We are all home with runny noses and coughs today, so I thought I would take a minute to share what Kate and Blake are doing (for my own records too). Kate is funnier than ever, she keeps us laughing with her facial expressions and the words she says/tries to say. She has gotten so verbal in just the last month or so. She goes through the families naming everyone she can think of. In my family, my mom and dad are GiGi and Pop Pop, Kelly and Heath are K K and Heaf, and Derek is D. In Brandon's family, Gale and Jody are Papa (supposed to be Papa G, but she hasn't gotten the G yet) and JoJo, Christopher is Cracker, Aaron is Onion, and Eli is E I. She can understand so much more than she can say, so she just jabbers and points at everything. She can say Santa and Ho Ho. We have been trying to teach her about the real meaning of Christmas, but the understanding level is so small that I am just proud that she can point to Baby Jesus in the nativity set and she can tell me that "Jees" was born on Christmas. The other night we went to my friend's house and she has 4 girls from 19 months to 5 years old, and Kate had a ball! She loved being one of the big kids. She even jumped on the big trampoline outside and kept going after wiping out several times. She would stop jumping and say "Mama Dada" and wave to us. It made me stop in my tracks and I realized just how fast time is flying by! She chooses when she wants to give kisses and hugs, but when she does give them, I cherish each one.
Blake is almost 8 weeks old! Kelly and I were laughing the other day because it seems like he is so old since Turner is so new, but he is still just a tiny baby. Tiny may not be the word for this double chin though! He is growing before my eyes! He is getting better and better with sleep. This past weekend, he went 6 hours once and 5 hours a few times at night. We are getting there! I don't know what I am going to do when Brandon goes back to work on the 5th and he can't take night shift each night from 9 until 12 or 1. That is the time Blake seems to be most awake, even if he is not very fussy. Blake has also started smiling and is starting to coo with a little noise here and there. That smile really melts my heart, and one day it did bring me to tears. I had just listened to a sweet girl share her heart about dealing with infertility and it made me realize that I had been so bad about complaining about not sleeping or not knowing how to make these kids happy... and I should just remember that God didn't have to give me either child, but he gave us 2! Brandon and I have been learning a lot about findind contentment exactly where we are in this life instead of trying to rush through things to get to the "next stage." You could spend your whole life trying to be happy by waiting for the next thing, but God has called us to be right here, right now and we are so thankful! I am just excited about the things we have to look forward to rather than anxious to get there.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Picture Updates
I got a few pictures uploaded on our computer, and this was a must-show. Blake loves snuggling on Brandon! That beard would not be comfortable to me, but Blake falls right to sleep on him. When I get exhausted or frustrated, I can just hand Blake off to Brandon, and he calms right down. It is actually pretty annoying, but at least he gets quiet and happy!
We were trying to get a decent picture of the kids for a Christmas card... NOT an easy task with a 6 week old and 18 month old! Kate would be smiling and ready and Blake would cry, which freaked her out, and then she would cry, etc., etc. Anyway, we got Bailey in on the action and they both just stared at her! She had just been groomed and had these cheesy red bows in her hair, it was hilarious. If you had seen her just before the grooming, you would not recognize this dog. She had been living outside at my parents' house and had matted hair with stickers from bushes and who knows what else in her hair. She looks a little crazy here though.
This is one of my favorites! I wanted to put this on our Christmas card and say "Joy to the World." I just had to get a cute one for the card though, so I thought I would at least share this funny one on here. He was really upset and it totally threw Kate for a loop! She did not want him touching her while he was upset. I love that she has the bottom lip all the way out and he is beet red from screaming his brains out!
Life has been nice back at our house. It is a little tough having Blake in the room with us though. He sleeps about a foot from my head, so I hear every little whimper. He is not lasting longer than 3 hours (maybe 4, if we are lucky) in between feeds at night. I am so tired of people asking, "Do you want to know how I got my 6 week old to sleep through the night?" NO, because I cannot let my baby cry it out when he is right next to me and waking up Kate. If I am going to sit through his crying and it just wakes Kate up, it is a lost cause. I am at least trying to establish a routine during the day and let him get used to putting himself to sleep in his bed for naptimes instead of me rocking him or just putting him in the swing. Maybe that will teach him to like his bed at night. Last night, he was screaming and it had not even been 3 hours yet, and I seriously told Brandon that I was moving his cradle to the laundry room and shutting the door. I didn't do it, don't worry... but that option is not entirely out of the question!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
All Is Well
Still no pictures! We had to send our computer off to be fixed and I am trying to upload pictures to our desktop computer, but it is giving me trouble. Anyway, we have had a busy week! Kate and Blake were so excited to welcome their cousin, Turner, into their world last Friday. He was born 3 weeks early, but handled it like a champ! He is so cute but we cannot tell who he looks like yet. Kelly is in the process of starting her own blog that will be up soon, it is heath-kelly.blogspot.com.
We moved back into our own house on Monday, so we are getting adjusted to our own space and schedules now. It is hard to get on any kind of schedule when you are in someone else's house- and I am a big schedule nazi with my kids! Blake is doing great, he doesn't sleep longer than 4 1/2 hours (at the longest) during the night yet, but we are getting there. We went ahead and started him on some reflux medicine as he has gotten progressively fussier and spitting up more. Maybe I gave up too early, but Kate was on it so long with no problems, that I know he will be fine on it.
We are having a great time with Brandon being home. We stay in our pajamas longer than usual and enjoy our coffee each morning, which is probably so hard for Brandon. He hates not having a plan for each day and he feels like he is wasting time if he is sitting around watching a movie... but he is forcing himself to relax as we know we will never have time like this again! He goes back to work on January 5th, so we will enjoy it until then. We are currently watching season one of The Unit, and it is awesome. I had never watched that show before, but I am hooked on it now.
We are going to try and brave the cold to go to Briarwood's walk-thru-nativity tomorrow night (once we see what the weather is really like) and I will be taking Blake along in my sling carrier under my jacket. Kate really misses playing with her friends, so I am excited about getting her out and around some friends. She is talking more than ever! I feel like her vocabulary has exploded in just the past few weeks. Now she will say just about anything we ask her to, and she is putting words together in small sentences. "Where's the ball?" "Where's the baby?" "I see a cup," etc. She is really not a baby anymore! Luckily I have my little baby Blake to watch as he grows up so much this first year. I went for my 6 week checkup today and I could not believe that this time has already flown by! We are working on getting some pictures up for the blog and also Christmas cards- hopefully we won't be too far behind!
We moved back into our own house on Monday, so we are getting adjusted to our own space and schedules now. It is hard to get on any kind of schedule when you are in someone else's house- and I am a big schedule nazi with my kids! Blake is doing great, he doesn't sleep longer than 4 1/2 hours (at the longest) during the night yet, but we are getting there. We went ahead and started him on some reflux medicine as he has gotten progressively fussier and spitting up more. Maybe I gave up too early, but Kate was on it so long with no problems, that I know he will be fine on it.
We are having a great time with Brandon being home. We stay in our pajamas longer than usual and enjoy our coffee each morning, which is probably so hard for Brandon. He hates not having a plan for each day and he feels like he is wasting time if he is sitting around watching a movie... but he is forcing himself to relax as we know we will never have time like this again! He goes back to work on January 5th, so we will enjoy it until then. We are currently watching season one of The Unit, and it is awesome. I had never watched that show before, but I am hooked on it now.
