Bath and Body... Focus on relaxation...

      Since I've been having so many problems with my arm, neck, and back, I haven't been able to post in a while. Like I said on Facebook... if I make a post on here, Paul is the one that has to type it out for me, then I edit it.
      I just wanted to make a short post to say... Valentine's Day is drawing near. My friend, Brittany and I, are working on branching out our Etsy shop. We now have a bath and body line. We have plenty of items in our shop that would be perfect as a gift for your loved one (or to treat yourself). We are coming out with new things often, so keep checking our shop for new items please. We also have a Facebook page. We are working on getting it set up for ordering.

 Our Etsy shop is: Geekedoutcrafts.etsy.com 

Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/geekedoutcrafts?ref=hl

Here's a few of our NEW bath and body items:

Flu Prevention

    Well, seeing that that area I currently live in is the worst for flu right now, I figured I should do a quick post about flu prevention. Here lately, I've been terrified to go out any where. When I do, I make sure to sanitize everything and try to stay away from people (if at all possible). I did log on to flu.gov to see some of their flu prevention ideas...  (I'm really hoping this doesn't end up jinxing me :) )

-Vaccination: I know there is a ton of controversy that surrounds the flu shot or mist. Honestly, from all the doctors and nurses I've talked to over the years, it truly is the best way to prevent the flu. As you may have heard on the news, this year there is a strand of the flu that is not covered in the shot this year--Thus, resulting in such an epidemic. For the past 3 years now, I have made sure that I get a flu shot almost the second they become available. I have to admit, I have never felt any of the flu symptoms after getting the shot. I, also, have noticed that I tend to be overall healthier during the winter. (I am not saying there is a correlation, but I have actually noticed I do not get nearly as sick with colds, sinus infections, or hardly anything when I get the shot.)

-WASH YOUR HANDS: I cannot stress this enough. I have to admit, I become OCD about washing my hands during this time of the year more than ever. My hands are almost always cracked and dried out because I wash my hands so much. One thing I do if I've been out at the grocery store, I grab one of those Purell wipes on the way out of the door or make sure I have something with me that either has hand sanitizer or 91% rubbing alcohol. I NEVER immediately open food and eat it when leaving the grocery store, unless I have sanitized my hands some how. My son even understands the need to wash his hands more now, or sanitize them. He thinks it's so cool the way sanitizer drips off his hands.

-Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth: This goes along with the whole hand washing thing... Unless you know for certain that your hands are clean... If you are out in public or just got home from being out in public... DO NOT touch your eyes, nose, or mouth until you have washed your hands.It's not the easiest thing to remember, and I know I do not always remember this rule. I definitely make a conscious effort to remember this though.

-Try to avoid close contact with people: If it's not necessary to go out in public... Then, don't. I had to go to a doctor's appointment today with my primary care doctor, and the nurse asked me to wear a mask in the waiting room since I was pregnant, she didn't want me to catch the flu. In my opinion... the worst places to go to right now are doctor's offices, the ER, pharmacies, and large public places, like grocery stores.

-Practice Good Health Habits: Getting plenty of rest, washing your hands, exercise, drink plenty of water, and eating healthy can help your immune system to stay strong. My husband, son, and I are eating oranges like they're going out of style. They're a great source of vitamin C, which helps keep your immune system strong.

-Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze: The flu.gov website says to cover it with a tissue and then, immediately throw it away to prevent spreading germs. If you do not have a tissue handy, sneeze or cough into the elbow of your arm (the Dracula cover). That way you do not directly contaminate your hands. Even if you do not think you are sick with the flu, this is still a great thing to practice.

-If you are sick with flu-like illness, stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone without the use of fever-reducing medicine: This is so important!!! If you are sick... Please stay home. Try not to get others sick. If you have been exposed to someone that is positive with the flu virus... Try to avoid being in public. There's a huge possibility that you could end up catching the flu.

                                                      Image from: www.myaccesshealth.com

Night night fish...

   We are working with Braeden to make sure he gets the idea of a sibling on its way. We will point at my stomach and tell him there's a baby in there. Also, we talk about his baby sister on the way. He'll lean over and kiss my stomach and say "wuv you." His most recent thought on the baby is rather hilarious. I pointed to my stomach the other day and said, "There's a baby in there. It's a little sister." He said, "No, fish." I proceeded to argue with him for a few minutes that it's not a fish, that it is his sister. It was a pointless argument, and ended with me saying, "Ok, think what you like."

     Two nights later, we were saying good night to everyone. He had said, "Night night Braeden (yes, he tells himself goodnight), night night mommy, night night daddy, night night moke moke..." Then, he paused, and said, "night night fish." I started laughing so hard and told him that his sister is not a fish! All he said was, "No, fish." 

      Every night since then, he's said, "night night fish." Every night, I laugh but I don't argue anymore. I think it's sweet he tells her goodnight, even if he calls her a fish. I think he's now doing just because it makes me laugh. I look forward to seeing how he acts when his "lil fishy" finally gets here. I love him and his "lil fishy" so much!

