Operation Garden 2010- Update 2

The week leading up to Memorial Day we finally got all the vegetables planted in our garden thanks to the help of my parents-in-law. My mother-in-law helped watch Mariela so I could plant and my father-in-law provided his expertise with gardening and helped me plant my rows (after consulting his Farmer's Almanac, of course!). I only took up about 1/3 of the garden space he cleared out, so I let him plant the rest of the space with his own veggies. We'll share whatever is produced in the end. So far everything appears to be growing well despite losing a plant here and there after transplanting the seedlings. A.R. left the sprinkler on overnight last week, but luckily the soil drained well and no damage was done. We are battling slugs again this year and we've seen a bunny hopping around the broccoli twice now, so we have to finish putting the fence up.

Here's what we are growing: spanish peppers, corn, broccoli, squash, cucumbers, pumpkin, watermelon (I planted the seeds directly into the ground, but it might be too late for them), beans (only 2 plants appear to have survived the transplant into the garden), carrots, tomatoes, and strawberries. A.R. and I also planted one raspberry, one blackberry, and one blueberry bush along the border of the garden and hope to add a few more eventually to make a natural fence to shield the deer fence. Now, we wait. Grow little vegetables (and fruits!), grow!!

Once-A-Month Cooking: Installment 4

My first Once-A-Month cooking experience was a success! I cooked a month's worth of meals while 9 months pregnant and they lasted us two months with eating out, dinner at my mother-in-law's, and the fact some of the meals I split into two because the recipes make enough for a family of four. I still have a few meals frozen (all chili related) because they don't mix well with breastfeeding, but here's a review of our favorite and not so favorite meals in meal plan E.

Italian Shepherd's Pie

These recipes we enjoyed (the starred ones are our favorites)

*Jack Burgers

Chili Dogs

Shish Kebabs

Dawn's Lasagna (meatless)

*Deborah's Sweet-and-Sour Chicken

Chicken and Rice Pilaf

*Crustless Spinach Quiche

*Green Chile Enchiladas

Chicken a la King

*Slow Cooker Cranberry Pork

Marinated Flank Steak

*Sicilian Meat Roll

Southwestern Chicken Soup

*Rosie's Meatloaf

*Baked Beans and Hamburger

*Chicken Tetrazzini

French Dip

French Stew

We weren't impressed with:

Split Pea Soup

Oriental Chicken

These recipes were okay, but we wouldn't rush to the dinner table:

Mexican Stroganoff

Bird's Nest Pie

Italian Shepherd's Pie

Lemon Chicken

Grilled Salmon

Overall, I think my first experience cooking a month's worth of meals went well. We definitely saved money, were less likely to eat out, made the best of the convenience of having a frozen meal in the freezer with a newborn in the house, and enjoyed most of the recipes. Some things I would change include not embarking on such an endeaver while 9 months pregnant (shopping and cooking exhausted me!) and not making as many recipes with chili. We also learned that our deep freezer is great at what it does. We had to take the meals out of the freezer two days in advance to allow them enough time to thaw in the fridge before heating them. A few times we did forget to take a meal out of the freezer, so we had nothing to heat up quickly. Luckily, we had some Bertolli's pasta, frozen pizza (yes, it was Digorno's!), and other quick meals (like chicken tenders and pasta) on-hand that could be made in a pinch.

Now, onto Once-A-Month cooking round #2!!

Happy 2 Month Birthday Baby Girl!

Has it really been two months already?! I still remember the first time I laid eyes on you before your first cry, when you were still warm and slippery from the birth...you blinked your tiny eyes and stared right at me as you laid on my chest. I spoke to you and you blinked again. It was a brief moment before you let out a cry and then were wisked away to have your lungs suctioned, but one moment I'll never forget. I'm looking at you now as I try to type one-handed and you are so beautiful. Chubby, pink, and perfect. And my how you have changed since that moment when we first gazed at each other...your eyelashes are long (I'm totally jealous), your hair is getting longer, you have the most scrumptious chubby cheeks and thighs, your little arms are filled out and you have puffy baby fingers and toes.

I love how happy and smiley you are when you wake up and how you stretch oh. so. long when I change your panties (yup, that's what I call your diapers- your Mom is a dork, sorry Munchkin). You've started to coo and gurgle when we talk to you and last week you found your fists and like to suck on them. Loudly. In church. When everyone else is dead silent. :)

Happy 2 months baby girl. I hope the next two months don't fly by as quickly. In the blink of an eye you'll be grown!

5 Baby Gadgets/Gizmos

There are so many baby gadgets, gizmos, and inventions out there that buying for baby, whether it be creating a baby registry or shopping the old fashioned way, can be so overwhelming. I still remember the dumbfounded feeling A.R. and I had when we first stepped into Babies R Us and Target to start picking out items we would need for our little bundle of joy. Here is a list of the top 5 items that we use constantly and couldn't live without and then the top 5 items we have never used or rarely use and could live without.

