I decided to hold a yard sale this year. All I can think is what was I thinking?! Also, where did all of this crap come from?
Having moved multiple times in the past several years, 4 times in 4 years, we have accrued a lot of "stuff". With each move, I have tried to weed out by either throwing stuff out or donating, but for some reason it is like a pair of rabbits, and multiplies way faster than I can deal with. The sad thing is that half of our "stuff" is still in Oregon. If we ever get moved back up there I can tell you I will probably be holding another huge yard sale for clearing out all of junk up there.
With having 3 kids now, I am amazed at how much "stuff" they have. I know that my husband and I don't buy many toys for them, and if we do its little hot wheel cars. Small being key. And NOT noisy! The kids have so many toys that they don't even know what to do with all of it. I try to go through some of them when the kids go to bed, but its hard because by that time I'm usually ready for bed also! I have made a small pile of toys. My thinking is that I take out a couple of toys every few days, they won't notice anything missing at all. If you don't have kids, than you won't understand, but those little buggers KNOW what toys they have and will sometimes ask for a toy that broke or got thrown out over a year ago because they want to play with it RIGHT NOW! I play stupid. Seems to be working so far.
One thing I have found helpful with getting ready for this yard sale is that I have started early getting stuff cleaned out and organized and priced, like over a month ago started. That's half the battle right? The only crummy part is that I don't really have many friends and family around that could help me set up, but I'll just force my husband into slave labor...hehe! We have already gone through everything in the house that needed to be re-organized and cleaned out. Still amazed at the amount of stuff that I found we don't need or use anymore. This weekend we will try to tackle the shed and get it cleaned, because it needs it done and try to get rid of the stuff that we don't need or want anymore out of there. Not to mention evicting all of the spiders, scorpions, and cockroaches out of the shed. I just hope that I make enough money to make this endeavor worth my time and energy.
The ultimate goal of this whole yard sale thing is to make enough money to help pay off some debt. Mostly hospital bills from when L was born. Did you know they charge over $20 per pill of ibuprofen?! If I had known that I would have snuck in my own pills. Crazy stuff. I'm just glad I didn't actually have her at the hospital, otherwise the bills probably would have been 3x as high as they are now, even with insurance. The one bill I still haven't gotten is the ambulance ride. Hoping that I met our deductible with everything else that I won't have to pay. Wishful thinking right?!
Anyways, back to the yard sale. I will post updates after I have the darn thing. Wish me luck!
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Homemade Banana Bagels
Everyone in the house had been craving bagels, but with us trying to cut back on our budget by only buying the basics, store bought bagels are on the "no-no" list. So I went on my hunt over the internet and Pinterest to try and find a decent bagel recipe that I could throw everything into my bread machine and let it do all of the hard work of mixing and rising. The recipes that I found made the bagels super hard, chewy, and HEAVY. They still tasted good, but with the threat of breaking all of our teeth I decided to do an experiment with a couple of recipes mashed together to form my own version.
I'm really bad about temperature of the water, I just judge it by feel and as long as it is warmer than my hand/wrist I call it good and use that. In practice, I believe that the water is supposed to be around 105 degrees to 110 degrees, whatever the standard is for making bread. For this recipe you will need a fairly large bread machine, or at least one with a 2 lb loaf capacity because this dough rises a lot.
So you basically just add the ingredients listed in order to the machine:
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups warm water
2 T Honey
1 T Avocado Oil (you can probably use any oil, but I prefer avocado)
2 tsp salt
4 tsp sugar
4 to 5 cups of Bread Flour (depending on how wet the dough looks after its started mixing in the bread machine, I always start with 4 and add more as needed)
1 to 2 tsp Cinnamon (I like cinnamon, so I did 2 and it tastes great!)
1 to 2 bananas (I sliced lengthwise and than cut it up into chunks from there)
2 1/4 tsp yeast
I place the bananas around the edges of the pan. It worked well for me. Also, I always make a little well in the flour for the yeast to sit, not sure if it matters, but it makes me feel better. After you have added the ingredients, turn your machine on to the dough setting and let it go!
Once done, the dough should be fluffy and very sticky, which I would recommend turning the dough out onto a lightly floured surface so you can make your dough rings easier. Pull and roll the dough into 12-13 balls or if you like bigger bagels, 7-8 balls. Roll like you used to with play-doh to make a snake as a child. Try to get your "snake" about 8-9 inches long. Wrap around one hand making sure to have a good 1 inch plus overlap and seal the bagel up into the bagel ring shape.
