MyBaby - cosmoblue Journal

No Yoga Again

Posted June 29, 2007 at 12:42AM by cosmoblue

I am not going to yoga again. I feel kind of bad about it. I have a decent excuse this time though. Yesterday I hurt my foot tripping down some stairs at the mall and DH is taking the car (His is at the mechanics). I am not feeling like walking 1 1/2 miles is a very good idea. I could take the bus I guess, but LA's busses are so lame that I would have to leave earlier than I would even to walk and stand for who knows how long waiting for a bus then I would still have to walk a few blocks on top of that. I didn't say it was a good excuse just decent. I may go an extra time next week if I ever get my car back.

Tags: yoga

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Sticky_Mommy responded June 29, 2007 at 2:10PM

I love my job, it gives me a break from my kids!

Ok, I'll buy that excuse. You're off the hook for now...

Big Blue

Posted June 28, 2007 at 11:20PM by cosmoblue

I am starting to think about all of the things are going to be different in OR. I am looking at my big blue surf board (an Anderson 9'0). I have not taken her out since I got my BFP wid DD and she is going to be 13 months next week. I have not been able to get my act together to paddle out. I wasn't very good as I only started surfing about 5 months before my BFP. It is sad. I live less than an hour from the beach and the weather is beautiful here. It had always been a dream of mine to be a surfer, since I was like 10. Of course I will be able to surf in Oregon too in freezing water and with sharks, but it won't be the same cali surfer lifestyle that I dreamt of. It just confirms my decison to move. I have not been able to take advantage of all the things the town has to offer because of traffic and working super long hours and not having enough money.

Tags: surfing

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Sticky_Mommy responded June 29, 2007 at 9:31AM

I love my job, it gives me a break from my kids!

It's funny how life sometimes gets in the way of living. We live 45 mins from a world class ski resort and I went snowboarding 3X last year. And I had a free season pass!!!

I've been learning to eek out time for myself, husband & family. I think it's going to be an on going learning lesson.

It Is Settled

Posted June 28, 2007 at 1:19PM by cosmoblue

We are really moving. We bought our plane tickets. We decided that we would go home to Ohio July 31st and visit our families. Then DH will fly back here to LA and drive up to Portland with our stuff. Then I will fly to portland and meet him there. Hopefuly he will have the bedroom set up. I am kind of freaking out about it now. We have to find some temporary housing quickly. AHHHH!

Tags: moving, Portland

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vtmomof2 responded June 28, 2007 at 2:04PM

Life is crazy but wonderful.

How exciting!!

Sticky_Mommy responded June 28, 2007 at 3:37PM

I love my job, it gives me a break from my kids!

Scary & exciting!

Give yourselves a break if you start freaking out. Remeber moving is one of the most stressful things you can do (it's up there with death, divorce, new job, etc) and you guys are doing it with a baby!

It's going to be thrilling ride!

momotogo responded June 28, 2007 at 5:13PM

Sooooo happy for you. What a wonderful adventure. If you need a place to spend a few hours, Powell's Books. If you haven't been there it's a crazy multi-building bookstore that takes up the whole block with different levels and little nooks and crannies. Can't wait to hear more when you get there.

dustbunny responded June 28, 2007 at 5:39PM

dishing the dirt, cleaning the chaos

sweet! good for you!

rockergirrl responded June 28, 2007 at 5:57PM

www.findbarefootbooks.com

congrats on making the choice. I bet you will love it there.

Far From Family

Posted June 27, 2007 at 8:41PM by cosmoblue

So my MIL just left for the airport and it is funny but I miss her. We don't have much in common and she has very different parenting techniques, but it was nice having her around. It is times like this when I wish we lived closer to family. Most of the time I don't really think about it. I could never move back to Ohio voluntarily, but having the people who love me near would be kinda cool. Oh well, I'll get over it. I mean it was no nice getting to go out with my DH 3 times in two weeks without DD. Believe me we milked this visit as best as we could. Oh well we'll see them in August.

Tags: family, Away from Home

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vtmomof2 responded June 28, 2007 at 8:20AM

Life is crazy but wonderful.

I grew up with my entire family living within 3-4 blocks of us in Burlington, vt. I mean my entire family, grandparents, aunts, uncles & all my cousins. I loved having my family around growing up. Now we live about 1 hour away from everyone and I really miss just running over to my parents or in laws.

Sticky_Mommy responded June 28, 2007 at 11:10AM

I love my job, it gives me a break from my kids!

I love, love, love it when family comes to visit. I fully take advantace and sleep in, go out (sans kids), let others clean, go on dates (mostly with my husband), and at night catch up with my loved ones.

It's so great to have a wee break. I love the saying it takes a village, and durning the fist year it takes a few villages.

cosmoblue responded June 28, 2007 at 1:08PM

Ha ha sticky_mommy, "mostly with (your) husband"!

rockergirrl responded June 28, 2007 at 8:08PM

www.findbarefootbooks.com

I too grew up with all my relatives in the surrounding towns. I was the only one of the children and cousins who left the state. I am now 3 1/2 hours away from everyone and it is so hard and so lonely at times raising a family far from family.