We are going to try and brave the cold to go to Briarwood's walk-thru-nativity tomorrow night (once we see what the weather is really like) and I will be taking Blake along in my sling carrier under my jacket. Kate really misses playing with her friends, so I am excited about getting her out and around some friends. She is talking more than ever! I feel like her vocabulary has exploded in just the past few weeks. Now she will say just about anything we ask her to, and she is putting words together in small sentences. "Where's the ball?" "Where's the baby?" "I see a cup," etc. She is really not a baby anymore! Luckily I have my little baby Blake to watch as he grows up so much this first year. I went for my 6 week checkup today and I could not believe that this time has already flown by! We are working on getting some pictures up for the blog and also Christmas cards- hopefully we won't be too far behind!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
One Month and 18 Month Stats
No pictures today... our computer isn't working so I am using my mom's computer. We got home from Greenville Sunday to find that the siding work on our building had not even started yet. We gave the crew a full 2 weeks to complete a job that should only take a few days, but apparently that was not long enough. We tried to stick around through the work on Monday morning, but right at Kate's naptime, they decided to start ripping the siding off of her room walls... so that was not going to work! We packed up quickly and headed to my parents' house for the week (or however long this construction takes). We are definitely getting some family time in this holiday season!
Anyway, we had a our first doctor's appointment with both kids yesterday. That took a LONG time! Kate weighs 23 pounds now and is in the 30% range for her age. She is a picky eater (if she will eat) but Dr. Peters said she is still growing fine. She is in the 50% range for height and the 75% for her head circumference... which means she basically is like a tennis ball on a toothpick. She had to get 3 shots which was not fun at all. It is like she has already figured out that she gets shots at the doctor's office because the second I sat her on the table, she started crying. Luckily Brandon is still off and was able to go with us, so we each had a child to hold.
Blake now weighs 10 pounds 1 ounce and is in the 60% range. He is 22 1/4 inches tall, so he is in the 75% range for height. He is still a little jaundiced, so we had a level drawn to make sure everything is ok. Dr. Peters called us back last night to tell us that he is fine, and that he just has some breastfeeding jaundice that will go away on its own. He still has not gone longer than 3 1/2 to 4 hours between feeds at night, but she said that is still normal and that sometimes boys can't go as long as girls at this age. He is a very sweet and cuddly baby and I can already tell that he is pretty laid back. I can already see the difference in him and Kate at this age. She was already addicted to her pacifier and he only wants it when he is starving or really upset. She had reflux so she was fussy and we had to hold her up for 30 minutes after feeds and he just goes down after he eats. I am trying to start establishing a nap routine with him, but it is hard to not be at home and to be on the go so much. I really want to start early with him putting himself to sleep since we had a hard time with Kate. We are ready to get back to our own house to get some sort of routine going, but we have enjoyed getting spoiled by both families! I will get some new pictures up soon!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
I Am Thankful For...
Two beautiful, healthy kids!
Blake enjoying some time on the floor looking around. He is really starting to fill out and his hair is looking lighter every day! We are still in Greenville, so I am posting pictures of the kids since I feel like they change every day!
Kate has used the phone a few times to call GiGi and Pop (my parents). She will be playing and randomly says their names, so we have called them to let them know we are thinking of them.
My clean kids in their matching PJ's! I know it is cheesy, but I only have so long to be cheesy, right? Kate was running and spinning around and busted her lip on the coffee table today, so I love that she is actually smiling in this picture.
I know it is blurry, but this is when I asked Kate to smile and show me her teeth... and she showed me every tooth in her mouth! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone- we are truly blessed to have such sweet friends and wonderful families!
Blake enjoying some time on the floor looking around. He is really starting to fill out and his hair is looking lighter every day! We are still in Greenville, so I am posting pictures of the kids since I feel like they change every day!
Kate has used the phone a few times to call GiGi and Pop (my parents). She will be playing and randomly says their names, so we have called them to let them know we are thinking of them.
My clean kids in their matching PJ's! I know it is cheesy, but I only have so long to be cheesy, right? Kate was running and spinning around and busted her lip on the coffee table today, so I love that she is actually smiling in this picture.
I know it is blurry, but this is when I asked Kate to smile and show me her teeth... and she showed me every tooth in her mouth! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone- we are truly blessed to have such sweet friends and wonderful families!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Hanging Out In Greenville
Blake has been a busy man... sleeping the time away! He is staying awake longer and longer now, but he still sleeps a ton! He had an upset tummy yesterday, but after some huge diapers, we are better today. He is definitely a good eater, I cannot wait to see what he weighs at his 1 month checkup. He has spit up a handful of times, but not like reflux- at this point in Kate's life, we were using multiple burp cloths a day!
Here is Kate riding on her train. This train has a circular track or you can ride it on the floor. She has had a blast pressing all the buttons and figuring out that the pedal makes you go forwards. She makes the funniest face when she makes it move and it startles her. She has enjoyed all of her toys and books that Papa G and JoJo had waiting on her!
We have figured out that Blake does not care about being swaddled. Kate had to be wrapped tightly in the miracle blanket to sleep at night, but he will not have it! He grunted and groaned all night for a few nights until I tried letting him sleep without the miracle blanket. Last night, I just wrapped his legs to stay warm, but I let him keep his arms up by his head and he lasted around 4 hours between feeds without a sound! I am doing much better than I thought I would with him sleeping in our room... either he is very quiet or I am very tired!
Kate has enjoyed visiting with Grandma Slagley! Grandma figured out that Kate likes animal crackers, and when she brought Kate some, she found a friend for life! Sometimes Kate gets shy when she doesn't know someone, and she has been shy towards Grandma in the past. But, the past few days she has climbed up by Grandma with her books and toys and has given her some big hugs. It has been a great trip for Kate so far, she is the center of attention! That makes me feel great because she was getting a little less attention at home with us getting adjusted to Blake.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
What We Have Been Doing...
My babies snuggling in my lap. Kate still drinks her bedtime milk like a baby on me. There is no better feeling than having these kids curled up in my lap. I have to say that the jump from 1 to 2 is not half as bad as the jump from 0 to 1 was for me. It is like I just had to bounce back and keep being MaMa, and I feel like I am a better mom now that Kate is back in the house. It was hard to feel normal without her around last week! Even though she gave Blake a little stuffy nose, it is a treat to have her back. Also, having Brandon home has been a huge help. It is great to have one parent for each kid, and I have even left him alone with both a few times to get out and run errands and go to Kelly's baby shower.
Kate loves getting as close to Blake as possible. She loves to kiss him and help me burp him- which she thinks is an easy opportunity to hit him. He doesn't seem to mind her getting so close, he is a pretty happy camper most of the time.
Some Daddy time! Blake loves snuggling, so he will curl up on Brandon and lay there all day.
