Dirt and Lace

A Baby Story: Part Four

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:39:00 +0000

That first day went by really fast. Jace was stabilized pretty quickly, and by that evening his oxygen was at the “room air” level. He was being given nutrients through a feeding tube and was tolerating it well. We were told that when I was ready, I could come up and do Kangaroo Care (hold him skin-to-skin) with him.

I had started pumping earlier in the day. I had planned on breastfeeding right away, plus I felt pretty helpless because I had no part whatsoever in his care, so it was a good way for me to do something for him. I got quite a bit of colostrum during my first pump that we put in a syringe.. I got a little more later in the day as well. Joe took them up to the nursery, where the nurse put them in a refrigerator. She told him they would give it to him as soon as he was allowed to have it.

Despite my pain from the incision and the fact that I still had in a catheter, I was ready to go up and see him that night. My nurse pushed me in a wheelchair and Joe and I went upstairs to see our beautiful baby.

Jace was on his stomach when I got there, sleeping soundly.

The nurse unhooked him from a few things, and handed him to me.

He was so sweet and I felt the biggest sense of peace as I sat there holding him. This is where he should have been all along, with his Mommy.

I asked the nurse, “So if he continues to improve and stay stable, when do you think he will get to come downstairs and stay with us?” We had been told 2, maybe 3 days. He was doing so well, we were hoping it would be sooner than that.

She looked at me like I was crazy, and said, “Oh he will probably be here until you go home.” I was going home Thursday or Friday. It was Monday. He was almost completely normal and healthy at that point. It didn’t make sense in my head. Shouldn’t he be with us as soon as possible? Isn’t that what’s best for him?

Joe was really surprised at her answer as well, and we both questioned her about why he would need to stay there so long. It was completely different than what we had been told earlier in the day. Tears started pouring down my cheeks as she went on about policies and how he was a special care baby and nurses in the regular nursery don’t usually feel comfortable taking care of babies that had been up there. Something about me being on a different floor and if something happened it would take too long to get down to my room. It wouldn’t matter if he was completely fine, he wasn’t going anywhere. None of it was making sense to either of us, and I was getting so upset. I wanted her to be quiet so badly. She then went on to talk about how red he was and how he would probably be jaundiced and would need to be under lights, and how that would mean he might be there for an extra day or so after it’s time for me to be discharged. She looked at me as if I had three heads as I cried. “He should be with his mom,” I said, and stopped making eye contact with her. She eventually shut up and let Joe and I have a few moments of peace with Jace before it was time to go back downstairs.

Apparently a crying mom is really entertaining for the nurses… at least three of them came in to see if I was okay after they saw me being pushed back to my room. One of them offered to talk to the nurse upstairs and find out why she was saying what she did. We took her up on that and 10 minutes later a different nurse I’d never seen before came in, and repeated the same stuff the upstairs nurse had already told us. “Was he early??” she asked after she had gotten done “explaining” things. She didn’t even know what was wrong with him. She thought we wanted a medically fragile newborn released from Special Care. At that point I just wanted everyone to go away. I told her no, but didn’t bother explaining anything to her. She left, and Joe and I were left alone.

We tried to get some sleep that night – hard to do In a hospital – and hoped we could talk to Jace’s doctor and find out what was going on in the morning.

A Baby Story: Part Three

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:23:00 +0000

Click here to read Part One

Click here to read Part Two

While I was being taken to the recovery room and set up in there, Joe went up with Jace to the nursery.

After watching them settle him in, he went to the waiting room to tell the people that were there (my mom, dad, brother, aunt, Summer, and Camryn) that Jace was born, and what was going on with him. He was gone for about 15 minutes, and then joined me while I laid in recovery. He told me that everyone was there and would be waiting for me to be taken to my room. He also said the nurses had wheeled Jace to the waiting room on the way to the nursery, and my mom and aunt had gotten a brief look at him. Of course the girls and my dad had chosen that moment to go to the restroom!

I started to get nauseous after a little while. I knew it would happen at some point… during my c-section with Camryn it happened while I was still on the operating table, so I was glad it waited until that part was over with. The nurse gave me some medicine for it, and also for the itching that had started on my face because of the pain medication they had given me with the spinal. After about 90 minutes in recovery, they took me to my room.

Joe, my parents, Wes, Susan, and the girls joined me. It was strange… at this point normally the baby is with you and everyone is holding them and ooing and ahhing… but it was just us there. Wondering what was going on with Jace and how long it would be before we could have those first moments with him.

I tried my best to explain to the girls what was going on.

Nothing had happened the way we had prepared them for so far, and I knew they were probably confused. They seemed okay, but I still felt really bad that things hadn’t gone as planned. Jace was spending his first moments with wires and tubes in his nose, surrounded by strangers, instead of in our arms like I had dreamed about. I tried to concentrate on the fact that besides the fluid, he seemed healthy. He could have been born with something much worse, and for that I was definitely thankful.

