One week of life

It's been one week since little Ezra Amos joined our family.  We've all been through a lot this past week. 

On Wednesday morning I gave birth at 38 weeks and 6 days pregnant.  The next day we sold our family car and moved the remainder of our things from my parent's house to our house.  We slept here for the first time that night.  It looked like this at that point. 

Scccccccary!

We were unprepared in many ways for Ezra's arrival--the huge mess that was our house and his name drama among a few.  Adjusting to having two kids is a learning experience and it's definitely made more complicated when you throw moving into the mix.  Oh, and we are trying to buy a car by next week when Kyle goes back to work so I'm not stranded here car-less during the day.  Needless to say, we feel like the clock is constantly working against us and we are playing a never ending game of catch-up.  We've had lots of visitors which has been nice and has helped break up the blur that has been the last week. 

   

Cambria has had a few stressful days too.  I think all the change has been hard for her little 18 month old self.  She's gained a brother, switched to a new bed, and moved into a new house all in one week--that's a lot.  She really is being SUCH a cutie with Ezra.  All of her interactions with him are positive; hugs, kisses, playing, sharing...She seems to have nothing but love for him.  The first few days were rough only because she seemed to be ignoring me.  I guess all the stress she was experiencing was directed at me and she really wanted nothing to do with me.  Yes, I had a few breakdowns about this but I kept reassuring myself that she was only adjusting to the new situation and soon we would find our new normal.  Luckily she has come around and has decided I'm not too bad after all. 

Ezra has been a wonderful little son for us this past week during his first 7 days of life.  He pretty much eats, sleeps and poops with an occasional 10-30 minute wakeful time in between.  I really didn't think I was going to have a newborn as easy as Cambria was but by golly it has happened again.  He disrupts my sleep every 3-4 hours by making cute sucking noises, I feed him, and wrap him back up to sleep some more. Easy Peasy.  He seems to have such a lovely disposition already.  I love to just put my face right next to his to kiss and smell him to my heart's content.  I just loooooooooove him.  I have a son and I can't believe it and I am so excited! I will write a post about my birth experience with him sometime soon.  

This past week I've learned/re-learned many things: 

• not having a microwave makes life difficult 
• having 2 kids is harder than having 1, but it's not too bad 
• having dirty feet because your floors are so dirty makes me feel dirty all over 
• breastfeeding is messy, breast.milk.everywhere 
• little boys have a special way of melting a mommy's heart 
• Cambria has real emotions whether she can express them or not
• having a supportive spouse is a must when times get stressful
• having people make you food is the best new baby present ever
• I'm so thankful we live close to family 
• babies create lots of laundry 
• labor gets easier the second time around because you know what to expect but "pushing" sucks no matter what
• nourishing my baby with my own body brings me the greatest joy
• life with children is good

 

Me, Ezra, Aunt Amb, Cam, and my Mama

Cambria helped Kyle put our dining room chairs together..so cute!

Proud Daddy of 2

Ezra and Ellie=Future lovebirds

Cam loves the ducks that swim in our backyard.

Kyle and his mini-me. 

Always reading books.

Cutie snoozing on our bed.

Finally got a picture with Nancy, the midwife that help bring our two babies into the world.

I wanted to add more but my computer is being very slow.  Also, I should probably get to bed...

Life is crazy right now but I can't be more thankful for it all. 

A Change of Heart and a Change in Name

Sometimes, in order to make the right decision you have to make the wrong decision first to know what the right answer really is.  This is exactly what has happened along our journey in trying to find the right name for our son.  I love the name River for so many reasons.  Rivers have personal significance for Kyle and I because we lived next to one in our first apartment together during Cambria's first 9 months of life.  We were also married at a place called Hidden River right on the bank of a river which is likely the day our son was conceived.  Rivers are beautiful, strong, powerful and majestic.  We really, really love the name.  But since we named our son two days ago, we have come to the realization that it was not the right choice.  Just in the mere 48 hours since we began calling him River I have gotten to know him better and just feel in my heart that it was not meant for him.  It's almost as if the more we get to know him and bond with him, we realize it's just not right. 

