I'll post Jakiah's birth story soon (it's AWESOME!) but for now, here's a couple of pics for those who are waiting. He's perfect!!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Jakiah has arrived!!
Jakiah Gabriel Sigrah arrived at 5:44am on January 25, 2012, weighing in at 7lbs, 9oz, 20 inches long, 14 inch head!!
I'll post Jakiah's birth story soon (it's AWESOME!) but for now, here's a couple of pics for those who are waiting. He's perfect!!
I'll post Jakiah's birth story soon (it's AWESOME!) but for now, here's a couple of pics for those who are waiting. He's perfect!!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Belly Painting
Over the years I have seen a lot of images of women who get things painted on their pregnant bellies and have really wanted to try it. Many midwives paint images of the baby on women's bellies as well as a lot of other types of artwork. We decided to let Miss Kalaya paint baby brother last night and she looooved it! It was really fun and sweet and she enjoyed doing it a lot!!
Finished product!
Proud big sister!
38 Weeks
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
38 Weeks
I am now doing weekly baby appointments, I can't believe it! This past Thursday I had one and discovered that I am (was?) already 90% effaced and 1cm dilated. Now, I am well aware of the fact that this can last for several days, if not weeks for many women, so I'm not getting TOO excited. The other good news is that Jakiah is still head down and facing the ideal way for delivery. He has dropped, Jana (our midwife) could feel his head, so it could be any time! Or....a couple weeks. She mentioned that if she didn't know better, she would have thought that my body had already been through a vaginal delivery, since I was progressing so nicely. She offered to strip my membranes at my appointment this Thursday, but I'm going to say no thank you. Maybe if I go past my due date, but not now. Also, I never had an internal with Kalaya, those SUCK!!! I already have it in my birth plan not to check me unless I ask (meaning I don't want them to routinely check me and interrupt me during labor) and I'm GLAD!
Even though I am not getting TOO worked up yet about the 'progress' my body has made, but it definitely made me panic a little bit. Just in that I have about 4 different to do lists going (final baby stuff, cleaning, meals to freeze, date night, grocery trip stocking up, pedicure, haircut, etc) and wanted to get more things crossed off. Luckily, this past weekend was a 3 day weekend for Nelson, so we got almost everything done! I'm still making and freezing meals this week, but other than that, pretty much totally ready! We had a small shower done for us on Friday at Nelson's work, which resulted in a very generous gift card from Babies R Us, as well as a gift card to the Cheesecake Factory, so Saturday night my mom came over to baby sit and we had a nice date out (for FREE!!) and got the rest of the things we wanted from our registry. We went and had belly portraits taken on Saturday (email address is mcmahonkp@yahoo.com, password sigrah), I got a pedicure with my mom yesterday, my hair trimmed Fri, did a HUGE grocery trip yesterday (with coupons!) and Nelson was a huge help cleaning and straightening up around the house. We converted our crib to a co-sleeper next to my side of the bed (actually going to get some use of it this time!!), washed and put everything Newborn and 3 month related away, went to a few other places to get some last minute items, got our hospital bags all packed, camera charged, and many other things as well. We were busy, but I feel a LOT better. Now we're 'ready' for Jakiah's debut! We're going to do a belly cast this week too. Could be a couple more weeks, could be any minute, we'll see!!
