3 Men and a Lady

3 Men and a Lady, Plus a Baby!

2011-08-09T19:29:00.006-04:00

Yeppers, I'M PREGNANT!!!!!! We found out almost three weeks ago, which is the main reason my blogging has come to a stand still. We technically don't know the due date, but it's around the last week of March, no later than April 1st. I'm so glad it didn't take near as long to conceive this baby compared to my last pregnancy. We are still undecided if we'll find out if it's pink or blue, but I will tell you that gender doesn't matter to us at all, healthy baby all the way!

I've had two ultrasounds now, and today's ultrasound showed a healthy round gestational sac, yolk sac, fetal pole, and a flickering heartbeat of 165 bpm (I will post a picture of the ultrasound, but it's a pretty crappy image due to the pretty crappy and old ultrasound machine). We will have another ultrasound on the 19th of August, which will then determine a more accurate due date (today's machine wasn't cooperating with measurements and dating). I will definitely keep you all posted.

Gestational sac with the yolk sac and fetal pole located on the top left, she was measuring bpm here

Blogging will definitely pick up more as I start feeling better. I'm suffering from pretty severe nausea all day long and fatigue. Now, I'm not complaining about having morning, excuse me "all day" sickness, because I know it's a sign of a healthy growing baby. However, it may put blogging on the back burner until I start feeling like my normal self, which I hope is sooner than later.

I'm planning on blogging throughout my entire pregnancy, especially with this being our last. I will also talk about my thoughts (pros and cons) on either attempting a VBA2C or having a repeat csection. I'm definitely looking forward to sharing my pregnancy journey with you.

Taking a Blogging Break

2011-07-28T12:09:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone. I signed in and noticed I lost two readers, which is completely understandable. Since we've been back from vacation things have been crazy busy with our family.

I will be back to blogging sometime in the next four weeks, but right now I need to take a break. Hopefully you all can understand, and after my little break, I will be back into blogging full swing. Thanks for understanding.

Ultimate Mom's Night Out

2011-07-15T09:30:00.011-04:00

Last night, I was lucky enough to be given an opportunity to attend the Ultimate Mom's Night Out with a few friends of mine. The event was put on by Amy from Deals For Dayton and Kate from Savvy Little Women. I was definitely in dire need of a night out, especially after a long two weeks trying to help my baby fight a terrible ear infection (a completely different blog post for a different day).

The evening started off with delicious sandwiches from the Submarine House, crackers and cheese, yummy macaroni and potato salad, chocolate fondue from The Melting Pot, and they even had frozen margarita's. They also passed around these fun little cake lollipops that were absolutely divine from Lulee's Lollies. After my girlfriends and I finished eating, it was time to mingle.

They had an entire table set up with various giveaways (you were given, I believe 20 tickets at the beginning of the evening) from a Boogie Wipes giveaway, to Thirty One giveaways, and they were even giving away tickets to COSI (Columbus | Dynamic Hands-On Science Center). You could put one or all your tickets into one box (I put over half in the one for COSI, love that place). I wasn't lucky enough to win any of the giveaways, but I did end up going home with a fabulous swag bag filled with goodies and coupons.

Besides given the opportunity to win free stuff, they also had representatives from Mary Kay, Lia Sophia, and Beaute Box (she was doing free shellac manicures). Not to mention, a massage therapist was there giving us free massages, which was probably the best 10 minutes (not sure if it was that long or not) of my day.

It was a fabulous evening filled with yummy food, amazing company, and swag bags. This event also gave me some neat ideas. I was thinking, "how much fun it would be to have a "night out" like this for my fellow military wives and mommies?" I've spoken about this idea to a few others, and maybe/hopefully we can get something in the works to have one.

All mommies (and daddies) are well deserving of an evening out every once and a while. I know I am!

Independence Day

2011-07-07T09:28:00.008-04:00

Our family had a pretty laid back holiday weekend. We are still catching up on our to-do list upon returning home from our 5-week stay in Nebraska. 4th of July is my absolute favorite holiday, and not just because I'm a military wife. I love the BBQs, fireworks, warm weather, and being able to celebrate our nation's birthday and what it stands for with friends and family.

We celebrated the 4th of July at a friend's house down the street. She was gracious enough to open up her home to us and a few other families. I made Happy Potatoes and a flag fruit pizza (I will share the recipes of both at the bottom of this blog post). The food, company, and all the fun made for a great celebration of our nation's birthday.

Here are a few pictures from our day of celebration:

Flag Fruit Pizza

Yummy Food

P-Man

All the men surrounding the grill

Recipes:

Flag Fruit Pizza:

Ingredients

1 (16 1/2 ounce) packages Pillsbury sugar cookie dough ( 1-2 packages. depends on how thick you want your crust to be, I use 2)
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese ( softened)
1 (8 ounce) containers Cool Whip ( thawed)
fresh fruit, any kind you may like ( i.e. kiwi, strawberries, grapes, oranges, bananas, etc.)

Directions

Cut sugar cookie dough into 1/4-inch thick pieces.
Lay it down on a greased pizza pan or rectangular pan.
Press dough till pressed together.
Bake in 350°F oven for 10 minutes or until brown.
Let it cool completely.
While baking your crust, get a large bowl and mix together sugar,vanilla,and cream cheese.
Fold in Cool Whip.
Spread mixture onto baked crust (that is completely cooled.) When spread on, cut up your fresh fruit and place onto your pizza.
Then put in refrigerator for an hour to chill.
Then your ready to eat and enjoy.
Another great and fun way to make this is using the rectangular pan is to use blueberries and strawberries to make an American flag.
Use the blueberries as stars and strawberries and raspberries as stripes.

Happy Potatoes:

Ingredients

1 bag of frozen hashbrowns
1 can of cream of celery
1 8oz container of sour cream
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese or american cheese
2 cups of Cornflakes or Frosted Flakes (for an added sugar taste)
1 stick of butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Line 9 x 13 pan with frozen hashbrowns
Mix cream of celery, sour cream, and cheese in a small-medium sized mixing bowl
Pour over potatoes and mix in a little
Sprinkle Cornflakes or Frosted Flakes
Pour melted butter over top
Bake 30 minutes covered, and then another 30 minutes uncovered for a total of 60 minutes

Birth: Putting Things Into Perspective

2011-07-06T09:18:00.010-04:00

A Mother's Power To Birth

by Lisa

I have given birth at home twice. The hospital birth of my first son was a parade of intervention after intervention, which led to a much longer and more painful recovery than is necessary in a normal birth. Going into the hospital changed my birth from a perfectly healthy, natural occurrence into a medical situation in which my body was assumed to be incapable of birthing on its own. I knew then that it wasn't right, but I didn’t know of any other way. I didn’t realize that women had choices! When I got pregnant for the second time, my plan was to birth with a midwife in a birth center, but I soon learned that Dayton doesn't have any freestanding birth centers. Home birth wasn't even an option in my mind at first. It took much reading for me to even entertain the idea, and then when it started sounding less crazy and more interesting, I was sure that I'd have to have a midwife there directing the entire process. But when I began researching midwives to do home births, I found that there were very few to choose from in my area, that there were some serious cliques and politics involved in the small underground group, that they each charged a hefty fee (which would be out of pocket, since Tricare insurance won’t touch home birth), and that they would be opening themselves to liability with the state of Ohio, which has no laws protecting midwives. As I researched home birth more I learned about unassisted childbirth (freebirthing) and that some people forgo the midwife altogether! I became really confident in my ability to have the baby with no medical assistance, although I thought it would be nice to have someone around that had done this before. I was able to find a couple of women that attend home births for no charge, since they couldn’t guarantee their presence at the birth due to full schedules, and they didn’t have any emergency equipment beyond herbs and homeopathy and some emergency experience. They were basically available to people who didn’t mind “doing it on their own” if it came to that. They were knowledgeable and kind, and exactly what I was looking for in terms of a very hands-off approach to birth.