Hanging out in the swing. He sleeps a LOT, so we try to put him in the swing to see the world, but he would rather snooze. He has been doing pretty well with nights too- I am knocking on wood right now- he only wakes up twice to eat. He doesn't even wake up crying, he just grunts and moves around enough to wake me up, and when he is done eating, he goes right back to sleep. I am so used to Kate with her bad reflux, and I would feed her, hold her straight up for 30 minutes, then she would spit up, which woke her up, so I would rock her, and then it was practically time to eat again! I think God knew we have our hands full, so he must have spared us from reflux this time!
Some time awake just checking things out. He loves looking around and watching Kate play. I don't know that he can even see past his arms' length, but it always seems like he follows Kate with his eyes.
We have really been blessed lately by some wonderful friends who have brought us wonderful meals and saved us a LOT of trouble by not cooking and cleaning up dishes. We are about to pack up and "move" to Greenville for a few weeks while the outside of our building is completely renovated. Brandon will work with his family at their hardware store and I will be enjoying my babies with JoJo and Grandma Slagley I am sure! It will seem like a vacation for me to let the grandparents and great-grandparents love on these kids. We will have our camera and computer there to continue posting pictures.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Blake in his carseat after we got home from the hospital... it took a lot of blankets to stuff around him for him to fill in the seat.
Showing off some pursed lips.
"Why are you snapping in my face, I am trying to relax here!"
Just to show you how long and skinny he is... this one looks like you stretched out a frog's legs, but he is our little string bean!
We are really enjoying having him home! We got home Sunday morning and Kate came home around lunchtime. When I got her up from her afternoon nap, she had a fever of 102.5, so she went home with my parents for another night. My mom took off Monday and stayed home with Kate, and Derek kept her this morning, but we had to get her back sometime... So she is now home with us and loving having free reign of her toys and books. Brandon took her to the doctor this afternoon and she just has a viral cold, but the fever is still there. We are just keeping her away (as much as we can) from Blake and washing hands a lot! I am so glad to have her back home. I never knew how hard it would be to be away from her for that long. I am with her all day everyday, so I was missing my girl! Brandon is glad she is back too, maybe because he is a little tired of my tears! We are still working on sleeping- Blake sleeps ALL DAY LONG, and then gets a little restless at night. I think I will just have to learn how he is comfortable. I have tried to make him stay awake during the day, but he is not having it! We will figure all of this out soon, I am sure. More pictures later!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Welcome Blake!
Our family just minutes before Blake got here... Kate had spent the night before at my parents' house so we could get up and out of the house early. We got to the hospital a little after 6:00 and walked right on into our delivery room. When Dr. Adcock got there to check me, he said if I had gone to his office, he would not have sent me home because I was already 5 cm dilated. I thought, "why didn't I go to his office all week long?" but oh well, we made it to Friday! He broke my water and started Pitocin a little before 7:00 and he told me that when I started feeling contractions, I needed to call for the epidural if I wanted one... of course I wanted one! Around 7:30, my nurse said I was 8 cm and so I called for the epidural. The anesthesiologist put in the epidural in the middle of a bad contraction, so it really didn't even phase me since the contraction hurt so badly. And- if you are already in pain, why not do a few things at once?! Anyway, I got the epidural aound 8 and then the family came to visit and we had a great time. I started to feel a good deal of pressure, so I mentioned it to my nurse around 9:15, and when she checked me, I was complete and ready to push. They paged Dr. Adcock and I started to push just to see where we were, but Blake was so ready that they made me stop pushing until the doctor made it from surgery. He came running in, I pushed a few times, and Blake was here at 9:31! It all happened so fast that I could hardly take it in! What a quick morning!
We have this exact same picture when Kate was born. Dr. Adcock and his family have become really good friends of ours, and it is such a blessing to know that he loves our kids!
He weighed 7 pounds and 12 ounces, and he was 20 1/2 inches long. Kate was 7 pounds and 1 ounce, so he was only a little bigger than her. We noticed right away that they have different noses and different mouths, but they do still look similar in many ways. We will just have to see who he looks like!
Here we are this morning doing some more skin-to-skin time. He calms down so much when he is right up next to you! He got circumcised this morning and that wore him out! He has been so sleepy all day today, so we have loved all of the snuggle time. 
In case you were wondering what Kate has been doing through all of this... she has been pushing her baby doll around in her new stroller. She has done great with all of the new-ness. She has gotten a little whiny when the attention is not on her, but she has been very sweet to Blake. She kisses him when we ask her to, and when he cries, she fake cries too. I don't think she realizes that he will be going home with us just yet, but it will be an adjustment for sure. For now, she is loving time with her grandparents. We should be able to leave first thing in the morning, so I will be home and able to relax a little more soon. We will keep the pictures coming! Thank you for your prayers- God has really blessed us more than we could have ever imagined!
We have this exact same picture when Kate was born. Dr. Adcock and his family have become really good friends of ours, and it is such a blessing to know that he loves our kids!
Blake resting on the warmer bed after delivery. Since the delivery was so quick, he did not quite get a good squeeze on his lungs on the way out, so he retained a little fluid in his lungs, so we had to watch him pretty closely.
He weighed 7 pounds and 12 ounces, and he was 20 1/2 inches long. Kate was 7 pounds and 1 ounce, so he was only a little bigger than her. We noticed right away that they have different noses and different mouths, but they do still look similar in many ways. We will just have to see who he looks like!
How do you like that pouty face? His cry was such a wonderful sound! After several hours of him still grunting (the whiny noise that let me know there was fluid on his lungs), I mentioned it to my nurse that it wasn't going away. She called our pediatrician, who wanted a neonatologist to look at him. Luckily, I work for the neonatologists here, so I knew we could get to the bottom of this and do what was best for Blake without going to extremes. He checked in on us and decided that Blake was probably fine and we would just give him some time to clear it up on his own. We held him skin-to-skin all night long, and it went away by this morning!
Here we are this morning doing some more skin-to-skin time. He calms down so much when he is right up next to you! He got circumcised this morning and that wore him out! He has been so sleepy all day today, so we have loved all of the snuggle time.
In case you were wondering what Kate has been doing through all of this... she has been pushing her baby doll around in her new stroller. She has done great with all of the new-ness. She has gotten a little whiny when the attention is not on her, but she has been very sweet to Blake. She kisses him when we ask her to, and when he cries, she fake cries too. I don't think she realizes that he will be going home with us just yet, but it will be an adjustment for sure. For now, she is loving time with her grandparents. We should be able to leave first thing in the morning, so I will be home and able to relax a little more soon. We will keep the pictures coming! Thank you for your prayers- God has really blessed us more than we could have ever imagined!
Monday, October 27, 2008
This Fall With Kate
This is a sassy picture of Kate after church that was cute, but I also wanted to have a picture of her wearing the dress I made her. It turned out very cute on her and it is making me realize that I need to keep making these dresses so I don't forget all of the steps... and it is much cheaper than buying them! I finished smocking another dress, I just need to put it all together now.
Kate playing peek-a-boo at the pumpkin patch hosted by a church nearby. She had fun going back and forth behind this painted stand... she had no idea what the other side looked like, she just thought she was playing peek-a-boo. This is a classic Kate face- she is very expressive with her face these days!
Kate and her daddy posing for a picture with the pumpkins.
Kate trying to escape my grip to run through the pumpkins some more. It is very hard to get a decent picture with her lately because she doesn't want to be held back from any exploring.
