Ruby is 1 Month!

I have been so busy being a mother, student, and employee that I've definitely neglected my blog posting. So, here is the condensed version of my crazy awesome month with Rubylicious!

1. Okay, a little bit about the labor and delivery. I'll spare you all the little details and just say it was the best experience of my life. Going naturally was hard, but not as hard as I thought it would be. I think God makes it more of an out of body experience for women so the pain is more tolerable. It helped to have a great support system and to be prepared. I'll probably go naturally again with the next baby. What?! I don't know if I can really think of a "next baby" right now.

2. A few minutes after Ruby was born I looked around and Brad, my doula, and Mom were balling their eyes out. It made me feel weird because I didn't cry. I had such a rush of excitement, all I could say was " I freakin' did it!" Probably not the best choice of words, but I was so glad she was finally here and I didn't die. And then I proceed to dictate to the midwife that she had to hurry up and stitch me up already because I need to be with my baby. It's amazing how the motherly instincts kick in.

3. My recovery was amazing. Besides a nasty varicose vein and perinatal dermatsis all over my face, I was able to do the biggest loser dvd's a week after she was born. We even walked 3 miles together with me pushing her in the stroller. She LOVES the stroller. Probably because I walked so much with her while she was in the woomb.

4. Ruby has been a great eater. She eats all the time, in fact, too much. I had no idea I was overfeeding her until I called the pediatricians office complaining about her throwing up all the time. Stupid me. Her stomach is only the size of her fist!

5. She is already in 3 month clothes! She even wears some 3-6 month clothes form Gerber because they run a little smaller. The newborn clothes barely lasted 2 weeks! It's amazing how much she grows and changes every single day! I love watching her.

6. Ruby grunts all the time. It's cute, but on the baby monitor, its annoying when your trying to sleep and because you're a new parent you here EVERY noise that your child makes!

7. Speaking of Sleep, I don't really get a whole lot and what I do get it's because of my awesome mom. Let's just say Brad has made out like a bandit having mom here. He doesn't have to get up too much with her. Which is good because he needs sleep! It was really hard on him to go back to school and work the day after she was born, but someone has to pay the bills. I'm sure it would have been easier to have Ruby when he's out of school working in some amazing job, but I'm glad we have her now.

8. She's starting to smile more and open her eyes more. Gosh, I love her eyes! They are so big and beautiful. I can't wait to find out what color they are going to be. For now they are gray.

9. School has been difficult, therefore I have decided to take independent study courses next semester to be home with Ruby more. I don't like online classes, but I only have 5 classes and and internship left to get my degree. It would be silly to stop now.

10. I know I probably shouldn't brag, but Brad has got some sweet job offers this week. We're excited that he has been so successful. One guy from a company in Huston told him that he was BYU's top recruit! Way to go Brad. You're so smart and awesome. Ruby and I are so glad that you are the best dad ever!

11. Ok, that's it for now! Yay for Ruby napping, and yay for a blog update.

Hybrid Diapering

So, most of you who know us have heard that we, well more like me, (Leslie) wants to do cloth diapering. I was very pro cloth diapering, but after taking my environmental biology class this summer, I realized that both cloth and disposable have their pros and cons.

Cloth Diapers

Pros:

1. It's WAY CHEAPER! If you are sissy about it and get a diapering service to launder them for you, then it probably won't be cheaper. But for the most part you can save about $1500 doing cloth diapering.
2. They come in really cool colors and styles, so you can match them with any outfit.
3. The diapers I'm using, FLIP and ECONOBUM are inexpensive and practical. I like the fact that they are NOT all-in-ones. I can get away with using only 2 covers per day and about 6-8 inserts depending on how much peeing and pooping Ruby does.
4. Less Diaper rash!
5. Less landfill waste.
   

Cons:

1. Not too convenient for traveling. However I can get disposable inserts that are biodegradable for my cloth covers.
   
2. Higher electric bill (since we don't pay for water, luckily we don't have to worry about that expense.
3. Lots of laundry. Luckily since I'm using the covers and inserts instead of the all-in-ones, laundry won't be that bad!
   
4. More burning of fossil fuels for electricity, and more water use.
   

We spent a total of $114 on 6 diaper covers and 10 inserts. We're going to get more inserts once we figure out which ones we like the best. Since the first few weeks babies poop a lot, and because it will be easier on me for the recovery, I bought a pack of newborn pampers, and a pack of size 1 as well. We'll go full swing with cloth diapering once I'm feeling better and once Ruby stops having so many wet diapers in one day. I feel good about it. I'm not trying to kill myself going all out "granola girl" but I'm also trying my best to save money and not clog up the landfills with my child's non-biodegradable diapers.

Activities Committee Co-Chairs

We moved into our new church in may when we moved into our new apartment. We got callings about a month later to be on the activities committee. At our first committee meeting the entire committee told us they were moving, and wouldn't be able to make it to the big camp out on August 13-14. Great! We thought. We have no idea how this particular ward works, etc.

