Archive for August 2011
Today is the last day of August.. August 31st.
Tomorrow is September 1st and it’s literally a countdown til our daughter’s arrival..
She (and I) have grown so much in the past month.. she’s running out of room and I totally know it.. her movements have resorted to stretching.. and just searching for some extra room in her shrinking temporary home.. it’s not the world’s most comfortable feeling, but it’s still comforting to know that she’s active.
I’m not so scared about childbirth anymore.. I guess I’ve resigned to the fact that I really have to do it.. and the excitement of her arrival is overshadowing all the anxiety I was having throughout my pregnancy. I know it’s going to be a huge deal.. but I am really looking forward to having her here in my arms.. I have to do what I have to do..
I’ll be 36 weeks on Friday.. that leaves me with a month left til she comes.. but it also means that she can arrive anytime she wants to.. but I’ve still got one more week left of work.. so Hubby and I have had some serious belly talks telling her that she needs to stay inside for at least one more week so that there won’t be any incidents at work! Could you imagine?!
September is a huge month.. I’ll be turning 31 AND having our first child.. we’ll see which comes first..
I honestly always thought that I’d have kids BEFORE 30.. but knowing then what I know now.. and how my life currently stands.. I think it’s best that God allowed us this opportunity at this time in my life.. I feel I’m more mature.. and He’s blessed me with such stability on all aspects of life.. I don’t know if I’d be able to handle it all if I were younger.. especially since pregnancy is not the most glamorous thing in the world.. pregnancy is actually really, really hard!
I’m on the countdown.. I never thought I’d get to this point.. I’ve pretty much been pregnant all of 2011! I’m pretty much ready to be done with it.. I want my baby here!
Finding my niche..
Posted on: August 25, 2011
I’ve been on Etsy (CutieQ Cards n Crafts) for almost a month now.. and sadly.. I’ve made no sales..
I get a decent amount of views.. and some of my cards have been “favorited” by some browsers.. but sadly.. no sales..
Starting up a store isn’t easy.. especially since there are many, many people on there.. and they’ve already been established.. its hard to be the newcomer selling the same things that some of the “seasoned” Etsy’ers are selling..
I just gotta find my niche..
I gotta find a particular paper craft that can help me stand out.. or get buyers attention.. something..
I just need that one shot to sell something.. and maybe I’ll find my motivation..
It’s not that I’m giving up.. but sometimes it’s a little disappointing to post something.. and get the views.. but no sales.. but I’m not gonna stop.. I wanted to do this for awhile.. it’s going to take a lot for me to really quit..
I’ve got a Facebook page for the Etsy store.. I’m contemplating creating a separate blog for the Etsy store too.. that might not be for awhile.. but it is a thought..
I’ve got ideas.. and I will definitely be posting something on Etsy that is a little different.. and hopefully it will be my “in” with the Etsy store community..
At the same time, maybe all you can let me know what you would like to see.. if I can do it.. then it may be done! Hee hee..
The other week or so, we bought a box of those Uncrustables at Costco. We pretty much breezed through that entire box.. it was addicting to eat!
We took a quick trip to the grocery store.. we bought jelly.. then.. the following conversation occurred..
Hubby: Oh man. We should have bought peanut butter and bread!
Me: Huh? (I wasn’t really paying attention..)
Hubby: Peanut butter and jelly.. to make an Uncrustable.. with the crust.
Me: Then it’s not an Uncrustable.. it’s just a sandwhich…
What’s in a name?!
Posted on: August 22, 2011
I kinda freaked myself out this past weekend..
All of a sudden, I thought to myself, “What if our daughter is born, and she looks nothing like the name we have planned for her?”
My cousin and the fam were over, and so I totally asked that question..
Apparently, when my cousin was pregnant, they had several names ready for their little ones..
We only have one. We only have the one name that we have been calling her ever since we found out we were having a girl.. there really hasn’t been a name that we feel fits or sounds good..
So.. does that mean that she will totally fit the name once she’s out?
Or are we forcing the name onto her whether we like it or not?
Everyone refers to her under that name already.. and we really do love that name..
So.. perhaps I’m over thinking..
Pre-delivery day anxiety.. pre-parental nervousness..
What’s in a name?!
How did you come up with the names of your children? Was it spontaneous? Did you have to see the child before his/her name came? Did you plan for it? How many names did you have to choose from? What was your thought process when picking out the name?
When will I see you again..
