28 Weeks

No picture again.  I'll try to take one on Friday when I go for my next appt.


•How far along are you? 28 weeks!  YAY!  This was the very first milestone my dr. wanted me to meet.

•How big is baby?: He weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels.

•Maternity clothes: All maternity pants and mostly maternity shirts.

•Gender: BOY!! Evan Michael Baxter. 

•Sleep?: You would think I'd sleep well being on bedrest now, but I actually feel like ever since I went on bedrest, the sleeping just keeps getting worse.

•Best moment this week?: Getting to see Evan on the sono.  Also finding out I passed the 3 hour glucose test and my cervix stayed the same this week!

•Movement?: Tons of movement! He was going crazy this morning during the sono!  Funny thing is, I found out today I have an anterior placenta (not sure how I've missed that in the past).  I was just shocked because usually that makes it harder to feel the baby, but I have absolutely no issues with that.  He makes himself very known in my tummy!

•Food cravings?: Bananas and popsicles

•Food aversions?: Plain grilled chicken

•What I miss: Still a lot at this point.

•Symptoms: Still getting bad headaches and the heartburn continues to be bad as I'm spending so much time laying down now.  No contractions that I feel, but based on my dr. appt, apparently that doesn't mean I'm not having them.

•Milestone: Making it another week with Evan still in my tummy!!!! And surviving my third week of bedrest! Also, this is my first week of my third trimester!!  12 weeks to go!!

Let's see. . .I feel like lots has happened since my last weekly post.  I took my 3 hour glucose test on Monday.  It was awful!  So much worse than the 1 hour one.  The drink was soo much sweeter.  I had a much harder time keeping it down this time.  But I knew if it came back up, I'd have to start all over.  After drinking the super sweet orange drink (that the lady taking my blood told me was the equivalent of eating 5 full size candy bars in 5 min), I had to sit in a chair for 3 hours and get blood taken 4 times.  I have quite the bruise on my arm to show for it.  On Tuesday morning, I saw my dr's number pop up on the phone and when I answered it, the first thing out of my mouth to the nurse was "please don't tell me I failed."  She said she was so excited to call me when she got the results because I was due for some good news.  I had passed with flying colors!!  YAY!! 


I had my regular dr. appt this morning.  I made Shawn come with me as I had pretty much convinced myself that I would be sent to the hospital afterwards.  But luckily I wasn't!!  We started with a sono and the first thing she did was measure my cervix.  I was sooo nervous!  Pretty sure I hardly slept all night because all I could think was that this might be my last night in my bed for a while.  But, it measured 23 mm.  The exact same as last week.  I couldn't be more excited and felt like I could let out a huge sigh of relief.  After that she checked on Evan.  Apparently, we were keeping him up.  We saw him yawn 4 times during the 10-15 minutes that we saw him.  He was busy though.  Kicking me all over the place.  Oh and we did find out 1 fun thing.  Evan already has some hair!  We could see it.  :)  The sono tech also measured the amount of fluid around him.  Starting at my appt last week, the amount of fluid has increased to the upper limits of the normal range.  This can be a sign for gestational diabetes, but since I  passed my test, they aren't too concerned.  They said sometimes that can just happen and they don't know why (yet one more thing they can't explain :)  ).  But my dr. said they will just continue to monitor it. The sono tech didn't check his kidney today, but my assumption is that it's still dilated.  After my sono, I had an NST.  The funny thing is, this is the part I wasn't concerned about at all because I haven't been feeling any contractions.  But unfortunately this is where we received our first bit of bad news this week.  As my dr. said, I showed uterine irritability.  Basically the monitors should have picked up a flat line.  Mine had little consistent hills.  She said they probably weren't real contractions since those would have been much larger hills, but she was still concerned.  She's hoping the sono is what caused it, but to be sure she's making my come back Friday morning for another NST.  So I've guaranteed myself at least 2 more nights at home.  I'm hoping for an uneventful appt. on Friday so I can guarantee another weekend at home.


In nursery news. . .Evan's bedding arrived!!  YAY!  My mom picked it up today and brought it by.  She also got him a cute lamp for his nightstand.  I'll probably wait to post pics of his nursery until it's done.


