The Story of Eli

(Just a fore warning: This is a birth story - it may get gross so feel free to skip this post if those kind of details are not for you.)

My tiny Eli.

You forget just how small a newborn baby is until you're holding them in your arms. All those months spent preparing, all the pain and pushing that will seemingly never end and then there he is lying on your chest - time just stops.

So here are the official facts.

name: Eli Everett Alery
born: September 22, 2012 - 3:00am
size: 7lbs 11oz - 20.5 inches long

Tyler said as soon as he made his official entrance and the doctor laid him on the table, he rolled onto his side and started screaming like a bobcat.  At this point the details are a little hazy for me but this description of a little warrior sounds about right for a son of my husband.

So here's how we got to that point.

Friday night I was lying in bed watching episodes of 90210 on Netflix (teen drama shows are my guilty pleasure, don't judge) when suddenly there was a big sploosh of fluid and I realized my water just broke. Doesn't that only happen in the movies?! That was 10:45pm.

Of course this was the only night the hubby had went out in the past 2 weeks so I had to call him away from the truck pulls wondering if I would be driving myself to the hospital. Turns out I didn't. No contractions had started yet so I began packing up the car in a frenzy, running back in the bathroom as amniotic fluid is dripping all over everything and panicking because surely I will forgot something important.

We made it to the hospital at midnight. I had several contractions on the 30 minute drive there that got up to only a few minutes apart but we were chatting and laughing the whole way up. This is going to be so quick and easy, I kept thinking.

Hubby dropped me off at ER entrance and I started making my way to the maternity wing. Somehow I got lost, stopped to breathe through a contraction in the hallway and a nurse leaving from her shift found me and pushed me in a wheelchair the rest of the way there.

Next was the tiny check-in room. It was disappointing to find out I was only dilated to 3.5 (it was at 3 just two days earlier.) The nurse also thought there was meconium in the amniotic fluid so she had to hook my belly up to a stress monitor to keep an eye on the baby. Turns out there was none and it was just darkened blood from something else.

At this point my contractions are getting more intense and they moved me to the last room left in the maternity ward. We finish up the paperwork and check in process just in time for the real pain to begin. My baby is facing up and the contractions are all in my back now. It hurts worse than anything I could have imagined. I keep switching positions, sitting on the ball and nothing is helping. He keeps turning around too so I feel the contractions move from the front and just as I get comfortable they are all in the back again. Tyler is pushing with all his strength onto my lower back and while it brings some relief, its not enough.

I really wanted to have this child natural, with no epidural or pain medication (I did with my daughter and even said "I could do that again" immediately after her birth) but this is just too much. I tell my husband I can't do it - the back labor is too intense. His tries to convince me through 3 more contractions when I break down and ask the nurse what the options are without the epidural. IV meds that will progressively become less effective with each dose and will have to stop before delivery becomes imminent as to not affect the baby. I consider what to do through 2 more contractions and that's when I feel the urge to push.

They lay me down on the bed to check dilation and see I am at 8 or 9. Too late for any pain meds. My baby has turned back face down, the back pains decrease and I push through the contractions. I pushed and pushed and his little head would just not pop through. Tyler didn't think it was possible. I was screaming, panting and bearing down with every ounce of strength in my body when finally his little head popped out. Then the shoulders. Then his body; the placenta. Sweet relief. It took a lot of pep-talk telling myself just keep pushing, it's almost over, he's almost here.

And then he was here. Time stopped, my heart swelled and all the bustle of nurses in the room and the doctor stitching me back together just faded into the background.

Although this time I said I am definelty not doing that again.

Welcome to the world little one. <3

Homemade Coffee Creamer

I haven't been around this week and don't have any fashion to post today - all 3 kids and have bronchitis and are feeling rather blah. Getting dressed is a chore in itself let alone dressing up in something pretty.

But I did have a "duh, why didn't I think of that moment" this week which resulted in today's post. We went into the city to get grocery's on Sunday and while picking up our usual Coffeemate French Vanilla creamer I saw on the shelf above a creamer labeled all natural. A little curious, I picked it up to find a total of 4 ingredients on the label and all them things we already have in the fridge. In comparison, the creamer we had been drinking was full of partially hydrogenated garbage and preservatives. Why had it not occurred to me before that there was an alternative?

After a little experimentation, here is my super simple recipe.

1 half pint heavy cream
1 cup whole or 2% milk
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract or other flavor

It's not as rich or thick as the Coffeemate version without the partially hydrogenated oil, but still very tasty and much better for you.

And it's only taken a week to be fully weaned off the other stuff.

Have a lovely weekend!

Be Present

(Source)

Be present. That's my resolution; my one little word for 2012.

Last year was a great year - lots of good times, lots of hard work. But it flew by and was over way too fast.

More often then I'd like to admit, I found myself running on auto-pilot, totally unaware of a conversation I just had with my husband or one of the kids even though I could hear the words coming out of my mouth. Unable to recall the events or meals served just days earlier, because even though I was the one initiating or preparing, I just wasn't focusing on; wasn't savoring the moments of our days. Do you know what I'm talking about?

There is only so much time in a day but somehow I always manage to pack in way more than there needs to be. In my defense, I can't stand being idle (except vegging out on the couch for the occasional TV marathon) or not being productive. So this year, I am narrowing down my to-do list and will be changing the way I scrapbook.

