pictures of scott

ok, so i got the pictures loaded onto the computer and into photobucket last night so that i can post them here. enjoy! :)

and b/c i didn't get around to it before he was born, here are the pictures of scott's room. . .

scott pieter is here! :)

ok, so around 715 saturday night i started having contractions, but figured they were just more braxton hicks b/c i get them ALL the time. i took trevor on a walk hoping it might turns them into something more or make them go away. . . they kept building, but nothing too bad. i got trevor his bath and put him to bed, got his easter basket out and did some laundry and dishes. i figured if i WAS in labor, i didn’t wanna come home to a stinky dirty house. the friend who was gonna drive me to the hospital came over and we decided to watch a movie, but ended up leaving in the middle of it. . . i got to the hospital around 1215. my contractions weren’t regular, but they were bad enough i knew it was time to go anyways. the l&d nurses weren’t so sure, hooked me up to the monitors, and were debating whether to keep me there or send me home. around 2 am, they said they’d check me in about half and hour and see if i’d made any progress, then decide. after telling me that, the nurse asked if my water her broken or anything, and RIGHT THEN, as she asked, it broke. . . i wasn’t sure b/c it was just a trickle, and i’ve had times before where that happened and it turned out i’d peed myself, so i said that. she said we’d be able to tell on the next contraction, and sure enough, it all just came gushing out. there was ALOT more than i’d expected, but at least then i knew they were keeping me and i was having scott. they checked me and said i was at 6 cm and 80% effaced, and that i had another water bag in there! they said something about a forebag, so i assumed that’s what had broken and the main bag was still in tact and asked them not to break it.

we got a message to jon to call b/c i was in labor, so i got to talk to him for a little while until i started having back labor and had to really focus to get through the contractions. that was around 330 or a little after, maybe. another friend had shown up shortly after i got to the hospital, so i asked her to do some counter pressure on my lower back to relieve the pain from the contractions and it helped SO much! i’d had back labor w/ trevor too, but it wasn’t this bad and i didn’t think to have anyone do any counter pressure. i wish now i had, it was a huge help in dealing w/ the pain.

i started to feel like i needed to push a little, but not like i COULDN’T stop it, so i asked to be checked. i was at 8 cm, but that 2nd bag was what was making me feel the urge to push. it wasn’t terrible, so i figured it would only be an hour or so till i was fully dilated. well, 3 hours later, i was still there - they checked me and i was STILL at 8 cm. i was completely exhausted at that point, it was just after 7 am and i hadn’t gotten any sleep. they said if i let the doctor break the forebag, i’d probably be done much faster. i realized then that i’d gotten confused at first - i thought they said my forebag had broken when really it was the main one that broke. i told them definitely go for it then, break it and get it over w/. the doctor came in and broke it, and there was another huge gush - even the doctor was surprised by how much fluid was in there (explains why i was SO huge though). . . 2 contractions later, i was fully dilated and screaming for them to get the doctor back in there b/c i was pushing and there was no stopping it. the nurse told me not to make her deliver the baby and i told her i wasn’t making her any promises. . .

the doctor came in right about then and they let me start pushing. . . he was doing some kind of counter pressure thing to help keep me from tearing, but it was so distracting that i couldn’t push effectively at all. i kept telling him to stop, but i think everyone though i meant to make the contractions stop b/c they just ignored me and kept saying "you’re almost done, just push, you’re doing great!" finally i kicked the doctor and said "you! stop it!" he did, and after that, i just pushed 3 times and scott was born! :) first thing the doctor said as he put him on my chest was "congratulations, now you can eat anything you want!" :) my one friend was offering me chocolate almost immediately. . . :) i didn’t want it quite then, but i thought it was kinda funny.

