One thing I dislike about Facebook is that if you comment on someone's post, it will show up on your feed and as a result, on the feeds of your friends. (occasionally, I guess, because I can't find a method to the madness). This includes comments made on posts of people you are not friends with. Example - my husbands aunt commented on one of her friends posts, someone I don't know in any shape or form, and it showed up in my feed.
Usually, this is annoying and privacy-invading. But today I saw one that inspired a post from me. The woman said she had read a list of 50 things every woman should do in her lifetime, and one of the items on the list was "kiss a stranger." It kind of made me laugh, and then I wondered where she had found the list, so I did a quick Google search and came up with this one. It isn't exactly mind-blowing, but it has some really fun things on it that I happen to agree with. Every woman should ride a roller coaster!
I decide to bold the ones I've personally experienced. How many of these have you done?
50. Ride on the back of a motorcycle
49. Date someone who has visible tattoos
48. Buy a toolkit and learn how to use the things in it
47. Travel Alone
46. Spend a day at the best spa you can afford
45. Drive fast
44. Date someone older than you
43. Date someone younger than you
42. Live in a foreign country
41. Have a romance with someone from a different country
40. Meet one your role models
39. Do something your friends don't approve of
38. Delve into your personal psychology
37. Be proud of your smile and laugh
36. Live by yourself
35. Learn to say no
34. Give time to a cause you believe in
33. Forgive your parents for whatever they did wrong
32. Have some photos taken of you that you really like
31. Learn to drive a race car
30. Become a better public speaker
29. Understand how fortunate you really are
28. Break your destructive patterns
27. Evolve your look and scare yourself (often!)
26. Take a risk and prove the naysayers wrong
25. Get your fortune told
24. Go to New York and stay at the Hotel Plaza Athenee
23. Learn a foreign language
22. Take dance classes
21. Ride a hot air balloon
20. Go to Paris
19. Attend NY fashion week
18. Go skydiving
17. Get a college degree
16. Throw a huge party and invite every one of your friends
15. Go skinny-dipping
14. Learn how to take a compliment
13. Send your boyfriend a dozen red roses
12. Plant a tree
11. Take charge; ask a guy out on a date
10. Learn how to be a bartender
9. Grow a garden
8. Make a snowman
7. Buy a stock
6. Read at least 5 major works of literature
5. Take your parents to dinner
4. Write the story of your life
3. Sleep under the stars
2. Ride a giant roller coaster
1. Fall devastatingly, helplessly head over heels in love
The little things matter the most.
This morning, I read a heartfelt post on A Day in Motherhood. As I was reading, I realized...I was doing the exact same thing, without even noticing it.
After I initially heard about the tragedy in Newtown, I had to remove myself from it. I shut off the news, changed channels when it was mentioned, and avoided scrolling through my Facebook feed because the faces of those innocent babies were everywhere. I understand why the world is talking about it - it's a senseless tragedy that every parent can relate to, because we are able to put ourselves in the shoes of those mothers and fathers that are forced to bury their child far too early. It breaks our hearts and we cry along with them, feeling the pain as though it were our own.
But what I cannot understand, is the repetition. Yes, the story is major news and everyone deserves to treat it the way they see fit. But as a mother of a sweet little boy, I just cannot stomach the constant exposure to such painful news. Being ignorant of the reality is not what I want, but I just can't bring myself to continue to play the scenarios and feel the agony those parents must feel, over and over.
Instead, just as Lori posted, I find myself cherishing every moment of my days with Micah, because I don't want to take anything for granted. I had photos professionally taken of Micah by a friend of mine named Minie, mostly for Christmas cards (that I slacked off on and never got printed - oops). But after the 14th, I found they started migrating to my desk at work by the dozen, and I find myself staring at them off and on all day. I listen to video clips I have of him on my phone just to hear him talk and laugh. Who cares if last week I wished he could just STOP and relax for a moment without talking, because he was exhausting me?
We got him a trampoline that was supposed to be for Christmas, but we broke it out early and he plays in it every day before bedtime. He likes to lay down in it, so we fill it with blankets and pillows and cover the top so it's like a tent. Who cares if it makes a mess I have to fix after he goes to sleep?
Yesterday, a coworker of my mom's sent a bottle of bubble bath and some candy canes to Micah for Christmas. Without even letting him ask, I opened one of the candy canes. When he found out what the bubble bath was for, he wanted to go home and take a bath. So we went home and I ran the space heater in the tiny bathroom, and filled up the tub more than I normally would have, with a an excessive amount of bubbles,and he played in it for an hour while I took pictures of his bubble beards and sweated in the heat. Who cares if the candy canes made him sticky and hyper, and who cares if his little toes and fingers were pruned from being in the water so long?
He stays up a little later, he has more milk and more cartoons, I give him more hugs and kisses and take more pictures. I spend more time remembering the little things and enjoying his constant jabber about volcanos and bowling, he gets a little chocolate and maybe a cookie for breakfast. I tickle him more and tell him I love him a thousand times a day. I worry less about his clothes getting dirty and his socks being clean.
Nowadays, it's all about the memories and the journey, and less about the sweating the little stuff. Nowadays, it's about cherishing the time you have. Even if it comes along with dirt and less sleep.
After I initially heard about the tragedy in Newtown, I had to remove myself from it. I shut off the news, changed channels when it was mentioned, and avoided scrolling through my Facebook feed because the faces of those innocent babies were everywhere. I understand why the world is talking about it - it's a senseless tragedy that every parent can relate to, because we are able to put ourselves in the shoes of those mothers and fathers that are forced to bury their child far too early. It breaks our hearts and we cry along with them, feeling the pain as though it were our own.
But what I cannot understand, is the repetition. Yes, the story is major news and everyone deserves to treat it the way they see fit. But as a mother of a sweet little boy, I just cannot stomach the constant exposure to such painful news. Being ignorant of the reality is not what I want, but I just can't bring myself to continue to play the scenarios and feel the agony those parents must feel, over and over.
