The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas

One of my favorite books I have read in a while. As a warning, there are drugs, violence, race issues, cussing, and more in this book. But it's truly written in a language that is fun to read, and with a story that is hard to put down. I can't wait until the movie is made!'

I think this book makes me want to read more books written about/for/by minorities. I will try to fit that into my yearly challenge of 25 books!

On to the next!

Notable Quotes
"At an early age, I learned that people make mistakes, and you have to decide if their mistakes are bigger than your love for them."

"That's the problem. We let people say stuff, and they say it so much that it becomes okay to them and normal for us. What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?"

"Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right."

My Birth Story, 10+7=17

I LOVE telling my birth story. It was truly one of a kind.

Blake was at work, and our deal was that when Blake was working, I would stay with my mom, just in case I went into labor.

I went to my 39 week appointment on October 5, when I was 39 weeks and 1 day. When the midwife Shannon was checking head position on my lower tummy, it got extremely uncomfortable, and she even mentioned that I was having a contraction while I was there. I had been having painless Braxton Hicks for about a month before, but they really did seem like nothing to worry about, so I just dealt. That evening, I had a LOT of Braxton Hicks, and swore it was from Shannon feeling for the baby's head.

I went to work Friday morning (October 6,) which was a professional development day at the high school. During that day, FIVE co-workers told me that I looked like I had dropped. I shrugged them off, sat through classes until 4, came back to the middle school, and worked on my maternity leave sub plans, as that was my official last day of work. I whittled away until 9 that night, and I felt fine except one hip hurt. I hobbled back and forth from the lounge numerous times, and ended the 11 hour work day.

My parents were staying in Stephenville for a wedding, so I drove from Fort Worth out to Stephenville. Construction on I-35 was at an ALL TIME HORRIBLE MESS, so it took me over almost two hours to get there. I was a grumpy mess as I was at a standstill. I stopped at Popeyes and got some dinner, and headed on out of town. I got to the hotel around 11 and went straight to bed.

Around 4 that morning, I had what I guess was a contraction. I woke up and texted Blake, not even to say I had a contraction (because I truly don't think I know what woke me up,) but just to say hey. I went back to sleep until about 6:30, when I started feeling some paints. I was wondering if they were contractions, so I got out my little contractions timer and started it.

I realized that these totally non-contraction pains were coming at the rate of around 6 minutes. STILL IN DENIAL. I decided to take a shower and go for a walk, in case it wasn't labor and it was just worse Braxton Hicks.

I let Blake know, but told him to go to sleep in case it turned out to be nothing. So he went to sleep, no biggie.

I got in the shower around 7 and the contractions got worse. (In my mind, they were still just random pains.) I sat in there for about 30 minutes, and when I got out, went back to timing my contractions.

2:28
1:52
1:22
2:21

At this point, I always think about movies, TV shows, or things I've read that say, "When contractions are consistently between 5-8 minutes, it's time to go to the hospital." I woke up in labor with contractions 6 minutes apart. It was immediately time for me to go!

I went and woke up my parents with a whisper and gentle prod.

"Mom, I think I'm having some contractions, and I was wondering if you could go for a walk with me?"

The covers shot off of her and she sat straight up. "CONTRACTIONS? Oh my god! Let's go! I don't even need coffee. I'm gonna put on my jogging clothes! Where are my glasses?"

We decided to go on down to breakfast. I tried to grab a snack, but I looked at my parents and said, "I think I need to go back into Fort Worth." HOWEVER, I was STILL in denial. I pretty much though, well, in case this goes into full blown labor, I should probably be close to the birthing center.

As a side note, I knew I wanted to keep this a pretty private affair. So since my dad had driven up from San Antonio, my mom from Dallas, and me from Fort Worth, I knew that I would have to drive my car back. Since I truly didn't think I was in labor, I decided to drive myself, and at least my car would be at the birthing center. (It also had the carseat in it.)

I called the midwife, who said that my contractions needed to be between 2-4 minutes for over an hour. They already had been, but I had to get to Fort Worth either way. So I decided to track my contractions as I drove by myself (and even stopped at the store to pee and stopped at Sonic to get a water) back into Fort Worth.

I got to the birthing center and called Midwife Dana back. Dana had been my favorite since the beginning. She did my very first sonogram and showed us our nugget. She has a great sense of humor, but is very blunt and to the point, which I appreciate. She said to get a hotel, get some breakfast, and try to walk it out since the only sign of labor I had was contractions.

My mom asked if I had called Blake yet. I hadn't. He was almost six hours away, and Mom panicked. I tried to call him, but he didn't pick up the phone, which I didn't expect him to. I had to call his boss, Orville.

"Hello?"
"Heyyyyy Orrrvvvvv... It's Jamie..."
"IS IT TIME?"
"Ummmmmmm can you just like go wake Blake up and tell him to call me?"

Blake called me back a few minutes later, and he hit the road.

