Wowza's!

Its been a grip!

Being a mom is a very time demanding thing, even more so when you're still working full time. But I am LOVING every minute of it. Yes, even those very early morning ones.

Eleana is now 7 months old and it just doesn't seem possible. Where did the time go? A neighbor of ours just had a baby and he's roughly the same size as Ele was at birth. I don't remember her being that small! Now we're off the charts in height and weight. Literally, at our 6 month check up we were above the 98th percentile for height at 27 and 3/4 inches long and above the 98th percentile in weight at 20 lbs and 12 oz.

We've go two teeth coming in already. The whole teething process has been a breeze for Miss Ele. She's not been fussy at all. Just a lil' runny nose and lots of drool. We're also sitting up all by our self rather well. And we're a rolling machine! If she sees something she wants, she rolls to it. I thought she was going to skip the crawling as the rolling thing seems rather easy enough for her but she's perfected the army crawl this week. She loves standing up like a big girl and this week it seems she's starting to get the hang of pulling up. She doesn't quite know she can do it, but if in your hands she's pulling hard to go straight up to her feet. I think we're going to have to officially baby proof the house.

Overall things have been much easier than I ever anticipated. She's only fussy at bed time, she loves sleeping in, she's eating like a champ, and has been healthy as a horse! One cold in 7 months isn't to shabby if you ask me. I would have twenty more if they would all be as easy as she is. I don't trust my luck so we definitely
won't be having that many. Maybe one or two more if we're lucky enough.


I must say I've enjoyed having a little girl. I have been able to restrain myself (for the most part) in shopping. I just don't go out or into the baby section. However, I have found a few websites that I can't pass up. www.mamabargains.com is now a guilty pleasure of mine. So is www.babysteals.com I've had to start leaving my debit card at home so I don't shop while I work.


Baby Legs are my newest and cutest addiction. They look a little "Flash Dance"ish, but they make changing diapers and staying warm so easy. Plus they're just so darn cute on her chubby thighs!


Another great thing we've discovered is cloth diapering and a few sites like www.diaperdaisy.com and www.cottonbabies.com or even www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com are a few new favorites. I was able to stock up on 3-4 days worth of diapering and we've drastically reduced the amount of blow outs. Actually, I've not had a blow out with a cloth diaper on.

Life is definitely busy. I feel like we've been the parents that just take our child with us where ever we go. We haven't really slowed down or changed our social life up much and she seems to be adjusting to it rather well. She's a social butterfly like her parents! We can't walk on campus with out being stopped at least once. We joke that she's the most popular baby on campus (and no, she is not the only baby on campus. There are three others and two more on the way). Ele just soaks up all the attention. She just lights up when a gaggle of girls come over to see her. She even has a standing lunch invitation with a group of the female RA's from our neighboring dorm. She's a pretty popular gal!

Well, I could go on forever about our little cutie, but I'll save you time from reading it all. If you're ever up for a visit, Ele would love to see you! Hopefully we can get around to traveling and seeing more people. She does fairly well traveling and has already been to 6 states (IL,OH,MO,IA, KY, & D.C) and has her 7th state (Michigan) planned.


*** Just a small side note, it has taken me a MONTH to get this post out. I started it March 31st. Here are are April 30th and I've had to take a few moments out of my work day to finish it up so I can get it out there!

In the last month...

Where do I start?? A lot has happened in the last month.

Eleana Marie Torres arrived on Tuesday, September 15th at 10:39 pm. Birth definitely was not as bad as I thought...thanks to the epidural. TAKE THE EPIDURAL! :) I went into labor saying we're going with the light pain meds they give you (I believe it was Nubain) Well, the Nubain only did so much. It merely took the edge off of the pain and at about 6pm that wasn't enough. I'm sure I could have managed the pain part of it, but I am not sure I would have had the energy to stay awake for the final important moments. So, epidural it was. I was able to take a nap before she made her big debut and I really needed it.

Words can not describe the last month. I'm a mom... a MOM! I have a daughter... a DAUGHTER! Its still weird to say and hear it, but it is a sweet sound to my ears. She's been a fairly easy baby so far. We had our days and nights mixed up for the first two weeks and there were times at 4 am where I thought I was going to lose it. We made it through though. We now have a normal schedule...well at least our days and nights are when they should be. Our only problem now is that we don't want to go to sleep. I have no idea why a 4 wk old would put off going to bed, but Eleana certainly fights it at times.