An Inconvienent Truth

Posted June 27, 2007 at 1:45PM by cosmoblue

I totally watched that movie last night. I am a fairly huge hippie and I try to be as environmentally concious as I can be. For some reason though, I could not watch this movie before. I have this thing about avoiding bad news which I knew it would be. It was. However the thing that came from learning all of these depressing facts was a renewed motivation to be more energy aware. A motivation to me environmentally active. I know that there are things that I should and could be doing, but I don't because I am lazy or broke or whatever. I need to stop making excuses for myself. My grand children won't accept them anyway if the netherlands and manhattan end up underwater before they are given the opportunity. They won't accept them if there are no more snows of kilimanjaro and the book makes no sense. I'm going to get on it.

http://www.climatecrisis.net/

Tags: An Inconvient Truth, Environment, Hippie

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Sticky_Mommy responded June 27, 2007 at 3:24PM

I love my job, it gives me a break from my kids!

You know I haven't watched that movie for the reason you said. I've been sticking my head in the sand. Thanks for helping me pull my head out. I'm going to rent it.

dustbunny responded June 27, 2007 at 4:00PM

dishing the dirt, cleaning the chaos

I was paranoid but it's not as doomsday as it sounds. I just feel like I can't do anything. Change a lightbulb? Buy more recyled- wash with cold water- shut off? What about stuff like this: wyoming puts out more CO2 in 8 HOURS than Vermont does in a YEAR (I will find that citation...to verify it)...should we just get rid of wyoming? kidding kidding!I mean really, that's the big stuff...we can't fix the big stuff. We'll try and hopefully those who really can, will....I dunno I need a cup of coffee

www.myspace.com/aninconvenienttruth

momotogo responded June 27, 2007 at 4:51PM

Lot's of people doing little things does make a difference though...so yes, please wash in cold & hang your clothes out and turn out your lights. I think your reference to Wyoming is proof that a relatively small group of like minded people CAN make a difference. The populations of WY & VT aren't that different (we have about 100,000 more bodies according to the 2006 census), WY is more spread out so maybe they have to drive more, but I think it's a difference in mindset. But minds can be changed.

dustbunny responded June 27, 2007 at 4:59PM

dishing the dirt, cleaning the chaos

wyoming burns coal non-stop...I just read the article...I'll find it...

dustbunny responded June 27, 2007 at 5:06PM

dishing the dirt, cleaning the chaos

http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/954876/utah_32nd_in_pollutant_texas_no_1__in_co2/index.html

cosmoblue responded June 27, 2007 at 8:27PM

It does sometimes feel like nothing we do makes a big difference. However when everyone makes individual changes there is the big difference. when you look at your carbon footprint you can see just how much damage you and your family are doing to the planet and then you can see how just your seemingly little changes make tons of difference.

mecjg responded June 28, 2007 at 9:05AM

It is great that you would like to conserve energy, I think that is good for everyone. Please take a look at this to see what the other side is saying...this may open your eyes to more of what is going on in the political jungle and why Al Gore made his movie.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=20070315&articleId=5086

cosmoblue responded June 28, 2007 at 1:06PM

mecjg I am not really buying that information in that article, but even if I did and that theory was true and global warming is not manmade it doesn't hurt me or anyone else if I modify my potentially harmful behaviors. If that theory is wrong and the one I believe is correct then I am doing the right thing.

mecjg responded June 28, 2007 at 3:58PM

No disrespect cosmoblue. I say you do what makes you happy, I just wanted you to see there are other views and scientific facts.

rockergirrl responded June 28, 2007 at 8:06PM

www.findbarefootbooks.com

Sure there are two sides but I don't think anyone can dispute the fact that making the daily small changes can better you as a person, your community and perhaps even make an impact on the greater world. I don't see why making energy efficient choices can harm the world right?

mecjg responded June 29, 2007 at 12:17AM

rockergirrl: If it makes you happy, I say do it.

Last Big Splash

Posted June 26, 2007 at 7:33PM by cosmoblue

Today was DD's last swimming lesson. It was so exciting to see her having such a good time at the pool. What an improvement from the first day. She was splashing and kicking and laughing. She jumped in. She swam underwater for a couple of feet. She even floated on her back for a little while. All of our friends were signing up for the next session of classes. We aren't signing up because we are pretty sure that we are going to be moving to Oregon within the next 2 months. It is a little sad. Hopefully we'll make new friends who will go to swimming lessons with us.

Tags: lesson, Swimming

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rockergirrl responded June 26, 2007 at 8:23PM

www.findbarefootbooks.com

Hooray on the swimming lessons and a big Hooray for the move to Oregon. Congrats on making the choice. Remember you can always go back if you don't like it.

Sticky_Mommy responded June 27, 2007 at 8:22AM

I love my job, it gives me a break from my kids!

Another great thing about having kids, it gives you an excuse to get out and play which leads to new friends. You're going to love OR!

akinvt responded June 27, 2007 at 12:48AM

I lived in Portland, OR at one time and loved it! There are so many fun things to do. I hope that you love it just as much.

So much bigger.

