Valentines Day Ribbon Wreath

More Projects! Yay!

I found This and This and just had to make one for myself.  Since I linked to the two places I found instructions already I won't give you the break down, just click!  Fun project slightly mind numbing after the 4th spool of ribbon.  But Nikki and I both made one like little old crafting ladies on a Saturday night...Oh yeah, exciting winter nights!!!  We chose not to use the sewing machine at all and stuck to the hot glue gun, cut strips of ribbon, glued them in to circles, then glued the circles onto the wreath.  I want one for every holiday!

both of them

Nikki's Wreath

Ta-Da!

Day 31: Photo Challenge

Day 31 - A picture of yourself

This is what I look like to my daughter I'm sure

whoop I did it, 31 consecutive days.  Now I need a new challenge.

Today 6 months ago- The Birth Story

Bare with me its a long one:


My due date was July 29th.  July 29th I felt nothing, I was 9 months pregnant hot, uncomfortable and ready to meet this baby!!  Yet nothing, no contractions, nothing.  I was not willing to be overdue and the doctor wanted to induce me if I hadn't had her by the 1st.  (I wanted  a July baby and DID NOT want to be induced damn it!)  So July 29th I spent my day walking, 9 months pregnant I took one dog at at time.  Bosco and I walked to one crossroad then back to the house, then I switched dogs and Bandit went walking off in the other direction until we reached the other cross road.  I repeated this until I put in 5 miles, I was exhausted, sweaty and huge.  I could barely move to take my shoes off when I finished.  I was determined to evict this child.  I followed up my walk with some serious pineapple eating which I had been doing for days (Its one of those wives tales about going into labor, I don't know if it holds any truth, but I know I love pineapple).  I was so exhausted and "just didn't feel right",  I was a little crampy but figured it was just from overdoing it on my walk so I went to bed early I think it was 8 or 9 pm.  


I kept waking up, which was totally normal for a 9 month pregnant, impossible to sleep comfortably body.  At 4am I woke up thinking that I was possibly having contractions cause the cramps seemed to come and go.  I have never been pregnant, I have never had contractions, I have no clue if this is what contractions feel like.  So I lie in bed for about an hour timing them, 9 mins, 10 mins, 15 mins, 12mins, 6 mins.  Definitely contractions and starting to get worse.  I was happy at this point for the "contraction timer" that I had downloaded on my blackberry to be keeping the time for me, what a smart idea!  I got out of bed around 5 and decided to try and chill out in the tub.  If you know me you have probably heard discuss the ineptness of my bath tub.  It is HUGE, DEEP and Cast Iron...which means COLD to the touch...even in July.  You may also have heard me discuss the ineptness of my too small water heater when filling said cold tub.  So basically I soaked my huge watermelon belly in about 6 inches of lukewarm water...not all that relaxing.  But sitting in the tub was one of the few places that I found comfort in the last 3 months of pregnancy because my legs were incredibly restless.  I stayed in the tub for close to an hour then made my way to the couch and "tried" to watch tv to pass the time.  I knew I was for sure in labor, I also knew that I was supposed to wait for contractions to be 5 mins apart before heading to the hospital.  They were 5 mins apart by this time, but they were also 9 mins, 4mins, 2 mins, 10mins, 8mins.  Nothing was consistent so I  was determined to wait cause there was no way in hell they were going to send me back home if I went to the hospital before my time!  


So I waited and I waited and I waited, hoping my husband who was enjoying sleeping in would wake up and keep me company but not wanting to wake him up and have him freaking out about my contractions along with myself.  Around noon I was having a hard time being able to sit through the contractions, they were like the worst kind of knock you to your knees cramps that lasted around 30-90 seconds.  So I finally went and woke Tony up (who sleeps till noon anyway!?), Said you might want to wake up, we may need to be going to the hospital soon.  He had the same what if they send you back home attitude which made me second guess myself and decided I would wait a little longer.  My contractions never made it to consistant  intervals I would constantly go from 2 mins to 9 mins, from 3 mins to 8 mins.  Finally at around 2:30 I couldn't stand it any longer and said we need to go.  


