Finally! An interesting life update!

About 2 weeks ago, Tim flew out to Madison WI to interview for a research position with Ashland (a company that he originally interviewed with at their Delaware location. They passed on him for that specific position but recommended him to their people in WI). We FINALLY heard something back from them today. Looks like we'll be headin' out in about 3 weeks so he can start working March 1st. (for details on the actual position itself you'll have to ask Tim)

We have been wishing, hoping, praying, pleading that Tim would find a job for over a year now. To say that we are excited about this DOES NOT cover it. We've been skating on thin ice, financially, for about a year and it is so nice to be able to breath a sigh of relief. I don't know why, but ever since we discussed the option of moving to WI back in September (for a position with Georgia Pacific) I have known in my heart that this was where we were destined to end up. I've never been there but I just know it's gonna feel like home. It'll be sad to leave behind family and friends but I know only great things can come from this (plus, it's only a short plane ride or 16 hour car trip away). Besides, it'll be nice to really "establish" ourselves as our own family unit in a place where we only have each other to rely on. It'll solidify the relationship that Tim and I already know we have.

Madison looks like an AMAZING place. It's a very young and eclectic area (apparently it's pretty artsy..fun!). Everyone we've talked to who has lived there says they wish they never left. They have lots of parks, lakes, museums, and it's only a short drive to other fun cities like Milwaukee, Green Bay, and Chicago. Plus, It looks like they have a pretty large midwife and homebirth community too (which we all know I'm 100% for).

We've spent the past few days searching for places to live. We're looking into duplexes and single family homes because we desperately need the space (besides I am SO OVER apartment living). Hopefully we'll find a place by next week, so our last week in NY can just be spent tying up loose ends and finishing up packing. We plan on renting a freight (from ABF shipping) to ship our stuff from here to there. That way one of us doesn't have to drive the car behind a Uhaul (since we have a rear facing car seat that has to be put in the backseat of a vehicle...something which Uhauls don't have. Plus, ABF is cheaper than Uhaul). It's about a 16 hour drive from here to Madison but we plan on taking about 2 days to get out there. That way Josie doesn't have to spend up to 10 hours a day in a car seat (she can barely handle 2 hours...I can't imagine how she'd deal with 10!).

Luckily the majority of our stuff is still packed up; so all we need to pack is our bedroom, bathroom and some kitchen things. Should be done in a few days' time. Tim still has some things he needs to take care of with school too. Hopefully, all of that will be taken care of by the end of next week. I love that this is all happening so fast!

This is going to be such an incredible adventure! Stay tuned for updates all along the way!

The guiltiest pleasure of them all...

I am addicted to Craigslist. I spend hours browsing for used furniture. I have absolutely no need for any piece of furniture at the moment BUT there's just so many different things. I love when people are selling pieces from Pottery Barn or Pier 1 for a fraction of the cost. I always have to remind myself that we have NO NEED for outdoor wicker chairs...but someday we might. I fully intend on furnishing our home with used furniture someday. Consider it my way of "going green". It is recycling after all.

Craigslist is such a juicy, dirty little corner of the internet. If you're looking for something, chances are you can find it on there. Whether it's a place to live, a new car, a mail order bride...it is waiting for you at Craigslist! I also love reading things and you just KNOW it's a total scam. A dead give away is broken, typed, English. (You want take look at house? Just send $800 security deposit to me, I send you keys! You like house! I promise!) Ha Ha..yea right.

I LOVE reading the missed connections section. I wonder if anyone has actually found someone through that (I saw you in a red car. You were hot. Wanna hookup? What did my license plate say?). One time, when Tim still worked at Starbucks, a missed connection was posted by a young man looking for "super cute guy barista at Vestal Starbucks with short brown hair and a nice smile" (that specific day Tim just happened to be the only guy working. Totally made my year).

Cautionary Tale: Never read the personal ads. Trust me.

Why I suck at blogging

Fact: I am a bad blogger

I'd like to say it's because I lead such a busy and eventful life that I hardly get a moment to sit down at a computer and type away. If only that were the reason...

In all actuality, I just can't think of anything interesting to write about. I'll sit down, start typing up a post, then halfway through I'll re-read what I have written and say "Wow! No one in their right mind would want to read that." I then delete the post and spend the rest of my evening eating chocolate and browsing used furniture for sale on craigslist (guilty pleasures!). I just don't find myself very interesting. Yes, I know I'm fabulous and amazing...but who really wants to constantly read that? "Blah Blah Blah my life is awesome Blah Blah Blah".