Top 5 Items We Use:
1. Boppy- This is truly a breastfeeding mother's new BFF. Or at least it is mine! I use it when I nurse her in our glider, on the couch, and in the car. It really helps me position Mariela and since my daughter is so darned heavy already (I think she's pushing 13 pounds!), it gives my aching arms and back a break. A.R. even uses it when his arms start to quiver and he's holding M on the couch.
2. Graco Frame Stroller- Our travel system (Graco Quatro set in Hamilton) stroller is so heavy that this little gizmo my Matron of Honor recommended was a must. Heck, the car seat without the baby seems a little on the heavy side let alone with her in it, so I love this stroller frame. It is so light weight I can lift it with one hand. The frame holds the infant car seat and comes equipped with cup holders and storage basket. It's easy to maneuver while shopping and opens and closes easily.
3. Video Monitor- It's not cheap, but with coupons, a registry completion discount, and gift cards it was certainly manageable and well worth every penny. I love the peace of mind that having a video monitor offers us in our two-story house. Our daughter is a noisy sleeper and wiggles a lot, so if it wasn't for the camera I probably would've run up and down the stairs at least a couple dozen times to check on her needlessly.
4. Medela Pump In Style Advanced- Metro Bag- I love, LOVE this breast pump and it's a necessity as a working mom who will need to pump. My favorite feature (besides the bag it comes in) is that the pump part of this bag is removable and not actually built into the bag. It also comes with a battery pack, 4 bottles, cooler, and ice pack. The pump itself is easy to use although I did figure out that pumping both sides at once requires an extra set of hands, a hair elastic trick, or a special hands-free pumping bra.
5. Baby Bjorn Carrier and/or Moby- I put "and/or" because I use both of them frequently, but I could manage with just one or the other if I had to. I use the Bjorn carrier when I'm doing something that requires a little more support for the baby (like taking the dogs out or cooking) and I use the Moby mostly around the house or for taking M outside for walks without using the stroller. There are just some days that M insists on being held constantly and if it wasn't for the baby carriers the dogs would have accidents in the house, I'd pee my pants, and our house would be a pig sty. The carriers also help her feel my warmth and hold her close to my chest so it's great for getting her to fall asleep and nap on her fussy days.

Top 5 Items we don't use:
1. Battery operated nasal aspirator- Okay, I do like this little gadget, but the old bulb syringe does work just as well and our little one probably doesn't feel like her brains are going to be sucked out when we use the original. I'm sure once she's a little bigger I won't be able to hold her still long enough to use the battery one, too.
2. Safety 1st Complete Care bath center (Froggy)- This tub is cute and supposed to be a space saver, but it is a piece of plastic crap. It leaks (even after following the directions and reading the fine print) no matter what we do and the newborn holder slides all around in the tub and startles Mariela as I bathe her. The space saver idea is nifty, but a leaky tub is a PITA.
3. Carter's Cuddle Me Musical Swing- Safari Friends- I'm not sure if this is our child's preference or the swing itself, but she really hates the swing. At 7 weeks old we started to try it out with her again and can get her to stay in it maybe 10 minutes tops, but other than that she screams in it. I'm not sure if it would help if the mobile actually moved on it's own. I tried out my sister-in-law's swing which has motion from side-to-side vs. front-to-back and she stayed in that one no problem. I think we'll be investing in one of those swings for our next baby.
4. Summer Infant Incline Sleep Positioner- We tried this for all of one week before realizing it was pretty useless. A towel rolled up under her bassinet and pack 'n play mattress worked much better. With the sleep positioner she just slid right down it in her sleep, so that by the time she woke up she wasn't even on it anymore.
5. I can't think of anything else that we have and don't use so for this one I'll just list a few things that I know exist, we don't have, and are surviving without :). A bottle warmer, a sterilizer, baby wipe warmers, white noise machine, and a crib mobile.

Operation Garden 2010- Update 1

We have some progress on the garden front! A.R. spoke with the town and got permission to plant in the wetlands that are on our property, so his Dad and him have been clearing out an area and getting it ready to till. First, they had to mow it short with a lawn mower several times and then rake the grass away. When they attempted to till the soil the grass roots were too deep, so now they are tearing out the turf and roots with pitch forks and discarding it before they attempt to use a rotatiller again. After the tilling is done we'll put up the deer fence and then I can plant my seedlings.

My seedlings have all sprouted and are growing indoors until the weather gets a bit warmer. We've had a cold spell recently, so I've delayed transitioning them outdoors until it gets warmer again. Once it's warm again I'll move the seedlings to the porch for a week before planting them in the ground. The watermelon and carrot seeds will be planted directly in the ground.

My 1st Mother's Day

My first Mother's Day was amazing. It felt so weird to be on the "mom" side of things this year. I LOVE being a Mom even with the sleep deprivation, Mariela's fussy times, the mustard poops, and shirts that now smell like milk and spit-up. It is the single most rewarding thing to watch my little girl smile, gurgle, and coo at me after her naps and watching my husband interact with his Princess brings tears to my eyes. He is already whipped by this little person and so am I!

My girl & I on Mother's Day

Mariela and her Dad conspired together to get me a gift certificate to a local spa where they want me to take a half day break from Mommyhood and enjoy a massage, facial, manicure, and pedicure. I can't wait to take advantage of it even if I'll feel a little guilty leaving my girl for some me time. My aching back needs the massage after carrying M around...come to find out 11 lbs 6 ounces (as of April 30th) of dead weight really can take a toll on your back muscles! The card Alexi gave me was so sweet it made me cry :). He put the envelope in M's bassinet and on the outside wrote, "This is heavy Mom. Please pick it up!!" so I'd find it when she woke up for her 7am feeding. Too cute! On the gift certificate A.R. wrote it like Mariela was speaking and said that he'd take care of her a.k.a they'd be hanging out at Grandma's house. I think my hubby might be a little intimidated to watch Mariela on his own for awhile! Awww.