We got to the maternity floor around 3:30 and they took me to a triage room and hooked me up to all the monitors, they had a nurse midwife come check me and said I was somewhere around a 5.  but my contractions had slowed down from all the excitement of a trip to the hospital I guess so they shut off the lights left us there in the triage room for around an hour before finally coming back when I thought my contractions were going to snap my back in half (OH, the bed gripping pain!)   She finally said that they were going to admit me and take me to a delivery room.  So we finally were able to call Tony's mom and let her know we we're going to have a baby today so she could start her almost 6 hour drive from outside of Pittsburgh to Michigan.  We also called my mom and step dad, and my dad to let them know we were being admitted.  


They had me waddle my way down to our delivery room and immediately things got crazy, there were people all over doing things.  2 of the old lady's I have no idea the true job title they have came in to get our information in the computer for us to be admitted, they asked us all of our normal information and double checked to make sure that my husband was also in fact the baby's father.  The actual question was "so you're the husband and the father?"  I laughed and asked if she was serious.  To which she replied you would be surprised.  There were 2 or 3 nurses in the room at this time also, one was putting in my catheter the other setting up the IV pump.  They called for the anesthesiologist (AKA: GOD) to come place my epidural.  


The anesthetist came down and kicked Tony out of the room to put in the epidural, she was awesome, and I say this even after she had to try a second time cause she missed the first time.  She was super nice and I'm absolutely unsure why people who aren't trying for a natural birth don't get them.  (and why people try for a natural birth baffles my mind, no thanks I'll take the epidural!)  My contractions were 50 times worse than that little poke & burn of the caine (I don't know what they used I assume bupivicaine).  The worse part was sitting still through the contractions that I was still feeling.  Within seconds of it being placed and turned on, wholly amazingness, I could feel nothing contractionwise but my stomach muscles tightening when I had a contraction all of the pain I was feeling, gone.  


While the anesthetist was in the room doing her thing I met Dr. Farhat who was not my OB doctor but who was on call on the rotation for the night.   He is a tall lanky white man, he walked into the delivery room and announced that he would be doing the delivery and that he was Dr. Scott's (my Doctor)  brother.  (Doctor Scott is a large black man)  So, he's a funny man.  He let me know that it was me and 2 other women in labor for the night.  Not that I cared.  Then Tony came back and the waiting began.  


It was around 7 by the time the room calmed down and we had time to just wait.  I remember talking about how wonderful the epidural was, I do not regret it one single bit.  We heard music ring signaling a baby being born, Tony watched the Tigers game on the tiny little TV and the doctor checked in on me a few times joking that I hadn't had that baby yet.  Mom, Larry, Sam & Cassie came in said hi and went to the waiting room to wait for news, Dad and Gail showed up around 8 or 9.  Close to 9:30-10 the nurse checked me and said that I was at a 8 and my epidural was turned off.  I slowly started to be able to feel my contractions again and she told me that when I felt like I could to push to let her know...more waiting and I told her I felt like I could push. Sometime after 10 she checked me, said let me know when you HAVE to push, so we reached that point at about 10:40.  Pam (Tony's mom) made it to the hospital about this time so we didn't say hi to her before Addison came, she only got Tony yelling from bedside at my mom and Pam to "get outta here" when they were attempting to come check on us.   So with the nurse coaching and pushing, pushing, pushing, I only whispered "f*ck that hurts" only once to Tony.  (I really shocked myself with my niceness throughout the whole thing.)  The nurse had Tony help hold a leg and I remember being more concerned that he would pass out than about my own problems at the time! After about 20 mins of pushing it was finally time to call in the doctor.  Nurse says okay she's ready and it felt like the swarm of 1000's people entered the room.  People to take care of the baby, nurses, nurses, nurses and the doctor.  It was crazy and a complete blur of action.  They tell you not to push at this point when all you want to do is push...not pushing was horrible.  