Posted June 25, 2007 at 12:32AM by cosmoblue

I was so sad this weekend when we moved DD's diapers from the medium snap size on her BumGenius one size diapers. I just wanted to rewind her. It made me realize that it is time to start thinking about teaching her to use the potty. It made me realize that I have a toddler and not a baby. Who told her that she was allowed to grow up? Certainly not me. I wonder if I will be this way for any future children or if this is a FTM thing?

Tags: BumGenius, Diaper, Growing

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vtmomof2 responded June 25, 2007 at 12:37AM

Life is crazy but wonderful.

It is a FTM thing. It is amazing how different you act with the second child. I only have 2 so I don't know what a third one is like, but the second one what a difference.

akinvt responded June 25, 2007 at 1:34PM

I too get so nostalgic over how fast DS is growing up. He is only 6 months old but I look at his newborn pictures and get all sad about how quickly the time has gone. Then I remind myself that we will hopefully have more so we get to do it all over again.

Sticky_Mommy responded June 25, 2007 at 1:35PM

I love my job, it gives me a break from my kids!

With my 1st I always wanted to see what happens next & was excited to see/experiance the new things she could do. With #2 I'm trying to live in the moment and focus on whats happening now & enjoying that.

She's only 1ish, I wouldn't even start thinking about potty training until 2.5, or 2 at the earlest. Hey every kid is different.

Skipped Yoga Again.

Posted June 22, 2007 at 2:54PM by cosmoblue

I skipped yoga today. I don't know why. I got up on time. I got dressed. I just decided that I wasn't going to go. I should have gone, but I didn't. What is wrong with me? No wonder my waist is 3 inches bigger than before DD. I really need to take care of myself better. I have no excuse. I wanna be a MILF but I have got to earn it. I am really going to go next week.

Tags: yoga

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dustbunny responded June 22, 2007 at 3:04PM

dishing the dirt, cleaning the chaos

earning milf status is harder than it looks...plus, I like carbs...so, it'll never happen without surgery :)

Sticky_Mommy responded June 22, 2007 at 3:34PM

I love my job, it gives me a break from my kids!

Isn't the guilt of not going wrose then the pain of yoga?

cosmoblue responded June 22, 2007 at 6:50PM

The guilt is so much worse.

It is so easy

Posted June 21, 2007 at 1:38PM by cosmoblue

My friend from my breast feeding support group was asking me about cloth diapering a several months ago and I told her that it is very easy. I said we do the was every 2-3 days and it is no problem. She said it seemed so much more work so she went with Seventh Generation diapers. Then she started asking me about it again. a couple of weeks ago. She wanted details I got her turned on to BumGenius. Then this week she shows up at our swimming lesson and says "we are using BumGenius and it is so easy, why didn't I do it before?" I love it. So now she is a convert. I also found out a friend of mine who was a G-diaper user was listening while I was promoting CD'ing and is using BumGenius now too. She is a more impressive canvert since she lives in an apartment without an in unit washer and dryer.

Tags: BumGenius, cloth, diapers

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Sticky_Mommy responded June 21, 2007 at 1:44PM

I love my job, it gives me a break from my kids!

We use both. We got some hand me downs for our #2, plus the few we had with our #1.

I just need to convince DH to use CD more! Any suggestions? He's really into eating local & heathly so anything on using that angle...

rockergirrl responded June 21, 2007 at 1:51PM

www.findbarefootbooks.com

I agree. It is SO easy. I can't stand the smell of disp. dipes now. They are freakin' gross. The thought of putting human waste into the garbage and into the ground is even worse. Sticky - get that guy to switch. Fuzzi Bunz changed my life. People tend to have a mental block about CDs thinking it will be so much harder. We really are not lying. It is easy if you get a system that works for you. You just have him give me a call. I will convert him.

cosmoblue responded June 21, 2007 at 4:15PM

Sticky_Mommy. Rockergirrl is right like my friend said it was hard for her to get past thinking it is hard. But once she did was easy. I love my BumGenius. They work just like sposies except you have to unstuff them and wash them. DH was wanting to go the cheap way and do prefolds, but I wanted pockets for daycare (I didn't know I was going to stay at home.) Now DH only uses the BumGenius because they are so easy. You do need to find what works for your family though.

birdiehandmade responded June 21, 2007 at 10:26PM

I think you all are converting me for #3. I am ashamed to say that I didn't use Cloth for eithor of the boys, but I promise to try and make up for it with this one! So send all your stories and recommendations my way. Links to websites would be cool too!

LatteMommy responded July 3, 2007 at 5:25PM

LatteMommy

WOW! I GIVE IT UP TO YOU ALL AND I AM PROUD OF YOU ALL FOR BEING GREEN. I WISH I HAD KNOWN ABOUT THIS FOR DD CAUSE I WOULD HAVE GIVEN IT A TRY. I'LL PASS THIS ALONG TO MY FRIENDS THOUGH.
***WHERE DO THEY COME UP WITH THESE NAMES. TOO FUNNY.

Toys

Posted June 20, 2007 at 10:19PM by cosmoblue

So today I put batteries in one of the toys that I bought DD for her birthday almost three weeks ago. It is the Leap Frog Little touch LeapPad. I got so excited when it turned on it makes all of these cool sounds and DD giggled at it which she rarely does at her toys. I was glad that she liked it. Then I looked around at all of her toys and though wow this is a lot and she is only 12 months old. I felt a little irritated that she has so many toys, many of them that she has no interest in. I thought I should just take all of her toys and sell them and buy a bunch of Haba and Melissa and Doug toys. Seeing her play with brightly colored wooden toys makes me feel good. It is so wholesome, I guess.