Yummy! She wanted to eat the pumpkins. She has become obsessed lately and she tried to steal our neighbors' pumpkins the other day right off of their porch. She pitched a fit when I made her put them back and walk away. The next morning, she had her very own tiny pumpkin on our front steps- I guess they felt sorry for her that she didn't have one. We have had a few other things going on, a pumpkin was the last thing on my mind!
About Blake- we thought last night was going to be the night. I was having contractions every 4 minutes, but they just weren't getting stronger and they were just uncomfortable (not unbearable) so we waited it out and they died down. It is just a matter of days now until we meet him, so it can happen any time and I will be glad. The on call doctor I saw last Friday laughed and said he didn't think Blake could hang in there past Sunday... who is laughing now? At the very latest, it is only 3 days and a few hours until we meet him! I am enjoying my last few days with my only child. She has been waking up in the middle of the night (she must know that we were counting on some good rest before the sleepless nights began), but the other night I got a little sentimental when I realized that it could be one of the last nights to be up snuggling with just her! I can tell this is going to be an emotional experience for me, so please keep us in your prayers as we welcome sweet Blake into our family this week!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Blake is Getting Some New Stuff
Blake is going to be using a lot of hand-me-downs, whether it is equipment from Kate or clothes from consignment sales. He is going to use the same carseat that we used for Kate, the same pack-n-play, the same jumperoo, swing, bouncy seat, toys, etc. Here are some of the little things that I have gotten(purchased or not) for JUST Blake:
This is called a Hooter Hiders nursing cover, and this is the pattern I got. Brandon got me this for my birthday and I really was so excited about it! I think I will be out and about more than I was at first with Kate, and this way I can be discreet. I still don't think I will be nursing in public places, but I can use it at several places we go all the time.
This is called the "Miracle Blanket" and Kate had a pink one. It really is a miracle worker, it is almost like a straight jacket for babies. It keeps them swaddled so they don't wake themselves up by their movement. I found this one and a solid cream one on Ebay for a great deal!
This is almost just like the cradle we have for Blake. We didn't use it for Kate because we put her in her crib so fast. She has already claimed that room, so Blake is using the cradle that I actually used as a baby. Brandon had to tighten a few screws and my dad put some reinforcements in the joints of the wood, and it is just like new!
These are the BPA-free bottles from Dr. Browns. I had the other ones for Kate, and Babies R Us took back the other ones and exchanged these for free! I know I technically did not buy these, but at least they are just for him!
I don't know why it makes me feel better to have a new thing or two just for him, but it does. Everyone keeps saying, "You seem so relaxed, are you sure you are ready?" How ready can I be? I have everything set up, I feel (somewhat) prepared physically and emotionally for a newborn and all that entails. I guess i will just have to play it by ear and see what life is like once we do have him. I don't know that you are ever really prepared for a new baby... I know it is going to be a learn-as-you-go thing for me!
This is called a Hooter Hiders nursing cover, and this is the pattern I got. Brandon got me this for my birthday and I really was so excited about it! I think I will be out and about more than I was at first with Kate, and this way I can be discreet. I still don't think I will be nursing in public places, but I can use it at several places we go all the time.
This is called the "Miracle Blanket" and Kate had a pink one. It really is a miracle worker, it is almost like a straight jacket for babies. It keeps them swaddled so they don't wake themselves up by their movement. I found this one and a solid cream one on Ebay for a great deal!
This is almost just like the cradle we have for Blake. We didn't use it for Kate because we put her in her crib so fast. She has already claimed that room, so Blake is using the cradle that I actually used as a baby. Brandon had to tighten a few screws and my dad put some reinforcements in the joints of the wood, and it is just like new!
These are the BPA-free bottles from Dr. Browns. I had the other ones for Kate, and Babies R Us took back the other ones and exchanged these for free! I know I technically did not buy these, but at least they are just for him!
I don't know why it makes me feel better to have a new thing or two just for him, but it does. Everyone keeps saying, "You seem so relaxed, are you sure you are ready?" How ready can I be? I have everything set up, I feel (somewhat) prepared physically and emotionally for a newborn and all that entails. I guess i will just have to play it by ear and see what life is like once we do have him. I don't know that you are ever really prepared for a new baby... I know it is going to be a learn-as-you-go thing for me!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Quirks
I have been tagged to list a few quirks... which is hard to do for yourself! I can name everyone else's quirks in a heartbeat, but it is no so easy to name them for yourself.
1. I am definitely not organized in every area, but I have to have my clothes hanging in order of color. I don't know how this really helps me, but I guess it is easier to pick between 2 blue shirts if they are right next to each other. It would probably help more to organize by outfits, but that would throw off the whole closet and it would not be as visually appealing.
2. I start a book before I am done with another one, so I end up reading several at a time. It is not really out of boredom, it is usually just because I can't wait to see what the next one is about. Brandon makes fun of me all the time for this and he will check on me to see if I ever finish a single book. Just so you know, I am currently not reading anything since I just finished 2 I have been working on. Sometimes you just need a little variety!
3. I absolutely CANNOT HANDLE hearing someone eat! If I can hear you chewing or smacking, you are either way too loud, or we are way too close! There are a few people (I am choosing not to name) that I will actually avoid sitting by because I know their eating will be too much for me to take.
4. I hate mayonnaise!!! Random- I know! I worked at Roly Poly in high school (don't be jealous) and they would make us take the giant vat of mayonnaise and put it into little squirt bottles with our hands (at least we did use gloves). This is what completely ruined mayo for me. Feeling the greasy, nasty texture in your HAND makes it a little hard to eat on a sandwich. At Auburn, we would go to Breezeway Restaurant every Wednesday night after chapter and my favorite sandwich was called the Salsalito, which was a salsa-basted turkey sandwich toasted with cheddar cheese on sourdough bread, yum! BUT, if you weren't careful, they would load on the mayonnaise and soak the bread in butter (which makes for a not-nice tummy later). So I always ordered mine with no mayo and no butter on the bread. You would think they would get it after awhile, but they still would try to slip in one or the other. I would send that sandwich right back and they tried to just scrape off the mayonnaise one time, but I lied and told them I was allergic to it so they wouldn't try to do it again. My sister also had to take care of it sometimes because I would still be gagging at the sight of it. Anyway, the strangest thing about this hatred of mayonnaise is that I have actually eaten it on fresh tomato sandwiches this summer- I am blaming it on the pregnancy. I had a sandwich and didn't realize it was on there, and I was ok with it. If I am conscious of the mayo's presence, there is no chance of it coming near me!
5. I bite my nails. I am a nurse, educated on all of the possible bacteria under there, and I still have a habit of biting my nails! It is not all the time, and I have been able to grow them out here and there, but it always seems to come back. My grandmother used to tell me that I would become Venus De Milo (the Greek statue with no arms) if I didn't stop biting my nails... that still didn't do the trick.
Enough about the quirks~ onto baby news!