My beautiful daughter was born at home with these women after an exciting, painful, and empowering 9 hour labor. I carried her for 42.5 weeks, and you better believe I was getting antsy and just about as uncomfortable as humanly possible! But she came at the perfect time. Natural, spontaneous labor was completely different than the induced labor I had experienced in the hospital, and while it was painful, it was also completely doable. The pain was a different kind of pain – it had a definite beginning and end, with the end of each contraction releasing an amazing cocktail of chemicals that completely relaxed and encouraged me. Being in my home, in my bed with my own clothes, and with only the people around that I chose, gave me the freedom to do and sound like whatever I wanted. I truly can’t imagine being able to feel the same authority to experience labor as loud or as quiet, as naked or as dressed, or as up or as down as I needed to if I were in a hospital setting. I know that women do have natural births in hospitals, and I have great respect for them, because I think that it’s much harder than birthing naturally at home. I needed the complete comfort and security that my home offered in order to focus in the way that I needed to birth the baby. After this awesome experience, I knew I could never birth away from home again!

I was due with my third child on November 9th, and even though my other two children had carried very late I thought that this one would come sooner. I felt so much more "pre-labor" than I ever did before, and I was sure that that meant I would be having the baby on time, if not early. A week or two before I was due I had a strong contraction that hit me while I was making breakfast. It rendered me frozen in place, seemed to lessen on occasion to allow me to change position, pour a glass of milk for the kids, sit on the couch, and then it started up again. It never completely went away during that time, and it was very painful, lasting for close to an hour before subsiding all together. I was so excited - I was sure labor was starting. I had never had contractions without being in labor before. But after that hour it was over, and contractions didn't pick up again for about two more weeks. Once they did they were painless tightening sensations that came and went whenever they pleased, keeping to no rhythm whatsoever. Two weeks of those erratic contractions were making me crazy, and since my mom was only in town for a few weeks we were all growing concerned that she would miss the birth. During the pregnancy I was told a few times that the baby was posterior, so I can only guess that my two weeks of painless contractions were simply getting the baby into a better position for labor to actually start and go smoothly.

At 41 weeks I began losing my mucous plug, which I thought was a sign that labor would be starting very soon, as it had with Melody's labor. But, to my great disappointment, I lost little bits of it for another week before anything happened. I tried to keep reminding myself that my body worked - it had birthed before and it would do it again. God's timing was perfect, and He was in control. But birth is such a crazy, miraculous thing that I'll never be able to fully grasp, and it was hard to let go and completely surrender no matter how hard I tried. I was very impatient, and not only did I not want to be pregnant anymore, but I wanted the baby to come so that I could be assured, once again, that it would all work out and my body really did know what it was doing.

On Tuesday, November 23rd, I was at Chick-Fil-A with the kids for a playgroup with our Le Leche League friends. At about 11 am I had another very painful contraction that grabbed a hold of me and didn't let go for a number of minutes. I had stood up to go to the bathroom and was frozen in place. I started to panic inside, because I was in so much pain and I thought it may be because I had to empty my bladder, but I knew that there was no way I could make it to the bathroom. After a few minutes it lessened, but it didn't release completely for a while longer. For the rest of the day I had the same painless contractions I had been having before, however this time they were regular. They stayed around 10 minutes apart all day long. But by midnight when they hadn't amounted to anything else, I went to be disappointed. I was now 42 weeks and 2 days pregnant.

At 1:15 am I awoke to a strong, painful contraction. More contractions followed and remained painful and 5 minutes apart for the next 25 minutes, so I then called my friend. I still wasn't sure if this was the real deal, since I had been let down so much before. But they were strong and regular, so I told her she could come over now. Dominic, my mom, and my older sister were here with me. My friend arrived and called a couple of other friends to join us. I spent the next couple of hours on my bed, moaning and swaying with my pillow. I tried to escape the contractions, but I couldn't. In my labor with Melody I vocalized the entire 9 hours. I yelled "ooooh" with every contraction. It seemed to help me cope - it was like I was yelling at my contractions, keeping them in check. At the end, during transition, vocalizing was all I could do to keep from feeling like I was just going to fall apart. This time, though, vocalizing didn't help much at all. I tried it a bit, but it seemed to almost annoy me more than anything else, so I stopped. When I stopped Dominic was worried that the contractions had lessened, but they definitely hadn't! With each contraction I remember rocking or swaying my head from side to side with my eyes closed, trying to run away in my mind. I held my pillow, and sometimes laid on it, but I didn't get off of my bed the entire time. My friends and family came upstairs to check on my occasionally, but mostly stayed downstairs. I was so tired, and that made the whole thing harder because I just wanted to go to sleep. I wanted to push the pause button and rest! At one point my friend, Dominic, my mom and sister were all in the room with me, and my friend was talking about something to them while I was having a contraction. I yelled at them to "Be quiet!!" And then I mumbled "just when I'm having a contraction...” I had to focus only on my body, and outside noise was adding stress. The contractions were getting slightly more intense and I was feeling a lot of pressure. I remember thinking that my water was going to break at any second because the pressure was so strong, and I felt a little fear at the understanding that there was nothing I could do to stop it. It was happening and I was completely out of control.

Around 4 am a friend and Dominic were in the room with me, and my friend suggested that I try to go pee. I did NOT want to get up! Dominic asked if he could go downstairs and get a snack (he hadn't left my side the whole time), and we said yes, so he did. All of a sudden I had a third strong contraction that didn't come and go like normal - it was sharp and didn't let up. I was standing by my bed frozen in pain; I felt stuck again. The baby was also moving during the contraction, which is something I'd never felt before and something I never want to feel again! His movement brought a whole new element of pain to the contraction. I was standing by the bed, whining at my friend that I couldn't move, and I didn't know what to do! It lessened after a few minutes and I made my way to the toilet. I can't remember if I peed or not, but I quickly had another contraction and my body started pushing. Not me, my body. It is so strange to have your body do something that you can't control. With that push my water broke and I yelled out in fear and excitement. It sort of exploded, just like it had with Melody. I knew the baby would be out any minute. Dominic says he heard me yell and ran upstairs, never getting to eat his rice! Everyone else ran upstairs, too, and grabbed all the cameras and met me in the bathroom. Luckily we have a big bathroom! Altogether there were 7 of us in there. My friend said that the water was clear, but later told me that there was meconium in the water but she had said it was clear so as not to worry me. I began to panic - the baby was coming, and I knew there was no way I could get off of the toilet in time! I was sure I'd push the baby out in to the toilet and then we'd have to get it out somehow, but I didn't know how! Watching the video I looked fairly calm, but inside I remember distinctly panicking about having the baby in the toilet. My mom asked me if I wanted to get up and I told her to "carry me". Ha! I'm 10 months pregnant, but please just lift me up and carry me to the bed! I put all my weight on her and my friend, and they did their best to lift me to a standing position in front of the toilet. I felt the next contraction, I felt my body pushing and I felt the baby coming down. Even though Melody's birth was un-medicated, I don't remember feeling the same sensations that I felt this time. I could feel him coming down the canal - I remember feeling his nose inside me. The only words I uttered were "Baby. Baby." This was my warning to Dominic to catch the baby! I felt him emerge, his head and then after just a moment the rest of him shot out. It was all in one contraction. And he really did shoot out - just like Melody. Apparently that's how I have them. And to think, I pushed Julian for an hour in the hospital! Dominic had to move fast to catch him, and because of my position he almost hit the back of the toilet! Dominic is a pro baby catcher now :) It was 4:14 am.

After I knew the baby was out I think I said something like "Thank God". The whole time I was in so much pain, I was so tired, and I was sure I couldn't do it. It is the highest mountain I will ever climb. It is the most terrifying and exciting thing anyone can ever go through. And I knew I couldn’t do it. Most women either catch their babies themselves or quickly take them and hold them. I didn't with Melody, and I didn't with Adrian. Both times I didn't even look at them for a few moments; I was too busy sort of regrouping myself. I had both of them standing up, so I stayed in my position and cried for a moment. I was so overwhelmed with relief and amazement that I couldn't even look yet. Adrian started crying soon and cried a LOT. Melody had been so peaceful, but this one was angry! I finally sat down and Dominic sort of weaved the cord through my legs so I could hold him. He looked just like Julian. I looked and saw that he was a boy (I had told no one to say the gender until I saw for myself). I felt very good. Very healthy and alert. Not in much pain. I sat on the toilet and held him for a long time. After about 5 or 10 minutes my body started pushing with another contraction and I knew that the placenta was coming, so my friend quickly lifted the toilet seat and put in the sitz bath so I could push it out right into there. Very convenient!