She certainly is a beauty! I know we're biased, but she is so darn cute. And growing like a weed! She already is growing out of her newborn pajama's and clothing. We're moving into 3 month clothing. Who knows where she gets her long legs and her big feet, but that's what is making us move into larger footie pajama's.

All in all, the last month brought a lot of changes but it feels like life has always been this way. Our family seems a little more complete now that Eleana has arrived. We'll keep you posted as she continues to grow!

New Friends at Alice.com

So I've become acquainted with this new website http://www.alice.com/ I've ordered twice already and its great! I love knowing that I can do shopping without leaving my home, saving myself time AND money. I order toilet paper, lotion, snacks, Twizzlers for Jose, cleaning supplies, etc. They do the searching for coupons saving me money. They also ship FOR FREE, saving me even more money. I haven't had to wait more than two days for my shipment to arrive either, so its not like I'm waiting a week for my much needed toilet paper to arrive. Its at my doorstep (or campus mail) in the same amount of time it would take me to get out to the store (I typically forget I need it and don't make it out to get the TP for another two days to a week anyway). And when baby Torres comes along (ANY DAY NOW!!!) who doesn't want to have something so easy and convenient like Alice to help get shopping done. It is worse than pulling teeth on a lion to get Jose to go to the grocery. So the less things on the list, the happier we both will be.

Some things I do recommend shopping around for though. I'm picky on some things I use and they are not necessarily the cheapest on Alice. If you are just a bargain shopper when it some things then you can get some great deals.

They also have this great blog. They feature new products, time saving ideas, and just in general good housekeeping fun things. This week I was reading the blog and came across an interesting title.. "If the Health Department Isn’t Coming, It’s Clean Enough (+ Giveaway!) " There's a new book out called The White Trash Mom Handbook by Michelle Lamar.

I'm all for catchy titles on books, especially if they are going to give me advice and tips on how to do things that I normally do. (Remember I'm a huge fan of the book Green Chic..) Anyway, the excerpt that is on the blog is pretty good. She even gives nod to being green but being in a pinch. Sounds like my kind of book! I'm sure I'll end up with the book in hand, so I'll let you know how it turns out or you could just check it out for yourself!

Music to my ears!

So last week I went to the Dr and I had it set that it was week 37. The Dr walks in and says..."So week 36". I said politely, NO this is week 37. She said 'No week 36'. I said two weeks ago it was week 35.... She said well lets look (she is the one that holds the records). Turns out I was 36 weeks and 3 days. I was totally week 37..... :) Who cares what she thinks, she's only the Dr right? And I'm thinking, throw me a freakin' bone! I'm so ready to be done with this, just make it week 37 already! But she didn't move any dates or anything. I was beginning to think she was against me or hated me or something.

But this week she went and totally redeemed herself!

I went in for my "37" week check up and she checked me out. Yes, the physical exam not just the measure my belly and hear the heartbeat kind. This is something that you oddly look forward to when you are this far along. It isn't pleasant but it must be done. She goes through the normal quick questions " How do you feel? Is the baby still moving..." This time I get to tell her that yeah 'he/she' is definitely moving and I think we've headed south more. I can feel the baby in butt area when he/she decides to move. With a surprised/excited look on her face, my Dr says.."OH he/she really is moving down then...lets check it out. "

She said "Yep! Definitely down there, I could feel the head. You're dilated to about 1, about 70% effaced, and definitely thinning. The cervix is still tucked under the head, but its definitely thinned." I told her about something else (rather gross so I'll spare you the details) and she said..."Oh that could be part of the mucus plug."

And the words that made my day...."Well, If you go into labor this weekend...." Do you know how long I've waited to hear those words? Well, ok, up until the past week or two I could have waited, but the past two weeks that is all I've wanted to hear! Being dilated to 1 isn't much, but it is more than what I was and it means that labor could happen tomorrow, or it could happen in two weeks...or four....BUT we're making progress!

Today she was a little more lively than normal. She had been at the hospital and had to come running back to the office, so either the jog energized her or she is just a Dr who is someone you want to visit in the early afternoon. I typically go at 4 or 4:30 and by then she is drained I'm sure so she's not really ever been full of expression like she was today.