A nurse from the Special Care Nursery came down at some point, and explained a bit about what they were doing. She said he was on oxygen, and they were monitoring his stats to make sure his blood pressure and heart rate were stabilized. She then told us that we, and anyone who wanted to go with us, could go up and see him any time. The girls would not be permitted to go up to visit though, because they were under 12 and it was RSV season. We were so disappointed, but understood the risk.

Joe and I decided that my parents and Wes should go up and see Jace, so the four of them left. Not long after, Joe’s dad and sister showed up. I explained to them what was going on, and once Joe, my parents, and Wes got back, then they got a chance to go up and see him.

Next was Susan, my cousin Richard, my Aunt Ann and cousin Andrea, who had driven up from Bowling Green the day before in order to be there for Jace’s birth and had arrived while Joe’s dad and sister were visiting him.

After everyone that was there had visited, all we had to do was sit around and wait for him to improve. Joe had been told by the nurse that Jace still had so much fluid… she said his body would eventually absorb it all, but in the mean time all the could do was watch him and make sure that happened. It was looking like it would be 2-3 days before he would be well enough to come downstairs with us. I couldn’t believe it… 2 or 3 days before I would get to take care of and bond with my baby.

Again, I reminded myself that we were lucky to have an otherwise healthy baby. I knew he was in good hands.

A Baby Story: Part Two

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:06:00 +0000

Click here to read Part One

*Warning… this post contains a few pictures of Jace’s birth.. they’re a little bloody.

About 10 minutes into surgery, I started feeling a lot of pressure in my chest and tugging and pulling. I heard someone say, “There he is!” and the pulling grew more intense. “He’s almost out,” the anesthesiologist told me. He told Joe to stand up and look if he wanted to.

Another 20 seconds went by, and then the pressure stopped as my doctor pulled him out the rest of the way.

I heard him start to cry and a wave of love and relief went through me. The anesthesiologist told me to look to my right, as my doctor held him on my side of the curtain so I could see. He was holding him upside down, just like in the picture above, which I thought was odd... but he was the cutest upside-down baby I’d ever seen.

The doctor handed him off to the nurse as he sat back down to put all my insides back where they were supposed to be and close me up.

Joe went over to where Jace was. The nurses were checking him over. I heard them thumping him on the back off and on for a few minutes, and wondered why they were doing that so much.

I couldn’t really hear what the nurses were saying. Joe came over and told me that Jace had swallowed a lot of fluid and they were trying to help him get it out. I knew this happened often with c-section babies, since they don’t go through the birth canal that helps them squeeze the fluid out.

I heard them weigh him and then take him back over to where he had been. Joe came over and told me he was 8 lbs 7.6 oz and 20 inches long. A big boy!

The neonatologist that was taking care of him came over to me and explained, “He swallowed quite a bit of fluid as he came out. We’ve put him on a little oxygen to help him. He will most likely need to go to the Special care nursery for a few hours, or possibly even a few days. This is pretty common and he will be fine, but we have to monitor him to make sure all of the fluid is absorbed.”

A million thoughts were going through my head. I just wanted to see Joe holding our baby boy in a little blanket, but instead, Jace was across the room with oxygen tubes in his nose.

The doctors finished up my surgery as they were getting Jace ready to go to the special nursery. The nurse brought him over to me and told me I could hold him for a minute.

Joe didn’t get a chance to hold him, but we figured he would later, and at that point I think we were both more concerned with him getting better.

They took him back over to add some monitors and wires to him before they transported him to the nursery.

They wheeled him away to the nursery, and they wheeled me away to the recovery room. Joe wasn’t allowed in the nursery they took him to yet, so he came with me.

A Baby Story: Part One

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:16:00 +0000

Things are settling down here a bit so I want to go ahead and write about Jace’s birth, before it is all a blur. I think I’ve put it off a bit because the first few days of his life were so far from what we thought they would be like, but it will be good for me to get it all recorded.

My c-section was scheduled for January 16th at 7:30am. Joe and I were asked to be there at 5am to check in and get started. My aunt Susan offered to have the girls stay the night with her Sunday so that they didn’t have to get up so early. She promised to have them at the hospital the next morning, bright and early, so they could be there right when he’s born.

Sunday evening, we went out to eat for the last time as a family of four. We had a gift card to Olive Garden, so that’s where we ended up. We had a great meal together, and spent some time going over what would be happening for the next week with Summer and Camryn. Afterwards, we dropped them off at Susan’s, and went home to finish packing our stuff and try to get some sleep.

We woke up around 4am. We were exhausted but so ready to have the baby!

One last belly pic before we left for the hospital… 39 weeks and 5 days.

We got to the hospital and were immediately checked in and sent to a really nice big room to begin the fun pre-op stuff.. you know, IV, blood pressure check, peeing in a cup, etc.

Around 7:30 the doctor was in the building, I had met with the anesthesiologist, and everyone was ready to get started. Joe put on his paper suit and I put on my hair net and we headed to the operating room.

Joe went to a waiting room while I got prepped. My nurse went over what would be taking place, and then I got the spinal. It took affect pretty quickly as they laid me down on the operating table and I started getting really anxious. We were having a baby, there was no turning back now!

