Friday, June 27, 2008

Life is Good!

Everything is going great! Yesterday we had a doctor's appointment to check his weight and his jaundice. His jaundice was in the intermediate risk range but still not severe enough to do therapy for or anything. His weight was ok but the doctor was concerned because he was not pooping and peeing like he is was supposed to. Well, that all changed once we left the doctor's office. I have changed a zillion diapers and I hate it every time with this little guy. Each time I change his diaper I am reminded of what a mean person I am having him circumcised.....can I just tell you that I have had the HARDEST time with that! I feel soooo bad for the little guy!

Anyhow, today we had an appointment at the hospital at the breastfeeding center for another check on his weight and jaundice and to talk about how he is feeding. I am happy I went, it was very informative and I think I got some tips that will keep me feeding him! I think it is actually going to work this time! YAY! His jaundice was much better today and he had gained a little weight from yesterday so everything was great today.

Things are really great! The second one is soooo much easier. I just remember the first week with Sam was AWFUL! I was so miserable. I think we kept all the lights out in the whole house the first week. I just remember lots of crying (both from Sam & from me). I remember thinking that we would never get any sleep again and that our lives were going to be forever difficult. This time has been a piece of cake compared to that! I guess we just know what we are doing this time! AND, what I was worried about most, the baby waking Sam up at night has not been an issue at all. He doesn't cry much and when he does, it isn't for long. It has all worked out. I guess I had so much anticipation about it being so bad that it seems so much better than what I had imagined.

Samara has had her bouts of jealousy but has, for the most part, been really good. She really seems to like him being around which I am happy about. She LOVES to help so that really comes in handy at times. Things might be a little different next week when Dad is gone to give her all the attention but I am praying that this is a good transition for her. I know that my hour long feedings will be a challenge when it is just the three of us, but I am hoping that things get a little easier with the feedings and it won't be so intimidating. I was able to take her to the store today to get a little alone time. I can't be away for too long right now because I am feeding him so I thought we could "hang out" together at the grocery store. I think it was good to spend a little time with her....she seemed to really enjoy being with just me (and I also enjoyed just my baby girl)!

Just wanted to give an update.

Here is the tiny guy......weighing it at an enormous 6lbs 8oz!!!!!!
And here is Spence and his Daddy!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

We made it home!

Finally. We were so ready this morning but Spencer didn't quite cooperate. He has a little jaundice so we had to wait on word from the pediatrician to be discharged. Everything is fine, it isn't bad, just something for us to watch out for.

We got home about 5. Mom brought Sam home and she was excited to see "her Spencer". Josh's Mom came over and fixed us dinner.....thanks MIL! I am pretty tired so I am going to feed the little man and head to bed. I just wanted to update you and post a few more pics.

Here he is in his "going home" outfit.And here he is all bundled up looking so sweet.
And here is Sam "holding" Spence.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

I don't know why the font and spacing is so weird in the last post. Sorry. I have tried to fix it but have not figured out what is going on?????????????

The day Spencer was born.

Well, God is funny! I don't know how many times I said, "He can come any time, just not on Monday." It seems that everyone had something going on yesterday. Josh was going to Tyler, Mom was driving to Houston and Melissa had to work. That is just how my life seems to work, whatever I don't think is best, always is, which is fine, a continuous reminder that I am not in charge! This is what the day was like:

We all had a wonderful nights sleep last night (the first in a long time) and when Sam woke up at 6:30, she was in a GREAT mood.
Daddy had to go out of town and left the house about 7am for Tyler. Starting about 7:30am I noticed contractions that were different than any I had been having. When I started watching the clock I realized they were coming about every 5 minutes. I had been washing the dishes when I realized that this was probably the beginning of labor so I went and jumped in the shower, making certain that was done, if in fact this was it!

After getting ready, I tried to get the house picked up a little and finish the dishes. I finally called my Mom and told her that she should probably hold off heading to Houston until she heard from me again. (She was supposed to pick up my nephew in Houston to stay the week with them. She ended up having to buy him a plane ticket to get him here….Spencer says “sorry”, Nini) I wasn’t quite sure what I should do because the contractions were painful but not so much that I couldn’t walk during them. That was supposedly what I was waiting for. I guess my motherly wisdom just led me to the decision to go ahead and go up there. I called my Mom back and told her to come get me and called Saundra to come get Samara. I still had to get the additional things for my hospital bag and pack Sam a bag and by the time I got that done, they were there.