Even though I am not getting TOO worked up yet about the 'progress' my body has made, but it definitely made me panic a little bit. Just in that I have about 4 different to do lists going (final baby stuff, cleaning, meals to freeze, date night, grocery trip stocking up, pedicure, haircut, etc) and wanted to get more things crossed off. Luckily, this past weekend was a 3 day weekend for Nelson, so we got almost everything done! I'm still making and freezing meals this week, but other than that, pretty much totally ready! We had a small shower done for us on Friday at Nelson's work, which resulted in a very generous gift card from Babies R Us, as well as a gift card to the Cheesecake Factory, so Saturday night my mom came over to baby sit and we had a nice date out (for FREE!!) and got the rest of the things we wanted from our registry. We went and had belly portraits taken on Saturday (email address is mcmahonkp@yahoo.com, password sigrah), I got a pedicure with my mom yesterday, my hair trimmed Fri, did a HUGE grocery trip yesterday (with coupons!) and Nelson was a huge help cleaning and straightening up around the house. We converted our crib to a co-sleeper next to my side of the bed (actually going to get some use of it this time!!), washed and put everything Newborn and 3 month related away, went to a few other places to get some last minute items, got our hospital bags all packed, camera charged, and many other things as well. We were busy, but I feel a LOT better. Now we're 'ready' for Jakiah's debut! We're going to do a belly cast this week too. Could be a couple more weeks, could be any minute, we'll see!!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
37 Weeks
Well, potentially 3 weeks to go!! I have absolutely no inkling whatsoever about when Jakiah's arrival will be (duh!), so I'm trying to get as 'ready' as possible. (whatever that means)
At 37 weeks, I feel pretty good most of the time. I remember during this time with Kalaya, it was sooo different. I was praying, hoping and trying everything to get her to turn head down and dreading having a c section. This time, it looks as though Jakiah is still head down, though we will be confirming his position at an appointment in the next week or so. I am carrying him very differently that I was with Kalaya and he just feels BIG. I don't feel like I look enormous (except when I wear certain dresses to church and people tell me how big I am.....gee thanks....) but I don't feel like he has a lot of room left to move around in there! He is still extremely active, as Kalaya was, which I find very reassuring. Since who knows what God's plan is for us and how many more children we'll be blessed with, I'm savoring these last few weeks (days???) of feeling this little guy growing and moving inside me.
Since he seems to be head down, it's affecting my body much differently than Kalaya did. All of the weight is on my hips and pelvis, which makes me pretty sore. I don't want to complain, because it's not too bad, but there's really no way to feel comfortable for long periods any more. Unfortunately, that has started to include at night, so I haven't been sleeping as well. But, I made it for a LONG time getting good sleep, so I'm grateful it's taken this long. I'm also incredibly grateful for a toddler who sleeps long nights and sleeps IN! I'm sure that's just part of being this far along, but I just don't ever remember feeling the 'I'm ready for the baby to come out!' feeling with Kalaya and sometimes feel guilty that I've started feeling that way with Jakiah. But, really, I just want to see him and meet him and start being a family of 4!!! The only other minor thing that has been challenging is how itchy my belly has been this time, which I don't remember happening. It got to the point where I had hives all over it, but we did some home remedies and a few topical things and it feels much better now. Lots and LOTS of lotion seems to be helping. And, (don't hate me!) I have stretch marks this time. Made it all the way until about 35 weeks in my second pregnancy and BAM, there they are on my belly. So, maybe no more bikinis for me in the future. : P
We had our last Hypnobirthing class last night and we learned a LOT! It's really changed my whole outlook on birth, what to expect and how to prepare myself for labor. I could go on and on about it, but the main idea is that labor and birth have become what they are in our society because of so much fear and drama that we've surrounded it with. There is no reason that birth has to be this screaming, terrifying, horribly painful event. Women around the world have babies every day without medical intervention and are FINE. You know why? They don't know it's supposed to hurt and haven't seen these images of pain and been told they're patients in a hospital with something wrong over and over again. It's pretty amazing once you start learning more about the history leading up to the development of the program.
At 37 weeks, I feel pretty good most of the time. I remember during this time with Kalaya, it was sooo different. I was praying, hoping and trying everything to get her to turn head down and dreading having a c section. This time, it looks as though Jakiah is still head down, though we will be confirming his position at an appointment in the next week or so. I am carrying him very differently that I was with Kalaya and he just feels BIG. I don't feel like I look enormous (except when I wear certain dresses to church and people tell me how big I am.....gee thanks....) but I don't feel like he has a lot of room left to move around in there! He is still extremely active, as Kalaya was, which I find very reassuring. Since who knows what God's plan is for us and how many more children we'll be blessed with, I'm savoring these last few weeks (days???) of feeling this little guy growing and moving inside me.
