My kid's gonna have a fluffy butt!

So lets start this blog entry off by saying "I'm over the hump!!!! WOOOO! And it's all down hill from here!" Yep, I know...the third trimester feels like forEVER and I'm going to be uncomfortable and miserable and unable to sleep and the baby's going to break my ribs and it's going to feel like he's trying to escape.

Check, check....BIG OL' CHECK!


But I feel great! And here's the part where somebody pokes their head around the corner and says  "Oooooh just wait until -[insert bad thing here]- starts -[doing something terrible]- and then you'll be -[insert crappy emotion that I don't care about]-" and that's the part where I tell you to stick it up your butt. Oh that's RIGHT I said stick it up yo' BUTT!

Oh I'm mean. But seriously, how about you be happy about the fact that I'm not considering jumping off of a cliff because my nursery wasn't completely finished by my 28th week? Or maybe be happy for me when I say "Hey...if it weren't for the terrible nausea and vomiting and the fact that I share the mid part of my body with a tiny ninja...I'd never know I was pregnant!" Nope....gotta be lame and try to make me freak out.


ONTO FUN THINGS!!!!!

I'm going to tell you a secret :)

Something I've been set on since about the 10th week of my pregnancy but I don't really talk about it, because people seem to have an opinion on it alll...the...time.

I'm using cloth diapers.


I'll give you a second to let that sink in. And then give it a few more minutes for someone to repeat the second paragraph of this post....and for me to give the same answer ;)

[giving you time to go back and read :)]

I'm a hippie at heart...and guess what, I'm also a cheap-o. I'm concerned about my "carbon footprint" as well as the fact that the average parent spends around $2000 using disposable diapers on their bebe. and I can spend about $300 ($500 if I want to splurge,) and just have to do an extra load of laundry once a week. OH! and I can also diaper two kids for that. BOOYAH!

Does this make me better than somebody that uses disposable?...nope. Does it make me a know-it-all or a goody goody....nope.

It's just what I wanna do! And I view it as sort of an adventure! If you're curious....these are NOT the same cloth diapers that they used "back in the day" It's actually just as simple as a disposable. There's just two extra steps in the process...promise! Plus there's less incidence of diaper rash and blahblahblah. Just google it if you don't believe me. :)

I will be using "All-in-ones" and "Pockets" No pins, no folding, just a cute little fuzzy fluffy butt!

and you've GOT TO ADMIT IT!!!! They're freaking cute. 

At this point I've only got 10, I'd like to be at around 25-30 before Baby E makes his arrival. Most cloth diapers don't fit babies under 8 pounds, although some I've found will fit a 6 pounder. But unless I cave and buy the newborn sized cloth (which fit 6-12 pounds) we will be using disposables until he grows into his cloth diapers :) I'm excited! Be excited too dangit! Im particularly fond of the diaper in the front of the photo...as I think it's hilarious that my son will look like he's wearing a diaper made of newspaper!

Curious as to how they work?? Notice the snaps on the front of the diaper, that's what makes these "one-sizes" or "OS" in cloth diaper speak. The snaps allow me to custom fit each diaper to my baby and they grow as he grows!

These are "pocket diapers" meaning that there's a pocket inside where the microfiber insert is placed, which is what makes the diaper absobent. They have a TPU lining...which makes the "shell" waterproof....so don't worry...if you hold my bebe and he pees...he's not going to soak your arm. This eliminates the need for the "rubber covers" that they used back in the day.

And another perk..I'm told...is that the "blow-out" is a myth when using cloth. Any mommy reading this right now, knows exactly what I'm talking about, and I guess we'll put that to the test soon enough!

Here's a few pics for those who might still be confused, or just curious!

Up close of the snaps. All undone, this is the "biggest size" on the diaper.

 

 

All snaps closed, this is the smallest size :) CUUUTE

 

Inside, completely assembled.

Removing the microfiber liner from the "pocket"

Shot of the microfiber liner. One good thing about pocket diapers is they can be "stuffed"

to be adjusted to different levels of absorbency, good for "heavy wetters" etc.



There! Consider yourself educated on cloth diapering, I'm learning as I go...and I plan to share it on here...the joys [and woes] of CD. :) And in case you were wondering, the husband is 100% on board!

 

 

♥  Amanda

Busy Busy Little Bee

That's meeeee.

And for some reason I always feel the need to give myself more to do...I know I'm all crafty and whatnot; sometimes, however, my craftiness gets ahead of my common sense and I take on something I'm not able to handle.

I was going to make my shower invites.