Tags: toys, leap frog, wood

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rockergirrl responded June 21, 2007 at 7:47AM

www.findbarefootbooks.com

It is so easy to end up with a ton of noisy plastic toys when birthdays and the holidays come around. I personally can't stand them. I have found for the most part they get attention when they are first opened and then end up in my basement anyways because they don't get played with. What my kids have always played with most even having other more flashy toys around at times are:
wooden blocks
legos
play silks ( it amazing what these become every day)
books, books, books
musical instuments
play store/kitchen (wooden cash regiser, food etc)
puzzles
art stuff

I find limiting the amount of toys that are around helps too. If you find you have too many try rotating them every so often. Some go in the closet at times and then switch them out. I believe kids get overwhelmed if there too many choices around. A few good quality toys will go a lot further.

vtmomof2 responded June 21, 2007 at 9:28AM

Life is crazy but wonderful.

I agree. My kids have so much that every year I have a huge yard sale where I sell a lot of hardly used toys with all the pieces most of the time. Some things I have to sell simply because we have no room. The few toys I keep are usually the educational toys and I have few melissa & doug toys that are great.

LatteMommy responded June 21, 2007 at 11:29AM

LatteMommy

YARD SALE!!! IT IS A LOT OF FUN AND WORTH THE EFFORT. $ TOWARD COLLEGE. WE ARE HAVING OUR SECOND YARD SALE THIS SATURDAY. LAST SATURDAY WE DID GREAT! MY DAD WANTS ME TO COME UP TO CT AND HAVE A TAG SALE FOR HIM UP THERE. I'D LOVE TO FIND THE TIME TO DO THAT FOR HIM. HOPE I CAN.
GOSH THE TOYS REALLY ADD UP FAST.

Moving?

Posted June 18, 2007 at 12:21AM by cosmoblue

I am still not certain about what we are doing about our move. We are trying to save up a little cushion and find a temporary place to stay. We have almost decided for sure that we are going. The pros outweigh the cons so far. Portland is such a great place. Not as diverse and exciting as LA but we would be able to take advantage of the great stuff that it does have to offer. Seriously, we never find time to get to the beach anymore. Although if I won the lottery today I'd stay here in LA. Anyway I hope that we can decide what we are doing for sure soon.

Tags: moving, Portland, LA

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rockergirrl responded June 18, 2007 at 12:54AM

www.findbarefootbooks.com

I can relate to the back and forth in you decision making about this. My DH and I met and married in SF and moved back east. We have been here for 7 years now but we still think about SF all the time. We never thought we would have stayed here for this long. But now that i have the kiddos I can't imagine living in the city again. This "large town" I live in now seems big enough for me. Good luck with your choice. The most important thing to remember is the move doesn't have to be forever. Go and rent a place. If you hate it - move back.

momotogo responded June 18, 2007 at 5:12PM

We made the move from the SF area to a rural part of the East Coast too. We just hit the 5 year mark. I sometimes go through urban withdrawal, but there are a couple of big metros 2 or 3 hours either north or south. I used to miss having access to lot's of cultural events, options for going out or eating out, but at this point I can't see myself living there again. I go for visits to see my family & friends - who I do miss - but not the rest of the regular insanity. I love the life we have here, there's room to roam, and the pace is wonderful. I'm with rockergirrl, check it out for a year (all seasons), rent, and see how you like it.

birdiehandmade responded June 18, 2007 at 10:30PM

I agree with the above posts. You'll definately miss some parts of your old life, but I'm sure you'll discover new things that you love too. Plus, you can always move again.

Sticky_Mommy responded June 19, 2007 at 9:28AM

I love my job, it gives me a break from my kids!

Portland is great, it's a small (ok tiny) city with a communtiy feel. You'll find all sorts of crafty, young, hip, arty people. And lots of kids too.

There is surfing in OR, just a bit chilly-er!

My Date Night!

Posted June 16, 2007 at 3:16PM by cosmoblue

Last night I had my firtst date night in over 9 months. It w as fun. We went to see the Fantastic Four at the Cinerama dome in Hollywood then we went out to dinner and had yummy vegan pancakes and tofu scramble. It was so nice to not be just mommy. I got to wear jewelry which I don't usually wear due to DD's desire to pull everything and I wore a dress since I wouldn't have to sit on the floor. So nice. My little brother babysat for us even though he is not a baby person. I told DH we have to do this more often.

Tags: Date Night

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rockergirrl responded June 16, 2007 at 10:35PM

www.findbarefootbooks.com

Hooray for you!

