4 Months

My baby boy is 4 months old.

I have absolutely no idea how this happened. It seems like we just brought him home last week. I guess they were right, it does go by way too fast.

He is:

-incredibly happy most of the time

-loves to smile

-makes at least a gallon of drool a day

-squeals in delight when I tickle him

-goes to bed around 7ish most nights

-still swaddled and won't sleep without it

-weighs 16lbs 7oz and 26.5" long

-loves to stand and already has great balance

-no longer hates tummy time, just doesn't like it for more than 5 minutes

-sleeps in his own room now, which makes me sad. I miss him at night!


I:

-absolutely love being a mom. It really is the best thing ever.

-am crazy busy with classes and still trying to figure out how to be a grad student and mom

-getting back into running and finally starting to feel like myself physically

-hate when we're out in public and complete strangers touch my boy. How is that ok?

-still love breastfeeding for a zillion reasons and really hoping it continues to go smoothly

-officially back in my pre-pregnancy jeans. Tight squeeze, but hey I'm in them.

-dreading the shorter days and already missing summer.

-only have 4 weeks of Invisalign left!

-can't stop kissing my boy.

Flat Head Destiny

Is it really possible for a baby to get a flat head if he stays on his back too much? 

Lately I've been worried that my little boy isn't getting enough tummy time and will end up looking like a weirdo with a flat head. This all started when my mom insisted he takes naps on his side in order to prevent a weird shaped head. Well I tried that and he somehow manages to wiggle his way back to flat on his head almost every time. 

So that leaves me with tummy time, right? 

He HATES tummy time. Seriously HATES it. He'll handle about three minutes or so then he starts crying like I'm torturing him. It isn't fun for anyone and eventually I give in. 

Really, check this out:

                                                On tummy = angry baby.

                                                  On back = happy baby.

Oy. What's a girl to do? Is my child destined to have a flat head?

I Love Lucy

Today I celebrate my idol's 100th birthday.

"Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world." Lucille Ball

Lucille Ball stole my heart at a young age. I was hooked on that fiery red head from the first time I watched her crazy antics on I Love Lucy. I loved her spunk, rebellious attitude and zest for life. She pushed the boundaries with her ambitious attitude and never settled until she got what she was after.

When I was 10 years old I plastered Lucy memorabilia all over my bedroom door. I was obsessed with her.  Imagine my excitement when I discovered we shared the same birthday: August 6th. This had me completely convinced that we were kindred spirits. (Anne of Green Gables style.)

So cheers to you and happy birthday dear Lucy. Thank you for inspiring me to color outside the lines. I'll eat an extra piece of cake for you.

"I'd rather regret the things that I have done than the things that I have not."

25 years of Life.

The year 1986 was a good one, Reagan was president and gas was .89 cents a gallon. The Oprah Winfrey show made its television debut and Michael Jackson's "We are the World" was named song of the year. It also happens to be the year I was born.

This Saturday is my 25th birthday. I can't believe I've already lived 25 years of life. How is that even possible?

Just ten years ago I was a freshman in high school. My braces were finally off and I was feeling moderately confident about myself. I was about to start dating the star of the football team, the guy that would eventually become my husband. I hated math class. My obsessions were tanning, celebrity gossip, and basketball. I spent the summer working my first "real" job at the local bank. I drove my first car, a 1994 Toyota 4-Runner, all over the country-side while jamming out to Sheryl Crow and Jewel. I couldn't wait to move away from my home town, a super small farming community, for the big city.

Five years ago I was just starting college and a woman on a mission. I wanted to finish my degree in two years, which I did accomplish thanks to all the college courses I took during high school and summer breaks. I taught exercise classes at the campus gym and was obsessed with bubble tea. I loved my internship working with juvenile offenders and found a passion for politics and government.  I wasn't sure what to do post-college, but I wanted a career helping people in need. I was interested in human rights and my big dream was to one day travel to Africa. I was still dating the same guy from high school and completely ready to get married. I didn't care about being young, I knew he was the one and I was anxiously awaiting a proposal.

