A BIRTH STORY

On Saturday, August 24, we had a scheduled induction. Our baby boy was seven days late and we were ready to meet him! We checked into the hospital and I got into bed. I was there about 3 hours before they started giving me pitocin, but I started having contractions as soon as I was in bed. I probably would have gone into labor that night if I hadn't been induced.

So so swollen in the face, but not that big in the belly!

My parents and brother came to visit a couple hours after I had been getting the pitocin, so they saw me in some pretty intense pain. I was still able to talk through my contractions and walk and sway with them (which helped with the pain), but I requested the epidural before things got too hairy. I was extremely nervous about getting the epidural, especially in hard labor, so I wanted to get it as soon as the pain was too much so that I wouldn't have to get it re-done from moving or having a contraction during it.

The anesthesiologist was great - probably the best medical professional we dealt with. While he was giving me the epidural, I was squeeeeezing Conrad's hand so hard (from fear, not pain) that his wedding ring created a tourniquet around his finger and cut off circulation for a minute. Once the epidural was finished, they laid me down and the contraction pain was gone even though I could still feel some pressure. The longer I had the epidural, the less I could feel.

I laid in bed with the epidural all night. Everyone says "I even got to nap once I got the epidural!" Not me. I was so excited and the nurses were coming in ever hour so I didn't sleep a wink. Conrad, on the other hand...

The nurses and doctors checked my cervix every few hours, each time telling me I was more and more dilated and effaced. And "Oh, there's the baby's head!" and "Oh, it doesn't feel like he has much hair!" Needless to say, I was beyond excited. At some point in the night, a few hours after I got the epidural, the nurses had noticed that the baby was becoming slightly stressed from the hard contractions, so they lowered, and eventually stopped pitocin. I was worried that labor wouldn't progress, but my body took over from there and I kept dilating and contracting.

So full of IV fluids!

By morning, I was exhausted after not having slept, and I had been at an 8-9 for almost 10 hours, and the crown of the baby's head was plugging the cervix and entering the birth canal. My cervix just didn't want to finish opening, and the doctor told me my pelvis is too narrow to deliver him (ha! I've never been the girl with narrow hips, so this was kind of funny to me). Despite having the epidural, with each contraction, I could feel an incredible amount of pressure from the baby being so low and putting so much weight on my cervix. It started to feel painful and I started to swell.

The doctor came in and told me we'd give it another hour or two to see if I dilated, but we'd need to prepare ourselves for the possibility of a Cesarean section. I got really scared. No sleep plus an unexpected twist equaled a meltdown. I cried to Conrad, and my family, who was staying at our house, came back to the hospital. Them being there really cheered me up, and my mom, who had two c-sections, made me feel much calmer about it.

After a couple hours, I hadn't dilated any more so the doctors prepared for surgery. Everything after this point happened so fast, and I was so heavily medicated that I don't remember everything. Conrad was given scrubs to wear. The nurses came in and transferred me to a gernie, then wheeled me into the operating room without Conrad. All my fear came back. I sobbed as they lifted me from the gernie to the operating table. I was so afraid that I'd feel pain, or that I'd see my own guts, or that I'd die or my baby would die. One of the doctors had to coach me and keep me calm because I was nearly hyperventilating, and they needed me to stay still so they could operate.

The curtain went up, the morphine went in, and they began. I felt everything. No pain, no sensation of sharpness, but I could feel all the tugging and jerking (there was much more movement than I expected). My arms were strapped down, which was part of why it was so scary. Conrad entered the operating room some time after they had started, and he sat down by my head and talked to me. The doctors were talking to me as they went, saying "almost there, you're doing great" and the like, and all the while I was taking deliberate, long breaths trying to keep my crying under control. Finally, they said, "He's out! He's trying to cry." They lifted him up so we could see, and Conrad saw him first and just said, "oh my gosh oh my gosh." The curtain was too high for me to see him and all I saw was a glimpse of his head, all covered in blood.