Let the dough rest, covered with a towel to help prevent drying out for 10 minutes. About this time you can start preheating the oven to 425 degrees and getting a pot of water set to boil. Also, highly recommend using parchment paper on the cookie sheets with a thin spray of oil to help the bagels not stick to them. Boil the bagels on each side for 15-30 seconds and than take them out to dry before placing on the cookie sheet. Make sure there is enough room in your pot of water for them to float free, like the picture below.
I'm really bad about temperature of the water, I just judge it by feel and as long as it is warmer than my hand/wrist I call it good and use that. In practice, I believe that the water is supposed to be around 105 degrees to 110 degrees, whatever the standard is for making bread. For this recipe you will need a fairly large bread machine, or at least one with a 2 lb loaf capacity because this dough rises a lot.
So you basically just add the ingredients listed in order to the machine:
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups warm water
2 T Honey
1 T Avocado Oil (you can probably use any oil, but I prefer avocado)
2 tsp salt
4 tsp sugar
4 to 5 cups of Bread Flour (depending on how wet the dough looks after its started mixing in the bread machine, I always start with 4 and add more as needed)
1 to 2 tsp Cinnamon (I like cinnamon, so I did 2 and it tastes great!)
1 to 2 bananas (I sliced lengthwise and than cut it up into chunks from there)
2 1/4 tsp yeast
I place the bananas around the edges of the pan. It worked well for me. Also, I always make a little well in the flour for the yeast to sit, not sure if it matters, but it makes me feel better. After you have added the ingredients, turn your machine on to the dough setting and let it go!
Ready to go in the bread machine! Looks yummy already!
Once done, the dough should be fluffy and very sticky, which I would recommend turning the dough out onto a lightly floured surface so you can make your dough rings easier. Pull and roll the dough into 12-13 balls or if you like bigger bagels, 7-8 balls. Roll like you used to with play-doh to make a snake as a child. Try to get your "snake" about 8-9 inches long. Wrap around one hand making sure to have a good 1 inch plus overlap and seal the bagel up into the bagel ring shape.
It's so FLUFFY!
Let the dough rest, covered with a towel to help prevent drying out for 10 minutes. About this time you can start preheating the oven to 425 degrees and getting a pot of water set to boil. Also, highly recommend using parchment paper on the cookie sheets with a thin spray of oil to help the bagels not stick to them. Boil the bagels on each side for 15-30 seconds and than take them out to dry before placing on the cookie sheet. Make sure there is enough room in your pot of water for them to float free, like the picture below.
Boiling away!
Bake them 10 mins, than rotate the sheet around and bake another 5-10 minutes, or until golden brown on top. This amount of dough should make anywhere from 8 big bagels to 12 or 13 small to medium bagels. It's up to you how large you want them.
This batch had 13 bagels, but the kids love them fresh out of the oven after they have cooled off a bit and gobbled them up!
You could also make this same recipe with blueberries. They are so yummy and I reduced the cinnamon for the blueberry recipe to 1 tsp, but you can keep it at 2 tsp if you like the cinnamon stronger.
And that is about it! Enjoy!
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Wednesday, July 20, 2016
5 Tips for First-Time Moms
Just had my third baby in May. (You can read about that adventure here.) Needless to say, I have had, I think, a wide variety of different birthing experiences. From being induced early because of high blood pressure with my first, "Sunny-Side-Up" with my second, to not even making it out of the house with my third. The one major kind of birth I did not experience, thankfully because I've had enough surgeries, was a c-section.
I know this doesn't make me an expert on the subject, but I feel like I have some advice for new moms pregnant with their first child.
1. Sleep now, while you can!
I know this piece of advice is practically shoved down first-time moms throats, but it is a good one. With three kids now, I don't get more than 5 hours of sleep at night, and that is only if I'm lucky. One or more is usually up and not wanting to sleep. I also understand that once your pregnancy gets down to the end it is almost impossible to sleep because of being so big and uncomfortable. Insomnia seems to be the boss with a lot of pregnant women, I know I was no exception. If you can, try to catch a catnap or two during the day or week. The more sleep and rest you get the better for when you are in labor and can't sleep or rest! Don't worry about the dishes or laundry getting done, have the hubby or your significant other do them for a change. Let go of the control so you can get some rest.