Since he seems to be head down, it's affecting my body much differently than Kalaya did. All of the weight is on my hips and pelvis, which makes me pretty sore. I don't want to complain, because it's not too bad, but there's really no way to feel comfortable for long periods any more. Unfortunately, that has started to include at night, so I haven't been sleeping as well. But, I made it for a LONG time getting good sleep, so I'm grateful it's taken this long. I'm also incredibly grateful for a toddler who sleeps long nights and sleeps IN! I'm sure that's just part of being this far along, but I just don't ever remember feeling the 'I'm ready for the baby to come out!' feeling with Kalaya and sometimes feel guilty that I've started feeling that way with Jakiah. But, really, I just want to see him and meet him and start being a family of 4!!! The only other minor thing that has been challenging is how itchy my belly has been this time, which I don't remember happening. It got to the point where I had hives all over it, but we did some home remedies and a few topical things and it feels much better now. Lots and LOTS of lotion seems to be helping. And, (don't hate me!) I have stretch marks this time. Made it all the way until about 35 weeks in my second pregnancy and BAM, there they are on my belly. So, maybe no more bikinis for me in the future. : P
We had our last Hypnobirthing class last night and we learned a LOT! It's really changed my whole outlook on birth, what to expect and how to prepare myself for labor. I could go on and on about it, but the main idea is that labor and birth have become what they are in our society because of so much fear and drama that we've surrounded it with. There is no reason that birth has to be this screaming, terrifying, horribly painful event. Women around the world have babies every day without medical intervention and are FINE. You know why? They don't know it's supposed to hurt and haven't seen these images of pain and been told they're patients in a hospital with something wrong over and over again. It's pretty amazing once you start learning more about the history leading up to the development of the program.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Great Wolf Lodge
In honor of Kalaya becoming a big sister in a VERY short time, we decided to take a mini vacation as a family of 3 for the last time. We didn't have a huge budget, but wanted to do something fun! Disneyland would have been my #1 choice, of course, but we didn't want to travel that far from home, this soon before baby. Plus, it would have meant 4 days of driving or paying for airline tickets during the week after Christmas. Um, no thank you! The date had to be the week after Christmas, because Portland State (where Nelson works) has a furlough week then and all other vacation time is being saved up for paternity leave!
We decided to go to the Great Wolf Lodge, which is only a couple of hours away, but out of state. For those who haven't heard of it, it's a large hotel/resort that has a huge water park inside of it, 2 days of which are included with staying one night. It's on the spendy side for one night, and of course there are PLENTY of other ways to waste money there, but we were smart about it. The rooms have microwaves and fridges, so we saved money by bringing our own meals.
It was really fun! We're glad we went. I don't think we'll be heading back up any time soon, mainly because there is not as much for toddlers to do as we had thought. The water park had several play areas for her, and she loved the wave pool and another pool that had floating toys and basketball hoops. But, she wanted nothing what so ever to do with the slides. Any of them. We had her go on 2 small and one larger and she hated them all. Period. So...maybe a few more years. We had thought we could ride with her, but apparently not. Plus, I was just too big and too pregnant to do much of anything. When we have 2 kids in elementary or middle school. it will be just perfect! But, it was good to go, see what it had, and Kalaya had a blast, so that's what matters! The hotel is fun, there's activities and things to look at all over. It SNOWS inside, which was really exciting and there are all of these animatronic (sp?) animals that talk to and interact with you, including a big area where they sing and perform throughout the day. They have a craft and imagination room that Kalaya absolutely LOVED and lots of other ways to spend money too. The rooms are nice and the facility is very family and kid friendly and we will head back some day!!
We decided to go to the Great Wolf Lodge, which is only a couple of hours away, but out of state. For those who haven't heard of it, it's a large hotel/resort that has a huge water park inside of it, 2 days of which are included with staying one night. It's on the spendy side for one night, and of course there are PLENTY of other ways to waste money there, but we were smart about it. The rooms have microwaves and fridges, so we saved money by bringing our own meals.
It was really fun! We're glad we went. I don't think we'll be heading back up any time soon, mainly because there is not as much for toddlers to do as we had thought. The water park had several play areas for her, and she loved the wave pool and another pool that had floating toys and basketball hoops. But, she wanted nothing what so ever to do with the slides. Any of them. We had her go on 2 small and one larger and she hated them all. Period. So...maybe a few more years. We had thought we could ride with her, but apparently not. Plus, I was just too big and too pregnant to do much of anything. When we have 2 kids in elementary or middle school. it will be just perfect! But, it was good to go, see what it had, and Kalaya had a blast, so that's what matters! The hotel is fun, there's activities and things to look at all over. It SNOWS inside, which was really exciting and there are all of these animatronic (sp?) animals that talk to and interact with you, including a big area where they sing and perform throughout the day. They have a craft and imagination room that Kalaya absolutely LOVED and lots of other ways to spend money too. The rooms are nice and the facility is very family and kid friendly and we will head back some day!!