I stared at that blue curtain for what felt like ten minutes (but was probably less than ten seconds) waiting to hear my baby's cry. Finally, the tiniest little cry.

The tears started flowing. I always wondered if I would cry when I gave birth or if I'd be so caught up that I wouldn't think to cry. Turns out, I'm a crier. I sobbed and sobbed, not out of fear anymore, but out of joy. And just like that, we had our baby boy.

IF I HAD A BABY, YOU WOULDN'T BE READING THIS

I'd love to tell you, five days after my due date, that I am a happy, tired mama of a new baby. Instead, I'm a five-days-overdue, tired but super-productive almost-mama. A friend from high school wrote me a sweet email congratulating me on my "future son." Future my foot, is what I would have said three days ago. He should be my "current son." But my never-been-pregnant-before body just can't figure out how to let this little guy out.

I was actually having a really hard time staying happy about staying pregnant. I started to get extra grumps due to lack of sleep and resulting impatience (especially while driving). And did I mention lack of sleep? But two separate conversations have totally changed my attitude about being overdue:

1. At my last doctor's appointment the day before I was due, my doctor saw the fatigue in my eyes and told me a secret I wish I had been told weeks ago: It's ok to take some benadryl and have a nice, medicated sleep session.
2. My mom reminded me of some loved ones of ours who have struggled to get pregnant (and to keep their babies once they got pregnant), and to think of them when I feel like complaining about being too pregnant.

So I've been taking one benadryl before bed each night for the last two days, and thinking happy, grateful thoughts, and suddenly, I'm fine staying pregnant. Our kitchen remodel that we started ON MY DUE DATE is underway (making amazingly quick progress), and I'm actually grateful for the extra few days we've had to get the rest of our ducks in a row. Cabinets were installed yesterday, granite guy is coming to template today, painter is coming tomorrow. Things are happening, and they all know we may be in the hospital for a short period, and have offered to come to the house and continue working while we're out, so when we bring the baby home, there will be less to do.

People are great. Benadryl is great. And my baby knows I'm nervous to share him, so he's giving me a few extra days of "just the two of us" time. My induction is scheduled for Saturday, so if I don't post, you know why!

THREE DAYS OVERDUE - NEVER HAS MY PATIENCE BEEN SO TESTED

Yesterday I had a non-stress test since I'm post-date. Everything went well - no stress here, at least not on The Boy's end. He's quite comfortable, actually, which makes one of us.

So comfortable, in fact, that during the test, when we were supposed to be monitoring his movements and waking heart rate, he fell fast asleep and simply refused to wake up. The technician gave me a cup of ice water which is supposed to help babies wake up. He stirred slightly but fell back asleep. So then we poked and pushed on the belly. Stirred again, but it wasn't enough to make him wake up. Finally, the technician came over with a special sonar-type device that acts as a sort of alarm clock for babies like mine.

She used it three separate times with no success. Apparently, once this kid is out, he's OUT. Hopefully this wonderful trait carries over to life outside the womb. That sure would be great for this mama, who hasn't slept much in the last several weeks due to a seriously severe case of "Disneyland legs." If you've been to Disneyland, you know what I'm talking about.

So here I am, still pregnant, with shin splints on my shins and my femurs, and a little bit on my spine, too.

One Day Overdue: Still smiling

 

Sunshine and water will make anyone smile. Even a girl who is 101% pregnant and has very swollen legs.

Forty! Hello Due Date. So lovely to see you. Not.

Here we are. On our due date. Still cookin'.

I honestly thought I'd have a two- or three-week-old baby by now.

I got my "membranes swept" yesterday, so hopefully labor is on its way. If I go past today, The Boy is officially overdue - and it looks pretty likely that that will happen. I'm a little concerned about how big he's getting in there...

In other news:

We started the demo for our kitchen. Today. Weirdest timing ever, but we figured we'd rather have it that much closer to done whenever The Boy decides to show up.