Instead, just as Lori posted, I find myself cherishing every moment of my days with Micah, because I don't want to take anything for granted. I had photos professionally taken of Micah by a friend of mine named Minie, mostly for Christmas cards (that I slacked off on and never got printed - oops). But after the 14th, I found they started migrating to my desk at work by the dozen, and I find myself staring at them off and on all day. I listen to video clips I have of him on my phone just to hear him talk and laugh. Who cares if last week I wished he could just STOP and relax for a moment without talking, because he was exhausting me?
We got him a trampoline that was supposed to be for Christmas, but we broke it out early and he plays in it every day before bedtime. He likes to lay down in it, so we fill it with blankets and pillows and cover the top so it's like a tent. Who cares if it makes a mess I have to fix after he goes to sleep?
Yesterday, a coworker of my mom's sent a bottle of bubble bath and some candy canes to Micah for Christmas. Without even letting him ask, I opened one of the candy canes. When he found out what the bubble bath was for, he wanted to go home and take a bath. So we went home and I ran the space heater in the tiny bathroom, and filled up the tub more than I normally would have, with a an excessive amount of bubbles,and he played in it for an hour while I took pictures of his bubble beards and sweated in the heat. Who cares if the candy canes made him sticky and hyper, and who cares if his little toes and fingers were pruned from being in the water so long?
He stays up a little later, he has more milk and more cartoons, I give him more hugs and kisses and take more pictures. I spend more time remembering the little things and enjoying his constant jabber about volcanos and bowling, he gets a little chocolate and maybe a cookie for breakfast. I tickle him more and tell him I love him a thousand times a day. I worry less about his clothes getting dirty and his socks being clean.
Nowadays, it's all about the memories and the journey, and less about the sweating the little stuff. Nowadays, it's about cherishing the time you have. Even if it comes along with dirt and less sleep.
Fabric happiness
On a crafty note - who hit the craft stores this weekend to stock up on fleece and flannel?
It was seriously like a fabric party for me. I went to Joann's late Friday night (hoping all the crazy people would be long gone, and thankfully, it wasn't very busy at all). They had an amazing deal on flannel for $1.64 a yard and blizzard fleece for $2.99, with the rest of their fleece on sale for 60% off. FABRIC PARTY.
My husband went with me and decided that I pretty much needed everything in sight, once he saw the prices. And who was I to deny him? I ended up with quite a haul, a ton of fleece to make pants and blankets for Micah (maybe even some sheets) and a couple choices for myself, as well as two pairs of scissors and plenty of thread. Since Micah was with my mom that night so we could do our Christmas shopping, I broke out my brand new Elna Experience (a combination Christmas and birthday gift from my awesome husband) and whipped him up a pair of 20-minute pants. I love making him fleece and flannel pants, they are so easy and they didn't need serging, since I haven't scored a serger yet. Though...my new machine does have some pretty nifty stitches I plan on trying out, a few of which look remarkably like edging.
Micah loved his pants, he kept talking about how soft they were, though he looks highly unimpressed in this photo. I call this The Saddest Tada ever, though I actually just caught him mid-sentence and he liked the pants more than it seems.
Joann's was literally the only store I went to on Thursday or Friday, because I didn't feel like getting trampled by the masses. Though I did stop by True Love Tattoo with my husband that morning for something fun. And oh, so very ME.
I'd say it was a satisfying weekend for the fabric hoarder in me!
It was seriously like a fabric party for me. I went to Joann's late Friday night (hoping all the crazy people would be long gone, and thankfully, it wasn't very busy at all). They had an amazing deal on flannel for $1.64 a yard and blizzard fleece for $2.99, with the rest of their fleece on sale for 60% off. FABRIC PARTY.
My husband went with me and decided that I pretty much needed everything in sight, once he saw the prices. And who was I to deny him? I ended up with quite a haul, a ton of fleece to make pants and blankets for Micah (maybe even some sheets) and a couple choices for myself, as well as two pairs of scissors and plenty of thread. Since Micah was with my mom that night so we could do our Christmas shopping, I broke out my brand new Elna Experience (a combination Christmas and birthday gift from my awesome husband) and whipped him up a pair of 20-minute pants. I love making him fleece and flannel pants, they are so easy and they didn't need serging, since I haven't scored a serger yet. Though...my new machine does have some pretty nifty stitches I plan on trying out, a few of which look remarkably like edging.
Micah loved his pants, he kept talking about how soft they were, though he looks highly unimpressed in this photo. I call this The Saddest Tada ever, though I actually just caught him mid-sentence and he liked the pants more than it seems.
Joann's was literally the only store I went to on Thursday or Friday, because I didn't feel like getting trampled by the masses. Though I did stop by True Love Tattoo with my husband that morning for something fun. And oh, so very ME.
I'd say it was a satisfying weekend for the fabric hoarder in me!
Turkey Day
It's been awhile now, hasn't it? I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Ours was very low-key - we spent the morning lazing around the house, then headed to Antonio's grandparents house for the big feast. The Arizona cousins were in town and it was a full house, two tables full of people. There was also the usual Skype conversation during the meal with Antonio's parents in Ecuador, along with the usual sound problems we have with that, hah. Thank goodness for Skype on the iPhone, we have made good use of it in the last couple years since his parents left to start a new church.
Micah spent a good chunk of his time running around with his cousin Miles, who has always been his buddy no matter how long it's been since they have seen each other. Possibly the best part of being a kid is that no other children are ever strangers - they just become playmates all over again. Miles is a good 5 years or so older than Micah but it's never slowed them down. They chased each other all over the house and Miles introduced Micah to the joys of Fruit Ninja on the iPad. If you've never played it, and don't have a ton of free time, don't download it! It's addictive and a worse time-suck than Pinterest has ever been for me. Micah loves it, though he often starts poking the bombs on purpose. No stress to get a high score for this kid.