Tree at the entrance
Coloring; there are lots of activities around!
Favorite part of the water park; spraying water!!
Love the life jacket : )
Playing with Daddy
Very pregnant Mommy and Kalaya, main structure of park in background
Love the life jacket : )
Playing with Daddy
Very pregnant Mommy and Kalaya, main structure of park in background
Getting ready to leave : (
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Christmas 2011
Whew! What a whirlwind of a couple of weeks it has been! I guess that is how it will be from now on, especially with 2 kids starting next year! It's been a fun time, but I am not going to mind getting back into a regular routine for a few weeks (and then all will never be the same again as we try to figure out life with 2 kids!) and not having so many things to do each day, even though most of them have been really fun!
This year's Santa visit went alright. We talked a lot about Santa, read about him, did puzzles, colored him, practiced telling him (nicely) what we'd like him to bring for Christmas, etc. Then, the big event arrived. We went to a local mall and, luckily, the line was short and Santa was very friendly and obviously had a lot of experience with timid toddlers. She went up to him, talked to him, looked at a book she had brought about him; they had a discussion about the reindeer and the elves and she told him she wanted a 'bike and dollhouse' (there maaaay have been some help from mom and dad preparing her ahead of time). Then we suggested a seat on Santa's lap for a picture and the crocodile tears appeared. We ended up taking a picture with her on MY lap, sitting in front of Santa. Her face is not smiling, and is a face caught between sobs. (our scanner is refusing to work, I will try to post it later) Oh well. It could have been worse. Maybe next year, when she gets to show baby brother how it's done, things will go better. Or, maybe he'll show her how it's done. We'll see!!
She was in her 3rd Christmas pageant at church this year and also did very well. She had the choice to be a sheep or angel this year and had very strong opinions on being a sheep. Her buddies Oliver and Rosie were sheep too, so that determined it. She wore the costume with no problems and only needed a little assistance from mom to go to her place. She sat quietly with the other sheep and did great!
Christmas Eve was spent going to the family service, which includes a special sermon for the kids (our priest used to be a chaplain at a school, we love her!), including candy cane distribution, which she was very excited about. We then went to my parents' house afterwards to share Christmas Eve dinner, which in our house has been Italian food for the last few year. Mom made lasagna and Kalaya ate a ton! We opened presents, which for Kalaya was a new table and chairs, which Daddy put together later that night for Christmas morning:
Christmas Eve was spent putting together the gifts from 'Santa' which Nelson loves! (no sarcasm, he seriously does) This year included a tricycle ($15, new in box on Craig's List!!), the table and chairs and a new trampoline!! ($49, down from $120 on Black Friday, thank you very much!) It took 3 HOURS for poor Santa to put the trampoline together, but she loves it!
Christmas morning, we had to draaaaaag her out of bed at 9 and she did NOT want to get up! We would have let her sleep, but had plans to see Nelson' family that day and wanted to give her time to open presents. She finally warmed up after some special Christmas blueberry muffins from mommy and then decided Christmas was pretty fun! She especially loves her new tutu, toy cars, Sesame Street play set and dollhouse.
We then drove to Salem to see Nelson's family and had a delicious meal, none of which I had to cook!! Kalaya got lots of fun gifts and had a great time playing with her one year old cousin Amara. She got lots of cute clothes, which made me extra happy. : )
We rounded off the week with a trip to The Great Wolf Lodge, to enjoy one last vacation and some special time as a family of 3, but that's for another post!
This year's Santa visit went alright. We talked a lot about Santa, read about him, did puzzles, colored him, practiced telling him (nicely) what we'd like him to bring for Christmas, etc. Then, the big event arrived. We went to a local mall and, luckily, the line was short and Santa was very friendly and obviously had a lot of experience with timid toddlers. She went up to him, talked to him, looked at a book she had brought about him; they had a discussion about the reindeer and the elves and she told him she wanted a 'bike and dollhouse' (there maaaay have been some help from mom and dad preparing her ahead of time). Then we suggested a seat on Santa's lap for a picture and the crocodile tears appeared. We ended up taking a picture with her on MY lap, sitting in front of Santa. Her face is not smiling, and is a face caught between sobs. (our scanner is refusing to work, I will try to post it later) Oh well. It could have been worse. Maybe next year, when she gets to show baby brother how it's done, things will go better. Or, maybe he'll show her how it's done. We'll see!!