I cut the sleeves off an old cropped jean jacket (from this post) and turned it into a vest. I cannot express my excitement about it. I'd been wanting a denim vest for a while, as well as a non-cropped denim jacket, so instead of buying both, I turned the one I had into a vest. I'm very excited to model it for you. You know... When I'm not forty weeks pregnant.

And I've started buying post-maternity clothes. Mostly sweats. Who am I trying to impress? All sweats. It's all loungewear.

Ham and Cheese with a side of hormones

Two days from my due date, no baby yet.

I'm here on my lovely new couch, at my computer, with a grilled ham and cheese mostly in my mouth. I had quite the productive day today, considering I woke up at half-past nine. For the last couple weeks I've been thinking of errands I need to run or chores I need to do before the baby comes. I usually talk myself out of it, reasoning that the do-gooders who come to visit once the baby's born will surely offer to help, and I can just make them do all my stuff. Like laundry and vacuuming and groceries and exchanging stuff. But today, I woke up with several things on my list, and being the Type A that I am, decided that everything would just be faster and go smoother if I just did it all myself.

So I did.
I made a trip to the Temecula Olive Oil Company to exchange a couple bottles.
I took a bag of stuff to the thrift store (and got a receipt - taxes!).
I picked up two donuts - a chocolate bar and a maple bar - at our favorite bakery (something I immediately regretted).
I went to Target in search of a changing pad cover which I didn't find, but bought a compact sink tub,some loungewear for after the baby comes, and a few nice swaddling blankets.
I limped my way into Home Depot (my hip was starting to hurt at this point) and grabbed four different paint swatches for our new kitchen.
I exchanged some stuff at Toys R Us and found the changing pad cover I had been looking for.
When I came home, the rug we ordered for our living room was waiting by the door.

And at some point between Home Depot and Toys R Us, Stevie Wonder came on the radio in all his glory, singing "Isn't She Lovely," a song about his baby daughter, and I had a nice little cry about it. Then I prayed to the heavens that this baby comes soon.

End-of-Summer Goals

I read this post and was totally inspired to write some seasonal goals! I'm a MAJOR goal setter but I've never been so on board with New Year's Resolutions, since you really only assess your progress once a year at the very end. And nobody really keeps their resolutions past March, anyway. I loved Bon's idea of setting summer goals, and I had the idea to do it for each season. At the end of the season, you can see how you did, and you have next season to pick up where you slacked off.

There's still over a month left of summer, officially, so here are the goals I want to accomplish by September 22. I'll do another post at that time and see how I did, and set my Fall goals.

+ HAVE MY BABY. Considering I'm 39 weeks pregnant, I'm pretty sure this is a very accomplishable goal. Let's start with a guaranteed success and go from there!

+ GET DOWN TO 150 pounds. I weigh a little over 170 now, baby and all, so I figure with birth and nursing for four weeks, that's a pretty reasonable goal. I'll plan to lose more in the Fall, but as for the end of summer, I think 150 is doable.

+ HELP CONRAD more with Sendrecurring.com, and get the paid version ready to launch. Finish designing the icons and layout of the site.

+ HAVE OUR FAMILY PICTURES TAKEN. Those little froggy newborn legs go away so quickly, I want to make sure we have some beautiful, professional pictures to remember them, and to capture our tired, happy, new-parent glow.

+ FILL MY JOURNAL. It's kind of weird to want to finish a journal, but I love the feeling of filling in that last page and moving on to a new, empty book, like your next chapter is starting! In my case, with having a baby, a new chapter really is starting.

+ READ TWO MORE BOOKS. This seems kind of measly, but I expect that it will be really hard to read with a newborn, so I'm setting my goal low. If I meet it or exceed it, awesome! If I don't, it's not like it was a huge deal, and I don't need to beat myself up for it while I'm dealing with the Baby Blues. I just started my fifth book this month, so if I can finish it plus one more, I'll feel really great about it.
1. Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
2. Wither by Lauren DeStefano

(3.) Life of Pi
(4.) The Book Thief
(If I magically have the time or energy, I'll read 3 and 4)

I think it's smart to always have something to read. Always be expanding your mind, exposing yourself to stories and writing styles and information. I'm currently familiarizing myself with young adult fiction, both for research purposes and because it's just plain fun.