So everyone moves away and a week later we get called to be the co-chairs (the heads) of the activities committee. What? A week before we have activity that we have NO IDEA how to pull off or even where the campsite is located we get called? Why did they call us to such a time intensive calling when I'm do in a month? A million thoughts were going through my head when we heard that we were going to be the new co-chairs.

Soon I realized that everything would work out, because it ALWAYS does. The Lord always prepares a way for us to accomplish what he wants us to do. No matter how big or small the task. So, Sunday we got called, and yesterday was our first activity-just ourselves-no committee. Here's how it went (we were in charge of providing dinner):

• Friday afternoon- Brad and I drive to the church to get coolers out of the shed. They key they gave us doesn't open. Call Bishop.
• We realized we don't have the drinking cooler in the shed. Call bishop.
• Go to closet and get all the paper products.
• Go to costco. Momma Leslie sat down to a slice of pizza and ice cream while brad gets everything on our list. What a superstar!
• Go to sunflower market to get cantaloupes that were on sale for 3 for a dollar!!
• Go to walmart to get all the condiments plus a big container of powdered lemonade.
• Go home, cut up all the tomatoes and onions for the hamburgers.
• As the onions were being cut eyes were tearing noses were running. Those onions were so intense!!!
• Wait for the Relief Society president to bring us the drinking cooler. Fill up the other one in the mean time with ice. Prepare to fill up the RS presidents cooler.
  
• RS President's cooler gets filled up with lemonade and a ton of ice.
• RS President's cooler has a leak. Leslie get's frustrated! Darn these coolers!
• Leslie goes to load up all the light stuff, Brad is sweating his but off heaving the coolers into our little mazda.
• Leslie tries to open the car door and spills the powered lemonade mix all over the road. Leslie laughs. She's too stressed to be mad any more!
  
• Leslie and Brad are running way late, empty the cooler, and head out to the campsite that they don't know where it is. Traffic was so so bad.
• Brad and Leslie get some help unloading the car. Brad grills tons of hamburgers and hot dogs. Leslie cuts up a watermelon and 6 cantaloupes all by herself.
  
• Leslie and Brad are the last ones to eat. They make new friends, which made it all worth it.
  
• Brad and Leslie get home before 10. They are exhausted!! They look to see if their lemonade is still on the road, or if someone guy at the liquor store thought it was crack. Final result:

Hypnobirthing Grads!

Well, if Brad and I aren't graduating from college before we have a baby at least we are official Hypnobirthing Graduates. After the initial shock of how all the pregnant ladies looked so perfect in the first class, I loved it! Here are some insights I have about the whole experience:

• Driving to Murray every Wed. after a long day of classes was really hard. We would leave Provo at 5:30 and be in class from 6:3-9:30. I enjoyed the Wendy's runs after class was over. I always wanted a frosty when I was done hypnobirthing for some strange reason.
• We got a lot for our money. I have looked up doing home study, or being taught by an independent hypno instructor out of their home or birthing center, and it was just way too expensive. I got 4 weeks of 3 hours classes for 150 dollars at the hospital in Murray. Other classes online went for about 300-400 dollars! No thanks!
  
• Having classes in the hospital made it easier to prepare for the birth and learn how to relax in a hospital setting. I'm glad we didn't take classes in someones living room, because I'm not going to deliver my baby in a living room- at least I hope not.
• Speaking of relaxing...Debbie (our instructor) would have us get in a comfortable position on the ground with our pillows and blankets and then she would go through a script (she would read a very imagery full script that would put us into deep relaxation. On the last day Brad was even snoring because he was so relaxed! When I went to scold him, he told me I was twitching and softly moaning like I do right before I go to bed (at least that's what he says I do)!
• Yoga is very complementary to hypnobirthing. Doing yoga squats has helped to open up my pelvis, and the instructor talked about squatting during labor to help give the baby more room to ease down the birth path (they don't say birth canal).
  
• Speaking of "birth path" hypnobirthing has it's own words for labor and birthing. A contraction isn't a contraction, it's a surge. Your husband isn't your birthing coach, but your birthing partner, etc.
  
• Do I know the ultimate outcome of my birth, no! But do I feel confident in my abilities to birth my baby happy and safely, yes!

Brad and I look forward to meeting our little one in a month!

Check out the BIG BELLY!! I think Ruby's coming early!

Monthly Update, since that's all I seem to post on my blog anyway!!!

In three days I'll be officially 32 weeks pregnant. For me that means no more months trips to the midwife! I'll be going every other week--I thought I'd never get to this point, but here I am, ready or not, going to have a baby in 8 weeks or less!