I've also found that blogging is difficult when you're an emotionally private person. I really don't like sharing how I feel in a public forum. "Why?" you ask...here are my reasons:

A) I don't believe that blogs or any other public forum should be used to "blow off steam" or "bad mouth" people, places, things or life in general. I've got plenty to vent about, but I know it would come back to bite me in the ass if I did so in a blog (as well it should). So... I wont (unless it's something that just MUST be shared with the masses..I'm sure that day will come someday)

B) I am uncomfortable with sappy, sentimental jargon. I'm sentimental in my own ways...none of which include "warm fuzzy sharing time" with people in cyber space. However, I do like oversharing on any topic Josie, Pregnancy or Childbirth related. (Love me some super gross details!)

C) I'm kind of a robot when it comes to emotions. I'm very good at reading other people's emotions but even better at hiding my own. Plus, I'm very jaded when it comes to certain emotions, feelings, notions, etc (I'd share why I feel this way but wouldn't that go against EVERYTHING I just talked about). Maybe someday I'll share some deep, dark feelings with you all. Won't that be nice.

DESPITE all of this I still want to try my best at keeping this blog afloat. My suggestions to readers out there: Don't expect a lot, and you won't be disappointed :)

The Sound of Silence

*insert the sound of crickets chirping...here*

It's quiet.

I like it.

Josie was one fussy baby today. Her naps kept getting interrupted by loud crashes caused by my own clumsiness or the cold nose of a curious little dog. Needless to say, it was a noisy day.

I hate to wake her up for a bath, but her neck smells pretty funky. I can only imagine how funky it'll be in the morning if left unwashed (she's a sloppy eater, so milk inevitably finds a nice home in the warm folds of her neck. It's gross but we still love her). Aren't you glad I shared that?

Here's hoping she sleeps, well, like a baby tonight. Mama needs a solid 5 hours (8 would be preferred but let's not get greedy) of uninterrupted sleep or else I just might start pulling my hair out tomorrow.

The quest for the perfect curry

On New Year's Eve, Tim and I went to dinner at Moghul's (a local restaurant specializing in Indian cuisine). *Shout out to Tim's sister Sara for the gift card to Moghul's*. It was UNBELIEVABLY AMAZING! It was my first experience with "authentic" Indian food. I am officially in love with Indian food! Like, seriously would marry that dish of Chicken Tikka Masala and plate of naan (if I wasn't already married to a spicy dish named Tim of Thee). Tim had some delicious lamb dish that even I enjoyed (since I don't usually like lamb). Since then I've been chasing that high I felt after eating there. The tenderness of that chicken haunts my dreams.

I have tried 2 very different curry recipes in hopes of reliving a glimmer of what I ate at Moghul's. Actually, I just wanted a nice curry to serve with rice and our new favorite side dish Pan-Fried Naan (we made a few adjustments to this recipe but that's a different post for a different day). My first attempt was a simple red curry I found on one of my favorite food blogs: Avocado & Bravado. I substituted chickpeas for the chicken (no reason, just 'cause). I must've done something wrong along the way because it wound up tasting like Curry Marinara. Not what I was hoping for. However, her Butter Chicken recipe looks pretty amazing so I think i'm gonna try that in the near future.

My second attempt came a few days later with a recipe I found at Allrecipes.com claiming it was the Best Curry Recipe Ever (with claims like that I had to give it a try). It tasted good (not GREAT) so I added more curry powder. The flavor was better, but the texture ended up being more paste-y. Once again, not what I was hoping for.

There are a few more recipes that I want to try (plus a Chicken Tikka Masala recipe that desperately needs to be attempted and devoured by me).

Break From Cloth Diapering

A month back, we reluctantly decided to take a break from cloth diapering. Washing a load of diapers (on hot) PLUS 2 showers a day (mind you 4 people live in the house...excluding Josie) completely wipes out the hot water for the day. There are shortcuts we could take in order to keep CDing but it's just easier for the time being to use disposables.

We plan on going back to cloth diapers once we get a place of our own. At the very least, we'll cloth diaper the next baby. I really enjoyed it. I thought it was going to be this HUGE hassle but it really wasn't. Luckily, since Josie is exclusively breastfed her poop is 100% water soluble so there was no need to clean the diapers before putting them in the washer.

I really miss the cute diaper covers.

Here are a few pics of JoZ in her super cute cloth diapers.