+ FINISH MY BABY BOOK SMASH BOOK. I crammed for about a month and documented almost my whole pregnancy. I'd like to finish it by the Fall, because, as these things go, the longer you go without finishing it, the less likely you are to ever actually do so. I'll post lots and lots of pictures once it's done! (Is a Smash book ever really done?)

What it's like living with elephantitis

So this whole thing with my feet swelling? It's not that great. They aren't even that swollen, but they hurt. I wake up in the middle of the night and they are tingly and itchy and hot, almost like an allergic reaction. Last week, my dumb feet caused quite the bit of drama between Conrad and me. We had a whole huge fight about it and the poor man didn't even know it.

I woke up with "hot-feet" and really sore legs at about 3 in the morning one night. I considered asking Conrad to massage them for me, but I knew he would say no because he had work. Also he hates giving massages. Pulling teeth, I swear. So I got up and went into the bathroom to soak my legs in the tub, all the while getting more and more mad that Conrad was peacefully asleep with his non-tingly feet.

After the soak, I tried rubbing them myself, but it's just not the same. If you're a massage lover, you know what I'm saying. So I decided rather than lay there next to my sleeping husband (who I wanted to punch in the face at this point), I'd get up and try to do something productive.

Naturally, at 3:30 am, I chose to give our whole house a deep clean. I did the dishes as loudly as I possibly could. I slammed dishes around and turned on all the lights and brooded some more about my horrible-wonderful husband (now starting to stir from all my clamoring). He came out and was irritated that I was being so loud, and I was mad that he was so oblivious to my discomfort, and then I stopped cleaning, he went back to bed, and I tried to cool my stupid feet down on the couch while I cried. I cried about Ninners and my cankles. I cried about how our kitchen remodel hasn't even started yet. I cried that I was still pregnant.

People aren't kidding when they say it's really only the last few weeks that are hard. Really freaking hard, made worse by utter lack of sleep and full-body discomfort.

I love pregnancy stillllllll??

Thirty Nine

I managed to waddle into my doctor's office this week. One centimeter dilated and 50% effaced (also, my blood pressure is slightly higher, and I've gained 3 pounds in 4 weeks). Later that night we ate some super spicy Indian food and went on a two-mile walk just to help things along. ^^^

I know one centimeter is barely anything, and is no indication of labor being close, but I could have kissed the woman. I'm so excited that my body is starting to make the changes necessary to bring this little boy here! We'll be going on as many walks as my elephantitis ankles will allow.

My doctor also told me to come in the day before my due date for my next appointment. They'll check my progress again. Also, I scheduled a non-stress test (?) for two days after my due date, and at that time, if nothing has happened, we'll schedule an induction. Those are some scary words.

How to ACTUALLY be helpful to a new mom

All this baby anticipating has gotten me thinking about ways I can make life easier for when I have a sleeping/crying/feeding baby in my arms. Here's what I came up with (with a little help from some blogs around the web that I totally forgot to source). And if one single person tells me that any of this is rude... I don't have a second half of that threat.

Chore List
Make a list of chores that you need help with. People always ask what they can help you with. Don't be afraid to just point to the list. Dishes, vacuum, dust, fold laundry, start dinner, clean the tub, etc. If you're visiting a woman who just had a baby, offer to help her with a specific item, and maybe even offer to write up a list for her so future visitors can help if they want. Some moms are really particular about the way they like certain chores to be done. If this is the case and she would rather do the chores herself, offer to take the baby for a walk so she can have some time in the house by herself.

Meal List
Often, church groups or friends will arrange to bring meals. Help a new mom out by getting some friends to sign up to bring her meals. Make sure to get allergy information from the mom first. Another thing that's helpful is frozen meals. Put together some freezer meals that just require baking. You can get disposable casserole dishes at any grocery store, so she won't even have to worry about giving them back to you.