After a little while they helped me walk back to the bed and laid there for the next couple of hours with Adrian (whose name we hadn't decided on yet). My mom cut his very long cord after it had turned completely white and stopped pulsing.
I am so grateful to have gotten to experience 2 wonderful home births. Home birth is the right option for me. I know it isn't the right option for every woman, but I do wish that if nothing else I could just encourage other women to have faith in their bodies. To trust their inherent ability to birth. I am here to tell you that your body is not a lemon. We are perfectly designed, and the many emergencies that arise in the hospitals are more often than not caused by hospital interventions. When left alone, birth is almost always uneventful. Just the way it should be ;)

I'll end this with the inscription I included in Adrian's birth announcements. I did not write it, but I love it:

Adrian Scot Gorski was born

without technology or instruments

with no assistance, by his mother's own power

in utter peace, in his own home

surrounded by love, safety, and warmth.

His entrance into the world

a testament

to the complete rightness of

birth in its purest form.

Feel free to stop by and follow Lisa's blog: Disorganized and Unconventional Ramblings

**Please let me know if you would like to share your birth experience and be apart of my blog series, "Birth: Putting Things Into Perspective" Feel free to contact me via email at 3menandalady06@gmail.com. This will not only give someone the opportunity to have a voice, but to educate someone on their options as a woman and mother.**

Traveling

2011-06-26T16:23:00.001-04:00

I'm blogging via cellphone from our Honda Odyssey. We are currently traveling home from Nebraska. I hope to get back.into blogging as soon as we're home and settled.

Flashback Friday (Father's Day Edition)

2011-06-17T10:51:00.008-04:00

My husband will be celebrating his fifth Father's Day on Sunday. He became a father on May 21, 2007, and then a daddy of two on March 19, 2010. It's definitely been an exciting ride, especially watching him grow as a daddy. There were definitely some difficult times we had to endure, especially during his year long tour to Osan AFB, South Korea. I can't imagine being away from my children for that long. Jess definitely showed his strength and determination by staying actively involved in our family while he was over 10,000 miles away.

I'm very blessed to have such an amazing man who plays such an active role in our family. Jess cooks (is very good, I might add), cleans, grocery shops, plays with the boys after he works a long eight hour day, so I can have a little break, fixes things around the house, and does the laundry. A true Mr. Mom! He has never complained to me once in any way, shape, or form when it comes to being active in our household. During his 6 months on swing shift (working 12 hour days for four weeks, and then 12 hour nights for four weeks), he never told me he was too tired to play with the boys, too tired to take us somewhere fun, too tired to help around the house, etc.

This Sunday, we get to celebrate father's everywhere, and thank them for an amazing job done! I thank the good Lord everyday for not only finding me an amazing hubby, but an amazing and hard working father as well. I love you so much, Jesse, and thank you for always being there for our family...even when you were 10,000 + miles away!

Winner of the 100 Follower Giveaway

2011-06-16T08:56:00.003-04:00

The winner of the 100 Follower Giveaway and a new owner of a pair of babylegs is...

lnevans said... 6

GFC follower as lnevans and I would love a pair for my little man!

Can you please contact me at 3menandalady06@gmail.com with your address please? Congratulations!!!!

Birth: Putting Things into Perspective

2011-06-14T14:15:00.006-04:00

Family Beginnings

By Lina

Although when I finally sat down to watch "The Business of Being Born" the movie had been removed, I think I beat "the system" and had just about the exact birth I wanted. On Tuesday at about 3am I woke up, partially because of a lightening storm and part for having my first contractions. I wandered edgily around the house, checking the weather channel in the dark and wondering if it were some sort of twisted premonition that maybe our child would be born on a tornado day or something. No, not so. Went back to sleep and had my first conscious contraction. Knew it right away - somehow had the presence of mind to count through it, and also imagined myself walking up a hill and back down (as contractions have peaks, and taper off... where I had [recently] read that, I know not). Guiltily called the midwife on Saby's urgings, and were told by a sleepy sounding Margie to chill at home and did, dutifully counting and timing contractions all morning and afternoon. Saby refused to go on a walk with me (which everyone was suggesting) because i think he imagined a birth on the corner down the block or something... so on his suggestion I did about 20 minutes of a yoga dvd and things really took off from there. I got in the shower under nice hot water, swayed back and forth, and he went downstairs to load the car and called the midwife, and she said we could come in and get checked... I don't think she thought we were very far along, because I was very calm and wasn't making a big deal about the pain. (thank you hypnobirthing and over-dosed pregnancy reading!!) We left for the hospital at 5 pm and when we got there, they checked me and I was 5 centimeters already :D So... we ordered dinner from MVH's awesome catering so we'd have something for later... I ate a few bites of chocolate mousse cake and some grapes, and me, Saby and my doula-friend Tabby all just sort of sat and chatted between contractions... I remember even saying to Tabby, as a contraction ended, that my mind flipped right back to whatever we were gossiping about! I was sitting on a birthing ball or leaning against it on the bed and swaying like a gypsy, which felt better than just standing or sitting. (the two Family Beginnings nurses were very complimentary of my lungi, saying it was just too comfy and convenient. for those who don't know, Lungis are the little "skirt" things that guys in Kerala wear. I was wearing one of Saby's.)

What I couldn't believe and had never read anybody else having was how much pressure and soreness was there in my legs... from the knee up towards my pelvis, that was so sore just generally and I had never expected that. At like 8:30 they checked me again and said I was 9.5 cm dilated and there was a little "lip of a cervix" in the front, so I should do somethings bending over to push the baby against it and then it would be time to push. Pretty quick after that I had an urge to push, which surprised me pleasantly, but not constantly or anything... they were filling up the tub and I was EXCITED to get in. At some point they said "do you mind if we have some students come in to watch? they've never seen a water birth or a natural birth..." So we had an audience but I didn't care, because I didn't open my eyes from about 9 o'clock onwards.

Holy crapoly... I got in, and it was like instant relief. I was making really corny jokes and floating around like a frog or turtle on my stomach, and the midwife and nurse came in and looked at me and said "you know, we tell people to do that and they won't... you're doing exactly the right thing." (yaaay! it felt good! why not!) floated around like that for awhile, and almost felt like I was wasting people's time... so after awhile contractions started coming back a bit more, and I tried pushing.

I asked Tabby to read to me from the Hypnobirthing book about pushing breathing, because it was never really covered in the class and I didn't feel like I was getting enough of a natural urge to know what to do. She read - like a heaven-sent book on tape - in the most beautiful calm voice ever, which provided me stress relief although not really any terribly specific information. I didn't want to get my body out of the beautiful pain-killing water, so I was pushing down between Saby's legs (he was seated on the side of the tub). It wasn't going really well, I think I pushed there for like an hour and a half or so. They wanted me to keep emptying my bladder, and I remember doing it a few times (was drinking lots of water) but apparently not enough. Speaking of water, they did break mine at some point - I couldn't really tell as it didn't hurt or anything, but I gave myself and little baby kudos after hearing the midwife say "ooh, nice clear water." (whoo hooo, no poop inside = non-stressed baby!)

The pushing did not seem like it was going anywhere - I was just trying to do whatever seemed the most natural and efficient to get the baby out at that point, but it was starting to really a.) hurt and b.) be discouraging. I think I got that time-warp sort of thing they talk about, because it seemed like every 5 minutes they were stopping me to check the baby's heart beat, which in turn also freaked me out, because I was afraid they were concerned about it and that was making me more nervous. It had been too high at the beginning (I was holding a warm rice bag to my abdomen for the cramps/contractions, and was throughly reprimanded by nurse Judy), and now it was getting down from there to 120 and all. Still definitely normal I guess, but the difference to me in my mind was shocking and disturbing. Everything seemed like it was going south, although all spectators and involved parties were still very upbeat and encouraging... "you're doing great" etc etc. Although it did suck - I can't think of a better way to describe it - whenever they'd ask me how I was doing, I would smile and give a thumbs up.