I went today to see Dr. Adcock, and I was 3 cm dilated, 80 % effaced, and his head is "engaged" in the pelvis, which means... COME ON LABOR! I don't know what Blake is waiting for, evidently he is comfortable! I am praying that any day now he will decide to join us in the outside world because I am past the point of comfortable. Brandon and I went to Tuscaloosa and spent the night on Sunday, and at about 10 PM, I was having pretty strong contractions (a few made me jump out of bed and walk around) every 10 minutes, but they went away. It was not a good time for labor to start anyway, but I still got excited to think, "This could be it!" We went ahead and scheduled the induction for Halloween just in case Blake decides to hang in there, but I am seriously praying that he will come any day now. I do not go to the doctor anymore now, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel! Brandon has the day off tomorrow, so maybe we will go for a LONG walk!
1. I am definitely not organized in every area, but I have to have my clothes hanging in order of color. I don't know how this really helps me, but I guess it is easier to pick between 2 blue shirts if they are right next to each other. It would probably help more to organize by outfits, but that would throw off the whole closet and it would not be as visually appealing.
2. I start a book before I am done with another one, so I end up reading several at a time. It is not really out of boredom, it is usually just because I can't wait to see what the next one is about. Brandon makes fun of me all the time for this and he will check on me to see if I ever finish a single book. Just so you know, I am currently not reading anything since I just finished 2 I have been working on. Sometimes you just need a little variety!
3. I absolutely CANNOT HANDLE hearing someone eat! If I can hear you chewing or smacking, you are either way too loud, or we are way too close! There are a few people (I am choosing not to name) that I will actually avoid sitting by because I know their eating will be too much for me to take.
4. I hate mayonnaise!!! Random- I know! I worked at Roly Poly in high school (don't be jealous) and they would make us take the giant vat of mayonnaise and put it into little squirt bottles with our hands (at least we did use gloves). This is what completely ruined mayo for me. Feeling the greasy, nasty texture in your HAND makes it a little hard to eat on a sandwich. At Auburn, we would go to Breezeway Restaurant every Wednesday night after chapter and my favorite sandwich was called the Salsalito, which was a salsa-basted turkey sandwich toasted with cheddar cheese on sourdough bread, yum! BUT, if you weren't careful, they would load on the mayonnaise and soak the bread in butter (which makes for a not-nice tummy later). So I always ordered mine with no mayo and no butter on the bread. You would think they would get it after awhile, but they still would try to slip in one or the other. I would send that sandwich right back and they tried to just scrape off the mayonnaise one time, but I lied and told them I was allergic to it so they wouldn't try to do it again. My sister also had to take care of it sometimes because I would still be gagging at the sight of it. Anyway, the strangest thing about this hatred of mayonnaise is that I have actually eaten it on fresh tomato sandwiches this summer- I am blaming it on the pregnancy. I had a sandwich and didn't realize it was on there, and I was ok with it. If I am conscious of the mayo's presence, there is no chance of it coming near me!
5. I bite my nails. I am a nurse, educated on all of the possible bacteria under there, and I still have a habit of biting my nails! It is not all the time, and I have been able to grow them out here and there, but it always seems to come back. My grandmother used to tell me that I would become Venus De Milo (the Greek statue with no arms) if I didn't stop biting my nails... that still didn't do the trick.
Enough about the quirks~ onto baby news!
I went today to see Dr. Adcock, and I was 3 cm dilated, 80 % effaced, and his head is "engaged" in the pelvis, which means... COME ON LABOR! I don't know what Blake is waiting for, evidently he is comfortable! I am praying that any day now he will decide to join us in the outside world because I am past the point of comfortable. Brandon and I went to Tuscaloosa and spent the night on Sunday, and at about 10 PM, I was having pretty strong contractions (a few made me jump out of bed and walk around) every 10 minutes, but they went away. It was not a good time for labor to start anyway, but I still got excited to think, "This could be it!" We went ahead and scheduled the induction for Halloween just in case Blake decides to hang in there, but I am seriously praying that he will come any day now. I do not go to the doctor anymore now, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel! Brandon has the day off tomorrow, so maybe we will go for a LONG walk!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Blake Update
I went to the doctor yesterday to see how ready we are for Blake, and we are moving right along! When the nurse went to look for his heartbeat, she was surprised at how low he is positioned. I have been telling Brandon lately that I thought he had dropped because my ribs don't hurt quite so badly and I cannot go more than an hour without having to go to the bathroom. I have also been having tons of contractions, but I have had them for a while. And they are not the regular (real) contractions, but the uncomfortable (becoming more real) Braxton-Hicks contractions. However, even the Braxton-Hicks ones can mean that something is going on and your body is preparing for labor, so I don't mind them all that much! Anyway, Dr. Adcock checked to see if I was dilated and he just said, "Wow." That can mean a lot of things, so I asked if it was a good "wow" or a bad "wow." He said it was good and that I am already 2 cm dilated. I asked him about how low Blake is and he said he thought he was pretty far down there too. I got really excited for a second, but then I remembered that women walk around for weeks dilated 2 cm, so that doesn't mean he is coming all that soon. And, Dr. Adcock said he doesn't think Blake will be that big afterall. He said he would be surprised if he was much bigger than Kate (which made my day)! When I asked about scheduling the induction, they just laughed and said, "We shouldn't schedule it yet, you're probably not going to make it until Halloween." I am not going to hold them to that, but it is nice to know that at the longest, I will only have to wait 2 weeks and 2 days to meet Blake!
Brandon has this dream of throwing everything in the car and speeding to the hospital (forgetting the fact that we live all of 7 minutes from the hospital), so he is excited that I may go into labor myself instead of being induced. Then, his Nascar father-to-be dream will come true! He is supposed to go to Greenville this weekend to do some work on his hunting land, but I am a little skeptical now for him to go too far if he doesn't have to. We also have a residency interview scheduled for Sunday night/Monday morning in Tuscaloosa that I have been given permission to travel for, but I don't know about that either. The last thing I want is to be far away or alone when I do go into labor! If he goes to Greenville, I think I will be taking Kate to stay with my parents so I won't be alone (and because they will wear her out playing). I guess you just never really know how or when labor starts, so I am just going to keep on with my normal life and pray that he is ready whenever he does come! We will keep you posted on any updates!
Brandon has this dream of throwing everything in the car and speeding to the hospital (forgetting the fact that we live all of 7 minutes from the hospital), so he is excited that I may go into labor myself instead of being induced. Then, his Nascar father-to-be dream will come true! He is supposed to go to Greenville this weekend to do some work on his hunting land, but I am a little skeptical now for him to go too far if he doesn't have to. We also have a residency interview scheduled for Sunday night/Monday morning in Tuscaloosa that I have been given permission to travel for, but I don't know about that either. The last thing I want is to be far away or alone when I do go into labor! If he goes to Greenville, I think I will be taking Kate to stay with my parents so I won't be alone (and because they will wear her out playing). I guess you just never really know how or when labor starts, so I am just going to keep on with my normal life and pray that he is ready whenever he does come! We will keep you posted on any updates!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
I May Be Tired...
But not too tired to shop for bargains! I went to CVS earlier and had a great trip!
I am starting with 10 ECB from last week, so here is the breakdown...
