Breastfeeding Class and my DIY project

Sean and I signed up for a breastfeeding class held at Banner Desert Hospital a couple months ago. I was excited that it was a class for the mom and dad. I love when Sean gets to experience and learn things with me. We already knew a lot of the stuff the instructor went over but it was a good review. We also learned some new things as well and got to watch some videos on latching. Here are some things we learned

• Breast milk has over 100,000 ingredients in it
• It takes 60 muscles for the baby to breastfeed and only 6 or 7 muscles to bottle feed
• 1 year of formula costs about $22,000
• Partner's who regularly observe infant and mother breastfeeding secrete hormones:            Oxytocin- which is the social hormone, couple/infant bonding. Vasopressin- protective behaviors
• Breast milk heals skin. So if you have dry nipples after feeding put some milk on them and they will heal better and faster than with just creams
• She went over breast pumping and going back to work

This is the doll I used to practice holding and positioning. Sean is so lovingly holding him, haha.

DIY Project:
We have 2 closet organizers to store Noah's clothing in the closet. Since having to move everything out of the nursery and washing the clothing again and putting them back in the organizers I've discovered something. It's difficult to get the clothing in and out of the little compartments of the organizer. If we want to be able to pick out which item to have Noah wear we have to pull out all the clothes shift through them and then shove them back into the compartment. This was just not ideal. So my sister Amanda gave me the idea to make little drawers to go in the compartments. Granted we could buy the boxes at target or another store. The problem with that is they are anywhere from $2-$5 or more for just one.

So instead what Amanda had done for her closet was use duct tape and shoe boxes to make drawers. It's the most simple project, yet has great results! I absolutely love them. Here is how I did it:
I got envelope boxes from work (with permission from my boss) for free

Supplies

1. Bought lovely zebra print duct tape from fry's for $2.94 a roll
2. Measured the box and cut tape stripes
3. Taped the box all the way around
4. Finished project! I now have drawers for my organizer. 

See, I told you --easiest do it yourself project ever. Despite the easy-ness of the project I am still quite proud  because I saved lots of monies $$ Also these are much more chic than the boxes I could have bought. Thanks to Amanda for giving me the idea.

Cloth Diapering: The Prologue

Yes we are in fact using cloth diapers. I know, I know, poop is gross why do we want to handle it? Well the obvious answer is we don't, but no matter what diapers we use we have to deal with poop. I think what scares most people from cloth diapering is that they are thinking of old cloth diapers and don't know much or anything at all about modern cloth diapers.

This might be the image that comes to mind when someone says cloth diapers. A rectangular piece of cloth folded up and pined with safety pins. Well if that was what cloth diapering was now I wouldn't be using them either. Luckily cloth diapering has come a long way! Modern cloth diapers are much easier to use and look much more cute (This is obviously a big factor right? I mean just wait until you see them!) Even before getting pregnant I knew I wanted to use cloth diapers. My friend Jessica told me about her interest in cloth diapering and got me hooked on a blog where the writer started using them and loved them. Reading her blog convinced me even more of my choice. Sean was on board right away when I told him about the savings. My family on the other hand was much more work to convince. Actually to be honest most of them are still in the process of being convinced of the greatness of cloth. They see the pro's but mostly they focus on the con's. Meaning they don't like that it is more work. The most important thing is that we have my mom on board as well. This was most important person besides Sean and I because she is going to be watching Noah whilst Sean is at school and I am at work during the day. We realize that cloth diapers will be more work than disposables but the pro's out weight that one con. I'll keep you all updated on our adventure in cloth diapering.

There are many reasons to use cloth diapers. Don't believe me? Well here is the complied list.
Reasons to Cloth Diaper:

1. Save money rather than use disposables. Depending on which cloth diapering system you decide to use, you can save approximately $1,500 per child
2. Cloth diapers are better for the environment
3. Modern cloth diapers actually leak less than disposables. They are fitted better to the baby. 
4. Babies potty train earlier. Because of the cloth babies are more aware of their wet diapers
5. Less diaper rash. The rate of diaper rash has increased from 7% to over 78% since 1955 (when cloth diapers were used)
6. Cloth diapers are just so darn cute!

Want proof that using cloth diapers really does save you money? Here is a chart comparing cost of disposables to cost of cloth.This is based off the diapers we bought. The savings vary depending on which diapers you chose to get and which accessories you buy as well. The accessories we bought were: diaper sprayer, two wet bags.

