I'm Back!!

Hi everyone! It's been over a year since I've posted on here. I tried to use Tumblr, but I didn't really like it. It kind of reminded me of another Facebook.

Anyway, I've definitely had a lot to say over the past year and I've started quite a few posts, but couldn't finish them for some reason. So, I'm going to take a few different paths!

I work part-time now, so I've been doing a lot more of the things that I am interested in; cooking, crafting, and of course spending time with Max!

I plan on sharing these things on here. I've made a lot of interesting things from Pinterest, some of which haven't always worked out! I look forward to blogging more frequently! It is a great way for me to relax! I've recently realized that I love to write! I used to write a lot at work. Even though it was business rules, it was still a good way to put my words together. So, I look forward to hearing your feedback and stories of your own!!

Max's Birth Story

I was due February 29th, Leap Day. I was convinced that I was going to have the baby on Leap Day because that was just my luck. My whole pregnancy I wanted to have the baby on March 1st because that was my Grandpa Kauffman's Birthday and he lived to be 100 years old and had passed away last August. When we told him we were pregnant and due on Feb. 29th, he kept saying that if it wasn't a Leap Year, it would has been due on his birthday. My Dad's side was also hoping that I would have him/her on the 1st as well.

Well, the 29th and 1st both went by and I still I felt great. (Honestly, I felt great for all of my pregnancy. Even in the end I felt good. I just wanted it to be over because I was so excited to meet him/her). I had had some regular contractions on and off for a couple weeks, but they never lasted very long and didn't get very strong. I wasn't dilated at my last two appointments either.

Now, let me preface this by saying that I wanted a natural delivery, however, I was going into the situation with a very open mind knowing that I didn't know what was going to happen or how it was going to feel. I knew I was going to try it without drugs, but if it got to be too much, I would have them. The only thing I knew for sure was I didn't want to drug through IV that made you feel/act loopy. Haha!

On March 3rd Opie and I went shopping. I had been having small contractions about 12-10 minutes apart, but they didn't get any stronger. We had dinner with my family for my sister's birthday that evening and my contractions still were 7-10 minutes apart, but they weren't any stronger.

Opie and I went home to try a few at-home remedies to induce labor. It started snowing pretty bad (that luck I was talking about)! I was worried because it was a 35-40 minute drive to the hospital when it was nice out. My contractions picked up to 7-5 minutes apart. I called the doctor and she said that she would normally have me wait, but since it was snowing that I should come in so that they could check me just in case I progressed fast.

We headed in around 10:30pm. I got to the maternity triage around 11:30pm. The nurse checked me and I was only at a 1 but my contractions were pretty regular and had picked up in intensity. I could still talk through them all though. So, we walked the halls to see if that helped. And it didn't.

They didn't want to send me home because we lived so far away and it was still snowing so they sent me to a room that had a whirlpool tub that I could labor in. It felt so nice, but didn't help me dilate.

They moved us to a delivery room around 3am. I sat in the tub a little while longer. Still nothing. The doctor came in around 9am and said that we could go home and wait a few hours or they could break my water. We decided that they could break my water. We were so anxious to meet our little one.

They broke my water and we waited. I progressed a little, but not enough. Around 11am the doctor came in and asked if we wanted to start Pitocin. We decided that we would. I really didn't want to, but I wanted to get this party started. I hadn't ate anything in over 12 hours and I hadn't slept for over 24 hours.

They started me off "slow" (or at least that is what they said). Wow, did the contractions pick up! They checked me an hour later and I was dilated to a 3 almost 4. They gave me some more Pitocin and were going to check me in another hour. Contractions were SUPER intense at this point. I was at a "good" 4 an hour later. I asked for an epidural at this point because I couldn't handle the pain anymore and it was making me tense and frustrated. I was hoping that easing the pain would calm my body down enough to dilate.

I got the epidural around 1:30-2pm and finally got to relax for the first time in hours. I was so hungry, so tired, and I just wanted to hold my baby. They kept checking me and I was progressing a little faster. I started to feel some pressure that evening and felt the need to push around 9pm. Our families went out to the waiting room and our wonderful nurse Kathy started to prep my room for delivery. I started pushing around 10pm. 1 hour and 23 minutes later I had a beautiful baby boy!

Opie was an amazing help during delivery telling me how much my pushing was helping and pushing the oxygen mask on me. Even though I had the epidural, I could move my legs and even got a chance to use the squat bar a couple of times.

Labor and Delivery didn't go at all how I wanted it to, but none of that mattered because he is healthy and that is all that mattered to me! I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Family of Three

It's been three weeks and three days since I had Max. It's all seems so surreal still. I can't believe I am a mom!

Max is amazing and we are doing great! There have been a lot of things that I didn't expect and a lot of things are exactly like I thought they would be (even if people told me they wouldn't).

The biggest thing that I didn't expect was to have such a hard time Breastfeeding. I had heard from so many people about how amazing the experience is. My experience hasn't been anywhere near amazing; it's been quite frustrating actually. It hurts and it seems like I am constantly feeding him. It is pretty much a roller coaster. We have a good day typically followed by a bad night followed by a bad day followed by a good night etc. But it does seem like it is getting better (or at least I hope so)! I did read a good article that has given me some encouragement. If you are also having a hard time breastfeeding, read it!

The lack of sleep has been exactly like I thought it would be. I actually do quite well on little sleep (at least I think so, Opie might disagree!) haha! He will sleep anywhere from 1-4 hours. It all depends on how he eats. If he has a full belly, he will sleep for quite awhile.