Maybe it was due to the fact that we didn't already have a name picked out for him before his birth date.  

Maybe it's his sweet, easy-going disposition that I have fallen in love with that has changed our minds.  

Maybe it's the fact that our lives since he was born 5 days ago have been made busy and hectic with taking care of two kids, moving and the selling of our car.

I don't know exactly why, but we have decided to change our son's name--I know, it's a crazy thing to do at the ripe age of 5 days old. His now new and true name was our other option when we were making our final decision and we now feel that it is the right one for him. 

His middle name is still Amos which is also Kyle's maternal grandfather's name.  

Luckily, we only filled out our paperwork on Friday and it almost certainly has not even begun being processed yet--(one of the many perks of delivering at the birthing center).  

This little guy is a sweetie.  Everyone kept telling me that I got lucky with Cambria and that my second baby would most certainly not be as "easy" as she was.  Well, so far, he has been just as precious and delightful as Cambria.  He does cry a bit more and is more demanding with his feedings, but both these things don't bother me in the least because they were reasons I worried about Cam. 

So, for the second time, I would like to introduce our son.... 

 Ezra Amos Finnegan

  We are so in love with him already and can't wait to watch him grow.     

Our Son

 Introducing...

River Ezra Amos Finnegan 

Born February 16th, 2011 at 6:24 a.m. 

7 lbs 14 oz

19 1/2 inches 

Update

Yesterday I went into the birth center for a checkup and some blood work.  

The midwife checked my pressure when I was lying on my left side and it was 110/60 something.  That's awesome! Then I sat up for a few minutes and she checked it and it was 136/60 or 70 something.  This reading was high but not really, really high.  It was an improvement from my last apoinment. 

And these two readings point out one very important fact: bed rest 100% works for me. 

I felt so grateful that Margaret, the midwife, decided to check my pressure when I was on my left side first because positive news first is always better than negative.

There was little protein in my urine which is a pretty definite indication that preeclampsia is not developing.  I already figured that.

They also tested my iron levels and got a reading of 10.5 which was up from 10.2.  This is not a "comfortable" range for the midwives as they like that number to be at least 11. 

I purchased another bottle of iron tonic and am now taking it 3 times a day with a whole cup of prune juice. Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasty. Seriously, I hope you never have to try it.

I've also started taking Evening Primrose Oil and some other homeopathics to help my body prepare for labor.

My supply.

I had Kyle snap a few pictures while we were at the birthing center because we never take pictures when we go.  

I still haven't even gotten a picture with Cambria and the midwife and nurse that helped deliver her--I need to get on that. 

The board with all the recently born babies and the soon-to-be mamas.

You can see me!! (with the birthing center's due date which they changed 1/2 through my pregnancy--I still say it's the 24th)

On the couch trying to keep the BP down for the big test.

I love the birthing center so much.  L.O.V.E. 

I always leave there feeling loved, comforted, and just well cared for. It's like a close-knit family and it is such an empowering atmosphere to be in while experiencing pregnancy. 

So, at my appointment we concluded that I need to get serious about taking my iron and continue to rest as much as possible. 

I do not want to jeopardize my chances of being able to deliver there so I'm being pretty strict about my bed rest. 

Yesterday my Dad wasn't working and so he watched Cambria while I was here and when I went for my appointment.  He insisted on watching her.  He's such a sweet "Bopa" to Cam. 

My Dad folding laundry while Cambria ate her lunch. How cute is that?!?

Yesterday was Valentines Day.  It's a silly holiday in my opinion, but I did pick up a present for Cam on my way home from my appointment. Blueberries! I know what my girl likes :) 

Kyle got me and Cambria a raspberry, strawberry, and a blueberry plant.  He too knows the way to our hearts.  Except I didn't want a Valentines Day present so I'm just going to say it was for Cam Cam. I know, I'm silly. :) 

Cam left with my mom at 7:30 this morning and won't be back until after 4:30...I teared up a little watching her wave bye to me when she was leaving.  Mothers who are able to leave their children everyday have a strength I do not possess.