scott already knew his mama though - when they took him away to weigh him and a couple other little things, he screamed his little head off, but as long as he was w/ me, he was a happy little boy. i was able to nurse him for about half an hour before they had to take him to the nursery, so i was over the moon about that. :)

i didn’t really tear, but i had to get 2 small stitches b/c my skin stretched and wasn’t fitting together EXACTLY the way i was supposed to. best part though, was that i felt so much better throughout the whole thing. even when they weren’t letting me push yet, i was able to talk and laugh and joke in between contractions like nothing was going on at all, and i did it w/out any drugs. they l&d nurses, as well as my nurses in the maternity ward kept telling me i was a "rockstar" and asking why i didn’t have him at the birthing center (apparently that’s an option, but no one ever told me. . . i couldn’t have though, since i was on diabetes meds, i was considered high risk enough i had to be in the hospital). anyways, w/in an hour after having him, i was up and walking around on my own, i felt great! by the next day, i hardly noticed any soreness, and yesterday, when i left the hospital, i felt more like i was 2 or 3 WEEKS postpartum, not just 2 days. :)

scott is nursing like a pro, although i have had to use a nipple shield b/c he’s got such a narrow, high palette that i get blisters even when he’s latched 100% correctly. it’s helped a ton and a few times i’ve been able to go w/out it too. i’m hoping i won’t have to use it for long. he’s already started gained weight back (yay!), so i’m sure the little bit of jaundice he’s got will be on it’s way out very soon. he’s going to the doctor to check on that and his weight tomorrow, so i’ll let you all know what i find out then.

oh yeah, almost forgot - he was born 749 am on 4/12 (so about 12 1/2 hours of labor - huge surprise, since i was only in labor w/ trevor for a little under 5 hours. oh well. . . ); weighed 7 lbs., 15 oz., and was 20 inches long. when we left the hospital yesterday, he weighed 7 lbs., 7 oz., but today he was at 7 lbs., 8.6 oz. :)

AND even though jon wasn’t able to be there, he’ll be home on sunday! :) yay

holy moley - even MORE macaroni. . . er, pasta. . .

ok, so i went and got more coupons for pasta yesterday and all i have to say is WOW! i came home w/ 62 boxes of pasta, 2 things of laundry detergent, 2 boxes of ziplock bags, 2 canisters of store brand disinfecting wipes, and some brown sugar and only paid $2.36! yay! and the only reason i even paid that much was b/c i miscounted how many boxes of pasta i had - i had 61 coupons, but somehow must have skipped a box when i counted them. . . oh well though, i really can't complain. :) we won't have to buy pasta for at least a year, maybe 2, and i got it all for free! :) plus, i had JUST gotten a box w/ 20 lbs. of pasta from the cannery in columbia, so we now have over 100 lbs. of pasta in our house. talk about food storage! :) anyways, yeah, i'm pretty happy w/ my spoils, i don't think i could have done much better, poor counting skills aside. . .

holy moley macaroni!

ok, so it wasn't macaroni, but close enough. my friend told me about a deal on pasta at publix that i decided was just too good to pass up - they PAY you 61 cents per box to get pasta! so yeah, today i went and got 20 boxes of pasta, plus some sour cream, shredded cheese, and a bag of easter candy and paid - wait for it - 27 CENTS! heck yeah! i saved $33.80! :D it's like christmas, i was so happy.

the best part was that it was fun for both trevor AND myself. we had to go to food lion to pull blinkies, which trevor thought was great fun - he'd sit there waiting for the coupon to pop out, asking me the whole time "out? out?" when it came out, he'd look at me expectantly till i told him "get it!" (i dunno why he thought he needed permission each time, but he did). then he'd yank it out and add it to the pile, clap his hands, and shout "yay!" and start the process all over again. we got 33 coupons today, and i'll be going to get more probably tomorrow. the whole thing is fun for me b/c i SO don't mind if a store wants to pay me to take food from them. :)

oh, and the only reason i stopped at 33 today was due to circumstances beyond my control. the first food lion we went to had the blinkie machine up high enough that trevor couldn't reach it while sitting in the cart, and no matter how hard i tried, i could NOT convince him to stand in it, so i had to hold him. we got 30 there before i got tired of that. so we went to another food lion in the hope that the machine would be on a lower shelf. it was, but after 3 coupons, it ran out, so there wasn't much i could do about that. trevor was disappointed, he kept asking me "out? all gone? out?" like he just didn't think that was fair. poor kid. at least this new fun game benefits me as well. . . :) i'll have to find a different food lion tomorrow b/c i don't wanna sit there holding him again, but i want more free pasta, dang it! :)

carrier stash sale!