They were SOOOO CUUUUUTE TOO!
Because they matched my nursery theme....and I was so thrilled. Until I started my guest list. I had thirty names...then my mother-in-law had about 20...and I'm pretty sure my mom will have about 20 to add onto that. Soooooo I'm a little too busy to hand make 70 invitations. Even with my fancy schmancy cricut.
I feel like a big "Lahoooo-sa-heer" for even wasting the paper on the 15 that I managed to take together before I had a panic attack on how it took me a day and a half to manage that and the invites need to be ready in two weeks and blahblahblahblah.

Okay! So THAT project has been cancelled!

But weren't they cuuuuuute?

Crappy cell phone pic. [craft fail]

SO! I decided to go with the invitation that I had originally picked out. Not elephant related....however, that's okay. Because the shower theme will still be the same as the nursery :)

[Had to black some things out,

don't think Mum wants her phone number out there

for the world to see haha!]

We're also putting an insert with each invitation asking the guests to bring a childrens book (one that costs no more than an average greeting card) instead of a card, that way Baby E will have a wicked library! And so everytime I read to him I can talk to him about the person that bought him the book. :)
Here's the insert

Oh well! Now that you know I'm a craft quiter we can all move on now can't we?

♥ A

Update-a-rooni

So, I haven't updated because I'm a bad blogger. This has been established already, no?

I guess I owe anyone who actually reads this a wee bit of an apology...I've been busy, and sick, and busy while sick, and sick of being busy, as well as being sick of being sick!

They started me on Reglan at my last appointment. Now's the time for everybody to freak out, right?
Wrong. Those commercials you see are warning against people who have used Reglan for an extended period of time (years) and it causes tardive dyskinesia. Google it.

There are absolutely no adverse effects on baby :) I made sure I asked when she prescribed it, then I did some research of my own!

But anywhooooo. The Reglan was amazing, for a few weeks. I finally was able to eat without feeling like a stuffed cow for 8 hours afterwards, and FINALLY had an appetite! AANNNNDDDD (drum roll) I didn't throw up for a whole week! Which was something non of my other anti-emetics had managed to boast.

aaaaaaa-mazing.
But in hyperemesis world all good things must come to an end and this applies more so than anything with medications. It stopped working.

Don't get me wrong. I'm doing better than I -would- be without any medication. But it wasn't the amazing magical cure I was hoping for.  WOOOOE is me. So I'm sickly this week. This week will go down on the books as a "bad" week. Not the worst by far...just....bad. I guess what made it so bad is I got my hopes up that I was finally going to be able to function like a normal human who doesn't carry a puke bag in the car "just in case" and doesn't always travel in the right lane so that pulling over quickly is always an option....

and who isn't required to carry a toothbrush, toothpaste and listerine in her purse....

At least I'm a hygenic super puker! Right?

Ugh.


Lets talk about something fun!! [and not disgusting]

We finally have bedding picked out! I ordered it from BabySuperMall.com Amazing awesome site.

It's Carters Green Elephant :)

And we also have a name picked out, FINALLY. But guess what? It's a secret! OHHHHH!  I'm so dirty.

The baby's name won't be told until delivery day :) "Sowwy!" It's just something that Dustin and I have "just for us"

Who knows, maybe we'll cave. My husband does have quite the gossip-mouth.


♥ ~A

Uterus of Steel.

I'm trying to be good and update at least once a week (and I missed last week)....which is hard to do when your life is about as exciting as....well it's just so boring I can't even think of an adequate analogy okay?


The Jets don't get to go to the Super Bowl which means there's a dark cloud hanging over the Edwards home at present. Baby E will not be wearing his official Jets onsie home from the hospital as planned....as he may shrivel from shame before we can get him home. ;)


I would looooove to not mention heaving in one blog post. But, SORRY! I got all cocky and thought I didn't need to take my meds anymore, so I didn't get my script refilled.....after two days of misery I decided that I'm a moron, and I now will be taking them religiously. I'm officially one of those pathetic weiners that will be sick the entire pregnancy and I've accepted it!! I only have a "few" more weeks of the second trimester left and supposedly morning sickness "can come back" in the third....so I will be vomiting until Baby E makes his grand appearance. Lets just say I've been blessed in other departments because as far as all other pregnancy stuff goes I'm a rockstar!!! If it weren't for endless vomity-ness I wouldn't even know I was pregnant. (so far)  -The end-


OH! But lets talk about something exciting shall we??? I FINALLY am feeling movement....I was depressed and thinking that perhaps my uterus was plated with steel and that I would never feel "flutters" "kicks" anything...then all the sudden I feel "things" and find myself having an internal dialogue of "was that a kick or gas?" Never in my life did I think that I would ever have to ask myself that question; "Foot or fart?"


oh that's right....I went there.


