2013 In Review

In the car the other day I noted that the three best things to happen us this year was that both our cars were in accidents and we had Liam.

Why is being in an accident a good thing? Jason drove a 2000 2-door Blazer. At our budget meeting before the year started, we discussed needing to replace it by the time Liam was born and saving extra for the down payment of something 4-door. And then on Jan 2 he was rear-ended. We thought for sure it would be totaled (it was worth maybe $2k) and we'd have to start car shopping. In the end Geico gave him $1,200. We still started car shopping because we weren't able to open up the back hatch. In mid-February he decided on a Chrysler 300 and we found an amazing deal on a used 2012 one. And then the dealer gave him $1,700 for his broken blazer! He never would have gotten $2,900 for it in non-broken condition, so total win.

I planned to drive my highlander into the ground. It was paid for, in good condition, and we had discussed getting it "painted" to repair a few cosmetic issues it had. I figured in 3-4 more years I would upgrade to a larger SUV. I might not have quite the down payment, but I would have something toward a new one, and by then we'd be debt free and have a nice savings for a new one. But the world doesn't work like that, so mine got totaled and we bought a larger SUV.

And now Jason and I both drive brand new cars, with car loans. Totally not Dave Ramsey-isk. We actually hope to pay off one of these vehicles this year, we still have some savings to apply. We did pay off another loan and are down to two car loans and two student loans. Our car loans actually have lower interest rates than the student loans! Once I'm employed again we'll be able to tackle these few remaining debts and knock them out! 

So to look back at my 2013 Resolutions... I should fess up and say that when I wrote them, I knew I was pregnant.

1) Pay off car ($980 to go!!)
2) Lose Weight
3) Gain Weight
4) Have a baby
5) Stay childless
6) Don't start smoking
7) Drink
8) Work
9) Work Out
10) Sleep

1. I did pay off my Highlander (and 11 months later it was totaled.) 
2. I lost weight! After I had the baby. 
3. I gained weight, since I was pregnant. 
4. I had a baby!
5. I didn't stay childless. 
6. I didn't start smoking. 
7. I drank, water, and lots of water. And more water. I have had 3 glasses of wine (so far) this entire year. 
8. I worked. And worked. And now I work as a stay at home mom. And I work on job searching so I can get back out in the work force. 
9. I worked out. I continued to work out from January until the first week of August. I haven't done much of anything since then. 
10. And I slept. A lot more in the beginning of the year than the end of the year. 

I've been thinking a lot about my 2014 and what I want to happen. I'll post more about that later, but looking back at the half-ass resolutions I made and how big of year it was, makes me want to have another big year, even if I don't set a resolution. 

Chicken Cordon Blue Casserole

Having a baby makes it hard to cook. We've been eating through our freezer but sometimes I want to try something new. And on the weekends (or holidays), I can usually find a little time to cook while Jason is on baby duty. (And sometimes he sleeps and Jason can help in the kitchen!) 

I have seen this recipe floating around Pinterest for a while and wanted to make it. So. I. Did. :) 

Most of the pins I found didn't have a recipe attached, it was a pin of a pin of a pin. That got annoying so I turned to The Google. 

The only deviation I made from the recipe was I added two extra tablespoons of Dijon Mustard. The mixture you pour ontop is very similar to my Chicken Divan mixture and as my husband stated, it tastes similar to chicken divan, except instead of brocolli there is cheese. I have to warn you too - somehow my dish came out a little extra salty. I only added the tsp of salt, and I'm not sure if it's just the salt in the ham and cheese and maybe I need to somehow choose less salty meat. 

Even though I used the recipe as is, I'm going to copy it below (with a few small edits) word for word because I really hate having to constantly scroll through pictures and instructions. 

Chicken Cordon Blue Casserole

Ingredients

1 large rotisserie chicken, meat removed and pulled (about 5-6 C)

1/2 pound sliced deli-style black forest ham, chopped

1/2 pound sliced swiss cheese

Sauce:

4 Tb butter

4 Tb flour

3 C milk

1 Tb lemon juice

2 Tb dijion mustard (Substitute ground mustard if needed.)

1  tsp salt

1 Tsp of Garlic 

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp pepper

Crumb Topping:

4 Tb melted butter

1 1/4 C seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 C Parmesan cheese

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13 casserole dish with nonstick spray.  Layer the chicken in the bottom of the dish followed by the ham and finally the Swiss/Havarti cheese.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
3. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly add the milk, whisking to keep clumps from forming.
4. Turn the heat to high and cook until the sauce thickens and boils completely, whisking often.
5. Remove from the heat and add the remaining sauce ingredients.
6. Pour the finished sauce over the base layer already in the dish.
7. In a small bowl, mix together the topping ingredients until the butter is evenly distributed over the crumbs.
8. Sprinkle over the top of the dish and bake for 45 minutes.
9. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving so the sauce will thicken just a bit.

Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

My inspiration for this comes from The Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond). She has one of my favorite food network shows and everything she makes looks really delicious. It's also hearty since she is serving her ranch hand family. 

Her recipe calls for a few more peppers, twice the potatoes, and doesn't incorporate sausage since it's a "side dish". I wanted to make this a breakfast casserole. 

I also like this because it's a two-dish casserole. One large skillet on the stove and one 9x13 glass casserole dish. (Unless you have to grate the cheese with your food processor... then there's an extra clean up item.)

Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

1 red pepper

2 poblano chilies (for more heat, add more chilies or pick a hotter one.)

1 white onion

2 pounds diced frozen hash brown potatoes (1 bag)

Salt & Pepper

1/2 pound grated sharp cheddar

1/2 pound grated Monterrey jack 

8 slices of bacon, fried & chopped

1 pound sausage

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. 
2. Cook the sausage & bacon (separately), and set aside. Drain sausage/pat dry bacon. Chop bacon.
3. Dice the onion, red pepper, and chilies.
4. Melt the butter in the large skillet and saute the onion, red pepper, and chilies until onion is clear and pepper & chilies are almost blackened. (I also added garlic, parsley, and cilantro frozen cubes at this point. - See below for more info.) 
5. Add the cooked sausage and the frozen hashbrowns, salt & pepper, and mix together. Let cook about 15 - 20 minutes. (Or however long it takes to shred your cheese.)
6. Pour half the potato mixture into a greased 9x13 glass dish. Cover with a thin layer of cheese, pour the remaining half of hte potato mixture over the cheese layer. Spread the rest of the cheese over the casserole, top with bacon.
7. Bake until hot and bubbly, about 30-40 minutes. 