She was in her 3rd Christmas pageant at church this year and also did very well. She had the choice to be a sheep or angel this year and had very strong opinions on being a sheep. Her buddies Oliver and Rosie were sheep too, so that determined it. She wore the costume with no problems and only needed a little assistance from mom to go to her place. She sat quietly with the other sheep and did great!
Christmas Eve was spent going to the family service, which includes a special sermon for the kids (our priest used to be a chaplain at a school, we love her!), including candy cane distribution, which she was very excited about. We then went to my parents' house afterwards to share Christmas Eve dinner, which in our house has been Italian food for the last few year. Mom made lasagna and Kalaya ate a ton! We opened presents, which for Kalaya was a new table and chairs, which Daddy put together later that night for Christmas morning:
Christmas Eve was spent putting together the gifts from 'Santa' which Nelson loves! (no sarcasm, he seriously does) This year included a tricycle ($15, new in box on Craig's List!!), the table and chairs and a new trampoline!! ($49, down from $120 on Black Friday, thank you very much!) It took 3 HOURS for poor Santa to put the trampoline together, but she loves it!
Christmas morning, we had to draaaaaag her out of bed at 9 and she did NOT want to get up! We would have let her sleep, but had plans to see Nelson' family that day and wanted to give her time to open presents. She finally warmed up after some special Christmas blueberry muffins from mommy and then decided Christmas was pretty fun! She especially loves her new tutu, toy cars, Sesame Street play set and dollhouse.
We then drove to Salem to see Nelson's family and had a delicious meal, none of which I had to cook!! Kalaya got lots of fun gifts and had a great time playing with her one year old cousin Amara. She got lots of cute clothes, which made me extra happy. : )
We rounded off the week with a trip to The Great Wolf Lodge, to enjoy one last vacation and some special time as a family of 3, but that's for another post!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
What I Wore Wednesday at 34 Weeks
Let's be honest: I haven't been posting outfit posts, because nothing is comfortable any more. I'm outgrowing maternity clothes, wear a lot of sweats and pjs and just throw on whatever is big enough to be covered. And, when I do actually put on something cute (usually for church on Sunday or to visit the midwife), I never remember to grab the camera. Pants are getting less comfortable, jeans, no matter what size. This guy is getting big! Skirts and leggings are more comfortable, but seem ridiculous to wear around the house. This outfit was to take Kalaya to see Santa, because I suspected I may end up in the picture too. (I was right, more about that later) This was taken at 34 weeks.
Sweater: Hand me down (Motherhood)
Skirt: Thrifted (Motherhood)
Leggings, boots: Kohl's
Snowflake Pin: Target
And the belly to go with it....
Skirt: Thrifted (Motherhood)
Leggings, boots: Kohl's
Snowflake Pin: Target
And the belly to go with it....
Thursday, December 15, 2011
33 Weeks
Alright, I'll try to stop saying how fast this pregnancy is going by. But, really, now that the holiday season is in full swing, EVERYTHING is happening quickly, not just the growing bump!! Just on a day to day basis, how did it get to be Thursday this week??? And Christmas is a week from Sunday???? Holy cow!! Luckily, having plenty to do distracts from getting bigger and bigger. I finally got my Christmas cards out yesterday, have gotten almost all of the prep work done for the big day and starting to feel like I can slow down a little. Yeah right, the Christmas pageant is Sunday, (starring a certain VERY cute sheep. okay, 'starring' may be an exaggeration.) I have a few craft projects to finish up, presents to wrap and we are going to see the Big Guy in Red next week.
Pregnancy-wise, I still feel good! Definitely more crowded and feeling bigger, but I don't have too many complaints at all. My appetite is fine and most nights I'm able to get some sleep. He's head down, which is a HUGE relief and we're hoping he stays there!! Our next appointment is Wednesday and then we'll be going every other week and soon after, every week! With a VBAC, I'm technically considered 'high risk', but as long as I know my rights and speak up for myself, we can treat this as a 'normal' birth. Our midwife said that if I'm late, they'll let me go up to 42 weeks if necessary (hopefully not!) but that they won't induce without my body starting to labor on its own. Which means, c-section if no labor begins. Hopefully, this won't be an issue. I just have no idea, since my body didn't go into labor at all with Kalaya. Head down means a new sensation; feet poking my ribs! It is pretty painful, but I can usually change positions and feel better. (does not work in the car, I've discovered...)