Errand List
There are two ways to help mom with errands that need to be run. Offer to go for her, or offer to watch baby so she can get away for an hour. If you're helping her put together a chore list, you could add a grocery run to it. These All Out Of pads are really helpful for putting together a list of groceries. Also don't forget to ask her if she needs you to take anything to the post office, make any returns on baby stuff, or go get the car washed. If you're the new mom, get a list ready and an envelope of money so someone can easily run an errand for you.

Watch the baby
Sometimes (I've heard) moms just want an hour to themselves without someone pooping themselves. Offer to just hold the baby while she takes as long of a nap as she needs.  Here are some things you can send mom to do while you watch the newbie:
- Take a bath, and she must light at least two candles
- Take a nap
- Go buy some clothes (heaven knows she wants to because nothing fits her right now)
- Go on a date with her husband

New moms, don't be afraid to put little signs on your front door. Sometimes visitors don't really think ahead. Etsy even has some cute options!

"Welcome visitor! Please do not knock or ring the doorbell. Text or call [phone number] so you don't wake the new baby. Thank you!"

via

or

"Hello, visitor! If mom isn't expecting your visit, please come back at a time when she has a chance to get everything in order. Call [phone number] to set it up!"

or

"Hi visitor! If you or someone in your family has been sick in the last week, please reschedule your visit so mom and baby don't catch it! We'd hate to get sick when we're so brand new."

Here are some general guidelines for visiting a new mom and baby:

Don't show up around a mealtime unless you plan on providing the meal. Mom doesn't need to worry about feeding you on top of everyone else. In fact, always bring food if you can.

Don't show up without an appointment. You may think an unexpected visit might be nice, but it will just stress mom out, or worse, you'll catch her in the middle of a post-birth meltdown. Also, don't tell mom when you're coming. Ask when would be a good time for her.

Don't be early because mom may not be ready for you, and don't be late because it could interfere with her and baby's schedule. On the day of your appointment, show up on time (also, make sure she knows you're coming).

Do come bearing gifts. As mentioned above, food is always welcome. Other good things are diapers and wipes, or even books or magazines for her to read while she's nursing! Goodness knows she spends more time doing that than anything else in the beginning.

Do tell the mom not to write you a thank you note. She will anyway, but it's nice to know you aren't expecting it.

Don't be surprised if mom is wearing sweats or a bathrobe. If she is wearing clothes (even if she looks like an overstuffed sausage), compliment her profusely. Also, tell her she looks great and not tired at all.

Do be clean. Do not touch the baby - especially the face or hands - without washing your hands with soap. Even then, always ask first.

Do not offer parenting advice unless it is specifically asked for, and even then, be careful. Women are sensitive about whether they're doing things wrong, so DO NOT make them feel like they should be doing something different unless they explicitly ask.

Do limit your stay to 30-45 minutes unless your helping with the chore list. Entertaining is hard.

Don't bring children under the age of 7 with you. They tend to carry more germs, be restless, require more entertaining, and be louder.

If a meltdown occurs while you're visiting, just listen. Give mom a hug, and forgive her if she gets your sweater wet with tears, spit up, or breastmilk.

What advice do you have for handling visitors after a new baby?

Thirty Eight

Remember how last week I got excited because I had a few contractions and thought labor was coming? That's nothing. A couple days ago I had consistent contractions for about 4 hours (7-10 minutes apart). If that's not enough to get your hopes up, I don't know what is. The problem was that they were mild (I guess - I'm expecting to not be able to talk through the real ones) compared to what "real" contractions should be. I bounced on my exercise ball, ate about 1000 otter pops, and notified Conrad each time I felt one. We went for a walk to keep them coming, and we finally decided to go to bed and just see what happened. I woke up 3 or 4 times throughout the night due to one or two big ones, but they were much further apart, and when I woke up I was still pregnant.

Each time I shave my legs (like for the last two months) I'm convinced it will be my last time, but it never is. Granted, it takes a significant amount of effort and some serious grunting to get the job done, but I'm still somehow able to shave those gams, two weeks away from labor.