To me it seemed sudden, so - SUDDENLY, they said they wanted me to empty my bladder on the toilet. Getting out of the tub was an ordeal. I was pretty much naked - in a soaked tan sleep bra and nothing else - so they wrapped me in towels and blankets, put a pillow on the back of the industrial hospital toilet, and there I sat, dutifully trying my best to pee and, alternately, push. I think I was there with Tabby and Saby in the dark for about 15 minutes, asking for water, and I'm not sure if I ever did pee... but then they said to come to the bed. BUMMER! But bed sounded just a little better than toilet, so off we went... that 7 feet between the loo and the bed were tough. I somehow was heaved into the bed, onto my back, and my legs were neatly folded up so my bum was basically in the air. Then the counting began. How I had watched "Baby Story" and other Discovery Health shows, telling Saby how horrid and crappy that "push... c'mon, 1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9..and 10!" scene was for both baby and mom. I couldn't help thinking that if I was holding my breath, then BABY was holding it too... poor thing. And ever since pushing urges had started, all I could imagine was my entire ass turning inside out and spending the rest of my life as a giant hemorrhoid. THAT should have been on the Birth Affirmations CD that I listened too... other than "your cervix is pink and healthy" it should have said "You will push your baby into the world without sustaining any longterm damage to your undercarriage." By the time we were on the bed though, I was past caring... it was "Get Baby Out!" time. I pushed. I held my breath and pushed. I learned at that point that I was not holding my breath enough - I was still letting it out. So damnit, I PUSHED like a mutha.

My eyes were shut for this entire process. At one point, I had what I felt like was a very productive push, and suddenly everyone was gone. Everyone in my line of sight, that is. The nurse and midwife suddenly had run over to the other side of the room! I asked "what happened? Did the baby come out?" I was scared that it had, and something was wrong. But no... they were just getting supplies apparently. The student nurses were still holding my legs and saying sweet things to me. I think Saby had thrown himself under the bed at this point. Soon after I think she crowned, and they asked me to reach down and feel my baby.... it felt like a tomato, all wet and squishy through my distended lady parts, and when they asked me again as her head emerged to touch my baby, I apparently told them "no, I don't want to hurt her." (her? hmmmm). Although I'm sure the events of this paragraph must have taken like 5 minutes, they went by in a flash for me, and the midwife very sternly told me, 'Open your eyes and push that baby towards the ceiling!!" So I did, and suddenly: push, gush, splash, orgasmic squishy feeling of relief and release... and suddenly a very wet, warm, wiggly baby was on my abdomen.

My legs were still up in the air. They didn't come down for another 15 minutes or so, ahhhhhhhhh... but the nurses were still holding them, and best of all, I was holding my baby. Who was a SHE baby. Who was filled "with crap" (said the midwife, meaning lots of mucus) but who had a pretty face and wide, wide open eyes and a big round mouth. She looked at me and I looked at her, while they rubbed both of us down. I could feel the big thick umbilical cord still coming out from between my legs - bizzare-o!! - and attaching us... they were rubbing her back and trying to get her to cough, although she was making nice newborn sounds as far as I was concerned... I guess they wanted a nice lusty cry. It seemed too soon but they took her about 4 feet away to clean her up a bit... measure, wipe, warm, and all... and that's where she proceeded to protest by pooping 3 times on nurse Judy. Meanwhile I was having a fun time getting my abdomen manipulated and delivering the placenta... whooo hooo, what fun! Then came stitches - I had torn a little bit, but apparently not in the terribly predictable areas, so I got a double seam, lucky me. In retrospect, that was the most painful part of the ENTIRE proceedings, because I still had my damn legs in the air after what seemed like 20 full hours. (they had been hurting from about 2pm onwards... the actually having to hold them up and out was just the icing on the horrid cake). Although exhausted, and soon, FREEZING, I felt like a million bucks and was telling jokes and explaining to the nurses how we had called the baby Spampy. Saby was calling across the room to her, "Spampyyy... Spampy!" and her little arm flew up in the air, on the warmer, as if it say, "I'm here, Daddy!"

Off the Grid

2011-06-10T17:07:00.001-04:00

I'm going off the grid for a few days. Hubby arrives tonight and I'm super excited to see him. Then, we're heading out of town to our cabin on the lake for the weekend. Anywho, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and don't forget to enter my 100 Follower Giveaway!

100 FOLLOWER GIVEAWAY

It's All Apart of the Military Life

2011-06-08T09:37:00.007-04:00

Many of my real life friends know we have been contemplating getting out of the United States Air Force when Jesse's enlistment is up in Sept. 2012. Jesse and I have been going back and forth, weighing our pros and cons, and trying to figure out the best route to take for our family... do we stay or do we get out... do we stay or do we get out. It's been the biggest topic of conversation in our household, especially over the past two weeks. See, Jesse has been giving an opportunity to leave our Air Force base in Ohio 1.5 years early to become an instructor at an Air Force base in Texas. We just found out about his waiver yesterday. In order to do this, Jesse will have to re-enlist, and we have decided it's in the best interesest of our family to have Jesse retire out of the military (did those words come out of my mouth?). It's been a rough road for me trying to get used to all the nooks and crannies of the Air Force, in fact I've been the one pushing for Jesse to get out. I wasn't a fan of not knowing our future (I'm not a fan of change or instability), the constant changes in Jesse's schedule (deployments, and TDY's, being apart, etc), and being so far away from my parents and sister. After talking to a few of my close friends, they were able to open up my eyes to all the positive/benefits the military life has to offer. Not only are we surrounded by the continuous support of families going through similar situations, but the financial benefits are something you won't find in a normal everyday job. Yes, there will be more time apart for Jess, myself, and the kids, but the health care for life, access to AAFES, and a retirement check definitely outweighs those small bumps in the road.

Trying to predict your future in the military is like trying to gamble on a $200 million dollar lottery ticket...things are never set in stone, especially not until you have orders in hands, but even those can change at the last minute. Making the decision to stay in Ohio or head down to Texas is pretty much a gamble for us. We just want as much stability as we can get being in the military. Making our decision to PCS (permanent change of station) to Texas wasn't as difficult as we thought. With Jess being an instructor at Tech School (training in their specific career field after basic training), he won't deploy, and he will be teaching what he'll be tested on to make a higher rank... pretty much a win/win situation for us. The only downfall is being another 12 hours from my home state of Nebraska and being 23 hours from Jesse's home state of Virginia.

Jesse will be submitting his package to teach by the end of the week, and we should hear something soon. We're pretty positive we're heading down to the Lonestar state, but again it's up to Jesse's commanders at his current job to sign those papers... nothing is set in stone (another drawback of the military life). It has been fun dreaming over the past few days, especially looking at different houses and schools for W. I'm really excited about the possibility of this new chapter in our lives. It's so much fun exploring a new community and seeing another part of the United States, meeting new people, gaining new friends, and still continuing to have the wonderful support of our United States Air Force and the families involved.

**Don't forget to enter my 100 Follower Giveaway**

top ten Tuesday

2011-06-07T10:19:00.004-04:00

To go along with my 100 Follower Giveaway... I decided to list my top ten reasons why you should host a blog giveaway. I'm linking up with Oh, Amanda and her "top ten Tuesday" blog hop.

Giveaways are a wonderful opportunity to say "thank you" to your readers.
Giveaways help spread the word about your blog, especially when you have a low number of readers.
Giveaways give you the opportunity to try something new.
You want your lurkers to come out and finally comment.
You have sponsors who are willing to donate an item for review/and or a giveaway.
Giveaways help you gain said sponsorship
Giveaways give you the opportunity to network outside your blog.
You gain more blog traffic.
Giveaways help spread awareness about the sponsored item.
It's fun!

**Feel free to enter my 100 Follower Giveaway**

100 Follower Giveaway

2011-06-07T09:38:00.006-04:00

***CLOSED***

GIVEAWAY!

Yesterday was an exciting day...I finally hit 100 followers on my blog. I also thought it would be the perfect time to sponsor my first giveaway, just one of the ways I can say thank you to all my readers.

I've been going back and forth deciding on a perfect giveaway item, and wanted something popular that wouldn't break the bank. So, I decided to giveaway one pair of BabyLegs to the winner. Not only are BabyLegs fashionable, but can be beneficial to both you and baby... they simplify diaper changes... protect crawling knees... makes potty training easy, etc. We are a huge fan of BabyLegs in our home, with P-man owning quite a few pairs, and even W has worn a pair (the football ones are his favorite).