Birth Story: Our 34 week Preemie

Posted June 15, 2007 at 1:29PM by cosmoblue

My Birth Story

It was Friday and I had just arrived at work. I was feeling good and I had actually taken the time to get dressed that morning in cute maternity jeans and layered a couple of tank tops. I was even on time with a minute to spare 8:59 am. Then I got out of Nadine (our 1989 Toyota Camry) and reached across to the passengers seat to grab my bags and I felt like I had to pee and then I totally thought that I did, right in my cute maternity jeans. I was thinking “no it couldn’t be, my water couldn’t have broken it is only June 2nd. Sprout isn’t due until July 13th” So I stood there a minute and then I went in to the office and went straight into the bathroom where I checked my underwear and didn’t see blood or anything so I put on a pad and went to my desk and put my bag down. Then I thought maybe I should call DH.
    I went out into the parking and called him. I said that “ I don’t want to worry you because I’m not sure, but my water may have just broken.” I asked him what I should do. He said call the midwives. I said “really? I’m sure it’s nothing. I don’t want to have a baby today.” He said if it is your water you should call them. Then he told me that he was getting off the bus to turn around and head towards the hospital. He was on his way to school at Cal State LA way on the other side of town. After I got off the phone with him I called the midwife on call, but instead of waiting for her to be paged I asked the resident on call what I should do and she said to come in and get check out. The best case scenario is that they send me home. Then I called DH again and told him what they said and told him I was going to go there soon. He told me that he was going to meet me there I told him to go back toward school because I didn’t think that I would be there long enough for him to meet me. He reconfirmed that he would meet me there.
    At that point I went in to work and checked my email let my supervisor know that I was going out of the office to the doctor. I talked to Vick the CFO and told him that I had to leave the office because I was having weird cramps. I didn’t want to worry him too much and I told him that I would probably be back in a couple of hours. Then I told the assistant that I was leaving in case my other teammate who was on the phone at the time asked where I was and then I walked out, by that time it was about 10:15. Then I got into Nadine and drove myself to the hospital. Luckily there wasn’t too much traffic so it only took about 20 minutes to get there. It would have been quicker except that I missed the driveway to the hospital and had to drive a while to get to a place to turn around. When I got to the parking attendant booth I asked him where Labor and Delivery was and he said and he told me and said it was $8 to park for the day. I went to take out my Credit card and he said cash only I didn’t have any cash so I said that I would go look for free street parking. Then I drove around for 5 minutes and didn’t see anything then I went looking for a Washington ton Mutual couldn’t find one and went back to the Hospital. I waited in the line got to the parking attendant and said that I needed to get to Labor and Delivery and I didn’t have any cash. He asked if I was picking someone up. I said no it’s for me. Then he told me that there was an ATM at the grocery store across the street from the Hospital. So nearly in tears I drove across the street and withdrew $20 from my checking account. Then I drove back to the Hospital and paid my $8 to the attendant and found a parking space in the garage. I had to write down the level and row on a piece of paper because I knew that with the amount of nervousness and stress I would never in a million years be able to remember where I had parked. It was about 11:00 am.
    I walked myself into the hospital and asked how to get to Labor & Deliver while kicking myself for having procrastinated on scheduling my hospital tour. When I got up to the right floor I went to the nurses station and waited in line behind another couple and then asked them what I should do and asked to see the midwife on call. They took me to a check in room and I sat down on the table and answered a bunch of questions and they hooked me up to a fetal monitor and checked me out. My midwife came in and checked me herself. I called DH to let him know that I was finally in the hospital and getting checked out.
    After I got of the phone with him I was talking with the nurse about how I hate hospitals and I don’t want to be a patient and I don’t want to be induced and I am afraid of pitocin. She said not to worry and that pitocin isn’t that bad, because she had to have it when she had her daughter and she didn’t end up getting an epidural. Then all of a sudden several people came in to the room and started looking at my monitor and said that the baby’s heart rate was really high like over 200 and they were concerned and then they gave me oxygen and hooked me up to an IV of “fluids”. The fluids made me freezing cold and I was shivering and shaking and they had to bring me warm blankets. Sprout’s heart rate went back to the150’s and I was taken off the fluids. Then they came back and told me that I was leaking amniotic fluid and I would not be going back to the office. At that point I called my co-worker and told her that I wasn’t going to be at a meeting later that day.
Then the midwife, the resident on duty, and the ob on duty all came into the room to let me know that they were all going to go and talk and decide what was best for the baby to induce or to wait for my labor to start on it’s own. The resident on duty stayed in the room and explained the pros and cons of my options. She suspected that they would probably wait a few hours and if there was still nothing I would be induced. Finally DH arrived at about 12:00 pm and I was so glad to see him. They all came back to the room and told me that they thought it was best to induce because they couldn’t find any reason for the premature rupture of membranes and if it was an infection the baby was so early that her lungs may not be developed enough to fight the infection. They didn’t see any point in waiting because my cervix was still long and completely closed. I was freaked out. All I could think of was pitocin and epidural and a tiny premature baby. Also I still had one more birthing class left. I wasn’t ready to have a baby yet. They took a sample of the Amniotic Fluid to test for beta strep and any other infection. And we waited to be moved to an L & D room. I didn’t have to wait to long because apparently there weren’t that many babies who wanted to be born that day. Which I guess was a fortunate thing because UCLA hospital is kind of infamous for being on the crowded side.
    So once I was in “my” room I received my first dose of Misoprostal or “miso” at 1:00pm. It was supposed to thin my cervix so that it could open and hopefully bring on contractions and help me avoid the dreaded Pitocin. I was only going to have 3 chances with this. I had to lay in bed for an hour which was no fun because I was really hungry. I usually ate breakfast at 9:00 when I got to work, but didn’t really have time this morning. I wasn’t feeling any contractions and I was afraid that it wasn’t going to work. It doesn’t work for everyone. But they came in and checked me I would get another dose at 5:00 pm, and they said that my cervix seemed shorter and softer, but still closed. The nurse asked me if I was feeling anything and I aid no. She said it looked like contractions were starting. I told her that I was hungry and she said that she would try to arrange for me to get some food since there was no telling how long I was going to be there. Later she told me that I would be able to eat an hour after I got my antibiotics. I had to have penicillin just in case there was an infection. While we waited I made DH call everyone and let them know what was going on. He even called the instructor of our birthing class and made her give us the cliff notes version of the class that we were going to miss. Then I got my second dose of Miso my antibiotics and then Lunch. At long last Food. I was progressed to 3 centimeters.