We started our childbirth class and love it! We're taking Hypnobirthing, which came highly recommended by other ladies who have had successful deliveries without any pain medications, intervention, etc. It's basically an approach to childbirth that has you practice getting as relaxed as possible before labor so that your body is trained ahead of time. It is also based on the idea that your body is prepared for this; God/Mother Nature knew what to do to prepare you, it doesn't have to be this screaming, painful, agonizing, medical event. It's a natural process that your body was created for. We love it!!
Jakiah is still very active and I love, love, LOVE feeling him move. This is the part of pregnancy I missed the most, so I'm trying to savor each moment. People are asking if I'm ready to be done, and honestly, not yet. For obvious reasons, such as I know that he'd be premature at this point, but also because who knows what God's plan is for us with children?? I don't know if we're stopping after this or not, so I'm enjoying being pregnant while I can. Yes, we're excited to meet this little guy, but I'm loving having my daughter all to myself and her having her parents all to herself for just a couple more months. (eek, more like a few more weeks!!) We're taking everything one day at a time. : )
Pregnancy-wise, I still feel good! Definitely more crowded and feeling bigger, but I don't have too many complaints at all. My appetite is fine and most nights I'm able to get some sleep. He's head down, which is a HUGE relief and we're hoping he stays there!! Our next appointment is Wednesday and then we'll be going every other week and soon after, every week! With a VBAC, I'm technically considered 'high risk', but as long as I know my rights and speak up for myself, we can treat this as a 'normal' birth. Our midwife said that if I'm late, they'll let me go up to 42 weeks if necessary (hopefully not!) but that they won't induce without my body starting to labor on its own. Which means, c-section if no labor begins. Hopefully, this won't be an issue. I just have no idea, since my body didn't go into labor at all with Kalaya. Head down means a new sensation; feet poking my ribs! It is pretty painful, but I can usually change positions and feel better. (does not work in the car, I've discovered...)
We started our childbirth class and love it! We're taking Hypnobirthing, which came highly recommended by other ladies who have had successful deliveries without any pain medications, intervention, etc. It's basically an approach to childbirth that has you practice getting as relaxed as possible before labor so that your body is trained ahead of time. It is also based on the idea that your body is prepared for this; God/Mother Nature knew what to do to prepare you, it doesn't have to be this screaming, painful, agonizing, medical event. It's a natural process that your body was created for. We love it!!
Jakiah is still very active and I love, love, LOVE feeling him move. This is the part of pregnancy I missed the most, so I'm trying to savor each moment. People are asking if I'm ready to be done, and honestly, not yet. For obvious reasons, such as I know that he'd be premature at this point, but also because who knows what God's plan is for us with children?? I don't know if we're stopping after this or not, so I'm enjoying being pregnant while I can. Yes, we're excited to meet this little guy, but I'm loving having my daughter all to myself and her having her parents all to herself for just a couple more months. (eek, more like a few more weeks!!) We're taking everything one day at a time. : )
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Let the holiday season begin!!
It's been a busy few weeks, which apparently meant no blogging!! Let's see, where to start...
Thanksgiving was really nice. We had (as usual) 2 dinners, one with my family, one with Nelson's family. My mom and dad came over on the actual day and mom and I split up the responsibilities of cooking the big meal, which was GREAT! I was in charge of the turkey, rice, jello salad, green veggie (broccoli), mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and.....I think that was it. Mom did the sweet potatoes, stuffing, and gravy. Then there were those other quick things that just come out of a can. At our house, that includes olives and cranberry sauce. I do the turkey in the crock pot (just the breast, actually), so it actually was a really easy, laid back preparation. We had dinner, the men watched football, the ladies looked through Black Friday ads and chatted in the kitchen. (and the men did the dishes, of course.) Saturday was spent in Salem with Nelson's family, eating another big and delicious meal. And, I didn't have to cook a thing!! I was going to bring a side dish, but Nelson had this idea that he wanted to try to make a new recipe he found, so he made a sweet potato casserole, leaving me with nothing, AWESOME!! Kalaya ate a LOT at both meals this year; much different from last year! She especially liked mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, broccoli, cranberry sauce and stuffing and mommy and daddy let her have a (VERY SMALL) piece of pumpkin pie at each meal, which was very exciting!