Mom & I headed to the hospital about 9:30am. I hadn’t slowed down long enough in the past 30 minutes to even know if the contractions were still coming regularly. Once I got in the car I started timing again and they were still 5 minutes apart, some 3. So, Mom dropped me off at the Women’s Center and I went and checked myself in. Apparently everyone thought I was just jumping the gun. When Mom came down to my room after parking the car, she heard the nurse that checked me in say, “Well, she doesn’t look like she is in labor but this is her 2nd or 3rd pregnancy, so I guess she knows.” (actually I didn’t know and that just made me feel like I was dumb for coming up there) Anyway, got in the room, got settled, and my nurse Valerie got me all set up on the monitors and checked me. She said I was dilated to 4 ½ cm so, that wasn’t really very much progression from the last doctors visit and they weren’t sure they were going to be able to keep me. After about 30 minutes on the monitor she came back in and told me that I had to walk for 30 minutes and then come back because she wanted to get a good progression the next time she checked me. (can I just tell you how embarrassing it was walking around the hospital in a hospital gown and flip flops?) We got back to the room and she checked me again and I was a 5 ½. Apparently she was satisfied with that progression and they decided to admit me. Later she told me that they just didn’t think I was in true labor because I was talking and laughing and stuff and were really surprised that I wasn’t screaming through the contractions when I was so dilated and still didn’t have an epidural. I just don’t react to pain that way. In my mind, if I ignore the pain and continue to do whatever I was doing, it isn’t as intense. Also, I am just not vocal (yes, I know that is not normal for me)….instead, I get totally quiet, close my eyes and scrunch up my face! I guess this had the staff fooled.

Josh made it back in town and to the hospital around 12:30pm. Thankfully he hadn’t gone far! Around 1:30pm she checked me again and I was a 7 ½ and the anesthesiologist came and gave me the epidural! That was nice! I was actually extremely happy with the block because I could still feel quite a bit, but the pain was gone for the most part. I could still move my legs which was nice. With Samara, the block was so strong that I couldn’t even pick up my legs or feel anything. It was much better this way! About 2pm the doctor came and broke my water to get things going. By doing this, they found a little meconium in the fluids and were a little concerned. They had a few extra neo-natal people at the delivery to make sure they were ready for any problems that the meconium might have caused. Of course this made us both nervous, but especially Josh. He was close to passing out at one point.

Around 3pm she said I was a 10 and called the doctor to come over. She kicked everyone out of the room about 3:15 and started prepping me. By the time she got me all set up I really had the urge to push but she kept telling me to wait until the doc got there. Once the doc got there and prepped herself I gave one good push and there he was! It was CRAZY! I couldn’t believe it when she said, “Look down, here he is!” “WHAT?” He came out crying so we knew everything was ok. It was so amazing! He was beautiful and he looked so much like Samara when she was born. So, Spencer Nolan Martin was born at 3:42pm on June 23, 2008. I was right in my guesstimate about his weight. I knew he couldn’t be as big as the rest of the Martin babies….I just didn’t have that kind of room in my tummy! 7lbs, 3oz and 19” long. He is wonderful!

And so is He! I am so thankful and blessed to have two wonderful, healthy kiddos. Something else that I prayed feverishly about was that I would have a good nurse. Let me just tell you that this whole experience has been AWESOME and I was really worried after the bad experience I had during pre-term. God poured out his blessing upon us! The staff has been wonderful…..every one of them….I haven’t had a single nurse that I didn’t like! The anesthesiologist was fantastic and the doctor was GREAT. My doctor didn’t deliver him because she wasn’t on call but thankfully my favorite doctor out of the other 3, Dr. Taylor, was the one who delivered him.

Saundra brought Samara up after he was born. She was VERY curious. She wasn't sure why she wasn't the center of attention but she did pretty good. Here she is showing off her Big Sister shirt.