She said she was going to be out of town on this weekend, so if I do go into labor then some other Dr is on call and will fill in. Jose's family would probably not make it into to town this weekend if we went into labor. Plus two soccer games....we may have a weekend ripe for labor! Just when things get busy, but who knows. I did survive two weeks of craziness and Move-In weekend for the Freshman class and returning students. Maybe this kid is going to hang on for dear life inside.

Where I'm at...

Man...I don't think Sept 19th could get here any faster. Seriously, it seems like I've been telling people "Oh just 3 weeks left" for the past two months! And in talking with other ladies who have blazed the path of pregnancy before me, we've come to an agreement (me just the realization). The last weeks of pregnancy are not fun. They stink in fact. You are so miserable at times, but all for a good cause. You need some motivation to go through the pains of labor. At that point, you're saying "Lets get this over with!!!" so you'll do just about anything to get the child out. That's Labor!

So what am I learning now? I choose to look at this as a lesson. Life is full of lessons.

1. I have no feet.
2. Wait I do, they look like elephant feet by now.
3. I've never seen my fingers so fat in my life. U-G-L-Y...but I do have an alibi, I'm PREGNANT!
4. I eat constantly. Snack-0-holic! Soaking it in while I can.
5. Rolling over in bed...the thought just makes me laugh.
6. I sound like a horse when I breath. You can hear me from the other room.
7. Ain't no shame in taking the elevator up just one floor.
8. People LOVE to say..."You look like you're about to POP!"
9. People love to tell me..."You have how many weeks left? You don't even look that big!" (I think they are crazy.
10. I feel as big as a HOUSE!
11. Packing a bag for the hospital is hard! What do you take with you to make you look fabulous after X amount of hours sweating through labor?
12. Jose is more nervous about this than I am. Maybe I'm missing something?
13. There is no bending over to tie shoes, put socks on, pick anything up....ITS IMPOSSIBLE! I'm glad its flip flop season!
14. I have mastered the waddle. It actually gets better as you go along in pregnancy. I had someone ask me if we were on the way to the hospital the other night all based on how I was walking. Oh the pregnancy waddle. Its a beautiful walk.
15. I think my belly is permanently stuck lopsided as long as this child is inside of me. My right side holds the back and the butt of this beautiful creation and it is constantly sticking out. Hopefully not a sign of things to come.
16. Kicks and punches have now become painful. I swear this child takes after me in all my boniness as a child.
17. Did you know you can develop Carpel Tunnel Syndrome while you're pregnant? Yeah, big time. Fluid builds up in your wrists and really starts to wreak havoc. Add the stiff fat fingers and its a great way to wake up in the morning. I can barely grab the covers to move out of bed.
18. Ligaments stretch and it feels like you've got the worst pulled groin muscle in the world. Then the other side kicks in. So walking around you look like a fool (this contributes to the waddle I'm sure). I've about collapsed a few times, I'm sure I look real graceful at times.

All in all, the last few weeks just are not pretty. Although people have said, 'You make it look great!'...they are just being kind. There is no pretty in this phase. But that's OK. It is a means to a beautiful end. Surprisingly I have found myself laughing more now than I did before. I giggle all the time, at the dumbest parts of the oddities of pregnancy. It really has gotten me through the last month or two. If you can't laugh at yourself in life...you're going to be miserable. I don't want to be miserable.

With the crib up, the chair in (LOVE THE CHAIR!!) for rocking, and diapers everywhere, it is really starting to sink in. I'm having a child. This time next month I will be hold a child in my arms that grew inside of me. Still freaky for me to think about, but totally exciting. Things are about to change.....for the better!

It finally hit me...

I have to deliver this baby that is inside of me!

I know, I know...that is how it works. But I've been so focused on what is going on now that I haven't thought about what will really happen in September! (typing that out I think made my heart rate increase)

I went to the Dr. yesterday, normal check up, things are fine. Measuring 28 weeks, heart rate was 153. That's lower than it has ever been, but I think it was also one of the few moments the Cash was actually sleeping. The Dr asked if the baby is moving and I said most definitely. The way she said it made me feel a lot more at ease about the constant movement of this child.

The Dr. did her normal set of questions, "how are you feeling?" "Anything changing?", then she busts out..."So have you decided about an epidural?"...Totally caught me off guard. And then she said well, we're at the point where we will see you about every 2 weeks. WHAT?! I'm that far along already!!! Crazy! Where did the time go?