Notes:

• You can change the peppers to make it hotter or milder. I think it had the perfect spice for breakfast
• You can make this the day before (I did) and I took it out about an hour before putting in the oven so it would come to room temperature. 
• If you haven't discovered the frozen cubes of spices at Trader Joes, or now at Wal-Mart, you must! I keep the garlic, cilantro, and parsley on hand to flavor my dishes. As much as I love having fresh cilantro as a garnish, it's a pain to keep on hand. 
• Since this has sausage in it, you don't really need another protein, but it would go good with a side of scrambled eggs. 
• If anyone ever finds shredded Monterrey jack please, please call me ASAP. I love the flavor of MJ cheese, but am tired of always shredding it. My food processor does wonders, but then I have to clean that! 

Get up and do something

On Thursday November 14 the world lost a hero. 

Grandpa Bill passed away peacefully surrounded by friends and family. I have a lot of mixed emotions and am not grieving the way a normal person grieves. It's hard to grieve when you have the most adorable 10 week old laughing at you while you cry. After so much loss throughout my life, I bury my emotions and it's easier to deal with them later. 

Grandpa has been sick for many years. And constant "This might be it" trips to visit him in the hospital. It happens a few times each year. It wasn't a surprise. He was airlifted on Sunday to Barnes. He had a great day, a surge, on Monday. But then Monday night took a turn and didn't recover. 

My father gave a great eulogy.  Grandpa was in WWII and when he landed on the beach  near Zamboanga in the Philippines, he had two choices. Lay there and get killed or get up and do something about it.

He received three Bronze stars, two for valor and bravery in combat. And one of those reads “for organizing and leading Philippine infantry in attacking and overcoming three Japanese machine gun positions.

So my father challenges all of us to Get Up and Do Something.

Grandpa's obituary:

William E. “Bill” Reed, 87, of Red Bud, Illinois, formerly of Belleville, IL,born Thursday, August 19, 1926, in Saint Louis, MO, died Thursday, November 14, 2013 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in Saint Louis, Missouri.

Bill was retired from CBS/Viacom, having worked at Channel 4 television station for 35 years. He was a member of Saint Matthew United Methodist Church in Belleville Illinois. He was a volunteer for the Violence Prevention Center, Meals on Wheels, former Boy Scout and Cub Scout leader, Khoury League coach, a member of IBEW Local 4. He was a decorated combat veteran of WWII, having served in the Philippines and Japan with the 41st Infantry Division.

He was preceded in death by:

• Father:  Henry Clay Reed 
• Mother and Step-father:  Frances nee Domagolla and Charles Dougharty
• Mother and Father-in-law:  Jesse and Pearl nee Rhine Fox
• Brother and Sister-in-Law:  Bob and Beryl Reed
• Nephew:  Larry Lee

Surviving:

• Wife:  Wilma “Jean” nee Fox Reed of Red Bud, IL 
• Son and Daughter-in-Law:  William Michael and Terri Reed of Red Bud, IL 
• Grandchildren:
  • Melissa Reed of Red Bud, IL 
  • Meghan (Jason) Guilford of Maryland Heights 
  • William J. (Kelci) Reed of Godfrey, IL 
• Great-Grandson:  William P. Guilford
• Niece:  Sandra (Dan) Malan of St. Louis, MO
• Cousin:  Reed (Carol) James of St. Joseph, MO
• Great Nieces and Nephews
• Special Cousins of the Rhine and Fox families

Memorials: Memorials may be made to the St. Matthew United Methodist Church, St. Peter United Church of Christ in Red Bud, Monroe County Humane Society or St. Louis Honor Flight 

Shoulder Roast Recipe

We are halfway through with our half of the split-quarter from Crooked Creek Beef. We also reserved a split quarter that will be ready in December. They have some left if you want to reserve yours!

We have eaten most of the steaks and have ground beef and the large cuts of meat left, like roasts.

Here is what I did with the shoulder roast. I started with this recipe and added things based on the comments. I love crock pot roast. I hate crock pot potatoes. They come out all mushy. One of the comments said to add them half way through the day. I would say bake them in the oven or microwave. Or have Tater Tots, as we did. I love Tots. 

Ingredients
2-pounds boneless beef roast (I used the Shoulder Roast)
flour
2-tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Salt & Pepper
Worcestershire Sauce
1-yellow onion
16-ounces Baby Carrots (or peel/cut your own, who has time for that?)
16-ounce mushrooms (whole or cut)
14-ounce can Beef Broth
10.75 can Cream of XYZ Soup. I used Cream of Mushroom & Roasted Garlic

2-tablespoons fresh parsley

Garlic 

Directions

1. Dredge the roast in the flour. In a large skillet over medium high heat, saute the roast in the oil for 15 minutes, or until all sides are well browned. Season with salt & pepper and set aside.
2. Layer the carrots, quarter the onion, and mushrooms in the bottom of a slow cooker (sprayed with non-stick cooking spray) 
3. Sprinkle with Worcestershire sauce & garlic powder. (and other spices you might like)
4. Pour the can of beef broth in the slow cooker.
5. Place the roast on top and pour the soup on top of the roast.
6. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low 8-10 hours. 
7. Eat with baked potatoes (or tater tops) or pasta. 

Enjoy! 

Lazy Days & Cloth Diaper Update

Liam thinks sleeping, especially at night, is overrated. And he is fussy what seems like all the time. 

Most days I am exhausted and I get to stay at home. Jason is exhausted but he has to work. Most week nights I try to do all the getting up, but a few nights I am so exhausted I don't move and don't wake up at all. Jason will be standing next to me holding a crying baby and I won't hear him at all. I am in a coma and most days feel like a zombie. I only start to feel normal after lunch. I haven't had a good nights sleep in what feels like a year. I would guess it's at least been a few months now. If you add up all the sleep I get throughout the day, it probably is 7-9 hours. But it's in 2-3 hour blocks. And that isn't sufficient for my body. At least not yet. I guess I eventually will get used to not having deep sleep. (Since starting this journal entry a week ago, I am starting to feel more rested.)

I feel very selfish complaining about this. Who am I to complain? I have an amazing husband who helps. He even comes home at lunch so I can shower. And he'll get up with Liam too in the middle of the night. How do single moms do it? Or moms with more selfish husbands who don't get up at night?

I also don't have to work. My work loads includes some light housework and caring for Liam. That's it. Jason helps with chores in the evening and weekends. And the cooking. Sometimes I am able to make dinner, sometimes Jason gets home and has to do most of it (like making a salad or heating up the dinner, grilling, serving, and cleaning up.) I actually made dinner the other night - Jason came home to dinner cooked and ready to be dished out. And I think Liam was calm enough that I was able to clean up. Or not, I actually can't remember much about Thursday night. The days run together, and I can't know what day it is.