Here is a picture of all of his hair.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Spencer Nolan Martin is here!

He's here! I am super tired and want to get some rest but I wanted to let everyone know and post a few pics for you to see. I will give you more info after I get some rest. 7lbs 3oz, 19 inches.
And here are both of my babies!

Sunday, June 22, 2008

My poor baby girl!

Oh my! This has been an ongoing problem with Samara but last night was, by far, the worst. For some reason she occasionally has diarrhea and inevitably when this happens she gets a terrible diaper rash. This happened again last night and she was SOOO blistered! She would sob because she was in so much pain. When we tried to change her diaper she would flinch every time we even touched the area! THEN, about 3 last night she woke up sobbing. I thought she just lost her paci so I went to get her back in bed and she was crying and saying "tee tee", which meant that she was hurting. I took off her diaper and she was just shaking she was in so much pain. The blistering was so bad it was almost purple and was so swollen. It was breaking my heart. It isn't very often that she cries with tears and they were just streaming down her face! She was screaming and I could barely get another diaper on and "medicine" on her bottom! Today hasn't been much better. The blistering is still there, although it is a little better. She has been super fussy all day and so clingy!

Anyway, all this to tell you that you can be in prayer about this. After talking to several people, Josh & I have decided that this is not normal and we need to figure out what is going on. I will ask the doc the next time we go in. She has always been sensitive to particular wipes and diapers so maybe this is as simple as hyper-sensitive skin. I just want to figure out what is going on so that we don't have to go through this again. I feel so bad for that little girl!

Besides all of that, we had a pretty good day yesterday. I was on a role.....wanting everything in order. I worked on getting things out of the attic that needed to be sold or things for the baby that needed to be brought down (breast pump, bottles, etc.) We put the cradle together and I went through all of my old 2/4 clothes to list on Craig's list (yes, I finally gave up on the idea that I would get there again, or they would all be so old and out of date by the time I did get there that the $ would be much more useful right now) We went to Joey & Melissa's in the afternoon and traded clothes for the kiddos. When we got home I went through the small stuff and hung up or folded all of that stuff! FUN! So strange to be dealing with boy clothes! I stayed quite busy this weekend! I am trying to keep myself busy so that I don't have to think about when I am going to go into labor! I think it is safe to say that I have been obsessing! I just keep thinking that it has to be near!

Hoping to post pics of my little one soon!

Friday, June 20, 2008

WOOHOO, he made it!

Well, Josh has made it home! Thank you Jesus for keeping Spencer snug in the womb until his Daddy could share this moment! Here we are waiting!
The doc asked if I felt like he had dropped the last time I went for a visit and I told her I really didn't know. If you don't know, then the answer is NO. I can tell you now that he has dropped. I feel like he is elbowing my thighs! I don't know that this means a thing except that having a baby that low is WEIRD! I don't ever remember this sensation with Sami.

We are all so ready. Mom is traveling to Houston on Monday to pick up my nephew so she is hoping that it will happen before then. Melissa works Monday and Tuesday so today would be a fantastic day. I don't guess I get to decide this, huh! No matter....we are ready. I was finally able to get someone (my mom, of course) to get up in the attic and get the cradle and car seat down. I feel much better now that those have been done.

Also, I just wanted to tell you all how blessed I am. We have not had to buy a thing for this little man. Because Joey & Melissa are having a girl, we are just trading clothes! Wow, did that work out nicely! Mom made all of the stuff for the room (bedding & curtains) and Josh's grandma is buying us a double stroller! I have been stocking up on diapers and wipes from CVS, not to mention that our Sunday School class provided us with a stock as well. Most everything else we have from Sam! Can I just say that God is SOOO good to us! Oh ya.....and I am a part of this freecycle group where you basically give away stuff you don't need anymore and other people do the same. Yesterday someone posted that they had a bag of boys clothes 0-3mths to give away! Hello, free boy clothes? She let me have them (you have to be quick). I went by there this morning and picked them up and was pleasantly surprised at how much was there. It was mostly onesies but what else do they wear at that age anyway? How cool is that?