1 month old Josie: roughly 8 pounds

[orange edge prefold, fastened with a Snappi]

[Size 1 Thirsties Duo over orange edge prefold]

Losing The Baby Weight

I gained 28 pounds during this pregnancy. I wish I could say it was because I ate super healthy and remained fairly active during those 38.5 weeks. That would be a lie.

I can honestly say I went through a "red meat craving" phase where we ate steak (tasty organic, grass fed angus) every night (at 11pm mind you) for a week during my second trimester. We called it Night Steak. It was delicious. I also went through a Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Phase. I'm surprised I didn't gain 100 pounds.

Breastfeeding has been a huge factor in getting back to my pre-pregnancy weight (150 pounds). At my 6 week postpartum appointment I had already lost 14 pounds. Since then I've started calorie counting to help keep the weight coming off. I am currently 3 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight (25 pounds in 13 weeks...not too shabby). Once I get back to my pre-preggo weight I want to lose an additional 15 pounds in order to be at MY ideal weight aka what I weighed when Tim and I got together 3 years ago (about 135 pounds...15 pounds in 3 years...I blame the Ultimate Chocolate Cakes, bricks of cheese and bottles of wine that we indulged in on a WAY too regular basis...*sigh* the song "These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things" is currently playing in my head). I'm hoping to get there by April 6th (that's when i'll be officially 6 months postpartum).

I'm pretty proud of myself so far. The holidays set me back about 3 pounds but I've come back from it pretty quickly. I LOVE calorie counting. I have this awesome app for my iPhone that helps me keep track of everything I eat. I plan out my meals and snacks for the day before I even get out of bed in the morning; calculating and estimating what my calories will be for that day. It's like a fun game! I always give myself about 200 calories of wiggle room, just incase I NEED an extra handful or two of almonds mid-day.

I really need to start Pilates and 30 Day Shred again too. I'd like to get my stomach muscles back to where they were pre-pregnancy (or at least pretty close to where they were).

Also, starting the 1st of the year we decided to cut out white flour, white sugar, preservatives and processed foods. So far, so good! I already feel SO much better then I did a week ago. we've been eating A LOT of beans, lentils and brown rice (plus various veggies). This week is actually the first time in almost 2 weeks that we've had meat (Pork chops were BOGO free at Price Chopper. How am I supposed to pass that kind of deal up?!). Pork chops and sauerkraut tomorrow!!

Snowshoeing

[Isn't that the cutest red nose ever?]

In 2009, Tim and I decided that we would take up snowshoeing. We love it! This past weekend we went to Bowman Lake State Park (about 5 miles from my mom's house) to take advantage of the freshly fallen snow and not so bitter temperatures. Of course, we brought JoZ along with us! (Gotta love babywearing!). We trekked along the trails for nearly an hour before deciding to head in. I made sure Tim snapped a few shots of me wearing Josie with my gear on. It was definitely more challenging then I thought it would be to wear a baby WHILE snowshoeing. I'm clumsy enough as it is but put me in a pair of snowshoes AND strap a baby to me...I'm surprised I didn't face plant (Only one or two close calls). Hopefully we'll get a chance to go again this week!

[Little Pink Marshmallow]

[sans coat]

[wearing Tim's coat zipped up around us. Note: my lack of depth perception. If only I was 2 inches taller]

Josie Elizabeth: The Birth Story

October 6th, 2010

~This story goes back much farther then just nine months. I have wanted to be a mother ever since I can remember. As a child, baby dolls were never more then an arm's reach away. My maternal instincts run deep. Some people say they have "a calling"; the one thing that they know in their heart of hearts is the reason they were put on this earth. My calling is to be a mother. I feel so incredibly blessed that I have been given the opportunity to fulfill that calling. Best. Life. Ever. ~

38 weeks and 3 days was apparently more then enough "cooking time" for my little J Bird. I woke up at 6:05 am to empty my bladder for what must've been the twentieth time that night. While walking back to our room, I noticed a steady stream of liquid running down my leg. My immediate reaction was "Oh Crap! I'm still peeing!" (haha I'm pretty sure I was just upset that I'd have to find a different pair of boxers to wear...not the fact that I might've peed my pants). While rushing back to the toilet, I noticed the more I moved the MORE liquid came out (No Effing Way). By this time I had made a nice little puddle on the bathroom floor (TMI?). My waters broke at 6:10am on October 5th.