I eventually will have to return to work, and sometimes think I want to stay home for more than 12 weeks, like 6 months. And then I have days where Liam is fussy all day/night and only wants to be held and/or eat, and I wish I was at work and we had daycare watching over Liam. Then I wonder how daycare handles a newborn. Do they let him sit and cry it out? What if he isn't on a feeding schedule? Will they feed him on demand? Then I start worrying about leaving him and realize I want to stay home longer.

And while it seems like I'm whining about something frivolous - he wants to be held or fed the entire afternoon - and some people would love to sit at home on the couch feeding a newborn or holding him, it is exhausting when he decides one of those two things doesn't satisfy him and he cries, and cries. Jason will sometimes come home and I'm in an uncomfortable sitting position and Liam is sprawled across my lap, finally passed out. Or he's latched on and been that way for an hour.  And I like that he's sleeping/latched because he's quiet, but it also means a few things - 1) I can't move, and 2) he won't sleep later in the evening, or 3) my boob is drained dry. I worry the long feeding sessions are draining my milk, not aiding in the creation of milk.

Cloth Diaper Update
On a side note of cloth diapers - I bought liners and they help tremendously!! A little less rinsing of the poo. (Though you don't have to remove breastfed poo from diapers before washing.) I read a bunch of reviews on various liners and decided on the incredibum liners. At the moment, at our house, we do not flush them - they go into our diaper trashcan. Out and about, they can be flushed in the restroom toilet. We are still using some disposables, like at night. We have some newborn size left and it helps since disposables do absorb more than cloth.

We have had a few leaks in the cloth diapers. It's out the upper back, when he is laying down. I'm trying to figure out if the diapers are repelling (I don't think they are because they do absorb pee) or if it's because his penis is pointed upward in the diaper. I can only guess since I don't actually have a penis. We don't have any leaks in disposables.

I wash diapers every other night and hang them up to dry overnight (in the basement.) We have this drying rack and it is great. We also have an oscillating fan and the dehumidifier on to keep the air circulating in the basement in the laundry area. On the weekends I try to wash early morning so they can hang outside and dry - and be bleached by the sun.

So far, so good with the diapers! Decent transition and Jason doesn't hate it.

Cloth Diapers

I'm not a tree hugger, I'm not an environmentalist, but I am interested in saving money. Many people choose cloth diapers for many different reasons. All in all, most people will argue that you aren't saving the environment by using cloth diapers. I might save physical landfill space by not throwing away diapers, but I'm creating a different waste by the extra water I'm using to wash them. 

I chose to do cloth diapers for a few reasons - cost savings, reduction of waste (mostly at home, not too concerned about the landfill at the moment), and chemical/allergy/diaper rash reasons. 

Here is a great blog about all the "dangers" of disposable diapers. I agree with most of the points brought up - I don't know the validity of the numbers they came up with, so take those as a grain of salt. 

Cost Savings

It is estimated that it costs around $80 a month to diaper. If you manage to get your child potty trained by age 2.5 years/30 months, it totals $2,400 spent on disposable diapers. It's a lot of money to throw away. Cloth diapers require a large upfront cost while the cost of disposables is spread out over the span of the child being in diapers. 

My mom purchased 2 boxes of Huggies Newborn Diapers from Sam's Club, and then we purchased 1 box - 108 diapers each box for around $30 each box. We knew we wanted to use disposables diapers during the first weeks of adjusting to parenthood. 

My mom also helped buy cloth diapers. Total purchased was 24 BumGenius 4.0s and 5 BG Elementals from Cotton Babies while they were onsale this past summer. The 4.0s were Buy 6 for $86.90, and the 5 elementals cost $95. In total, mom and I spent $442.60 on the 31 diapers. 

We also purchased cloth diaper wipes - 5 packages of 12 for $12 each - so $60 on cloth wipes. 

Half my newborn stash

I wanted to switch to cloth diapers this week. However, our 4.0s are still too big. Liam has skinny legs and the diapers are super bulky. Jason and I decided to bite the bullet and purchase the BumGenius Newborn diapers. Cotton Babies sells them in a 24 pack for $280. I got them all washed today and dried and we've made the switch. Liam is now over 9 pounds and the NB diapers are good up to 12 pounds. 

Newborn diapers are a big splurge and I wish I would have done it two weeks ago. However, they are worth the price, especially if used for two children and if properly cared for, have excellent resale potential.

Along with the cloth diapers comes the purchase of cloth diaper wet bags. BumGenius only just started making them. The best bags (rated best by random internet people at least...) are Planet Wise bags. They have a variety of sizes and patterns. I purchased 2 pail liners ($15 each), 2 large hanging dry/wet bags ($30/each), and 2 medium sized bags ($17 each). So $124 on bags. Wet bags are the most expensive part of cloth diapering.

So in total:
$60 Wipes
$125 Wet Bags
$443 BG 4.0s Diapers
$280 BG Newborn Diapers

Grand total of $908 to cloth diaper my child. At least this is savings of over $1,500 from using disposables. And if we decide to have another child, it's even more savings. And hopefully I can resell everything when I am done having kids.

Reduction of Waste

In general I think about landfills and wonder where in 100 years people will be putting their trash, but I know I can't reduce the landfill waste being created. A lot of Americans are wasteful and won't try to reduce the waste they send to the landfills. I am more concerned about the trash I create at home. I make sure to recycle and want to limit what trash I throw away. At least with cloth diapers I can reduce my trash footprint a little more.  

Also, the production of disposable diapers and the chemicals used during the manufacturing process create waste - chemical waste - which also must be disposed of. 

Chemical/Allergy/Diaper Rash

My brother, sister, and I were all cloth diaper babies because we were allergic to disposable. Sensitive little bums. 

Using disposable wipes and diapers introduces a lot of unnecessary chemicals to an infant that can harm them. The absorbency of cloth diapers isn't just cotton - it's a chemical in the cotton that aids with the absorbency. This chemical also produces a reaction with urine that can cause a rash. 

Cloth diapers mom will tell you they very rarely have diaper rash. When a child has diaper rash, there are a lot of creams (more chemicals) you can put on that rash to help heal it. At some point, I'll post about the natural diaper rash remedies.

Newborn Weight & Breastfeeding

With the iPad it's easy to start blog entries and jot down my thoughts during the day or nights. It is harder to edit the entries and get them posted. I started this entry and thoughts earlier. It's not really an important entry for my readers - it's more important for future google-ers to find and maybe learn a bit from my experience.

I included some helpful links I was given at the end of the post. I also included some St. Louis resources for those in the area. 

Newborn Weight

Liam weighed 8 pounds and 3 ounces at birth. I consider this an elevated birth rate. I had been on IV fluids for 53 hours. I'm not sure how much fluid was pumped into my body, and even though it was a slow drip, it still affected my body (lots of swelling) and affected his birth weight. 