2. Drink plenty of fluids
Another piece of advice that I hated because you already have to pee every 5 seconds, this will only make it worse! But trust me on this, you do not want to be dehydrated while pregnant. All kinds of bad things happen. And don't drink a lot of soda or caffeine (it only makes dehydration worse). They are tasty at the time, but your body may not like you later for it. Water is good for you and baby, just have to keep reminding yourself that you are water boarding yourself for the baby.
3. Don't over do it!
As a new mom, the excitement of setting up the nursery, washing all of the baby laundry, and sometimes even painting and remodeling the nursery can all be attributed to "nesting". This is all good for you as long as you don't try to do everything in one weekend. If you do it could come back to bite you in the ass later in the form of pre-term labor or just really bad Braxton Hicks contractions. Let other people help you! And don't do what I did with my second pregnancy and move twice! Although we didn't have a choice at the time, I sure wish I had asked for more help at the time. I hurt so bad for a week after each move. Don't be like me! If you have family or friends that have offered to help clean or set-up the nursery with you, don't hesitate to cash in on it!
4. Freezer meals=Life savers!
Who really wants to cook right after they have had a baby? Not me! I tried to prepare ahead of time, things that I could throw into the crock pot or oven really easily and that would still be really healthy and tasty for the whole family. I was lucky with my last two pregnancies that I had my mom and grandmother down from Oregon to help out so I didn't have to do too much cooking or cleaning while they were here. It helped a lot and they made sure the fridge and freezer were stocked with foods we could just throw in the microwave or oven and reheat for a quick meal. When you are in the trenches with a newborn, cooking and eating take a back seat and it's hard to get up the energy to even take a shower, let alone cook a meal for your family. So do yourself a favor and prepare some food now so you won't be starving later on.
5. Relax
The last piece of advice is to just relax. Your body knows what it's doing most of the time when it comes to pregnancy and labor so don't stress too much. Sometimes nature takes over and you don't have to worry about anything except trying to get to the hospital on time. When the contractions do start, don't fight them. The pain sucks, but try to keep in mind why you are in pain, and the prize that will await you when you are done pushing. So when you are having a contraction try to breathe deeply and slowly and relax, don't tense up. This advice really helped me with my last birth, maybe a little too well, but everything worked out for the best so no big deal.
That's it. That's my advice. It's not much, but as a new pregnant mommies are bombarded by advice all day long, so I figured I would keep my list short and to the point. Hopefully it helped, or at least gave you some ideas on how to deal with first time pregnancy, or even your second or third! I know I constantly read articles throughout all of my pregnancies and it is fun to see the different ideas other people have. Just remember, that every person is different and so is every pregnancy. What works for one may not work for another, but having extra ideas is a great start.
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I know this doesn't make me an expert on the subject, but I feel like I have some advice for new moms pregnant with their first child.
1. Sleep now, while you can!
I know this piece of advice is practically shoved down first-time moms throats, but it is a good one. With three kids now, I don't get more than 5 hours of sleep at night, and that is only if I'm lucky. One or more is usually up and not wanting to sleep. I also understand that once your pregnancy gets down to the end it is almost impossible to sleep because of being so big and uncomfortable. Insomnia seems to be the boss with a lot of pregnant women, I know I was no exception. If you can, try to catch a catnap or two during the day or week. The more sleep and rest you get the better for when you are in labor and can't sleep or rest! Don't worry about the dishes or laundry getting done, have the hubby or your significant other do them for a change. Let go of the control so you can get some rest.
2. Drink plenty of fluids
Another piece of advice that I hated because you already have to pee every 5 seconds, this will only make it worse! But trust me on this, you do not want to be dehydrated while pregnant. All kinds of bad things happen. And don't drink a lot of soda or caffeine (it only makes dehydration worse). They are tasty at the time, but your body may not like you later for it. Water is good for you and baby, just have to keep reminding yourself that you are water boarding yourself for the baby.
3. Don't over do it!
As a new mom, the excitement of setting up the nursery, washing all of the baby laundry, and sometimes even painting and remodeling the nursery can all be attributed to "nesting". This is all good for you as long as you don't try to do everything in one weekend. If you do it could come back to bite you in the ass later in the form of pre-term labor or just really bad Braxton Hicks contractions. Let other people help you! And don't do what I did with my second pregnancy and move twice! Although we didn't have a choice at the time, I sure wish I had asked for more help at the time. I hurt so bad for a week after each move. Don't be like me! If you have family or friends that have offered to help clean or set-up the nursery with you, don't hesitate to cash in on it!