The Saturday after Thanksgiving we headed to Antonio's other grandparents house to visit for his aunts birthday. We don't see this side of the family as much as we should, but we always make it a point to see them over holiday weekends. The little house was overflowing like usual, and Micah found a new playmate or two there (though one of them kept pushing him down, and even though my kid is friendly and outgoing, this confused him quite a bit ). They also had a half-grown dog and an 8 week old Pomeranian, which Micah chased all over the house and had a love-hate relationship with. He's never sure what to do with dogs, they kind of freak him out even though he really wants to play with them.
I did get this fantastic photo - it's four generations right here. Antonio's dad holding Micah, Antonio, and his grandpa. Cutest thing ever.
Sunday was a lazy day at home with poor Micah struggling with his allergies all day, parking himself on the couch with a blanket and his chongos (monkeys) instead of running around playing. It's always sad when he feels bad, but this time we visited the doctor because he just could not breath out of his nose at all. There wasn't anything they could do at his pedi, so we picked up some childrens Allegra and got a number for an ENT. Fingers crossed I can get ahold of them today and get him in fast! These allergies have lingered badly for 8 months now.
A nice family weekend in all. What did you do last weekend?
Micah spent a good chunk of his time running around with his cousin Miles, who has always been his buddy no matter how long it's been since they have seen each other. Possibly the best part of being a kid is that no other children are ever strangers - they just become playmates all over again. Miles is a good 5 years or so older than Micah but it's never slowed them down. They chased each other all over the house and Miles introduced Micah to the joys of Fruit Ninja on the iPad. If you've never played it, and don't have a ton of free time, don't download it! It's addictive and a worse time-suck than Pinterest has ever been for me. Micah loves it, though he often starts poking the bombs on purpose. No stress to get a high score for this kid.
The Saturday after Thanksgiving we headed to Antonio's other grandparents house to visit for his aunts birthday. We don't see this side of the family as much as we should, but we always make it a point to see them over holiday weekends. The little house was overflowing like usual, and Micah found a new playmate or two there (though one of them kept pushing him down, and even though my kid is friendly and outgoing, this confused him quite a bit ). They also had a half-grown dog and an 8 week old Pomeranian, which Micah chased all over the house and had a love-hate relationship with. He's never sure what to do with dogs, they kind of freak him out even though he really wants to play with them.
I did get this fantastic photo - it's four generations right here. Antonio's dad holding Micah, Antonio, and his grandpa. Cutest thing ever.
Sunday was a lazy day at home with poor Micah struggling with his allergies all day, parking himself on the couch with a blanket and his chongos (monkeys) instead of running around playing. It's always sad when he feels bad, but this time we visited the doctor because he just could not breath out of his nose at all. There wasn't anything they could do at his pedi, so we picked up some childrens Allegra and got a number for an ENT. Fingers crossed I can get ahold of them today and get him in fast! These allergies have lingered badly for 8 months now.
A nice family weekend in all. What did you do last weekend?
Purse Week 2012
Last year, I came across a fun little blog called A Lemon Squeezy Home. The very first post I read was this one with the Purse Week winners of 2010. I absolutely adored the first place purse and I bookmarked the website to keep watching. Christie runs a really cute space chock full of ideas and DIY goodness. I missed Purse Week 2011, but when I saw that the content for 2012 was coming, I started trying to come up with an idea.
I didn't get too fancy with my final project, but I think it has some fun touches, and I sewed it in about 3 hours without a pattern.
I cut four pieces in two different fabrics for this little purse. A blue corduroy for the outside - a remnant from a jacket I am working on for Micah - and a pretty teal-on-teal print for the lining. I sewed eight buttonholes and threaded one of those skinny belts that are so popular right now through them to give the option of cinching the top of the bag into gathers, and two matching black straps attached with O rings onto the simple bias tape edging. It also has an inner zipper pocket.
This purse was such a simple idea and it looks rather simple to my eye now that it's done. But this thing caused me FITS! My first problem came up when I realize I bought the wrong kind of interfacing - I wanted fusible, what I got was the sew-in kind. Then I went to make the zipper pocket and broke a needle for the very first time. So completely wounded, hah. Then I found out I left out a piece of fabric that actually made the pocket, so I had to do another square of sewing that makes it look less professional to me. Then I did the buttonholes, and for some reason the last line of stitching failed on every single one. I had to reset my stitch every time. My machine is clearly having some issues.
But it all finally came together, and to the casual viewer, it looks nice. I've gotten a ton of compliments already and I am looking forward to seeing if the Purse Week judges like it. Wish me luck!
I didn't get too fancy with my final project, but I think it has some fun touches, and I sewed it in about 3 hours without a pattern.
I cut four pieces in two different fabrics for this little purse. A blue corduroy for the outside - a remnant from a jacket I am working on for Micah - and a pretty teal-on-teal print for the lining. I sewed eight buttonholes and threaded one of those skinny belts that are so popular right now through them to give the option of cinching the top of the bag into gathers, and two matching black straps attached with O rings onto the simple bias tape edging. It also has an inner zipper pocket.
This purse was such a simple idea and it looks rather simple to my eye now that it's done. But this thing caused me FITS! My first problem came up when I realize I bought the wrong kind of interfacing - I wanted fusible, what I got was the sew-in kind. Then I went to make the zipper pocket and broke a needle for the very first time. So completely wounded, hah. Then I found out I left out a piece of fabric that actually made the pocket, so I had to do another square of sewing that makes it look less professional to me. Then I did the buttonholes, and for some reason the last line of stitching failed on every single one. I had to reset my stitch every time. My machine is clearly having some issues.
But it all finally came together, and to the casual viewer, it looks nice. I've gotten a ton of compliments already and I am looking forward to seeing if the Purse Week judges like it. Wish me luck!