Brad and I started Hypnobirthing classes last Wednesday in Murray. There were a lot of couples there, and most of them were tall, skinny, blonde mormon chicks. It made me mad to see that they were due the same time as me but didn't have a fat face, swollen feet, varicose veins in their legs, and their hair was perfectly done. Oh, and don't forget the makeup! I didn't get the memo that I had to be dressed to impress at these functions! Wearing my jean shorts and black t-shirt made me feel a little out of place!

Our hypnobirthing instructor, Debbie was this petite little women who looked like she could wrestle you to the ground with ease. Don't mess with Debbie!!! She gave us the introduction about how hypnobirthing came to be and why it was so important. All of this took 3 hours, and I was dying in those chairs. So I sat on a yoga ball for some of her lecture, walked around the room, or just stood there and swayed back and forth. I love to move and stand. Sitting for 3 hours is torture to me. Thankfully I wasn't like that lady in front of us who was on bed rest and had to lay on an uncomfortable bench with some pillows she brought from home.

Hypnobirthing uses intense relaxation techniques, dialogs, and affirmations to help you feel calm, and that birthing your baby is a natural process. My "birthing partner" (Brad) and I have to read the book and listen to the rainbow relaxation CD. So far I haven't made it past violet on the rainbow relaxation (the first color on the cd) without falling asleep. I guess the relaxation part is working! I'm sad I can't stay awake, because it was one of my assignments to pick a color that resinated with me so brad could read me that particular color dialouge when I give birth.

So fair my symptoms have shifted a little. I'm no longer super sensitive to smells, and I love that I can cook again. However, I'm still having shortness of breath and a racing heart. My lower back is killing me, and no matter what I do I can't seem to cool down. My varicose veins are getting bigger, and it seems that I now have stretch marks covering my entire body. But, despite all of my discomforts, I'm thankful that my weight gain had tapered off.

Brad and I bought a 2008 Mazda 3. It's a sporty gray color, and brad really likes it. Personally, I'm just glad to have something safer and more reliable for our expanding family!

Ok, that's about it! Brad takes the GRE this coming week, and I'll be done summer term in 3 weeks!!! Let's pray that Ruby holds out until then!

Happy Father's Day/ Happy Little Miracles Day

Friday night into Saturday I lost my phone. Normally that wouldn't be a big big deal to people, but to me it was- and no, not because I'm addicted to it, or because I text too much. It was a big deal because what if people wanted to get up with me, and they couldn't? I don't have a home phone, so it is the main source of communication between me and my family members. Where could it be? I looked through my 50 billion bags (yes, I'm a bag lady), nope! not there. I looked through everything, then said a prayer to Heavenly Father to please help me find my phone, because there was no way I could afford another one.

I sat for a little while doing some work, and then I had a sudden stroke of genius. "Look in the box that the car seat came in." Not doubting, just desperate to locate my phone, I found it!! It was lying in the bottom of the big box that Ruby's car seat came in. Weird. Then I knew exactly how it got in there.

The night before I put my purse on top of the box to look for our ikea card before we went out to buy the last few things we needed for Ruby's nursery. It had to have dropped in then. I asked Brad the next day if we should throw the box away because it was taking up a lot of room. He said wait until she was born. Good idea Bradley, and good thing I listened to him!

Heavenly Father answers even the smallest prayers. Heavenly Father knows all, even when you think you know more, don't question him. I'm thankful that I found my phone. I love those little testimony builders!
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Happy Father's Day!

Brad will kinda sorta be a father on Father's day today. I'm happy about this! For Father's day I'm making stake, baked potatoes, and asparagus. Another couple who we are having over is bringing salad and fruit pizza. It will be delicious.

I'm also letting Brad sleep in. Instead of waking him up, I'm going to let him sleep as late as he wants and then hit up the 11:40 ward instead of our 9am ward.

Happy Father's Day Bradley! I love you and know you'll be a great dad!!!

It's A GIRL!

So, I know that the people who actually read my blog already know this, but since it's not on here, I thought I'd just say that We're having a BABY girl!

Everyone would always ask if we wanted a boy or a girl. That question always startled me because you can't choose what you want, unless you're adopting. Personally, I nor brad didn't care what we were having, as long as it was a healthy and happy baby.



However, now that we're having a girl I'm excited! Here are a few reasons we can't wait!

• frills, purple, and pinks, accessories, and hair bows!!!!!
• dancing, singing, and laughing with her
• playing dress up and dolls
• seeing how she melts brad's heart into a puddle!
• watching brad ALWAYS give her what she wants, within reason of course
• SHOES! Do I have to say more?
• Better and more clothing options!

Week 20! Half Way There!!!

Brad and I have decided to do hypno-birthing classes, and a prenatal class that includes a little breastfeeding education. We're excited!

Possible Name Choices:

• Ruby Kate
• Kate
• Jane
• Monica
• Lilly
• Violet
• Jade

YAY for a little girl!