The doctors and assistants starting coming in at that point, and then finally, Joe. He took a seat next to my head as they began the surgery.

Our New Addition!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:35:00 +0000

Jace Carter Mullins

8lbs. 7.6oz.

20”

1-16-2012

7:49am

Birth story and details to come…

Baby Jace Countdown… 3 More Days!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 02:33:00 +0000

We took this picture on New Year’s Day, so I’m actually just about 39 weeks now. The quality isn’t great because it was in a dim room at night, but it’s better than nothing.

I figure I’ll do one last pregnancy questionnaire….

How far along? 38 weeks and 6 days

Total weight gain/loss: I’m up about 20 lbs from where I started

Sleep: I can’t. I wake up constantly, either from intense Braxton Hicks, heartburn, back pain, needing to pee, or pain from turning over.

Food cravings: cheerios with milk, and I always have to have access to ice water

Movement: He’s definitely slowed down on the kicks and turns, but when he moves, it’s pretty crazy to watch the shapes my stomach makes.

Gender: still a boy, confirmed at my 36 week ultrasound

Stretchmarks: I have a lovely purple spider web around my belly button

Belly Button in or out? Out. And stretched beyond it’s limits. Never going to be the same.

What I miss: Having my body to myself. Not being in pain. Moving without getting heartburn.

What I am looking forward to: My c-section Monday morning at 7:30am!

Symptoms: I think I’ve covered this already but… heartburn, back pain, pain in general, and now I’m starting to get swollen in my left ankle, feet, hands, and cheeks. I also had a higher blood pressure than normal at my (last!) doctor appointment yesterday, but it wasn’t enough for him to be concerned since I’m almost done.

Milestones: Almost finished!

Weekly Wisdom: One day at a time.

Emotions: General irritability has taken over at this point, but other than that, I am so ready to meet our baby boy!

At my 35 week ultrasound, the tech estimated his weight at 8.5 lbs that day. If she’s right, he’s going to be around 10 lbs when he’s born. I am REALLY hoping she was off a bit! Summer was 6 lbs 10 oz and Camryn was 7 lbs 5 oz. I doubt he was quite as big as she thought, although I sure feel like he is.

We’ve been passing illnesses around the house for the last few weeks. First a cold, then a bad cough, and then yesterday Camryn woke up with a fever. She was better today, so hopefully we can all get well and back to normal before Jace arrives.

Joe, the girls, and I (and a huge amount of family and friends) are all really anxious and excited… we’ll be spending the next few days cleaning, organizing, and making sure everything is in place for our new addition!

Our Christmas 2011, Continued

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:24:00 +0000

After our morning at home and at my parents’ house, we headed to my aunt Susan and uncle Paul’s house to celebrate with my mom’s side of the family.

We did our gift exchange a little different this year…

Instead of all the women bringing a woman’s gift and all the men bringing a man’s gift and the kid’s drawing names, we all drew names so we had one specific person to buy for (except Summer and Camryn, they got stuff from a few people!)

My cousin Andi had me. She got me a really pretty hand-made scarf and coffee mug. Totally perfect gift. My uncle Paul had Joe. He got a Target gift card (to be used for yet another video game), and two of his favorite things – dark chocolate and pistachios. The girls got some fun presents, including the Pop the Pig game from my aunt Billie and uncle David that they had been dying to have. They were so excited about that!

We took a few group pictures outside. It’s fun to compare them from year to year. Here is the 2011 Holmes cousins (plus husband) picture. Left to right, it’s Andi, Nathan, Libby, Wesley, Summer, Me, Camryn, Joe, Katherine, and Richard. Joe and Wes are most likely standing on their tip toes in this picture because they are incapable of being serious.

Our Christmas wouldn’t be complete without a karaoke session in the basement…

Yes, we go all out with instruments and everything!

We had to leave to go to Joe’s dad’s house, but not before I got my aunt Ann and uncle Mark to sign “All the Single Ladies”. It was an amazing disaster… they are such good sports.

It was after dinner time before we got to Joe’s dad’s, but we were glad we got to spend some time on Christmas with him, Joe’s Grandma, his sister Nicole, her boyfriend Joey, and our nephew Xavier.

As usual, the kids were spoiled with awesome gifts.

It was a really long, hectic day, but it went perfectly and the four of us all agreed it was a great Christmas. It’s hard to believe it was our last Christmas as a family of four. I can’t wait to see what is in store next year!

Our Christmas Morning

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 04:14:00 +0000

We had a really nice, relaxing Christmas morning at home. Summer and Camryn didn’t wake themselves up – Joe and I finally decided to wake them up around 8:30. When they remembered what day it was, they couldn’t wait to see what Santa had left them and ran into the living room.

Don’t mind the dry wall in the hall way.

Before opening their presents, they checked the kitchen table. Santa had eaten his cookies and drank his milk, and even left them some Hershey Kisses and a letter!