Instagram obsession
My fascination (and dedication) to Instgram is almost as obsessive as my fascination with Pinterest. I have the app on my phone and use it every day, usually multiple times, and I am constantly checking it to see if anyone has Liked my newest photo. My recent realization that hashtags work miracles to get views to your photos has made me ridiculously excited. Just this morning I did my daily prompt from Clickin' Moms, which was supposed to be a shot of my favorite camera. I took a psuedo-artsy shot of my Nikon D300 and added a couple hashtags...the most memorable being #bigpimpin. I laughed my head off when a couple hours later I realized that single tag got me 19 likes, the most I've had as of yet.
Seriously hilarious. Also a little sad, that the most likes I've gotten yet was 19. Someday I will be a Cool Kid.
Have you found any of the other cool sites that use Instagram to do fun stuff? I know we have all seen Stickygram, with its epic magnets. But what else can you do?
As far as viewers go, there are many. But I think y favorite, mostly because of it's clean design and easy layout, is Statigram. I used it to capture the screenshot I posted above of my camera photo. I like that it goes with black and grey for the backgrounds, rather than the brutal white I've found on other sites. Easier on my old lady *cough* eyes.
Instagrid is another cool toy. I can see myself using this for a Friday photo dump, something I'v been considering doing. I especially like that visitors can see your photos without having Instagram as well. My parents are not tech-savvy, and they would love to be able to see all these shots of Micah without logging into Facebook or getting a smart phone.
Instaprint looks like a really fun toy for a party! And it makes me want to HAVE a party just so I can try it out. How cool would it be to just print away photos without worrying about picking them up after the party is over? My son would go nuts for this...maybe his birthday next year will have this.
Instamaker is absolutely on my list for Christmas gift this year. The Zazzle of the Instagram world, you can seriously make SO much fun stuff. Go see!
And just for fun, I'm not even going to tell you what this one does...just go smile until your face hurts.
Seriously hilarious. Also a little sad, that the most likes I've gotten yet was 19. Someday I will be a Cool Kid.
Have you found any of the other cool sites that use Instagram to do fun stuff? I know we have all seen Stickygram, with its epic magnets. But what else can you do?
As far as viewers go, there are many. But I think y favorite, mostly because of it's clean design and easy layout, is Statigram. I used it to capture the screenshot I posted above of my camera photo. I like that it goes with black and grey for the backgrounds, rather than the brutal white I've found on other sites. Easier on my old lady *cough* eyes.
Instagrid is another cool toy. I can see myself using this for a Friday photo dump, something I'v been considering doing. I especially like that visitors can see your photos without having Instagram as well. My parents are not tech-savvy, and they would love to be able to see all these shots of Micah without logging into Facebook or getting a smart phone.
Instaprint looks like a really fun toy for a party! And it makes me want to HAVE a party just so I can try it out. How cool would it be to just print away photos without worrying about picking them up after the party is over? My son would go nuts for this...maybe his birthday next year will have this.
Instamaker is absolutely on my list for Christmas gift this year. The Zazzle of the Instagram world, you can seriously make SO much fun stuff. Go see!
And just for fun, I'm not even going to tell you what this one does...just go smile until your face hurts.
Labor Day!
For most people, the true meaning of Labor Day has never been about anything more than family, cookouts, and relaxation. Understandably so, and that's how it has always been for me, too. Until Micah was born. Then it became LABOR Day. The name alone always makes me think of my labor and delivery with my firstborn and probably always will. So for today I thought I would post my birth story, since this blog didn't exist two years ago.
On 4/7/10 I started having contractions, at around 6am. I tracked them all day long at work, and my supervisor sent me home at 2pm when I started having to breath through them. I came home and miraculously continued having labor pains. I called L&D around 9pm because the pain was bad enough that I figured I had to be making some progress, and I started to lose my mucous plug, so they had me come in. I was only 2cm dilated and 90% effaced, so they had me walk for two hours. Came back, no change. So they sent me home with a sedative to try and get some sleep, but I only sort of dozed all night. I would wake up with every contraction and breath through it, with Antonio rubbing my back to ease some of the pressure. I stayed there as long as possible, but at 11 tried to get up. I couldn't. The pain was so bad all I could do was cry, so Antonio had to physically lift me to my feet. Once up I was better, so I decided to take a shower after sweating through contractions all night. I was fine until the end, when I was about to get out, when I got rapid tunnel vision and passed out. I fell right out of the shower onto the floor, and bruised myself up pretty good. Antonio ran to get me up and called L&D in a panic, but I was mostly alright. I went back in to L&D, and I was still not progressing. At this point when they told me to go home I was angry - I had fallen, I was past my due date, and they were unwilling to help me because the baby was not showing any signs of distress. I certainly was distressed! At this point I had been in labor for 36 hours.
After another sleepless day at home, we went back in at 10pm on the 8th. This time the midwife on duty took pity on me - I was 4cm and somehow, only 50% effaced, but she admitted me. I made it through about 5 hours or so like this, just breathing through contractions, but I wasn't making any progress at all so they put me on pitocin and gave me the epidural. This is when all hell started to break loose.
The woman doing my epi was fairly good, I guess - only took a couple minutes, but it was AGONY. She couldn't get into the right position and was crunching against my cartilage and bone repeatedly. And only my left side was going numb at first. Then rather suddenly, my left leg twitched hard enough to shake my entire body, and I was numb from the diaphragm down. They helped me lie down, and had to put me on oxygen because I was so numb I couldn't feel anything in almost my entire body. I only vaguely remember this part, but I do remember telling Antonio that it felt like I was on a rocking boat, and laughing hysterically about it. About 7 different people ended up in my room, and according to my husband, it was chaos. I don't recall much, but my blood pressure dropped and the baby's heart rate slowed significantly. They put in a catheter and a monitor on the baby's head to track his BP better (breaking my water in the process), and decided I had to let the original epi wear off because they were pretty sure it ended up in my spine.