Cost of Cloth Diapers	$246
Cost of Accessories	$99.95
Cost of Washing	$423
Total Cloth Diapering	$768.95
Cost of Disposables	$2,839
SAVINGS	$2070.05

Details:

Cost of washing and drying 1 load (water & electric cost) is estimated to be $0.50 Plus detergent (Tide bought in bulk) costs $0.08/load.  Total cost of laundry is based on washing one load every 1.5 days for 3 years.

Disposable Diaper Details: Number of diapers needed based off of 12 diapers per day for the first 3 months, then 8 diapers per day until 3 years old.  This gives 9,000 total disposable diapers for one baby.  Average cost of a disposable according to Consumer Reports is 26.5 cents, giving $2,385. Diaper genie inserts cost 3 cents/diaper, adding $226.80.  1 disposable wipe/diaper at 3 cents/wipe adds another $226.80.  Total cost, excluding gas, extra diaper rash cream, washing baby's clothes more often due to poop leaking, extra trash collection fees, etc.: $2,838.60  

There are so many choices of which cloth diapers to use. Some families use exclusively one type while others use many types. Sean and I have decided that we would like to stick with just one type to begin with and then when we get used to the one we might branch out to one other type that we liked as well.  There are many brands of cloth diapers, just google it and you will come up with a plethora of results. All have their pro's and con's just like disposables. The brand we are using is Sprout Change.

See how cute! They are reversible so it's like two in one. The other thing I love about these diapers is they are one size fits all. They can be used from newborn all the way up to potty training. How in the world does one diaper do that? I'll tell you! It has elastic on the sides and the top so you can adjust them to fit perfectly to the baby. The elastic has small button holes so you can adjust them accordingly.

This is another image of the diaper opened.

Wonderful News!

The plumbing officially starts next week! yay! I called Grant today and he let us know that the plumber is out of town right now but he gets back on the 10th and he can start work on the 11th. That's 4 days away people!! The work should only take a couple days and then we will have all new pipes in the whole house. It shall be wonderful! Grant said that the restoration of the nursery will start as soon as the pipes are finished. Things are coming together. All of Noah's clothing have been re-washed and folded and are now on the dinning room table ready to be put in the nursery whenever its ready. The house is as organized as it can be considering the nursery is spread out throughout the house. I feel pretty content with things right now :)

Bradley Class #9

This class was a bit hard for me to handle considering I tend to worry about things I don't really need to worry about anyway. The class was on variations and complications during pregnancy and labor. Granted its good to know about the things that could happen so that you can be prepared just in case the rare chance happens to you. I know that the odds of any of the complications happening to me are slim but I can't help but worry about what if.  Due to the class I had nightmares of all the things that could go wrong and me not being able to handle it.

We had a helpful exercise to start the class. We each got a piece of paper and in the middle of it we either wrote our biggest fear about labor or drew something to illustrate our fear. Then we put a box around the picture or words, but we were told to leave the corners off the box. Then at the open corners of the box we were to write the things we can control that can help us handle or deal with that fear. Then on the perimeter of the paper we wrote the phrase "I feel safe and secure because... " and finished the phrase however we felt. After we finished the exercise we switched with our spouse and read what theirs said and talked about it for a bit. Sean's was that me or baby Noah could die or be hurt during labor. His coping things were that 1. We are preparing to know what to do to have a safe birth 2. I am healthy and taking care of Noah, 3. Everything is in Heavenly Fathers hands. My fear is that I won't be in control of myself. My coping is that 1. Knowledge is power- I am preparing so that I know what is going to happen (mostly) 2. Heavenly Father is going to take care of us 3. Sean is going to be by my side the whole time 4. I can let someone else be in charge and just be at peace

Our phrase we wrote were pretty similar. Basically it was "I feel safe and secure because Heavenly Father is watching us and we have each other."

In other news: We are in limbo right now with the plumbing/nursery issue. We had the test done on the water and air in the nursery and got the results that the mold is gone. Now we can start on the fixing everything project. The problem is that we don't know when the plumbing is being done. I am really trying hard to not be stressed and to relax. As stated above I have a hard time not being in control of my surroundings. I guess I just take security being in charge because then I know what is going to happen and I can plan. I fear the unknown.  I have 4ish weeks until the due date. Thats not much time. I just hope they start soon because they can't fix the nursery until the pipes are re done.