The first thing they saw were their Pillow Pets. They had been asking for them for a really long time, and it was the one thing they kept requesting that Santa bring them. It took Santa a VERY long time and lots of trips to different stores to find the unicorn that Camryn wanted. Thank goodness he found it on Christmas Eve day, or this picture might not be full of pure joy like it is.

We read the letter Santa wrote. He told them they were very good girls this year and to always be kind to each other. Maybe they’ll listen to Santa about fighting with each other more than mommy.

Present time!

In the midst of the chaos…

They loved everything they got from Santa, and what Joe and I got them – Lalaloopsy dolls.

Joe and I were both happy with what we got as well… Joe got another year of XBox Live and a new game he’d been wanting, and I got a Kindle Touch! I am LOVING it.

After an hour or so of playing with toys, struggling with packaging and zip ties, and a little coffee, we got ready for the day and headed to my parents’ house for the other half of our Christmas morning.

When we first got there, we sat down to an amazing breakfast casserole that my mom cooks every year. Then it was present time!

The girls got these from Uncle Wes.

Checking out what Daddy got in his stocking.

My uncle Jim spent the morning with us, too.

My mom got a Kindle Touch, too!

This post is getting really long, I’m going to end it here and talk about the rest of the day in another post!

Cookies, Snowglobes, and a Christmas Program

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 00:44:00 +0000

This week…. I am so glad it’s over. It seems like there was so much going on and I could barely keep up. Not that this coming week is going to be any less hectic, but at least it is now holiday break for the girls, so I can cross getting up at 6:30AM and driving a million miles a day off my list.

Wednesday I had to bake cookies for Camryn to bring to school for after her Christmas program. I did something simple, but they turned out pretty cute and delicious.

Break and bake sugar cookies, cream cheese cookie icing, and candy cane Hershey Kisses. It doesn’t get easier than that.

Of course, if you’re feeling less pregnant, overwhelmed, and exhausted, you could use your favorite homemade sugar cookie and icing recipes.

I also think next time I will add sprinkles.

Last night I finished up the girls’ teachers’ Christmas gifts. A few weeks ago I saw this snow globe gift card holder on Pinterest and thought it was a cute idea. It adds a little creativity to the generic gift card and makes it more personal. Please excuse the poor quality of this picture, I took it in a dark kitchen early this morning. It looked cuter than this in person.

You just take a Mason jar, any size (I used pint jars but I kind of wish I had gotten some a little taller), and fill it with glitter and water and any small items you want. I used little miniature ornaments. Then you hot glue your gift card standing up to the bottom of the lid. I also glued a little Santa down there. Then turn it over, add a ribbon around the lid, and you’re done! Click here if you want to see the tutorial I used.

Summer went on a field trip to see The Nutcracker this morning, and Camryn had her Christmas program. Joe and I dropped her off, went to IHOP, and then got back to her school an hour later to watch the program. My mom and brother also came to watch.

For one of the songs, the pastor of the church that her preschool is at played the guitar with them. Camryn is over to the left in the middle row.

She did such a great job. She sang and danced the whole time, and didn’t act overwhelmed by the audience at all.

“…you better not pout…”

After the program, we went to the gym for cookies and punch. And yes, this picture makes me wish I had gotten her some red tights.

She’s getting so big!

Summer had a great time on her field trip. They also got to make gingerbread houses this afternoon. It was definitely a good day for both of them to end the first half of the year on.

Jace’s Nursery… A Sneak Peek

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:24:00 +0000

I’m not quite ready to stand back and let you see the whole room together… we still have a few things to do to it. But I thought a little sneak preview couldn’t hurt. I am way too excited to wait any longer to show you what we have been working on for our little guy!

We chose a dark turquoise for the walls. I wanted something bold and fun, but relaxing at the same time. I think we definitely accomplished that. I am in love with the color! Because of the lighting it’s hard to get a picture that shows what the color looks like in person, but I think the picture above is pretty close.

We decided white would be a good contrast to the darker walls, and orange adds a fun accent. I got these letters at Hobby Lobby, spray painted them a glossy white, and hot glued the ribbon to the back.

I didn’t want to spend a fortune on wall décor, so I picked up a bunch of scrapbook paper in colors and patterns that look nice with the walls, and I also found this white scrapbook-sized frame. I used chipboard letters to trace and cut out the alphabet, and then glued them to a piece of white paper.

My mom, aunt, and I are working on making the crib mobile. I’ll unveil it once it’s done, but until then, here’s a little pillow I made using some felt scraps and our “test owl”.

It’s not a nursery without a closet full of little bitty clothes! I’ve been so lucky to get hand-me-downs and gifts from some great friends… Joe and I have only bought about an eighth of his wardrobe!

This owl sleep sack and hat were sent to me by a company called Corner Stork Baby Gifts. You all know I don’t do many reviews, but I could not pass this up… they have so many cute things and this was just the most adorable sleep sack I’ve ever seen, especially considering Jace’s room décor. It’s really well-made, and Corner Stork’s customer service is amazing. I’ll do a full review after Jace is here to actually use it, but I wanted to go ahead and share it with you because I love it!