Fast forward to 2011. The Lord has blessed me with the most perfect baby boy ever and now I'm a MOM. It is the best thing in the entire world. I can't believe how much love I have in my life.  I married my high school sweetheart, who is now a detective. I fulfilled my dream by volunteering in Uganda, an experience that sparked a new passion for supporting the education of girls and women in developing countries, which is why I'm now a researcher for She's the First. I'm studying for my masters while working part time in orthodontics, which is great because I get to spend most of my time with my sweet boy.

Life is pretty grand at twenty five. I've never been happier.

I wonder what I'll be writing in 2021.

Birth Story: Part Tres

I have to say I felt like a failure in some ways. I always planned on going natural. I kept up with kickboxing and exercised at least four times a week throughout the pregnancy. I considered myself pretty tough. Hubs assured me it was the right thing to do and was actually relieved to see me out of pain. (Getting the epidural was somewhat surreal. I'd seen it done on the Baby Story a hundred times and always thought of it as something I wouldn't experience. Turns out it wasn't that bad. Compared to the contractions it was cake.)

Life got a whole lot better after the epidural. I was relaxed, happy, and able to really take in the experience. It actually worked out nicely because I got to experience contractions and what labor really felt like, but also got a little time to relax without the horrible pain. It was a good combo. 

So after maybe two hours the Doc came in and checked me again. Finally, I had reached 10cm and it was time to push. The nurse did a few practice pushes with me and showed me how to get it done. She commented on how strong I was and said baby would be out in 30 minutes easy. I remember hugging Hubs, we were both so excited to meet our baby and find out if we were going to have a son or daughter. 

Pushing was much easier than I expected. I think this is where all my exercise came in because I felt very strong. The Doc kept saying how impressed she was with my pushing and I felt like a superhero. After maybe 30 minutes the head began to crown. Hubs told me there was a full head of hair and I was so happy. I wanted a baby with loads of hair, so this was absolutely amazing to hear. He was so encouraging throughout all of this, telling me how awesome I was doing and how proud he was of me. It was an incredible bonding experience and one I will cherish forever.

2 Months!

My precious boy is two months old today! 

I am absolutely crazy about this little guy. Isn't he getting big??

Birth Story: Part Dos

Here I was, the day before going into labor....

Day before going into labor. HUGE!

Ok, where were we...Ah yes, the doc just told me that I'm 6cm dilated and it's time to head on over to Labor and Delivery. I remember feeling so unbelievably happy to finally, finally be in labor. This meant I wouldn't have to be induced anymore and I would actually get to have the labor I always wanted. Or so I thought.

The Hubs and I basically skipped out to the car to get our bags. Yes, I was having killer contractions but I was simply way too happy to care. It was the craziest feeling, knowing that we'd have our baby very soon. We still didn't know if we were getting a boy or girl, so that just added to the excitement. (And by the way, waiting for the surprise was totally worth it.) We got ourselves checked into Labor and Delivery pretty quickly. I started dancing as we walked to our room and I'm sure the nurses thought I was crazy. They told me they had never seen someone dance while in labor. I guess there's a first for everything, right?

So after getting checked in and all set up in our room things got a little more serious. Contractions were really ramping up and suddenly I wasn't in the dancing mood anymore.  I brought my laptop along so I could play some of my favorite music to help relax. I listened to a weird mix: Raggae, AC/DC, Pink, the Black Eyed Peas-anything to help me get through contractions. I was determined not to get an epidural, so I was doing my best to distract myself from the pain. I walked around, sat on the birthing ball, and held on to the Hubs as each one got stronger.

Stress Relief

It's summer.

It's hot.

We don't have a pool.

What's a guy to do? Adult size slip-n-slide in the back yard. Perfect stress relief from a crying baby!