Transaction #1
Soleil Razor, $5.99 (on sale from 6.99)
2 Soleil Razor Refills, $5.99 each (on sale from 6.99)
Colgate Maxfresh Toothpaste, $2.99 (on sale from 3.29)
Coupons Used:
(3) $2 off Soleil coupons
$4 off $20 CVS purchase coupon (printed from last purchase)
$10 ECB from last week
Total out of pocket: $1.66, and then I earned $4 ECB for each razor, and $2 ECB for the toothpaste, and then a bonus ECB popped up on the receipt thanking me for my summer spending... So, basically including ECB I spent $11.66, but I earned $15 ECB, making a net profit of $3.34. CVS just paid me to take home this stuff!
Transaction #2
Tylenol Rapid Release, $6.00 (on sale from 7.49)
Children's Motrin, $6.00 (on sale from 6.99)
2 Children's Tylenols, $6.00 each (on sale from 7.49)
CVS Hand Sanitizer Spray, $1.99
Coupons Used:
$2 off Tylenol Rapid Release
$3 off when you buy 3 Tylenol/Motrin products
$5 off $25 CVS purchase printed with first transaction
$12 ECB from razors
$2 ECB from toothpaste
$1 ECB from summer spending
Total out of pocket: $1.59, and then I earned $1 ECB from the hand sanitizer and $10 ECB for spending $20 on Tylenol/Motrin products.
So, I started with 10 ECB and only spent $3.25 cash out of pocket for $55.71 worth of merchandise, and I still have $11 ECB to roll next time! This is why I love CVS! I will probably do another week or two and then take a break from CVS-ing to spend some time with Blake. Besides, we have enough razors, deodorant, and toothpaste to last another year!
I am starting with 10 ECB from last week, so here is the breakdown...
Transaction #1
Soleil Razor, $5.99 (on sale from 6.99)
2 Soleil Razor Refills, $5.99 each (on sale from 6.99)
Colgate Maxfresh Toothpaste, $2.99 (on sale from 3.29)
Coupons Used:
(3) $2 off Soleil coupons
$4 off $20 CVS purchase coupon (printed from last purchase)
$10 ECB from last week
Total out of pocket: $1.66, and then I earned $4 ECB for each razor, and $2 ECB for the toothpaste, and then a bonus ECB popped up on the receipt thanking me for my summer spending... So, basically including ECB I spent $11.66, but I earned $15 ECB, making a net profit of $3.34. CVS just paid me to take home this stuff!
Transaction #2
Tylenol Rapid Release, $6.00 (on sale from 7.49)
Children's Motrin, $6.00 (on sale from 6.99)
2 Children's Tylenols, $6.00 each (on sale from 7.49)
CVS Hand Sanitizer Spray, $1.99
Coupons Used:
$2 off Tylenol Rapid Release
$3 off when you buy 3 Tylenol/Motrin products
$5 off $25 CVS purchase printed with first transaction
$12 ECB from razors
$2 ECB from toothpaste
$1 ECB from summer spending
Total out of pocket: $1.59, and then I earned $1 ECB from the hand sanitizer and $10 ECB for spending $20 on Tylenol/Motrin products.
So, I started with 10 ECB and only spent $3.25 cash out of pocket for $55.71 worth of merchandise, and I still have $11 ECB to roll next time! This is why I love CVS! I will probably do another week or two and then take a break from CVS-ing to spend some time with Blake. Besides, we have enough razors, deodorant, and toothpaste to last another year!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Finishing Projects
I have been trying to get a few last minute projects done... and I have finished a couple!
I have added ribbon and monogrammed some burp cloths for Blake. I went to Babies R Us the other day and bought a few last minute necessities like receiving blankets, a Boppy Cover, and some little tiny shirts and pants for him to wear right away. I have washed all of his newborn clothes and sheets and blankets, so I only have a few things left to wash and I will be all ready.
I have taken a few smocking classes lately, and I finished my dress for Kate! I took the basic smocking class to do the design on the pleated fabric, and I loved it- but they didn't finish the dress for me. It would have cost me $38 to get them to finish the dress or $45 to take the class and learn how to finish the dress myself... so I took the class. I really enjoyed learning how to do it myself, but I feel like I need a new project so I don't forget what I learned. Also, I am taking the class next week to learn how to use my pleater that I got for my birthday, and then I will be able to make a bishop dress from start to finish by myself! I am looking forward to that even though I am not sure how much time I will have to be smocking dresses soon.
We had a scare the other morning with Blake. I woke up and realized that all 3 times I had gone to the bathroom during the night, he had not kept me awake with his moving. So, I laid in bed turning from side to side and poking at him for a good 30 minutes. I got up to move around some, but he still was not moving, so I called Brandon and got him to come home and take me to the doctor. I had a non-stress test done, where they just put a monitor on me to keep up with his heartbeat and they gave me a button to press anytime I felt him move. I sat there for a while without feeling him move, so they came in with some vibrating buzzer and zapped him a few times. He went nuts! He hated it so much that he started jumping around and my stomach looked like an alien had taken over inside. I have to say that it was the greatest feeling in the world! My doctor told me that Blake is just "getting into position" and that he just isn't able to move much anymore. He was also just very sleepy that morning and needed to be buzzed to wake up. I felt like I had over-reacted, but Dr. Adcock made me feel so much better and told me he would have gotten his wife to do the exact same thing. That is the scary part about babies- if you wait at all, you could have waited too late! Needless to say, I was pretty hysterical that morning thinking of all the "what-ifs," but it just reminded me that we are not promised any good thing in this life and I am so thankful that the Lord has provided so much so far!
I am feeling more ready to have Blake these days- I am about out of room and I am way out of energy. I had Kate at the park the other day and she was running away from me, so I was chasing her. I got to her and another mom was standing with her kids and she said, "I see you are having a hard time breathing." I wanted to thank her for noticing in a not-so-nice way, but I just kind of smiled and went on chasing Kate (which would make any non-pregnant person out of breath). I also am not sleeping well at all, which is to be expected. I can't help but feel a little sad about rocking Kate's world. I know that is horrible to say, but I just have been able to give her full attention for 16 1/2 months and now she will have to become more independent and lean on her daddy/grandparents more than ever. When I had Kate, I never could have imagined the immediate love you have for your child, which makes me wonder how it is at all possible to love ANOTHER child that much. My mom and friends with more than one child all assure me that I will just feel that same love for the new baby and keep feeling that love for Kate. It is nice to know that I won't have to divide love between kids, but that God just doubles it! Anyway, I will keep you all updated on the changing emotions and the preparations for Blake as they come along!
I have added ribbon and monogrammed some burp cloths for Blake. I went to Babies R Us the other day and bought a few last minute necessities like receiving blankets, a Boppy Cover, and some little tiny shirts and pants for him to wear right away. I have washed all of his newborn clothes and sheets and blankets, so I only have a few things left to wash and I will be all ready.
I have taken a few smocking classes lately, and I finished my dress for Kate! I took the basic smocking class to do the design on the pleated fabric, and I loved it- but they didn't finish the dress for me. It would have cost me $38 to get them to finish the dress or $45 to take the class and learn how to finish the dress myself... so I took the class. I really enjoyed learning how to do it myself, but I feel like I need a new project so I don't forget what I learned. Also, I am taking the class next week to learn how to use my pleater that I got for my birthday, and then I will be able to make a bishop dress from start to finish by myself! I am looking forward to that even though I am not sure how much time I will have to be smocking dresses soon.