Never thought I'd need to be proud of myself for that.

I thought I might escape pregnancy with only a few stretch marks on my love handles, and while those haven't gotten super crazy, I just recently sprouted a couple light ones on the front of my belly, just to the left of my belly button. They're not the purple ones that make you think maybe you tussled with a bear while you were sleeping, they're a really light pink. I'm convinced that if I give birth this week, those things won't even be showing by September.

Things are really finalizing over here. Our new couch came, we got our crib mattress, his dresser is all set up and stocked, and I'm doing a Costco run today to stock up on maxi pads, toothbrushes, and basic groceries. If there's anything you think I MUST stock up on, let me know!

I still don't know this child's name. I thought I would by now, but I just... don't. I expected to feel like he already had a name and we would just know it. It would come to us in some vision and we would immediately know "this is our child's name." Not the case. I feel like it's some secret that's being kept from us and we have to guess it right. No pressure. He's only going to be known by this word for the rest of his life. NBD.

If I have my feet propped up and I cross them, I get a crazy deep dent in my leg from the pressure. Can you say swelling? Please don't spread to my face, please don't spread to my face.

Questions:
What sizes of diapers should I stock up on? I have some newborn ones already, but I don't know how many I'll need or how quickly babies tend to grow out of them.
How did you finally decide on your baby's name?
How soon after the birth should birth announcements be sent out? And in that vein, how soon after birth should you do a newborn/family photo shoot? I want to catch the froggy-legs on camera before they go away forever, but I also don't want to still be swollen and sore from giving birth.

When you think you're going into labor, but you're not

A few nights ago, I stayed up too late and woke up later feeling kind of sick. I felt really nauseated, so I got up to go to the bathroom. That was a whole situation. Without going into too much detail (just kidding, I always go into too much detail), I had a blowout of epic proportions that took multiple flushes and several get-off-the-toilet-and-walk-around-the-house sessions in order to keep things "moving." When I finally got back into bed, I kept having contractions. Painful ones that made me a little dizzy. Each time I felt one contraction beginning, I'd open one eye and check the clock, hoping they might be consistent and close together. They weren't. I had four or five at various lengths and intervals before I fell asleep again. To my great chagrin, I woke up the next morning at 8:30 without a baby in my arms.

As is evident by the baby that's still in my body, I did not go into labor, despite all my wishing upon stars, finding lucky pennies, tossing said lucky pennies into fountains, and blowing out birthday candles. Hopefully it happens soon!

HEARTBREAK COMES FROM WEIRD PLACES

It is widely known in these parts of the internet that I'm having a baby and remodeling my kitchen. In order to prepare for both of these things, I've had to do a pretty significant home purge. I've sold off some of our older and/or bulkier furniture items to make room for the remodel and for new furniture.

At some point, your home should stop looking like a dorm room full of thrifted/gifted items, and you should start acquiring some higher-quality furniture. So out with the old pine hutch from the nineties. Out with the $30 thrift store coffee table. Out with the floor lamps from our wedding that we only used a little bit. And to my great dismay, out with the chinchilla who has been my little buddy for the last three years.

Guys, I'm not joking or exaggerating when I say this is breaking my heart. If it's past 8:00 at night and you bring up "getting rid of Ninners" to me, I'll stay up all night crying and petting him. He's been my little thing. The little thing I take care of. The little thing who stays home with me during the day. Who barks at random and never ever bites (except once or twice by accident, after which he is very sorry and nervous).

Is it normal to be so sad over the giving-away of a rodent? I know in my right mind that it might be a little irrational. But in my pregnant mind, the dominant mind, I feel like I'm losing my little friend. I've stalled for weeks, saying "I'm not ready yet. I'm not ready to talk about letting him go." And that pesky due date just gets closer and closer. It's relentless. And so I stalled some more, convinced that no one would provide the proper home for him. They wouldn't know him and the amount of attention he needs. Nightmares of little kids leaving his cage open or swinging him around by the tale haunted me.