By the time the doctor was ready for me to push she was ready to come out!  Just a few pushes and Addison was born at 11:23pm (or 23:23 military time, which I thought was kind of cool).  The doctor said you barely let me get my gloves on to catch her...puh-leeze!  Tony cut the umbilical cord and I got to admire her for a few seconds before they took her off to clean/weigh/measure.  she whimpered some but was only incredibly pissed off when they stamped her feet for footprints.  


As long as it seems on paper, the whole day was a blur and seemed to go by so quickly in the moment.  Within 10 mins of her birth I'm pretty sure I told Tony "that was nothing I could definitely do it again".  When they gave her back to us we spent about 10 mins with her just the two of us and some nurses before the flood of grandparents got to meet her.  She was so alert and didn't fuss a bit while she was passed around from person to person.  


We were all moved to our room sometime after 12:30 and new nurses did their checks on me and on Addison and by 1:30am I finally got to relax/pass the heck for the first time since I had woke up that day.  

6 Min Addison

6 Month Addison

Day 30: Photo Challenge

Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss

Kelly, oh Kelly :) I love this girl, I wish we lived closer! You may recall she was in the Grand Am friends picture from much, much earlier this month?  No? Well she was.  I met Kelly because of her then boyfriend, now husband Brendan.  He was a local Grand Am guy that came to the car meets that we had back in those good ol' days of 2001 & 2002 ish.  He brought her with him to a meet out in one of the Detroit Burb's...she hated me.  (Sorry Kelly, but you totally did!)  But after she decided to stop being a player hater we became great friends! :)  Girls will be girls. (hehe!)  I consider her one of my best friends, even though shes 10 hours away in Philadelphia now and we don't get a chance to talk much.  We always pick right up where we left off and have a blast together!  Love You Smells!

Random Thoughts of Sadness

As I prepare to leave for a memorial service this morning the random thoughts in my head right now are as follows:


This past week has brought about the news of the loss of two people, the first being my grandmothers brother, my great uncle Jim.  Jim was obviously an older man, a dad, brother, grandfather, who at an older age was having some health issues which ultimately took his life.  The loss is still sad but easy to accept, he lived his life and he left behind great things and great people he raised a family.


The other was Kaleb Schwade the first born son of a high school classmate of mine, he was only 4 and has suffered from SBS (shaken baby syndrome) since he was just 5 months old.  

 The Story. a little more from Kristy Josh posted news of his passing on facebook this past Monday.  How horrifying, its the kind of thing that makes you cry for people you barely know or don't know at all.  You take a step back and be thankful for every single moment you have with your children.  Babies are frustrating at times but the fact that someone could ever do something like that to a child blows my mind.  And while the video's the hospital show you about shaken baby syndrome feel annoying at the time, its no joke.   


 I never met Josh's son, and though they came to our high school reunion this past summer I didn't get a chance to talk with them or meet his wife that night.  But what a strong woman she must be, and I am so happy for them that they have each other and this tragedy hasn't pushed them apart.  I have followed Kristy's story of Kaleb on myspace since the day it happened. I feel so horrible for these two, what they have gone through, what they are going through right now as they prepare to say a final goodbye to their child tomorrow, and what they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.  Its just not the way things are supposed to happen!  I don't know what it is like to lose a child but now that I have a child I can actually begin to imagine how heartbreaking, tragic, angry one would have to feel.  My heart goes out to Josh, Kristy, their family & friends.

Day 29: Photo Challenge

Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile

Insert any picture of my adorable, sweet baby girl here:  Really any of them.  But this is one of my favorites, 1 week old little smirk, ♥ her!

Day 28: Photo Challenge

Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of

Mr.Bat

 They give me the fricken' he-be-je-be's and I live in terror of my attic because I'm afraid if I poke my head up there it will look something like this:

I know we have a bat colony that lives up there, there have been 2 bats that have gotten into the house in the 4 years that we have lived here....WHOLLY SHIT not cool at all.  First time I was alone in the house and the cats must have seen it creep down from upstairs somewhere cause I just heard its screeching when the cats were trying to play with it and instantly knew what it was.  I panicked and ran and shut myself in the bedroom before realizing that it wasn't going to leave on it's own.  I ended up running across the road (with a blanket over my head) to my brothers house to get him to come help me.  Meanwhile my husband came back home and whacked the damn thing with a metal spatula like it was no big deal.  My skin still crawls thinking about that night.  