Mom got us a hotel, and we went to the room. I ate some Wheat Thins and half an apple and sat on the bed, peeing what felt like every five minutes. We were there about an hour before I started bleeding. When I walked out of the bathroom, only Dad was in there, listening to Mexican music and reading the news or weather on his iPad.

"Hey, Dad, where's Mom?"
"I think she went out to the car."
"Okay, well, I think we need to go to the birthing center."
"Oh, is everything okay?" Not even looking up from his iPad.
"Well, I'm bleeding."
Pause.
"I'm gonna go get your mom."

I called Dana again, and she said to come on and that she was waiting for us.

As we got into the car, I asked my mom for something to sit on since I didn't know how much I would bleed. She pulled her used apron from the rehearsal dinner the night before out from the backseat and threw it on the front seat. Thank goodness, because less than ten minutes later, when we were almost to the birthing center, my water broke. It felt like just a little pop on the inside, but as Mom rounded a corner, it gushed.

"Mom, my water just broke."
"Just hang on, we're almost there."

I'm sure we were a sight to see getting out of the cars and trying to get me in there while I was leaking like a faucet. The apron was dragging behind me as I used it for a diaper, and the midwife was laughing at us.

I got in, took off my pantaloons, and slipped into a Depends. SEXY. She checked how far I was dilated (okay, honestly probably getting checked was the worst pains of the day. It's like, you don't want anyone to touch or disturb your private area, and it feels like they are putting two hands and a foot up inside you to check your cervix. At least to me it did.)

"Okay, halfway there. You're at a 5."

I hoped that was the worse of the two halves.

At this point, a lot of the memories become fuzzy. It's crazy how your brain blacks out and protects you from the pain. I know I bounced on the ball for a while, sat in the shower, and then labored in the tub. The nurse was so awesome, as I know I was a little cranky. I had stopped texting Blake once I got to the birthing center, but Mom was keeping me updated.

Around 2, I got out of the tub and went to the bed. They put the peanut ball between my legs. THAT. THING. WAS. THE. DEVIL. I'm pretty sure I had a contraction that lasted for 14 minutes. That's what it felt like, anyway. After that, I went to the bathroom to pee and felt the urge to push. When I told the nurse, she brought me back in and she checked me again.

"How do you feel about doing some stairs?"

The feelings were not good.

"Well, what am I at?"
"You're almost there."
"Like how much almost there?"
"Like, you're at a 10, but there is a little piece of cervix blocking his head. I need you to do the stairs to lean forward and get him into a better position."
SONOFAB.

I labored on the stairs for about 30-45 minutes. I only made it up and down the stairs twice, but I squatted on the top of the stairs for a while. I had one foot on the top stair and the other a few steps down. It really helped relieve a lot of pressure that way.

I tried to pee again, and I could hear Mom freaking out.

"BLAKE'S HERE! OH MY GOD BLAKE'S HERE OH MY GOD HE MADE IT!"

As I'm sitting on the toilet sucking on a straw of honey, Blake barrels past the bathroom door and does a double take. He just rubbed my shoulder for a few minutes. Some things he said were, "I can cut that honey open a little more for you" (which, no, I was enjoying biting down extremely hard) and "Are you sure you still want four of them?" (which, @&$%#.)

At this point, the nurse was checking the heartbeat between each contraction. It's literally like when you want no one touching or bothering you because you finally are out of the pain of a contraction, they are touching all over you.

Dana wanted to check me again, so as I got on the bed, Blake went into the bathroom to pee (he had been on the road a while) and when he came out, I was pretty much already pushing.

I pushed on the bed/on my back for about 15 minutes. Finally, I told Dana, "I have no push left in me."

"Well, let's do something different. Do you want to try to squat?" (I edited part of this, because it was TMI and you know, you just don't wanna read about it.)

"Yes!" I was so willing to try something different. I squatted next to the bed, and in the next contraction, I could feel that he was about to come out. The nurse continued listening for the heartbeat, but this time, there was silence. I looked at the nurse, who was looking at the midwife, which can never mean good things. The next push, she told me to push his head out. "PUSH EASY! EASY! EASY!"

As a sidenote: when pushing out a baby, you realize there is no different gears for pushing it out. There is one mode: get the baby out and the pain gone.

She had me stop pushing when his head was out, and later, I realized she was checking to see why his heartbeat had stopped. The umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck twice. In the hospital, when this happens, usually Mom is repositioned. In this instance, she yelled to Blake and the nurse, "Get her on her back!" They got me to my back quickly (threw me to my back could be a better term) and she said "Push him out!" I did, instantly, and he wasn't crying. Dana threw him around like an Italian in a pizza parlor, and he started choking, sputtering, and crying. They threw him up on my chest (ironically, I was wearing Blake's "BABY DADDY" shirt) and we got to love on him for a second before she had us get back up on the bed. I had pulled a muscle in my groin squatting, so I was in a little pain, but I delivered the placenta soon after and got all cleaned up.