M showing off for Mom on Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there...Birthmoms, adoptive moms, moms-to-be, fur baby moms, and those that hope to be a mom someday soon!!

One Month Old

If you are a mom you've heard the cliche over and over again to enjoy your children while they are young/little because they will grow so fast. As annoying as it can be to hear this over and over again, it is oh. so. true! Mariela turned a month old this past Sunday (April 25th) and boy did that month fly by. She has changed so much in that month, too. That newborn baby look has faded and she now looks like a baby complete with chubby cheeks, roly poly thighs, and a baby pot belly. She now smiles at us socially and has started to coo. Her awake times are getting longer and she takes great delight in staring at her mobile on her bouncy seat and having some tummy time each day. Her head control is very good for her age and she actually lifts her head up all the way during tummy time.This past weekend we took Mariela for her first long car ride (an hour and a half each way) to meet her Great Grandmother. I've never seen my grandmother so enamored and so completely in awe of something so tiny. It was really hard to leave and pry our daughter out of her loving arms. I'll never forget the tears of joy in her eyes as she touched Mariela's nose, ears, hair, and stroked her tiny hands and explored every inch of her.
We scheduled Mariela's baptism for June 27th and have finally chosen her Godparents. My older brother, Pete, and our sister-in-law, Marisol, are going to be her loving Godparents. I'm so glad that my brother is able to take a part in such an important role in her life as I wasn't sure he'd be allowed to. We are baptizing Mariela Catholic and my brother is Christian, but not Catholic. Luckily, my church allows one of the Godparents to be considered a Christian witness while the other must be a practicing Catholic. My sister-in-law is a practicing Catholic and we're very close, so I'm really glad she said yes when I asked her.

Operation Veggie Garden 2010

We might be a little crazy...ok, maybe a lot crazy...but we're doing a vegetable garden once again this year only this time I have my little bambina to care for, too. It could get interesting trying to keep up with the garden, but my father-in-law has promised to help out. He has a friend that is letting us borrow his rototiller to get the soil ready and is convinced that we should plant based off of his 2010 Farmer's Almanac. We also went an extra step and got permission from the town to plant our garden in the wetlands that are part of our property. They aren't very "wet" per say, but we do worry that the water table might be a little high in that area of our yard and cause the roots to rot. There's only one way to find out and that's to try planting there, so this year we're going to give it a go.

I started the seedlings inside last week for some of the veggies and the rest (carrots) I'll start directly in the ground once the soil is tilled (and the Farmer's Almanac says it's a good planting day!) next month. I really hope that if anything, we get some tomatoes this year so I can can them for homemade tomato sauce. The tomato blight in the Northeast last year wiped our plants out completely. This year's garden will be extra special if we can grow some vegetables that I can make into baby food for Mariela. I hope to make some of her first foods for her and will freeze them in ice cube trays in individual portion sizes.

This year's garden will include: tomatoes, corn, broccoli, green beans, carrots, squash, and pumpkin. My father-in-law is going to grow some Spanish peppers that my mother-in-law uses to flavor her Spanish rice and we also bought two raspberry bushes to plant in our yard as well. I hope to grow enough squash, pumpkin, beans, and carrots to feed Mariela and our family.

10 Things Tuesday

I haven't had much time to post while caring for our little girl as she's keeping me busy. I can't believe how fast she is growing already, the hard work is totally worth it when you see that milky grin after a late night nursing session. Mariela even giggles in her sleep and it melts my heart every time I hear her happy. While she's napping and I actually have two hands free I'm going to share ten things I've learned so far since becoming a Mom. Warning: poop and other bodily functions mentioned. 10 Things I've learned Since Becoming A Mom:

10. Baby poop really does look like mustard in a breast fed baby. Not only that, projectile isn't just for vomit, it applies to poop, too. Just ask A.R! He was changing her diaper and got suprised by some projectile poop that covered the changing table and even hit the wall and started to drip down. I laughed, he yelped for help.

9. I've relearned how to type one-handed...darn that formal typing class in middle school...and it isn't easy with a baby snoozing in your other arm.

8. Breast feeding is the hardest, most rewarding, time consuming, and natural part of caring for my daughter. It hurts in the beginning, to the point that I was in tears several times in the first week as my nipples got toughened up. But, once you and baby learn to work together...it comes naturally and I love sharing those special moments with her while feeding her the best possible food a newborn can receive.

7. My right boob produces less than my left and at first I thought it was defective. I have no idea why it produces less (maybe because I sleep on my right side??), but it is actually smaller than my left as well. I only know that it is producing less because I started pumping to build a freezer stash of milk for when I go back to work for Mariela in case my supply tanks. I started to freak out when I saw how little I was able to get while pumping from that side until I checked with my online breastfeeding chat room and found that it is normal for one breast to produce differently than the other.

6. Don't forget the diaper bag at home. Enough said.

5. A new mom really does forget the pains of labor once her little one is in her arms. A.R. and I have already discussed and set a time frame on when we plan on starting to try for baby #2. At first, I thought we were just delirious from the sleep deprivation to even have that conversation (I wasn't even the one to bring it up!). Now, I'm looking forward to expanding our family again.

4. If one more person tells me to sleep while the baby sleeps I'll go postal. Sleep deprivation is a funny thing, you actually get used to the half awake daze and it doesn't seem so bad after the 2nd or 3rd week. I DO nap when Mariela does in the early morning, but if I slept everytime she did I wouldn't get anything done including feeding myself.