4. Freezer meals=Life savers!
Who really wants to cook right after they have had a baby? Not me! I tried to prepare ahead of time, things that I could throw into the crock pot or oven really easily and that would still be really healthy and tasty for the whole family. I was lucky with my last two pregnancies that I had my mom and grandmother down from Oregon to help out so I didn't have to do too much cooking or cleaning while they were here. It helped a lot and they made sure the fridge and freezer were stocked with foods we could just throw in the microwave or oven and reheat for a quick meal. When you are in the trenches with a newborn, cooking and eating take a back seat and it's hard to get up the energy to even take a shower, let alone cook a meal for your family. So do yourself a favor and prepare some food now so you won't be starving later on.
5. Relax
The last piece of advice is to just relax. Your body knows what it's doing most of the time when it comes to pregnancy and labor so don't stress too much. Sometimes nature takes over and you don't have to worry about anything except trying to get to the hospital on time. When the contractions do start, don't fight them. The pain sucks, but try to keep in mind why you are in pain, and the prize that will await you when you are done pushing. So when you are having a contraction try to breathe deeply and slowly and relax, don't tense up. This advice really helped me with my last birth, maybe a little too well, but everything worked out for the best so no big deal.
That's it. That's my advice. It's not much, but as a new pregnant mommies are bombarded by advice all day long, so I figured I would keep my list short and to the point. Hopefully it helped, or at least gave you some ideas on how to deal with first time pregnancy, or even your second or third! I know I constantly read articles throughout all of my pregnancies and it is fun to see the different ideas other people have. Just remember, that every person is different and so is every pregnancy. What works for one may not work for another, but having extra ideas is a great start.
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Thursday, July 14, 2016
The End of an Era
Now that I am going into the second month with my third baby, L, I am beginning to have a lot of mixed emotions. On one hand I am very happy to be done with being pregnant and going through labor and all of the mess and pain that comes with it. But on the other hand, I am sad because I know I won't have anymore squishy newborns to cuddle and rock to sleep and nurse.
I will be turning 30 years old this year and it is really hard to believe that I am completely done with having kids. My mind is continually battling my heart for my emotions and thoughts on this subject and it is really hard to tell who is winning some days. I love being a mom to my three babies, but it is very hard watching them grow up and become more and more independent. A part of me would love to have more babies, but a stronger part of me says "Hell no!" Thankfully, the sane part of my brain wins the argument, but the heartache of being done is still there and probably will be for awhile.
The more independent my kids become, the less they need their mommy. It is one of those horrible catch-22's where you want your child to grow up and be successful and not need you, but you also don't want them to grow up and still need you for everything. Knowing that they are able to conquer more tasks each day means that you are doing your job as a parent right, but breaks your heart in the process.
My oldest son just turned 4 years old and is finally potty training (I know he's older than normal, but what is "normal" anyway?!). Watching him grow into this little person who can do these simple tasks already is so awesome for a parent to see! I am so proud of him for the person he is becoming and yet sad that he is growing up so fast. It feels like he was L's size just yesterday, and I was a brand new mommy with no freaking clue as to what I was doing. Now I'm handling 3 kids on my own when Daddy is at work with hardly any problem and drinking lots of coffee to keep up at times!
Parents grow right along with their children and don't even know it is happening. I think we only realize how much we change after our kids hit certain milestones in their lives. It is at those times that we look around and go, "Holy crap, I taught them that! Guess I haven't screwed them up as bad as I thought!" Because, let's face it, that is one of the biggest fears a parent has with their kids. I know that it is one of mine.
The end of this era means that I, and my husband, are now moving into a new and exciting time when soon we won't have to worry about diapers, but instead sports practice or music lessons along with school and hopefully 4-H. It is exciting for us to think about, but scary at the same time. Once again, it is a an era that we are not familiar with and are just so positive that we are going to ruin something with our kids that I think we will have to remind ourselves to stop and enjoy the moment before it is lost to the next era.
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I will be turning 30 years old this year and it is really hard to believe that I am completely done with having kids. My mind is continually battling my heart for my emotions and thoughts on this subject and it is really hard to tell who is winning some days. I love being a mom to my three babies, but it is very hard watching them grow up and become more and more independent. A part of me would love to have more babies, but a stronger part of me says "Hell no!" Thankfully, the sane part of my brain wins the argument, but the heartache of being done is still there and probably will be for awhile.