Black Friday. Yup, it's totally crazy and I understand completely why people avoid it. The last few years, my mom and I have sometimes gone out in the late morning or afternoon, to check out the sales, but avoid the crazies. Then, last year, my friend Sarah got me to go with her in the middle of the night and I got HOOKED!! Do I feel guilty about those people having to work ridiculous hours and for supporting corporate America?? Yes. Very, very much so. But, we are on a limited budget and the sales really do make a huge difference in savings. Last year I went to 5 or 6 stores, but at 7 months pregnant, not this time. I go with a plan and very strategically. This year, I decided on Toys R Us and K Mart. Toys R Us opened at 9pm on Thanksgiving (which is absolultely horrible, I agree) and I learned last year that it's pointless to get there before 2 hours after they open. (the line out the door takes that long to get through) I arrived just before 11 and got in pretty quickly, got the items I wanted and checked out @ 1am, which was exactly what I expected. Yes, it's crazy, but I got everything we wanted for Kalaya and saved 50% or more on each item, as well as the other kids on my shopping list. My make a list ahead of time, arrive with cash in hand, have back ups for each item and only go if it really is worth the savings. Last year, it was for her kitchen, this year a trampoline and some other toys. I got up and went to K Mart @ 6, which wasn't crowded at all, had no lines and I got everything I wanted. The only bummer this year was that I did it alone, since Sarah had just had a baby 3 weeks prior.
The weekend after Thanksgiving was spent finalizing projects around the house and working in the yard, getting things ready for our Housewarming party that we had this past Saturday. Nelson has removed a LOT of weeds and been putting down mulch, it looks SO much better. We did a lot of raking as well. Nelson put the lights on the house and we did come other decorating around the house, including getting our Christmas tree! We found a great place, within a couple of miles of our house. It's a family home with 5 acres of Christmas trees behind it, all trees one price and you cut it, they tie it to your car. We'll be heading back, it was really nice!! And so close! Kalaya had a lot of fun running around and looking at the trees, even though it was COLD! She wasn't too sure about the whole tying the tree on the car part, but once we got home, she loooves having a decorated tree in the living room, especially the lights!!
Helping decorate! (notice her area of choice, mommy had to spread a few out, as she put them all on the same branch : )
Thanksgiving was really nice. We had (as usual) 2 dinners, one with my family, one with Nelson's family. My mom and dad came over on the actual day and mom and I split up the responsibilities of cooking the big meal, which was GREAT! I was in charge of the turkey, rice, jello salad, green veggie (broccoli), mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and.....I think that was it. Mom did the sweet potatoes, stuffing, and gravy. Then there were those other quick things that just come out of a can. At our house, that includes olives and cranberry sauce. I do the turkey in the crock pot (just the breast, actually), so it actually was a really easy, laid back preparation. We had dinner, the men watched football, the ladies looked through Black Friday ads and chatted in the kitchen. (and the men did the dishes, of course.) Saturday was spent in Salem with Nelson's family, eating another big and delicious meal. And, I didn't have to cook a thing!! I was going to bring a side dish, but Nelson had this idea that he wanted to try to make a new recipe he found, so he made a sweet potato casserole, leaving me with nothing, AWESOME!! Kalaya ate a LOT at both meals this year; much different from last year! She especially liked mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, broccoli, cranberry sauce and stuffing and mommy and daddy let her have a (VERY SMALL) piece of pumpkin pie at each meal, which was very exciting!