    Then I had to be moved into an L D & R suite that had a shower. I was really looking forward to it. Then they told me I couldn’t use it because they didn’t want me off the monitor. Then I had a nurse change at about 7pm. We decided to call our doula.
    Mayora, the doula showed up about 8:30pm. DH decided to go home at 9:00 pm because he needed to feed and walk the dogs and pick up some things for us since I had not packed my hospital bag yet. Since I still wasn’t feeling any contractions or anything I thought now was probably the best time to do it.
Then I had to go to the bathroom. I felt a huge pain in my pelvis while I was in there. It was pretty awful. I came out and I told Mayora. Then I started feeling similar pains more often than I would have liked. I started needing to change position from time to time. I was getting more and more uncomfortable.
    Then the OB came in and checked me and I had not progressed as much as she would have liked. I was “only” 3 centimeters and 0 station. I was glad that I had taken Jana’s class and knew that Centimeters is not the only way to measure progress. She asked me if I wanted an eipidural and I said no. Mayora told her that Susan had told us that she would be back to check on me and we would wait to make any further decisions until she got there. The OB was questioning me if the midwives had been giving me my prenatal care and I said yes. She said, “oh okay.” The resident asked me if I wanted the epidural and I said no I don’t need it yet I am doing okay. She said that she said she didn’t see any reason for me to be so uncomfortable. Then the OB asked if I was sure. I started to think that maybe I was being silly refusing and maybe it was going to get a lot worse really quickly. Mayora told them that if I changed my mind I would let them know. I was so grateful.
Then we had to have them call for Susan. When she arrived she was apologetic saying that she didn’t know that I was progressing so quickly because no one had told her. She checked me. Then she stayed with me for the rest of the time.
    Finally DH got back and I was really glad to see him. In all the excitement he forgot a lot of things he went to take care of, but the dogs were taken care of for the next couple of days. Mayora caught him up on everything that was going on. There was a lot of position changing and deep breathing. Mayor gave me grapes and water. DH took a bit of a nap and then realized that he was too nervous/excited to sleep. He kept talking to everyone and it was irritating. My new annoying nurse was burning me with the antibiotics in the IV.
    After Susan the midwife decided that I was going to be ready to deliver soon she called for her team. They all showed up, The OB, The Resident, The Pediatrician, The Pediatric Nurses, and a lot of other people that I didn’t know who they were, and my nurse was still there. I guess I got stage fright because there was a long pause in my contractions. Everyone was staring at the monitors and I was staring at them. Then my contractions came back and everyone got down to business. Susan said that she doubted that I would be able to puch the baby out in 20 minutes and so she was getting the vacuum ready. I told sprout that she needed to cooperate if she didn’t want to have a bruise on her head for the first weeks of her life and in all those pictures we were going to take. I think that there was talk about her heart rate dipping and they were a bit worried. I don’t really know because I was in Labor Land and they weren’t talking to me. I am pretty sure that I was only pushing for about 5 contractions and less than 20 minutes.
    Sprout was finally born at 5:18 am. She weighed 4 lbs 7 oz and was 17”. They offered to let DH cut the umbilical cord but he had decided before that he did not feel the need to. Then they whisked her over to the isolette to evaluate her. I had to keep asking if it was a boy or a girl DH said that it was a girl but I didn’t believe him then someone who worked there finally told me that it is a girl. I was so excited. I had had a feeling that it was a girl and everyone kept telling me that it was going to be a girl. Then they brought her over to me where I got to kiss her and kind of see her. After that they took her away to the NICU. I told DH to go with her and to find out where they were taking her. Mayora stayed with me. Then after about an hour I was moved to a room. They were kind enough to put me in the Antepartum area so that I wouldn’t have to room in with a mom who had her baby while mine was down in the NICU. It was nice because I didn’t even have anyone in my room until the second night.
    I hung out in the room and rested. I ate some food. I took a shower. Then I finally got up the strength to make my way down to the NICU to find my daughter. It was scary. The Hall was really long and then when we got into the NICU there was so much noise all of the beeping and humming of monitors and machines. The babies were crying. There were doctors and nurses and parents buzzing around.
    Sprout got her Name Sakura Rose officially a few minutes before I was discharged from the hospital. We had a really hard time narrowing down our list and had to try out the name for a couple of days before we committed it to paper.
    I got Dr. Sears’ Premature Baby Book, which was so helpful in reassuring me that everything that I was feeling was normal. It also told me how I could help my daughter while she was in the NICU. It helped me to remember to take care of myself. I had to be strong or I couldn’t expect her to be.
    The next weeks were hard. We drove to and from the hospital a lot. I was on the rented hospital grade electric breastpump for 30 minutes 8 –12 times a day. Sakura was in the isolette and under bili lights for her jaundice. I didn’t want to go and see her at first because it was so hard to see her in there so small and helpless. Then after DH convinced me that I needed to go I wouldn’t want to leave her. We learned to change a diaper, give her a bath, give her a bottle, and even CPR. We spent a lot of wonderful moments in kangaroo care. Our favorite nurse Laurie got her to eat the required 60ccs of milk from a bottle.
    I had a lot of nervousness about nursing. I was afraid that I was going to fail so I didn’t really try until her jaundice was gone. The lactation consultant was there the first time I tried and made sure that I knew how to do it. After I got her latched on she started crying like I was hurting her and I got upset. Then a couple of days later I tried again and it went much smoother. Then I decided that I was going to nurse her every time I was there at a feeding time. She gained two oz when I did that. My milk was helping her to grow.
    After that she started taking 60ccs regularly and the doctors started to suggest that she would be able to come home soon if she continued for a couple of days in a row. Then an unknowing nurse gave up after Sakura was slow to eat one feeding and she gauvaged her bottle. We had to start all over. I was crushed. After that, I decided to stay there all day and nurse every feeding and she took her bottles at night. We got to room in a couple of days before they thought she would be discharged. We took care of her all night long after I had been there almost all day. It was scary, but we did it. I don’t know how much sleep we got though.
    She finally came home from the hospital on Father’s Day after 15 days in the NICU. On our way to pick her up from the hospital we got a flat tire on Santa Monica Blvd., a little over halfway there. We didn’t have a good spare in the trunk (it was flat too). So DH decided that my mom and I should take the bus to the hospital while he fixed the flat. My mom came to help me when Sakura came home. She came in the day before. DH had to put the flat spare tire on his skateboard and he took it to the nearest gas station. They did not have anyone to fix flats there so he took it to the next closest gas station. This was about a mile away down Rodeo Dr. in Beverly Hills. After getting the spare fixed DH took the tire back to Nadine and even had to borrow a car jack since the one from Nadine was missing. DH arrived shortly after us and he had to scrub a lot since he was covered in black dirt.
    It was the best feeling taking her home and the scariest as well. She was all ours. No nurses or doctors or monitors to tell us if we were doing things wrong. We were actually parents now.