The more independent my kids become, the less they need their mommy. It is one of those horrible catch-22's where you want your child to grow up and be successful and not need you, but you also don't want them to grow up and still need you for everything. Knowing that they are able to conquer more tasks each day means that you are doing your job as a parent right, but breaks your heart in the process.
My oldest son just turned 4 years old and is finally potty training (I know he's older than normal, but what is "normal" anyway?!). Watching him grow into this little person who can do these simple tasks already is so awesome for a parent to see! I am so proud of him for the person he is becoming and yet sad that he is growing up so fast. It feels like he was L's size just yesterday, and I was a brand new mommy with no freaking clue as to what I was doing. Now I'm handling 3 kids on my own when Daddy is at work with hardly any problem and drinking lots of coffee to keep up at times!
Parents grow right along with their children and don't even know it is happening. I think we only realize how much we change after our kids hit certain milestones in their lives. It is at those times that we look around and go, "Holy crap, I taught them that! Guess I haven't screwed them up as bad as I thought!" Because, let's face it, that is one of the biggest fears a parent has with their kids. I know that it is one of mine.
The end of this era means that I, and my husband, are now moving into a new and exciting time when soon we won't have to worry about diapers, but instead sports practice or music lessons along with school and hopefully 4-H. It is exciting for us to think about, but scary at the same time. Once again, it is a an era that we are not familiar with and are just so positive that we are going to ruin something with our kids that I think we will have to remind ourselves to stop and enjoy the moment before it is lost to the next era.
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Saturday, July 9, 2016
I Hate that Bird
"The early bird catches the worm"....That bird can suck it.
It is just my luck that I have 2 children with polar opposite schedules when it comes to sleep. TT goes to bed relatively early, anytime between 7 and 8 at night. Our newest addition, L, doesn't go to "bed" until about 11 or 12 at night. Which wouldn't be that bad except for the fact that TT wakes up anytime between 4 and 6 in the morning! So I get anywhere from 4 to 6 hours of sleep, usually less because of feedings during the night for L.
I stumble around the house for about an hour before I'm awake enough after getting up to do anything even remotely productive. Even than, I don't get much done until about noon. With 3 kids, cat naps are hard to get because I close my eyes for a second and one of them is into something they aren't supposed to be touching or playing with. TT can be super quiet when he is being naughty and I won't find the aftermath until I step in it. Literally. Found a tore up green chili pepper the other day. No clue where he got it. He's just that good.
Love my babies, but I swear they love being mean to their mommy for fun. Coffee has always been my best friend, but I'm beginning to think it's turning into an unhealthy relationship! I admit it, I stalk my coffee pot. And I think it likes it!
Not only does TT wake up early and L goes to bed so late, but add R with his bad 4 year old (can't believe he just turned 4!) attitude into the mix and it makes for some very interesting days. If R wakes up before 7 am, I know that my day is shot and to prepare myself for the fact that I will be fighting him on EVERYTHING for the rest of the day. His attitude sucks and he turns into me when I was that age. Thanks mom and dad for wishing a child like me, on me when I grew up...really freaking appreciate it! NOT!
However, even when they all wake me up earlier than I would like in the mornings it is nice to see their happy faces and how much they love spending time with their momma. Even if she is barely human before her first cup of coffee.
I love them all so much and wouldn't trade the early mornings for anything....well maybe a little more sleep, but that will come later.
That worm can live another day, this momma is too tired to try and catch it.
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It is just my luck that I have 2 children with polar opposite schedules when it comes to sleep. TT goes to bed relatively early, anytime between 7 and 8 at night. Our newest addition, L, doesn't go to "bed" until about 11 or 12 at night. Which wouldn't be that bad except for the fact that TT wakes up anytime between 4 and 6 in the morning! So I get anywhere from 4 to 6 hours of sleep, usually less because of feedings during the night for L.
I stumble around the house for about an hour before I'm awake enough after getting up to do anything even remotely productive. Even than, I don't get much done until about noon. With 3 kids, cat naps are hard to get because I close my eyes for a second and one of them is into something they aren't supposed to be touching or playing with. TT can be super quiet when he is being naughty and I won't find the aftermath until I step in it. Literally. Found a tore up green chili pepper the other day. No clue where he got it. He's just that good.