When we left the hospital I should have asked what his discharge weight was or what other weight they measured. He had a 24 hour birth rate of 7 pounds and 14 ounces. This is important to know. 

I was told to take him to the doctor on Monday (September 9).The main doctors I see (Dr. H or Dr. W.) were not available, and I asked for a pediatrician appointment and was scheduled with Dr. D. 

Jason went back to work and my mom went with me to the doctor appointment. (My mom is awesome, she came and stayed with us Sunday through Thursday.) Dr. D didn't know my birth story. Nor did she know Liam's birthrate or 24 hour weight. Nor does she have children. And it turns out she's only done a handful of infant exams. This is the only downfall to my doctor's office. I love that when I am sick I can get an appointment that day; but my newborn's first appointment should have been scheduled with a doctor who actually knew what they were doing. 

My doctor (Dr. H) is a lactation consultant and has a 5 month old! This is very important. At least maybe give me a doctor who has breastfed before! 

6-day old doctor appointment

So the doctor's appointment - Liam's weight had fallen to 7 pounds and 10 ounces. We had already talked to Lactation at Mercy on Friday afternoon because we were concerned about him not latching and how frustrating it was getting. Dr. P came in to examine him also. Liam wasn't dehydrated, and he was in great condition, but he had lost 9 ounces of weight. 

Dr. P told me to stop breast feeding and pump. He wanted me to measure how much milk Liam was getting. I wanted to know how much to feed him - and wasn't given a straight answer - "Feed when he's hungry." We were already supplementing with a friend's pumped breastmilk and increased that 10 fold when we got home. A first time mom, 6 days into having a newborn, does not want to pump exclusively. Later, I came to found out that Dr. P wasn't informed at all to tell a new mom to pump exclusively. I need a medical grade pump, not my little Medala personal pump. Dr. P also didn't tell me how to bottle feed my son correctly. He offered no advice - just a statement to "Pump and measure." 

We made a follow up appointment for Thursday (with Dr. H) for a weight check.

Depression Settles In - Thanks Dr. P

I spent the next two days very depressed. Pumping made me feel disconnected and demoralized. I sobbed the first night because I hated that I couldn't provide for my son. And in the end, it wasn't that I couldn't provide, it was that the doctor put this thought in my head that I wasn't able to provide. I had no desire to get out of bed at night to pump. I didn't want to be hooked up to a machine.

On Tuesday night and Wednesday I started to vocalize myself more about how unhappy I was. And my friend D said to stop pumping. Being depressed and pumping wasn't going to get me anywhere. I have a lot of resources in St. Louis (more on those later) but I figured I'd wait until I saw my real doctor on Thursday to see what other steps I should take. 

The most helpful was on Wednesday I went to Kangaroo Kids to purchase some nursing bras. This local place is very helpful and they fit you and give you a lot of options (even larger chested women have options.) The owner, who helped me with bras, is also a lactation consultant (LC). And I'm glad I talked to her. She agreed the doctor was wrong/stupid/dumb/on my shit list, and explained how to correctly bottle feed my son. She also told me that if I was going to pump I needed to be using a medical grade pump - and the doctor should have told me that. I've listed a few of her links down below. 

Doctor appointment Thursday

Jason went with me and I was very happy to see Dr. H. Liam's weight was 7 pounds and 15 ounces. I made a note to ask Dr. H about his elevated birthrate. She was able to pull up his hospital records and see all the important info. Why Dr. D couldn't do that four days before, I don't know. 

Dr. H spent an hour with us. She even had me breastfeed and helped me check his latch issue. She told me to stop pumping and just breastfeed as much as possible. I walked away feeling a lot more confident and reassured about breastfeeding. She said Liam was just perfect and his weight was fine. 

When I got home, I put the pump away. She did suggest that in the morning after feeding Liam, I could pump to help start establishing a supply, if I wanted. But no need to pump all day long or everytime, just once a day if I want.

Since the doctor appointment, things have been going much better. I haven't pumped since last Wednesday and Liam latches and eats well and often. I am not depressed about breastfeeding. Sometimes Liam still gets worked up and has trouble latching, but a little patience pays off and usually once he latches, it's a 20-30 minute latch.

Helpful Links & Resources

I have "flat nipples". (apologies if too much info.) At the hospital one of the nurses noticed this and gave me a Medela Contact Nipple. This little piece of plastic has been the most helpful tool with breastfeeding and establishing a latch. My doctor says she even used this with her child and it was a lifesaver. She recommends using it to get started during each BF session and then taking it away halfway through to teach him a true latch. Liam has done well with it and without it. It has helped a lot - I recommend it for anyone with latch issues, especially since it is not expensive. 

Caring for your baby and young child - This book is very helpful. It even covers prenatal care and birth (for the woman) before getting into newborn care. It was recommended at our Mercy Baby class. The book has a LOT of information and I would recommend it for all new parents.

KellyMom is a great resource for breastfeeding help. The LC at Kangaroo Kids gave me a few specific links to check out. My doctor also recommended checking out this website.
Establishing and maintaining milk supply when baby is not breastfeeding
How to bottle feed a breast fed baby
Is my baby getting enough?

For the St. Louis area folks - Kangaroo Kids is a great resource also. They offer breastfeeding support groups and lactation consultations. Kangaroo Kids is a resale shop - check them out for used children's clothing and toys. They also have an infant scale so you can weigh your baby. You can weigh, breastfeed, and weigh again to see how much your child took in. (This is useful unless your kiddo is like mine and poops during or right after breastfeeding.)

St. Louis La Leche League - this group is a breast feeding support group. The meetings are free to attend. A seminar is being held September 28, 2013 at the Zoo. It appears World Breastfeeding Week is coming up.

The other resource I have is the Mercy Hospital. They also have lactation consultants who answer questions via phone and will meet one-on-one for a small fee. There is also a free Breastfeeding with Confidence Group which meets every Wednesday from 1 to 2pm at Mercy Hospital. They also offer a newborn scale for weighing. 

My story of induction

I was scheduled for induction on the afternoon of Sunday, September 1, 2013 at Mercy. Baby Liam decided to finally arrive at 9:24 PM on Tuesday September 3, 2013. We remained in Labor and Delivery until 4:30 AM Wednesday September 4. (Yes, this is abnormal.) We were discharged from the hospital about 2PM on Thursday September 5. 

I logged as much as possible during my stay. It was just random blurbs of the timeline. It's taken a few days to get it in order for reading. Ok, honesty, it took me over a week to have time to get back to the computer to edit this entry. (Some of the tenses are past or present, I didn't care to change them all.) 