Birth Story, Part Uno

The best day of my life started at 2:30am. I woke up to the pain of a contraction, but convinced myself it was probably just the bad Chinese food I had the night before. Two days earlier I was sent home from the hospital after a false alarm (4 hour nightmare in Labor & Delivery) so I was determined to ride it out before jumping to any conclusions. I laid in bed for a while, too uncomfortable to sleep and finally got up to watch television, all the while trying not to think about the cramps. I was almost a week overdue (an eternity to a pregnant lady) and scheduled to be induced two days later. The past several weeks were full of on and off contractions, all of which had me thinking labor was near, but of course nothing ever happened. At this point I was convinced my baby would never come.

The Hubs got up for work at 4:45am to find me watching I Love Lucy. I told him the contractions were probably nothing and he should go on to work. I was so scared it might be another false alarm, so I didn't make a big deal about it or jinx anything.  Although the contractions were getting closer, I wasn't in very much pain so I decided to just relax. Hubs went to work, I ate breakfast and went about my day.

I ran a few errands, watched the Price is Right, and went for a walk. The contractions were getting stronger and closer together, so I was finally starting to believe it might just be the real deal. Around 11:00am my contractions were strong enough to stop me in my tracks, forcing me to concentrate and breath through it. I called my doc and told her what was going on. She's really relaxed, so basically told me to come in if I wanted...I think she was reluctant to get too excited considering the false alarm two days earlier, so I decided to hold out a little while longer just to be sure.

Owen is here!!

Little Owen Matthew finally arrived May 13th at 9:11 PM. He was 9lbs, 20.5" long.  I was nearly a week overdue, but he was well worth the wait. 

We are head over heels in love! We're busy soaking up every minute with our boy, so you'll have to forgive my lack of posts/activity over the past few weeks. I'm busy changing diapers, nursing, and staring at this adorable face.

Why I've been MIA lately

I've sort of neglected this lil ol blog lately. I'm sorry internet. It isn't you, it's me. Really. I'm not trying to be distant, but life has just gone into overdrive lately and I'm finding less mental energy to devote to you. Here is a little rundown of what I've been doing:

1. Getting the Little One's room ready. I'm 35 weeks and well, time is running short. I've only got a few more weeks, yet there is still a ton to be done. Crib sheets, diapers, changing table...Yes, I still have a lot of things to buy and everything needs to be assembled. Everything.

2. Work. I've been getting more shifts lately. Thankfully. It's been keeping me occupied and I actually have a great time at work. My belly is getting pretty huge, so it's becoming more of a challenge to lean over patients. And not so enjoyable for them either. "Excuse that kicking against your head, that's just my baby."

3. Names. Did I mention I'm still not 100% on any names? Sheesh. I have a boy name in mind that I'm about 85% sure on at this point, but still a little hesitant. And don't even get me started on girls names. I've had about three names picked out for a while now, but as D-Day draws closer I'm starting to wonder if any of them is the "right" fit. Oy vey.

4. LifeVantage. My little LifeVantage/Protandim business is growing nicely lately and I've been spending a lot of time on it. It's actually been a lot of fun and I love making the extra money. I even started this little Protandim Fan page for my peeps. Check it out, there are some really amazing testimonials. http://www.facebook.com/ProtandimFans Help a gal out and go "Like" it! And let me know if you want more info.

5. Baby classes. We signed up for a nursing class and a birthing class. Yes, I realize most people have already done this by 35 weeks. I have no real excuse. I signed up late and therefore I will be lucky to make my very last minute birthing class that isn't for another two weeks.

6. Writing. I'm a researcher for the amazing nonprofit organization She's the First and I report on their partner organizations in Sudan and Haiti. Check 'em out and sponsor a girl. It will make you smile. http://www.shesthefirst.org/

That has pretty much been my life lately. And I can't forget about all the American Idol watching, kickboxing classes, and cookie baking that has been sprinkled in lately either.

Life is good. The Hubster is great and cute as ever.

And in just a few weeks, the awesomeness level around here is going to sky rocket.

