Reality

Not much has happened with our little family lately, but I'll put down the little changes just for memories sake.

After finding out about the car seat recall my father and I headed to our local Target in Laurel to get a refund. We had to wait on hold with their customer service for a bit, but after they confirmed all of the information we were able to get the total cost back on a gift card. We walked around the store to try to find Leah a new travel system only to find out they were sold out of all but one plain, drab black style. So we drove to the next nearest Target in Columbia to check out their selection. We were able to find a cute owl print system and it only cost me $40 out of pocket, a find I am quite pleased with myself about. While paying I made the discovery that the Laurel Target kept my drivers license. Boo. So we had to make a pit stop on the way home to get it back.

When we got home Leah was in an absolutely foul mood. She was tired, she was in pain from her teeth, and she was quite upset to wake up and not have Mommy around. As soon as I took her from my sister she was perfectly fine. She continued to nom on her fist until I gave her some baby orajel, but besides that all was well. She just about drove my sister off the deep end and when I took Leah from her all she did was wipe her eyes and say "I was about to start crying just as hard as Leah was." Needless to say having Leah in the house has helped my 19-year-old sister, 14-year-old-sister, and 16-year-old brother reconsider having sex and or kids. That's right, free birth control. If I didn't fear for my child's life I'd lend her out so teens could realize just how much work babies can be. Leah isn't even a difficult child! She rarely cries, sleeps through the night, and easily entertains herself if you need to clean/cook. Heaven forbid she were a colicky baby that rarely slept and never wanted to be put down!....

Leah and I have a mere month left here in Maryland before we'll be heading home to California. I am really excited to be back in MY house, to sleep in MY bed, to have the freedom to do what I want on MY schedule, but at the same time I am nervous to be all alone with Leah again. It's been a very long time since it's been just the two of us, even when she was first born. Jackie was with us for so long that it's going to take a lot of adjusting to living day-to-day just Mommy and Leah.

101 in 1001 progress blog

http://101progress.blogspot.com/

If you'd like to follow my progress I've made this separate blog for that purpose. If you also have one, follow me and I'll make sure to follow you so we can keep up with one another.

101 in 1001

A basic overview of the project is this: everyone says they are going to do millions of different things in their lives but rarely take the initiative to actually get things done. So you have 1001 days to complete a preset list of 101 objectives. If you're interested in knowing more you can always google the Day Zero Project.

The objective is not to by any means complete all 101 goals. It is instead to take the time to make the most of your life. Challenge yourself, and make the memories that only you can. You're worth it.

I have decided I wanted to take part and officially began on December 24, 2009. My ending date will be September 20, 2012. My list - unedited and fully honest, sexual references included - will be listed below. I will most likely make a separate blog to track my progress.