Note - I was being induced at 39 weeks because of the gestational diabetes diagnosis. Even though my GD was controlled by medication and diet, they (doctors?) still prefer to induce to prevent complications of high birth rate or placenta problems. 

Here it is - My Induction Story

Sunday September 1, 2013

The phone call came about 2:30 PM, my bed was ready. The car was already loaded and we were ready to go. We stopped at McDonald's to get some cheeseburgers and ran by the post office to mail my Baby Shower thank you notes, and got to the hospital around 3. I was checked into my room by 3:30.

They checked and I was only 1 CM dilated. (Same as the previous Friday.) They hooked up my IV and monitored the baby heart rate and my contractions for a while. It turns out I was having contractions and did not feel them. I was able to order dinner and eat. Luckily I wasn't being starved to death during my stay. While we waited, Jason and I watched Field of Dreams. I had never seen it! We had to keep pausing our movie when I was being checked.  

Around 9 PM the doctor gave me the 12-hour induction drug. It has to be placed near the cervix - which is very painful. (I edited out some of my commentary from the placement of the drug....it's better that way.) 

Even though I had an IV, I was still drinking lots of water. And around 11PM I was sprinting to the bathroom to pee for like the thousandth time since I got there. I tried to sleep. I am very uncomfortable from the contractions. It's hard to get all comfy in bed with an IV in one arm and two monitors strapped around my abdomen. I wish I had an early morning induction... I wish I would have slept more during the day (yesterday). And then during a 3 AM pee break my (wireless & waterproof) fetal monitor fell in the toilet. I felt bad for the nurse who had to fish it out.

Monday September 2, 2013

2PM. No baby yet. At 9 AM they checked and I was still only 1 CM dilated. So they did the 12-hour drug again. I was fortunately able to take a shower and go see my friend Alexsis and her new son, Cole, for 15 minutes. At the rate I am going they will be discharged before I give birth. I was able to eat lunch and napped on and off. I have to wait to be checked around 10 PM. At that point they will make a decision to do the 4-hour induction drug or the foley bulb. At this rate though, he's not coming until Tuesday.

Note - My parents, thinking I would be induced on Monday afternoon, told me they had planned to come Tuesday evening and Baby G better be here by then. I hated that added pressure for a less than 24-hour induction and birth experience. And that was why I didn't want waiting room warriors.. too much pressure and stress about giving birth on someone else's timeline. Especially when it turns out I was only 1 CM dilated. When my doctor changed my induction date to Sunday the 1st I lied and told very very few people. My friend Alexsis knew because she was already in the hospital with her new son. I told Dee in case I needed help with Monday (my dog), and Jason told his brother in case we needed his help. 

5:30 PM - Still only dilated 1 CM. Good news - I can eat dinner. Bad news - This kiddo is comfy. Super comfy. 

We spend the evening watching Harry Potter #6. We bought a handful of movies and are watching those and Cardinal baseball games. 

Around 8 PM I started to have regular contractions. I was starting to feel them more, but I still had to wait until almost 11PM to be checked again. 

11PM rolls around - and I am still only 1 CM dilated. I'm annoyed now. And in pain. I have nicknamed the cervical checks, vagina torture. And I still think that's a nice way to describe this process. The next step is using the foley bulb. You can feel free to google that - but again, it's not a walk in the park. This whole process sucks. 

General FYI-- I am still in "induction". Even with contractions, I am not considered in labor. 

Tuesday September 3, 2013

Midnight. Hopefully today is Baby G's birthday. He would share his birthday with Dave Ramsey! I am waiting an hour to be checked again. I am ready to be done. This is emotionally, mentally, and physically draining.

1 AM - The foley bulb has worked!!! I am 4.5 cm dilated. The most joyous part has finally arrived!! I can get an epidural!!! I take a quick shower since I won't be able to move after the EPI. Oh wonderful EPI, my new BFF. No pain, no pain, no pain... I can sleep through the contractions, I have a catheter and don't have to get up anymore. Everything is all tingling and there is no pain during cervical checks. (And no more crying).

I sleep. And sleep. Oh it's nice. My water breaks at 4:30 AM and they check my, I am 5 CM dilated. And am still not considered in active labor quite yet.

I always wonder how women calculate how long they were in labor when they say things like they labored for 24 hours or 40 hours with their child. When do they start counting? I would probably count from when I got the EPI, or maybe a little before that, but I won't count the 34 hours prior where they were trying to get my body ready. Of course, the big deadline is when your water breaks. The doctor's want the child out within 24 hours of your water breaking. 

9AM Tuesday September 3, 2013

I am now considered in active labor. I am 6-7 CM dilated. Whew whoo!! Progress has been made. We are currently watching Top Gun. 

When the nurse checked me around 3 PM she noticed my EPI was bleeding. I had complained that I was more uncomfortable during contractions, but I didn't know what was normal so I wasn't aware that something was wrong. Once my EPI was redone, I was much more comfortable. 

At 530 PM was finally 9.5 CM. During this time I discussed with doctor how I can push the baby out if I can't feel anything (which turns out wouldn't be a problem.) 

During the new few hours, my blood pressure and temperature kept rising. The doctors were concerned about this. I was too. I hated that my blood pressure was being taken every 15 minutes. It got annoying having it taken so much and being able to see my blood pressure continuing to rise. 

Around 7 PM I was finally 10 CM. My doctor wanted me to try some "test pushes." I think they tell FTM's (first time moms) that to trick them into actually starting to push. Baby G still hadn't descended all the way down (really, he was comfy and not ready to come out), so the test pushes should help move him down. 

I wasn't able to log during the next few hours - so this is all from memory a week later. 

Pushing was painful. My epidural had wore off. During the latest stages of pushing, my Epidural drug actually ran out. Maybe the epidural just lessons the pain of contractions but cannot actually eliminate the pain from pushing. I was in a lot of pain during each push. I no longer wanted to do it. And pushing wasn't making a ton of progress either. 

Eventually, after almost two hours of pushing, my blood pressure was raising with each push and Baby G's heart rate was dropping. I trust my doctor fully and the decision was made to use vacuum to aid with the birth. And Baby G was born at 9:24 PM. He weighed 8 pounds and 3 ounces and 21.5 inches long. 

While Mercy encourages immediate skin to skin contact, I wasn't able to do that because due to vacuum extraction and the falling heart rate they needed to examine him. 

Jason was able to hold him almost right away.... I had to wait almost two hours. Usually you spend only two hours after delivery in the Labor and Delivery room before being moved to postpartum. Due to complications, I remained in the room until 4:30AM - an extra 5 hours. 

Jason and Liam

So the complications..... I haven't spoken about the complications with many people, and I wasn't aware of these two possible complications so I want to share so other people will be aware. 