Leaving this morning :(

Took this earlier today after taking a shower.  It had been 2 days since my last one... 38 weeks 5 days

blood pressure woes...again

Well folks, it has happened again.

 

My body has experienced 38 weeks of pregnancy and just like last time, apparently it has had enough.  

Yesterday's appointment at the birthing center felt like a reenactment of EXACTLY what happened in July of 2009.  Like exactly.  Yesterday I was 38 weeks and last time I was 38 weeks and 1 day. 

Midwife checks my pressure, gets a weird look on her face,  I ask what's wrong, she says my pressure is up, I lay on my left side for 5 minutes, she checks it again, and my blood pressure is back down to normal.  

What does all this equal??? BED REST.  And in case you don't know, bed rest sucks. Booooooooo

Except this time it sucks even more because our circumstances are different than last time.  

We now have an 18 month old to take care of and a very chaotic house to get in order. 

Needless to say, the remaining days before the baby is here will be boring and frustrating for me and busy and hard for Kyle.  

Mainly, we just need to get things ready at our house and find someone to watch Cambria for me during the day. 

 

I hate being on bed rest because it makes me feel like something is wrong or that I'm sick, but I know this is just what my body needs to do.  High blood pressure is how my body handles the last few weeks of being pregnant.  I'm not worried about it or stressed, I just wish I didn't have to lay around all day.  I know this probably sounds ridiculous and having high blood pressure IS something to take concern over, I just know everything is going to be fine.  And since everything about this pregnancy has been just like last time, I think we can expect this baby to arrive in about 2 weeks. And yes, this could possibly cause me not to be able to deliver at the birthing center, but we won't think about that right now...Hospitals are great for many reasons, but I don't want to deliver my baby in one. End of story. 

 

At yesterday's appointment the baby's head was lower than last week which shows that he or she is slowly getting ready to make their arrival.  Kyle and I think this "dropping" may be what causes my blood pressure to go up.  The baby does this and for some reason my body responds unexplainably by raising my blood pressure.  The fact that this is happening again is almost comforting in a strange way because I know my body is preparing itself for labor.   We're going to be meeting our baby soon! I'm going back Monday for some blood tests just to make sure nothing else is happening but I strongly think everything is fine and the only thing going on in my body is this whole blood pressure thing. 

I'll be here, all weekend, resting in bed.  I'll update on Monday.  

37 weeks 5 days during my pregnancy with Cam.  3 days later I was put on bed rest.  I look at this picture and think about how unaware we were of what was soon coming.  I feel that same way now.

cinnamon rolls and onsies

I read a lot of blogs.  Sometimes I think it's a great thing and sometimes not so much. 

The good:  tons of great decorating and crafting ideas, inspiration for many aspects of my life, feeling connected to other women/people who I would normally have no connection with, and being able to hear the perspectives and opinions of other people and moms out there.

The bad: reading blogs can sometimes make me feel bad about myself.  I will start to feel less than or stressed that my life isn't like the person's I am reading about.  I know, it sounds ridiculous.

My point: try not to do this if you are an avid blog-reader like I am!!! Everyone's life seems perfect when they pick and chose what they want to write about.  I just like to remind myself of that fact every once and a while. 

 So anyway, I wanted to share two things.  The first is this amazing cinnamon roll recipe I made a few Sundays ago.  They were sooo delicious and perfect.  Try it if you like cinnamon rolls!! They make a ton so they would be a great thing to make for breakfast if you have company or something.

The second thing I wanted to share is the only sewing I've done in what feels like months.  And it's not even a whole lot of real sewing.  I bought some plain white onsies to decorate with some very cute applique designs.  I'm happy with how they've turned out! It feels good to see one of my many projects finished.    

One of the last two is going to be baby #2's first outfit.  I tried to make them gender-neutral...a little girl can wear a tie right?!? 

Speaking of baby, I'm hoping this little muffin isn't born until their due date at least.  It would be incredibly awesome to have these next two weeks to prepare our house and other things before he or she arrives.  But, babies are born whenever they well please so this baby could be here at any point here on out.  That's an exciting but slightly frightening thought! 

