Deals on Baby Stuff

I've been very fortunate in baby stuff shopping. :) Here's some pics...

Today I bought a baby bed, I hope if our babe is a boy he won't be too offended about the color :P $40, on Amazon or Babies R Us it sells for nearly $90

An Ergo baby carrier for $10. This exact one I found on Amazon for $110!!

Baby boy clothes and 4 receiving blankets from a yard sale for $3.25

A car seat cover for $2.99 from a thrift store. We were going to buy a new car seat because the manufacturer no longer had covers for the seat we have. I took a chance buying that cover but figured for $3 it wouldn't be much of a loss.

From a consignment store. $8 not in the pic is the dress I bought for Sara.

Can't remember exactly what I paid for these, but it was a deal I am sure. :)

So I am feeling a bit more prepared for babe. He/she has a bed, car seat, and some clothes. If I continue to be this blessed in baby shopping I should be set before babe comes. :)

Birth of my eldest child

I think I'll go back in time and post the stories of all my births. I only have the last two on this blog. They are the best ones, but I'd like to have a record of the others too.
 So...

I found myself pregnant at 19. Single. I was determined to keep the baby and do the best I could to raise her (and I was sure it was a her from the very beginning).

Not having much money and the father out of the picture made pregnancy difficult. I cried most every day and often when I would wake at night. I didn't eat the best. I didn't take care of myself. I'm sure that had at least a little to do with the traumatic birth I had with her.

I had been having regular contractions every day for over a week. They would increase in frequency and intensity all day until I went to bed and the next morning would 'reset'.

Finally, about two weeks past my due date, I couldn't sleep one night. I tossed and turned and at about 3 am my mom and I decided I should go to the hospital. I got there and wasn't dilated at all. They sent me home saying I wasn't in labor. I was, just very early. I had an appointment with the OB that morning at 10:00. Just before we left for the appt. I went to the bathroom and discovered I had lost my mucus plug.

At the OBs office I was checked and was nearly 3cm so the doc said to go back to the hospital. I wish I had waited. I should have gone to eat and maybe for a walk. Alas, I did not. At lunch time the OB came and broke my water, which was stained with meconium.

A few hours later after no progress in dilation the OB ordered the nurses to start pitocin. The contractions quickly became unbearable. It was several hours later when I asked for the epidural. That gave me some temporary relief from the contractions. I began to have "breakthrough pain" and was given a dose of demorol. That did nothing for the pain, just made me out of it between contractions so that all I was aware of was pain. The rest is quite blurry.

I remember the OB coming in and being told to push. I remember the room filling up with people. They turned me on my side and put an oxygen mask on my face. I remember being told to push more. I heard her cry. I didn't get to really look at her for nearly an hour. The OB spent a long time stitching me up. He had to use forceps to get Kyla out because she was in severe distress and I was not pushing well.

When I finally got to hold her I was still so drugged I don't remember much except noticing that she had her father's ears.

My recovery was long. I was so tired. So was she. It was near impossible to get her to nurse because she wouldn't stay awake once she was latched on. When she wasn't nursing or sleeping she was screaming. There are so many things I wish I'd known then...

I look back on that and I believe I was preeclamptic. My OB I believe dismissed warning signs because I was young and had such a low normal blood pressure. I am honestly surprised now that both of us made it through that birth alive and well.

Her birth was rough. Her infancy a trial in many ways. I've never been sorry that I kept her. She has been one of the greatest blessings of my life and has grown up into a wonderful young woman. :)

Finished the Mei Tai

Well, at least I know what I am doing now. The next one will be much better! I hope to get some fabric in the next couple of weeks so I can do another one and a few other things.

31 weeks

Wow! How time has flown. Not long now before we'll be welcoming a new member to our family.

The kids and I began "Project Get Ready For Baby" this week. I plan to deep clean every room in the house and to get some sewing/crocheting done before babe arrives. We should be able to get to the kitchen twice. We didn't do much yesterday, it was lovely outside so we cleaned up the back yard. On Tuesday we did some work in the kitchen and repaired the net on the trampoline. Today I will try to finish the Mei Tai wrap I am working on. Hopefully I'll be able to get some material in the next couple of weeks to make a ring sling and a couple K'tan type wraps.

Busy two months ahead!

After the babe comes I plan on taking a nice, long six week 'babymoon'. :) I'm not going anywhere. I'm just going to stay home and get to know my new baby. I do plan on having a kind of "meet and greet" a couple weeks after babe arrives so friends can come see the babe. :)

Now to get busy!

I Don't Want To...

write this post. I really don't.

In less than 30 hours my eldest daughter will be leaving home for three months to attend CMI (Children's Ministry Institute) in Missouri. That should be no big deal, right? Especially considering that we've already sent her off to Zambia, China and Romania. Those times she was coming back. For sure coming back.

This time she could not come back. She could be leaving home forever. She could meet some boy and get married and have a family of her own. Some young, clueless kid could come along and take her away. He will talk of his grand schemes of being a missionary in the deserts of Africa or the jungles of South America and she will be gone. They will go far away to serve God and my child will be gone. She will be a woman in whose life I have no say.

I've no doubt she will choose wisely. She's ever so much more sense than I had at eighteen. Even so, she will no longer be my daughter first. She will be a wife first and foremost and her life would be about him. Then she will have children and be a mother. That I really don't want to think about when I am expecting another baby myself! :P

I know it is unlikely, but possible even probable. I will miss her so much. She has been my daughter. My helper. My friend. My counselor. I'm not ready for the change that will come when she leaves to start a family of her own.

Kyla-girl, I love you. I will miss you. Take care. I know that God has great plans for you. :)