After birth, you have to deliver the placenta. (I was aware of this.) It usually happens within half an hour of giving birth. It didn't for me and I wasn't aware that it could or would be a problem. I was also still in a lot of pain. They wound up giving me a shot of the Epidural drug and morphine. (Which morphine sucks - it made my body feel like it was on fire.) My doctor had to check with the main OBGYN in the hospital to determine the protocol for the placenta complication. A few options were considered with the final option being a D&C (Dilation and Curettage) which means a surgeon would extract the placenta. Fortunately, additional pitocin and another drug aided with the placenta delivery. I'm not sure the timeline, but I know it wasn't long after my doctor inserted the second drug that my placenta delivered. 

It still wasn't over. 

My uterus wouldn't constrict after the placenta delivery. This is another complication that can be a problem. In order to help constrict my uterus, the nurses and doctors are constantly pushing on it. This also aids in "clearing" it out and making sure all the blood clots are out of it. All in all, another painful experience. It took awhile, but eventually it did constrict and was getting smaller. 

By the time we were being moved to postpartum around 4:30 AM, I was very much physically exhausted. And mentally drained. And so full of confusing emotions. I was in a lot of pain from being poked and prodded at for three days, and I was super swollen from the 3 days of IV fluids.

And thus ends the story of my induction and birth of my first (and most likely only) child. 

Some of the good - 

Almost every nurse we encountered was amazing. Very helpful, answered my questions, was helpful with anything I needed or asked about. The postpartum nurses are really great too - especially with helping new parents establish newborn care and breast feeding. We had some additional questions and the lactation nurses stopped by to talk to us. (And we called them after being home.) 

The rooms are great. The labor and delivery rooms are huge with large bathrooms which include jet tubs and the most amazing showers!  The postpartum rooms are smaller, but comfy, especially for the dad's sleeping. They talk of redoing the postpartum rooms - mostly the bathroom needs to be redone. It is such a let down after the L&D bathroom. 

The meals are great. You are given a huge menu and told to choose 1 item entree, and then 1 item from this list, 2 from this list, ect. It winds up with a lot of extra food sometimes, especially if your eyes are bigger than your stomach!

Freezer Stash

So in order to get ready for baby, I've been throwing together casseroles. (As noted in previous blogs.)

 

We bought a new freezer a few weeks ago. It was right before we picked up our beef from Crooked Creek Beef. Our landlord had left his 5 cubic foot deep freeze for us, and we were torn on if we should buy another deep freeze or splurge for a larger upright freezer. We went with the Kenmore 13.7 cubic foot from Sears. I like using Sears for larger items. We got our Treadmill from Sears and for $79 dollars they deliver AND put it together. Nordic track wants like $300 to deliver and put it together. Delivery for the freezer was $69 and they moved it downstairs (had to take off a few doors and the handrail) and did a great job. Always reward your delivery men! I offered them Gatorade and they were very happy.

Only took one month to fill it!

 

So after picking up beef, splitting it with the neighbors, and making a lot of casseroles, here's what it looks like now.

 

Freezer Goodies

18 Cups of Chili

20 Black Bean Soups (thanks Mom!)

6 Chicken Enchiladas Casseroles + ingredients to make another one

6 Beef Enchilada Casseroles + ingredients to make another one

8 Tater Tot Casseroles

6 Lasagnas (Thanks Mom!!)

1 Sloppy Joe (Just defrost, heat, add buns.)

12 1-pound ground beef

5-pounds ground turkey (Sam's Club purchase)

2  1-pounds of ground pork

Hot Dogs, Brats, and Sausages

12 premade hamburgers

Steaks, steaks, and more steaks.

 

Other deep freeze goodies

2 pack of Bertolli Chicken Florentine & Farfalle (Sam's Club purchase). Easy skillet meal to throw together.

Pepperoni & Mozzarella Cheese to make homemade pizzas

6 Salmon filets

7 Twice Baked Potatoes

4 Carmel Apple Tartlets

10 Potatoes au Gratin

4 16-ounce bags of Broccoli & Cheese

2 boxes Toaster Strudels

2 frozen DiGiorno pizzas

 

The items from Kansas City Steak & Omaha Steaks were the "Freebies" earlier this year when I made a few purchases. I can eat the twice baked potatoes with GD, but can't have the apple tarts or potatoes au gratin. We also purchased the toaster strudels before GD also. The pizzas are mostly for Jason for when I was traveling.

 

Our upstairs freezer includes goodies like Eggos, frozen veggies, ice cream, tater tots, maybe some frozen fruit.. you know.. frozen odds and ends.

So yes, that's 31 main casserole meals.. at one a week, it gets us to mid-March. We'll probably make 1-2 a week and be done with it around the end of the year!
 

So in summary, if there is another major power outage, please come to my house and help me eat this all or take it off my hands!

 

 

 

 

Easy Beef Enchiladas

So continuing the freezer meals.... we made beef enchiladas too. I again used the easy Ortega recipe which is the same recipe listed on the back of the El Paso can (except for some of the measurements.)

 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 can (19-oz.) ORTEGA Enchilada Sauce, divided
• 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 6 (10-in.) flour tortillas

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a large skillet, brown ground beef over medium-high heat until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in 3/4 cup enchilada sauce and 1 cup cheddar cheese.

Spoon meat mixture into tortillas. Roll up, burrito-style, and place seam-side down in a 9-inch baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until hot. Serve warm.

 

Again - great for one! And Beef Enchiladas really are easy to make. I used to make them all the time in college and Richmond! A huge time savor is to keep cooked ground beef on hand. That saves around 20 minutes of prep time if you want to throw them together after work.

 

IN BULK

I had approximately:

7-8 pounds of ground beef

4 pounds of cheese. We had some leftover shredded cheddar and bought a large bag of Mexican Shredded blend.

Bunch of Cilantro

6 29-ounce cans of Enchilada Sauce (I used Old El Paso)

3 Packets of Enchilada Seasoning

50-60 8-inch white flour tortillas

 

We cooked the ground beef with the enchilada seasoning to flavor it. Drain it, let it cool.

On a scale - measure:

1 lb cooked ground beef

8 ounces of cheese
 

Add:

1-2 Tbsp of chopped cilantro

1.5 cups of enchilada sauce (about half a 29-ounce can)

 

Mix together well.

Pour a little enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 8x8 or 9x13 pan.

Using a 1/2 measuring cup, scoop mixture into tortillas. Roll, place in pan.

We were able to fit 6 enchiladas in the 8x8 and 10 fit in a 9x13.

Top with remaining enchilada sauce and shredded cheese.

 

We made a total of 56 enchiladas. 6 8x8 pans, 1 9x13, and enough mixture & (10) shells to make another 9x13 at a later date.