4th of July

I hope you all had a very happy 4th of July! I for sure did. The day began for me at 5:30am. Insane to wake up that early on a day I have off? Yes I agree. But it was worth it. Sean unfortunately had to go to work for the day. Old people still need care even on a holiday. Lame. He woke me up with Eskimo kisses and said I needed to wake up or I would be late for the plans with my family. I was resistant until he nudged me a couple times and gave me kisses. I love waking up to him everyday. He is so cute. Every morning before he goes to work he cuddles me and kisses my face to wake me up. Any way on to the activities of the day. After I finally got out of bed I went to my parents family ward building for a flag raising ceremony and a buffet breakfast starting at 6am. Why it needed to happen that early I don't know. Andrea left with Brittany to California that morning and is staying until tomorrow. I met the rest of my family at the church. Mom, Dad, Amanda and Corey and Cortney and Justin were all there. Breakfast was delicious! I think I might have over ate but it was so yummy I couldn't help myself. While we were there mom saw a lady sitting alone and asked her to come sit with us. Turns out she was just visiting her son who just moved into our ward. Her son is 23 yrs old. Of course the first thing that came to mom's mind when she was given that information was "oh does he want to date my daughter?" haha oh Mama. She is a silly one. The mother of the son said I don't know. Maybe? Then of course Amanda and I being the nosy ones we are joined in the conversation about her son and how we should set them up on a blind date. The mother agreed. Then the son came over and we let him know of our plans. Myrna (one of Andrea's best friends) was also at the breakfast and heard about the plans. She then joined in on the interview we had in progress. We found out the son's name is Kyle and he is in school at ASU. I can't remember what he is in school for now. But it was something good. We showed him a picture of Andrea and he approved. So then I secretly took a picture of him and sent it to Andrea and informed her of our doings. I sent her a text that said "the family and myrna are currently in the process of interviewing a boy to date you" Her response was "oh my gosh! Who is that boy? What are you doing? Stop it" It was too late at that point though. The boy was realed in. Myrna told him to text Andrea and get the ball rolling for the date to be set up when she comes back from California. He obeyed. (It was a really good sign that he didn't get scared from all the questions and us girls letting him know he was going to date our sister.) So he began texting her and she him. I don't know whats going on with it right now but I hope she at least goes on one date with him. He seemed like a good guy. Considering we didn't scare him off in the first 5 minutes was a very very good sign. I called Andrea after we left the church and asked if she was upset or embarrassed or if she thought it was a funny story and intriguing. She said a little of all the above but most it was funny. It would be so funny if they did start dating. Best meeting story ever I would have to say.

So after the flag ceremony and breakfast the family all went back to my parents house for some rest and relaxation. About 12pm I left to go back home and do some laundry and shower to get ready for the rest of the days activities. They all had plans to set off some fireworks and have a BBQ. Sean and I had plans to go to Payson with Jessica and Kenny already. When Sean got off work Jess and Kenny came and picked us up and we drove to Payson. The drive up there seemed to go by really fast. It was so beautiful up there. The weather was much more pleasant than in Mesa that day. It was a cool 85degrees. We got there at 5pm. Fireworks were going to start at 9pm. There was a huge park full of people and vendors. We just strolled around the park, ate some dinner and walked some more. It was such a lovely evening.

I love the times with Sean where there is nothing to worry about or plan or even really to do other than just be together. Walking around the park people watching and holding hands was a great ending to the day.  We got tired of walking after awhile and just laid in the grass and relaxed til the fireworks started. They seemed to last forever. Jess got bored after the first 15 minutes went by. It was the longest firework show I have ever been to. It lasted 30 minutes! Noah loved it,,, or hated it... I'm not sure. He was moving around a lot during the show though. Sean said he wonders what it sounded like to him in the womb. The big bangs and echos off the mountains must have been quite loud to him and his little baby ears. After the show we lingered in the park for a while to let the crowd all move along. Jessica and Kenny are so fun to hang out with. Ken has such a silly sense of humor. He says the strangest things sometimes too. When he was talking about rain he said something about it being thrust down on us. Jess joked about how there are rain gods throwing the water at us down here. This was my favorite 4th of July ever. I got to spend time with family in the morning and then best friend time with Jess and I was with my hubby all evening as well.

I'm so grateful for this country we live in and the opportunities that it brings. The freedoms we enjoy and the blessings we have. I just love the promise land :)