32 weeks

I'll be 32 weeks tomorrow.

Holy cow.

I can't believe it has gone so fast.

How is that even possible? 32 weeks?

I keep having these moments of panic when I suddenly realize how close I am to having this baby. I start to worry that I'm not ready and have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. I'm going to be 100% responsible for another human being. That is incredibly...overwhelming. I'm ready in the sense that I already feel intense love for this little nugget, and I'm dying to meet him/her, but not necessarily "prepared".  I'm not sure if it's even possible to feel prepared.

I've got 7 more weeks, at the very most, before my life changes forever. I can't help but wonder what that love is going to feel like and how my perspective will change. I can't wait to hold this little baby and feel that bond with my son or daughter. I feel so incredibly blessed by the good Lord above to have this privilege of watching over one of His own.

Wow.

My new 'job'.

So lately I've been looking for ways to make extra money. My shifts at work are off and on, so I can never really count on a consistent pay check. Well, I've found myself a new 'job' over the past month or so and I'm pretty jazzed about it. Let me explain.

A few months ago my brother started selling Protandim, an all natural blend of plant extracts designed to culminate a powerful antioxidant therapy proven to be more effective than red wine, oranges, blueberries or other popular antioxidant supplements. It's the only supplement clinically proven to reduce free radical damage in our bodies, which prevents disease and slows down the aging process. Awesome, right?

Well the really cool part is what it's done for my family and friends. My mother has been on pain medication for her back for years now. She started taking this and literally within two days was able to stop her pain meds. One of our good friends suffers from horrible migraines and since starting Protandim she hasn't had a single migraine. The Hubster has even been taking it and his energy is through the roof. He comes home from work every night and exercises, which hasn't happened in years. The list goes on and on, but we've seen some incredible things so far.  The thing I like about it is that over 40 years of research has gone into it's development and it's even been endorsed by the American Heart Association. This is pretty serious stuff kids.

So after seeing the results, and how much money my brother was making, I decided to give it a try and become a distributor myself. Remember my post a few weeks back, the one about being super frugal? Well I generally never take risks like this or get involved in multilevel marketing companies. However, it wasn't that expensive to enroll and the bonuses are crazy good. I've already more than made my money back and I've only been doing it three weeks. It's actually been really easy and the great thing is EVERYONE should be on this product, so the limits are endless. 

I'm really excited about this new endeavor because I've got this little nugget on the way and I'd LOVE to  find a way to earn an income from home. So far it's been great, I've made an extra few hundred bucks in only a few weeks. That goes a loooong way around this house!

So for all the stay at home mamas out there looking to make extra cash or anyone interested in feeling amazing, check out my super nifty page here: http://www.mylifevantage.com/sarahv/default.aspx I'd be happy to answer any questions!

Happiness in small things.

I've been trying to soak in life lately.

I know, it sounds pretty cheesy.

Give me a second.

You know what I'm talking about here, taking a minute to simply appreciate the moment. With this baby coming in less than 11 weeks, I always find myself looking ahead to the next week or milestone and never really stopping to appreciate today. It's kind of like working all week just to get to the weekend, but never stopping to enjoy the week itself. I know Monday isn't all that pretty, but there has to be something you enjoy about the day, right?

Right.

It's the small things that make the day special.

And it's those same things that will make your life infinitely more enjoyable, well once you start recognizing them anyway.

So slow the heck down and take a minute to enjoy yourself, be grateful for this moment, love what you're doing and find happiness in simple things.

Here are some of my favorite things that happen almost everyday: Putting sweats on when I get home. Drinking warm coffee on a cold morning. Waking up to clear skies and sunshine. Coming home to the Hubs after a day at work. Watching Wheel of Fortune while cooking dinner. Feeling the baby move and kick. Looking at the Rocky Mountains on a clear day. Text messages from the Hubs. The smell of my fireplace running. Watching the local news while getting ready for work. The smell and feel of clean sheets on the bed. The energizing buzz of a new day. Reading a Bible passage before going to sleep. AND my nightly piece of dark chocolate.