In Em news. . .Shawn is planning on converting Em's crib to a full size bed on Saturday (which makes me hope for good news at my appt on Friday even more).  Also, school has requested she start trying big girl panties at school!!  Shawn brought some in today, but I guess her teachers didn't see them.  So maybe they will try tomorrow?

Bedrest Week #3

It's hard for me to believe that I'm already 3 weeks into to my bedrest journey.  I'm definitely still dealing with the ups and downs of it all, but I feel like now that I'm getting into a routine, it is getting easier. Last week was a tough week after hearing my cervix had continued to shorten and then finding out I failed my 1 hour glucose test.  I just felt like all the bad news came at once.  Before last week, I feel like I was overally optimistic about only being on bedrest temporarily, but now I've come to the realization that I'm probably in this for the long haul.  Thankfully, I've gotten some good news this week and I'm trying to hang on to that.  I've learned I just have to take things 1 day at a time.

I've come to realize that the absolute hardest thing about being on bedrest is just being alone with your own thoughts most of the day.  I try to keep myself busy, but it's hard to not let your mind wander.  I find myself thinking a lot more about Evan as this whole process goes on. . . When is he going to come, is he going to come too early, will he be ok, will he have to spend time in the NICU.  And of course as much as I try to push the thoughts away, it's hard not to let those other thoughts sneak in about all the things I feel like I'm missing out on now and why does it feel like my body is failing me. 

Human interaction has become my most favorite thing now that I'm on bedrest.  I get up each morning when Shawn wakes Em up and I go down to visit with them for about 15 minutes or so before they leave for the day.  Besides that, I'm up in bed laying down by myself all day until they get home around 5:00 each night.  I notice I tend to start getting antsy around 4:00 each day anticipating them coming home.  Sometimes I beat them downstairs before they get home, but other times I don't and Em always comes upstairs to greet me.  I am still working and that has been a huge blessing.  It helps take my mind off things from 8-5 each day.  I look forward to days that I'm busy because it tends to make me forget about the fact that I'm on bedrest.

Shawn and I both have a hard time accepting help from others.  But this is one time, we've realized that we need it.  Friends and family continue to an awesome support system for all of us.  There is absolutely no way we would be getting through this without them.  My mom stops by for lunch some days during the week, cooks meals for us, goes shopping for stuff that Em and Evan need, and the list goes on.  Shawn's dad and mom have both taken Em anywhere from several hours to several days just to allow Shawn time to get other stuff done or to allow him to have a much needed break from it all.  My friend, Courtney, has come over to bring me lunch and keep me company and also to help occupy Em.  And my best friend, Steph, who lives all the way in CA, has been sending me the sweetest cards each week with a suprise in each of them.  While these are just a few of the people that we've taken them up on their offers, we have countless other friends and family that have offered to help in anyway possible. 

As the weeks go on, I realize how much of a physical toll bedrest takes on you too.   Since I'm laying down the majoirty of the day, days where I do have to get up and get ready (ie. for dr. appts), just taking a shower and getting ready wear me out!!  I'm just used to not having to exert any energy on most days, that when I do, it's a total shock to my body.  I worry about this a little as I know once Evan arrives, I will be going from 0 to 100 practically overnight.  Hopefully my body will adjust back to normal quickly.

So for now, it's been another week down of bedrest, but more importantly another week of Evan growing safely in my tummy.  Here's to many more weeks of this.  :)

Failed

Guess what... I failed my 1 hour glucose test. :(. So now I have to go Monday to take the 3 hour test. Seriously, can I please catch a break soon!!

27 Weeks

Yeah, belly pictures probably aren't going to be happening much anymore. 

•How far along are you? 27 Weeks

•How big is baby?: At my sono yesterday he weighed in at 2 lbs, 5 oz, which put him in the 45%.

•Maternity clothes: All maternity pants and mostly maternity shirts.

•Gender: BOY!! Evan Michael Baxter. 

•Sleep?: I've been sleeping ok.  I'm up about every 3 hours going to the bathroom.

•Best moment this week?: Getting Evan's furniture in and getting to see Evan on my sono.

•Movement?: Tons of movement! The sono tech said he was one active boy!

•Food cravings?: Bananas and popsicles

•Food aversions?: Plain grilled chicken

•What I miss: Pretty much everything at this point.  :(

•Symptoms: No contractions this week (that I have felt).  Still bad headaches.  I feel like I wake up with a headache and have one until I fall asleep at night.