And I imagined the dreaded Craigslist transaction, so matter-of-fact. No sappy goodbyes. They'd think I was crazy. A stranger would come into my home and walk out the door one minute later with my chinchilla in tow. Ninners, of course, is simply not advanced enough to understand a home-change. Which somehow breaks my heart. I also couldn't wrap my head around the idea that my pet would no longer be mine, but someone else's. They might even change his name. I just can't allow that.

So I found a chinchilla breeding farm (pets only, no fur) that said they would home him. And I feel like that's the best option for me. I have peace of mind knowing he'll be taken care of by people who really understand these animals. They are, after all, very sensitive creatures. They can't become too hot or too stressed. They can't be agitated or over-handled. They require certain foods and certain wood chippings and certain dust for their dust baths. It's a whole thing.

Any advice on how to handle this? Feel free to tease lightly. LIGHTLY. I'm very fragile. You guys are awesome.

Thirty Seven

The belly button has finally arrived. Sort of. It's not actually an outie, it's still an innie, but it pokes out. Weird. I must have one of mankind's deepest belly buttons. 

Changing positions in the middle of the night is a hilarious mixture of thrashing and grunting. By the time I settle into my new position, I'm wide awake. I've taken to wearing Conrad's t-shirts to bed. Sports bras are no longer part of the equation. I've worn them until now to minimize sagging later, but the amount of heat they hold on my body is absolutely not worth it. I figure a few weeks sans sports bra can't possibly do as much damage as a few weeks of heat rash and no sleep.

I've read two books this week, and I'm on my third. Call it cramming, I guess. I think some of the worst advice people give to pregnant women is "sleep now while you can!" One lovely reader pointed out that you can't store sleep for later, plus I'm already not sleeping as it is, so why bother? Instead, I'm spending my free hours doing something I know I won't be able to do for a long time, but will actually enrich me now: read a book with two free hands.

We installed our carseat. I love looking in the backseat of my car and seeing that little thing and imagining that soon my sweet baby will be all strapped in. In related news, we're basically packed for the hospital. Bags are ready, diaper bag is stocked, carseat is set up, and I've got my list of other things to grab by the door so we don't forget what we want to bring.

I'm much more sensitive and emotional than any other time in the pregnancy. My feelings are easily touched or hurt, and I'm chalking it up to simple lack of sleep. See above for explanation.

Baby Book Smash Book - 2

I got such a great response on my original post about the Baby Book Smash Book that I decided to share some more of the pages with you! One of the great things about the smash book is that you can keep adding and adding (or smashing) stuff to the book. 

You can always find a blank spot on your page, or on one of your flaps, cards, envelopes, etc. to add more if you remember something you wanted to journal or doodle. Most of my pages are "done," but some of them have quite a bit of room that I can add doodles or little notes to if I remember something later.

Almost all of my pages have a pocket of some kind, which holds pictures, printed blog posts (related to that week of pregnancy), and notes. I loved the idea of layering my Smash Book, so I included lots of flaps in it, which in turn adds more writing, doodling, and picture space.

It was fun to play around doodling fonts and remembering what consumed my mind during each week of pregnancy. I used a ton of different materials. I have several different books of scrapbook pages, plus I went out and bought one that was "baby boy" themed. I even used magazine clippings here and there. 

This Smash Book was my first real experience using washi tape, and I have to admit, I'm in love. I bought a couple different brands, and the one that is Smash brand is way better quality and more adherent than the other ones. My pictures kept falling out of their pockets because the tape wasn't holding the bottom of the pocket down well enough.

I'm really excited to keep adding to my Smash Book Baby Book! I still have 10 or 12 pages left, so I'll have plenty of room to finish smashing about my pregnancy and birth story, plus a little additional baby scrapbooking.

What do you guys think? Would you ever try smash booking?

More pictures to come soon! I'm still working on filling in the blank spaces. As you can see, My smash book is relatively empty compared to what it could be.