Because really, I don't need over 2 albums full of layouts for a single year. That's just silly.

So many people are doing Project Life this year but that just seems overwhelming even though the idea is a really good one. I think I'll try a sort of Project 12 with 12x12 divided page protectors and then a couple traditional 8 1/2" x 11" layouts in the middle because it so fun to make something pretty. The little day to day stuff will be there with a few highlighted occasions too. We'll see.

And my garden will be enormous this year. I was so mad at myself for not planting one last year and am reminded by the whole family every time we have store bought pasta sauce. We might get another pig, will definitely be getting a goat (purely for entertainment) and I would simple be in heaven if we could make room for a few chickens as well.

Maybe I'm just feeling so dreamy today because it's 60 degrees in January. Doing outside chores are not nearly as invigorating in the freezing cold - or the sweltering heat for that matter.

So again self - remember to be present. And quality over quantity. That's all.

Hello 28!

Yesterday was the best birthday!

Burgers from B Bops, thrifting for vintage cookware, window browsing for inspiration, the new Sherlock Holmes movie, crab legs for dinner and sweet birthday drawings from the kiddos.

Seriously, what more could a girl ask for?

Have a safe and happy new year!

Streamlining Household Chores - Grocery List

Source

For a while now I've wanted to share a few of the things that help our busy household run a little smoother. There are 6 people living here, 3 of them under the age of four and let me tell you, things can get a little choatic. Keeping track of what I need to do around the house can easily get lost in the mix if I don't keep written reminders and check them daily. Having a plan and streamlining all the little things makes life so much easier and leaves lots more time for what's really important - having fun!

To begin with, I'm sharing our Master Grocery List. It's a list of everything we regulary purchase at the local grocery store, not including toiletry items. I print a copy each week and keep it in the kitchen to check off items as they need to be replenished. This ensures nothing is forgotten and I can do a quick check through the list before leaving to shop.

Grocery Master List (download via Scribd)

Of course this is just a starter - I add extras to it each week, and surely there are some things you buy that I don't and vice versa. Use it and edit it however you wish. Whatever you need to make life a little easier.

Woodland Nymph Anda Dress

This Anda dress was made following Grosgrain's Frock by Friday. Bless her heart for taking the time to help the sewing challenged but determined like me put together a pretty dress and read a pattern.

The dress is quite simple and modest, and because I am still inept at altering a pattern, I decided to use a really gorgeous fabric to give some extra interest to the shape. Am so in love with the stormy, moody colors and layered wings on this cotton voile from Alexander Henry. It reminds me of the wing pattern on the Wood Nymph butterfly - hence the title.

I always make a test model to avoid making a mistake on my favorite fabrics. The second time around, I added the bias tape to the arms after the shoulders were together. Also added the band with elastic to the outside of the dress to break up the block of fabric a bit - that way I have the option of adding a belt or not.

Because of a traumatizing experience in my early days of sewing and because the material is a bit sheer, I decided to use a french seam on the dress seams. I was in college and had made a pretty tweed skirt with a big ruffle in the front. Really didn't know much about sewing but got it together and I loved how it looked so decided show it off at school. Well thankfully I had worn a long coat that day cause when I sat down in my cafeteria chair the whole rear end of the skirt ripped out. And those weren't my days of full coverage underpants either. Amazingly it many years later I finally found out a loose zig zag seam doesn't really hold a garment together.

Am so glad to have a tall, leggy, photogenic friend to model for me. Getting just a few pictures taken is really quite a challenge when you have 5 young children running around trying to get out the door and in on the action. Thanks Meghan for taking some time out of your busy day and for being so lovely.

You can find the pattern for the Anda Dress on BurdaStyle.

Thrift Score: Green Swing Jacket

Green is not a color you'd find in my closet, but this swing jacket I picked up at Goodwill has me wishing for fall to get here and fast. Love the cropped proportions and the green will look so pretty with brown accessories. One women's fashion casualty is another ones treasure!

Also, visit One Pretty Thing and Craft Gossip to see lots of pretty DIY projects including my Lollipop Dot ruffle purse tutorial.

the perfect lunch

I used to be pretty neurotic about eating the right amounts of food from each food group, each day, but since I've become a mom, the health of our little ones has replaced the concern about my own health. And I can really feel the effects of the neglect - sluggishness, uneven complexion and a bit of excess flesh too.

To counterbalance the fact that I don't eat breakfast, drink lots of coffee, snack the afternoon away, have a good dinner and then snack some more after the kids go to bed, I make this lunch - the perfect lunch - to help me feel healthy and get in at least a few important nutritional elements.

Caesar Salad
   2 cups romaine lettuce - fresh from the garden retains more vitamins
   6 quartered chicken nuggets - the kids are having them anyway
   1 tbsp sunflower seeds - extra protein
   8 seasoned croutons - they count as a grain, right?
   1 ounce Parmesan cheese
   lots of Caesar dressing
   grated pepper

1/2 cup of citrus fruit - pineapple or mandarin oranges, or sometimes watermelon

a big glass of water - so much more fun to drink from a goblet

Try it for yourself, having just one healthy meal in the afternoon puts you in the right mindset to make good choices the rest of the day.