•Milestone: Making it another week with Evan still in my tummy!!!! And surviving my second week of bedrest!  Also, this is my last week of the second trimester.

I had a dr. appt yesterday.  It didn't go nearly as well as I had hoped.  I had a sono and my cervix measured even shorter.  :(  Now it's only measuring 24mm.  I had an NST and had no contractions, but my dr was still concerned about the shorter measurements.  She said if it continues to shorten I'm going to end up on hospital bedrest. :(  That is the LAST thing that I want to happen.  I hate thinking that may even be a possibility.  The dr. said to try laying down more instead of sitting up, so that's what I'm going to try.  I hope, hope, hope that works.  I don't want to be in the hospital!!!  But I do feel like this pretty much sealed my fate on not getting off bedrest until Evan arrives.  :(  Ugh, it's all just so frustrating to me.  I spent the last 2 weeks on bedrest and yet, I'm still getting bad news.  This is so not how I pictured this pregnancy going.  I also took my glucose test this week.  I hope I passed! I go back next Wed. for another sono and NST.  I'm praying that at least the measurements will have stabilized by then, if not have gotten longer, so I can stay on bedrest at home.

In better news, Evan's furniture (and Em's big girl mattress) was delivered yesterday.  Here are a few pics of the nursery.  There's a good chance this may be all that's done before Evan arrives (with the exception of the bedding). 

Bed Rest Week #2

Let's just say, it's not getting any easier.  :(  While up until now, my dr. was ok with me sitting up, now after my appt. yesterday, she wants me laying down the majority of the time.  My hope of getting off bedrest has pretty much been eliminated (or so it feels).  I'm hoping to make it around 8 more weeks, but goodness, I hope the next 8 weeks fly by quicker than the last 2. 

Happy St. Patricks Day

Obviously no big plans this year.  Shawn went into work this morning to play catchup, so Papa Mike came this morning and took Em out shopping with him (to Cabela's :)).  I'm just laying around (as usual :) ).   Not the most exciting St. Patty's Day, but we'll survive.

26.5 Week Belly Pic

I had to get ready yesterday morning for my dr. Appt, so I figured it would be a good day for my belly pic.  I actually waited until right before bed to take my pic though.  Boy, do I look tired!  And boy, does my tummy look big!! I feel like it always looks way bigger at night, but then it's smaller in the morning.  Maybe I need to take these pics in the morning.  Here is am at 26 weeks, 3 days.

My dr appt this morning went pretty well.  I had an NST and had no contractions, so that's good!!  The dr. checked my cervix and said it still felt short, but was closed. So that's most important.  Due to everything that's gone on, she wants me to stay on bedrest until 32 weeks.  Assuming things have stabilized out by then, she'll let me start increasing my activity then.  So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can make it without any issues until 32 weeks.  Unfortunately, that means 5 more weeks of bedrest, but it's nice having a goal in sight now.  5 weeks sounds way better than 13 weeks!  I have an appt. next Wed. for another NST, a sono, and the glucose test. Hopefully all will look good then too.

26 Weeks

No belly picture yet.  That's what happens when you're on bedrest.  Hopefully in the next day or 2 I'll get around to taking a pic.

•How far along are you? 26 Weeks

 •How big is baby?: He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel.

•Maternity clothes: All maternity pants and mostly maternity shirts. Although, I can still wear some non-maternity shirts.

•Gender: BOY!! Evan Michael Baxter.

•Sleep?: I've been sleeping petty good.  Who knew laying around all day could actually make you so sleepy!

•Best moment this week?: Seeing progress made on Evan's room.  And getting a few surprises in the mail yesterday. 

My best friend, Stephanie, sent me a dozen banana cupcakes. :)  They are sooo yummy!!

And my mom surprised me by ordering a new shower curtain and bath rugs I wanted for the kid's bathroom. 

 •Movement?: Tons of movement!  He's starting to kick me hard.  Shawn tells me that's his way of reminding me to take it easy.

•Food cravings?: Bananas

•Food aversions?: Plain grilled chicken

•What I miss: Haha, this is a trick question now.  :)  Let's see. . .being able to go to work, go shopping, pretty much doing anything that gets me on my feet and out of the house.   Not having to take a ton of medicine everyday.  I'm on the contraction medicine (2 times a day), an antibiotic (4 times a day), and pre-natals.  Then add in the days I have to take allergy medicine and heartburn medicine.  Ugh. 