We had a scare the other morning with Blake. I woke up and realized that all 3 times I had gone to the bathroom during the night, he had not kept me awake with his moving. So, I laid in bed turning from side to side and poking at him for a good 30 minutes. I got up to move around some, but he still was not moving, so I called Brandon and got him to come home and take me to the doctor. I had a non-stress test done, where they just put a monitor on me to keep up with his heartbeat and they gave me a button to press anytime I felt him move. I sat there for a while without feeling him move, so they came in with some vibrating buzzer and zapped him a few times. He went nuts! He hated it so much that he started jumping around and my stomach looked like an alien had taken over inside. I have to say that it was the greatest feeling in the world! My doctor told me that Blake is just "getting into position" and that he just isn't able to move much anymore. He was also just very sleepy that morning and needed to be buzzed to wake up. I felt like I had over-reacted, but Dr. Adcock made me feel so much better and told me he would have gotten his wife to do the exact same thing. That is the scary part about babies- if you wait at all, you could have waited too late! Needless to say, I was pretty hysterical that morning thinking of all the "what-ifs," but it just reminded me that we are not promised any good thing in this life and I am so thankful that the Lord has provided so much so far!
I am feeling more ready to have Blake these days- I am about out of room and I am way out of energy. I had Kate at the park the other day and she was running away from me, so I was chasing her. I got to her and another mom was standing with her kids and she said, "I see you are having a hard time breathing." I wanted to thank her for noticing in a not-so-nice way, but I just kind of smiled and went on chasing Kate (which would make any non-pregnant person out of breath). I also am not sleeping well at all, which is to be expected. I can't help but feel a little sad about rocking Kate's world. I know that is horrible to say, but I just have been able to give her full attention for 16 1/2 months and now she will have to become more independent and lean on her daddy/grandparents more than ever. When I had Kate, I never could have imagined the immediate love you have for your child, which makes me wonder how it is at all possible to love ANOTHER child that much. My mom and friends with more than one child all assure me that I will just feel that same love for the new baby and keep feeling that love for Kate. It is nice to know that I won't have to divide love between kids, but that God just doubles it! Anyway, I will keep you all updated on the changing emotions and the preparations for Blake as they come along!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Growing Up Fast
She is a girly girl! Kate has gotten to be obsessed with having her shoes on and her bow in. When I dress her, she pats her head and says, "bow" and then she points to her feet and says "Shoe-shoes." I actually have had to put her shoes where she can't reach them, because she has hidden one and I cannot find it anywhere! Even when I don't dress her (notice the footy pajamas), she will put her own shoes on! Doesn't everybody wear crocs over their pajamas? I do put little bows in all the time just because her hair hangs in her eyes, but she loves reminding me before I do it.
If you aren't careful, she grabs glasses right off of your face. Usually she just pulls on them and waves them around, but this morning she figured out how to put them on. She walked around holding them in place so she could wear them like me... not long enough to hurt her eyes though because I am blind!
Kate is learning how to give sweet kisses to Baby. They are still big, open-mouthed kisses that leave a generous amount of slobber behind, so we will keep working on that before Blake gets any "Kate-kisses." Brandon and I are constantly amazed at how much of a toddler Kate is, and not so much of a little baby! Last night I said, "Let's go brush your teeth," and she walked right to the sink and stood there pointing at her toothbrush. Then I said, "Go tell Daddy 'night night' and give him kisses," and she walked right to him blowing him kisses and saying "nigh nigh." Where does time go?!
Kate still loves to help her Daddy do pushups! As soon as she sees his hands on the floor like this, she runs over to him and jumps on his back. It is funny that she even knows to hold on tight, and she jumps around like she is riding a horse. I personally get a kick out of it every time she does this because Brandon can barely finish any because he is laughing so hard at how excited she gets. It is even better when Bailey tries to get underneath him with Kate on top of him. At least Bailey listens to commands, Kate is still learning!
Speaking of growing up fast... I went to the doctor on Tuesday and we are moving right along! The last time I went, I saw another doctor and he told me that Blake was going to be "significantly bigger than Kate." Yikes! So, this time I saw Dr. Adcock and he said that Kate was just on the smaller side of average (7 pounds, 1 ounce), and that Blake would likely be on the bigger side of average (above 8 pounds). He did say we can plan on inducing on Halloween... that is 29 days away! I will be exactly 39 weeks, so it is not too soon. I am feeling enormous and he is already sitting so low that I am wondering if I will make it that far! I know everyone says that... I guess it is just wishful thinking!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Getting Ready for Blake (plus some recent shopping)
Brandon went to the Auburn game this weekend, so Kate and I stayed at my parents' house to relax and go through baby stuff. We don't have much storage here, so we have stored things at their house, and this weekend we sorted through it all! I went through all of Kate's clothes from newborn until now and organized them by size to put them in Space Bags (they are awesome by the way)! Piles and piles of clothes turned into 3 vacuum-packed, easy-to-move bags. I did find a few things that were neutral so Blake can use them, and I got out the baby bath, activity mats, Bumbo seat, etc. When Brandon got back in town, he loaded things up and we finally brought Blake's cradle home.
Kate has been loving her baby doll! She carries her around the house, makes sure she has her pacifier in, and pushes her in the stroller. She calls her "Baby," and she knows where she is at all times! The only thing that concerns me after watching her with Baby is that we may need to work on being more gentle before she is introduced to Blake. She holds Baby by her head and drops her whenever something more interesting comes along. Not quite ready to hold a real baby yet!
We set up Blake's cradle at the foot of our bed (it is kind of hard to see since the cradle, bed, and floors are all the same color wood). I found the cream colored cradle sheet and bumper at a consignment sale for $3, and it is in perfect condition! We washed all of his newborn to 3 month clothes, socks, hats, bibs, and blanket so it would be ready. We are going to clean out one of our drawers in the bedroom for his stuff soon. It feels GREAT to get this stuff done- not because I think he is coming too soon, but I know my energy level is dwindling by the day and I want to know things are done!
Now... if you care to see today's shopping steals:
Publix:
Lysol, $1.60 (b1g1 free $3.19, but I just bought 1) used $0.50 off coupon and they doubled it, paid $0.60
8 Dannon yogurts, $0.75 each (on sale $0.50 each) used $1 off 8 coupon, paid $3 for 8
Quaker oatmeal, $1.90 (b1g1 free $3.79, but I bought 1) used $1 off coupon, paid $0.90
2 Voila! meals, $2.35 each (b1g1 free $4.69) used $2 off 2 coupon, paid $1.35 each
10 Green Giant frozen vegetables, $1.75 (on sale $1.00 each) used (5) $1 off 2 coupons, paid $0.50 each
4 Toaster Strudels, $1.25 each (b1g1 free $2.49) used $1 off 2 and $0.75 off 2 coupons, paid $0.80 each
2 Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta, $0.90 each (b1g1 free $1.79) used $1 off coupon, paid $0.39 each
2 Campbells Select Harvest Soup, $1.20 each (b1g1 free $2.39) used $1 off 2 coupon and $0.50 off 2 coupon that they doubled, paid $0.20 each
2 Dole Fruit Cup Packs, $1.33 each (b1g1 free $2.65) used $0.75 off 2 coupon, paid $0.95 each
Bananas, $1.03 (no sale, just needed them!)