THE RULES: Leave one comment and email address for each entry (i.e. blogging about this giveaway you would leave 3 separate comments because this is worth 3 entries).

This Giveaway is only open to US residents. It will end on June 15 @ 11:59 EST. If I receive any entries past the above listed time, they will be removed, and not be counted. A winner will then be drawn via Random.org and will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to respond. If the winner fails to do so within the 48 hour time frame, a new winner will be selected.

MANDATORY ENTRIES:
You must follow 3 Men and a Lady publicly via Google Friend Connect and leave a comment telling me if your BabyLegs would be for a boy or a girl. (1 Entry)

"Like" 3 Men and a Lady on Facebook (1 Entry)

BONUS ENTRIES:
Follow 3 Men and a Lady publicly via Network Blogs (1 Entry)

Subscribe to 3 Men and a Lady via email (1 Entry)

Blog about this giveaway and link back (3 Entries)

***This review comes directly from my own personal experiences. My opinion is that of my own, and was not at all influenced by BabyLegs. I was not paid or compensated in any form for this giveaway. The BabyLegs will be purchased by me for the giveaway winner.***

Birth: Putting Things Into Perspective

2011-06-06T13:46:00.010-04:00

My Homebirth Story

by Carrie

I’m mostly a “modern” kind of girl. I met my hubby on eHarmony, I keep my iPhone on my person at all times, and I have been known to whiten my teeth from time to time. I like all the interesting advantages that technology affords me. So why, you might ask, when I peed on that stick and got the happy tidings of an impending infant, did I immediately begin researching midwives for an all-natural old-fashioned home birth? Honestly, the reasons are simple. I’m not a fan of hospitals, particularly in a situation where I’m not ill. I have a “don’t fix what ain’t broke” kind of philosophy when it comes to the process of labor. My disclaimer—of course—is that hospitals do have an important place for emergency or high-risk situations. But a hospital birth was not what I wanted.

My reading of natural childbirth information taught me that the routine interventions of a hospital labor & delivery are often themselves the cause of issues. I won’t go into a soapbox lecture about the pitocin-riddled overly-litigious mess that is current obstetric practice, but I will just say that I am so grateful that midwifery care is still alive and well in my area of the United States. I only wish that it were more available elsewhere. For those who aren’t familiar with the research, in a low risk pregnancy, home birth with qualified/trained caregivers is as safe as hospital birth for both mother and baby. Knowing this, I was very happy to take bumbling interns, grumpy nurses, intercom pages, IV needles and super-germs out of the equation and enjoy the comfort of my own home while going through labor. I could eat what I wanted, drink what I wanted, and move around with complete freedom.

After interviewing three different midwifery services, my husband and I agreed that Catherine and her associates would be the best fit for us. My pregnancy was a tough one. At about 20 weeks I began to experience the excruciating pain of symphasis pubis dysfunction (basically my hip and pubic bones began to grind together) which only got worse as my baby grew inside me. The smallest of movements were almost unbearable. I had to mentally prepare myself to swing my legs out of bed or maneuver myself out of the car every day. My monthly midwife visits with Catherine were so encouraging. I got the kind of care that every pregnant woman deserves: long chatty prenatal appointments, no wait time, full access to a qualified professional and a wonderfully experienced caregiver.

Fast forward to 40 weeks + 6 days. At last, I woke up to REAL contractions at 4:30am. I attempted to return to sleep, as I knew that first pregnancies take an average of 20 hours of labor before birth. But the contractions were just annoying enough that I could not get back to dreamland. I got up and took a shower and then found an iPhone app that helped me to time my contractions. Eventually I awakened my husband to tell him “today’s the day!”. I was vastly amused to watch him charge into action. He vacuumed the house, set up the birth tub, raised the temperature on our water heater, and then asked me what else he could do. I put him in charge of music and food.

The day kind of floated by in 5 minute intervals. The contractions weren’t killer, just exhausting. They gained in strength gradually, so by midday I needed to concentrate through them. Before that point, I mixed up a box of funfetti cake mix and popped it in to the oven for a Birth Day treat. The midwives arrived at noon and assessed me at about 4 centimeters dilated. They made themselves comfy on our couch with snacks and crossword puzzles. I labored however and wherever I wanted…and where I wanted was the TOILET. Yes, I spent hours in the bathroom with the lights off, breathing and mooing and chanting “down down down” to encourage my baby’s descent. Catherine listened to the baby’s heartbeat every half hour or so using a Doppler. I got into the birth tub and loved it for an hour. Then I hated it. I felt light-headed (as I often do when I hot tub or take long baths). I got out of the tub and returned to my old friend the toilet. My husband perched his bony tailbone on the edge of the bathtub and stayed with me as my resolve began to falter. “I don’t think I can do this,” I whispered to him at one point. “Um, you ARE doing it” he replied. I was seriously doubting him so I summoned the ever-helpful Catherine to check my dilation again. 9 with a lip of cervix! With my permission she broke my water.

I pushed for almost an hour. I moved around the house to try and find an effective position. Turns out that the living room was where Merit would emerge into this world. So many people and books had talked about the “ring of fire” that accompanies the baby’s crowning, but I never experienced it. My baby basically popped out, which caused my nether regions quite a bit of damage. She weighed in at 9 pounds 8 ounces, hearty and strong. I was a bit of a wreck however; there was a lot of blood on the chux pads beneath me. My husband was not given the opportunity to cut the umbilical cord; it was snipped and clamped in an instant and I had a faint idea that perhaps there might be something awry.

Here’s where the “experienced birth professional” part of home birth comes in quite handy. My brisk but gentle midwives assisted me to my bed, stitched up my extensive tears, administered an injection to slow my bleeding, and helped me to feed my baby for the very first time. Catherine and her team made sure that I ate, peed, and was completely stable before they left. They assessed the placenta, typed my baby’s blood, performed her APGAR scores, weighed her --and she was never more than two feet from my side. Not only did my midwives take care of my medical needs, they departed my house leaving it spotless. The next day I had a checkup visit at home, when I received my rhogam shot and got to ask all kinds of questions about baby care and my birth experience. I felt so cherished and safe and special.

My daughter’s home birth was an absolutely life-changing experience. That day of labor will forever be embedded in my identity as the day I entered motherhood. I will absolutely choose home birth with all of my future low-risk pregnancies.

Merit Claire turned one last week, and we celebrated with funfetti cake and lots of balloons. She walks and signs and has a double-dimpled smile that delights my heart.
**Please let me know if you would like to share your birth experience and be apart of my blog series, "Birth: Putting Things Into Perspective" Feel free to contact me via email at 3menandalady06@gmail.com. This will not only give someone the opportunity to have a voice, but to educate someone on their options as a woman and mother.**

Mom Blog Monday Blog Hop

2011-06-05T21:47:00.002-04:00

Are you a Mommy blogger? Do you blog about your kids? Do you blog about great things for Mommies? Do you wanna meet other Mom Bloggers?

Click on the button listed above to get more information.

Where the Magic Never Ends

2011-06-05T09:53:00.007-04:00

Last night I was given the opportunity to return to a summer camp where I had worked for five years (2000-2005) and was a camper for six years (1994-1999). As soon as I entered the main gate, I was flooded with old memories. Not only memories of when I worked on staff, but my camper days as well. The smell... the fresh smell...the nature smell... the smell of camp... it's still the same... it hasn't changed.

As a camper, I remember waiting in the long car line...waiting for the gates to open...waiting for my first camp experience...waiting for my life to change forever...and it did!

In Elementary school, I really didn't have a ton of friends, in fact, most of the friends I did have were on the lower end of the "popularity totem pole". I was always the nice one... bringing in candy to give to the popular kids, so maybe just once I could sit at the popular table...always reaching out to help, etc. Well, doing that always made me an easy target to get picked on. I yearned for a place where I could "start over", be myself without being judged, and be able to express myself in a way that wouldn't be a target for bullies. That place was YMCA Camp Kitaki.

I can remember my first week as a camper like it was yesterday... I remember my cabinmates, my counselor (she broke me out of my shell and made a huge impact on my life), my cabin (Potawatomi), the clubs I was involved in (Great Lakes and Silver Spurs), and even my very first vespers... the story and the song (Return to Innocence by Enigma). That week gave me a chance to meet new friends, friends who had no idea of my popularity rank at school, friends who worked together as a team, and friends who never once judged one another. Camp was my home away from home, and called it home during the summer for the next 10 years!