I will say this - as soon as he came out, all pain was gone. It was instant relief. I immediately thought, I could do that again! I was sore for a few days after, but I was so glad I didn't have any anesthesia, pitocin, epidural, etc. It was overall a GREAT experience.

My mom and dad and Blake's dad and stepmom came in to see him about an hour later and hung out for a while.

Soon after, we did the weight, length, all that. They did it right on the bed next to me, and Blake got to help out a lot, too! That was such a cool experience.

We got to put his pawprints on the wall, which Mom suggested we should do where my forehead was practically smushed against the wall for the last hour on the staircase.

I got an herbal bath and before we knew it, our four hours was up and we were heading home as a super cute family of three, letting our closest family and friends know, and announcing on Facebook.

(Also, I never posted this picture before, which we took right before we left the birthing center, but it had been a rough day, so I don't feel like I look my best, but this is the reality of it.)

I'm sure I'm missing some parts, but this is pretty much the day as I remember. Lovely loves all around.

Things I liked: sitting on the toilet (getting relief on your back while not getting any pressure on my hoo-ha was AWESOME,) sitting in the shower, sitting on the ball, and laboring in the tub, tubes of honey, having a wee lad to take home/show off from here on out.

Things I didn't like: the peanut ball (they can all go die in hell,) being touched or talked to (which actually wasn't a bad thing, since Blake wasn't there for the majority of the day, soreness and care of myself afterware.

Breastfeeding Thoughts for Soon-to-Be Moms

I have been breastfeeding since day 1. Hour one. Within the first 30 minutes. Literally, he popped out of me and got thrown on my chest to start nuzzling. 

Luckily, I have never had supply issues for the most part. If anything, I have an oversupply now that I pump, but I want to keep the babe on breastmilk for a year.

I am no breastfeeding expert, but I have learned a few things along the way.

• Your nips will hurt. Get Lanolin. I used it religiously after every time he ate (even if he only ate on the left boob, I would put it on both.) My nips STILL got sore, but it helped a lot, and within 10 days, it got better. My mom did the old-school rub your boobs roughly with a towel after every shower, but they don't recommend that these days. Along those same lines...
• Your boobs will hurt. The day your milk comes in is like a chest workout that you didn't prepare for. They are huge and hurt. Sometimes, they come with a clogged milk duct or mastitis (I had a clogged milk duct and it was BAD.) Your baby will start sleeping through the night, and you will wake up either hurting, uncomfortable, or with a nipple sticking out of your nursing tank. Your body makes what your baby needs, so please don't overpump and overfeed, but there's still not enough warning for the uncomfortableness it will bring.
• You will get guilt. You will have days when you don't think you have enough milk. You might even have days when you don't have enough milk. You will feel bad that you are feeding too often, then feeding not often enough. You will feel guilty having to pump and have the baby take a bottle. You will feel guilty when your baby won't take a bottle. If you don't worry, you don't care.
• Your boobs will look different. Bigger, yes. Lower, yes. But also, the babe has literally left purple veins around my nip from pulling on my left boob.
• Your boobs will make different amounts of milk. You make a ton of milk while you sleep (which is another reason why sleeping when the baby is sleeping is SO important!) You make less milk in the evening. And if you're me, your right boob will be the producer that keeps the baby thriving, and the left boob is just for snacks. (If he hasn't eaten in a while, it's usually 5-6 ounces from my right boob, and 3-4 from my left.)
• Pumping will suck. But if you don't do it, your boobs will hurt. You have to have a place to pump, a place to store the milk, and a baby who will take bottles. So work at it. It is a learned habit, and I doubt it has ever come natural to any woman without help, guidance, a manual, and pictures to go with it (and don't be ashamed to youtube it!)
• You will forget pump parts at home when you go to work. You might even have to go to two pharmacies in your 30 minute lunch to try to find replacement parts, and spend $50 on a manual pump when you already have two at home for ONE part. Repeating for a friend. I wish. Double check before you leave EVERY DAY that you have everything.
• You will be confused by all the parts to your pump. How they go together, how to wash them, what goes where, what shouldn't go where, etc. You'll get used to it.
• Washing pump parts sucks, along with the bottles the baby uses while you are pumping. Get a good bottle brush and a drying rack. Make it a nightly routine, even if you hate doing dishes, and even if you never did dishes on a daily basis. It sucks, but it's now a part of your life, but only temporarily.
• Your boobs will leak. Seriously. Mine still leak. My sister didn't have this issue, but I ALWAYS have to wear nursing pads. Anytime I have a random let down, my  boobs will leak through my bra and shirt, so I just wear nursing pads religiously. Some women don't have this issue, but prepare yourself just in case.
• You might think it's weird. If you don't, someone else will. Breastfeeding in public is a big deal right now. Should you do it? Should you cover it? I will give this advice: make sure that no one feels disrespected, but first and foremost, take care of you and your child. I usually throw a blanket over me until he is latched, but then take it off, since no one can see once that happens. I always used my cover in public, but people are still shocked that I will do it anytime, anywhere. Just remember, you don't owe anyone an explanation.
• You will feel like a milk cow. I asked a friend, "If we were stuck on a deserted island, would y'all feed me all the food and then drink my breastmilk?" You have real thoughts about cows bred to produce milk. You might even stop drinking milk altogether, because the thought grosses you out.
• You will find feeding positions that work best for you and your babe. These positions will change over time. You may like a pillow underneath you, or you might just like to hold your baby and walk around. Your baby will get HEAVY, so find a position where you and the babe are comfortable, as well as they are getting a good latch.
• You will have a bond with your baby that no one else has. This is not a drill, not a joke, nothing. I wasn't ever sure about having a baby, so I'm so glad I have that extra bond with my child that was so necessary when I had him. I feel like he loves to cuddle up against me, loves to spit up on me, and loves to look up at me with the nip in his mouth with a huge smile and big blue eyes and it will melt your heart and the world will stop and it's just the freakin' best.
• You will think everything is weird, but I promise, it's all normal. If you think something is off, there is no shame in going to a professional for help. Do the best for you and your baby.
• Don't shame anyone for doing it, and don't shame anyone for not doing it. Just don't. Be a decent human being.