 

I estimate the total cost of these to be almost $84. Because of the leftover cheese, and fact that I used two very large packages of ground beef from Sam's Club to make both sloppy joes and enchiladas, it's a slight estimate.

 

Estimated Cost:

$84 total

56 enchiladas = $1.50 each

9 casseroles with 6 each (even though I have 2 "tens"), is $9 each casserole, plus $2 container = $11 for a 2 person meal. (Because 3 enchiladas is a nice serving.) This is a little more expensive than my Tater Tot Casserole or Chicken Enchiladas, but it's still better than eating out. 

Chicken Enchiladas!

So preparing for baby... I've been trying to stock the freezer. Jason helped me make 8 Tater Tot Casseroles last weekend (half beef and half turkey) and Beef/Turkey Chili (18-2 cup servings.) They are in our deep freeze now, along with 50+ pounds of meat. I even cheated and bought a few things at Sams Club that are easy to whip together in a skillet or throw in the oven. Mom is hopefully going to make some lasagnas and black bean soup!

 

This weekend was supposed to be beef and chicken enchiladas. But oh my lord! We made 10 chicken enchilada casseroles and I was super swollen and tired and with a few other things to do, only got the chicken ones done. This week we're going to knock out the beef ones. I can brown the meat one night, and make the casseroles the next night.



Martha's Enchilada's
(I kept forgetting to take a picture of mine.)

The original recipe I went with was a really simple one from Ortega. I prefer the Ortega Mild Green Enchilada Sauce. It comes in 16 ounce jars and is available at Walmart for $1.98 or Schnucks for like $3.99 (It seemed like a LOT more expensive the one time I looked at Schnucks.)

 

Oretega Recipe for Quick & Easy Chicken Enchiladas:

2 cups cooked chicken

2 cans (10 ounce) Enchilada Sauce

1 cup cheese

1 can (4-ounce) green chilis

8 (6-inch) corn tortillas.

 

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 11x7-inch baking dish.
• Spread 1/2-cup the enchilada sauce onto bottom of prepared baking dish. Combine chicken, 1/2-cup enchilada sauce, 1/2-cup cheese and chiles in medium bowl. Spoon chicken mixture evenly down center of each tortilla; roll up. Place seam-side down in baking dish. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

That sounds great. If you're making a meal for one night.

 

Here's what I wound up with:

6.77 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts (cooked ~ 14 cups of chicken)

Jar of jalapenos, Lemon Juice, Lime Juice, Cilantro Bunch

8 pounds of Monterrey Jack Cheese (You can't find this shredded, thank heavens for food processors!)

8 - 16 ounce jars of green enchilada sauce + 2 - 10-ounce cans.

4 - 7 ounce cans of diced chilis

70 corn tortillas

 

Total = $57.59

Fancy Pants Gladware Container = $2/each

Total per casseroles = $7.76/each! And it's usually 2-3 servings depending on a level of hunger.

 

Since I really liked the Martha Stewart recipe for green enchiladas I made a few years back, I went a little that way, but still keeping it simple.  (You can see pictures of those here.)

 

Ortega doesn't suggest on how to cook the chicken. Pinterest will tell you to cook it in the crock pot with some chicken broth and then shred it with your paddle attachment on your kitchen aid mixer. Martha likes you to bake it... with some special seasonings.

 

I prepped the chicken by cutting each super large chicken breast  in half so they would cook quicker. I put 1/4 cup of lemon juice, lime juice, and jalapeno juice in a cup and brushed that on each piece of chicken breast. I salted and peppered each piece.

I chopped the cilantro and sprinkled that on the chicken.

I chopped 2-3 tablespoons of jalapenos and sprinkled those on the chicken breasts.

I baked the chicken for around 40 minutes at 375 F.

 

I let the chicken cool - over night. Cooling the chicken before adding the cheese is very important. I then chopped the chicken up into little pieces.

 

I used my food processor to shred the 8 pounds of cheese. I like the Monterey jack cheese, it's perfect flavor for green chicken enchiladas.

 

Since I haven't made these in such a large bulk before, I did it in small portions.

 

I combined:

4 cups of diced chicken (16 ounces)

2 cups of cheese (6 ounces)

1 - 16 ounce bottle of green sauce

1 - 7 ounce can of diced chilis

and used 18 corn tortillas.

 

This made 3 pans worth. I did that 3 times.

 

The fourth and final mixture was about 2 cups of chicken, 2 cups of cheese, a bottle of sauce, and can of chilis. I mixed this together and put it in a ziploc for freezing and making later. I was out of time, and had other places to be!

 

To make the enchilada casseroles:

If you are pregnant, SIT DOWN. Clear the kitchen table. DO IT.

Have your mixture ready, some extra sauce, and your husband heating up the corn tortillas between moist paper towels for 15 seconds.

I spread a little sauce on the bottom of the container (less than 1/3 cup).

Scoop 1/4 cup of mixture into a corn tortillas. Roll up. Place seam side down in container.

Repeat. A million times.

 

The casseroles aren't complete yet! Make sure to spread sauce & cheese on the top! We used 4 jars of salsa in the mixture, one jar to spread on the bottom of each pan, and had plenty of leftovers to spread over the top of each casserole. You'll want to make sure to spread enchilada sauce over the top of the casseroles, and add a handful or two of cheese!

How GD is saving me....

Today is a Terracon BBQ (for employees, no spousal invites).

 

And the pregnant lady requested I make my mini-Oreo Cheesecakes. So I did. Because she's awesome and deserves them.

 

Jason & I picked up the ingredients on Sunday. And yea, I totally ripped open that family size bag of oreos on Sunday night. I had 3. I had *1* more on Monday.

 

If I didn't have GD, Jason would have probably had to pick up another package of Oreos on the way home from work Monday night. And this morning? Oreo Cheesecakes sound pretty delicious for breakfast. But alas, I'm pretty sure eating a handful of them will send my blood sugar soaring!

 

So... having GD is saving me from some major purging. In fact, while I have stopped losing weight, my weight gain now is very minimal and I haven't recovered from my almost 6 pound weight loss during the first 10 days when I started my GD diet. I am at the same weight gain that I was in the beginning of May, two months ago. However, my stomach is a lot larger, so the weight is being shifted around my body somehow.

 

The recipe for the cheesecakes are available here (along with more delicious pictures.) The ones I made last night don't look like this... I think I over beat the batter. I also didn't do a good job reading the instructions and dumped most of the ingredients into the mixing bowl in a random order.

 

Note - the recipe actually makes 32-35 cupcakes. Keep extra cookies on hand in case you have extra batter! (No, I didn't eat them, I crushed them to mix into the cheesecake batter.)