Knowing what a huge impact some of my counselors (Jill, Meggo, Kel, Zog, Heather, and Mike) made in my life, I knew I wanted to "pay it forward" and start making a difference in the lives of children just like the many counselors before had made a difference in my life. I joined the YMCA Camp Kitaki Super Staff in the summer of 2000 and continued for the next five summers. I was a cabin counselor, lifeguard, wrangler, and unit director). I watched many campers come and go, many of them returning summer after summer, campers who were once quiet at the beginning of camp to being rowdy and enthusiastic by the end, and campers who made a difference in my life. Having the opportunity to work with such variety of kids has really shaped me into the mother I am today!

Last night I was given the opportunity to share what I just shared with you all to this year's YMCA Camp Kitaki Super Staff. Some of them returning, but many of them getting ready to experience their first summer. As I looked up into the crowed of staff, I recognized quite a few faces... some of them were my campers. They joined staff for the exact same reasons I did.

As I was getting ready to leave, a few of my "campers" came up to me to give me a hug. One of them looked extremely familiar, but I just couldn't remember her name (I really feel bad about that). She told me, "I'm not sure if you remember me or not, but I was one of your campers. I want to thank you for making a difference in my life. I have never forgotten you". Those words meant so much to me. I achieved something I set out to do during those years on staff, which was to make a difference and an impact on the lives of my campers. It's such a wonderful feeling knowing they will have the opportunity this summer to "pay it forward"...just like I did.

YMCA Camp Kitaki Super Staff 2011

Wednesday Blog Hop

2011-06-01T11:21:00.002-04:00

I'm always trying to find ways to increase my readers, so I decided to link up with Take It From Me, Little Guess Family, and Nine-Ninety-One's "Welcome Wednesday" blog hop. Definitely head on over and check out these great blogs. :) Oh, and link up too, it's super easy, and it adds more fun blogs to put on your reading list (the added followers is nice too).

Birth: Putting Things Into Perspective

2011-06-01T11:02:00.007-04:00

No Time To Prepare: A Fast and Natural Labor and Delivery

By: Amanda

I'm Amanda. Mom of three. I have a 9 year old girl, a 6.5 year old boy and a 15 month old son. I'm sharing the story of our youngest's birth. A fast natural hospital birth.

My due date with Nolan was February 14,2010. Typically I deliver about a week before so we felt he would probably go the same way. On Friday February 9,2010 I had a regular weekly doctor appointment with my OB. This was also the first time she was going to 'check' me. Everything looked great and I just KNEW I would be 3-4cm. At this point (39 weeks) with my first son, I was checked at 39 weeks and I was 4cm..he was born the next morning.

But nope. Not this time. I was 0 cm, high and not effaced at all. Talk about a major let down! I knew it would be another week before I saw her, and judging from the fact that I was not in any type of early labor I felt I would probably be pregnant until my due date or longer. The weekend went on and I looked forward to my weekly appointment the following Wednesday. Saturday February 10,2010 night rolled around and I felt so awful. I cried at my swollen feet and the fact that this was the longest I had ever been pregnant. My husband left for work at 8pm like he always does that night and I settled in with the laptop and my giant baby belly. I'm a night owl by nature, even pregnant so the night rolled on and I just felt awful. So tired, my head hurt so I tried to lay down around 1am. But my back hurt, the baby was so active, I had heartburn...sleep was just not happening. I decided to get up and eat hoping maybe he would settle down and I could sleep. Around 3:30am things changed. I knew my husband was on his break at work during that time so I called him and told him how bad I felt. He listened sweetly, telling me how sorry he was and that the baby would be here soon and I would not be miserable anymore. I laid down and don't remember sleeping much, just dozing in and out of consciousness with my back still sore (sciatica all 9 months...I did not think much of it) Then almost as if someone had smacked me I woke up at 6am on the dot very very sick. I have never been so sick in my life. I guess my body knew it was happening. I began having light braxton hicks that very quickly moved to real contractions. But they were so erratic. I would have two sets that were 5 minutes apart, and then not have another for 12 minutes, and then I would have one 3 minutes later, but then not again for 14 minutes. At a little before 7am I decided this was probably it, but felt silly going because they tell you to wait until the contractions are regular (I had no bloody show, my water had not broke or anything) I called and he arrived minutes later (he worked down the road from our house) we arrived at the hospital at 7:11am.

At this point my erratic contractions had become constant, and never ending. As soon as one would ease off I would feel another starting. As we walked into the hospital I began to feel a huge amount of pressure which was so alarming! In my mind (partly in denial I'm sure) I was still thinking they would say I was 5-6cm. We arrived at Labor and Delivery. It was still dark outside and there were actually no mothers in the ward that morning, no crying baby's anywhere. I changed and the nurse came in to check me. I had to ask her to stop many times so I could focus on the contraction. Finally she checked and looked at me very seriously. She climbed onto the bed with me, literally holding my son back. I asked her if I was dilated any, and she said she was holding my bag of water. Wow! My poor husband was probably about to faint, he was nervous enough. There was no doctor on call since there were no mother's birthing the night before. The nurse that checked me rode on the bed while the other quickly wheeled us into a labor and delivery room. I was quickly asked to get on the bed and I needed to push so bad. Being told that you cannot push when you so badly need to was the worst. The urge was just overwhelming. The second nurse is still frantically paging Dr. Turner who was at her home. Only a few minutes have passed at this point but it seemed like a lifetime. Breath, breath, don't push, contract, breath. Finally, I just could not control it. I knew he was coming and the nurse did too. My husband asked what was happening and she yelled for sterile towels. The second nurse ran in still asking me not to push. But I did. In one push my 6lbs 12 oz little boy was born into the world. He was born at 7:33am on February 11,2010. Just 22 minutes after we arrived at the hospital. Several minutes later my doctor walked into the room. She shook her head and laughed saying, "You told me you labor fast. I should have listened to you Friday!" There was no time for any prep work. No IV. It was just my husband and I,with the two nurses. It was a chaotic and unexpected birth but it was perfect. You can have an idea in your head of what you want a birth to be like, but it's one of the things in life that we truly have no control over!

top ten Tuesday

2011-05-31T10:28:00.004-04:00

Summer is "unofficially" here, so why not have a fun list of games and activities to do with the entire family? I decided to link up with Oh, Amanda and start doing my own "top ten Tuesday".
Top Ten Family Summer Games & Activities

Drip, Drip, Drop: It's just like "Duck, Duck, Goose", but you use a pitcher of water in stead of hands. You drip a little bit of water each time you say, "drip", and then when you're ready to "tag", you "drop" the entire pitcher over the person "it".
Water Balloon Toss: Fill up some water Balloons and toss them back and forth, starting close up, and then taking a step back each time a new catch is made.
Nature Walk/Scavenger Hunt: Make a fun list with various things having to do with nature (ie. Cardinal, Blue Jay, Worm, Spider Web, etc), go on a walk, and check things off the list... tons of fun and doesn't cost a dime!
Outdoor Movie Night: Now, this is an awesome idea, especially if you have the equipment needed (you can even rent for around $80 for the weekend). You need to hang a white sheet or use a pull down screen (or if you have a white house, even better), a projector, DVD player compatible with said projector, movie, and popcorn. Not only is this fun for the entire family, but it can be a great way to meet neighbors (maybe they can help chip in on the rental fee).
Sidewalk Chalk and Paint: Very fun, and very inexpensive. I can spend a huge part of my day drawling with sidewalk chalk with my boys... hop scotch anyone?!
Ice Cream Social: Invite your friends over for a fun treat to cool everyone down from the hot and humid summer. You can supply the ice cream, and everyone can bring their favorite topping.
Tie Dye: I know my boys have quite a few white shirts with stains I just can't get out... so, why not get a few gallon buckets, buy some tie dye, and tie dye shirts?! You can have the kids help with the "design" by telling you where to place the rubber bands, and then tie dye away. They will get a kick out of what the created once the t-shirt dries. You can even do this with white socks, underwear, etc. If it's white, it will dye. :)
Water Sprinkler Limbo: Grab and old broom stick, turn on the sprinklers, fun summertime music, and Limbo!
Homemade Bubble Fun: Mix 1/4 cup of dishwashing liquid, 2 cups of water, and 1 teaspoon of Sugar. Pour the mixture into a shallow container and have bubble blowing fun! You can use normal every day items to make your bubbles like rings from a 6-pack of pop, plastic cups with holes punched through the bottom, or plastic funnels.
Lemonade Stand: This is always a fun one! You can find free lemonade stand printables to place on the stand like this one: Free Lemonade Stand Printable . You can either create your own homemade lemonade or use store bought, even fresh cookies are an added plus. Not only will everyone have fun creating their stand, but will help your children learn about money, math, and costumer service.