As always, consult with a doctor or lactation consultant about concerns, but these are things I've either heard or experienced, so good luck and get 'er done.

Dairy Free Picky Eater

I will say it - I am a picky eater! So when Cash's pediatrician asked me to go dairy-free temporarily, I was SHOOK.

No ice cream slushes?
No milkshakes?
No cereal or milk and I couldn't even eat PIZZA?

It was a hard adjustment. I had days when I had absolutely NO appetite and would force myself to eat crap because I had to eat and drink to keep my milk supply up. But let's start from the beginning.

Cash has been EBF (exclusively breast fed) since birth. For the first month-6 weeks, we had no problems at all! But then, the poops started. I thought it was a spicy meal I had eaten, but all of the sudden, poops were mucusy, runny, and DARK algae green. I let it go for a few days, but when it didn't change, I started looking to reasons why it might be that way.

I looked into foremilk/hindmilk imbalance, so I would pump, mix the milk, and feed him. I started back to work soon after, but poops never changed.

And EVERYTHING I read online said: milk protein allergy.

I refused to believe it, really. I tried other things, but at his two month appointment, the pediatrician suggested that I "eliminate or limit" dairy for two weeks. After those two weeks, when nothing had changed, we brought in a stool sample, which was positive for blood, but negative for bacterial/other infections. They wanted me to try two more weeks, so I brought a diaper at 4 weeks of no dairy. There was less blood, so "keep doing what you're doing!" We are now at 7 weeks of no dairy, with no changes to me, except his poop has gone from an algae green to a light green and sometimes mustard yellow. Still no change in texture. (I am looking into "overfeeding," but that's just my own research. We go back in a few weeks with another stool sample.)

So dairy free has been hard. I am a super picky eater, so I didn't know what I could even have. My go-to meals use include butter or milk of some kind.

But I'll be damned if I want to give up breastfeeding and then would have to rinse my cloth diapers before washing! (However, the fact that I was coming back from Christmas break with 12 hour workdays and a new mom and I couldn't have my white chocolate mocha with whipped cream from Starbucks hit me HARD.)

So here is what I have stuck to for the last seven weeks.

MEALS

• Spaghetti (no Parmesan and no garlic bread. Instead, I would put olive oil and garlic salt on white bread and toast it. It tasted similar. Also, any kind of chicken in a tomato based sauce is good too!)
• Baked chicken (we smoked chicken last night in our smoker, and it was great!)
• Turkey sandwiches (from Subway, I had to switch from Italian Herb & Cheese to wheat. I also add lettuce, tomato, and cucumber. I also make these at home)
• Peanut butter sandwiches (just because I'm not a jelly fan, but jelly is dairy-free too!)
• Burger (I have never really liked cheese on my burgers - I just make sure if the bun is toasted, it is not toasted with butter on it.)
• Chicken fajita taco (fajita meat, lettuce, tomato, on a flour tortilla)
• Chili (we had deer chili - so good! No cheese on top or cornbread on the side, but you can eat with Club crackers)
• Salad (if that's what you're into)
• (some) cereals with Almond Milk (actually not bad at all. I get the sweetened vanilla flavor, and it honestly tastes like chocolate milk, just a little thinner)
• BBQ (YES. And BBQ sauce is dairy-free!)
• Steak (duh. If you like bearnaise sauce, that's out - sorry, unless you can find a dairy free recipe. Then send it my way!)
• Pork chops (not my favorite, but hey, it could be worse.)