Black Friday. Yup, it's totally crazy and I understand completely why people avoid it. The last few years, my mom and I have sometimes gone out in the late morning or afternoon, to check out the sales, but avoid the crazies. Then, last year, my friend Sarah got me to go with her in the middle of the night and I got HOOKED!! Do I feel guilty about those people having to work ridiculous hours and for supporting corporate America?? Yes. Very, very much so. But, we are on a limited budget and the sales really do make a huge difference in savings. Last year I went to 5 or 6 stores, but at 7 months pregnant, not this time. I go with a plan and very strategically. This year, I decided on Toys R Us and K Mart. Toys R Us opened at 9pm on Thanksgiving (which is absolultely horrible, I agree) and I learned last year that it's pointless to get there before 2 hours after they open. (the line out the door takes that long to get through) I arrived just before 11 and got in pretty quickly, got the items I wanted and checked out @ 1am, which was exactly what I expected. Yes, it's crazy, but I got everything we wanted for Kalaya and saved 50% or more on each item, as well as the other kids on my shopping list. My make a list ahead of time, arrive with cash in hand, have back ups for each item and only go if it really is worth the savings. Last year, it was for her kitchen, this year a trampoline and some other toys. I got up and went to K Mart @ 6, which wasn't crowded at all, had no lines and I got everything I wanted. The only bummer this year was that I did it alone, since Sarah had just had a baby 3 weeks prior.
The weekend after Thanksgiving was spent finalizing projects around the house and working in the yard, getting things ready for our Housewarming party that we had this past Saturday. Nelson has removed a LOT of weeds and been putting down mulch, it looks SO much better. We did a lot of raking as well. Nelson put the lights on the house and we did come other decorating around the house, including getting our Christmas tree! We found a great place, within a couple of miles of our house. It's a family home with 5 acres of Christmas trees behind it, all trees one price and you cut it, they tie it to your car. We'll be heading back, it was really nice!! And so close! Kalaya had a lot of fun running around and looking at the trees, even though it was COLD! She wasn't too sure about the whole tying the tree on the car part, but once we got home, she loooves having a decorated tree in the living room, especially the lights!!
Running around and having a blast!
Supervising
New word learned: Stump
Monday, November 28, 2011
30 Before 30
So, I've noticed a growing trend in the blogs I read: a lot of the people who are under 30 have a '30 Before 30' list going. Since I turned 29 recently, I figured I might as well get on the bandwagon!! Here's what I have come up with so far. They are in no particular priority or timeline order, they are just what I have thought of so far. I am open to suggestions!!
1. Deliver a healthy baby (boy!) around January 31st, to increase our family to 4! DONE
2. Have a successful VBAC with as little medical intervention as possible, particularly without pain medications. DONE
3. Complete the Hypnobirthing class series before labor. DONE
4. Compost more; throw away even less waste.
5. Learn the basics of sewing on a machine. (starting with: how to turn it on, how to put the thread on...seriously embarrassing!)
6. Sign Kalaya up for more classes through our rec center. (we've already done swimming) DONE
7. Plant an herb garden in the backyard (I wish this could be a veggie garden, but it will be too much with a new baby. Next year!)
8. Really focus on working out our family budget, finding a way to spend less and save more. DONE
9. If the budget is balanced enough and our tax return is enough; buy a 2nd car.
10. Use more coupons!
11. After baby is born, get back to my pre-baby weight or at least fit in my clothes.
12. Try (at least) one new recipe every week. DONE
13. POTTY TRAIN MY TODDLER
14. Learn to bake my own bread. DONE
15. Get our yard cleaned up (even more) and some basic landscaping.
16. Paint our kitchen. DONE
17. Make more meals ahead and freeze them. (my parents bought me a freezer for my birthday/Christmas!!!) DONE
18. Find a way to take a vacation as a family. As in, not just in Oregon. (I have been slooooowly saving a bit at a time since this time last year and plan to keep going!) DONE
19. Have a successful housewarming/holiday party in our new house! DONE
20. Transfer my grad school credits from WOU to PSU and start their online Master's of Education program this fall term.
21. Keep going to pregnancy fitness swim class regularly, followed by deep water aerobics after the pregnancy is over. (with several weeks to transition back with a new baby!)
22. Along with the budget, pay off the small amount of credit card debt we have and then use cards only when truly necessary. (for Papa John's when I don't feel like cooking does NOT COUNT!)
23. Figure out a way to raise 2 kids! DONE....
24. Wear a bikini out in public, with a pregnant belly. (well, to swim class anyway) DONE
25. Make and freeze several batches of fruit and vegetable purees to sneak more healthy foods into my picky toddler's diet. DONE
26. Read at least 3 classic novels, including Pride and Prejudice, which no, I have never read!
27. Visit Grant Park and Klickitat Street, in honor of Beverly Cleary and Ramona. Have lived in Portland too long to not do this!!
28.
29.
30.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