Summer Tradition

2011-05-31T09:40:00.013-04:00

The boys and I spent the Memorial Holiday weekend with my parents, sister, friends, and grandparents at our cabin on the lake. My grandparents have owned their cabin since the 1970's, so we've been spending major summer holidays and weekends since I was born. It's neat being able to do this now with my own children. W was only a week old the first time he visited the cabin, and P-man was 4 months old.

It was quite chilly the first day we were there with low hanging clouds and rain. We even splashed the jetski and I rode it to our cabin with the cold wind and rain pelting my face. However, I tried not to think about it, and just enjoy my time on the open water. The boys played with toys inside the cabin that had once belonged to my mom and her brothers, and watched P-man go from room to room. One of my best friend's from college drove out, so having her out there made for a fun afternoon, despite the nasty weather.

Right around mid-afternoon, the sun decided to make it's first appearance, so we got the boys into their swim trunks to enjoy the weather...it warmed up too... about 10 degrees when the sun came out. It was so enjoyable watching my little fish splash around in the water...W even got it all the way. P-man had a blast too... he would only put his toes in, and then waves would come in and scare him (he's my delicate child).

We ended the day with a delicious Ham with Happy Potatoes, my mom's famous pasta salad, and baked beans. Even my picky eater ate up all the ham, which really surprised a majority of us. I'm glad I finally found a second source of protein he enjoys, with Nutella being the first. We ended the evening playing Skip Bo.

Monday was gorgeous temperature and sunny wise, however the wind was horrid at 20-30 mph with gusts reaching 40mph. Needless to say we didn't get much jet skiing in that morning, because the wind was so awful it was throwing dust, sand, and bugs into our eyes. Poor W was waiting all weekend to get his first jet ski ride of the year, but it just wasn't safe. P-man wasn't a fan of the wind either, and spent a majority of his Memorial Day inside.

The wind still didn't stop W, nor the rest of us. While P-man napped (which turned into a 3.5 hour one), my mom, sister, friend Jill, and William soaked up some sun and swam in the lake. Of course, I didn't wear any sunscreen. I tell myself this every year, "I don't need sunscreen, I never burn"...and every time...I burn...oh well!

We finished the weekend with burgers on the grill and some "see ya later's" to my grandparents. We will be seeing them again a in a few weeks for a family reunion. All and all in was a great weekend...it would have been perfect if Jess was here with us. I sure miss him... less than two weeks until he gets here.

During all the fun we had, we did take a moment and reflect on the true meaning of Memorial Day...to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrafice fighting for this great country of ours and to thank our men and women in uniform... especially to my husband who has been active duty serving in the United States Air Force for almost 11 years now... my Uncle Richard, retired Chief Master Sergeant with the Air National Guard... and my Grandfather, retired Lt. Col with the United States Army. God Bless the good 'ole U.S. of A!

Thursday Ten

2011-05-27T00:05:00.007-04:00

I really want to play my tiny violin for a second....okay maybe not a second, but for many seconds...

...**warning, do not read the following if you don't want to hear me complain**...

... I'm giving you one last warning...

....Here are ten things that are seriously annoying me right now:

If you are looking for something on craigslist and interested, don't email once, make an offer, and not reply back after making said offer... you either want to buy my jogging stroller and car seat base, or you don't! Stop wasting my time!
Stupid Urgent Care center closing at 8pm, but wait a minute... the door says you all close at 8, but then the receptionist rudely tells me, "I'm sorry, you'll have to leave, we take the last patient at 7:30"... well, then maybe you should change your sign on the door to 8am-7:30pm... oh, and why did you ask me why I needed to be seen before you told me you wouldn't see me!?
Not having my hubby here, I miss him so much!
How hard is it to text back?!
My ankle... it's been bothering me for almost 4 weeks now, and currently it's the size of a golf ball. I seriously have no clue where my ankle went to (hence the reason for the urgent care visit).
Not having a car while staying with my parents. I hate asking to borrow their car, but I'm going through serious cabin fever. Thank the good Lord for amazing weather so I can take the boys on long walks and trips to the park.
Have I mentioned my ankle?!
Allergies... wow, I honestly thought my allergies would improve once I left the #1 city for severe allergies and sickness... I was wrong!
Boob sweat, 'nough said!
Having out of control hair due to the Nebraska humidity.

Okay, it really wasn't that bad, right!? Sometimes I just have to write things down to feel better, and honestly, I actually do feel better. Now that I've gotten all of that off my chest, what are some of the things that are annoying you right now!?

Pssst...I wrote this post at 30 to midnight, can you tell that I'm just a wee bit tired and cranky?

Change: Sometimes It Can Be Unwelcoming

2011-05-26T09:49:00.006-04:00

One thing I dislike about getting older is how many things change...your body...your appearance...your energy level...your patience...friendships/relationships, etc. Being back in my home state of Nebraska has definitely made me stop and think about how things are just not the same anymore. My old room is now a room for my two boys. Instead of walking in and seeing a full sized bed with a purple comforter on it, a desk filled with college homework and a computer, and a dresser with old memories... I now walk into to the same room where two twin beds are placed to make room for two sweet little boys. Closets are filled with old clothes I used to wear or I guess I should say, used to fit. Pictures and old high school and college memories are stored away in old shoe boxes. High School Yearbooks are covered in dust (I've now been out of high school for 11 years... yikes). Where has the time gone?!?!

Another thing I have come to realize is how friendships change. Coming home, not only do I have the excitement of seeing my family, but being able to catch up with old friends. Now, not many of you realize this, but I'm horrible about keeping in touch. My days are filled with keeping my boys entertained, keeping up with the housework and laundry, and honestly by the end of the day I'm ready to relax with my husband, or have some "me" time. Now, I know that sounds selfish, and I need to be better and making phone calls, emails, texts, etc. With that said, I may be horrible about keeping in touch, but I do know once I am back, I want to be able to spend a huge chunk of my time with those I miss. I've also come to realize people's lives just don't stop once I come into town...some of my friend's have full-time jobs and are working 60+ hour work weeks... some have planned vacations, etc. We are all on different timelines, which is understandable, and one of my "excuses" as to why I'm horrible about keeping in touch.

There are times I wish I could go back when I had half the responsibility, to come and go as I choose, to stay out late, to have all the time in the world to be on the phone, or just being able to sleep in. Last night, I went through all my old photos from different milestones in my life (high school sports, high school graduation, the college experience and graduation, summer camp, etc.) and many of those included people I thought would still be actively involved in my life today, and I look at those photos and know why that is. People move on, take different directions in life, start families, have challenging yet successful careers, travel the world, finishing college, etc. Would being able to stay in touch through all of that mean things would just pick up where they left off?! Unfortunately, that's not always the case. I guess I'm blessed with the few people who are still in my life, and for that am extremely blessed.

Time will always tick away, wither you're ready or not, and sometimes it can be welcomed as a good thing or a bad thing. Being a military family, I've come to accept change. My husband's schedule constantly changes. I know the house where we're currently living in is only temporary. The friendships I make being in the military will constantly be challenged, especially by every PCS (permanent change of station). Change happens, and I'm starting to finally welcome it with open arms. I love being able to come back to my "old" life and home, but now I have this new and amazon life, and realize home is where ever we go. It may only be temporary, but it's home. It is what it is, and it's up to me how I will challenge the ticking time clock. I'm ready to accept whatever life throws at me, even if it's grey hair and wrinkles.