SIDES

• Baked potato (I put Smart Balance butter on it - wasn't great, but was better than nothing. Sweet potatoes can be a good alternative, too.)
• French fries (sorry not sorry)
• Fritos (Doritos are my usual go-to, but NOOO they have to betray me like that.)
• Grilled veggies (especially mushrooms and onions! A lot of people like corn and asparagus, as well)
• Rice (flavor with tomato sauce or chicken broth, then skip the butter. You can also do dairy-free cream of chicken soup to put over chicken and rice. I have not tried myself, but plan on it soon!)
• Beans (not my thing, but dairy free none-the-less!)
• 
  

SNACKS - Check the labels to ensure they are dairy free.

• (some) Belvita snacks
• Iced oatmeal cookies
• fruits and veggies (I love to add carrots to my lunch)
• pretzels (can also be dipped in peanut butter - yum!)
• crackers (ritz, club, and saltines are all dairy free)
• Girl Scout Cookies (Thin Mints, Lemonades, Thank Yous, and some others are vegan! Sorry bout ya Samoas)
• All-natural popsicles (not great for this cold weather, but I would be lying if I said they weren't in my freezer)
• Chips and salsa or guacamole (RIP queso)
• Oreos (I don't like Oreos, but this a very popular dairy free sweet snack!)
• Peanuts
• Duncan-Hines brownies (check the labels, and you can't have milk chocolate brownies, but I have heard that these are dairy free. Have not tried these yet - must try soon!)
• Applesauce

EATING OUT

I use this guide when eating out. There are more on the web, but this has kind of been my go-to if I know we are eating out! Dairy Free Eating Out - my faves when eating out were burgers, grilled chicken, flautas, (some) onion rings, (some) fried chicken, 

Another great idea is to use whole 30 meals. You know they are dairy free, but you can always add in beans, rice, bread products, and sugar.

Go forth and eat!

Cloth Diaper Talk

Let's talk cloth. Fluffy Butt. Fluff Baby. Big Booty Judys. You know what I'm talking about. Cloth diapers!

Blake and I took a cloth diaper class at The Nappy Shoppe in Plano, TX, but my sister was right - you don't know what you like until you try them. We tried many different kinds, but definitely found our niche! So I will start with the different types/the ones we tried, and the ones we settled on.

Also to note: we have a baby with very runny poops. If your baby has more solid poops, other options might work better for you. We have a heavy pee and runny poop situation.

All-in-One

The all-in-one diaper is just as it says - this is the only diaper you need. No inserts, no covers, just a diaper just like a disposable, except you wash it and re-use it.

To be honest, yes, not having to stuff, snap, or clip it together was nice, but there were SO many bad things about all-in-ones to me. Different sizes are available. We had newborn and one-size.

They were not near as absorbent as other kinds. He leaked through both kinds that we tried, to the point that I was afraid to try more brands because it was too messy to deal with. They are expensive. Almost twice as expensive as other diapers. They take a long time to dry. Do I need to go into further detail? That part sucks, because no part of it can go in the dryer.


4th place for us.

All-in-Two

They are reusable. When baby goes potty, you can just snap/slide in a new insert and you are good to go.

They leak if the poop is runny. Which ours always are, so I really only use these after he's had a poop, when I know it won't leak out.

They are easy. Just snap it in and out, and the covers are reusable.

2nd place for us.

Pre-fold/Cover

After we got out of disposables (we were in those for about 3 weeks for reasons,) these were what we used for about a month. They take some getting used to, and there is a learning curve, and you have to touch pee and possibly poop. We liked them, for what it's worth, but they just weren't our favorite and we don't use them anymore.

They are inexpensive. Without runny poops, one cover might last all day. We really made it through with like, six covers and quite a few inserts. The covers are reusable. One pee, fix up the wet part, then throw the cover back on. You can choose snappies or velcro closures. Makes it good for newborns as well as when they get bigger. Different sizes are available. We had newborn and one-size.

Get ready to touch wet cloth. I never prepared myself for this. It's literally like a moist kitchen towel to touch, which was unsettling at first. There is a learning curve. Blake HATED to put these on. I feel like the sizing was never perfect. To ensure the butt was covered, plus the front, plus used a snappy, plus got the cover on over our big baby, it was kind of a hassle.

3rd place for us (probably last place for Blake!)

Pocket

We accidentally got these at Blake's diaper shower when we asked for cloth diapers. I didn't even know what they were, to be honest. I was like, how the heck are we supposed to put an insert on there? I'm pretty sure I just laid an insert on there and put it on him once, until I realized there was a pocket. Good job.
In all honesty, these have become our go to. The sitter doesn't mind them, Blake doesn't mind them, my mom doesn't mind them, and they are even easy for my grandmother. I could gush over these, to be honest, even though I know these are not everyone's favorites.

You can prepare as many day's worth at a time as you have. Every other night, I wash covers and inserts, I dry the inserts and hang the covers (even though it says that you can put them in the dryer.) They are easy to use for everyone.

There is only one elastic band around the leg, so it does leak sometimes. Sometimes, little pieces of the cloth/fuzzies get stuck to him, including on his tee-tee.