Love my babies, but I swear they love being mean to their mommy for fun. Coffee has always been my best friend, but I'm beginning to think it's turning into an unhealthy relationship! I admit it, I stalk my coffee pot. And I think it likes it!
Not only does TT wake up early and L goes to bed so late, but add R with his bad 4 year old (can't believe he just turned 4!) attitude into the mix and it makes for some very interesting days. If R wakes up before 7 am, I know that my day is shot and to prepare myself for the fact that I will be fighting him on EVERYTHING for the rest of the day. His attitude sucks and he turns into me when I was that age. Thanks mom and dad for wishing a child like me, on me when I grew up...really freaking appreciate it! NOT!
However, even when they all wake me up earlier than I would like in the mornings it is nice to see their happy faces and how much they love spending time with their momma. Even if she is barely human before her first cup of coffee.
I love them all so much and wouldn't trade the early mornings for anything....well maybe a little more sleep, but that will come later.
That worm can live another day, this momma is too tired to try and catch it.
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Monday, July 4, 2016
One crazy night in May
I will put a warning up at the very beginning of this post because the birth of my third child was a bit...messy. For anyone that has never seen an animal or a person giving birth or had children yourself, I would recommend skipping this post.
The anticipated arrival of our baby girl was fast approaching. I drove by myself to pick up my mom and grandmother from the airport 2 days before my due date and didn't have any problems other than the massive rain storm I had to battle to get there. The days leading up to my due date, I felt nothing other than super pregnant and uncomfortable, but no contractions or any signs that I could see of baby coming sooner.
The day before my due date, I took myself, my mom, grandmother, and both of my sons to town to do a little last minute shopping and, as my grandmother said, "to walk that baby out". We did a ton of walking at the store and at home. Still nothing. No contractions, nothing.
We all ate dinner, took showers, and went to bed finally about 10 pm that night. I woke up an hour and a half later with severe stomach pains. My mind thought that it was maybe something I ate earlier so I got up and started walking around. As my sleep fog started to clear and I noticed that the pain had a very distinct pattern, I started to time them. The pain lasted about 30 seconds to a minute and was a minute apart! Oh crap!
All of a sudden the house became very busy. I woke my husband and told him it was time to go. So he instantly jumps out of bed to get dressed. In the time it took me to walk from his side of the bed to mine to throw a few last minute things in the suitcase, my water broke all over the floor. In my previous two pregnancies that usually meant that baby was very close to being born. I screamed for hubby to grab me a towel and managed to waddle to the bathroom to strip my soaked clothes off.
I sat down on the toilet while I took a breather in between contractions and at this time I could hear my mom and grandmother moving around outside the bathroom door asking if I needed anything before we left for the hospital. I asked if they could grab me some new shorts and undies since I forgot to grab some before I waddled into the bathroom. My mom appeared in the bathroom a minute later and said to let her know when I was ready to go to the pickup and she would help me.
Keep in mind this is all happening in the 5-10 minutes since I woke my hubby at about 12:15 am. About this time hubby and my mom were outside finishing loading the stuff up for the trip to the hospital, when all of a sudden I started to scream and felt the most intense pain of my life. Up until that point I had been focusing on my breathing and trying to stay calm and relaxed. I knew the minute that the intense pain started I was going to be having the baby right there in the bathroom! Ironically, I had just read a story about a woman who had given birth in her bathroom unexpectedly. The whole time I was reading I kept thinking that that was not going to happen to me...Karma bit me in the ass on that one!
Blood and fluids went everywhere as my body pushed my baby girl out. I stood up and pulled her out the rest of the way and noticed that her cord was wrapped around her neck. As I started hollering for my mom and grandmother to come help I unwrapped the cord and made sure she had started breathing.
Mom and grandma came rushing into the bathroom when they heard me yelling and were both shocked at what they saw. Me, legs and arms covered in blood holding a crying baby. Grandma instantly leaped into action and grabbed several towels to wrap the baby in while yelling at my mom to help me sit down and scream for my husband. At this point I finally sat down, my mom is helping to hold me up because I am exhausted, and my grandma is sitting on the floor holding the new baby.
Hubby comes in when he hears all of the commotion and turns white as a sheet. We all start telling him to dial 911. He does, but forgets our address and is looking at me to tell him. Me. The one that just had a baby in our bathroom...you gotta be kidding?! He eventually remembers our address and the ambulance is dispatched to our house. Two ambulances showed up and my house became filled with EMT's and a stretcher. Amazingly, our two boys stayed asleep throughout the entire event. Our dog stayed quiet as well, but I think he sensed that we were ok and the men in the house were there to help, not hurt us. Even with all of the screaming and commotion from the EMT's in the hall.