House Madness, 18 months, and pregnancy--whew!

Cambria trying to put her pacifier in Daddy's mouth.

Dang, this weekend was exhausting.  

Kyle has practically painted our entire house with a little bit of my help. 

It's really hard not being able to paint right along with him (baby in belly), but I've done lots of the prep work and maybe just a litttttle bit of painting....

We moved everything yesterday and with the help of my dad, Kyle's dad, and my dad's friend, everything was moved from my parent's house and our storage unit in just a few short hours.  

It was nice that the moving process didn't take long, but it's just a stark reminder that we lack so many things.

But again, we are going to take this whole process slow. 

One project at a time and one room at a time. 

Once baby #2 arrives, we will be at even more of a standstill.

I keep saying that as long as we are comfortable and have our basic necessities all the decorating and serious arrangement will happen in time.  

We were so busy with our closing last week, we didn't even get to celebrate Cambria's half birthday. 

Last year, I got her some flowers and a cupcake. She was only 6 months then and now she's 18! She is becoming such a toddler. 

I know that when the baby is born she is going to seem so old!

Big girl blowing our her candles.

Now at 18 months with only one remaining pigtail.

I'm going to post some pictures of the house once we start getting things a little organized.  

It's looking a little crazy right now.

While Kyle was painting, we took a few belly pictures. 

At my appointment on Thursday the midwife discovered that the baby still hasn't positioned him or herself head down and low.  If this doesn't change by next week, I'll head to the chiropractor to see if a few adjustments do the trick. 

37 weeks and getting bigger everyday. 

Working hard.

This post seems so sporadic, but that's how our life is right now. 

Moving, parenting, pregnancy--it's a lot!  I'm enjoying all of it though :) 

So close to being ours!

I haven't posted in about a week and it's because a lot has been happening around here.

As of right now, we are scheduled to close on our house at 11:00 tomorrow morning.  That means tomorrow we're going to become homeowners!!! That just sounds weird--Kyle and I, homeowners?? Even though I am going to have two kids soon, I still don't feel like I'm a big enough "grown up" to own a house.

Anyway, we've been busy figuring last minute things out.   

We found a mattress we want, but just have to work up the courage to call the mattress place and have them charge our card.  Spending that much money on a mattress is scccccary. 

Of course I want every room in my house to be a different color so we've also been trying to make some decisions in that department.  It's probably going to take a few weeks to get everything painted, but we would like to start painting tomorrow and finish the kitchen and living room before we move in this weekend. 

Our list of things we still need seems to be never ending, but I am really going to try to relax and take things slow.  I know it's going to be a few months before the house really starts to come together.  The hard part for me is going to be trying to not freak out that everything isn't set up and in order.   I know I'm going to want eveything perfect right when we move in, but it's just going to take time. 

I've had dreams of moving in the last two or three nights.  We're so excited!!!!! 

I don't really have any new pictures to post because I've taken maybe 20 in the last week and a half. (note to self: start taking more pictures of life) 

So here are a few pictures of the house waaaay back in September the first time we ever looked at it.

Front porch

living room

dining room- the light fixture that you can't see in this picture is going to be one of the first things to go!

kitchen

kitchen

Can't wait to enjoy this backyard

What is going to be Cambria's room

2nd bathroom

our room!

The baby's room

I'm excited to get in there and start making it our own.  We have about 1020849 ideas and projects we want to do already... I keep telling Kyle how grateful and fortunate I feel to be able to buy a house right now.  Really, we are so lucky to be buying such a beautiful home for our family and I never want to take it for granted.  Life is good.

7 years

This was my tweet today:

Today marks 7 years of dating @FinneganK. 

My present? A box of chocolates!

That man is an awesome husband, father, and gift-giver.

And you know what?  Kyle really is an amazingly loving husband, an incredible father, and he has given me some pretty sweet gifts over the years.   

As my husband, Kyle supports me unconditionally.  No matter how rude, mean, or just outright irrational I may be at times, Kyle is always understanding and patient with me. Always.  I think it must be why we work so well together.  He's my best friend and my constant source of strength and support. I looooooove him a lot.