First place for us!

There may be other kinds, but these are what we started with/learned about in our class, so all others are more foreign to me.

Thanks for stopping by!

Must-Have Baby Items

Since becoming a mom, I know there are many things I have and don't use, yet there are a lot of things I don't have and wish I did. We are all surviving, though! Here is my list of top items to have.

Hudson Baby Swaddle Blankets

These swaddles are my ABSOLUTE favorite. They are extra stretchy, large, and soft! They are my favorite swaddles by far, and we still use them even though he doesn't stay swaddled. Some swaddles are not as flexible and almost feel scratchy, but these I LOVE.

Keekaroo Changer

In a few words - WORTH THE MONEY. My sister had this, and my mom begged me to also get it. I thought it was too big of an expense, but Cash LOVES this bad boy. I put him on it and he will talk, smile, giggle, and is comfortable enough on it that I can put together his cloth diapers while he is busy looking at the wall/peeing on the floor. Negative side - it is rubbery in texture, so it's a little cold on his bum/feet/back when changing and it's cold in the house. We have a few receiving blankets dedicated to being put on this, and we also keep a cloth diaper insert under his head for spit ups.

Munchkin Bottle Drying Rack
We go through so many bottles now that I'm back at work, and this bad boy never gets put up. It is functional enough for me, and I'm happy with it!

Leachco Lounger

My niece had one of these, and OMG LOVE. We affectionately call it "The Pod" and it's a great resting place. We put it on the couch next to us when we watch TV, he naps in it, and just hangs out and talks to us in this. It's great!

Graco Pack N Play
Although there are SO many brands of this, we got the Graco one for the price, and it does its job just perfectly. Cash has slept in it since he was about three days old and didn't take to the Rock N Play. It's super easy to pack up and take with us anywhere, as well!

Boba Wrap

I love my Boba Wrap! It was a lifesaver when traveling by plane, because you don't even have to take the little toot out of it to go through security. Downside? It gets VERY hot, especially when you have a furnace like I do. I think that's a common complaint with the Boba Wrap and a lot of soft wraps, but we also have the Infantino 4-in-1 carrier that Blake can use if he ever wants to and is a little more practical/functional for Dad.

Infant Optics Monitor
This is great! Blake enjoyed putting it together. We use it for naptime now, but we are almost ready to move Cash to his crib full time, so we will get more use out of it.

Munchkin Wipe Warmer
Not sure if you should get a wipe warmer? Get one. But- No, really. Get one. It makes it better on you and the babe. I'm so glad we ended up getting one.

Fisher-Price Sit Me Up

We love this! I know not all babies love this, but we have used it a lot. I don't love the toys that come attached, so I added a rattle and a teething toy and attached them. No biggie. This really is awesome, though!

Nose Frida
Just get it. Don't think about it when you use it. It works miracles. (Pair with saline spray.)


Cloth Diaper Must Haves
Osocozy Insert
We use this brand and the Dandelion brand (black stitching in Osocozy, dark green in Dandelion) to stuff our cloth diapers (we use pocket diapers.) These are the most absorbent!

Ikea Octopus
Makes drying cloth diapers so easy, plus it just hangs up in his closet.

Planet Wise Pail Liner
We just bought a new trash can (seriously, like $5 at Walmart,) and put this in it. We usually get about a week out of it (washing diapers every other night,) and then it just goes right into the wash with teh cloth diapers and hung up to dry. No touching poopy diapers!

Sprayer
Have not used this yet, and won't until solid foods, but don't forget your sprayer!

Natural Butt Paste
Great brand, and can use on cloth diapers!


Things We Got But Never Took To
Turtle Bath Thermometer

We loved this for about a month, but then the screen stopped working, so it just shined as a color. Now the color is even off. Just wasn't the best quality. I probably wouldn't get a bath thermometer again, because just feeling the water is good to find a comfortable temperature to me.

Swaddler
I'm not sure we ever had this exact brand of swaddler, but we had multiple brands, and Cash HATED being swaddled from the beginning.

Boppy
I WISH I loved my Boppy as much as I wanted to. I'm not sure why I never took to it. Cash uses it as a pillow sometimes, but for breastfeeding, it never worked for me. I always just used a fluffy pillow.

Nursing Bra
I have some nursing bras I love - this is NOT one. The armholes are too small to me. Just uncomfortable. The end.

Snuza Hero
We bought this, have this, never used it. Not sure why. We just changed his diaper SO much when he was small that it was just another thing to add. Also, he loves sleeping on his belly.

Other must-haves
Lanolin (if breastfeeding)
Gripe water (Not sure if it ever worked, but maybe gave me some ease of mind?)
Infant tylenol
Gas drops
Burp cloths
Small rags (we have extra cloth diapers, as well as homemade cloth wipes that we constantly use)
Lots of jammies (we go through these like crazy)
Socks and MITTENS (his poor hands would get so cold, so he wore these for like 2 months!)
Sea-sponge bath sponge (super soft!)
Bath sling
Breast pump (I have only tried Medela, but I love it and Cash took those bottles immediately!)