So, to answer all of you who have asked if we are ready.....the answer is a huge YES! (By the way, my due date isn't officially until July 2 so I am just being impatient)

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Counting down!

Well, Josh is getting to come home in the morning.....YAY! He will arrive in Dallas at 1:15pm so continue to pray for the little man to hold off until then. I don't think that will be a problem as it seems that my contractions have slowed quite a bit. It is so strange how they will be so heavy one day and almost non-existent the next! I am ready to have this little boy.....I can't wait to see his beautiful face......so tomorrow would be a great day!!!!

Please also pray for Sam as she is having a really difficult time sleeping at night. It seems that she wakes up in the middle of the night only to have the hardest time getting back to sleep. It's not that she isn't trying, she just can't seem to get comfortable or something. Selfishly, I would really like her to be sleeping without problems so that we don't have to worry about 2 up in the middle of the night.

Oh, and for those of you who haven't been around her lately, she has named herself "Sami." I will call her Samara and she will say, "no, Sami." This is quite funny to me considering the only person who ever calls her that is her Popee.....when she decides something, that's the way it is!

By the way, Josh is having a great time and is really learning alot in this training. I am certain that God allowed him the opportunity to be at this training because it will be VERY beneficial in his new position. I am happy with the decision to let him go even though we have all been nervous! Thank you all for your prayers.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Cardboard Testimonies

For those who attend NRHBC you will recognize this video.....for those who do not, this is AWESOME.

This is not from our church, it was just something that was shown at the end of a very powerful message last weekend.

Another Boy!, comments & an apology

Well, my brother and his wife found out yesterday that they are having a boy! That means 2 more boys for the Mullins family! It is crazy that the three of us(Me, Melissa & Kacey) were pregnant together when I had Samara and we are all 3 pregnant together again and even having our babies in the same order again! It's great that our kids will all be so close!

Look, if you come here and check out my site, I want to know about it once in a while. Leave me some love (at the end of the posts) even if you just say HI!

Also, I wanted to apologize for not having my sidebar info up still. I am STILL waiting on a response from the only person that I know can help me. Hopefully I will have it up soon.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Not much to report

Last week I was "almost" dilated to a 4.....this week I am a "good" 4! Those are the words of the doc. I guess that means a little progress but not much else to tell you. I am definitely having more contractions so who knows!

Monday, June 16, 2008

For those who have been harrassing me!

I am staying at my parents this week.....JUST IN CASE! That way I don't have to wake Sam up in the middle of the night AND my Mom will be right there to take me to the hospital, so that I don't have him at home.....as everyone at Sunday School thinks will happen! I promise you that this baby is not just going to fall out! I have an appt tomorrow morning so I will update you after that!

Things don't look promising for Josh if he has to fly home this week. There aren't any flights out of Hartford from 3:45 pm until 6 am. On top of that, the flight alone is 7 hrs! God is in control, right? Just kidding.....I know he is, just still praying hard, as if he doesn't already know how I feel.

I am feeling pretty yucky today. I stayed at Mom & Dad's last night and I forgot my meds. I take Nexium daily for my heartburn and I feel like I am going to DIE today! I will not be forgetting that again! I also have been having more contractions than normal......hopefully just braxton-hicks : )

Praying for no pictures of a beautiful little boy to introduce until Saturday!

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Saturday, June 14, 2008

A Day of Family Fun!

Finally an opportunity to sit down and relax! Today has been busy but it has been so worth it. We started working as soon as we got up this morning, trying to prepare for the rest of the day! Needless to say that my back is hurting (I am not used to carrying around this weight)!

We ran to Sears because they were having a Father's Day thing where you bought $100 worth of Dockers stuff and got a $75 Shell gift card! Since we HAVE to buy gas and Josh desperately needed pants, it was a pretty good deal.

We got home and I did some meal preparation......my first time EVER to cook burgers! Hard to believe that I have never cooked burgers in 26 years! Between the burgers at family get-togethers and eating out, I never had a desire to cook my own!

Anyway, everyone started showing up at the house about 2pm. I decided to have family over to hang out, swim and eat for Father's Day. A day outside hanging out is my idea of fun.....I absolutely love a day like today! We are about as family oriented as you can get so this was GREAT!