He is a great baby. He doesn't cry much; just when he is hungry. As of today he weighs 9 pounds 6 ounces and is 22 inches long. That is almost a pound and a half gained in a month (like I said, he likes to eat!) He is strong and holds his head up for quite awhile during our burpings and tummy-time.

I can't wait for the coming months to see how he grows and how his personality develops!

Pinterest Adventure: Snickers Popcorn

I have decided that I am going to blog about my adventures with making things that I have found on Pinterest!

I've made a few things already. Some have turned out, but some haven't so I thought that it would be fun to blog about the things that do and don't go well.

This time I tried making Snickers Popcorn for a Superbowl snack. Here is my pin. The final product was amazing, but I had A LOT of trouble making this recipe.

So, the recipe said to use 1 cup of kernels. I made the popcorn in the air-popper and placed it in a brown paper bag and mixed in the peanuts.

Next, was making the candy coating. I used a small sauce pan as my medium/large pan was dirty. Bad idea. When it started to boil, it boiled over... All over my glass top stove. very sticky mess. So, if you make this, use a large sauce pan.

So, I poured the candy coating over the popcorn and shook the bag. The recipe said to pour it out on a cookie sheet. Well, it needed to be on two if not three cookie sheets. It was a ton of pop-corn!!

Next I added the snickers and put it in the oven. However, the recipe didn't say what the oven should be pre-heated to. So I set it at 400 degrees; which I think was too high. I would set it at 350 degrees.

In the mean time, I melted the chocolate chips. I took the cookie sheets out of the oven and tried to drizzle the chocolate. It didn't drizzle... it clumped. I tried to spread it around with a fork... which was unsuccessful.

Opie helped my put it in bowls as it was pretty difficult to get off the cookie sheets since the candy coating had hardened.

Here is my finished product:

Even with all the trouble I had with it, it was amazing! I would recommend making it, but use a large sauce pan and maybe only a half a cup or 3/4 cup of pop-corn!

Top of the Hill

So my sister pointed out that I hadn't blogged in awhile, so I thought I would get on and do a little writing. It isn't like I haven't had things to talk about. Actually, I have a draft list that has 5 or 6 half done blogs, but I just couldn't seem to concentrate. Sleeping was so much better!

So, the big ticket item: I'm 20 weeks today. "At the top of the hill". The way up the hill has been pretty easy. I wasn't sick and I didn't have any complications. Opie might think differently, he had to deal with my raging hormones more than I did. He lived though.

My expectation for the hill going back down: Uncomfortableness... I have a tiny little belly; Big enough that I can't button my pants, but still not anywhere near what I thought I would be so far. I think we can rule out twins since I'm still so small.

We have our first ultrasound next Monday. We aren't going to find out the sex of the baby. When people ask and I tell them that we aren't finding out, people seem to think that I care what they think about the decision. Well... I guess people have been reasonably nice when they don't agree, but some have been down right rude. But like I said, I don't care if people think it is stupid or not. It's not their baby, deal with it. I have my reasons; None of which I need to share.

The biggest challenge so far as been picking out baby stuff. One, I don't know what I need and don't need. Two, there are a gazillion different brands of everything and I can't seem to decide which I want.

I've felt the baby move, usually I don't realize that is what it is until I am resting. It's very weird. I know it will get even more weird once I recognize it's body parts moving across my belly.

Well, that is all I have to report right now. More to come I am sure!

Lake Odessa Farmers Market. Help?

I've been reading the Lakewood News about this Farmers Market for which the township would like to build a new building for down by the fairgrounds. I don't feel like I was properly informed about this to have an opinion on the situation, so maybe you can help get my questions answered.

First of all, it is VERY frustrating for these newspaper stories and reader comments to say that this is going to be great for the community and say that people don't understand because they just don't have "all the facts" WELL, let us know what the facts are!

My Questions:

1. Why isn't the current building that is up at the fairgrounds good enough? Or any building downtown that is abandoned?

2. Isn't there already a Farmers Market up at the fairgrounds?

2a. How it is doing? Are people showing up to buy things? Are farmers making money?

2i. If not, why? Is it because they don't have a formal building?

2ii. If so, why do we need a building to house it when it is already doing well?

I know there has been a lot of talk about how a Farmers Market has done well in other cities. It has been well known that Farmers Markets have helped communities a lot. But, how many of those Farmers Markets were 1/2 miles+ away from the heart of downtown? The farm markets in all of the towns that were mentioned in the Lakewood News were all in the downtown of that town.

If you think this will stimulate the community and get people to come to Lake Odessa, it's going to be hard when they don't even need to go downtown to get there. If you're going to start a farm market, why not start it downtown where our struggling business are? JMO

Gravida

I'm pregnant! It's still weird for me to say. I haven't had an ultrasound or heard the heartbeat yet, so it all seems like it isn't really happening (if it wasn't for those spot on symptoms).

With this little Gummy Bear comes things I knew were going to happen and some things I didn't expect.

Telling people was fun. Especially my families and closest friends. However, telling people has given me my first expectation. Advice. Now, I like it when people give me advice, but it really all depends on how they give the advice. A lot of people will start out with "Well, this is what worked for me" but that statement can come with two tones. 1) This worked for me, but it might not work for everyone. 2) This worked for me, it will work for you. Then there is the advice that is more a long the lines of "You need to do this". For those of you that know me, I don't do well with people telling me what I need to do. These people have been challenging. Especially since my hormones are all out of wack. I've been good. I've taken the advice, but ultimately we are going to do what we think is best. So, next time you think to give advice on anything, please be considerate and try not to tell people to do something or suggest they should do what worked for you. Nothing works for everyone.

Week 7 Day 6