Thanks for reading! I may make an updated post once he is a little older!

It's Not Okay - Andi Dorfman

This would be the perfect book for a woman who likes to drink wine and is freshly broken up with. Seeing as I'm neither of those things, I didn't enjoy this book, even though it was time for me to read a nonfiction book. I had tried to start this book two times before, so it wasn't REALLY easy to get into at first. I only finished it because I was committed AND because I love The Bachelor and its franchise.
Would I recommend this? Probably not. I am interested to read Courtney Robertson's telling of her time on The Bachelor, which will be within the next few months!

Next on my list - The Hate U Give! Very excited about this one!

Attachments - Rainbow Rowell

Another easy read, so I finished this one pretty quickly as well!

Attachments is a story about a man whose job is to scan the people who work with him's email, to flag and notify people when their emails cross company ethics line. Yet he continues to find himself sucked into reading the emails between two women, and find himself attracted to one of the women who he has never met.

This book was VERY easy to read, just like Rainbow Rowell's Oliver & Park, which I read last year and I LOVED. I probably liked Oliver & Park a little more, because this book was a little more predictable and even though it was written about adults, it seemed to be written for young adults. Didn't take from the story any, because it was still a really good read!

I Regret Nothing - Jen Lancaster

I believe this is my first non-fiction of the year! I actually got this book at her book signing in Dallas a few weeks ago, and I really think this is my favorite of ALL the memoirs I have read by her (which have been A LOT.)

I Regret Nothing is basically Jen's story about how she decides to live without regrets, and starts that with making a bucket list. She checks things off her bucket list as the story goes on, but that's not the part that got me.

I guess that for as long as I have read her books, I have been a "kid" for the most part. Not really an adult, or figuring out how my life is supposed to work. This is the first book of hers that I have read as an adult about an adult. It really resonated with me that this is a woman as well, who is deciding to live her life without regrets. The passages about living in the moment, trying new things, going new places - that is something I need to do in my life! And I really think that a lot of women could benefit from her story of living without regrets!

A+, would recommend!

We Were Liars - E Lockhart

I actually finished this book two Fridays ago, but seeing as I'm almost done with the next book on my list, I figured I better post this one now to give me a little time between this one and the one I'm almost done with!

So I ready We Were Liars by E Lockhart. I really didn't know much about this book when I started it - I had seen that it was on the "Popular" page on my lending library, and Carrie had told me a little about it, so I jumped right in.

As a warning, this book is young adult. I didn't even know that it was young adult until I started reading it and found out the age of the narrator, and she doesn't really get much older through the whole book.

With that being said, I think I needed a young adult book, because it was SO easy to read! I read it in three days, and the story was really great. For most of the last half in the book, there is information that the reader and the narrator don't know, but everyone else knows. I was DYING to know what had really happened!

Young adult books are so easy to read, which is why I'm glad I chose this one after the long haul of Serena. This was a great book, and if you need an easy read over the summer while you lay out to get tan, I would definitely recommend this one!

Serena - Ron Rash

Ohhh Serena. The book I have been working on for TWO MONTHS.

At least I finished it. At the 24% mark, I lost steam (obviously) and it was definitely a chore. From there, I struggled to the 50% mark, and I hit there about 3 days ago, if that tells you how the second half of the book went.

I was not interested AT ALL in the politics and business of the timber companies, so those parts bored me a little, but the relationships in the story are what ultimately led me to finish the book, and I was happy that I finished the book.

Definitely the worst part of this book for me was that I read it after I read 2 very spectacular and fast paced books, and this was MUCH slower. So now I will get back to reading a fast paced book, and hopefully I can get back on track for my 24 new books plus Harry Potter goal for the year!

Jillie - post 3 months & life updates as of late!

Hey y'all! Been a while since I updated the blog, and what better time to do it than when I'm supposed to do something really annoying at work that I don't want to do!

So remember when the vets gave Jillie a 3 month life expectancy? YEAH. She blew that out of the water! She is doing as great as she was before. She still has no/limited vision in that eye (even though SOME people tell me she can see, they didn't see her slam her head into Blake's truck the other day...) It also seems that she doesn't realize when that eye is closed/barely open. Her left eye will be open and alert, and her right eye will look droopy. It's not always, but I notice it now and then. She's still happy and all that. Here's us at her 3 month mark.

 

See? She's great :) Okay, it was bright outside and she sits like an old man, but that's old news!

 

I had a great time at Andy and Kourtney's wedding - especially loved the photo booth! It's great to have a new Waggoner in the family!

 

Blake and I also went to the river to ride the RZR the weekend before the wedding - it was great but a little cold! I'm ready for the warmer weather to come around so we can go riding more!