I hurried back to our room to find a dry pair of pants and wake a very sleepy Tim ("Guess who's not going to Syracuse today?"). Ideally, I should've attempted to get some more sleep but let's be honest...what woman can possibly fall back asleep once she knows her baby is on the way? We called Mari (our awesome doula) around 9, then called Dr. Farrell's office around 10. The nurses told me to come into the hospital right away since this was AN EMERGENCY. Yea, I didn't do that (I was even scolded when I called back a few hours later to confirm that it was ABSOLUTELY necessary that I come in ASAP). We arrived at the hospital around 1:30pm expecting the nurses in the maternity ward to be waiting for us by the door, ready to whisk us away to our room. This was not the case. We waited around in the "family waiting room" for at least 20 minutes before a very calm nurse came to admit us. She escorted us to a room, checked me and confirmed that my waters had definitely broke (as if I had any doubts). At that point I was 1cm dilated with zero contractions (Damn). 2:30pm

I made it very clear that I wanted minimal medical interventions. I was SO grateful that the staff of Lourdes was completely supportive of my decision. They started nipple stimulation via electric breast pump in order to start the release of Oxytocin (which would help jump start my contractions. Ten minutes on, ten minutes off for 10 hours. Contractions started but weren't strong enough to bring on active labor. Since my waters broke so early I was at risk for an infection setting in (you have a 24 hour window after your waters break before this risk sets in...at this point it had been 15 hours since mine broke..eek!). I talked with the Dr. and my nurse who suggested we start Pitocin. At this point we had tried walking, acupressure, a warm shower, various positions, castor oil PLUS 10 hours of nipple stimulation and nothing was showing steady results. I never thought I'd say this: Pitocin saved me from a cesarean. Thank you Pitocin! They started Pit around 11:30pm. I was still 1cm dilated (Double Damn!)

I was beyond happy to feel those strong, steady contractions. I think I might've smiled through most of them. Up until this point, we were bored out of our minds waiting for something to change ( We even had enough down time to watch an entire episode of Glee. The one where Kurt's dad has a heart attack. I remember laughing during a contraction when Rachel started singing "Papa Can Your Hear Me"). Everything happened pretty speedy after that. I felt the pressure intensify and had the nurse check me. Only 4cm dilated (Son of a B!). An hour later, I could've sworn the pressure had doubled and I must've been at least 7cm dilated. Nope! Still only 4cm. Finally around 5:30am transition started. I dilated from 6cm-10cm in about 15 minutes (YIKES!). Those 15 minutes were pretty much the only time I felt INTENSE discomfort during the entire labor. I think that was mainly due to the fact that while I was transitioning the nurses were attempting to reposition the straps that monitored the baby's heart rate; so I was forced to be on my back. Worst 15 minutes of the day.

40 minutes later Josie was born (30 minutes total pushing time). I have never been more determined to do ANYTHING else in my life. They said push...and boy, did I push. I was riding high on SO many endorphins at that point that the only thing I could feel was the pressure of that baby. I had NO IDEA when I was having a contraction. I relied 100% on Tim telling me when to push because I honestly couldn't feel anything (Later, he informed me that the only reason he told me to push when he did was because my face said "IM HAVING A CONTRACTION!". I was totally unaware of this). As soon as the baby's head was out she started crying (a sign of things to come). Nearly a minute later I heard Tim say "Josie's Here!". A Girl! (I'm surprised I didn't high five him.) To my surprise I didn't cry, I just laughed. Overjoyed. 6:27am, on October 6th 2010, (after 24 hours of labor and ZERO pain meds) we welcomed Josie Elizabeth into our family. All 6 pounds, 7 ounces and 18 and a half inches of her. Our Itty Bitty Lady.

Tim, Me and Josie getting ready to leave the hospital

~Recovery was a breeze too. After three weeks I felt almost 100% back to normal. Proving what I knew all along; This is what I was MADE to do.

Josie Updates:

1 Month Old

2 Months Old

3 Months Old

New Year, New Blog

So long 2010; Hello 2011!

Let's be honest, I am a terrible blogger. I tried last year (really, I did) to post on a regular basis, but that just didn't happen. However, it's a new year and a whole new blog. I've been inspired by so many Facebook friends who post pictures of all their delicious culinary concoctions that I've decided to make food a big emphasis of this blog. I'm always cooking amazing things, so it's only fair to share my recipes and ideas (and photos) with everyone else. Get excited.

So much has happened since my last post...in July (we've already established how bad I am at blogging. Don't judge...ok, you can judge me. I judge me). I am no longer pregnant! Baby Josie came into the world in October (but more on that later). We are still residing in McDonough since Tim of Thee is still on the job hunt. All in all, life is pretty uneventful at the moment (in my opinion anway). Despite this, I promise to post on a regular basis. Get ready to be inundated with posts!