If you know my Dad, you know that the kids were well stocked on "fun"! We already had a bunch of pool toys and Mom & Dad brought a Slip N Slide, water guns and lots of bubbles.
We all had a really great time! Who would have thought that the little ones would enjoy the Slip N Slide but I think they liked it even more than the big kiddos!

As for the bubbles....I think my Dad played with those more than anyone else......he bought a bubble thing that made super huge bubbles and of course he kept trying to see just HOW big they could get! Here you can see that Tyler is fascinating Samara with the monstrous bubble! It is so much fun to see all the kids together. The older kids are all so wonderful to the itty-bitty's! My nephew Tyler especially loves the little ones and they love him. As you can see here, Samara is showing him some love! Pretty sweet huh!
Of course the kids were all dead dog tired at the end of the day but they had sooo much fun! I am so glad that we were able to do this before the baby. Speaking of that, I normally just wear a two piece swimsuit that I had before getting prego........I didn't think that was appropriate for this family function as it would offend some. Thank you Dawn for letting me borrow a maternity suit! Unfortunatly even it would not cover all of my bump.Hopefully I will be able to get out of bed for church in the morning! (that is, if I don't have this baby tonight!)

Friday, June 13, 2008

Sunday morning insurance policy!

What a fantastic book I am reading. I have read it before, only to desire another dose! The title, "The Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning is, in itself an AWESOME title! There are so many things I could expound upon from this book but there is one I could not help but share with you.

Talking about legalistic Christians who feel the need to engage in some sort of magic to appease God, he says, "Sunday worship becomes a superstitious insurance policy against His whims." Huh, I don't think of my self as "legalistic" but I certainly have been guilty of this very thing. I know that I am not the only one. I know that church is made up of people who make it to church each Sunday morning to fulfill their Christian duties, for hope that if they do their part, God will do His. People who serve in ministries because that is what they are supposed to do and it will gain them favor (aka. less turmoil in their life). He goes on to say that, "when broken people (us) with this concept of God fail, they usually expect punishment. So, they persevere in religious practices as they struggle to maintain a hollow image of a perfect self. The struggle itself is exhausting. The legalist can never live up to the expectations they project on God." Is this really what God is about? I think not!

Our God is a God of grace. One who doesn't want our works......who tells us clearly that they will not get us to salvation. Why is it then that we are so susceptible to DOING to gain his approval? Doing is much easier than giving of the heart. There is no stock in doing, except for time. Giving of the heart costs so much more. Giving our heart takes time throughout each day, 7 days a week. It takes self-discipline and endurance. And most of all it takes vulnerability!

I don't want to chase after an insurance policy....I want to experience our God of grace.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Thank God for Paul!

Failure. Not a word that comes to mind when you think of Paul, is it? When I think of Paul, I think of a spiritual superhero. BUT, if we take a look at his life, we see lots of failure.

I have a hard time putting myself in place of biblical characters. I guess I always think they had some supernatural power and didn't truly "experience" the things they speak of; that they did not "feel" things like we feel them. I realize this is not biblical.....it just seems to be how my mind works. I have come to accept that they were in fact just humans as we are. With that in mind, when I put myself in Paul's shoes I am overwhelmed by the feeling of failure. I imagine that there had to come a point when he said......I am at the end of my rope, can things get any worse? And the answer always seemed to be a resounding, YES.

In 2 Corninthians 11:24- 27 Paul says, "Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from the Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked."

I don't know about you, but I think I would have given up and gone home after one set of lashes. Can you just imagine all the things you would have been saying to yourself? "Is this REALLY what God wants me doing? Surely there would not be so much opposition. Is this God closing the door? How long will I have to endure this? Would God really put me through all this if this really were His will?" We have become spoiled. We expect that living for the Lord will be easy. I think about all that Paul went through and I am amazed. The word endurance comes to mind.

I think the most important thing to note about his failure is that is was necessary for him to succeed. FAILURE IS NECESSARY FOR SUCCESS. This is a hard one to swallow. I actually really hate failing. At least I have an excellent example to help me the next time I question God's purpose for my failure!