3. Carrying a baby around is great for your arm and back muscles. Seriously...I don't think I need to worry about buying arm weights for my home gym!

2. Holding your little one in your arms while they snuggle up to you and sleep is the BEST feeling in the world and I can't stop kissing my daughter...on her chubby cheeks, her forehead, her nose, or on her tiny hands.

1. When your little one smiles at you the first time, it WILL melt your heart. I promise.

Mariela’s Birth Story

Mariela Joy arrived on Thursday, March 25th, at 3:10am.  She weighed 8 lbs 6 oz and measured 20 1/2 inches long.  Her Apgar scores were 8 and 9 and she is just perfect and the most beautiful newborn, but of course I’m biased being her Mommy. :)  Here is our birth story:

My mom flew into town on the 23rd, the day before my due date, from North Carolina to help out and hopefully be here for the birth.  She is now officially my good luck charm for starting labor!  I felt the first contractions at 3am on the 24th, but was able to get back to sleep after moving to the couch where it was easier on my sore pelvis.  They felt like intense period cramps low in my belly at this point.  When the dogs woke up to go outside at 6am there was no going back to sleep for me.

By now the contractions were more intense and coming regularly so I started timing them.  Alexi had a big project due at work that he was trying to complete before I had our baby girl, so I woke him up and told him he should probably log in and finish up or hand it off.  He ended up handing it off and calling out of work for the day around 8am when I’d been timing an hour and was having contractions every 7 1/2 minutes.  My mom woke up and we told her what was going on and she was super excited that she arrived just in time.

I had my 40 week appointment that day at 11:30am, so I was waiting for the office to open to call them to see if they wanted me to still come in or just wait and go to Labor & Delivery when it was time.  The doctor’s office ended up calling me at around 9:30am to ask if I could come in early because they had to do a C-section at my appointment time.  I explained what was happening and they told me to come in and get checked out, so we all showered and packed up the car and I gave my dogs a kiss goodbye in case they sent us right to the hospital.

When we arrived at the doctor’s I was still contracting every 7 1/2 minutes and having to stop and breathe through them and my mucus plug was starting to come out.  Sitting during the contractions wasn’t comfortable anymore.  I breathed through two contractions in the waiting room, totally freaking out several of the other pregnant women waiting, before they rushed me to the back to be checked out.  At the internal I was still only 2 cm dilated and 75% effaced.  Since I was contracting regularly the doctor did an NST in the office to make sure Mariela was handling the contractions okay and then gave me an ultrasound to make sure there was enough fluid.  She passed the NST and the ultrasound, although my fluid levels were high which we later learned could be a sign my water was going to break.

The doctor came in and told me I was definitely in early labor and that we should go home and eat a light lunch and start walking.  He then said it could be “a day or two” before I had her.  My response was, “or two?!  That is not an option!”.  So, we left the doctor’s office and decided to go to Hometown Buffet for lunch so my mom and Alexi could pig out in case they didn’t get a good dinner because I was at the hospital and then we were going to go to Sam’s to do some last minute shopping and walk.  Well, as we were walking into Hometown (Alexi literally had his hand on the door getting ready to open it!) I felt a gush and said, “Uh-oh”.  My mom thought it was another contraction, so she asked if she should be timing and I said, “nope, I think my water just broke.”  It was 12:45pm when I felt the first gush.  I stood there half freaking out because I was hungry and wanted lunch, but I was also a bit embarassed to go into the restaurant and walk to the bathroom on the other side to check things out.  At this point my pants weren’t wet yet, so we just went for it.

In the bathroom it appeared I was leaking, but it wasn’t a huge one, so we asked if we could get our food to go and were going to head home to wait it out.  I loaded up a to-go container with jello, mac ‘n cheese, grilled cheese, mashed potatoes, and carrots (all foods I wouldn’t mind throwing up if I got sick during labor) and we headed to the car.  While I was loading up my plate I had more contractions and the fluid kept leaking out a bit more.  At one point an older lady stopped to ask if I was ok and said I should be taking it easy!  HA, if she only knew!  When we got to the car Alexi called my doctor back and they said we should head to the hospital to be checked.  I had some puppy pads in the car that we put on the seat in case I leaked worse and I ate my Hometown food on the way to the hospital all while taking a break still every 7 minutes for a contraction. :)

We arrived at the ER and as I was getting out of the car the flood gates opened and my water broke completely.  My pants were soaked and it was warm and gross to wobble into the ER like that with my jeans sopping wet and fluid leaking into my flip flops.  The security guard saw us coming and looked grossed out.  He escorted my mom & I to the private L&D elevators all while giving me the side eye as I dripped amniotic fluid on the floor the whole way.  When we got to the 6th floor for L&D, the nurse saw me and knew who I was as our doctor had called ahead.  They saw my jeans and all the residents came to see what they called a “gross water rupture”.  I guess it isn’t all that common for laboring women to walk in there with their water already broken completely.  I was filling out a few forms confirming our insurance and our pediatrician while still leaking during every contraction.  At one point I was signing papers and looked down to see fluid dripping by my feet.  Finally, they took me to my L&D room to get me set up.