And finally.. the crib.

The Baby Shower!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 23:34:00 +0000

My aunt Billie and cousins Katherine and Libby hosted a baby shower for me at their house on December 4th. I was a little unsure if it was okay to have a shower for a third baby, but everyone convinced me that it was fine since it’s a boy this time and it’s been a few years since the last one. I’m so glad I ended up agreeing because it turned out really well. It was so nice!

We played two games.. first was smell the baby food and guess what it is, and second was guess which melted candy bar is in the diaper. Lot’s of “ewwww”’s with those!

I loved the way she decorated. The cake matched the invitations!

How cute is this punch?!

I only walked around with my camera for a few minutes so this is the only picture of Summer and Camryn that I got… I think my cousin took a lot of pictures though, so hopefully I’ll get copies some day

Jace got so many great gifts. True story: my baby fever started when I saw these Aden + Anais muslin swaddling wraps at Target a year or so ago. I can’t wait to use them… swaddling is the best baby trick in the world!

Johnny came in to help Erika carry my gift (they got me the jumperoo!)

I am so thankful to everyone who came, and to my aunt and cousins for hosting this shower… I’m a lucky girl to have so many awesome people in my life, and Jace is a lucky baby to have all of these people excited about his arrival!

Our 2011 Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:34:00 +0000

Normally on Thanksgiving, we go to my aunt and uncle’s house to celebrate with my mom‘s side of the family. This year my aunt and uncle and cousins went to Florida and we decided to drive out to my grandparents’ house to spend it with them.

the girls love uncle Wesley

too many cooks in the kitchen?

I’m getting hungry just thinking about everything we ate that day

a really common sight when all but one cousin (my brother) is a girl

The Sunday after Thanksgiving, my mom and dad had us over for another meal. Which was amazing.

32 weeks

the inevitable turkey coma…

…which doesn’t last long when you have small children

many mooses… meece… meeces… i’ll stick with mooses

We decorated their Christmas tree while we were there.

After we got home that night, the four of us put up our tree.

It’s an artificial tree year for us, I am way too pregnant to be vacuuming up pine needles every day!

Jack is so happy to have his spot back

I love our living room this time of year.. so cozy!

Summer’s Thanksgiving Celebration

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:40:00 +0000

It’s the holidays and I’m having a baby in 5 weeks… need I say more about why it’s taken me almost a month to post here? I have lots to talk about!

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving, the kindergarten at Summer’s school had a Thanksgiving celebration. Parents were invited to come watch and share a “feast” with the kids that they had helped to prepare. Joe had to work, but Camryn and I went.

They sang a few songs and did a few dances. It was really cute.

They wore their Indian outfits that they had made, including their paper headdresses with their Indian names on them. The one Summer and I picked for her: She Who Loves to Smile.

Unfortunately what I remember most about the celebration is how flipping hot it was in the lobby. This pregnant mama thought she was going to pass out.

Afterwards, Summer left with us a little early and we stopped by Grandmom’s so she could see her outfit.

Camryn’s preschool had a Thanksgiving feast the Friday before, but parents weren’t invited… weird, I know.

The View From Here

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 03:19:00 +0000

31 Weeks

Squeezing in some time… and guess who’s 30 weeks!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 16:08:00 +0000

It’s been a week since I posted last. Oops. We’ve been pretty busy with school field trips, Joe’s crazy work schedule, spending time with my brother who was home for the weekend, among other things.

We did manage to squeeze in some time outdoors, taking advantage of the beautiful weather that is surely about to turn into blustery cold and snow.

After school on Wednesday, we met my mom, aunt, and cousin at the park. (My cousin took these first five pictures)

Then on Friday, my dad took the day off of work and the girls, my mom, and I met him at the lake for a boat ride and picnic.

I’m now 30 weeks pregnant so I thought it would be a good time to do a little questionnaire on how things are going…

How far along: 30 Weeks… the end is in sight!

Baby size: I haven’t had an ultrasound recently, but babycenter says he’s around 3 lbs., and 15.7 in. long.

Total weight gain: If I go by my pre-pregnancy weight, I haven’t gained anything… but if I go by my weight in the first trimester after I started getting sick, I’ve gained about 12 lbs.

Sleep: It hurts to get settled in bed, I get horrible sharp pains when I lift my legs so laying down and turning over is excruciating, but once I’m settled I sleep great. That is, until about 5am when I wake up and have to pee.

Movement: Jace seems to sleep a lot during the day, but at night after dinner he is all over the place! I can tell he is running out of room, because I’m starting to get kicked in the ribs a lot, generally at the same time it feels like he is trying to punch his way out of my pelvis.

Food cravings/aversions: Nothing in particular. I think part of the reason I haven’t gained much weight with him is that I don’t have cravings or need to eat as often as I did with the girls. I do eat well and snack often, but then again, I did that before I was pregnant!

Notice anything odd about that picture?

