0 More posts on things I cant live without!

I promised to keep updating this as I go - so here goes...

The beloved bouncy seat. When Charlotte was a few weeks old I thought this was a huge waste of money. She hated it and was actually too small to enjoy it. I put it in the corner and actually got it out last week and what do we know she fits much better. I purchased the  Carters Cuddle Me Bouncer - we picked it due to the vibrating seat and the ability to bounce. The toy bar is removable and its easily washable. This helps when we go places or when we go outside. Much easier to carry than the swing. I would say most people think you can live without this... however its easier to take a shower with her sitting in this.


Boppy Pillow - I will admit- I hated this at first. I felt fat since it didn't fit around my waist to use to breast feed. I wanted to throw it away. Now that she is bigger- I use it more to let her sit on the ground and I also now can use it to breast feed since the belly has slimmed down again.  I think if you plan to only use this to breast feed, then you might want to look at my Breast Friend pillow. I just used a regular pillow until she was big enough and I was small enough to use it for feedings.

The Beloved Breast Pump - I debated this purchase and luckily was able to get a deal on a breast pump. I wasnt sure if breast feeding was going to work for me and after I learned how to use a breast pump in the hospital (this was a suggestion from a friend and I am really glad they told me to do this.) I started up the breast pump to make sure I was producing milk. It also helped me get a break from feeding on the body and get her used to a bottle. Now we pretty much pump all the time and only body feed once a day. I would have never been able to keep up with her if I was only body feeding. She eats every 2 hours and about 4 ounces. I am greatful to have my pump and its easy to tote around. I have the Medela Pump in Style Advanced. Dr. Browns bottles fit into the Medela horns so its really nice to have a bunch of extra bottles.


The stroller- I LOVE my stroller. We tried this stroller when we were asked to babysit for friends that moved back to the US from Europe. This stroller is extremely convenient. It folds easily and allows for many connection points. The Quinny stroller was a little out of our price range and I was devistated to find out that it was unobtainable. I started looking at a few other strollers and was about to give up hope. I happened to make a pit stop into the Gap Factory Outlet to get a pair of maternity jeans when I saw the Quinny Bassinet that hooks into the stroller. I asked the lady at the register why they had that and she stated they had a shipment of baby items and they had one stroller left. I almost fell over. I loved this stroller. I purchased this stroller and picked it up the next day. Note to everyone- make sure the stroller you pick fits into your vehicle. I know a couple of people who had issues fitting their stroller into their cars. Makes it hard to go out without this.

Baby Bjorn- another questionable purchase that we are glad we have now. Mark tried on the carriers in the store because I wasnt sure if I would be able to use it. We got the original carrier and are very happy with the purchase. Charlotte loves to be carted around in it and I hope it stays that way!

0 One month young! The life of a month old

I always hope that I can keep up with this once I go back to work because if I had some of these things from when I was young (not that we had blogs then) I would love it. I got the idea of keeping tabs on the birth from my mother. One gem that I have from her is the story of my birth. How lucky am I. Since she isnt around anymore to ask about my youth, I rely on photos and memories that my dad has. Here is my recap for Charlottes first month.

Events that have happened-
You were born on the day that Osama Bin Laden was killed- I know this sounds morbid, however, this is a big deal since your family has plenty of military members that are active and were fighting in the war during the time.
Its the month of May - the weather has been very weird- lots of tornado warnings and issues with the weather this month. Plenty of rain (actually more rain that we have ever had) and we were going from 40 degrees to 90 in a short period of time.
Details about you-
You are a very awake child. You love to be around people and actually sleep well when its noisy and you calm down when I blow dry my hair or run the vacuum. You love to swing in your swing. I dont let you do it all the time, however, its a good break for mommy. You were wearing newborn clothes most of the time this month. You dont love sleepers- you find them to be a little confining when you like to kick your feet around. You love your kitty binx - if you are wondering where we came up withe name- I have no idea. Its a kitty on the end of a pacifier... this is all your father and I could come up with.
I am starting to put you on the floor more and get you to play in the floor. I think I was scared for the first week to do this. I am not sure why but hey I am a new mom and I am learning. You dont like the heat. You were fine with being bundled up, however, now that it is getting hotter- you HATE it. You typically end up half dressed to cool off.
You love the sound of the fan when you sleep. I have a feeling we will be using a noise machine when you make it to your own room soon. You like the bath tub, however, you dont like it unless we talk to you and calm you down. If we try to go too fast you scream bloody murder. Give Daddy and I time, we will pick up the best way to do things.
You are eating a ton- I was wondering why you were fussy the last few weeks but you were just working on growing. You went from 7lbs 11 ounces when you were born to 7lbs 2 ounces in a week. This is normal however, it was making me nervous. At your one month checkup you were 8lbs 10 ounces. I was shocked and happy you were growing. You are now 22inches long and making great progress.
You are starting to make eye contact and smile at me and daddy which makes us the happiest parents ever. I swear I almost cry when I see how pretty your smile is. You are a very happy baby and get plenty of attention. You have so many people that love you it makes us very happy. Your grandma and grandpa call to see how you are doing all the time and everyone is always asking for an update.
What I hope for you- I hope you are always happy. I hope you are challenged in everything you do so you learn how to adapt and become a better person. I hope you are able to love as much as you are loved and you are compassionate. I hope you grow up to ask questions, search for new things and become a strong woman. You will always have our support and guidance, however, I know we will let you learn things on your own. This is not to punish, but to help you grow. I cannot wait to watch you grow and I am constantly loving looking into your eyes and see how much you have grown and changed.
Your father and I love you very much! You have changed our world and we cannot wait to watch you grow in the next few months!