•Symptoms: I haven't had any painful contractions since I came home from the hospital, thank goodness.  I am still having some Braxton Hicks contractions every now and then, but nothing consistent, so I think they are considered normal.  The high risk OB nurses from the hospital told me to drink a ton of water to help keep the contractions away, so that's what I've been doing.  As a result, I'm going to the bathroom every 30 min. now (or so it feels like).  Also, since I'm spending so much time laying down, the heartburn is starting to get worse.  I don't have to take medicine everyday yet, but it's definitely becoming more frequent.  Also, the headaches are back.  One side effect of the contraction medicine, Procardia, is headaches.  Between the medicine and just laying around all day I usually end up with a bad headache each night.

•Milestone: Making it another week with Evan still in my tummy!!!!  And surviving my first week of bedrest!

Nursery update - Shawn finished painting the nursery this week!  He'll add a chair rail sometime soon.  Also, the room is now completely emptied out, carpet has been tacked down and cleaned!  The furniture is scheduled to be delivered on the 21st.  Yay!

Happy Grams

Just because they put a smile on my face.  Em came home with some happy grams from school today.  :)

Bed Rest Week #1

Wow, so I'm not sure I even know where to start when it comes to how the last week has been. I feel like my whole life has changed and I'm just having to learn what my new sense of normal is. While bedrest is physically easy, it is more mentally challenging than I ever imagined! I know it's temporary and that's what gets me through each day, but it still doesn't mean I don't have my ups and downs.

Shawn has been awesome since the beginning. He has picked up the slack on everything I can no longer do. He's changed his work schedule so he can go in later because now he has to get Em up, ready and off to school. That's something I used to take care of. In addition to doing everything when it comes to taking care of Em, he's doing everything needed to keep the household running and on top of that trying to get us ready for Evan's arrival. It makes me feel guilty that he has to do so much more because now I can't. He's had a great attitude about it though which keeps me more positive. And he makes sure to ask me each day what he can do to make things better/ easier for me.

My dr told me I'm allowed to be up an hour in the morning, afternoon and night. The rest of the time I need to be laying down or sitting down. So that leaves about 20-22 hours a day that I'm supposed to be off my feet. While, I much prefer to be on bedrest at home instead of the hospital, it's still tough knowing everyone around me can go on with their normal life and I just have to sit around. Keeping this baby in my tummy as long as possible is my goal, but sometimes I just want to know much longer I have to do this... 5 weeks, 10 weeks ??

I've had several people ask how Em is doing though this. So far, so good. We're trying to keep her in her normal routine as much as possible so it has as little impact on her as possible. I really think it's tougher on me than her. The other night I was laying on the couch and Em asked me to get on the floor to play with her and I had to tell her I couldn't. Of course, Shawn was right there to play with her, but it didn't make me feel much better about it. This weekend, Em had a birthday party to go to and while that's something I would normally go to with her, instead it was just Shawn and her while I stayed at home. It's hard thinking about the things I will miss seeing her do over the next several weeks because I have to be on bedrest.

Thankfully, we have lots of family and friends that have offered to help and are rooting for Evan to stay in my belly so he comes out healthy.  Knowing how many people we have cheering us on helps make things so much easier!

If you look over at my ticker, you'll notice I've got 99 days to go til my due date. A week ago, I was thinking how fast this pregnancy had been going. Now all I can think about is how long 99 days sounds!! No one knows for sure when Evan will make his arrival, but even if it means bedrest for weeks, I'm hoping it's still many, many days away. Each week that passes seems like another goal that has been reached. So while I know this is just a minor bump in the road, I'm still expecting the next several weeks /months to tough.

I go to the dr weekly now, so my only hope is that I can make it through each appt without being sent to the hospital. My next appt is Friday morning for an NST.