Now you go. Whatcha got?

Educating Girls in Afghanistan

I've been making a lot of changes to Sis Hope lately. If you're interested in reading about women's equality, head on over and take a look. My most recent article features an interview with the co-founder of Help Women Heal, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing scholarship funding to Afghan girls in medical school.

My frugal self. And why it rocks.

I've noticed my frugal side growing lately. A lot. It's kind of getting out of hand.

I don't want to pay for anything and if I do have to pay, I want it as cheap as possible. I worry about how much everything costs, from a box of cereal to a tank of gas. I hate paying for things I can do myself, so I do my own highlights and cut my husband's hair. I even cut my dog's hair, although it doesn't always look pretty. But I seriously can't justify spending $40 for some lady to trim his bangs. Nope. Not gonna happen, sorry Chubs.

We usually only go out to eat once a week and even then we go to the most affordable place we can find. We never get dessert and pretty much always drink water.

Most of the furniture in our house is used, either from a friend/family member or something I purchased at a yard sale.

22 weeks at 25.

I'm a little behind.

This picture is from week 22...I was 25 weeks two days ago.

Sorry.

Either way, here is my pregnant belly and a random update. (I'm feeling too lazy to fill out that survey thing from before.)

You know what is surprising? At 25 weeks I am unable to see my feet....Tying my shoes is now a challenge and my back is already starting to hurt.... My body feels puffy and I'm confident that water retention will soon be my worst enemy. I thought these things wouldn't happen until at least the third trimester, I must be a go-getter.

I'm still not craving anything exciting. No pickles and mayo here. Instead, my pre-existing love for chocolate and sugar is now out of control. I need it. My body can't function without it, really this is true. I absolutely love donuts. I can't believe how much I love donuts. My favorite is the simple cake donut, either plain or sprinkled with sugar. Seriously, can you imagine anything better?

My little bean is kicking away. It seems to be most active in the morning, which convinces me that he or she will be an early riser like me. This is exciting, now I'll have a buddy to hang out with while the Hubs sleeps in. We're already best friends.

The nursery is coming along nicely. The walls are painted and the African savanna decal I ordered looks great. The crib is beautiful and antiquey looking and the closet is full of outfits just begging to be worn by a precious little baby. It's really lovely, you should see it. I hope I see it soon too, because this is all still in my mind. Nope, I haven't done anything yet BUT I'm visualizing a really great nursery. That counts, right?

The third trimester will be here in two weeks. Bring it on.

Chubs.

What do you think?

Does it look like his momma cut his hair?

Who says you have to pay someone to groom your dog?

Not this gal.

How about Edgar?

I'm just about 24 weeks pregnant, which means I'm officially into the sixth month. I'm at the point where most people already have their names picked and are busy decorating the nursery in either pink or blue.

Well that isn't us.

I figure we've got at least another couple of weeks before we should start putting a nursery together...Right? I mean,  I have a few ideas and I'm pretty confident that we'll create a beautiful and peaceful room...eventually.

I'm not worried about that.

However, I am beginning to seriously doubt our name-choosing skills. Do you realize how hard it is to name a human being? Really, think about it. This little person is going to have this name forever, well unless I do so badly that he or she decides to legally change it.

My mission: discover.

Shortly after starting my campaign to provide reusable menstrual kits to girls in need I was contacted about a few university students in Uganda who could not afford to buy sanitary napkins. As a result, these bright young ladies were using toilet paper to manage their period. Unfortunately, this caused them to skip class during their period and all of them started falling behind in their studies. One girl in particular had become very ill from using the toilet paper and was on the verge of dropping out completely. 

I was devastated to hear the future leaders of Uganda were falling behind in their education simply because they did not have access to affordable sanitary napkins. This was happening to the girls, who by Ugandan standards, were fairly well off. How could this happen? How many other girls are going through the same thing?