ok, so i have more wraps than i'll really use, so i decided to sell some of what i've got. i've had them listed on diaperswappers.com for a while now, but i haven't had any takers. i dunno why i never thought to post it here, but oh well. better late than never, right? ok, so here are the ones i'm wanting to get rid of and the info on them (all of these have been made by me):

1) air force seal cotton wrap. it's 4.8 yds. and only been used maybe 3 times max (like new condition). it's got a seam in the center so you don't have to fumble for it. it's a great wrap, i just don't find myself reaching for it at all. i'm just asking for the cost of the fabric and shipping ($30 total).

2) blue floral wrap. i bought this fabric when we thought i was having a baby girl, but since it's another boy, i don't see myself using it. it's never been used or tried on. it's also cotton, and is 5 yds. it's also got a center seam. i'm asking $40 (including shipping).

3) pool/beach wrap. you have an option on this one. . . i got the fabric to make a wrap for myself to use in the pool and at the beach this summer and it ended up making 2. i have 1 that's finished w/ a center seam, as well as one that's just the fabric. if you want just the fabric, i'm asking you cover just my cost ($30, including shipping). if you want the finished one, i'm asking a little more than normal b/c the fabric is extremely difficult to work w/ and it took me a LONG time to get done. i'm asking $50 (including shipping) for the finished one. finished, it's 4.2 yds. and has a center seam. i want to keep one for myself, though i don't care which.

if you're close enough i don't have to ship it, the prices will each be $5 less. if you want more than 1, i can combine the shipping so it'll be a little less, just let me know. comment here or email me. i have paypal, so payment isn't an issue if you're not nearby. also, these are shipping prices w/in the states. outside the us, i dunno how much it would be, so i'd have to check and get back to you. also, i'm open to reasonable offers or trades, so don't be shy! :)

i would LOVE to try a peanut shell (small) or hotsling (size 3) in boy-friendly colors/prints and would be more than happy to trade for one! :)

my homemade mei tai

ok, i actually made this a few days ago, but i haven't had a chance to post about it here yet. i'm SO excited about it though, so i have to share. about a month ago, i lost my beloved babyhawk. it was tragic, i mourned it's loss (well, kinda. i was sad, but i didn't cry or anything). . . well ,it had been 3 weeks and it still hadn't turned up, so i decided it was time to take matters into my own hands, hence the mei tai i made for trevor - that was a trial run to see how hard it would be to make one for myself. it turned out that mine was even EASIER than his, probably b/c i had better material AND it was bigger, so i didn't have to be QUITE as exact on certain things. the only thing that was harder was that i padded the shoulder straps on mine, so that took a little extra effort, but was totally worth it. i refuse to have a mt that isn't padded. anyways, i think it turned out REALLY well, so i thought i'd share some pictures w/ you all! :)

the finished product--

action shots--

please excuse the strange look on my face in that last one, i was trying to get trevor to smile by telling him to say "yay" and the picture took in the middle of the word. . . i didn't feel like redoing it, so i figured i would deal w/ it. :)

i'm a tard. no really, i totally am.

ok, so i had to go to the hospital today. again. *grumble* BUT at least this time it wasn't for a false alarm thinking the baby was coming. nope, i managed to slam my hand in the car door when we were leaving church this afternoon. real swift, i know. anyways, it was almost naptime, so FORTUNATELY, my next-door neighbor took trevor so i wouldn't have to deal w/ a tired, fussing toddler. . . but here's the annoying part - since it's sunday, none of the urgent care places around here were open, so i had to go to the emergency room. you know how DUMB i felt walking in there, 37 weeks pregnant and telling them i think i might have broken my finger? yeah, i must have looked like a complete idiot. anyways, at least this hospital has something they call the "fast track" for minor things like this in the er, so i was in and out in about 2 hours. . . no break, happily, but now i think the docs are even bigger tards than me b/c they're STILL making me wear a brace on my finger. so annoying, i hate it. i just took it off when i got home and haven't really bothered much w/ it since. if it starts to hurt more or i do something to irritate it, i'll put it back on, but for now i think i'm ok.