1. Take and pass one college course.
2. Re-learn basic French.
3. Learn basic Portuguese.
4. Spend at least 5 hours researching two topics that interest me. (0/2)
5. Post one "A day in the life" entry every 3 months for 1 year. (0/4)
6. Color in an entire coloring book.
7. Fly a kite.
8. Sort through our clothes and donate/sell the extras.
9. Sort through our other belongings and donate/sell the extras.
10. Put at least 3 pictures in each room (excluding the kitchen and laundry room). (0/12)
11. Buy a grill.
12. Host a Bar-b-que.
13. Dye my hair
14. Get back into contact lenses.
15. Get a pedicure.
16. Learn one new song for my viola.
17. Make our bed everyday for a month. (0/31)
18. Go 1 month without biting my nails. (0/31)
19. Send a secret into the PostSecret project.
20. Go for a surprise picnic.
21. Get a tattoo for Leah
22. Get a tattoo for Grandma
23. Cook a homemade meal for a month. (0/31)
24. Learn and cook 25 new recipes. (0/25)
25. Learn 2 recipes that Christian picks for me. (0/2)
26. Get back to my pre-pregnancy weight (125 lbs).
27. Get back to a "healthy" weight (115 lbs).
28. Go without soda for 90 days. (0/90)
29. Run a mile without stopping.
30. Participate in a 'fun run'.
31. Try 5 new foods I wouldn't eat otherwise. (0/5)
32. Write a simple recipe book for Leah.
33. Walk Kairi everyday for 2 weeks. (0/14)
34. Pay down 40% of our total debt (cars, credit cards, loans).
35. Keep debt under $5,000 for 6 months.
36. Purchase a new car.
37. Keep a VERY detailed budget for 1 year. (0/12)
38. Splurge and buy the Kitchen Aid mixer I want.
39. Put $5 into savings for each completed task. (0/100)
40. Purchase our own sofa set.
41. Purchase our own dining room set.
42. Purchase our own bedroom set.
43. Make a new friend.
44. Go on one family outing a month. (0/30)
45. Update our family blog once a week for a year. (0/52)
46. Send 5 just-because gifts to friends. (0/5)
47. Find a penpal.
48. Start our own holiday traditions.
49. Write Christian a letting explaining how I feel about him.
50. Write Christian unexpected love notes. (0/14)
51. Buy 5 new pieces of lingerie. (0/5)
52. Wear them. (0/5)
53. Have sex everyday for a month. (0/31)
54. Have sex in 2 new places. (0/2)
55. Conceive our second child.
56. Have a natural VBAC with our second child.
57. Take family portraits every six months. (0/5)
58. Inspire two people to make their own list. (0/2)
59. Gamble in Las Vegas.
60. Visit Christian's family in Florida.
61. Visit New Jersey.
62. Eat at a WaWa with Christian.
63. Visit Maine/Massachusetts/New York.
64. Go to Ireland for our "honeymoon".
65. Take a family trip to the Dixon May Fair.
66. Spend a day test driving cars just because.
67. Visit Disneyland/Disneyworld.
68. Visit the Monterey Aquarium.
69. Visit the Sacramento Zoo.
70. Visit Sea World in San Diego.
71. Take a tour of Alcatraz Island.
72. Spend the weekend in a hotel just because.
73. Take and post 1 picture a day for a year. (0/365)
74. Take a cake decorating class.
75. Learn basic knitting or sewing skills.
76. Learn basic gardening skills.
77. Read 101 books. (0/101)
78. Limit internet time to 2 hours a day for a week. (0/7)
79. Go without internet for a week. (0/7)
80. Go without internet for 2 weeks. (0/14)
81. See 80 new movies. (0/80)
82. Learn how to play the Xbox 360.
83. Beat Christian in a round of Call of Duty.
84. Have a video game tournament.
85. Finish our wedding scrapbook.
86. Print off & organize pictures in albums (Dating)
87. Print off & organize pictures in albums (Married)
88. Print off & organize pictures in albums (Leah)
89. Try cloth diapering for 2 weeks. (0/14)
90. Breast feed Leah for at least 12 months. (5/12)
91. Wean Leah off her pacifier.
92. Keep up with Leah's baby book.
93. Pick Leah's god parents.
94. Set up a savings account for Leah with at least $500 in it. (0/500)
95. Finally buy a clock for our living room.
96. - 101. to be added.

Car Seat Recall

For all parents - present and future - 447,000 car seats were recalled today. Unfortunately Leah's travel system is on the list so I'll be taking it in to our local Target tonight. Check if your childs is on the list. You can never be too safe.

Carseat Recall List

Snow!

Leah and Kairi both got to experience snow for the first time this weekend. Originally we were warned we might get "1 or 2 inches of snow" but by mid-afternoon on Friday there was a full-blown winter snow storm warning. Sure enough, around 9pm the snow began...and it didn't stop until around 6am today (Sunday)! I have lots of pictures I haven't uploaded yet, but it was definitely ridiculous. I'm about 5'2" and the snow was up to my waist (the average height). Leah was less than impressed, however Kairi has decided she loves snow. She likes burrowing into it, prancing around the backyard like a reindeer, rolling in it, eating it, chasing it, laying in it, you name it, she'll do it. This is all coming from the dog who doesn't like when you turn off the light when she's in a room and the sound of rain outside. She's such an odd thing.

Due to our "snow days" our weekend was full of Pokemon Puzzle league tournaments and Mario Party on the Wii. Leah's been able to just relax in pajamas with Mommy, Grandma, Grandpa, and the family. Nothing says winter more than naps in front of a fire place, hot chocolate, and a Christmas tree lighting the room.

My dear, sweet child...

About 3 weeks ago Leah decided sleeping at night was no fun, and started us out on a sleep-all-day-awake-all-night schedule. It was extremely difficult, and a lot of nights ended with me passing her off to my parents before they headed off to work for the day so I could get an hour or two of sleep. She was in a wonderful mood, very laid back, and calm overall. She just didn't want to sleep! Well, it took a while, but eventually even she was tired of being awake all night and we are back on a regular schedule thankfully. She falls asleep around 8:30pm, wakes up around 3:30am to nurse, falls back asleep by 4:00am, wakes up for good around 8:00am or 9:00am. She only takes 1 or 2 naps a day currently, mainly because she gets so into playing, rolling, "talking", and just hanging out with you that she seems to forget to take one!