Pregnancy Symptoms: Now that I’m in the third trimester, I’ve been getting really tired pretty much an hour after I wake up every day, really similar to the first trimester. I’ve got the pain I mentioned before, along with back pain. Is the pregnancy penguin waddle a symptom? If so, I have that too.

What I miss: Not hurting every time I move… having a (fairly) flat stomach that doesn’t knock things over… being able to walk around a grocery store or my neighborhood for more than 20 minnutes without feeling like my insides are going to fall out

What I'm looking forward to: Finally meeting Jace, having him on the outside of my body where I can see him and hold him.. seeing Joe with his son and the girls with their little brother, and feeling like our family is complete.

Milestones: I washed and hung up all the clothes we have for him so far. Which made me really we still have SO MUCH to do!

Best moment this week: It wasn’t this week, it was last… I had a doctor appointment, and he had me go ahead and schedule my c-section. Jace will be born on Monday, January 16, 2012, around 7:30am!

Oh, How Pinteresting… Baby Boy Style

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:52:00 +0000

I’ve spent plenty of time (as in way too much time) looking around Pinterest for ideas on everything baby boy. I’ve seen so many cute things and great ideas, I thought I would link up with The Vintage Apple’s That’s So Pinteresting today and share some of my favorites with you!

Click on the image to see them on Pinterest. And follow my boards while you’re at it… my link is at the bottom of the post and in my sidebar.

How funny is that outfit? And if Jace had been out in the world with us this Halloween, this definitely would have been his costume. Maybe next year!

I will be picking up these Swaddle blankets at Target for sure… swaddling is the best thing ever! We are considering trying out cloth diapering this time around. I love this print!

We have 11 weeks to go in this pregnancy, and we haven’t been able to decide on colors or anything for his nursery. We know we don’t want something generic like characters or cars (or animals playing sports). I really like the modern nursery on the left. I love anything with birds! It is kind of dark, though. In contrast, I love the bright, fun colors in the nursery on the right.

The rocket ship bedding from Target is the first bedding I saw that I loved. But, I’m leaning towards something custom like this black, green, and blue set.

I haven’t decided yet which announcement template I’m going to use. I love the multiple photo option, but the clean and simple one if great too. Yes, I designed these and yes, I used poor Pinterest etiquette and pinned them myself. Don't tell anyone ;)

Cute robots! And cute baby! I love the little man look, I can’t wait to get him a hat and tie like these.

Nothing better than itty bitty baby shoes. These knit shoes will be perfect to put over socks and keep his feet warm. The cold is definitely a downfall of having a baby in January! The dinosaur print is adorable.

Follow me on Pinterest to see what else I’ve fallen in love with!

Halloween 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:15:00 +0000

Our last year celebrating Halloween and trick-or-treating with just two little ones went really well.

Summer had her class Halloween party at the end of the day and Camryn and I went in to help. Her table decorated a pumpkin and it won for the “Happiest”.

After the party, we came home and waited for Joe to get off of work. We have a really good neighborhood for trick-or-treating, but I wasn’t sure up until a few days ago if Joe was going to be off work in the evening or not, so I had already made plans to go to my aunt’s house. He ended up getting off in time, which I’m really thankful for. He hasn’t missed a Halloween yet!

After Joe got home, we gathered up our two Fancy Nancies and went to see my Dad. My mom was meeting us at my aunt’s house, but my dad wasn’t feeling well.

He gave them their treat bags and then we let them trick-or-treat at the neighbors’ houses.

The same people have lived on either side of my parents’ house since we moved in when I was 4. They’re so nice, it’s a blessing to have good neighbors!

Then we headed to my aunt's house and it was a whirlwind of chili, trick-or-treating, and candy.

I didn’t know if I would make it all the way around the neighborhood, but I did!

Summer’s homework assignment was to put her candy in groups of ten and count it.

She had 147 pieces. Not bad!

Apparently, Jace loves Kit Kats like his mommy.

It was a really great day. I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween, too!

A Fancy Pumpkinfest

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 15:56:00 +0000

After trips to two different Halloween stores and Once Upon a Child (secondhand kid stuff), trying on about 10 costumes each, and lots of changing minds, Summer and Camryn decided they both wanted to be Fancy Nancy this year. Two secondhand stores and a visit to Target later, and they were VERY fancy. Their favorite part? Pink hair! (Not familiar with Fancy Nancy? She’s a children’s book character. I love the series, it’s really cute and all the books have a good message. Learn more about it here.)

Yesterday there were several events going on around town, so we got super fancy and headed out.

We ended up at the Pumpkinfest close to our house. Trick or treating, music, and free food!

What do you think?

Afterward, we went and saw The Smurfs at the “cheap” movie theater. It was really cute, all four of us enjoyed it. Then we went home, ate, and it was bedtime already.

Joe left for his dad’s house in the country after the girls went to bed so he could get up super early today to go bow hunting. He’s still out there, and the girls and I are sitting around watching Halloween movies. We’re saving our energy for what will surely be a busy, busy day tomorrow!

I hope everyone has a great Halloween tomorrow. What are your kids dressing up as?