Posted on: August 18, 2011
I’m about 8 1/2 months into this pregnancy.. and we’ve finished all the classes.. we’re just playing the preparation and waiting game..
As the end of this pregnancy is quickly approaching.. I’d like to take a moment to make a list of various things I can’t wait to see and have after giving birth..
THINGS I MISS DURING PREGNANCY
– Normal sized feet
– The ability to just get up
– Skinny jeans
– The ability to bend over
– Normal sized fingers
– The ability to walk a short distance without feeling like I ran a marathon
– My memory
– The ability to find a comfortable lying down position
– The ability to find a comfortable sitting down position
– Not always having to “put my feet up.”
– COFFEE!!!
– Sushi/sashimi
– My old clothes
I’m sure there are other things that I miss.. and I was totally listing them down in my head BEFORE I started writing this blog entry.. but of course my prego brain has caused me to forget..
Don’t take this as a complaint about pregnancy.. as hard as this third trimester is.. I’m actually enjoying it.. I feel her move ALL THE TIME.. and I feel like I’m making such a connection with her as she moves inside me.. I feel like we are forming that mother/daughter bond more and more..
But I’m sure every mother has had their lists of things they missed while they were pregnant.. feel free to add to the list!
Epi-do? Epi-don’t?
Posted on: August 16, 2011
Last week on my Facebook page, I brought up the question of Epidurals..
Most people I have come across have sworn by their epidurals.. and I also know people that didn’t have one at all..
The main point they all said was that it was ultimately up to me to decide.. which is true.
It really is up to me..
I’m really scared of the epidural procedure.. I’ve seen it done on video several times and it still freaks me out. They stick something in your spine!!! How is that not scary?!
I know that it will be numbed and all I will probably feel is the pressure of it all, but it still scares me. There is always that small percentage of bad luck and something permanetly damaging could occur.. OR I could be allergic to the anesthesia in an epidural.. OR it won’t work at all.. OR something might happen to the baby..
So many “what if something bad happens” scenarios pop into my head when I think about an epidural..
However, I also know that I am no hero when it comes to pain management.. I’m probably the biggest wuss I know!
I don’t do stomach aches well.. nor do I do menstrual cramps well.. how would I handle labor contractions!!?!
Our Childbirth prep instructor gave us a little exercise. She gave us a bag of ice cubes to hold in our hand for sixty seconds. During that sixty seconds, we were supposed to work on our breathing, focusing, and pain management techniques that she gave during the course.
I can barely hold a bag of ice for sixty seconds.. I finished that excerise telling hubby “I think I need an epidural.”
I really want to see how far I can go.. and then push it just a little longer.. I want the most natural birth I can provide for my child.. I don’t want to add any sort of painkillers into the mix if I really don’t have to. I want her to come out with minimal effects from anything outside of my control..
I want to keep that in mind as I writhe in the pain of my contractions..
So I decided that I will decide when I am in labor whether or not I can handle the pain.. maybe just take it one contraction at a time.. and focus on my little one as much as possible.
If I don’t use any medications, that would be great. But I have to promise myself I won’t feel like a failure if I give in and ask for something..
I’m constantly mentally preparing myself for the task ahead of me.. and I pray that I can endure. I just can’t wait to hold our little one.. and let the parenting adventure really begin!
Cord blood banking…
Posted on: August 12, 2011
A discussion amongst my coworkers caused me to re-evaluate a question I had been contemplating since I found out I was pregnant..
To store, or not to store cord blood…
Cord blood banking is something that can be seen as a great insurance policy in case our daughter gets sick at some point in her life. With the scientific advancements in stem cells, who knows what they might be able to cure in the near future!
Thank God, my family and hubby’s family has been relatively healthy. So, we are blessed to not have a family history of such life-threatening illnesses that require stem cell treatments..
BUT.. one can never predict the future and I know it will just kill me if she did come up with something that the stem cells could help cure.. and we never took the opportunity to save her cord blood..
The Cord Blood Registry (www.cordblood.com) was where my coworkers and I were looking into. There is a one-year fee thats a little over $2000, then an annual fee of a little over $100.
I always thought it was going to be a much larger amount of money to be paying, and I was pleasantly surprised at how reasonable the fees were.
Now.. another question to you Mommies.. did you save your baby’s cord blood? Did you contemplate it? What made you decide on your particular decision?
It’s a start..