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Precious sleep!

There are new parents out there who think....."I can't wait until my baby gets older and will sleep through the night."

While this is mostly the case, there are still nights like last night. I don't think I ever thought that I would have to worry about getting a good nights sleep at 2 years old.....I was wrong! The little girl woke up at midnight and was finally able to fall asleep at 3am. 3 hours in the middle of the night feels like FOREVER! I felt sorry for her.....she was trying so hard to go back to sleep but was just flopping around. I never could figure out what the "problem" was! It was hard not to get frustrated, even though I know she couldn't help it......all I could think was....."these nights of sleep are precious.....they will be far and few between before too long." Oh well.....just God's preparation for the near future, I suppose!

She took a good nap this morning but got totally worn out this afternoon. Balin & Alyssa came over this afternoon and it was too late to put her down for an afternoon nap when they left. I knew I wouldn't be able to put up with the whining if I didn't keep her busy so, we went swimming!

I am not sure if this was a good idea because I barely got her bathed before she fell asleep. She wouldn't even eat dinner. She fell asleep in my lap......which NEVER happens. When I picked her up to put her in bed she was like a ton of bricks. I was not very gentle getting her to her bed and she never even hinted at opening her eyes! WOW!

Praying she will make it through the night tonight. (I put some crackers beside her bed in case she wakes up hungry....hehe)

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Another appointment!

Inching closer! Dilated to a 4, still just 70% effaced. Praying it will be any time besides next week. Does it look like delivery time?
Just for reference, this is 37 weeks with Samara.

As you can see, she poked out pretty far but he is much bigger.....seems to be more stretched out or something! Thankfully not in my ribs like her!!!!!!!

Monday, June 9, 2008

Sorry, it's been a while

As you can see, I am still waiting on a reply from the website person.

We had a good weekend, though no pool! I didn't know that I should be letting the pump run while Josh is out of town. Woops! Needless to say, it sat for too long and ended up needing some recovery! Not to mention that the pump we bought LAST YEAR died when he was trying to get the pool back into shape so we had to go lay down a hefty penny for a new one! We were just having bad luck this weekend I suppose, because we borrowed Mom & Dad's power washer to clean off our back porch and Josh turned it on and got it working for a minute only for it to go out a few seconds later! AAHHH!

Josh made it back in town late Friday evening and was able to see Sam before bed....YEAH! That is always a blessing! Saturday morning was REALLY lazy for us. We just hung out and laid around. It was lazier for some of us, than others!

Later that afternoon we tried to get the back porch cleaned up. We absolutely LOVE our back porch and back yard and I was ready to tidy it up so that it would be a little more enjoyable! It seems that we are out there ALL the time now! Samara is forever saying "outside"! Even without the pool we find fun things to do.....though she does usually say "hot" when we walk out there! Saturday and Sunday we filled up the kiddie pool and put her little tykes slide into it and she really loved that! Here is a video!



She is so stinkin' cute, huh!

Ya know, I have heard a saying, "A tired child is a good child." They must not know mine! Being out in the sun wears her out and once we get back in, she is SOOO whiny. I know that I can't go outside until late in the afternoon because I better be ready to feed her and bathe her when I come in or I'll go crazy listening to all the fussing!

Absolutely NO news on the baby front. Practically ALL of my contractions have quit so I am guessing I will likely make it to term......UGH! Thankfully he isn't in my ribs like she was so I am actually pretty comfortable. I am finally getting used to him being in there and invading my space.....to only have him come out soon! Oh well!

I know I promised a pic of the nursery once we got it done. It isn't finished but I will show you what we have so far. Mom has done an AWESOME job, don't ya think!

If you are wondering about the photo-a-day.....I am taking them.....I am just WAY behind in putting them together. The biggest problem with this is trying to go back and remember what we did what days! I was determined to do it at the end of each day but it just hasn't happened! At least I have the pictures!

Hope ya'll have an awesome day!

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Please bare with me!

As you can see, I am trying to make this thang purty! I thought I had found an easy answer but I guess nothing is ever as easy as you would like it to be!