Apples, $1.77 (saved $0.95 since they were on sale for $1.29/lb)
Used $3 off $15 CVS coupon and $5 off $25 Piggly Wiggly coupon for entire purchase
Total Value: $67.25
Total Saved: $51.77
Total Spent Out Of Pocket: $15.48
CVS:
Transaction 1
Covergirl Foundation $5.49
Covergirl Powder $5.49
Febreze Noticeables $6.99, on sale from $8.49
Total- 17.97
Coupons Used:
$1 off Covergirl
$5.49 off, B1G1 free Covergirl Face Product
$5 off Febreze Noticeables
$3 off $15 purchase
$3 ECB from last time
My total out of pocket was $1.68
I earned $5.79 ECB from Covergirl (so they paid me $0.30 to buy Covergirl)
Transaction 2
3 cans Pringles $0.99 each, on sale from $1.99
Dawn Dish Soap $0.99, on sale from $1.99
Dawn with Hand Renewal Soap $0.99, on sale from $2.39 (NOT an advertised sale)
Softsoap $0.99, on sale from $2.49
Gillette Fusion Razor $9.99
M&Ms $0.79 (just to make my total above 0)
Total- 16.72
Coupons Used:
$0.30 off 3 cans Pringles
$0.25 off Dawn
$1.00 off Dawn with Hand Renewal
$0.35 off Softsoap
$4.00 off Fusion Razor
$3 off $15 CVS coupon
$5.79 ECB from last transaction
$2 ECB from last week
My total out of pocket was $0.62
I earned $5 ECB from the razor.
I started with 10 ECB and ended with 10 ECB, so my out of pocket of $2.30 paid for ALL of this stuff that was worth $43.09! Brandon has a hard time understanding how you roll ECB and not lose money, but it really works when you split transactions up!!!
Kate has been loving her baby doll! She carries her around the house, makes sure she has her pacifier in, and pushes her in the stroller. She calls her "Baby," and she knows where she is at all times! The only thing that concerns me after watching her with Baby is that we may need to work on being more gentle before she is introduced to Blake. She holds Baby by her head and drops her whenever something more interesting comes along. Not quite ready to hold a real baby yet!
We set up Blake's cradle at the foot of our bed (it is kind of hard to see since the cradle, bed, and floors are all the same color wood). I found the cream colored cradle sheet and bumper at a consignment sale for $3, and it is in perfect condition! We washed all of his newborn to 3 month clothes, socks, hats, bibs, and blanket so it would be ready. We are going to clean out one of our drawers in the bedroom for his stuff soon. It feels GREAT to get this stuff done- not because I think he is coming too soon, but I know my energy level is dwindling by the day and I want to know things are done!
Now... if you care to see today's shopping steals:
Publix:
Lysol, $1.60 (b1g1 free $3.19, but I just bought 1) used $0.50 off coupon and they doubled it, paid $0.60
8 Dannon yogurts, $0.75 each (on sale $0.50 each) used $1 off 8 coupon, paid $3 for 8
Quaker oatmeal, $1.90 (b1g1 free $3.79, but I bought 1) used $1 off coupon, paid $0.90
2 Voila! meals, $2.35 each (b1g1 free $4.69) used $2 off 2 coupon, paid $1.35 each
10 Green Giant frozen vegetables, $1.75 (on sale $1.00 each) used (5) $1 off 2 coupons, paid $0.50 each
4 Toaster Strudels, $1.25 each (b1g1 free $2.49) used $1 off 2 and $0.75 off 2 coupons, paid $0.80 each
2 Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta, $0.90 each (b1g1 free $1.79) used $1 off coupon, paid $0.39 each
2 Campbells Select Harvest Soup, $1.20 each (b1g1 free $2.39) used $1 off 2 coupon and $0.50 off 2 coupon that they doubled, paid $0.20 each
2 Dole Fruit Cup Packs, $1.33 each (b1g1 free $2.65) used $0.75 off 2 coupon, paid $0.95 each
Bananas, $1.03 (no sale, just needed them!)
Apples, $1.77 (saved $0.95 since they were on sale for $1.29/lb)
Used $3 off $15 CVS coupon and $5 off $25 Piggly Wiggly coupon for entire purchase
Total Value: $67.25
Total Saved: $51.77
Total Spent Out Of Pocket: $15.48
CVS:
Transaction 1
Covergirl Foundation $5.49
Covergirl Powder $5.49
Febreze Noticeables $6.99, on sale from $8.49
Total- 17.97
Coupons Used:
$1 off Covergirl
$5.49 off, B1G1 free Covergirl Face Product
$5 off Febreze Noticeables
$3 off $15 purchase
$3 ECB from last time
My total out of pocket was $1.68
I earned $5.79 ECB from Covergirl (so they paid me $0.30 to buy Covergirl)
Transaction 2
3 cans Pringles $0.99 each, on sale from $1.99
Dawn Dish Soap $0.99, on sale from $1.99
Dawn with Hand Renewal Soap $0.99, on sale from $2.39 (NOT an advertised sale)
Softsoap $0.99, on sale from $2.49
Gillette Fusion Razor $9.99
M&Ms $0.79 (just to make my total above 0)
Total- 16.72
Coupons Used:
$0.30 off 3 cans Pringles
$0.25 off Dawn
$1.00 off Dawn with Hand Renewal
$0.35 off Softsoap
$4.00 off Fusion Razor
$3 off $15 CVS coupon
$5.79 ECB from last transaction
$2 ECB from last week
My total out of pocket was $0.62
I earned $5 ECB from the razor.
I started with 10 ECB and ended with 10 ECB, so my out of pocket of $2.30 paid for ALL of this stuff that was worth $43.09! Brandon has a hard time understanding how you roll ECB and not lose money, but it really works when you split transactions up!!!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
A Packed Weekend
My sister, my mom, and me at a tailgate for the Auburn game. I wish the final score was different, but we had a really fun day! I did actually have a girl say to me that she can't wait to be pregnant so she can get big and fat and waddle around... that was not my favorite comment! Sometimes you just have to laugh at things people say and realize that they have no idea what it sounds like, or realize that they may be drunk. I took Kate over to Brandon's parents in the morning and I went to tailgate for the whole day with NO worries. They were so excited to keep her, and I was excited to not chase her around a tailgate. Brandon was in charge of the grill and I knew I would want to be free to visit with people and not run around after Kate. I saw tons of friends that we never get to see and I also got to walk around campus a little- I miss being in Auburn! Kate had a blast with Papa-G and JoJo, they wore her out and she slept like a log Saturday night.
We made it back into Birmingham just in time to have a small shower for me and Blake. I have some sweet friends that made such an effort to make me feel special! This was the diaper cake that Krystle made- so cute and so useful (when you take it apart)!
Kelly was obsessed with us taking pictures of being pregnant together, so here is one after the shower.
Notice I am not smiling that much here... I am a little tired of the belly pictures! She wanted a back-to-back picture and now I think it was just to make her feel better about herself. Wow, a side view makes me feel enormous!
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