0 First Month of Baby- the things we couldnt and cant live without.

This is going to be a post for my memory but also for a few friends who are having kiddos soon.
The first month of baby Charlotte is coming to an end today. The things that people tell you that you need aren't always what you need. Every baby is different and every parent is different. I am sure that there are things I am missing but hopefully this helps.
We have a few items so far we cant live without-

Car seat and base - We have the Maxi- Cosi car seat and base and we love it. Very easy to put in and out of the car and very easy to get the baby in and out of.








Swing- I know some babies dont like the swing but Charlotte loves it. Sometimes we dont even turn it on- she just likes the angle that it sits at. As she gets bigger she likes the mirror and mobile that is on the swing and now she tries to talk to the mobile. We have the Fisher Price Love U Zoo swing. It has a few different positions, plugs into the wall and has a battery feature and also has music that isnt terrible.

Wubbanub Kitty Soothie- Charlotte likes to suck and she is too small to hold them in her mouth on her own so when I was watching terrible television and saw these I had to try them. Amazon luckily had two day shipping free so the kitty came to be her new best friend. We call this Kitty Binx- dont ask where we got that but she loves it. Its easy to rest on her chest and we can even tuck her arms on it to help her hold it. I swear we should have purchased more but hopefully she wont use it too long.

Burp Cloths- no need for anything fancy- we just used plain old cloth diapers and we love them. They work great.

Diapers and wipes- of course- you go through a million of them but dont stock up too much on newborn diapers. We learned really quick that as she started to mess out the diaper - it was time for the next size up. They looked huge on her but we arent cleaning out messes anymore.

Aden and Anais Swaddle blankets- I had a few swaddle blankets but I didnt register for these. A friend purchased them for me and I swear it was a wonderful surprise. These are light and wonderful. They are easy to swaddle, cover while your breastfeeding, drape over the carseat and even just keep in the car just in case. we got the animal ones and she loves them. I swear I will buy them for everyone if they arent registered for them.





Breast Pump- even if you want to feed exclusively, you should think about a pump. It keeps you from getting engorged and also helps you know how much milk you are producing. This has been a savior for me. It also helps us when we go out in public. If I had to breastfeed in public it would probably be a fumbling mess. This also gives Mark a chance to feed her every once in a while.

Breast Shields- I was suggested to purchase Lily Padz- they are silicone pads that are shaped like flowers. They stick to the skin without adhesive and they keep your breasts from leaking milk. They are great. You can get them wet and just wash them off. I suggest a couple pairs for a backup set.



I am sure there will be more but besides the basics- clothes, blankets, a place for the baby to sleep- these are necessities. I will try to add more as we go on so that I can remember and hopefully it helps!

0 Charlottes Birth Story

This post is VERY Long- but I finally posted only one month after her birth.

Charlotte’s Birth Story

When you have Gestational Diabetes- all bets are off for thinking you have control in your pregnancy. While it was very hard to keep things in check toward the end of the pregnancy, I realize how important it was for my baby to be healthy and me to be healthy. Every prick of the finger and every shot in my abdomen were worth it. The doctors I had prepared me for adjustments toward the end of my pregnancy, however, I wasn’t prepared for my last appointment.

I went in for my weekly appointment and I decided that Mark didn’t need to come. We had a few episodes of false labor the weekend before and I was hoping to be a little more dilated when I went in. I had my ultrasound and headed up to see the doctor. Dr. Samol was in the rotation for me to see so I went in ready to hear “no changes- we will see you next week”. Boy- I was wrong. He came in and checked my cervix- only 2-3 and 70% effaced. I could have cried. I was really hoping for more progress. Dr. Samol was quick to change my spirits but he shocked me when he asked me what my labor plans were. I sat not sure what he was asking and I am sure he picked up on my puzzled face. He stepped and informed me that with gestational patients we don’t typically go full term. They like to induce labor prior to 40 weeks to make sure the baby doesn’t get too large. I swear I wish I had a camera to look at my face. I probably looked terrified. He gave me four options of days and I chose the last day possible giving me time to go into labor naturally and to give my family plenty of time to organize their schedules and make it there. I would check into the hospital on May 1^st (a Sunday) and they would start the Pitocin on Monday morning at 4am. We had a plan and we were ready to go.