ok, commence pointing and laughing now, if you haven't already. i totally deserve it for being such an utter moron. :)

so i thought i'd make a mei tai. . .

ok, so since my babyhawk wandered off a few weeks ago, i figured i'd see if i could make my own mei tai b/c i miss it and i want one now. however, before i spent the money on fabric, i wanted to see how hard it would be, how long it wold take, etc. i had some fabric that i didn't have any use for lying around, so i made a miniature one for trevor - it turned out really well and didn't take nearly as long as i'd expected! best part was that it was about 1000 times easier than i expected as well! trevor LOVES it and was upset when we had to go out for a while and i wouldn't let him bring it. :) anyways, i just wanted ot share a couple picture of him wearing one of his stuffed animals b/c it was so stinkin' cute! :)

oh, and i'll make sure to post the finished result of the one i'm making for myself as well - i LOVE the fabrics, they're great! :)

fighting w/ my ob

ok, so those of you who remember when i was pregnant w/ trevor know full well that i could not WAIT to get him out and not be pregnant anymore. well, this should make you all giggle a little then. . . b/c i'm fighting w/ my doc now over the fact that they want to induce me at 39 weeks instead of letting nature take its course. i find it kinda ironic myself. . .

ok, so here's the full story:

according to my doctor, it's routine to induce gestational diabetic moms at 39 weeks if they haven't had the baby yet. i know this is to prevent deterioration of the placenta and things like that, so i know it isn't 100% about convenience. BUT if i understand things correctly, a deteriorating placenta should only be an issue if blood sugars aren't well controlled. i'm willing to do whatever i need to in order to keep mine under control till nudger arrives. so when the doc told me today that they wanted me to schedule my induction for 39 weeks, i asked how much say i have in that. i do NOT want to be induced by any means unless it's medically necessary. the doc tried to appease me by saying that instead of doing pitocin, they could try breaking my water and see what happens. that's still not something i'm comfortable w/, so i said so. the end of the conversation about it was something like they'll wait till jon is home from his deployment as long as things look ok. at that point, they WILL induce me if i haven't gone into labor on my own.

i'm not exactly happy about this, but i know that it's my right as a patient to refuse if i really don't want this. what i'm hoping is that the baby will come on his own before they start to insist on an induction and it won't be an issue, but i'm not gonna count on that happening. my biggest worry is for nudger. when trevor was born, even at 41 weeks, he still had some breathing difficulties and needed a shot of surfactant to get him breathing right. i don't wanna risk the same thing happening to nudger just b/c the timing is more convenient for the docs. they can do nst's and things like that to make sure he's still doing well in there, i just get the idea that they don't want to. i WILL fight this though - as long as things look good in there, i do NOT want to be induced. i want nudger to come when he's good and ready, not when some doctor says he should come.

any advice on handling this tactfully and in a way that myself and the docs won't get upset would be GREATLY appreciated! :)

AWESOME trip to cvs!

ok, so last night was probably my best trip EVER to cvs! :) happy day! here's what i got (just 1 transaction this time): 2 boxes glucerna cereal (on sale b1g1 1/2 off; had $5 off glucerna cereal coupon and $1.25 of any 1 glucerna product coupon), 2 boxes south beach high protein cereal bars (raincheck from last week's sale for 2/$5, 1 coupon for $2 off south beach cereal bars), 2 suave body washes (on sale $2 each). used 10 ecb, paid 21 cents! :) yep, that's it, just 21 cents. i didn't get any ecb's back, but i'm ok w/ that. so, i saved $26.62 or 99.22%! and looking at the receipt, HALF of what i paid was sales tax - GO ME!!!!! :) happy, happy evelyn! :D check out my haul--

yeah, i totally love cvs, it really is like christmas every day! :)

oh, and i would have actually done even better, but when my friend tried to print out more of the south beach coupons for me, her printer didn't like it, so oh well. i was glad she tried, but ultimately, i'm not all that disappointed. i still did GREAT and paid next to nothing for what i got. :)