Beautiful Baby Boy

Nathan arrived this past Friday, June 26th at 5:01am and it only took about 24 hours of labor for him to make his debut! And now that I've experienced labor, I take my hat off to every woman who as gone natural. There is NO WAY IN HELL I could do that. It was awful, awful, awful, awful. It was bad enough that the epidural wore off during the whole "push" part, but at least that part only lasted about an hour. It could definitely have been worse. One of the nurses in the L&D apparently pulled Jeff aside to tell him that I could be pushing "for hours" but that they shouldn't inform me of this little fact!!



Oh, and tidbit from me to you. Be nice to the housekeeping staff when you're at the hospital. You have no idea what you're going to get! When I was checking out the very nice woman who took the trash out of my room gave me the following:

• About 50 diapers



• 3 tubes of vaseline



• 20 assorted packets of alcohol



• 3 blankets for Nathan



• Pads, pads and more pads in assorted thicknesses and sizes



• Mesh panties
  

Now, I know this list isn't very exciting, but it was VERY MUCH appreciated by myself. I practically filled a bag with all the stuff she gave me and I am still thankful for it today!

We're all home now and getting used to just what Nathan is trying to tell us. What does his cries mean, his moods. And even though he does nothing but sleep or eat, I am utterly and completely besotted with him. I stare at him all the time just amazed that he is here. It's kind of crazy just how nuts I am over this baby, it's been only 4 days and I am in love.

Anyway, here are a few pictures and I'll have more later I'm sure!

Status

Really I have nothing to report, so let's break it down:

1. Still pregnant, will be 39 weeks tomorrow and have the following symptoms:
a. swollen feet and hands
b. no ability to sleep despite numerous pillows
c. a cranktastic mood that leaves me feeling grumpy and worn out for no real good reason
d. an unholy hankering for McDonald's quarter pounder with cheese, french fries and a chocolate shake.

2. Monty was at the vet AGAIN last night. We woke up to him having a seizure. He peed on the floor, drooled, circled, fell down the stairs. It was pretty bad, and he didn't recognize us at all.. no response to his name. But of course by the time we got him to the Animal ER he was FINE making us look like we are BAT SHIT CRAZY. They ran some blood work and we left about $400 poorer.

3. One of my co-workers went for surgery this week and actually prepared for surgery by getting a manicure, pedicure, eyebrow wax and bikini wax. Am I the only person in the world who doesn't do this stuff? I mean, I like a good spa day, but it never occurred to me to prepare for surgery in this way. Usually I prepare by stocking up on ice cream....

4. It's raining and I hate it. While I'm glad that we haven't had to turn the a/c on, this rain is seriously depressing.

5. I've been thinking about my sweet Lily this week for some reason. One of my co-workers started talking about the cute things their cat did and I almost started bawling right there. Can we say, hormones???

6. Tired of being broke. Really, really, really tired of being broke.

There, did I put anyone else in a bad mood with this post?? I hope not!! Oh, and the ultrasound tech I went to last week told me she didn't think I would give birth until JULY! I almost throat punched her.

trip to Market Basket

Jeff and I headed off to Market Basket for our groceries. We had a list, but forgot out calculator. Ah well. The goal is no eating out this week and we made sure to get plenty of fruit and other snacky type foods for cravings. I also got Turkey Hill Chocolate Marshmallow ice cream - which by the way is YUMMY. But I have to say this - the aisles and lay out of Market Basket is so bizarre. I saw Pet Food and Automotive Parts in one aisle, and Juice and Beans in another aisle. So strange. I just wonder if they run out of room for things and place items wherever they want, or if there's some logic behind it that I can't see. Thoughts? Anyone?

Vet Bill

We took Monty to the vet today. You know, yearly check up time. He needed Heartworm, Distemper, Rabies vaccinations. He needed bloodwork done, and he needed Frontline. Grand total? $321.00. Oh YEAH $321.00 in one shot. Now I HAD called ahead of time to see how much this visit would cost, and I was told the estimate was under $200. Didn't work out that way though did it? There goes my pedicure this weekend!!!

On the plus side, I had already put about $60 aside for his vet visit, so that was something. I also transferred some cash to my ING Savings account that had been sadly empty for the last few years. So we ARE being more financially intelligent than we have in the past. But still. That's a big chunk of change, but nobody said pets were inexpensive. Sadly in today's economy I hear all too many stories of people being forced to give up their pets because of money. Even a yearly visit is too much for their budget to handle and I find that so heartbreaking. I can't imagine giving up our boo boo. I mean, look at this face!

We're also heading to Babies R Us with a list of some last minute things, Target, and than we're off to Market Basket for groceries. I KNOW... it's so exciting here it's hard to imagine how we fit everything into the day!! But since I'm just a big bloated mess right now, planning anything too exciting ain't happening!! Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Discoveries in Frugality

So I've made some discoveries while on this road to being more frugal. And I've got some tips as well, you know you're all dying to read them!

Suave Bodywash - Not worth the 99 cent price tag. The smell is decent (I got the ocean breeze scent), but it doesn't lather the way I'd like and I find myself using MORE of the product to work up an acceptable foam. I won't be getting it again, and will instead keep my eyes peeled for when Dove bodywash goes on sale, coupons, or when Avon is having a sale on THEIR lovely bodywashes (cough, hi Mary, cough!). In this department, I discovered it pays to not get the cheapest on the rack!

Suave Conditioner - If you remember, I got two SUPER large bottle of Suave conditioner for 99 cents each, and I didn't like them. I have very thick hair and I just didn't get the results I wanted. I switched back to Garnier Fructis, but I still had an almost full bottle of Suave conditioner left. I didn't want to waste it and throw it out, but what am I to do?? Well I started using the conditioner as a sort of shaving cream substitute on my legs, and it's WONDERFUL! Legs are smooth, no cuts or nicks, and I STILL have the bottle. I've been doing this for over a month now and there's still a TON left. MUCH cheaper than buying shaving cream and it lasts longer. I'll buy it again solely for this purpose!