I shook and twitched and fell in and out of sleep during the next hour, and when I woke up, they decided to keep my epi dosage VERY low because I was apparently very sensitive to the drug. That was SUCH a mistake. For the next few hours (I forget how long this was - I was very out of it), I used my little "magic button" to decide how much of the drug I needed, but I could only use it three times an hour. And pretty soon I was using my three punches up REALLY quickly. I was checked twice during this, and I progressed all the way to 7cm, which they took as a good sign. They tried to change my dosage of the epi, but by that afternoon I had all feeling back in my right hip stretching to my groin. The epi was strong on my left side, but the right side stopped working and I was in extreme pain thanks to the pitocin, so they tried to relocate my epi catheter.
The man doing it this time tried for nearly ten minutes while I shook and screamed - the pain was worse than any contraction I had during that time, and eventually made me throw up. Another anesthesiologist wanted to intentionally put it into my spine this time, using the drugs they normally give you for c-sections. She got it on the first try, but the pain didn't stop. They waited almost an hour while I writhed and cried on the bed, and the epi never took hold. She kept pumping my catheter full of drugs and resorted to cocktails of drugs mixed after awhile, but it never worked. The OB GYN on call was killing me, too, because he didn't want me to go into surgery to eleviate my pain - he kept upping my pitocin and watching my contractions, but needless to say, all that did was make me feel worse. During this time they checked my cervix, and I had REGRESSED - I was back at 3cm. The OB finally agreed that I had to go in for a c-section, under general anesthesia since none of the epi drugs were working on me, and the baby was starting to show signs of distress.
Lying on that table in surgery was possibly the scariest moment of my life, and by then I was screaming non-stop because the pitocin, despite no longer being hooked up to my IV, was stacking my contractions one on top of the other with no relief. The smell of the anesthesia coming through my oxygen mask to put me out was like ambrosia. I later found out that Micah had somehow turned in my belly and was breech. Naughty monkey. Antonio said the doctor told him the moment he pulled him from my body, that Micah opened his eyes and looked right up at him, instead of crying.
Micah Asher was a healthy 7 pounds, 5 ounces, 21 inches long!
I don't remember much from when I woke up, but Antonio was there right away and he said I wouldn't stop smiling and asking for the baby. I kept falling asleep between questions, too, because they had me full of morphine and other happy drugs. I saw Micah in pictures on our camera, then for a few minutes in my room with my family before I finally passed out. My mom was the first to hold Micah, and only long enough to bring him to me. I had to lay flat and I was exhausted, so I couldn't get a good position to hold him, and he started fussing. I had so many meds in me, I don't remember anything about how he looked right then...it breaks my heart a little to think of that part. Then I handed him over to Antonio. I don't remember anything else about this part. I woke up in a bit and the room was empty, but Antonio was in the chair next to the bed holding Micah, just staring at him. I fell back asleep. I woke up a few hours later with extreme chills and they hooked me up to antibiotics because the baby had apparently passed meconium in utero which gave me an infection. I only remember pushing the button on the bed and begging them for warm blankets because I was freezing. She gave me two - man, I loved that nurse - but I don't remember getting the IV at all, except that later she came in and took one blanket off despite how cold I still felt so I wouldn't get overheated.
I had two good days in the hospital, but on the third day I all but stopped eating and starting throwing up what little I did eat. The holes they had poked in my spine were still leaking fluid and causing me extreme headaches and nausea, but all I could do for it was lay flat as much as possible, drink soda, or get a blood patch. The patch involved them drawing my blood and injecting it into my spine above the holes to close them up. Needless to say, I was NOT impressed by that and turned it down...so I spent the first week home with the baby either in bed or in the recliner. Only 10 days after Micah arrived was I able to even do so much as change his diaper, and not being able to sit up to pump or nurse meant I wasn't able to breastfeed. His first night out of the hospital was with my mother-in-law instead of with me. The level of sadness I feel about that could fill an ocean, but that was just he cards I got dealt.
My husband was an absolute godsend, doing pretty much everything for both the baby and I and taking very good care of us. I can't even describe how lucky I am to have him in my life for this. And Micah is the precious little bundle of joy that made all my suffering worth it. He was such a good baby, content to sit and look around, only crying when he needed something. He's still like that...unless he's tired, haha.
His first photo, only a couple hours old.
About 24 hours old.
Going home!
About a week old, already getting tons of personality.
Labor Day has a different meaning to me. What does it mean to you?
On 4/7/10 I started having contractions, at around 6am. I tracked them all day long at work, and my supervisor sent me home at 2pm when I started having to breath through them. I came home and miraculously continued having labor pains. I called L&D around 9pm because the pain was bad enough that I figured I had to be making some progress, and I started to lose my mucous plug, so they had me come in. I was only 2cm dilated and 90% effaced, so they had me walk for two hours. Came back, no change. So they sent me home with a sedative to try and get some sleep, but I only sort of dozed all night. I would wake up with every contraction and breath through it, with Antonio rubbing my back to ease some of the pressure. I stayed there as long as possible, but at 11 tried to get up. I couldn't. The pain was so bad all I could do was cry, so Antonio had to physically lift me to my feet. Once up I was better, so I decided to take a shower after sweating through contractions all night. I was fine until the end, when I was about to get out, when I got rapid tunnel vision and passed out. I fell right out of the shower onto the floor, and bruised myself up pretty good. Antonio ran to get me up and called L&D in a panic, but I was mostly alright. I went back in to L&D, and I was still not progressing. At this point when they told me to go home I was angry - I had fallen, I was past my due date, and they were unwilling to help me because the baby was not showing any signs of distress. I certainly was distressed! At this point I had been in labor for 36 hours.
After another sleepless day at home, we went back in at 10pm on the 8th. This time the midwife on duty took pity on me - I was 4cm and somehow, only 50% effaced, but she admitted me. I made it through about 5 hours or so like this, just breathing through contractions, but I wasn't making any progress at all so they put me on pitocin and gave me the epidural. This is when all hell started to break loose.