Needless to say! It was a foot....because at the 21 week mark Baby E decided to upgrade from granny-style Tai-Bo flutters to Jui-Jitsu style ninja flips and kicks. He's a kung-fu master.


I always get the "Isn't it soooo amaaaaazing????" Question. And to be honest...it's the most awesome, crazy and weirdest thing I ever felt in my life....I've yet to say "Awwwww" I kept saying "That's the strangest feeling EVER." That's not saying it's NOT amazing....it's just really weird too!


My only awww moment was when he decided he didn't like me poking around on my stomach and kicked my hand away. HELLO! 


Lets end this post with an obligatory belly shot and a pregnancy survey :) This shot is 21 weeks exacly...I think, and don't be judging....the "junk" room is the only room with a full length mirror.

Huge-Bell-EEE

Survey-


How far along?  22 weeks on Saturday (21 weeks 5days for those of you that don't like math)


Total weight gain/loss: as of January 6th I had gained one pound!! WOOT!


Maternity clothes? Yes, I caved at the 19 week mark and bought a Bella Band and a couple Maternity pants and two shirts. I refuse to buy any more!! That crap's waaaaaay too expensive!!!


Stretch marks? Not unless you count the ones from puberty!


Sleep: Is very stange right now! Sometimes I could sleep for two days straight, sometimes not at all.


Best moment this week: getting my hand nudged, and feeling like there's a squirrel in there.


Movement: See above!!! LOTS OF MOVEMENT!! :) Finally!


Food cravings: I hate food :( I wish I craved more stuff!


Gender: Boy!


Labour signs: ummm no


Belly button in or out? Innie, I was 100 % sure it would stay that way due to it's cave like nature, but I can actually push on it a little...and it inverts. CREEEEPY


What I am looking forward to: Hearing the heartbeat again at the next appointment, and for this morning sickness to stop kicking my ass!!! Please?!?!?? No? Okay then....


Milestones: Finally feeling movement after being convinced that I had a uterus of steel and would never feel Baby E, finding out the gender, Feeling that one little itty bitty kick on my hand :)




♥ A

I've been feeling crafty.

Blame it on the hormones.
I've been feeling especially crafty. After I saw someone on my facebook page (Chelsea to be exact!!) made a sock monkey...I got an itchy sewing finger to try it on my own!


After a trial run with a pair of Dustin's old worn out socks, I traveled to the store and bought boo-koos of socks to make cute ones!!!


The first victim was Allison, my sister-in-law! She chose the pink and green socks and away we went. The end result although slightly creepy (but aren't all sock monkey just a little strange?), was very cute!

The blue and white striped socks are being saved for Baby E, I'll post pictures when I get those done, and I have plans to make little Elaina (a friends oober cute child) one as well....both of these will NOT have buttons for eyes, as they pose a choking hazzard, so I'm still in the process of trying to think of ways to do the eyes without them looking creepy as all get out!!!!! (Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!)


Amazingly enough there are hundreds of animals you can make with socks! Who knew. This kid is making me creative....




I also found a pattern for making baby leg warmers!!! Woot!  Good thing I'm having a boy or I'd be whipping out the bow patterns. The problem with my craftiness is that it's intermittent. I'll usually spend an entire day at the sewing machine or on a scrapbook, etc...and then never touch it for another month. Maybe I should ration the crafty? Who knows. All I know is I don't think I could ever get to the point where I could steadily sell things I make, as I don't do it often enough to make a profit!


What else did I do this week?!???

[epic duck face]

I hung out with my brother and we compared belly sizes.


I think I win :)

[and this is the part where you say "OMGEEE YUR HUUUUGE!!!!!" and I pinch your face off!]

oh and I also just realized I didn't have anonymous commenting in place on my bloggarrooooo. So now you DON'T have to have a gmail address to comment....I don't think. Or maybe you do....just try it!

 

♥ A

Congratulations!! It's an.....exhibitionist!!!

Okay,
Allow me to repent for my dirty evil ways....of building up excitement for my super gender scan and then never posting another update.


Let me explaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiin!!!!!!


On the day of the big scan-our interwebs died. This led to a large debate with Time Warner....mostly about how they are stupid. Long story short we ended up switching to Verizon, and it just got re-established.
ANYWAY!!!!!!