I am hoping to get some answers soon from someone who knows what they are doing......I am certain you will be able to tell when that happens!


Thank you for your patience!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Additional CVS loot for the week!


$.68 OOP today. Some of it was simply FREE after coupons.....some of it nearly free. The blood glucose monitors were free and I donate them to Cornerstone Assistance Network. This is what I got:
5- Travel size John Frieda hairspray (good for J's travel)
*2- Contour blood glucose monitors
3- 500 ct cotton swabs
2- Veet hair remover
*Listerine Smart Rinse
4- J&J travel shampoo and lotion
Christophe hair serum
Face cleansing wipes
3- Toothbrush
Not too exciting today, though it will be nice to be stocked up on Q-Tips.....seems like we blow through them here.....which is pretty weird considering Mom & Dad don't have a single Q-Tip in the house!

Summer Boredom Cures

I found this blog today and it has a HUGE list of things to cure summer boredom. Thankfully we have a pool at the house so if she gets cranky, I just lube her up and throw her in!

I still rack my brain trying to think of things to do inside the house when I don't want to deal with an exhausted toddler at the end of the day. I

haven't read all the ideas yet but I am hoping they will help!

Tip for those thinking of CVSing

If you think you might want to do the CVS game but aren't sure just yet, the first step is to stock up on coupons from the Sunday paper. I usually get the double pack so I can have at least 2 sets of coupons (sometimes I will buy 4 if the q's are good!) Sooo, even if you haven't decided yet, I would advise you to at least build your coupon stash. It takes approximately 12 weeks of saving q's to get all the deals.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

You really can have it!

Just wanted to let everyone know that I have actually had someone let me know they use some of the stuff on my FREE list! It is such a blessing for me to be able to provide someone with something that they were going to have to buy! PLEASE let me know if you want any of this stuff.....I am serious. (check out the column on the right if you don't know what I am talking about)

It's a Girl! & something else for FREE!

Joey & Melissa are having a girl! YEAH!!!!! Melissa has been wanting a girl soooo bad! I am so happy for them! How funny that we have a girl & them a boy 4 months apart and now we will have a boy & them a girl 4 months apart.

I feel like having the cousins so close is a true blessing! We are blessed on both sides because we have Levi and ???? on Josh's side and Balin & ???? on my side! It is so fun when we get together as a family and the kids can play and have fun!

On that note, Samara went over to Nini's today while I went to lunch with some friends. Balin (Baay) & Alyssa (Lyssa) were there and when Samara & Balin saw each other they just couldn't quit hugging and kissing one another! They love each other sooo much and have such a good time together! It is precious!

Can't wait to find out what Matt & Kacey are having! (Mom wants another boy....too bad she doesn't get to decide)

Sorry for this Jas, but I got ANOTHER pair of panties for free today. I got these from Macy's through a Jockey promo they are doing. Print your coupon here. It expires June 6th so you better get a move on it!

Monday, June 2, 2008

Oh ya, FREE

I got something FREE in the mail today.

Panties!!!!!!!! WOOHOO!

Hanes is doing a "Wedgie Free" promotion. Go here to enter. I didn't read all the rules but I know that I signed up and I got panties in my mailbox from Hanes. Just thought I would share!

Pregnancy Update

So, it looks like I have lots to report today.....3 posts in 1 day; that's a record!

Had a doc appt today. Nothing too exciting. I am dilated to a 3 and 70% effaced. To some of you this sounds like labor. Not in my world. If you were around for the last pregnancy you will probably remember that I was a 4(or 5, can't remember exactly) and 90% when I went in for my INDUCTION. Yes, even after progressing so much, I still had to be induced!

Soooo, this is NOTHING to get excited about.....in fact it is really just a teaser!

I am pretty nervous about going into spontaneous labor since I didn't do that last time. I just want to know when I am actually in labor and I want to know when to head up to the hospital. One benefit of progressing so much before labor is that the labor is SHORT. Though this could be bad if I wait forever to go to the hospital.