When Leah was born she slept through the night from day one. So when she randomly started having odd sleeping patterns it threw me for a loop. I've never had to handle taking care of her with so little sleep before! I'm glad to say I managed to survive.

Well, I figured, hooray back to our regular sleep schedule, life is GOOD! Boy, was I wrong. Her teething has taken a turn for the worst so she's in constant pain it seems, she's got a bad cold coming on, and she does not want me to put her down E-V-E-R. Heaven forbid I try putting her down/passing her to someone and walking away...she does not take lightly to this. I understand why she's acting this way but goodness me it makes for a bit of a stressful day. :(

She is this: [--] close to sitting by herself, and as soon as she can stay on her knees long enough to move her legs more than once or twice I have a mobile baby. Anytime I do manage to put her down you have to barricade all around her because she scoots around the floor like a pro. It's just getting herself balance on her knees that's preventing full out crawling.

Leah and I will be back in California the first week of February - woohoo! Then only one month later Christian will be home. We can't wait to be reunited with him.

Five down, seven to go

Today is an important day to our family. That is because today Leah is 5 months old.

I have been breastfeeding Leah for five full months.
We have survived five months of sleepless nights.
We have remained afloat financially as a family of three for five months.
Leah has continued to develop and grow for five months.
Our marriage has survived one of the biggest tests possible for five months.

When Christian and I got married we were faced with a lot of negativity. I had just turned 20, he was a 20-year-old A1C in the Air Force, we had two cars, and I would be losing my job when I moved. As a "typical" young Airman Christian had nothing but a tv, xbox, and cell phone. I came with nothing more than a laptop. How were we going to make ends meet?

Then despite our original plans I got pregnant 10 months after we got married. How could we ever afford a baby along with our pets? Would we be able to handle the stress a child would bring with it? Were we as prepared as we thought?

The truth is babies bring a different kind of stress and worry. You stress about if they are happy, well fed, and loved. You worry about their health, their future, and making their life the best it could possibly be.

From the first time we saw Leah we knew we wanted to give her the world. That may not be possible now, but one day, we'll make it happen.

For now, we'll just enjoy each smile, each cuddle, her laughter, her babbling, watching her roll around, and making sure she doesn't scoot off her playmat. Because in 7 months...she won't be our little baby anymore.

Plans don't always work out

I'd been having contractions on and off for about 2 weeks prior to the 10th. They got more noticeable around the 6th, and by the 8th they were easily distinguishable and moving towards being regular.

On the 9th around 9pm I started having really strong contractions. I began writing down when they happened and for how long, and they were on a schedule - first they were 7 minutes apart, then 5, then closer to 2-3 minutes apart. I called the birthing center at approx. 11:30pm, and they said because they were still manageable and I could talk through them they recommended I wait a few hours. Christian got home around 2:30am and I mentioned to him that they were stronger, but I could still talk through them so I didn't think it was a big deal. He insisted we drive to the birthing center despite my thoughts. I agreed and we took off around 3am. We got to the birthing center at 4:30am and I was measured - 8 centimeters dilated and fully effaced. We were completely shocked because I was still talking and laughing through the contractions and we knew we would be having the baby during our stay. We went through the admittance process, and we got into a birthing tub filled with hot water. We stood there for about 4 hours, then family arrived so we got out temporarily (read: 15 minutes), then got right back in. We stood in the tub, and I breathed through contractions without pain medication, for a total of 10 hours. I got out to push on the bed (as well as in a few different positions) around 1pm. She made quick progress and moved down into my cervix within the first hour of pushing. The midwife and nurse were excited because they thought it would be a smooth, fast first time birth.