Posted on: August 10, 2011
So.. I’d officially opened my Etsy store (CutieQ Cards n Crafts by ArtsyViray) for about a week now.. maybe less.. and I have three items posted up..
I’m getting views.. not only directly from the store.. but from Facebook and from this blog site.. pretty cool! It’s encouraging to know that I’m getting hits.. and I understand a newly active store will take awhile to get some sales.. it’s a process.. I need to build a reputation..
It’s a double edge sword.. I need purchases to build my reputation.. but I need a good reputation to wrangle in purchases.. haha.. I guess I gotta start somewhere..
I’m gonna start trying to make things that are a little more “involved” and more “crafty.” Those first few items were really simple and maybe that’s why people aren’t willing to purchase them.. since they can probably make something just like that themselves. But it’s getting my name and my store out there..
I’m excited to see how much I can get out before the baby comes.. I already warned hubby that he may be the one making runs to the post office if I start selling stuff when the baby arrives.. he’s willing to do so.. gotta love that about him..
If you have the time, stop by my store.. if you know anyone in need of crafty creations.. send them to my store.. hopefully they will find something they like..
I’m so curious to see where this may take me.. I know it will never become a second income.. but I could always use the extra spending money!
It’s all in the plan..
Posted on: August 9, 2011
Hubby and I have been busy, busy taking classes and doing hospital tours..
It was mentioned that we should start looking into our birth plan..
A birth plan? I always just thought I would show up and do whatever I needed to do to get the baby out.. no plan needed.. just get the job done!
But I went on the hospital website and looked at the options that they provide when filling up the birth plan, and they help make pretty valid decisions.. like how many people you will allow in your room, who you want to cut the umbilical cord, if you want your son circumsized (just in case our baby ends up a boy, I totally filled this out!).
Some of the options made me laugh.. it asked things like if I wanted to feel the baby crowning out of me, if I wanted to actually pull the baby out of me, if I wanted a mirror down there so I could see all the action..
Those options are probably beautiful for some people, but for me.. that’s kinda gross.. haha..
I’ll leave it up to the professionals to deal with all the goings-on “down there.” I will just do them a favor and concentrate on what I need to do on my end..
Pain management was one of the topics there.. and I chose the option to “decide when I’m in labor.” Yes, it was an actual option on the sheet.
Pain management and my epidural dilemma is a whole other blog posting.. I’m still trying to find the words to describe what’s in my head about it all.. and when I do.. you know where you can read it..
So I filled out my birth plan.. I really don’t ask much.. I just want what’s best for this little diva’s debut..
I know that when it comes to labor, NOTHING will really go according to plan. I should know since I just planned a wedding last year.. and with weddings, you have to expect it to not go as planned… but filling out a birth plan doesn’t hurt.. at least it’s a guideline for the doctors and nurses to know what I kind of want out of this whole experience..
Mommies, did you fill out a birth plan? Most importantly, did those plans actually come to fruition?
I finally did it!
Posted on: August 7, 2011
I finally did what I’ve been itching to do for the longest time..
I finally set up my Etsy store: CutieQ Cards n’ Crafts by ArtsyViray
I’ve currently got one item for sale..
I want to start with some simple cards, maybe some embellished die-cuts, and if I’m brave enough.. some cross-stitching projects.. that’s why I named the store “cards n crafts” because I don’t want to limit myself to just paper products..
When I initially signed up for Etsy, I set up a store… but I never, ever, ever thought of posting or selling. But I think that this is a good time to start..
Granted.. I am having a baby in September.. and my crafting time will be dramatically cut when she comes out.. but it’s good to start and get my name out now because Etsy has so many sellers, who knows if I’m even going to make a sale any time soon. I’d love to think that I’d be successful immediately, but I have to be realistic and know that these things take time and perseverance.
I’d like to try to squeeze out as many crafts and I can before the little one comes out.. and then take a brief hiatus while I learn to incorporate the baby into our everyday routine.. and then hopefully get back to making some simple things to keep my store going..
I made sure to note that I will not be making or taking any custom orders. What they see is what they get and what the get is what is already made.
I hope to make a little bit of extra spending money with this new little endeavor I’m venturing in.. if anything, I can use the money to feed my crafting habit without dipping into our family budget..
I don’t expect overnight success.. nor do I expect making a living out of this thing.. but I would like to see where this takes me..
Wish me luck, good vibes, prayers and all that good stuff.. and if you want.. buy something! Hee hee..
Living life in the carpool lane.. 