Nursery Update

I finally got the fabric swatches in for Evan's bedding.  Of course they wouldn't arrive before getting put on bedrest.  I've been waiting to do a lot of my shopping for his room until after I got these in.  I guess online shopping will become my best friend.  As of last week, we literally hadn't done anything to get his room ready yet.  :(  But luckily Shawn was able to start on it this weekend.  My friend, Court, came over on Saturday to keep me company and help entertain Em so Shawn could start painting Evan's room.  He got about 2/3's of the way through before running out of paint.  And then on Sunday him and Em installed a new fan in Evan's room.  His furniture wasn't supposed to be in until the end of the month, but we got a call last week that it's here. We're making them hold on to it for us until closer to the end of the month.  We have no where to put it now, since the carpet isn't even tacked down.  Of course, if the room had been all ready for it, the furniture would have been delayed - I just know it.

I ordered Em's big girl bedding and it arrived last week. We'll get her full mattress delivered when we get Evan's furniture.  The transition to a big girl bed is going to be more difficult with me being on bedrest, but we'll figure it out.  I want her transitioned over before Evan comes.

25.5 Week Belly Pic

I finally took a belly pic this past weekend.  Here I am at 25 weeks, 4 days. Please excuse the no makeup look.  This is actually the most dressed up I had gotten in 5 days.

And just for comparison, here I am at 25.5 weeks with Emily.

Moving On Up - EPSII

More for my records than anything....Em officislly moves to the Early Preschool II room at school on Monday. She's been transitioning for the last week and so far, so good. One of her teachers is now Ms. Chelsea, who we use as a baby-sitter. I haven't met her other teachers yet, as I can't take her to school anymore, but I'm hoping they are just as great as all her other teachers have been. I know most of the kids in this room, so I'm excited to hear all about the crazy stories Em will come home with. And Em is excited that she's back in a class with her friend Morgan.

For the most part, Em's schedule will stay the same. The only difference in this room is that they really focus on potty training. She can't move up to the Preschool room until she's fully potty trained. We've totally been slacking on this area at home, especially with me on bedrest now, so I'm hoping school will help out a lot.

25 Weeks

No pic today... Read below to find out why. :(. Hopefully I can add 1 later.

•How far along are you? 25 Weeks

•How big is baby?: At my sono last Friday, he measured 1 lb, 9 oz and ranked in the 48% for size.  So the % dropped a little bit from my appt. last Tuesday.

•Maternity clothes: All maternity pants and mostly maternity shirts.  Although, I can still wear some non-maternity shirts.

•Gender: BOY!! Evan Michael Baxter.

•Sleep?: I've been sleeping alright.

•Best moment this week?: Learning that the perinatologist wasn't concerned about his dilated kidney.  It's now measuring on the higher end of the normal range.

•Movement?: Tons of movement!

•Food cravings?: Bananas

•Food aversions?: Plain grilled chicken

•What I miss: Maybe just being able to easily get up and down on the floor to play with Em. But other than that, just trying to enjoy this pregnancy!

•Symptoms: . Apparently too many symptoms. See below.

•Milestone: After having a bit of a scare late last week and also hearing my cervix was shortening at my appt. last week, I'm considering each week another milestone.

We had an eventful week since my last weekly post. Thursday, on my way home from work, I started getting some really painful stomach cramps. I came home, laid down and started drinking a lot of water, but they still weren't going away. They didn't feel like contractions because they weren't coming and going. Instead it was just a constant pain. After an hour, it finally stopped. At dinner time, I felt like it was starting to happen again, so I ended up calling my dr. I thought they would tell me to just take it easy and lay down, but instead the on call dr told me to go to labor and delivery over at the hospital. So Shawn and I headed up there. I was thinking we would for sure be home that night. They hooked me and the baby up to some monitors and they noticed I was having a few contractions here and there. I forgot to mention the cramping had stopped by the time we were at the hospital. The nurses called the on call dr to let her know how I was doing and she decided she wanted me to stay overnight to monitor me. They also started me on some medicine, Procardia,  to help suppress any contractions and gave me a test to determine if I would go into labor in the next 2 weeks (it came back negative). I was dilated, but only about a fingertip width.  Shawn and I stayed a long night in labor and delivery. I did have a few more contractions overnight, but still no more painful cramps. My dr came and saw me in the morning and decided to move my sono with the peri up to that morning instead of waiting til next wed. So around 11, they came and got me to go get the sono. We got great news at the sono. One of the kidneys was still dilated, but she said not to be concerned at all, since it was now just on the higher end of normal. She also measured my cervix and it was measuring 33 mm. I was so relieved. She said it could have gotten longer because I had been in bed for so many hours leading up to it, but we didn't need to worry too much about it unless it got shorter than 25 mm.  I was just glad the contractions/cramping I had didn't shorten it anymore.  She did tell me to continue limiting my activity when I was home, but I was still able to go to work. We went back to L&D and waited for my dr to discharge me. She talked to the nurse around 2:00 and said since I was on that medicine, she wanted to continue to monitor any contractions and she would be over after seeing her patients that day to release me. Luckily, I had no more contractions and around 6:00 on Friday night, I was finally discharged. I was so ready to be home!! I'll stay on the medicine to suppress any contractions until closer to the end of my pregnancy and I'll probably continue to be monitored closely so they can make sure my cervix doesn't shorten anymore. I go in for a NST on Wednesday and I'm hoping everything looks good.  But as of now, I'm very glad that Evan is still in my tummy and has more time to grow before making his appearance. I'm hoping we don't make any more trips to L&D until Evan is actually due to arrive.

