another dime in our travel savings! Just because we lost a paycheck does not mean I’m giving up my traveling!!! Hehe! 5 more months until our 3rd anniversary (wow!) and we won’t let the tradition stop! I haven’t been anywhere (other than home to TX) in 6 months due to the pregnancy and I am starting to go nuts! I think this might be the longest stretch in our married life without a trip! Must remedy that soon! This kiddo is going to learn to love planes, trains, & automobiles! 😉

Happy Mother’s Day!

Yesterday was a new one for me: Mother’s Day! 🙂 I felt strange celebrating it since I’m still a mommy-to-be but Dan instisted and was really sweet about it.

I woke up to a yummy breakfast in bed (smiley face pancakes!), flowers and cards. Dan even made me a card from “monkey”! He bought construction paper and crayons…….cutest thing I’ve ever seen! We then spent the day finishing up the nursery followed by dinner with my aunt and some friends. It was a great day! It seems crazy to realize that the next mother’s day I will have an almost 1yr old! WOW! I can’t wait! 🙂

Speaking of the nursery – we are almost done!! YAY! Our chair gets delivered Wednesday and then we just have to hang some things on the wall. It is looking pretty cute if I do say so myself. My next post will be full of pictures I promise! I love that so many things in the room were made by Dan and I. I finished making all the bedding and chair pillow and Dan made the most beautiful bookcase!

I do believe we are now ready to have this baby! I still need to order a baby book and a few more toys but other than that we are 100% ready! We went last week to the hospital for our L&D tour, which was very informative and eye-opening! I’ve attended many many births….but being there on the patient side is scary. I started having small panic attacks at one point. Luckily we are going to try to labor at home for as long as possible so I can stay “comfortable” and relaxed. I really hope I’m already in transition when I show up….less time dealing with the hospital craziness! I think I like being on the nursing side much more in this aspect! 😉

Here is our little 33wk update:

• How far along? 33wks, 3 days
• How big is baby? 19-22 inches and 4.9lbs! The size of a pineapple!
• Total weight gain/loss: (+) 9.5 lbs!
• Stretch marks? Nope – I look everyday for them because I can’t imagine getting any bigger without them! I have a feeling they are going to explode in my last month. (and I’ve heard that many women get them AFTER delivery!! Yikes! Something to do with pushing…)
• Sleep: Every week I think that it can’t get any worse….and every week it does 😦 I usually do good from 2am-5am but all other hours are miserable. It is making the days harder and harder to get through! Exhaustion city!
• Best moment this week: Mother’s Day!
• Movement: Constant! It’s little bottom seems to always stick out to the left of my belly button. I can now tell exactly what is moving where (I can feel little fingers attempt to grab my right hip bone and little toes wedge themselves between the ribs).
• Food cravings: Fruit! Not sure if this is a pg craving or just a normal “spring is here” craving! The only thing weird I have wanted is a Luther burger (burger with a Krispy Kreme as the bun). I am 100% blaming that on being pregnant!!
• Gender: Still no clue! Everyone (and I mean every.single.person.) thinks it is a boy….but I go back and forth!
• Labor Signs: None yet! My braxton hicks have started to become more frequent (normal) and I have had a couple of real contractions in the past week or so……things are starting to gear up!
• Belly Button in or out? It is officially half out and half flat! Weird! 🙂 The top part by my old piercing sticks out a bit but the bottom half is perfectly flat. Neither look is attractive at all.
• What I miss: Sleeping, eating (no room!), and walking/sitting without extreme back/hip pain (kiddo knocked my iliosacral joint out of place!)
• What I am looking forward to: Having this baby!!
• Weekly Wisdom: I truely underestimated how hard pregnancy was!
• Milestones: Finishing up the nursery!

As a reference of how big this kiddo is getting here is a comparison between my 13th week (first week I noticed a little bump) and this week:

Ouch! 🙂

Here is my & “monkey” on our first Mother’s Day:

We have an OB appt on Thursday and will be getting another ultrasound! I’m excited to see “monkey” but I am terrified the tech will slip up and tell us the gender! If it was just an ultrasound for growth estimates I would refuse it….but they have to check placental placement to make sure it has moved up since my 20wk ultrasound! Luckily we should get another picture so that will be fun! 6 1/2 weeks to go!

Goodbye Old Blog :(

The other day I tried to log onto my blog only to get met with a “Page Not Found” message. No matter what I tried I couldn’t get to my pages! I finally emailed the company that ran my domain and was told that I hadn’t paid to renew. The issue with this is that I DID pay to renew for another year!! For some reason the transaction didn’t go through so they deleted my entire blog. I tried to get them to reinstate it but they wanted 10X the normal yearly fee!! I don’t think so!

I since decided to jump back into the world of free blogspot blogs. It doesn’t allow the same type of customization but I won’t have to worry about everything disappearing over night!

The saddest thing was all the posts I lost on my other blog! We had some very big life events the past year that were recorded there…..our decision to move to Chicago, buying our first place, changing our plan from travel nursing in London to the military, anniversary trip to Turkey, finding out we are expecting our first child, and all the fun milestones that pregnancy has brought! :*( The past year has been full of craziness! Would you expect anything less from us?!

I am happy though that I have a new way to record and update family/friends on the last few weeks of our pregnancy, the craziness that new parenthood is bound to bring, our entry into military life, and our world travels!! 🙂