At this point, I have calmed down, but I'm shaking like a leaf from hormones and shock. I was able to walk to the stretcher and lay down without help and hold my baby without feeling like I was going to drop her.
The EMT's were all super nice and were surprised that I was so calm and wasn't an hysterical mess about having just had a baby in the bathroom. I told them that I didn't see any reason to get upset as long as the baby was healthy and I was in good shape, might as well enjoy the experience! The main EMT told me they would probably use my story in training to tell other EMT's that they will probably never get a calm new mother like me. That just made me giggle. They gave the baby her first stuffed toy. A little beanie baby raccoon. And entertained me during the trip by telling me about some of the more wild birth calls they had been on. Saying mine ranked in the top 5 for most unusual..haha, thanks guys.
It was my first time riding in an ambulance, and I hope the last, but it wasn't a horrible experience for me. The EMT's treated me well and we were all making jokes and laughing by the time we made it to the hospital 20 minutes later. The hospital staff was all out of sorts when we arrived because I had already had the baby and so it had messed up their routine with labor and delivery that they are normally used to.
The nursing staff got both me and the baby checked in and made sure we were healthy and finally got all of the baby's measurements and stats while I had to tell the story of her birth to every single nurse that came in asking about the unusual patient. When the on-call doctor arrived, she was impressed with how well both myself and the baby were doing considering all that had happened. The doctor pretty much said that if it wasn't for the rule about keeping the baby 24 hour minimum, she wouldn't have any problems releasing us both later that day, but unfortunately we had to stay an extra day.
Once I was checked by the doctor and things settled down in the room, I was finally able to take a shower. When I stepped into the shower and turned on the spray, it looked like a scene from Psycho. So. Much. Blood! I had not realized how blood covered I was until I went to wash it off. No wonder my mom and grandma looked at me like I was dying for a second when they came in the bathroom.
Although how she was born was not what I had planned AT ALL, I am glad it wasn't a horrible experience and that everyone was healthy. My mom and grandma were minor celebrities when they went home back to Oregon, they both thought it was funny and exciting. Even now, when I talk to them on the phone they both have a hard time believing that the baby was born in the bathroom.
All I know, is this kid will never live down her wild birth! Anytime she gets out of hand as a teenager, I'm going to use this story on her...I hope it works anyways! I'm glad we are done having kids, although I will miss the newborn babies in the house I will not miss being pregnant or labor. I can only imagine how fast a fourth labor would be, especially if this one only lasted about an hour! I would have to camp outside of the hospital!
If you made it this far, I hope you enjoyed the story and weren't too grossed out.
The anticipated arrival of our baby girl was fast approaching. I drove by myself to pick up my mom and grandmother from the airport 2 days before my due date and didn't have any problems other than the massive rain storm I had to battle to get there. The days leading up to my due date, I felt nothing other than super pregnant and uncomfortable, but no contractions or any signs that I could see of baby coming sooner.
The day before my due date, I took myself, my mom, grandmother, and both of my sons to town to do a little last minute shopping and, as my grandmother said, "to walk that baby out". We did a ton of walking at the store and at home. Still nothing. No contractions, nothing.
We all ate dinner, took showers, and went to bed finally about 10 pm that night. I woke up an hour and a half later with severe stomach pains. My mind thought that it was maybe something I ate earlier so I got up and started walking around. As my sleep fog started to clear and I noticed that the pain had a very distinct pattern, I started to time them. The pain lasted about 30 seconds to a minute and was a minute apart! Oh crap!
All of a sudden the house became very busy. I woke my husband and told him it was time to go. So he instantly jumps out of bed to get dressed. In the time it took me to walk from his side of the bed to mine to throw a few last minute things in the suitcase, my water broke all over the floor. In my previous two pregnancies that usually meant that baby was very close to being born. I screamed for hubby to grab me a towel and managed to waddle to the bathroom to strip my soaked clothes off.
I sat down on the toilet while I took a breather in between contractions and at this time I could hear my mom and grandmother moving around outside the bathroom door asking if I needed anything before we left for the hospital. I asked if they could grab me some new shorts and undies since I forgot to grab some before I waddled into the bathroom. My mom appeared in the bathroom a minute later and said to let her know when I was ready to go to the pickup and she would help me.