The nurse and I discussed my pain med desires (nothing or an epidural for me) and I was hooked to the monitors for a bit.  Since my water was now broken, they didn’t want to recheck me often due to risk of infection and since I was just at the doctor’s office they let me labor on.  After awhile, the nurses shift changed and I got a new nurse.  The first nurse was a sweetheart and was going to be on the Post Partum ward the next day, so she said she’d check in on us.  The new nurse helped me get up and walk around by hooking me up to the battery monitors for the baby.  Alexi and I spent some time walking the halls (hearing two women give birth with screams- I vowed not to be a screamer!) and then went back to the room so I could labor on the birthing ball.  At 3pm I was checked again, but I was still only 2 cm and now 80% effaced.  The doctor came by and said if I hadn’t dilated more in a few more hours they would start Pitocin since my water had been ruptured awhile now.

At 6pm, I was checked again with still no progress so I was hooked up with Pitocin.  I was nervous about taking the Pitocin because I heard it could make contractions intense and so far I was doing well with laboring on my own and breathing through the contractions without any meds.  I continued to labor on the birthing ball or while standing up and rocking back and forth.  At one point I was just moving around my room and would lean on Alexi during the contractions.  We had one of those hand-held vibrating back massagers that was a huge help during my back labor.  Gradually, the contractions were getting more and more intense, but I labored on without meds until 9pm when all hell broke loose.

I was sitting on the birthing ball and felt a pop and then I had the most intense contraction yet.  I stood up, but no position provided me any relief.  After that contraction ended I had another right on top of it.  The pain was so intense through my whole belly and wrapped around to my back.  When the next contraction hit I lost it…I started sobbing and was bent over the bed begging for the epidural. Alexi was holding me and rubbing by back with the back massager, but as the contractions peaked I didn’t want to be touched at all.  The nurse came right away and ordered the epi for me and said they’d wait to check me until after it was done.  She asked if I felt an urge to push, but I didn’t yet…the contractions were just so intense and one on top of the other.  I tried to go to the bathroom to avoid a catheter for awhile and it was brutal contracting the whole time.  I kept sobbing asking where my “f’n drugs were” and I couldn’t sit still through the pain.  No positions helped ease it at this point.

At 9:30pm I got my epi and it was heaven.  Sitting still through the contractions was almost unbearable while they put it in.  Alexi held me and the nurse and him helped me breathe through them, but it didn’t really ease the pain at all.  I had to be stuck twice as the first stick hit a blood vessel and sitting still even longer was excrutiating.  Finally, the epi was in and I started to get some relief.  At first I could still feel the contractions in my pubic bone area, but eventually the meds kicked in completely and I was able to rest.  The doctor checked my progress and I was now at 4cm.  From here, things moved a bit quicker with the dilating.  By 10:30 I was 6 cm (2 whole centimeters in an hour!) but she still hadn’t dropped down past –1 station.

The nurses shift changed again around 11pm and before my new nurse introduced herself, all of a sudden my room was filled with nurses and residents.  Mariela’s heart rate had dropped significantly and wasn’t recovering.  They had me flip from side to side and reposition to try and bring it up again.  It turns out when I laid on my left side it seemed to be compressing her cord, so I had to labor the rest of the time on my right side.  My mom heard one of the nurses asking if they should grab the scrubs for Alexi and it wasn’t until later we realized how close to an emergency c-section I was at that point.  We were very worried for awhile.  Thankfully, the doctor was patient and was all for letting me continue with a vaginal birth provided her heart rate stayed up.  At this point they put in a catheter just in case I did end up in a C-section.

At 12:30am I was checked again and I was 9 1/2 cm dilated and fully effaced.  The doctor and nurses let us rest for a bit longer to try and wait for the last of my cervix to dilate instead of trying to push through it.  By 2am I was starting to feel a lot of pressure and the urge to push, so they got ready to check me again.  At 2:40pm I was fully dilated and ready to start pushing.  I felt all the pushing and pain down below, but the nurse said it was normal as the epi doesn’t reach there.  I pushed for a few contractions and the doctors started to set up for Mariela’s arrival and put their scrubs on.  Before I knew it, the doctor said with one more push her head would be born!  I was so tired and hungry I remember thinking, “holy crap, already?!”.  It felt like I only pushed through a half dozen contractions before she was born.  In between contractions, I would just lie back with my eyes closed and rest while catching my breath from pushing.  The next contraction came and I started pushing.  Alexi was encouraging me along and then he said, “Oh my God hon, I see her, I see her hair! She has hair!”  and then, “Oh my gosh, she’s here, she’s here…I see her head!”.

At this point the doctors made me stop pushing as they discovered the cord was wrapped tightly around Mariela’s neck which was why her heart rate was so finicky on the monitors.  The doctor had to cut it right away and it actually squirted the nurse to my left, got me a little, and hit the ceiling!  Not pushing for that brief period was excruciating.  I tried blowing through it, but it did nothing to ease the intense urge and pressure to push.  Finally, they had her all suctioned and I was able to push her shoulders out and at 3:10am on March 25th, Mariela Joy was born!!  I had such intense back pain and pressure because she was posterior or born sunny side up!

They laid her on my chest very briefly and I was able to touch her, but it kind of grossed me out a little because she was still dirty from being born.  Then, they whisked her away to the incubator as she still had fluid in her chest they wanted to drain out.  For awhile they worked on her and I couldn’t see, but then I heard her sweet cry and she was fine.  The pediatrician came to be sure she was doing okay and she got an 8 and a 9 on her Apgars.  In the meantime, I was getting stitched up from a 2nd degree tear from an episiotomy (I saw the scissors they used to do it, EEK!).  After I was stitched up I delivered the placenta and this is where it got scary again.