Birth: Putting Things Into Perspective

2011-05-24T09:10:00.004-04:00

Becky's Story of a Hospital Induced Birth

I was due on Monday, October 26th, 2009. I had an appointment that morning for my weekly check. I went in and I was 90% effaced and barely dilated to a 1. My doctor gave me the choice of being induced Wednesday night or Sunday night. With Saturday being Halloween and not wanting a baby to have to share a birthday with a big holiday, I decided to go for Wednesday.

I was already on leave, so I made sure to finish everything up. On Wednesday we had to be at the hospital at 7, so we went out to Lazlo’s and I ate a huge meal! We got checked in and started the Cytotec. I walked around and rested uncomfortably.

I had an amazing nurse who understood my fear of needles; she was so nice they drew my blood from my IV line. My second dose of Cytotec couldn’t happen because contractions were too close together and too strong, so they held off. My doctor came in early morning and broke my water and started me on my pitocin. This is where I made my big mistake-instead of walking more and letting the pitocin do its job, I freaked about the epidural (I knew I wanted one, but was terrified of it) and wanted my amazing nurse to walk me through it.)

The morning went well, I progressed slowly but surely until about 2:00 and I just stopped. I was about 5 ½ inches for 3 ½ hours. The problem was that I’m extremely short waisted and the baby was 21 ¾ inches long. She had nowhere to go but sideways. My new nurse Lois massaged my stomach and had me moving into different positions every 15-30 minutes.

When we finally got her into the birth canal, I literally had to push and hold her there for over an hour. It was really hard from about 3:00 to 7:00 (24 hours later!) My epidural had started to wear off and I was exhausted. At about 7:30 they checked me again and I was finally at 9-½ cm. So they got me ready to start pushing.

I pushed and pushed and pushed. They used every trick in the book. They got the papers ready for me to have a C-Section. I pushed through it. I was NOT going to have a C-Section. I pushed with everything I had! At about 10:00, they gave me the mirror and I could see the hair. They told me to stop pushing and by God, I needed to push. The flurry of activity was amazing! When it was all ready, I pushed a few more times and she was out. Kinzie Lynn Ditmer was born on October 29th, 2009 at 10:21 pm.

I was bawling as they laid her on my chest. Nick got to cut her umbilical cord and we bonded together as a family. After meeting her grandparents, breast-feeding, a first bath and settling into our post-partum room, I finally got to sleep after almost 48 hours of being awake with a few short catnaps throughout labor.

I didn’t think I would have been in labor that long; almost 28 hours, thought I would go into labor on my own and wouldn’t have needed pitocin for so long.

My hopes for my next labor and delivery would be to go into labor on my own, walk more to shorten labor and wait a little longer for epidural. I know none of that may happen, but as long as I have a safe delivery I will be happy.

Flashback Friday (4 years to be exact)

2011-05-20T09:30:00.011-04:00

This was me, four years ago exactly (well officially at 8 p.m. CDT). We were getting ready to welcome our first born, W into the world. I had an appointment on Friday, May 18th, and had elevated blood pressure and was swollen to a +3 Edema. My OBGYN thought it would be best to induce (I did have the option to object, but was quite the naive first time mother who never did her research). I was just so excited about meeting our first born, so we made the arrangements to check into the hospital the following Sunday (May 20, 2007).

I was given an iv hep lock (in case pitocin and saline would be needed), my first dose of Cytotec to induce labor, and then placed on the monitors for an hour. During all the blood draws, needle pricks, etc. Jess thought it would be a good opportunity to eat a snack... I didn't want him to starve while I was in labor...silly husband!

I didn't really start feeling contractions until around 10pm, and decided it would be a good opportunity to start walking the halls. The walk definitely helped, because I ended up only taking two doses of the Cytotec (my OB thought it would take me at least 3, because I was only dilated to a 1 when I checked in) before my contractions started coming closer together. Jesse filled the tub for me to soak, so I could relax before bedtime. It definitely helped my comfort level, but that nor the sleeping pill they gave me helped me sleep that night.

I was pretty much in labor from about midnight on, and thought there was a chance I wouldn't need pitocin to help augment my labor. However, that all changed when my first nurse of the day came in to check my cervix. I was only 3 cm dilated, and was just a tad bit disappointed. I thought I would have been more dilated than that, especially with the intensity and timing of my contractions. My OBGYN arrived shortly there after to break my bag of water, and we were hoping and praying this would really help labor to kick in and help me to dilate without the help from pit... we were wrong.

I finally asked for vitamin E (epidural) after having hard pitocin induced contractions and I was also progessing pretty good, 1 cm an hour. W handled all my contractions extremely well throughout the day. However, we were all wondering when our little man would come. I finally dilated to 7 cm(at 6:00 p.m), his head was only at -2 station. I dilated to 8 the next hour, but his head was still floating up there. My epidural was starting to wear off, but declined to get more, because I wanted to make it easier to push. Around 8:30 p.m., I stopped progressing, and then the fire alarm went off. Now, labor was already stressful enough, and now we have a FIRE?!?! My O.B. comes into my room wearing surgical scrubs, and I knew my hopes for a vaginal delivery were shattered. Thank god the fire turned out to be a "false alarm". Jesse and I just broke into tears when we heard "c-section" come out of my doctor's mouth. I've never had surgery before in my life, and I was so scared. However, I was so anxious to see my little boy, knowing I've been in labor for 24 hours.

I was wheeled into surgery alone, and was given a spinal. That was the worst experience in my life. The spinal went up too far into my chest, and I felt as if I couldn't breathe. I started screaming, so of course I could breathe, but it didn't feel like it. So, they gave me some "oxygen" to calm down, and they progressed with the surgery. Jess kept stroking my forehead, and I could feel some tugging, but it never hurt at all. Finally, my doctor said he'll be here in just a few seconds. Then, on Monday, May 21, 2007 at 9:47 p.m... we heard the loudest cry, and of course DH and I were bawling our eyes out. Jess went over to see him, and I was given a dose of "happy medicine" to help me calm down a bit. I was starting to get a little worried when I didn't see W right away. His first APGAR score was at 7, and he was having difficulty breathing. He weighed 8 lbs 5 oz, and was 21 inches long. Jesse followed W into the nursery. They finished up my surgery, and wheeled me into recovery.

As I was "recovering", W's pedi came in to tell us how he was doing. He had a double Pneumothorax in both lungs, and a fever (I gave him one, since I spiked a fever at the end of delivery). A Pneumothorax is a sudden collection of air or gas in the chest that causes the lung to collapse in the absence of a traumatic injury to the chest or lung. So, they were giving him chest xrays. His pediatrician told us if it was severe enough on the xrays, they would have to give him a chest tube. Thank god it wasn't that bad and W didn't even have to stay in the NICU. However, he did stay the night in the Continuing Care Nursery, and I wasn't able to hold or or see him until 12 hours later.

W overcame all of his problems the night before, and was able to stay in our room until we left on Thursday, May 24th.

Our First Family Photo (we look so tired)

I can't believe W will be a 4 year-old tomorrow. He has many exciting and fun things coming his way over the next year. He will attending his first summer day camp in June and then he will start preschool in mid-August.

Jesse and I thank our good Lord everyday for blessing us with one of His children. W definitely keeps us on our toes day in and day out, but without that, we would be living pretty boring lives. Happy 4th Birthday to my first born! May all his birthday hopes and dreams come true.

Here is W's first birthday video montage:

30 Day Blog Challenge ~ Day 8

2011-05-19T15:41:00.001-04:00

Day 8 ~ Name a Place You Have Traveled To:

3 Men and a Lady

3 Men and a Lady, Plus a Baby!

Taking a Blogging Break

Ultimate Mom's Night Out

Independence Day

Birth: Putting Things Into Perspective

Traveling

Flashback Friday (Father's Day Edition)

**~~Winner of the 100 Follower Giveaway~~**

Birth: Putting Things into Perspective

Off the Grid

It's All Apart of the Military Life

top ten Tuesday

100 Follower Giveaway

Birth: Putting Things Into Perspective

Mom Blog Monday Blog Hop

Where the Magic Never Ends

Wednesday Blog Hop

Birth: Putting Things Into Perspective

top ten Tuesday

Summer Tradition

Thursday Ten

Change: Sometimes It Can Be Unwelcoming

Birth: Putting Things Into Perspective

Flashback Friday (4 years to be exact)

30 Day Blog Challenge ~ Day 8

Winner of the 100 Follower Giveaway