Mompreneur Spotlight: Stefanie Barcus

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 00:50:00 +0000

Every week, Dirt and Lace features a different mom who runs her own business from home while juggling everything else that us moms have to deal with.

Meet Stefanie Barcus, mom of four-year-old twin boys and owner of RockStar Babies Boutique.

RockStar Babies sells baby and toddler items such as bows, hooded towels, tutus, and leg warmers, all handmade and one-of-a-kind. A link to her Facebook fan page is at the end of the interview. I highly encourage you to check her products out!

What led to the start of your business?

I started my Business making burp cloths and hair bows for my two nieces. I have twin boys and knew I needed a regular "girly fix"!

How long has RockStar Babies been operating?

As I mentioned I started just making goodies for my nieces then as they were wearing the goods people started asking to buy them. That was about two years ago!

What is the main avenue(s) you use to sell your products?

I mainly show my products on my Facebook page, but the majority of my business is from word of mouth and returning customers. I also do a couple of holiday boutiques each year, which generates wonderful new customers.

Did you try other ways of selling first?

I did try Etsy, but found I was not really reaching the "Mom population" where I am located. The market on Etsy is super competitive and I felt like I was being lost in the shuffle.

Was this your first venture, or had you tried/started other businesses in the past?

RockStar Babies is my first venture into being a Mompreneur!

Did you have instant success or did it take awhile for things to pick up?

As far as instant success goes, I would say it has been a gradual growth for me. The more products I add the more I sell! Adding a Facebook fan page has added a ton of business!

How many hours do you put into RockStar Babies on a daily basis?

I would say the amount of daily hours really depends on the season and the amount of orders I have going at one time. I always take advantage of my boys preschool days to get stuff done. Thank God I can involve my boys and keep them busy helping me when we are home together!

Where do you do most of your work?

I do all of my RockStar Babies work out of my craft room in my house. I have it set up just the way I want it, and love being in there creating. I do always keep a box of “to do’s” with me for busy work if I find myself with any down time while out and about.

Operating a business from home can be hard! Do you have support from your family?

I do have a ton of family support! Whether it's calling a family member to play with kiddos or helping me make stuff, my family backs me all the way. My husband does try to stay out of the "Danger Zone" (ie. my craft room) so he does not see the occasional bomb that goes off in there!

What is your favorite part of having your own business?

I love that by having my own business I am challenging myself daily to step out of my comfort zone and be creative. I am meeting new people and of course I love seeing kiddos sporting RockStar Babies goods!

What is your least favorite part?

My least favorite part of having my own business is when I have a "human error" and goof up.

What would you be doing if you didn't have your own at-home business, both monetarily and with your free time?

If I did not have RockStar Babies I would still be a stay at home mom! I would probably just be driving my husband crazy with home projects!

Do you have any advice to other moms who want to start their own businesses?

My only advice would be to put your family first. Your customer will understand if their bow does not make it out in today's mail because you were creating memories with your family.

Thanks Stefanie! Check out Stef’s products by clicking here.

NOTE: I did NOT get compensated or receive any products in exchange for this post. Mompreneur Spotlights are written out of a passion to help and inspire other women to follow their dreams :)

Goody Bags

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:39:00 +0000

Last year when Summer was in preschool, I volunteered to bring in a treat of some kind for one of their holiday parties. Goody bags were a suggested option. I thought, “I totally have this.” And then I went to the store and said, “What in the world do I put in them?!”

I ended up getting them together and they went over well. Since then I’ve put together a few more and Summer and Camryn have received quite a few, so I no longer panic in the store.

This morning, I had to bring goody bags in for Camryn’s 4-year-old preschool class.

Pumpkin straws, Halloween pencils, Fruit Roll-Ups, suckers, rubber mice, M&M’s, and tangerines.

I drew faces on the tangerines so that they look like Jack-O-Lanterns. I did that last week for Summer’s class snack and they were a big hit, so I thought I’d do it for Camryn’s class too. I can’t take credit for the idea, I saw it on Pinterest a few months ago and thought it was really cute!

I could have included spider rings, those gross plastic vampire teeth (AKA spit collectors), little pumpkin erasers, etc… but what parent wants more of that stuff all over the house? I prefer fun and simple!

Today is Camryn’s Halloween party at school, tomorrow we’re going to two local events to trick-or-treat, Sunday we may go to a trunk-or-treat, and then Monday is Summer’s class party and then lots of Halloween fun. I love this time of year!

I Made Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 23:16:00 +0000

I made something.

In my mind, I’m a very crafty person. In reality, my ideas and inspiration generally go nowhere. I’m trying really hard to get better about following through with ideas and things I want to try, because when I actually do this, it makes me happy.

I saw a picture somewhere of a monogrammed pumpkin, and I had been admiring the white pumpkins at the grocery store for a few weeks, so I decided to give it a shot. I found a fancy font (if you don’t have a huge collection of fonts on your computer like I do, try http://www.dafont.com), made a really big M (what our last name starts with), printed it out, cut it out, held it on the pumpkin, traced around it with a pencil, and then painted it in with brown acrylic paint I found at Hobby Lobby. The last step was spraying it with a clear coat to protect it from the weather since it’s outside on the front porch. Totally easy.