Oreo Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes

(from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes)
Makes 30

• 42 Oreo, cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, 30 left whole and 12 coarsely chopped
• 908 grams (2 pounds or about 3 2/3 packages) cream cheese, room temperature
• 225 grams (1 cup) sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
• 230 g (1 cup or 8 ounces) sour cream
• Pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 275° F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole Oreo cookie in the bottom of each lined muffin cup.
 
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Gradually add the sugar, and beat until combined. Beat in the vanilla.
 
3. Drizzle in eggs, a little at a time, beating to combine and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add in sour cream and salt, beat to combine. Using a large spatula, fold in the chopped Oreo cookies.
 
4. Divide batter evenly among the cookie-filled muffin cups, fill each cup almost to the top. Bake, rotating muffin tins halfway through, until the filling is set, about 22 to 28 minutes. Transfer the muffins tins to a wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate (in the muffin tins) at least 4 hours (or overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.

 

 

Easy Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

Some meals are so simple it's stupid.

Easy Crockpot Chicken Fajitas
Chop 1 white or yellow onion into long thin strips
Cut into strips 3-4 peppers (Green, Red, Yellow, Orange)
Cut 2 pounds of chicken (skinless/boneless). Chop each breast into 2 pieces.

Layer in crock pot:
Onion
Chicken
Peppers

Add on top 1 packet of fajita seasoning mixed with ~1 cup of Chicken Stock or Water.

Let cook on low all day long. Shred the chicken.

And BAM, this is what you have!

 

Ok, maybe there's some extras in there. Like finding low-carb tortillas (La Tortilla is your best choice) and adding some extras like avocado, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream. You can add beans & rice if you wanted, but I didn't want to bother with the extra carbs.

 

The meal is really simple. I would also recommend this a freezer meal. Pre-chop the onion, peppers, and chicken, add the fajita seasoning and freeze. Then you just have to pick up the extra fixens. And we cheated by buying already shredded lettuce. I don't mind chopping tomatoes, but eh, lettuce.

10 Weeks!!

Even though I am officially 29 weeks... I just don't see myself getting to September. Sometimes I think I'll be lucky to make it halfway through August. I think some of the worry is coming from the fact that things aren't done and there is a lot I want to do and not a lot of empty weekends.

My doctor's appointment was canceled Friday afternoon but I was able to send my glucose numbers to my doctor. I was prescribed Glyburide, a small dose, for at bedtime. This should help my fasting numbers. Most of my breakfast numbers are ok. I have a couple high ones, but it's all a learning experience. All my lunch numbers are fabulous! I have a lot more high dinner hits and need to concentrate on eating wiser, especially when I am outside the house.

I have to be wiser about some snacks too. While I want to eat the entire box of toaster strudels or container of cookies, it's not really a good idea for baby. Tonight's snack was strawberries, sugar free Hershey's syrup, and cool whip. And a cheese stick. I always need to eat protein with a snack. Ice cream & Cheese Stick, Hummus & Cheese Stick, Eggo & Cheese Stick, Cookies & Cheese sticks. 

Because of the GD, I will start weekly ultrasounds at week 32 which is July 12. Week 36 (Aug 9) is a longer US including a growth scan to measure the baby. I could be ready to delivery anytime after this. If I go with my hypothesis of Week 37 - I'm giving birth between August 16th and August 22. And I think August 20th will be it. It's right in between Grandpa's & Melissa's Birthday. Just a guess. Today we joked that Melissa will never get to celebrate her birthday by herself. 

In June 2011 I predicted the Cardinals would win the World Series that year on Thursday October 27th. (Yes, I have the saved screenshot from facebook!) I was one day off, but it's because of a rain delay. I could be totally right on Baby G gracing us with his presence on August 20th. 

Things I want to do:

• Sleep.
• Eat a donut.
• Sleep some more.

Wait, what is this list? Looks like my hopes and dreams.  

Things I need to do:

• Deep clean kitchen floor. I hope to tackle this next weekend the 28th and 29th. Volunteers are welcome!
• Paint nursery. (I won't actually do this, but it needs done.)
• Wash all baby clothes.
• Wash all diapers.
• Clean everything. Clean everything again.
• Get nursery organized. All the furniture is put together and in there, but the closet still needs cleaned out and redone.

Things planned for the summer:

• Lake trip!  
• Cardinals Game! We have tickets to a few games.
• Baby Shower!
• Shopping! 

I'm working on creating a "chore" chart. It's nothing too complicated, but I hate cleaning and push it off until the house is so dirty that I can turn on the attic fan and it sucks all the dog hair and dust out. (Ok, just kidding....) I think I'm going to divide it up by rooms. If I can dedicate 15 minutes an evening to cleaning one room, Jason won't have to spend two hours on the weekends (after mowing the lawn) vacuuming. Yea, I said that. I don't vacuum, I used to, but I married a man that does it! But I feel bad because it's not hard, I can do it. I just know that he will. So part of this is for me. Because I am more than capable of cleaning. I just need to stop putting it off. So that's the new plan. One room a day, 15 minutes each day. Of course the kitchen will get 5 minutes a day of making sure the dishwasher is emptied/filled and counters are cleaned off.

Got my Highlander in for an oil change. I rolled over 90,000 miles recently. Firestone informed me that my timing belt is the next important thing I need to take care of. Couple things - at least if my timing belt calls it quits, it won't kill my engine like some old cars. But I will be stranded.... and well, it's summer. I'm pregnant. And most of my driving is to Springfield and back. Being stranded on my way to the gym, not a huge deal.... being stranded on a hot summer day while 7 or 8 months pregnant? Yea... that's ok. We'll go ahead and spend the $400 to replace my timing belt. Since I plan to drive the car forever, and the timing belt won't last forever, it will be a good investment.

Tonight was nice... Jason is helping his brother rearrange furniture so Monday and I have been curled up in bed. We watched Mission Impossible 2 (Thanks Amazon Prime) and ate french fries. Just kidding! I had that snack, Monday didn't get any. And no french fries right now. My sister jokes that she always gives Monday french fries. She might, whatever.

Next weekend Jason & his brother are having a HUGE yard sale at their Mom's house. They have a lot of stuff to sell - some of their mom's furniture, and she collected older "antique" pieces, and just all the normal stuff you have when a parent dies and need to clean out their household.  Hopefully they are able to clear it all out so Tim & Crystal can make the house 110% theirs. (So next weekend I get the weekend to myself again.)

On Saturday July 6 Jason has to go to Terracon Bloomington to clean out the office. Him and 4 other coworkers are going up to bring everything back. So I get Saturday to myself! I hope A will be here, but she's still trying to figure out her travel schedule that week.