The woman doing my epi was fairly good, I guess - only took a couple minutes, but it was AGONY. She couldn't get into the right position and was crunching against my cartilage and bone repeatedly. And only my left side was going numb at first. Then rather suddenly, my left leg twitched hard enough to shake my entire body, and I was numb from the diaphragm down. They helped me lie down, and had to put me on oxygen because I was so numb I couldn't feel anything in almost my entire body. I only vaguely remember this part, but I do remember telling Antonio that it felt like I was on a rocking boat, and laughing hysterically about it. About 7 different people ended up in my room, and according to my husband, it was chaos. I don't recall much, but my blood pressure dropped and the baby's heart rate slowed significantly. They put in a catheter and a monitor on the baby's head to track his BP better (breaking my water in the process), and decided I had to let the original epi wear off because they were pretty sure it ended up in my spine.
I shook and twitched and fell in and out of sleep during the next hour, and when I woke up, they decided to keep my epi dosage VERY low because I was apparently very sensitive to the drug. That was SUCH a mistake. For the next few hours (I forget how long this was - I was very out of it), I used my little "magic button" to decide how much of the drug I needed, but I could only use it three times an hour. And pretty soon I was using my three punches up REALLY quickly. I was checked twice during this, and I progressed all the way to 7cm, which they took as a good sign. They tried to change my dosage of the epi, but by that afternoon I had all feeling back in my right hip stretching to my groin. The epi was strong on my left side, but the right side stopped working and I was in extreme pain thanks to the pitocin, so they tried to relocate my epi catheter.
The man doing it this time tried for nearly ten minutes while I shook and screamed - the pain was worse than any contraction I had during that time, and eventually made me throw up. Another anesthesiologist wanted to intentionally put it into my spine this time, using the drugs they normally give you for c-sections. She got it on the first try, but the pain didn't stop. They waited almost an hour while I writhed and cried on the bed, and the epi never took hold. She kept pumping my catheter full of drugs and resorted to cocktails of drugs mixed after awhile, but it never worked. The OB GYN on call was killing me, too, because he didn't want me to go into surgery to eleviate my pain - he kept upping my pitocin and watching my contractions, but needless to say, all that did was make me feel worse. During this time they checked my cervix, and I had REGRESSED - I was back at 3cm. The OB finally agreed that I had to go in for a c-section, under general anesthesia since none of the epi drugs were working on me, and the baby was starting to show signs of distress.
Lying on that table in surgery was possibly the scariest moment of my life, and by then I was screaming non-stop because the pitocin, despite no longer being hooked up to my IV, was stacking my contractions one on top of the other with no relief. The smell of the anesthesia coming through my oxygen mask to put me out was like ambrosia. I later found out that Micah had somehow turned in my belly and was breech. Naughty monkey. Antonio said the doctor told him the moment he pulled him from my body, that Micah opened his eyes and looked right up at him, instead of crying.
Micah Asher was a healthy 7 pounds, 5 ounces, 21 inches long!
I don't remember much from when I woke up, but Antonio was there right away and he said I wouldn't stop smiling and asking for the baby. I kept falling asleep between questions, too, because they had me full of morphine and other happy drugs. I saw Micah in pictures on our camera, then for a few minutes in my room with my family before I finally passed out. My mom was the first to hold Micah, and only long enough to bring him to me. I had to lay flat and I was exhausted, so I couldn't get a good position to hold him, and he started fussing. I had so many meds in me, I don't remember anything about how he looked right then...it breaks my heart a little to think of that part. Then I handed him over to Antonio. I don't remember anything else about this part. I woke up in a bit and the room was empty, but Antonio was in the chair next to the bed holding Micah, just staring at him. I fell back asleep. I woke up a few hours later with extreme chills and they hooked me up to antibiotics because the baby had apparently passed meconium in utero which gave me an infection. I only remember pushing the button on the bed and begging them for warm blankets because I was freezing. She gave me two - man, I loved that nurse - but I don't remember getting the IV at all, except that later she came in and took one blanket off despite how cold I still felt so I wouldn't get overheated.
I had two good days in the hospital, but on the third day I all but stopped eating and starting throwing up what little I did eat. The holes they had poked in my spine were still leaking fluid and causing me extreme headaches and nausea, but all I could do for it was lay flat as much as possible, drink soda, or get a blood patch. The patch involved them drawing my blood and injecting it into my spine above the holes to close them up. Needless to say, I was NOT impressed by that and turned it down...so I spent the first week home with the baby either in bed or in the recliner. Only 10 days after Micah arrived was I able to even do so much as change his diaper, and not being able to sit up to pump or nurse meant I wasn't able to breastfeed. His first night out of the hospital was with my mother-in-law instead of with me. The level of sadness I feel about that could fill an ocean, but that was just he cards I got dealt.
My husband was an absolute godsend, doing pretty much everything for both the baby and I and taking very good care of us. I can't even describe how lucky I am to have him in my life for this. And Micah is the precious little bundle of joy that made all my suffering worth it. He was such a good baby, content to sit and look around, only crying when he needed something. He's still like that...unless he's tired, haha.
His first photo, only a couple hours old.
About 24 hours old.
Going home!
About a week old, already getting tons of personality.
Labor Day has a different meaning to me. What does it mean to you?
A little something lacey
This project was the combination of two things I found that I really liked. The first was this tutorial that I pinned ages ago (so long ago, I can't even find the pin in my massive DIY folder, hah).
I loved the design, and it was very straightforward, even if some parts were a little bit fiddly. It took my four hours, and another hour to cut out the pieces. Note to self: ask for a cutting board for Christmas, because cutting without it SUCKS, especially really big pieces.
The second inspiration was this Valentino bag, which I pinned because I loved the lace detail. I even labeled it with, "I bet I could do that."
At first, I looked for a tutorial for a similar bag shape, but most tutorials are for more square/big bags. I found a couple listings on Etsy that were close, but I wanted to do this cheaply, so I opted not to buy one. When I stumbled across my pin from the first cinch bag I liked, I decided to just add the lace and use similar colors and see how it went. A quick evening stop at the fabric store with Micah later, I had all of my material for less than $20. Yay for the Joann's app and their coupons!