Look, I also made this…

I’ve seen some similar candle holders on Pinterest and wanted to try it out. I got some round glasses at the bargain center, hunted for sticks in the woods by my house, and cut them equal lengths with hand shears. Then I glue gunned them onto the glass. You can probably tell it’s not finished in the back… my hand got tired of cutting sticks. But I plan on making a few more for the mantle or kitchen table. It looks really pretty when the candle is lit. They’re the perfect Fall decoration and it was super cheap!

I have a photography confession…

I was checking the settings on my camera earlier, and noticed something I couldn’t believe.

My exposure compensation was at –1.7. If you don’t speak this language, that means my camera was set to make every picture darker than what I composed it as. Oops! I have no idea how long it’s been like that, I don’t even remember adjusting it.

Camryn got upset about something silly and I told her she looked like a movie actress, as a tear rolled down her cheek. She was totally posing here.

I let her take a picture of me to make her feel better. This is in manual mode, no idea how it turned out so clearly. I guess I have a budding photographer on my hands!

Yay for popped out belly buttons and separated stomach muscles!

Camryn said, “This is how we do opera at school.”

The Pumpkin Patch–Part Four

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:39:00 +0000

Read about the rest of our time at the pumpkin patch – Part One, Part Two, Part Three

I needed a break from walking, so while Joe was in search of the perfect pumpkin, us girls sat down and rested.

We were loving all the weird looking choices we had.

Pumpkin… or giant pear?

Despite all of the perfectly round orange pumpkins that were surrounding us, we didn’t bring a single one home. Our pumpkins this year are a bit more unique, which I love! I’ll have to get a picture of them once Joe gets home from work and gets them out of the trunk.

I love the reflection in his glasses.

We somehow managed to haul our menagerie back onto the tractor and after paying for them and picking up some small gourds and apples in the store, it was time to go home. We had to stop and let the girls play in the hay one last time, though.

They were covered in hay. You can see Camryn emptying out her boot!

We had such a fun time. Everyone agrees we will definitely be going back there next year! If you are in or near Kentucky, check out Gallrein Farms’ website here.

The Pumpkin Patch–Part Three

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 15:50:00 +0000

Read Part One and Part Two about our trip to Gallrein Farms if you missed them!

The barrel train looked a little too bumpy for my pregnant self, so my mom went with the girls on the ride around the fields. How cute is this train?

While they were on the train, Joe and I went over and got in line for the pumpkin slingshot.

Summer and Camryn got off the train just in time to take a turn. They needed a little help from Daddy!

After the slingshot, we went to the corn maze.

This maze was the biggest corn maze I’d ever seen… four acres if I remember correctly. We were afraid we might need them to send a search party in there.

We made it out… but not before taking a 27 week baby bump picture!

Finally, it was pumpkin patch time!

Hmm… where to begin?

They had some really neat varieties of pumpkins and gourds mixed in with the regular orange pumpkins. Joe found this one that my mom ended up taking home.

And Camryn found this one.

I may have had some fun in Lightroom with this picture… love it.

Part four coming up, and then I promise I’m done!

The Pumpkin Patch–Part Two

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 15:04:00 +0000

Miss part one of our trip to Gallrein Farms? Read about it here.

After the petting zoo, we headed over to a hay pyramid and got a family photo courtesy of my mom.

Then the girls had fun jumping in a big pool of hay.

Hay angel!

Summer went on a field trip to a pumpkin patch a few weeks ago and got to ride a horse. Camryn was really jealous, but she finally got to do it too!

Summer picked the smallest pony for some reason. This is her telling Joe she decided she didn’t need him to walk next to her.

After their rides, we were starving so we got hamburgers and hot dogs fresh off the grill and sat down for a bit. Then, the girls were ready to ride the barrel train!

Part three coming up next…

The Pumpkin Patch–Part One

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:23:00 +0000

On Saturday, Joe, the girls, my mom, and I drove to a pumpkin patch. We had never been to this particular place. The farm we normally go is always so crowded and expensive, and Joe’s co-worker had recommended Gallrein Farms, about 40 minutes away from us. After looking at their website, we decided to check it out!

We were SO glad we went! It was a really nice place. Not too crowded, and all the prices were so much more reasonable.

Our first stop was the petting zoo. We got some corn out of the machine and had fun feeding all the animals.

There were ducks, chickens, bunnies, miniature horses, goats, sheep, a calf, a donkey, and a llama.

This calf was so funny. He loved to be scratched on his neck, as you can see.

The llama did not want to be petted. Joe didn’t have any food left to feed him, so they had a stand-off.

Summer got up on the fence and the llama stared her down, too. She said, “That was so scary!”

Part two coming up. I took tons if pictures and couldn’t pick and choose, so you get to see them all. I thought it would be better to break them up into different posts instead of having 50 pictures at once!