But as I waddle into the 3rd Trimester, I am losing more and more sleep. Oh but I did remember a few more things that I have found that I love about pregnancy. One of the best things I have purchased...underwear. Pregnancy underwear. I'm not sure there is a huge difference (no pun intended as your butt gets bigger? Why? who knows...more cushion is my guess). But it is just more comfortable. Oh and the prego pants, the full panel ones, ah-mazing. I love not having a waistband to watch any "luv-muffin' stuff hanging over. I swear, when I'm done with these pants I will forget to zip up my zipper. Its so nice to just pull things up when you're getting dressed. One less step to do!

So far so good. Still just bracing myself for Delivery day, I need to get into that mental state....pray for me! :)

What I'm Learning about Pregnancy

So, I've been reflecting on the past 6 months and the knowledge of being pregnant. Here is a list of things that I have learned about myself and pregnancy in general (and it will count as a general update as to how I am doing ) Enjoy!

1. To survive, you have to have a sense of humor.



2. I have a sense of humor, probably different than most pregnant people.



3. I complain, but that is the humor part of me being pregnant.



4. I never knew that babies in the womb could move around so much. Kinda creepy, but a blessing.



5. People LOVE pregnant women. Even if they are complete strangers, they LOVE you.
   
   
6. People think you've become incapable of doing certain things. Its nice to have the help on some things, but I still can open doors, carry small things, and sit in back seats.



7. People think you eat like a pig.



8. I don't eat like a pig. I can't. There isn't any extra room for all that food. I never realized that eating would make me feel so uncomfortable. There's time I don't want to eat a meal so I don't have to deal with the feeling of being overstuffed.



9. I am not a tough person. (Jose will tell you this willingly) I don't like the aches and growing pains that come with pregnancy. I hope I can survive labor!



10. I need to hire an in home massage therapist for the next three months. If anyone is open and willing to work for dirt cheap...send them my way.



11. I never knew that you would lose so much sleep BEFORE the baby comes. I con't care if this is a prep process, I just want to sleep at night!



12. I have become a furness. I could heat up a room like its no one's business. This coming from someone who was typically cold all the time.



13. I'm not feeling that beautiful. I've gotten more compliments now than ever before, but man...getting this belly out of bed in the morning does not make you feel beautiful.



14. There is no more graceful walking, no sexy swager left in me. I tried it yesterday, it hurt to walk that way. I've given in to the prego waddle.



15. I'm not a crier. Is there something wrong with me? Everyone else and the books I've read said that you become an emotional wreck when you're pregnant. Only once, maybe twice, have I wanted to cry (both have been out of frustration over something). I don't cry at diaper commercials, or when I think of my future child, or how my parents did such a great job of raising me. I just don't cry. I hope this is normal.



16. I have an out of control sweet tooth. I had a sweet tooth before, but now it is RAGING ridiculous.
    

Well, there was alot more that I had rolling around in my head, but I've lost it. Thats one other thing. You have no memory, no sanity left when you're pregnant. If I don't write it down, it probably won't get done (or at least not all the way). I feel like an idiot sometimes, but again. People love pregnant women, so they forgive you easily.

Over all, things have been good. I have been blessed. I don't feel like I have to worry about much pregnancy wise. I've heard stories of how women have struggled, they were ill all the time, bed ridden, and pregnancy was just horrible. I've not been horrible, a little more exhausted than normal, but over all good. I know the ache's and pains come with the gift.

I probably verbalize them more to Jose who has to think that I am the world's biggest wimp. He unfortunatly gets the reall me, the all of me, the private thoughts of me that no one else gets. He's been a trooper. Sympathy and empathy are way off of the charts for him...meaning he does not possess one ounce of those gifts. But he is learning and doing very well! He's given in to my cravings of eating out when we should be eating in. He's been willing (for the most part) to get up and get me something to drink because I am just to comfortable on the couch. He's rubbed my back (begrudgingly) several times a week. I try not to take advantage of his spousal sweetness, but sometimes it happens. Although, I won't feel bad soon. He informed me that he will not have a problem making fun of my cankles...

So three more months to go. Hopefully the hot horrible humid Indiana summers will stay away this year. I'm praying for a cooler, mild summer to go with my increasingly large belly. It will make my waddles to work much easier twice a day.