The doctors were having a hard time stopping the bleeding and my uterus was slow to contract back down to size.  At first I didn’t realize what was happening and then I saw the doctors’ (I had a resident and a doctor working on me) hands emerging from my girly parts covered in blood as they massaged my belly.  The massaging actually hurt bad enough for me to groan as they rubbed my belly, and when I saw the blood on both doctors hands I panicked and started crying.  (sorry if TMI, but…) I could hear the blood drop into the hazard bin below me when they took their hands out from massaging me internally, there was so much.  Alexi saw what was happening and left Mariela’s side to come hold my hand and help me remain calm, but I was terrified.  The regular doctor stepped in and the resident (Dr. Uma- who was a sweet heart) was reassuring me. 

They both kept alternating massaging me internally and externally to get the bleeding to stop.  They had to give me an extra IV bag of medicine called Cytotec and a suppository that would help stop the bleeding.  I also got another shot in my IV of some medicine that would make my heart flutter, but would help my uterus clamp down.  Finally, the bleeding subsided and we could breathe a sigh of relief.  I was able to hold Mariela after they weighed and measured her.  I had to have a whole new bag of Pitocin to continue to help my uterus clamp down, so I was on an IV until Thursday night.  Once I was moved to the Post Partum wing the nurses checked me often to make sure the bleeding was still in control. 

And there you have it!  Our birth story…despite the 9 months of pregnancy, the swollen ankles, intense pelvic pain from 6 months pregnant onward, the scary parts of labor and delivery, and the pain, I would do it all again tomorrow.  Isn’t it funny how fast you forget everything once you see those tiny eyes looking up at you and hold her in your arms?!  Happy Birthday Mariela!

Three Decades

I've been alive three whole decades now...and it sounds so weird to say that I'm thirty. It just doesn't roll off my tongue as well as twenty "something" did. :) My birthday was last Sunday (the 14th, for those who don't want to do the math) and I spent it resting and attending A.R.'s cousin's baby shower. We didn't get the invitation until the weekend before, so our planned dinner to celebrate my birthday was post poned until last night. Being 9 months pregnant and losing an hour due to daylight savings pretty much guaranteed that I'd manage only enough energy to attend the baby shower.

On Wednesday, A.R. surprised me at my mother-in-law's with a delishous cake from a local bakery that was a copy of our wedding cake. Yummy! It was white cake with rasberry cream filling- my favorite. Then, last night we went out to dinner together at Wood 'n Tap which is a local restaurant we both love and happens to be where we went on our very first date four years ago. :)

I'll look back fondly on my twenties as it was the decade I feel I grew and learned the most about myself and I became the woman I am today. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows in my twenties, but I have a lot of memories and moments that make me, me. I had my heart broken, I laughed, I cried, I made friends for life, I lost close friends, my grandmother passed away (the 1st death in my family close to my heart), I made a career for myself, I earned a BS and an MBA degree, I bought my first condo, I sold that condo, I got pregnant, I bought a house, I lost my childhood cat to cancer, I adopted two great dogs, and I met and married my soul mate. Boy have I come a long, long way...

and with this post, I celebrate my 100th post to my blog!

Mom Inspired Give-A-Way: Make Your Own Baby Food

I really hope to make my own baby for our little girl just like my mom did for my siblings and I. I know it isn't that difficult and it will save a ton of money. Plus, have you ever tried canned baby food? Not tastey. At our baby shower we had a game where four couples had to eat a jar of baby food and all four of us that participated were completely disgusted! One woman even almost threw it up.

Check out this blog. She has been making her own baby food and is now hosting a give-a-way for a make your own baby food cookbook that she used.

http://theonewhereibloggedaboutit.blogspot.com/2010/03/with-giveaway.html

Once-A-Month Cooking: Installment 3

Cooking time!


I was too impatient to wait for the weekend to begin my cooking adventures, so I decided to cook in the evenings after work (YES! I'm insane) by meat type which was how the cooking schedule was broken up for the meal plan I chose anyway. Day 1 was beef dishes, day 2 was fish and miscellaneous dishes, day 3 was pork dishes, and the last day were the chicken dishes.

Meals ready for the freezer

Day 1 of cooking I was able to finish 9 meals with the help of A.R. before I couldn't stand any longer and my swollen tree trunk calves and cankles needed a break. After night one of cooking, it was VERY clear that this was an adventure I shouldn't have waited for my 9th month of pregnancy to undertake!! A.R. got home from school and jumped right in to save me...I think he was a little scared of my nesting :). Day 1 of cooking took 3 1/2 hours and I made the following meals: Green Chile Enchiladas, Baked Beans & Hamburgers, Grandma's Chili, French Dip, Marinated Flank Steak, Shish Kabobs, Rosie's Meat Loaf, Jack Burgers, and a Sicilian Meat Roll. There was actually two additional beef meals, but I just didn't have the stamina to finish all the meals.

Meals labeled & ready for the freezer

On Day 2 of cooking I had hoped to cook for only 2 hours so I could put up my feet for a little while before bed time. Day 1 had thoroughly exhausted me and made me a little sore from being on my feet so long, so going to work the next day was a real struggle. I finished the beef dishes on Day 2 and cooked the miscellaneous and fish dishes in 2 1/2 hours. Once again after his class got out, A.R. came home and rescued me by helping out. I made the Mexican Stroganoff and Three-Bean Taco Chili first, then I made the Crustless Spinach Quiche, marinated and froze the Grilled Salmon, and a recipe called Dawn's Lasagna. To make things easier on Day 3, A.R. browned the sausage for me that would be required for some of the pork dishes and I refridgerated it in ziplock bags in the fridge over night.