The week after Andy's wedding, I got my wisdom teeth taken out :( I had a really hard time dealing with it, but I suppose Jillie remembered all those times I laid by her when she was sick, and she was more than happy to cuddle up with me to watch TV and sleep!

But let me tell you, she has never been happier to have Blake home! She was attached to his hip the whole weekend - very sweet :)

Jillie has been coming to work with me occasionally, she stays very busy up here!

She is pretty much working just as hard as me.

She can just barely make it through the work day.

The poor thing just never signed up for this!

Blake and I celebrated our anniversary (with a steak dinner... That I didn't get to each much of because of my teeth!)

But it was sure a fun year :)

And last weekend we celebrated Blake's birthday with a HUGE party! We are so lucky to have such great friends and family who came to celebrate with him! Other than fighting off a few scattered thunderstorms, it really was a great evening!

I should be posting some book reviews soon! And until next time...

Jillie This Week

Hey guys - just gonna give a little update on Jillie this week. A few things happened, but at this point, nothing seems too serious.

She did get attacked by a dog on Wednesday (a pit bull, imagine that.) All of the dogs were out and unfenced, Jillie had never met this dog (all of these dogs live on Blake's street.) Jillie got too friendly too fast and the dog immediately grabbed her and pulled her into the backyard. I don't think Jillie initiated the fight AT ALL, but she did initiate the curiosity, and I think that scared the other dog. It was pretty scary there for a few seconds, but Jillie managed to get back to me before the dog would let go of her, and (sorry but) I was prepared to kick the crap out of the other dog (even though his owner was running over.) The dog finally let go and Jillie came to me. She was bleeding on her mouth and over the course of the next few hours, developed a sore on the back of her neck (her bald spot, where the dog had a hold of her.) It seems to have gotten infected pretty fast (did that dog never brush its teeth??) but I have kept it clean with triple antibiotic ointment on it so hopefully it will heal up here pretty quick.

My second point is that there appears to be some stroke-like activity in her face. Her eye is droopy and her ears are lopsided. It could be because she is blind in that eye, and for all we know, she could be deaf in that ear. She is walking fine, eating normal, jumping around and running around, it's just her face muscles, and it's only when she's tired. This could be progressive, who knows. Just throwing it out there......

Peace.

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August - Claire North

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August is about a man (Harry) who relives his life over and over, but retains the memories from his former lives (think Groundhog's Day.) When a message comes to him from another person like him that the world is ending sooner and sooner in the future, he has to find out where the end of the world is coming from. He does this by tracing major world events, and when they begin to happen sooner and sooner, he can start to pinpoint where the inconsistencies are.

I bought this book for Kassia for Christmas after I had heard that it was really good, and she really enjoyed it, so I couldn't wait to read it.

The first 44% of this book were a CHORE. I really did think that the backstory and explanation were never going to end. Parts of it were like reading a text book. I would zone out for paragraphs at a time and have to re-read them. The first half of the book had very little dialogue and action, but a lot of explaining who he was and information about people like him.

Don't get me wrong - we get introduced to his first few lives in the beginning. But the world changing doesn't happen for many lives after.

I would suggest this book if you are off work for a few days (I finished 1/3 of the book the first day, took me about a week to finish the rest) and you want to wrap your mind around some sci-fi that seems to take a lot of explaining.

If you don't have energy for a book that is mentally draining, I would not recommend this book.

It was VERY interesting, and very different from everything I have ever read. I feel like this book took 15 years to write, because it seems that she really did a lot of research to write this book. That being said, that much research in my brain in one book really took it out of me.

It's just hard for me to not recommend a book that I finished. I'm torn.

DNF - The Summer Fletcher Greel Loved Me - Suzanne Kingsbury

So this is my first Did Not Finish for the year. I'm not even going back to it. Probably not ever. And not for the lack of an interesting story. I really think it's the way it's written.

On Goodreads, this has some REALLY great reviews. I stopped at 15% for a few weeks, then read the reviews, then decided to keep on trucking. I made it to 22%, I haven't read it in about three weeks, then I picked up Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, finished that book in two days, and realized that I should quit trying to suffer through this book.

And honestly, 22% into the book, not much has happened. A big secret is revealed at the very beginning, and you think it's going to lead into all this goodness, but 1/5 of the way through the book, Fletcher and Haley have ran into each other once. How can he love her all summer when the summer is 22% over and you don't know each other?

It just seems slow. That's not to say that I don't think other people would enjoy it, because it really does give you a good feel of the south at this time in history (even though it doesn't give a clear answer to what time that is.)

Not recommended, but not to say others wouldn't enjoy it.

And on to the next!

ETA: I actually started this book in November or December, and I just couldn't get through it. I read the majority of what I read in late December, and picked it back up after finishing Wench. I should have realized that spending months not looking at my Kindle, because I hated that I didn't want to pick it up, meant that I needed to move on. It was a harsh break up. The book I'm reading now has me sucked in pretty good though, and we are only a few hours in.