My biggest splurge though, and keep in mind I got this WAY back when I was still spending money like it was growing on trees, is "Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask" and it cost a whopping $52 at Sephora. For something like 4 ounces. BUT, I bought this WAY back last summer and I still have it! I use it usually about once a week in the shower, and I really, really feel like it works with my skin. Since I'm in my third trimester right now, I use it about 2-3 times a week as a kind of pick me up since I'm a sucker for advertising, but I love it. If I save up for it, I'd get it again in a heartbeat. Especially since I can't afford a regular facial in a salon on any sort of regular basis. This kind of helps that spa urge!

That's it for now ladies, I'll let you know if any other substitutes don't work out to be worth the price saving, but I thought it was interesting to note that while I wouldn't get the Suave Bodywash again, I would get the conditioner for something other than CONDITIONER. Any other tips people feel like sharing? Saving advice? Feel free to leave a comment and let me know!

Saturday Night

I made Jeff go off tonight for his planned night out with his brother. The house is clean since we had guests earlier (Hi Jen and Eric!!) and I have the most delicious chocolate cake I've ever tasted in my life in my fridge (courtesy of Jen - THANK YOU!). Now I ask you. does the night get any better??

For now the labor pains are gone and I have high hopes that if baby doesn't make his debut this weekend, at least I'll be able to go back to work on Monday and get some much needed CASH for our bank account!!!! Yeah for cash!!!

I do have to say, for anyone who has had false labor, holy crap is it NOT FUN. It felt like I was being stabbed in the back repeatedly over and over again - and not a damn thing I could do about it. Basically the motto of my pregnancy has been "suck it up" because there's nothing I can do other than just wait it out. I've become best friends with our heating pad, and I've been trying to take it easy. But I'm also excited... I'm 37 weeks today and that's full term. That means ANY MINUTE NOW I could have a baby. And I'm so excited to meet our baby. So very excited. I can't wait to put all our stuff to use, the adorable clothes, the toys.. everything. I mean.. I'm HAVING A BABY!! Holy crap.. it's all real.

So here I sit browsing websites and trying to see if there's anything missing that we need, anything that I've forgotten. I'm in the home stretch and ready to see the light!

Epic Failure at Not spending Money this week

I was doing so well. So very well, and Tuesday night around midnight it all went to crap. From midnight to 4am I had THE MOST massive back cramps. It seriously felt like someone was stabbing me with a dagger in my lower back over and over again. I kept telling myself these were normal... that I've had bad back cramps before and it would be okay. Around 4am I broke down and called my doctor. 5am I was at Labor and Delivery where I was apparently having contractions every 2 minutes. They hooked me up to an IV and all that fluid slowed down the contractions to about every 5 minutes. 9am they sent me home saying I was experiencing "false labor" or "early labor". There's no rhyme or reason to it, and unfortunately there's not a damn thing I can do other than drink lots of water and walk around when it gets really bad. I'm exhausted and in pain and I couldn't go to work yesterday or today. And what do I do when I'm feeling so tired and needy and whiny? That's right people, take out. We had take out last night, and went out to lunch today. I also went to Target and got myself some maternity yoga pants to bring to the hospital in case I.. oh EVER GO INTO REAL LABOR! Meanwhile day 2 of non-stop false labor is killing me slowly. It's not as bad today, I'd say bad back contractions two-three times an hour, but still. I have my doctor's appt. tomorrow to check in, but when I asked him today if there was anything I could do for the pain I got a big fat negative in response. I just want this to slow down so I can be productive. You know, go back to work and earn some money... SOMETHING. Anyway, I'll have to try the no spending thing another time because I have a feeling that this week is going to be a total bust. Oh, and thank God that I don't have a credit card because I would be charging that puppy up right now as I type in an effort to spend away my stress.

Sigh...

First 2 Days Spending Nothing

And I've discovered that there's nothing like being told you CAN'T do something to make you want to do that very thing OH SO BADLY. In that regard I am apparently much like a young child who is constantly wanting to do what they know they shouldn't. I did, however, prevail and I finished Monday and Tuesday with not spending a cent. My diet though, was uninspiring to say the least. Want the run down? You know you do!
Monday:
Breakfast: 1 frozen "bagelful" with cream cheese heated up in the toaster oven (not as good as it sounds)
Lunch - peanut butter and jelly sandwich, 1 nectarine and half a cup of strawberries along with a handful of chips.
Snack: Cottage cheese with blueberry
Dinner: peanut butter and jelly sandwich with another nectarine and a bowl of ice cream for dessert (Jeff was in bed at 7:30pm with a headache and I was in no mood to actually COOK.. so peanut butter it was)
Tuesday:
Breakfast: 3 Ego Waffles heated in toaster oven
Lunch: Peanut butter and jelly sandwich with blueberries and a nectarine
Snack: 1 piece of strawberry birthday cake brought in by a co-worker, it was YUMMY and FREE!!!
Dinner: 2 hot dogs and fresh cherries

I still have over 3/4 tank of gas, so that's good. And the only bad thing is we're running low on milk and Jeff may need to get more. That goes against the no spending, but I drink a lot of milk lately since I can't have soda, so we'll see. I did, however, find myself browsing online and looking at different gardening items since in my head I'm going to plant flowers and put down mulch when I'm on maternity leave (Yes, I realize I am insane). But I have not purchased anything. Three more days... I can do this, right? Three more days......