And this is my finished piece.
I absolutely LOVE this bag, and I have gotten so many compliments on it. Size is hard to judge in this picture, but it's really humongous, so much space for all my stuff. I actually think it's TOO big for every day use, but it's great on the weekend when I add all of Micah's stuff to it. The lining is a $6 piece of taffeta, which I have never sewn with before, and I am pretty sure I used the wrong type of needle for it. The popping noise and the huge holes left behind were an indication, hah. But it held up wonderfully and I double sewed a line in the bottom to make it as secure as possible. It's also slightly water-resistant, which I thought was great since I often carry a sippy cup and/or wet pants since Micah just finished potty training.
When I bought the lace, I had to buy an entire yard so I would have enough of that pretty edge for both sides. I used a zig-zag stitch - for the first time, can you believe it? - to attach it right at the curved edge, and it was virtually invisible unless you get it right next to your face. I was really proud of it. The whole bag turned out excellent, except for the top stitching on the top edge after I turned it right side out. I didn't think ahead enough and I didn't let the right amount of space to sew without the straps getting in the way. So definitely no close ups of this bag, haha! But for the casual view it really looks good. I've gotten a ton of compliments. I cannot recommend that tutorial enough!
<a target="_blank" href="http://1epicmom.com"><img alt="Weekend Blog Hop" src="http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g385/EpicMom/Bloghoptillyoudrop-1.jpg" /></a>
I loved the design, and it was very straightforward, even if some parts were a little bit fiddly. It took my four hours, and another hour to cut out the pieces. Note to self: ask for a cutting board for Christmas, because cutting without it SUCKS, especially really big pieces.
The second inspiration was this Valentino bag, which I pinned because I loved the lace detail. I even labeled it with, "I bet I could do that."
At first, I looked for a tutorial for a similar bag shape, but most tutorials are for more square/big bags. I found a couple listings on Etsy that were close, but I wanted to do this cheaply, so I opted not to buy one. When I stumbled across my pin from the first cinch bag I liked, I decided to just add the lace and use similar colors and see how it went. A quick evening stop at the fabric store with Micah later, I had all of my material for less than $20. Yay for the Joann's app and their coupons!
And this is my finished piece.
I absolutely LOVE this bag, and I have gotten so many compliments on it. Size is hard to judge in this picture, but it's really humongous, so much space for all my stuff. I actually think it's TOO big for every day use, but it's great on the weekend when I add all of Micah's stuff to it. The lining is a $6 piece of taffeta, which I have never sewn with before, and I am pretty sure I used the wrong type of needle for it. The popping noise and the huge holes left behind were an indication, hah. But it held up wonderfully and I double sewed a line in the bottom to make it as secure as possible. It's also slightly water-resistant, which I thought was great since I often carry a sippy cup and/or wet pants since Micah just finished potty training.
When I bought the lace, I had to buy an entire yard so I would have enough of that pretty edge for both sides. I used a zig-zag stitch - for the first time, can you believe it? - to attach it right at the curved edge, and it was virtually invisible unless you get it right next to your face. I was really proud of it. The whole bag turned out excellent, except for the top stitching on the top edge after I turned it right side out. I didn't think ahead enough and I didn't let the right amount of space to sew without the straps getting in the way. So definitely no close ups of this bag, haha! But for the casual view it really looks good. I've gotten a ton of compliments. I cannot recommend that tutorial enough!
<a target="_blank" href="http://1epicmom.com"><img alt="Weekend Blog Hop" src="http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g385/EpicMom/Bloghoptillyoudrop-1.jpg" /></a>
I am so behind - does this little project make up for it?
I haven't posted here since my 4th of July post. That's just sad, especially since in that time I have finished two really great projects. Time to get off my butt - or as my Micah calls it, my nalgas - and get started.
Awhile back, I picked up some really cute robot print fabric with the intention of making Micah some pants or shorts out of it. It was super cute, and really cheap at only $2 a yard. Following a tutorial off my beloved MADE, I started on this little project.
I hit a snag when I thought I completed messed up my homemade pattern when I went to sew the inner legs together and nothing matched up very well. I had over an inch of overhang on the back piece so the hems didn't match. Thankfully I showed it to my mom, she said that was common and to just sew it as close as I could then trim the unmatched edges. And it worked!
Micah absolutely loved them. His hand just fits in the pocket, though I opted out of the rear pockets/flaps. The only thing I would change is that next time I would try something different with the pockets so that I wouldn't lose two inches of room inside the pocket when I folded over the top to sew in the elastic. Otherwise, they are perfect. Exactly the length I like on him, which is just below the knee. The tutorial is really great, it only took me about two hours total (minus my days of confusion when I reached the final bit before my mom stepped in).
<a target="_blank" href="http://1epicmom.com"><img alt="Weekend Blog Hop" src="http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g385/EpicMom/Bloghoptillyoudrop-1.jpg" /></a>
Awhile back, I picked up some really cute robot print fabric with the intention of making Micah some pants or shorts out of it. It was super cute, and really cheap at only $2 a yard. Following a tutorial off my beloved MADE, I started on this little project.
I hit a snag when I thought I completed messed up my homemade pattern when I went to sew the inner legs together and nothing matched up very well. I had over an inch of overhang on the back piece so the hems didn't match. Thankfully I showed it to my mom, she said that was common and to just sew it as close as I could then trim the unmatched edges. And it worked!
Micah absolutely loved them. His hand just fits in the pocket, though I opted out of the rear pockets/flaps. The only thing I would change is that next time I would try something different with the pockets so that I wouldn't lose two inches of room inside the pocket when I folded over the top to sew in the elastic. Otherwise, they are perfect. Exactly the length I like on him, which is just below the knee. The tutorial is really great, it only took me about two hours total (minus my days of confusion when I reached the final bit before my mom stepped in).