I was always terrified that I would be the poor woman with the child that kept their legs clinched tight in utero, never giving a glimpse of the goods, that my baby would be terrified of medical nudity in the way that I always was (the thought of disrobing monthly at a doctors appointment was enough for me to prevent pregnancy as a young adult.) I was convinced that I would drive myself crazy for 9 months wondering if there was a tiny doodle or a ding-dong (yes I'm four) growing in my uterus and I would be forced to buy all gender neutral clothing. (I sound so vain!)


But it's true.


So.....anybody ever seen Varsity Blues??? (This has a point I promise). If you have, and I'm not just sleep deprived, there's a point in the movie where the old men in the diner are discussing the shenanigans of the drunken football players the nights before. At some point in the conversation the phrase "Weiners?!?!? Pressed against the glass?!?!?" Gets uttered.


Just "marinate" on that.


Here I am, all excited, trying to not act like the ultrasound tech attempting to push the ultrasound wand through my stomach and into the table below isn't at all uncomfortable, she mutters "I think I see boy parts."


and that's it! No "It's a Boy!!!" nothing. I start to panic because I'm thinking "Lady, I can't go to Old Navy and annihilate the clearance rack on a "I think."


About that time Baby E decides he's tired of playing mind games.


Hence the phrase "Weiners....pressed against the glass?!?!?!?"
It looked like my son decided to moon us by pressing his butt against a flat pane of glass....nice. I'm having an exhibitionist! A BOY exhibitionist!!

Not a prude like mommy

Okay.

Is it weird to say that I feel awkward showing my sons 2-D goods on the internet??? Because I kinda do! Ah, let's compromise with a cute foot shot!!!!

And lets just add one more with a disclaimer....I love this baby more than anything!!! I sometimes get scolded for my laissez faire, sarcastic view on pregnancy. But why should me being pregnant be any different than anything else in life. I refuse to be one of those pregnant women that change everything about their personality simply because they're pregnant....it irritates me.

Now that that's out there.

Doesn't anybody else on the planet think that a front shot of the baby's face on ultrasound looks like Skelator from He-Man???

ADMIT IT!!!!!!

and then I'll admit to you that this is the only time I've ever looked at Skelator and said "AWWWWWWWWWWWW!"

♥ ~A



Two days and 3 1/2 hours...but who's counting right?

Things are looking up on the homefront. I'm finally managing to be excited about being pregnant!! I don't think I had "unrealistic expectations" but I wasn't expecting things to be quite the battle that they have been in the past 10 weeks. I was always aware that pregnancy was not all baby kicks and belly pics. But I wasn't prepared for the onslaught of headaches, back pain, heartburn, puking, and a lot of other things that I won't blog about because I'm a "laaayddeeee."


This isn't saying that I was expecting pregnancy to be a breeze, because I WASN'T. So don't you "I told you so-ers" even open your fat little mouths! Actually, never once did I expect it to be "easy," but I certainly don't think that anyone expects to be hospitalized and the other things that I've experienced, so I think my feelings are normal and perfectly understandable. Now that this Dr. Phil moment is over...


Onto the fun part of my post.


One thing I was NOT made aware of is that apparently people take pregnancy as an open invitation for insults. Old women think that "You're having a girl because your rear-end is soooo wide" and "Your nose is spreading out, must be a BOY!" are perfectly acceptable comments to make to a perfect stranger once they find out there's a tiny human nesting in your abdomen. If you didn't know that I was pregnant would you randomly walk up to me and say "WOOOOOAAAAAAHHHHH huge butt! How's it going?" Or "Hey big nose, how's the weather?"


ummmmmm.....no.


I don't walk up to random people and tell them they're huge. You shouldn't either. The next time someone tells me I'm huge and must be carrying twins I'm just going to say "No....I'm just really fat and I had finally made a breakthrough in therapy about accepting my weight problem...thanks for setting me back 3 months." Then just watch them get uncomfortable and then try to stammer their way out of it.




That might seem mean....but if you don't want me to make you feel like jerk, then maybe you shouldn't make me feel like the Goodyear blimp. Deal??


In other news, my brother is coming in from Norfolk tonight! Even though I won't get to see him until Thursday probably. But thursday is also the BIG DAY!!!! It's ultrasound day!! WOOT! Time to see if I'm toting an xx or an xy, hamburger or a hotdog, sausage-fest or a taco party!!!




I have no new pics so I leave you one of Leia being confused by my old laptop.

"I confused!! Where is key for Beggin' Strips?!?!?"

 ♥ ~A