Keep in mind this is all happening in the 5-10 minutes since I woke my hubby at about 12:15 am. About this time hubby and my mom were outside finishing loading the stuff up for the trip to the hospital, when all of a sudden I started to scream and felt the most intense pain of my life. Up until that point I had been focusing on my breathing and trying to stay calm and relaxed. I knew the minute that the intense pain started I was going to be having the baby right there in the bathroom! Ironically, I had just read a story about a woman who had given birth in her bathroom unexpectedly. The whole time I was reading I kept thinking that that was not going to happen to me...Karma bit me in the ass on that one!
Blood and fluids went everywhere as my body pushed my baby girl out. I stood up and pulled her out the rest of the way and noticed that her cord was wrapped around her neck. As I started hollering for my mom and grandmother to come help I unwrapped the cord and made sure she had started breathing.
Mom and grandma came rushing into the bathroom when they heard me yelling and were both shocked at what they saw. Me, legs and arms covered in blood holding a crying baby. Grandma instantly leaped into action and grabbed several towels to wrap the baby in while yelling at my mom to help me sit down and scream for my husband. At this point I finally sat down, my mom is helping to hold me up because I am exhausted, and my grandma is sitting on the floor holding the new baby.
Hubby comes in when he hears all of the commotion and turns white as a sheet. We all start telling him to dial 911. He does, but forgets our address and is looking at me to tell him. Me. The one that just had a baby in our bathroom...you gotta be kidding?! He eventually remembers our address and the ambulance is dispatched to our house. Two ambulances showed up and my house became filled with EMT's and a stretcher. Amazingly, our two boys stayed asleep throughout the entire event. Our dog stayed quiet as well, but I think he sensed that we were ok and the men in the house were there to help, not hurt us. Even with all of the screaming and commotion from the EMT's in the hall.
At this point, I have calmed down, but I'm shaking like a leaf from hormones and shock. I was able to walk to the stretcher and lay down without help and hold my baby without feeling like I was going to drop her.
The EMT's were all super nice and were surprised that I was so calm and wasn't an hysterical mess about having just had a baby in the bathroom. I told them that I didn't see any reason to get upset as long as the baby was healthy and I was in good shape, might as well enjoy the experience! The main EMT told me they would probably use my story in training to tell other EMT's that they will probably never get a calm new mother like me. That just made me giggle. They gave the baby her first stuffed toy. A little beanie baby raccoon. And entertained me during the trip by telling me about some of the more wild birth calls they had been on. Saying mine ranked in the top 5 for most unusual..haha, thanks guys.
It was my first time riding in an ambulance, and I hope the last, but it wasn't a horrible experience for me. The EMT's treated me well and we were all making jokes and laughing by the time we made it to the hospital 20 minutes later. The hospital staff was all out of sorts when we arrived because I had already had the baby and so it had messed up their routine with labor and delivery that they are normally used to.
The nursing staff got both me and the baby checked in and made sure we were healthy and finally got all of the baby's measurements and stats while I had to tell the story of her birth to every single nurse that came in asking about the unusual patient. When the on-call doctor arrived, she was impressed with how well both myself and the baby were doing considering all that had happened. The doctor pretty much said that if it wasn't for the rule about keeping the baby 24 hour minimum, she wouldn't have any problems releasing us both later that day, but unfortunately we had to stay an extra day.
Once I was checked by the doctor and things settled down in the room, I was finally able to take a shower. When I stepped into the shower and turned on the spray, it looked like a scene from Psycho. So. Much. Blood! I had not realized how blood covered I was until I went to wash it off. No wonder my mom and grandma looked at me like I was dying for a second when they came in the bathroom.
Although how she was born was not what I had planned AT ALL, I am glad it wasn't a horrible experience and that everyone was healthy. My mom and grandma were minor celebrities when they went home back to Oregon, they both thought it was funny and exciting. Even now, when I talk to them on the phone they both have a hard time believing that the baby was born in the bathroom.
All I know, is this kid will never live down her wild birth! Anytime she gets out of hand as a teenager, I'm going to use this story on her...I hope it works anyways! I'm glad we are done having kids, although I will miss the newborn babies in the house I will not miss being pregnant or labor. I can only imagine how fast a fourth labor would be, especially if this one only lasted about an hour! I would have to camp outside of the hospital!
If you made it this far, I hope you enjoyed the story and weren't too grossed out.
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