Baby update... Week 25

I'm getting closer and closer to my third trimester... Yay!!  Well, baby girl is around 13 1/2-14 inches long (according to my baby apps). That about the size of a rutabaga or big stalk of cauliflower. 

     Really though, who has the job of coming up with the food to relate to the size of the baby.... I'd go with something more realistic or relatable, like the length of a large butternut squash. Even though it says she's only about a pound and a half in weight, I feel like she's a large butternut squash weighing in at 3 or more pounds. I'm know she's not that heavy yet, but the best is yet to come ;). She's very active too! I feel her kicking or punching ALL THE TIME. 

    As for me, the doctor told me I need to work on gaining weight... Yeah, that's right. For the first time in my life, I've been told to GAIN weight. In my first trimester, I was so sick I lost about 10-15 pounds. I've only gained 2 pounds from my pre-baby weight. The doctor told me that I need to catch up on my weight gain. So, I have a legit excuse to eat more. Don't worry, I know I need to do it the healthy way. 

       I'm still dealing with a ton of neck, shoulder, arm, and back pain. The bigger I get, the worse it will probably become. I was having such bad pain 2 weeks ago, my doctor had me come in to make sure it wasn't pre-term labor. It wasn't, just the way the baby is bouncing on my cervix. For comfort, I've had to limit the amount I walk. I never experienced any of this during my pregnancy with Braeden. It's totally different this time around. I'm definitely looking forward to April! 

     We had to do a re-scan last week so the doctor could see the nose bone and bladder (she had emptied it before the last ultrasound). We got a great profile picture, and we were able to see the nose bone. However, she wouldn't be  MY daughter, if she wasn't stubborn.  She emptied her bladder, yet again. We have to do another ultrasound next time too. (Darn, more pictures!) The doctor did say that my amniotic fluids were normal, which means the baby is peeing... They just HAVE TO see the bladder. She's such a stinker already! :)

 

It's true...

So this evening, there was a brief moment where I realized my toddler was a little too quite. It is true... Silence is golden. Unless it's your toddler, then it's scary.... I was in the bathroom washing my face and getting ready for bed, and then it dawned on me... Braeden wasn't in there with me making messes. I found him in my bed room, on the bed. The light was turned off, so for a second I thought he must have just been rolling in the covers... Then, I smelled it. The overwhelming smell of baby powder... He dumped half of the container out on the comforter. I jumped into action cleaning it off... In the meantime, he tried to get off the bed and out of the room (probably thinking he was about to be put into time out). And then this happened.... I laughed and snapped a picture... Then, quickly helped clean him off... I figured it was enough punishment :)

Ohhhh, life with a toddler :)

He's totally fine by the way... Once I got him cleaned off, he went on to his next adventure ;)

Breastfeeding: Tips and Honest Truth

       This post is for those soon-to-be moms, new moms, or moms that may need a refresher and have some questions about breastfeeding. I'll try to touch on topics that I had a ton of questions about with my first born. I will also be brutally honest about things. I was lucky to have a friend that was honest with me and had experienced all the same stuff just a few months ahead of me. I'll be that friend for you right now...

Soreness:
     I went to a few breastfeeding classes through my health department prior to having Braeden. They would always say... When you start breastfeeding, if it hurts, then there is something wrong. Well, that's not the total truth. I did find out, 2 days after Braeden was born, that he did have a tongue tie. Luckily, his doctor specializes in tongue ties, and we got it taken care of that day. I did notice a significant difference when he fed from that point on. It was not as painful as it was in the very beginning. However, more than likely, you will experience some kind of tenderness or soreness within the first 2 weeks of breastfeeding. I remember, right around that 2 week mark, it didn't hurt any more. What you need to realize is that your body is not use to breastfeeding. When the baby latches on, it may, at first, feel like it's going to rip your nipple off, but don't stop feeding just because it hurts. I would definitely talk to your child's doctor or a lactation consultant to make sure there isn't any thing wrong. There are creams and home remedies you can try to help ease that pain a little bit, but all you need to do is persevere... and remember that you chose to breastfeed because it's one of the best things you can do for your baby.

Pumping:
        I know it sucks... literally, BUT when you first get home from the hospital, the best thing you can do is start pumping. Pumping does so many great things for you and the baby. Every time your baby latches on or you pump, it helps your cervix compress back to it's normal size. (In fact: you may notice when you feed or pump that you feel like you are gushing down there, that's because it makes your cervix compress.) Another benefit to pumping as soon as you can, is that it will help your milk supply come in faster. You will notice, the first day or two of pumping, you will only be getting colostrum in the bottles. That's all your baby needs for the first few days. Pumping will make your body think it needs to produce more and more for the baby, and it will cause your milk to come in faster. Pumping will also help with your milk supply. The more and more you pump, the more your body thinks it needs to produce. This way you can build up a supply in your fridge and freezer. This is important, especially, if you know you will be returning to work or needing to leave your baby for more than 2-3 hours at a time. So remember, even though it will become the worst task ever... pump, pump, pump! (Oh, and anything that can make it hands-free will be a PLUS.)