I am also nervous that Josh will be out of town when I do go into labor. My chances of this are MUCH greater than the chances of him actually being here. He is typically out of town late Monday, early Tuesday to Friday afternoon, every week. Depending on where he is, he could make it home in 3-5 hours, but if the last delivery is any indication of this one, that might not be enough time. ALSO, not next week, but the next, he will be in Connecticut!!!! My guess is that he WILL miss the birth if I end up having him that week. Please pray that this does not happen.....he would be devastated and so would I! We are both nervous as time nears so please just keep us in your prayers!


Speaking of baby stuff, Mom got the bed painted and put back together today!!!! It looks awesome! She is crazy for taking this project on....(her idea, not mine). So, the room is painted, the bed is painted and all of the bedding is made. When we get it all together, I will take a pic and post it.


Oh, and I also made a nursing shawl today. I used the Hooter Hider idea but a pattern from Mavis. I followed the pattern....though I wish I hadn't. There are a few things I would like to change but here is the finished product. (yes, I am acting like I am "using" it)


I am amazed at what these cost considering it took less than $10 and about an hour to make! Guess it just goes to show that creative people who can "make anything they see" aren't everywhere!


My next baby project is swaddle blankets that Misty introduced me to. I really loved them and asked where she got them. I checked them out at Lone Star Baby and OH MY GOSH.....3 of them cost a whoppin' $42!!! WOW....never in my wildest dreams would I think of paying $42 for swaddle blankets. They have gotten excellent reviews but STILL! SO, anyway, I am going to see if I can find some comparable fabric.....that's what makes them so special. I know that whatever I find won't have cute little baby designs all over but WHO CARES! They didn't even hem these suckers, just serged them!!!! If this works out, I will let you know.

Lofty Ideas

There are so many things I want to do to make this blog appealing in my eyes. I am one of those; If you can't do it perfect, don't do it at all.....or at least make it seem like you aren't trying. I haven't put too much effort into this yet because I really don't like the way it looks and I feel like it's missing so much. SOOO, I am determined to work on it and make it a place that I want to be : ) I have NO idea how to make it look cool like the rest of the world out there but I will figure it out. I am decent enough at Photoshop so I am hoping that will aid my efforts!

Faithful Followers!

How funny this internet world can be! Who knew! A couple of months ago when I was forced to lie in a hospital bed, it seems that I started some kind of faithful following!

I know it can be that way because I do the same myself! I happen upon someone's blog and find myself adding them to my favorites! To me, this is just weird!

I honestly thought that when all the drama ended, so would the followings, but I was wrong.

SOOOO, I am promising to do a better job at blogging! I hope to write more often but am not making too many hefty promises with all that's about to happen. I also want to say thank you to those of you who do come and visit.....it's kinda fun knowing that you are of interest to someone out there!

Sunday, June 1, 2008

CVS this week, so far anyway!

SOOO, last week was really lame for CVS. Thankfully this week there were some great deals to be had! I spent $14.02, saved $169.24 and have $34.98 ECB to spend. I didn't do as good as normal this week because of a few mistakes but I still made out pretty well. This is what I got:


2- 8pk AA Duracell batteries 2- 4pk AAA Duracell batteries
Pampers Size 2 Jumbo pk
2- Pampers Size 4 Jumbo pk
2- Pampers Size 5 Jumbo pk
2- Pampers Sensitive tub wipes
60 ct Nursing Pads
4- Colgate Total toothpaste
2- Covergirl Foundation
10- Chex Mix
*4- Dawn Dish Liquid
*2- Glade sprays
2- Head & Shoulders 2 in 1
Milk storage bags
Bag of cotton balls
Big pak Eclipse gum
Starburst

This has really been great. I know many of you are wondering what in the world I will do with some of this stuff. The answer is.....save some, give some, use some. I am able to get diapers for next to nothing and that is HUGE! I am also able to donate a ton of stuff that I would never have been able to donate before....it's fun to give stuff away! By the way, if you see a * by any of the items listed, that means that I am not planning on using it and will donate it if I can't find anyone to give it to. That said, if you need anything with a * next to it, leave me a comment, shoot me an e-mail or give me a call and I will give it to you. Also, feel free to check old CVS posts to see if there is anything from those lists you need.
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