Kyle is such a good dad to Cambria that sometimes I forget not all men are like him.  Kyle gives Cambria a bath every day, he wakes up early with her on weekends and lets me sleep in, he plays with her after he gets home from his long 10-hour work days, he sings to her when she's upset, he changes just as many diapers as I do, and he even tucks her into bed every single night.  

My girl is a lucky one, but then again I think we both are to have him. 

Happy 7 years Kyle.
Here's to many, many more filled with ten times the love and happiness we've experienced so far.

Kyle surprised me with a trip to Asheville, NC for our anniversary in 2009. See!!! An awesome gift-giver.  We returned to Asheville  a year and a half later to be married.  This was taken at the Biltmore House.

Cloth Diapering 101

WARNING: I talk frankly about poop in this post so If you don't like to hear about it, you may want to stop reading :) 

Right now, it has been about 3 weeks since we started using cloth diapers and all I can wonder at this point is why we didn't start sooner.    Seriously, I feel like I want to become an advocate.  Now I know most who are reading this are thinking "yeah, I'm sure you're denying how nasty and difficult cloth diapering really is..." But seriously people--IT'S REALLY VERY SIMPLE.  Like most, I was skeptical, nervous, and just outright terrified of the thought of Cambria pooping in a piece of cloth and me having to deal with it.  Before we made the plunge, I was fearful that we would invest tons of money into something that would eventually become a big fat FAIL.  But I am here to say that we are definitely succeeding and I could not be more excited about it!

First let me explain why we decided to switch.  As most would assume, money was a factor in our decision.  Since Cambria was born, I would say we've spent anywhere from $60-$80 a month on disposable diapering supplies.  So as a rough estimate, we've spent $1,190 dollars on diapers since her birth.  So far, we've made three purchases for cloth diapering supplies- $97.92  $161.58 and $75.77.  That's $335.27 total.   That money has given us all the necessary supplies to diaper Cambria for the remainder of time before she is potty trained.  But don't forget that all of her diapers will be used on baby #2 and any other children that may come along especially since almost all of them are one size diapers.  Check this out for a better breakdown.  Kyle and I try to make responsible, "green" choices whenever possible and the argument for cloth diapers is pretty obvious.  Use the same diaper hundreds of times over or use a new diaper after each change?  I think the former makes the most sense especially because we use a high efficiency washer and dryer.  Lastly, cloth diapers are more natural for a little baby bum than the materials used to make disposables.  Plus their tooshies look so darn cute in them!! 

If you ever decide to cloth diaper your child you will quickly discover there's TONS of information out there and TONS of different types of diapers.  Like an overwhelming amount that made me freak out at first.  Cloth diapering has really come a long way since we were babies and the technology is kinda ridiculous.   Kyle and I read through several sites and watched some videos that were very helpful and made everything seem a lot less daunting.  After a lot of thinking and researching we decided the best thing to do was to buy several different types of diapers in order to figure out what we liked best.  Turns out we like all the different types for different reasons.  Let me give you a brief breakdown.  

Fitted diapers with a cover. 

Fitted diapers or diapers called prefolds are your most basic type of cloth diaper.  Prefolds are folded and then fastened with pins or these things called snappis. We actually didn't try using prefolds with Cambria, but I'm thinking this is what we are going to use for the new baby for the first few weeks until he or she can comfortably fit into Cambria's one size diapers.  We did get several fitted diapers and two very cute covers for them.  Fitted diapers just have more of a shape to them than prefolds and seem to prevent leaks better too.  You have to have a cover when using the fitted diapers or prefolds because there is no waterproof layer on the outside. 

These are the fitted diapers.  They come in cute colors and are fastened with snaps.  Very simple.  These are the most bulky so Cam looks like she has a ton of junk in the trunk when she wears them.

These are the covers we use.  One is fastened with velcro and the other with snaps.  I can't say which I prefer because they are both simple and easy.   I really like the fitted diapers because they are durable and I know they are going to last forever.  Cambria can only wear them for maybe 2 hours tops before they become pretty wet and have to be changed, so she can't wear these to bed.  The covers can be used several times before washing unless there is any leakage or if they become stinky...The fitted diapers are not one size but we ordered two different sizes and they both fit Cambria just fine. 