So I typed up the above part Mon night. Lots has changed since then. I went into work today and felt great. I went to the bathroom in the morning only to realize I had some bleeding. Of course I started freaking out, knowing this is not normal. I called my dr office and they told me to come right in. I knew that wasn't a good sign. I called Shawn and he picked me up. I saw my dr and she did an exam and said my cervix felt soft and short. Not a good thing. So she sent me to the peri for a sono. I only measured around 29 mm this time. Not good news. So my dr, sent me to L&D to get hooked up on the monitors. They also gave me a steroid shot to help the baby's lungs mature. While I was on the monitors, they picked up several contractions. So in addition to the Procardia, they also gave me a shot to help stop the contractions. While I was hoping I wouldn't be spending the night, unfortunately because of the contractions, I am. The dr said I can pretty much count on being put on full bedrest. Not the news I wanted to hear. Of course I will do everything possible to keep this baby in my tummy, it's been tough. Hard not to ask the question, "why me.". Although I do keep trying to tell myself I'm still lucky because the baby in my tummy is healthy. Oh and just or my records...his right kidney was more dilated today...7.4mm. The peri still didnt seem too concerned.

Sesame Street Live "Elmo Makes Music"

Shawn and I had a special treat for Em on Sunday night.  We took her to see Sesame Street Live in Grand Prarie.  Em loves Elmo so we knew she would enjoy seeing this.  We had to wake Em up from her nap and as soon as Shawn told her we were going to see Elmo, she got so excited!  She kept asking me if I was excited to see Elmo.  I put her in her Elmo shirt and that got a big smile out of her too.

We got there about 10 minutes before the show started and got to our seats.   We were in the second row of the second section, so we had a really good view.  As soon as it started, the smile on Em's face was huge!  To say she was excited was an understatement.  She loved seeing all the characters, but Elmo was definitely her favorite.  She kept waving to him and saying "hi, Elmo."  My favorite part was watching Em during the show.  Seeing her face made going to the show sooo worth it!  She loved clapping and singing along to the music.  I definitely think this would be a show we would return to see again (maybe once baby brother arrives).

There was a 15 minute intermission and I think that tired Em out a bit.  She was doing so good during the first half, but I think the break made her a little bit antsy.  We made it about 20 minutes into the second half before Em said she was ready to go.  I think in the end, we only missed about 15-20 minutes at the end.  Even though we left early, I was so glad we got tickets to take her.  She loved it!!

Favorite Baby Items

One of my good friends is preggo (1 of many preggo friends :) ) and due this summer and was asking questions about registering.  I told her I would think of my favorite baby items.  So thought I would just make a list.  It's crazy how much new stuff has come out since Em was born.  Maybe I'll find some new favorites once Evan arrives.

Itzbeen Baby Care Timer

This wasn't something we originally registered for with Em.  Instead a friend told us about it after Em was born.  It was a life saver!  It's got 4 timers on it.  We mainly used it to keep track of when it was time for Em's bottles, but we'd also sometimes use it to keep track of her last diaper change and if she was on medicine, when her last dose was.  It was also helpful while nursing because it has a switch at the bottom for L and R.  Helps you keep track of which side you ended on.  We used this everyday for almost the whole first year of Em's life.  It was nice not having to remember how long it had been between feedings.  Shawn or I could easily just look at the timer.  We'll definitely be getting this out again once Evan arrives.