<a target="_blank" href="http://1epicmom.com"><img alt="Weekend Blog Hop" src="http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g385/EpicMom/Bloghoptillyoudrop-1.jpg" /></a>
4th of July
Usually for the 4th of July, my husband's family goes to an empty field near the Balloon Fiesta Park to watch the fireworks without having to fight the crowds. Since Micah was born, however, we haven't done that because my early-to-bed, early-to-rise child just couldn't stay up late enough to enjoy the show. This year wasn't any different, despite my efforts. I even put him down for a late nap and let him sleep for almost three hours so he could stay up later, but by the time 7pm rolled around, he was rubbing his eyes and drooping in front of his cartoons. The moment his little head hit the pillow he was out. Oh, well.
We did get to enjoy the parade in our little village, though. It was a gorgeous day - partly cloudy, and enough of a breeze that the 90+ degree weather was tolerable. The smell of sunscreen and candy, the smell of summertime.
We got there an hour early because the two-lane road running down the center of the village shuts down when the parade starts. Micah sat in the front with me and watched the fire trucks and floats go by to get to the start of the parade, keeping up a running commentary about what people were doing and what they were carrying. He was fascinated by the lawn chairs and hats everyone had.
Grandpa Martinez came and parked next to us (in the driveway of the little blue house we used to live in, where Antonio's brother now lives), and he brought two lawn chairs that he put literally inches from the edge of the road so we could watch. Normally I have to reign Micah in for events like this, but he stood between my knees the entire time, wide-eyed and occasionally speechless. That's always surprising!
Once the "serious" floats pass by at the beginning of the parade (which lasted an hour and a half, crazy long!), everyone breaks out the squirt guns and start a war between the spectators and the people riding the floats. Every year, there's a group of people across the street from the little blue house that bring in huge tubs of water and these guns that have serious range and liberal showers. So not only did we get soaked, but so did Grandpa!
The rest of our day was pretty lazy. We went and got some lunch, came home, blew some bubbles, and then shortly after Daddy got home, Micah passed out. It was a nice day.
How was your 4th?
We did get to enjoy the parade in our little village, though. It was a gorgeous day - partly cloudy, and enough of a breeze that the 90+ degree weather was tolerable. The smell of sunscreen and candy, the smell of summertime.
We got there an hour early because the two-lane road running down the center of the village shuts down when the parade starts. Micah sat in the front with me and watched the fire trucks and floats go by to get to the start of the parade, keeping up a running commentary about what people were doing and what they were carrying. He was fascinated by the lawn chairs and hats everyone had.
Grandpa Martinez came and parked next to us (in the driveway of the little blue house we used to live in, where Antonio's brother now lives), and he brought two lawn chairs that he put literally inches from the edge of the road so we could watch. Normally I have to reign Micah in for events like this, but he stood between my knees the entire time, wide-eyed and occasionally speechless. That's always surprising!
Once the "serious" floats pass by at the beginning of the parade (which lasted an hour and a half, crazy long!), everyone breaks out the squirt guns and start a war between the spectators and the people riding the floats. Every year, there's a group of people across the street from the little blue house that bring in huge tubs of water and these guns that have serious range and liberal showers. So not only did we get soaked, but so did Grandpa!
The rest of our day was pretty lazy. We went and got some lunch, came home, blew some bubbles, and then shortly after Daddy got home, Micah passed out. It was a nice day.
How was your 4th?
How to create your own double fold bias tape from scraps
Now, I will say first thing that I did this out of scraps. So I don't know if it counts as "real" bias tape. Typically, you cut a square of fabric and fold it, point to point, to make a triangle, and then you cut strips and sew them together to make your bias tape. I rarely have the patience or the need to make so much, so when I was working on a little project (which I will hopefully be posting about here soon), I decided on a whim to create my own bias tape from a few excess long pieces I had left over after cutting the main pieces.
Now, part of the reason you cut bias tape on the bias is because of stretch and flexibility. So the type of material you use to try this is going to affect it a great deal. Keep that in mind.
Now, I had two long strips about four inches wide and around two feet long, and one side was the selvedge, which made life a lot easier for me.
Time to break out your iron. Mine is older than I am (probably) and has two settings - hot and hot with steam. Hah. I went with no steam for this, but hot is good because it makes the process faster. Use appropriate settings for the material you're using.
Fold your strip in half and iron it flat, making a sharp crease. Then open it up to see that crease, wrong side up.
Fold one side in so the raw edge meets the crease in the middle, and iron it to make another sharp crease on that side.
Repeat on the other raw edge.
Now fold it in half on the original crease, and iron it one more time. I usually put a little more weight on my iron when I get to this point to make sure all three creases are sharp and defined.
Rinse and repeat until you have the amount of bias tape you need, or you run out of scraps. Admire your handiwork.
And then you can use it just like store-bought tape.
And that's it! Have fun!
Now, part of the reason you cut bias tape on the bias is because of stretch and flexibility. So the type of material you use to try this is going to affect it a great deal. Keep that in mind.
Now, I had two long strips about four inches wide and around two feet long, and one side was the selvedge, which made life a lot easier for me.
Time to break out your iron. Mine is older than I am (probably) and has two settings - hot and hot with steam. Hah. I went with no steam for this, but hot is good because it makes the process faster. Use appropriate settings for the material you're using.
Fold your strip in half and iron it flat, making a sharp crease. Then open it up to see that crease, wrong side up.
Fold one side in so the raw edge meets the crease in the middle, and iron it to make another sharp crease on that side.
Repeat on the other raw edge.
Now fold it in half on the original crease, and iron it one more time. I usually put a little more weight on my iron when I get to this point to make sure all three creases are sharp and defined.
Rinse and repeat until you have the amount of bias tape you need, or you run out of scraps. Admire your handiwork.
And then you can use it just like store-bought tape.
And that's it! Have fun!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