Pocket One Size Diapers. 

Pocket diapers consist of one outer shell that has a slot for an absorbent insert.  Technically the outer shell can be used more than once by replacing the wet insert with a fresh one if it isn't pooped on.  I think they smell bad after one or maybe two uses so we don't get much more use out of them than that.  Plus, my daughter is not one of those 1 time a day poopers....try 3, 4, 5, 6 times!  (I think it's because of her vegetarian diet and her yogurt and fruit consumption)  All of her pocket diapers are one size meaning they will fit a baby from about 8-40 pounds! I know that seems crazy but it really is true!!

We have several pocket diapers that come in many different colors.  The extra buttons on the front are what allow you to adjust the size so that they fit any size baby.  Again, I can't say if I like the snaps or the velcro better.  When Cambria wears these to bed we stuff two inserts in the pocket instead of just one to soak up the extra wetness.  I really like these diapers for when we are out and about because she can wear them longer before needing a change.

We have three different brands of the pocket diapers. 

Fuzzibuns, Happy Heiny's, and bumGEnius

All-In-One One Size Diapers. 

These diapers are the most similar to disposables.  They have everything you need--all in one! So whether Cambria just wets it or poops it can only be worn once before needing to be washed.  The AIO diapers are most convenient because there is no prep work involved.

                                                 This diaper has the layers sewn right in.

This one has an insert sewn into a pocket which allows us to stuff an extra insert in if she wears it to bed.  Both of these ones have snaps instead of velcro and they are both one size.  

All in all, I cannot say which diaper system I prefer.  They all work better for different times of the days and they all seem very durable.  Maybe after more experience with them I will be able to pick a favorite.  

Accessories

After one of Cambria's diapers is soiled, we rinse it off with the AMAZING mini-shower we bought on Amazon.  I do not think cloth diapering would be as easy without one of these.  This is the number one accessory I would recommend to anyone considering cloth diapering.  This mini-shower makes it so easy to wash off every last poop particle stuck to the diaper.  Even when Cam's poop goes unnoticed for a while and gets a little....squished...it comes off so easily! It attaches to our water line and clips right onto the toilet.  Suuuuuuper easy.  I've started spraying off Cambria's wet inserts to prevent odor too.  

After it's sprayed with the mini-shower we spray the diaper and insert with this natural cleaner that prevents odor and stains.   I have another crazy fact for you all--since we've started using the cloth we have had NO stains on ANY diapers.  I attribute that fact to this stuff!! I found it on sale at a local natural living store downtown for cheap which made me very happy. 

After being sprayed we put all the diapers into a cute diaper bag.  Once we get into our house and have two kids in cloth diapers we will get an actual pail to put the dipaers in but for now the bag works great.  We even have a small one for on-the-go diaper changes.  We do a load of diapers every day or day and a half.  Doing laundry is never a fun job, but honestly it doesn't take much effort to do one small load of cloth diapers every day.  We use an all natural detergent that was recommended on many sites.  It should last a while before needing replacement.

Our diaper bag is made from such a cute fabric--you would never know it's full of poopy diapers!   It's just thrown right into the wash with the rest of the diapers. 

  

I cannot explain the joy it brings me to have such a nice washer and dryer.  This one is my parents but ours is going to work just the same.  LOVE IT. 

Cambria has shown no discomfort with the cloth diapers and they actually seem to help with the occasional diaper rash she used to get with disposables.  Making this major switch has given me such a sense of satisfaction.  It makes me feel more responsible as a parent and as an environmentally conscious person.  I will admit that it would not be as easy if I did not stay at home with Cam and I DO NOT judge anyone who doesn't care to give it a try.  Like everything else involved in parenting, I think each decision should be made according to what works best for the parents and child, no one else.  

If I left anything out or if there are any more questions please ask me because I would love to answer them! And yes, I chose the color of the font in this post to go along with the theme....if ya know what I mean :D