Fancy Dinner Party

Long ago before Adriana and I married our husbands (really it was just a couple months before we both got engaged seeing as we didn't meet until our husbands introduced us) we made a plan. It was a wonderful plan to have a group date where we all dressed up in fancy dresses and suits and did a pot luck dinner. You never really get the chance to wear a prom like dress after high school and we both loved the idea of being able to dress up for a night. We talked about this date activity many many times each time with much anticipation and excitement. The only problem was that soon after discussing this plan we both got engaged and began with more important planning of our weddings. Then after weddings we many other pressing matters to deal with such as being newly weds and loving our husbands :) We would occasionally remember our awesome plan to plan the date and then we would say we will do that for sure soon. . . Soon didn't seem to come. Well I am happy to report that the plan finally materialized and we did it! I have to say that it was a spectacular night. We had planned for it to be a smaller group of about 4 or 5 couples but then it just grew to 10! That makes 20 people! What can I say? We do things big. We didn't want to leave out any of our friends and everyone just thought it sounded so fun. Who could blame them right?! Adriana and I made the guest list, gave out assignments for food and picked a location to hold the evening. We had it at my sister Amanda's house. My parents came over that afternoon to help us set up the tables and pick up Cortney for the night so Amanda and Corey could have their date night with us. Tim and Adriana also came over to help set up because they are awesome. We decided that as guests came it would be fun to take "prom pictures" Yes we are that silly. The guest list included the following :

 Sean & Deana (baby Noah)

 Tim & Adriana

 Amanda & Corey

 Ben & Melissa (and Baby Isabelle)

 Ben & Hilary & Wesley

 Mark & Tiffany

 Andrea & Bryson (He was a blind date)

 Sarah & Dylan (Blind date as well)

 Chris & Leila

After the lovely meal we cleaned up and played a game and hung out. Everyone was so funny. We all had a blast. Tiffany suggested that we make this a monthly activity to get together and do something fun. Each month a different couple with be in charge of planning something. Since getting married and now a bunch of us having babies its getting harder to get out and do things with friends very often so this is an awesome plan to keep us all close and give us a night to just hang out. Here are some more pictures of the night.

 Amanda loves to explain games

Twitching Eye, and 35 Weeks!

Stressed out!?!?!  :/

Yeah just a little... Ok maybe a little more than a little. With all the shenanigans with the house going on I just can't help but be stressed. I really should learn to just relax a bit and let things go. Yes I am admitting fault. Go figure, I'm not perfect. Surprised? Yeah I didn't think so. Even though Sean still thinks I'm pretty dang awesome I do realize that I drive him nuts sometimes with my persistent manner of wanting things done right away. Lately I have been letting myself get so stressed with getting everything done and just way too many thoughts going through my mind that my body is now reacting to the stress. I have developed a twitch in my right eye. It's been twitching since Tuesday randomly throughout the day. This is me:

 In turn, Me being stressed out and worrying about money, the nursery, getting the house spotless at all times, not being able to sit still for too long, makes Sean look like this:

Ok I would just like to point out that even though this picture was to illustrate Sean being annoyed/frustrated, he is just so darn sexy. Look at those muscles! Oh yeah I have quite a catch :) So anyway, the stress. I know all the things people keep telling me are so very true. That I just need to relax and things will be ok in time. I agree. But the thing I am having a hard time with is that its not ok now. I had everything planned out to the day of when things were going to be finished. I had a budget where we were going to save a bunch of money up for Noah and for maternity. I had the whole house organized and looking beautiful. Then BAM! Life hit us. The pipe problem, car issues, hospital bills surfacing (back when I was sick in January, the urgent care is over charging us).

Remember when our nursery looked like this

It now looks like this

And our Pantry/Laundry Room looks like this. All the stuff in the nursery had to be put here. Its kind of hard to do laundry when you can't get to the washer and dryer. 

I know that somethings don't always go as planned but still I wasn't ready for it all to not go as planned. I have started to have braxton hicks a lot more often than I probably should. I haven't really slowed down much like most pregnant women do when they get this far. I still work full time, move boxes of things at work, walk all over creation getting things done, cleaning etc. I think I have finally realized (thanks to the prodding of Sean and my best friend Jess) that I really do just need to slow down, relax, let others take control. ****Sigh***** This is going to be more work than you know. But I know that for my sake, the sanity of Sean and the safety of my baby Noah I just have to suck it up and do it. Sean and I really are super blessed and taken care of. I must sound like a whinny baby. Even to myself I do. We have a house, a baby on the way, a very happy successful marriage (not without its ups and downs but still we are very in love and grateful for each other), food and many other things. Yet when something goes wrong what do I do? Freak out and feel burdened. I'm going to start being more positive and just look for the blessings before I complain about something. It is in fact an inconvenience to have the nursery torn apart, the pantry full of things, and not have as much money as we planned for. But even in all of that there is a bright side. We have money to pay our bills, the nursery will soon have new carpet and be put back together just as beautiful as it was before, we will be able to get the pantry back in running operation soon as well. I'm sick of my eye twitching so I've decided that it is time to just smile and be happy with what we have :) Thanks to my husband for still loving me even in my faults.

Now on to the happy part of this post! I am now 35 weeks! Five more weeks to go and we will have a little baby Noah to hold :)