One thing I was pleasantly surprised by at this point was that some of the dishes really didn't require much prep work before freezing. Some of the steaks just needed a marinade made which we poured in the freezer bags with them and then froze. Also, the lasagna was really easy to prep for freezing as I didn't have to boil the noodles in advance. Those dishes that did require some prep work and cooking (chilis, enchiladas, beef stew, stroganoff, etc.) all smelled absolutely delishous!


Day 3 was the pork dishes and I made all dishes in the plan except for the Ham dishes which I eliminated as A.R. isn't a fan of cooked ham. I made Cranberry Pork (marinated it and it froze it so it is now crock pot ready), Split Pea Soup from scratch (my first homemade soup ever!!), Italian Shepherd's Pie, and Bird's Nest Pie. Cooking time on Day 3 took 1 1/2 hours.


After Day 3 of cooking during the week I gave up and decided to wait for the weekend to finish the last of the meals and make the chicken dishes. A.R. was on board again as my sous chef and we were able to finish up the meals in 2 hours. We made Chicken Tetrazinni, Sweet & Sour Chicken (I tasted it and it was DELISH!), Chicken a la King, Southwestern Chicken Soup, Lemon Chicken, Chicken and Rice Pilaf, and Oriental Chicken.


Our total cooking time: 9 1/2 hours- the book said it would take 6-8 hours if you followed the prep schedule which we did not. I think if we had cooked the meats in advance (like we did with the sausage) along with pre-chopped all the veggies our cooking time would've been decreased. I was also slowed down being 9 months pregnant, swollen, and tired!


I must say our freezer smells AMAZING when you open it now and I feel so much better having so many meals ready to cook. We've already eaten a couple of the meals which I will review in later blog posts. If the meals taste as good as they smell in our freezer we'll definitely try Once-A-Month cooking again, but not until AFTER I have this baby!

Once-A-Month Cooking: Installment 2

Grocery Shopping Trip(s):

On Saturday, A.R. and I ventured out to buy the groceries needed on the list provided in the Once-A-Month Cooking book for Meal Plan E. We hit up Sam's Club to buy items needed in bulk especially the meat, produce, and frozen foods needed. I was going to purchase all the canned goods there as well, but the cans actually were too large and I worried about my ability to safely store any leftover food in a can that has already been opened. Our second stop was a local grocery store we frequent for smaller quantities of items including canned goods, frozen foods, and fresh produce.

Our Sam's shopping cart...not too bad, right?

The total shopping trip took us about 3 hours total both in-store and driving times and I was exhausted afterwards. I definitely have to consider the fact I'm in my 9th month of pregnancy this time around. I'm planning on figuring out if this new way of cooking will actually save us money or not. I'm thinking it will, but only if we actually eat the meals that I've pre-made and do not go out to eat or order take-out!! :) Here is the break down of costs so far (I've eliminated any household items like toilet paper, paper towels, etc. that we bought at the same time):




Sam's Club: $256.88
Local Grocery Store: 141.51 (includes spices I was missing & freezer storage containers)
Total Cost of food: $398.39

If you divide the total $398.39 by 30 meals in a month the total would be $13.28/meal, but since most of the recipes I have are for a family of 4 I think that I'll be able to make more like 40 meals which would be $9.96/meal. Not too shabby considering we'll probably even have leftovers that can be eaten as lunches, too. If we stick to the meal plan and don't eat out as much, there definitely will be some great cost savings to us each month.

Local Grocery Store Shopping Cart...

On the shopping trip I actually ended up eliminating two of the meals on the menu because A.R. informed me he hated ham. I thought I could trick him into trying it in a recipe, but he caught me red-handed. DOH! On those two nights we can heat up something else like a frozen pizza or a Bertolli's pre-made pasta dinner instead. I have already cooked one of the recipes in the book using my crock pot over night on Saturday. I made the French's Stew recipe and it's labeled and frozen in our freezer ready to go! It smelled DELICIOUS!

My counter with the canned goods ready for cooking

Next Installment: The cooking begins!

Laughing is the Best Medicine

A.R. is a fan of the ventriloquist/comedian Jeff Dunham and I found out that he was bringing his show to Hartford this year, so for Christmas I hooked up my loving husband with two tickets to the show. He was supposed to go with his brother, who is also a fan, but something came up and I got to go along to the show instead.

Walter- the grumpy old man with Jeff Dunham

I was a bit leery about going considering I'm now in my 9th month of pregnancy and rather uncomfortable (read: "the size of a whale"), but the show turned out to be HILARIOUS and the Civic Center wasn't completely horrible. The line for the ladies room was my first annoyance and then climbing the stairs to our seat was pretty crappy. The stairs were made worse by the fact that I waited so long in the bathroom line that by the time I made it into the arena, the opening act was on and the lights were out so seeing the seat rows and numbers was nearly impossible. We found what we thought was our row and seats, but they were occupied. The lady in my seat actually got annoyed with me and told me I was blocking her view of the stage. I just stared at her and we went back down the stairs to check with the security guard that we were indeed in the right place. We were. I huffed and puffed up the stairs AGAIN and the lady wouldn't budge. Fortunately, a gentlemen in the next section noticed the hoopla and came over to tell us the two seats next to him were empty so we just sat there. Well, intermission time came and low and behold the people whose seats we had sat in came.