Now that I knew an official end date- we just needed to make sure that we were ready (and for once I was hoping I didn’t go into labor naturally so I had all that time to get stuff ready J ). We found the news on Wednesday afternoon and we filled our weekend plans as quick as we could. Thursday would be spent getting things together at work and making final stops to pick up things for the hospital. Friday would be a wonderful night at Tina’s after work with friends then a romantic dinner with Mark at Bouquet in Covington and home to relax. Saturday was spent attending a funeral for an old co-worker, grabbing a manicure and setting up at the house. Mark was wonderful getting beautiful steaks for dinner and allowing me to relax and enjoy the day.

D-day arrived and I can truly say I was not mentally prepared. I think I ignored the entire thing and went about my day. We rushed around making sure everything was packed, installed and put together prior to the baby coming. I know there are only a few things that need to be done prior but I am glad we looked to see what was working and not working so we were prepared. Mark put the swing and pack n play together so we had something ready when the baby came home and I can say we were of course running behind all day. Lunch was supposed to be picked up on the way and just as we were running out the door- my grandparents showed up for a visit. We love my grandparents but I was super stressed and I felt terrible I couldn’t give them my entire attention. We literally ran out the door and were able to only grab a cheese coney on our way.

We arrived at the hospital late of course- we were due there at 4pm, but of course we got there about 4:30pm. I was so nervous I didn’t even let it sink in until I turned into the hospital. I think I almost had a meltdown when we pulled in. We headed up to the check in desk and they quickly put me into my room. Mark couldn’t come back in with me to start and it was really starting to hit me. We checked in and I was put into a hospital gown and hooked up to monitors. When Mark finally came back they notified the doctor that I was there (Dr. Buckley was on duty that day) and we were settled in. The plan was to use Cervidil to soften the cervix and start Pitocin in the morning to get labor started.

After checking into the room and getting settled the nurse came in to check me. I was 3cm dilated and she looked a little concerned. I quickly asked her what was going on and she said that Cervidil wasn’t an option when I was already 3cm dilated. I was confused but Dr. Buckley came in to explain- Cervidil wasn’t needed and wouldn’t really help so I could either start Pitocin or go home and come back the next day. At that point I wasn’t going home. I called my mom and dad and gave them the news that we were starting labor earlier than planned and we made plans to buckle in and enjoy the ride. About 7pm we started the Pitocin and Dr. Buckley tried to break my water. After the first time failed in breaking the water, we waited a few more hours and were able to finally break the waters about 10pm. Oh how that changes things.

Once the waters broke I was really feeling the contractions. It literally felt like the baby dropped into my pelvis and was putting constant pressure in my lower regions. I was really feeling the contractions for about an hour and then decided to get the epidural. At that point there was no real reason to hold out if planned to get it and sleep would be nice. I wasn’t getting any sleep until I got the epidural so I called to get it. The process was relatively painless and was helping almost right away. I am SO glad I made that decision. Labor was finally progressing and I decided to get some sleep – my mom had finally arrived and we were gearing up for a long night. I was only 4cm dilated at about 11pm and I knew it was moving slow. We decided to take a nap and get some rest.

A few hours later a few nurses rushed in with the doctor on call and woke me up. They put oxygen on my face and cut off the compression belt that was on my waist. They inserted monitors internally to check the baby’s heart rate and called my doctor. It was explained to me that the baby’s heart rate would drop when I had a contraction. This scared us to death. They said it could be a cord wrapped around the neck or just a fluke of the Pitocin. We had scares all night until about 5 am when they finally got it under control for a bit. Between this and my blood sugar running all over the place, it made for a great and adventurous labor.

By 6am I was 10cm dilated and they decided to let me rest. During this rest period it gave my dad and friends enough time to get to my room and get ready for the delivery. By 7:30am the shift change happened and we were ready to push. Dr. Lewis came in and told me that with the heart rate fluxuations that if I didn’t push efficiently, that I would have to have a C-section. This scared me to death but I figured that it couldn’t be that hard. Boy was I wrong. With the epidural I couldn’t feel a thing. This made pushing VERY hard. To top it off, the baby’s heart rate kept fluxuating which was only allowing me to push every other contraction. By the time I was into it, Dr. Lewis told me that we were getting close to a C-section. I was scared straight. I don’t know what she said but it was like a switch. Everyone in the room said I turned on the focus and got the baby out right away.

At 9:10am Charlotte Jane was born. It was almost unreal. They didn’t tell me at first what the baby was and allowed Mark to make the announcement. They placed her on my chest and Mark actually checked again to make sure she was a girl. She was crying and healthy right from the start. Her blood sugars were fine and she was ready to meet the world. They cleaned me up and she and everyone finally got to meet her.

The entire experience was unreal. The pain is unmemorable compared to the joy you feel when they put that baby on your chest. I was unable to have emotion. It was unreal. Luckily I was able to catch it on film so I could go back when I am ready to watch it to see how I was feeling and see the moment all over again. We didn’t name her at first (it actually took three days) but we were glad we waited. We have a perfect little angel and we can’t wait to watch her grow.

Mommy before you came!

First Checkup

You and your crazy faces

Your Birth Weight

smooches from Dad

Our First Family photo

First Footprint

Grandpa proud to meet you