Homedics SoundSpa Lullaby Sound Machine

 This was another item we didn't register for, but were given after Em arrived by Shawn's dad.  From earlier posts you may remember Em was not a good napper.  We were hoping this would help.  While it didn't necessarily help with the napping, it eventually did help with her sleeping in general.  In fact, we still use this every night now (and naptime on the weekends).  It plays music (6 different choices) for 15 minute increments up to 60 min. or all night if you want and also projects pictures on to the ceiling.  There are 3 different slides for the projection.  Em likes to change it out every so often.  I love that the sound blocks out noises from the rest of the house, but also keeps her busy with the projection while she's trying to fall asleep.  We found this way more useful than a mobile.  We will be buying another one of these for Evan's room.

Fisher Price My Little Lamb Cradle and Swing

This was something we registered for. I know not all babies like swings, but all you have to do is look at earlier posts and you will see how much Emily loved this swing.  Pretty sure she spent much of her first year napping in this swing.  This was the best thing ever in my opinion!  With her acid reflux, Em seemed to sleep better elevated and the rocking motion always put her to sleep.  I like this one because it swings back to front and also side to side.  We usually kept it side to side as it didn't take up as much room that way.  You can adjust the speed on it and it also plays music and has a mobile on top.  We'd even fold it up and bring it with us when we went to other people's houses.  The downside is we went through a ton of batteries (wish it plugged in), but we also used it a TON.  I'm hoping Evan loves this as much as his sister does.



Baby Bjorn

Yet another item we didn't register for, but instead we got one passed down to us by my brother and sister-in-law.  My friend, Stephanie, had told us how much they loved theirs so after Em started hating the stroller, we put her in this.  This totally opened up our world and let us get out of the house more.  Em loved being up high and facing forward so she could see what was going on.  Once we started using it, we used it often! 

Aquaphor

I'd say this was our go-to miracle product.  It has so many uses.  We used it for diaper rash, cradle cap, dry lips, etc.  Em's ezcema was even worse as an infant and we would litterally slather her in aquaphor head to toe.  It helped a ton!!  Anytime she had a cut or when her cord fell off, we'd just put a little aquaphor on it and all would be well.  We've gone through a ton of tubes of this stuff.  It's definitely one of those multi purpose products that we could never have lived without.  We still keep in on hand to use for Em now.

Tiny Diner Placemat

This was another item we didn't register for, but one was passed down from my nieces.  We started taking this to restaurants as soon as Em could eat any solid food.  We still use this, everyday in fact.  Now that Em sits in a booster seat at the kitchen table, we have this as her placemat.  She still gets a bit messy and this is so much easier to clean than the table or a regular placemat.  Plus it has suction cups to hold it down and a place to catch the food that misses her mouth.  Our current placemat is pink, so we'll have to get Evan a blue one.

Of course we had a ton more favorite baby items, but I'd say these were probably my top 6.  These will all be pulled back out for baby brother to use.

Emily's First Haircut

I've been putting off getting Em's haircut because I was so afraid it would make her look older and quite frankly because it took her so long to get her hair to grow in, I haven't felt the need yet.    But I decided it was finally time to get it all straightened out at the bottom. 

We had an appointment at Groovy Cuts for Kids at 10:15 yesterday.  We had to wait about 10 minutes which was plenty long with an impatient 2 year old.  Once it was our turn, Em got to choose whichever car she wanted to sit in.  She choose the yellow hummer over the pink and purple barbie jeep.  The hairdresser tried to put an apron on Em and she started crying, so I told her not to worry about it.  Em wasn't really interested in the haircut at all.  She wanted to watch the tv's in front of her, only not the one directly in front of her car.  She also kept putting her hands in her hair, tried to stand up, put her feet up, etc.  Let's just say it was the quickest haircut I've ever seen. But I was totally ok with that.  The lady just trimmed it in order to get it all straight in the back.  A special perk for all the little girls at this place, is that after their haircut, they can get their nails painted.  I let Em choose the color, silver sparkles, and I'm pretty sure she sat more still for her nails being painted, then for her hair being cut.  I think Em was most excited for the sucker and balloon she got at the very end though.  So her first haircut was about what I expected.  Hopefully by the time we have to go back, Em will be a little bit more excited about it.  :)