Tags: Birth, Story

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rockergirrl responded June 15, 2007 at 1:37PM

www.findbarefootbooks.com

wow how scary that must have been for you. But what a wonderful girl you have now.

ANDREW2007 responded September 4, 2007 at 10:21PM

congratulations. i cant believe that guy at the parking garage didnt just let u park and then worry about charging u.

Birthday Fun

Posted June 11, 2007 at 6:39PM by cosmoblue

So I finished DD's dress just in time for our giests to arrive, but I didn't get my top done, I guess that I will have to do it some other time. All of the guests had a great time and it was so fun seeing all of the babies playing together. There were six including DD and their parents. Next party we are having catered because getting the food ready was a bummer. DD kept trying to drop her vupcake on the ground instead of eating it. It was cute. I'll do it again.

Tags: birthday, 1

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Sticky_Mommy responded June 11, 2007 at 10:20PM

I love my job, it gives me a break from my kids!

So cute!! I love her sock monkeys on her dress!

We're doing DS b'day in a few weeks, what snacks where easy and a hit?

rockergirrl responded June 11, 2007 at 10:45PM

www.findbarefootbooks.com

the dress looks great!!

momotogo responded June 12, 2007 at 8:53AM

The dress is adorable and she looks beautiful. You should be a very proud.

momotogo responded June 29, 2007 at 3:47PM

I know you had the sock monkey theme. Thought you might like a link to this site - cute stuff and close to your so-to-be-new home, sort of, they're in Washington.
http://murphysmithdesigns.com/collection.aspx?collectionID=36

No Faith in the USPS

Posted June 8, 2007 at 1:12PM by cosmoblue

So today i was tracking the toys I ordered for DD's Party and the USPS site says that the package was delivered to the unit at 8:37 am and I do not see it anywhere outside on or around my fromt porch. No card or anything. DH says maybe that means the carrier has it. I am hoping that that is the answer, but I have no faith in the USPS. If they aren't here by the end of the day that is one more thing that I have to add to my list of things to do tomorrow. My brain just might melt.

Tags: birthday, Party

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vtmomof2 responded June 8, 2007 at 2:11PM

Life is crazy but wonderful.

Call your local branch, they should be able to tell you what that means and if the carrier has it on them. I have had to call before and they were very helpful.

cosmoblue responded June 8, 2007 at 8:18PM

Yay my package came!

momotogo responded June 11, 2007 at 10:51AM

Whew! Hope the party was a hit. Please let us know how it went & let's see some pictures. thx

There are instructions for this?