How will I know when my milk comes in?:
        Trust me, you'll know. :) It may hit you in the middle of the night while you're sleeping (or for that matter feeding). It could be when ever. All of a sudden, your breast will feel full. Your only hope will be that the baby is ready to feed as soon as it comes in, because feeling full can be a little bit painful. If your baby is sleeping, or doesn't want to feed, there's nothing wrong with pumping. Again, the more and more you pump, the more your supply will grow.

Postpartum Period:
         Right after you finish giving birth to your wonderful bundle of joy, you will begin that wonderful postpartum bleeding. This, however, is not a period. It is what most call "after birth." Your body needs to purge itself from everything that was inside of it for the past 9 months. This can take as little as three weeks or as long as eight weeks. Average time is usually 4-6 weeks. I was around 5 weeks postpartum when I finally was finished. The whole time, I was breastfeeding. When I went for my 6 week check-up at my OB, the nurse asked me if I had had my first postpartum period yet. I told her not yet, that it had only been about a week that I had stopped bleeding after-birth. She said, "well it will come soon enough." But it didn't. I started to freak out at little that I could be pregnant again, and so soon. I knew there hadn't been many chances for that to even happen, plus at the time, I was on the low dose pill. So, I text my friend (the honest one I had mentioned before) freaking out about not having a period. She reassured me that breastfeeding mothers tend to have a delayed period. I did a little research, on babycenter.com, and the reason is due to hormones and the frequency of feedings. The article I read, said a period could start at 11 weeks postpartum or could be delayed up to 24 months. Mine came about 7 months postpartum-mainly because my son quit breastfeeding at that time. So, don't necessarily stress that you could be pregnant if your period doesn't come by 11 weeks postpartum if you are exclusively breastfeeding. If you are worried that could be the case, then take a pregnancy test (I'd suggest just a dollar store test first).

Is my baby getting enough milk?:
       You must first remember this... their stomachs are small. It does not take much to fill them up. Normally, a baby will latch on and then let go when they are finished. If they are fussy immediately after letting go, I suggest, first trying to burp the baby. Then, if they have burped and still are fussy, try offering the breast again. If the baby is still hungry, then they will latch back on. Word of warning though, if the baby does eat too much, they will more than likely spit up... A LOT. That being said, just because they spit up after feeding, does not mean they are eating too much... it's just a normal baby thing. Excessive spit up is when you would want to be concerned. One benefit to breastfeeding, is that the baby learns when they are hungry or full. Eventually, even you, will pick up on their signs of hungry vs. full too. (With brand new parents, it can take a little while to pick up on that.) I have read that breastfed babies tend to not have obesity problems, even later in life, because they can tell when they are full quicker. One thing I do suggest, if you are pumping and bottle feeding. When the baby is 3mo or younger, start with only 2 oz of breast milk in the bottle. Then, burp and see if the baby seems like they need more. Once they reach about 3-4 mo you can increase it to 3-4 oz. With my son, it seemed like he would increase an ounce with each month he turned older. However, when they do start on solids (aka baby food), try no more than 4 oz immediately after, if they seem hungry still. (You don't want to over feed you baby, just as much as you don't want to under feed.)


I'm sure there are more topics I forgot to touch on. Please comment if there is something about breastfeeding you would like me to touch on. I may even get back on here and add to the post if I think of some things.

Christmas Traditions

    Merry Christmas Eve to everyone... I, first, want to go ahead and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, and I hope everyone has safe travels where ever you may go. 

    This is the first Christmas that Braeden kind of understands the concept of Santa. Paul and I are overly stoked about that!! What I want to do is go over my family's Christmas traditions, and I would love to hear about yours...

    Until I met my husband, I never really realized that people did things differently ... I never gave it much thought. I knew about other types of celebrations, like Hanukkah, but I just never put much thought into the fact that others can do things differently. Here's what I'm referencing... My family always has a Chistmas Eve dinner (and it's not usually the regular Christmas dinner but some thing special, like we've done "fish n' chips" before). Then, after dinner, we open the gifts we got each other. Once we're finished with that, we set out the cookies for Santa, and go to bed... awaiting his arrival. Being the oldest of 3, I usually had my sister slumber party it up with me that night... I realize now, it was more to keep them from waking up at 2 am and getting into Santa's presents.  My sisters would wake me up anywhere between 6-7am to go upstairs and see what Santa brought. I would first go up, and make sure our parents were awake before I "released the hounds." Now, that we're older, we still keep our Chistmas Eve traditions in tact, but I share my Christmas Day with my husbands family.

   My husbands family did things a little differently when he was a child. Their focus on everything was actually mostly all on Chistmas day. 

    As I grow older, I find that my thoughts towards Chistmas have changed. I make sure I remember what Chistmas is truly about. I've also noticed my focus has changed from "presents, presents, presents" to spending time with family and giving more than the whole receiving aspect. I honestly enjoy this outlook better. I also am enjoying getting to witness Christmas from a childs point of

view watching my son learn more and more about the Christmas season. This truly is "the best time of the year!" And we are loving every minute of it. So,

I want to wish you all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!