Then things completely went to a standstill. She wasn't descending further, and the contractions were instead causing her head to get stuck in a painful position. I continued to push for 2 hours in hopes that I could still deliver naturally. Her heart rate dropped drastically (from ~150 to ~110), as well as my blood pressure. At the three hour mark my midwife decided it was time to call in an OB and get their opinion on the situation. Both my midwife and the OB agreed that an emergency c-section was necessary. Christian broke down a little bit, but at that point I was far more concerned with Leah's health than my birth plan. I continued to push with every contraction until the anesthesiologist was ready for me and gave me a spinal (similar to an epidural, but no tubing). I was given Stadol about an hour before because my midwife was concerned by my lack of rest throughout labor (I didn't sleep the night I went into labor, I didn't take a nap the day before, and the evening before I had only slept for ~4hrs), and it had helped me take a few deep breaths after pushing. I even began nodding off once during a 3 minute break. So when I got the spinal, I basically felt like I was floating in the middle of the OR. Christian came in and they began the necessary cuts and before we knew it we heard the tiniest, most amazing noise ever. Leah didn't cry right away; instead she said just enough for us to know it was her. They cleaned her off quickly, weighed her, and let Christian bring her over to me. His wonderment towards her brought tears to my eyes, and when I saw her I was immediately completely in love.

I was stitched and stapled up, then we returned to our labor room. I got a bunch of information about things I could and couldn't do, what the rest of our stay would be like, and then finally they brought me Leah. She was so calm and peaceful (she still is actually!), she eased my spirit greatly. She took to breastfeeding very easily, and is one of the most laid back babies I've ever met in my life. She sleeps wonderfully, she loves to cuddle up and take naps, and she has only cried twice since being born. She truly has Christians personality. :)

We are disappointed that things didn't turn out as well as we'd hoped as far as my delivery stage went, but at the same time Leah has blessed our lives in an amazing way and the fact that I had to have a c-section seems obsolete.

Nothing before her arrival really matters anymore. We're new people, we're a new family, and we couldn't ask for anything more.

Then there were two

Christian and I originally met in August of 2004 in sixth period AP US History. He was the new guy, a senior, and from the first time my glance met his I was intrigued by him. At the time I was in a long-term relationship that I was sure was "the one" to end them all, so I admired him silently. As the year went on he (naturally) dated, but I never lost interest. We became friends and would talk from time to time, up until he told me he had enlisted in the Air Force. When he left to boot camp, then AIT, I wrote to him, never receiving a reply. (After we were dating I found the letters in a memory box; they had arrived after he was assigned a station and were later forwarded) When we finally reconnected in September of 2006 I was in Utah at college, and he was at Beale Air Force Base in Northern California. When I mentioned I'd be in NorCal for the holidays we decided to meet up to have dinner.

After our first date our whole relationship was a whirlwind. I ended up leaving BYU a few months later and moving in with my grandparents. I started working, and later found out my grandmother had terminal cancer - so I remained at their house. Christian and I would do our best to visit one another, and he'd often come by on the weekends to see me and also check how my grandma was doing. He met my parents and spent Christmas with us - three lovely days we didn't expect to spend together. By the following Valentines Day family and friends were asking if we had discussed marriage. The truth is, we had.

We were inseparable in every sense of the word. We had our disagreements, and it wasn't always easy being away from one another 5 days a week, but we both knew we were in it for the long run. After asking for my father's blessing we were officially engaged on Black Friday 2007.

Then we got the news that not only was Christian getting promoted in January, but he would be deployed soon after. Neither of us were planning on having a large wedding, so after we received this news we decided to get married sooner rather than later. On December 7, 2007, while on my lunch break, we got married in the courthouse.

Everything moved so quickly after that. We got a house on base, had to move in while moving Christian out of the dorms, he was officially promoted, he joined Honor Guard and traveled on weekends, I got a new job, and his deployment kept getting pushed back month after month. Then one day we got an official date, plane tickets in hand: October 28th. We cried, then came to terms with the news. The day Christian left for his first deployment I felt as though I were dying.

Christian claims he was suspicious but I was none the wiser about my pregnancy. I took the original test as an attempt to prove I wasn't pregnant. Sure enough that second line showed up, light as can be. At first I thought I was seeing things. It took half a dozen tests to convince me.

When I told Christian over the telephone that I was pregnant - a mere week after he deployed - I was so nervous, excited, and overwhelmed that I cried. We had only stopped preventing pregnancy about 2 months prior, though we weren't actively trying to conceive. I don't think either of us thought it would be so easy for me to get pregnant - people always made it sound like a very specific, well practiced science.

My first trimester was easy enough - lots of sleeping, minimal nausea, no vomiting, and minor food aversions. Christian returned in March when I was nearly 25 weeks pregnant. He was present at the anatomy scan, and heard our baby's heartbeat for the first time. We also found out then we'd be having a girl. Our little Leah Sabrina.

The rest of my pregnancy went smoothly until around 36 weeks. Then back labor began, I was taking ~6 naps a day, and I could never get comfortable.

Then around 9pm on July 9th I felt contractions beginning.