Posted June 7, 2007 at 9:12PM by cosmoblue

I am finally working on sewing my DD's dress for the party on Sunday and I started cutting out all of the pieces and as I am laying them out I am super confused about where all of the pieces go. I feel so beginnerish. I haven't sewn from a commercial pattern in years. I usually make my own and sew my own designs. My patterns all have grainlines on them and never seam allowance. I am actually having to read the pattern info that came in the envelope. It seems weird to me that there are even instructions at all, but I guess it is good because I would have done a completely different way if I hadn't read the stuff. Oh Well, we'll see how it goes.

Tags: birthday, Party, dress, Sewing

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vtmomof2 responded June 8, 2007 at 8:59AM

Life is crazy but wonderful.

Good luck. I tried to make a dress for daughter with a pattern and just could not figure it out. I gave up.

momotogo responded June 8, 2007 at 5:23PM

you lost me at seam allowance

Sticky_Mommy responded June 11, 2007 at 10:34AM

I love my job, it gives me a break from my kids!

I love your determination. I would sew be at Target.

This is for the doggie. . .

Posted June 7, 2007 at 2:14PM by cosmoblue

So yesterday we took the dogs to a much needed groomers appointment. They have to be dropped early in the morning so DH took them on his way to school. So after DD has had her breakfast and brushed her teeth and gotten dressed, I put her down on the floor to do her thing. As she is exploring the house she picks up the dogs' Antlerz and she looks at it as though she is going to put it in her mouth. I said "That is for the doggies do not put it in your mouth."Then she gets up and walks over to their crates and looks in side them. First the big one then the little one. Then she looks around and then she looked at me all confused. I said the doggies are not here they are at the groomers. Then she proceeds to carry the antler around looking for the dogs. it was so cute.

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Sticky_Mommy responded June 12, 2007 at 10:52AM

I love my job, it gives me a break from my kids!

Isn't it crazy how they are getting things now?!

DivaCups Rock!

Posted June 5, 2007 at 4:56PM by cosmoblue

I just have o post to say that when AF comes to visit my DivaCup is my best friend. When I think about how I got by without it, it seems insane. I was at the pool for DD's swimming lessons (which she is loving, by the way) and when she vomitted all over me from swallowing too much pool water was at least I don't have to wash off vomit and change a tampon when I get out of the pool. So much less work and worry. Especially since I don't get to go to the bathroom by myself anymore. I only wish I knew about it sooner.

Tags: AF, Diva Cup

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vtmomof2 responded June 5, 2007 at 5:02PM

Life is crazy but wonderful.

Interesting. I looked it up, sounds interesting.

momotogo responded June 6, 2007 at 12:27AM

I haven't used Diva Cups but am a fan of Instead, same concept. I love it.

Birthday Party Countdown

Posted June 5, 2007 at 1:13PM by cosmoblue

Well, the big day is on Sunday and I still have lots to do. We have tested the cupcake recipe though and gave DD a tiny piece an no immediate reaction to any of the ingredients. So yay she can have cupcakes! I also ordered the sock monkeys for the goodie bags. But I still have to make her dress and the actual goodie bags. I need to pick up some supplies to get started. The minutes are ticking by! So much to do.

Tags: birthday, Party, 1st

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Sticky_Mommy responded June 5, 2007 at 2:44PM

I love my job, it gives me a break from my kids!

That is so cool! You have to post photos of your handmade matching outfits!

momotogo responded June 5, 2007 at 3:36PM

Hmmm, do I detect a bit of glee in your words? Time may be ticking but it sure sounds like you're having fun.

My Daughter is 1!

Posted June 4, 2007 at 1:04PM by cosmoblue

Yesterday was my DD's first birthday. It is so odd. I look at her now and she is such a little person. Not my little baby anymore. Some people look at her and say wow she is so little and I ust think to myself, no she's huge she used to be 4 lbs 7 oz and ony 17". Then other people say she is so big and I think but she is so much smaller than so many other babies that I have to worry that she isn't eating enough. We spent the day at home my brother came by to visit and she got to open a gift from her great grandparents. She got a toy remote control. She wore her neon pink "I am 1 year old today" ribbon all day. What a great year.

Tags: birthday, 1

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rockergirrl responded June 4, 2007 at 1:53PM

www.findbarefootbooks.com

Hooray! Happy Birthday. It really does all go by so quickly. Enjoy every moment.

dustbunny responded June 4, 2007 at 4:24PM

dishing the dirt, cleaning the chaos

happy birthday...one year ago you were in labor...aaahhhh.

Sticky_Mommy responded June 4, 2007 at 5:21PM

I love my job, it gives me a break from my kids!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl! She's always be your baby. How is party planning going?

I heart iMovie HD

Posted June 1, 2007 at 6:39PM by cosmoblue

I am still working on my movie for DD's first year and I am having so much fun with it. iMovie HD is so much fun and so easy to use. I am adding a soundtrack and subtitles and credits and visual effects. It is crazy. I am having to tell myself to hold back because I am losing my focus. The video is going to be rad! I just have to decide if I am going to do a version for the party and t hen add on to it so that the fam can see the party on the video.

Tags: IMovie HD,