Achmed- everyone's favorite terrorist with Jeff Dunham

A.R. and I then had the immense pleasure of reconfronting the lady in our seats and showing her our tickets. The obnoxious lady then had the gall to act all sweet and innocent (after telling me previously I was blocking her view of the stage standing in the aisle huffing and puffing as she tried to watch the opening act from my seat!) and say, "Oh, we're sorry. We don't know where our seats are. We just sat down here." Yes, I'm hormonal..and it took every ounce of my resolve to not push her down the stairs as she left and I had yet another semi-painful Braxton Hicks contraction from having exerted too much energy walking the stairs twice.

Peanut with Jeff Dunham

Anyway, we got our seats and then the show began...and it was hilarious. Jeff Dunham is a very talented man! He even sang (really well) with his puppet called Peanut. All of his skits were hilarious. During his skit with the puppet called, Achmed- Everyone's favorite terrorist, he had me in tears it was so funny. We also got to see Walter (his grumpy old man puppet) and Bubba J came out as the finale. It is really amazing how Jeff really makes you feel like two people are on the stage instead of just a puppet and some weird guy who calls himself a ventriloquist. He shared with the audience that this was his 2nd trip to Hartford. A mere two years ago he had a show at the Bushnell with only 2,400 in the audience. My how far he has come when two years later he's performing for 10,500 audience members in a sold out arena!

Bubb J with Jeff Dunham

Reason 436 Why I Love Our House

I caught the end of a sunset last week behind our house as I got home from work and couldn't resist trying to take a picture of it. This picture doesn't do half the sunsets we've seen justice...the whole sky lights up in pinks, reds, purples, and oranges and it is fabulous with the mountains in the background.

Once-A-Month Cooking: Installment 1

As part of my nesting in preparation for our baby girl's arrival, I wanted to try Once-A-Month cooking. My mother did it when my parents adopted my little sister and I remember the recipes being delicious and easy-to-follow. The basic gyst of the meal plan is that you spend one day grocery shopping each month and one day cooking and freezing meals. Then, after a long day of work all you have to do is thaw out a pre-frozen meal, heat it up, and serve it to your family. I know I'm exhausted in the evenings now after coming home from work and don't always feel like cooking, so I can't imagine how it'll be when I go back to work with a little one at home waiting for me.The meal plans in the book come with recipes, grocery lists, and storage containers (usually ziplock storage bags or disposable casserole pans). It also tells you in what order to cook the recipes in and how to prep the day before cooking (gathering all pots and pans needed, chopping veggies, browning meat in advance, etc.) to make your day of cooking flow smoothly and pass quicker. There are 3 2-week cooking plans and 2 1-month cooking plans in my book. Most of the recipes are geared towards a family of 4, so since I'm only really cooking for two I can actually split the entrees when I freeze them and get double the meals. I still plan on doing a monthly cooking plan and hope that the meals last us for 6-7 weeks or maybe even two full months. Once you become experienced with the plan there are other recipes in subsequent Once-A-Month cooking books where you can try new recipes, so you don't have to follow the same plans every month. Also, there are tips for coming up with your own monthly meal plan, creating your grocery list, and scheduling your cooking day if you'd like to experiment.

For my first stab at bulk cooking, I've enlisted A.R. as my sous-chef and chosen meal plan E from the book. I also remember the Chicken Packet recipe being delicious and great for lunches, so I'm going to make a batch of those as well. I figure they'll be tastier and healthier than getting hot pockets or other frozen foods at Stop & Shop for lunch while we're both out of work on maternity/paternity leave.

Wish me luck! The next installment will be the grocery shopping trip.

Beauty At Its Finest

This summer after my grandmother’s passing, my family and I got the opportunity to go through a box filled with old family photos. There definitely were some oldies but goodies in there! Just before Christmas I finally had a chance to scan them onto our external storage device so that we’ll have them preserved forever. My next step, is to burn some to DVDs and send them out to my parents and older brother as keepsakes and spare copies so they don’t get buried in another cardboard box again. Check out my family over the years…

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Technorati Tags: Family,photos

Maternity Photos

I wasn't sure if I wanted to do professional maternity photos as I'm pretty self conscious about my tummy and size even not pregnant, but I didn't want to have any regrets looking back. Instead of spending a ton of money I enlisted the help of a local on-line friend of mine who is an aspiring photographer, Jennifer Capitao. Since she isn't a professional, we just paid her for her time and then had a blast experimenting with poses and lighting. Jen is also pregnant and is due a week after me, so I'm not sure if we'll be able to work out a schedule to do newborn photos, too, but I certainly hope we can. She did an amazing job with our maternity photos and I'd like her to be the first to take photos of our little girl. Here are a few of my favorites from the shoot:

Chocolate Almond Torte

I’m a sucker for anything chocolate, especially if its dark chocolate, so trying out the Chocolate Almond Torte in the December 2009 edition of the Food Network magazine was a priority on my to-do list.

I did make a couple of changes to the recipe as I was missing a couple of ingredients, but our dinner guests still gave it seals of approval. They both took seconds! :)

I didn’t have any dark rum, so I used raspberry flavored Rum in it’s place. Also, I didn’t have any bittersweet chocolate so I used half unsweetened (4 oz.) and half semi-sweet (4 oz.) chocolate instead. I served the torte warm with vanilla ice cream on the side. Scrumptious!