The second time was shortly after we brought Miss Addison home (I really think it was literally like a week after she came home)  I was sitting at the computer, she was luckily asleep in the bedroom, all the sudden out of the corner of my eye I saw wings flapping, I never got up and ran so fast in my life, I think I shut my husband out in the living room with it!  YUCK!  That one I had to be brave and come back out of the bedroom to help my husband find the damn thing so he could get rid of it...lucky for me I have bat radar I guess and found it clinging to some of my nick-naks up on a high shelf within seconds and he took care of the little bastard.  

I really would like to call someone who will come take care of the problem for us, cause they really make my heart almost stop when I catch one flying through the house.  ugh.  I can handle all the spiders and snakes in the world but put me in the house with a bat and its over.

Day 27: Photo Challenge

Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member

My little brother & I, can you tell?  

Ballerina Photoshoot

I haven't gotten a chance to share these on here yet, but while our friend Seth was in town I had him help me take pictures for Addison's 6 month photos.  (He shot them with our camera for me while I held the blanket & Tony made faces at her, I edited)  This is why I made the tutu, I knew before I found out I was going to be having a girl that she was going to have tutu pictures....Shes damn lucky that she wasn't a boy cause most people wouldn't appreciate the boy tutu photo!

So here is almost 6 month old Addison in all of her adorable glory....BTW I LOVE THEM!

This is the one we had printed for everyone

So innocent

Day 26: Photo Challenge

Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you

Mi Casa, this road, this is as home as it gets to me, I grew up in the house across the road from the one I currently live in.  My Grandpa grew up in this house, it belonged to my great grand parents.  I have many memories of my Great Grandpa and uncle Tom from living across the road from them as I grew up.  Some people hate this town and can't wait to get out, me on the other hand, I love it, I moved away and couldn't wait to get back!  I have a deep attachment to this place, I don't know what the deal is but its the only place that will ever say home to me and I love that I know that.  

Day 25: Photo Challenge

Day 25 - A picture of your day


lol, right after that topic yesterday:

I can't take pictures at work but my days look a lot like this, over and over and over again...I change (ie.clean) those little cages that the mice/rats/guinea pigs/whatever live in.  Keep them happy with food and water and make sure that they are all healthy. Thus is the life of a Research Animal Technician.  I've been known to talk to the animals quite frequently also :)

Day 24: Photo Challenge

Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change

I never thought that I would enjoy or have the urge to be one but I would give anything to not have to leave Addison every day to go to work and be able to be a stay at home mom.  At least right now while she's little and learning to do all kinds of new things that I feel like I am missing out on while I'm at work every day.  


Financially could I be a stay at home mom?  Probably if we cheapened ourselves up.  Do we have to have cable? iphones? Highspeed internet? No, could we live without them if we wanted to? Sure but truth be told I don't want to not have these little conveniences and we are working on paying off the last of my debts this year.  (Finally!)  We also like to buy extra things like 4 wheelers, planning on a boat and or camper some day take vacations (even if they are road trips) and  we need money for these things and we can't deny that we make a damn good living on 2 paychecks.  So far we have been lucky and haven't had to pay for day care, (thank you Family!!!)  so you can't give the excuse that I am working to pay daycare cause I'm most definitely not.  We don't live nearly as frugal as we could, I don't have the time to dedicate to deal finding quite honestly and as I stated above we aren't willing to part with some things.  I also enjoy having money to buy things I want when I want them not having to scrounge and save for months at a time, I just couldn't do it!  


So its possible, but then there is the whole, I was raised by a working momma.  I never noticed that my mom didn't stay home with me until I was much older, then it was weird to me.  "You mean your mom doesn't work?"  So even though I feel like I am missing out on things, I'm sure that she never will feel that I am because it will be how she grew up.  Until she needs me to be at something in kindergarten and I can't because I have to work, then maybe (the advantage to my job is vacation time and hopefully we can work around those kind of things).  Me working means we can afford to take her places like Disney World or whatever other vacation we may dream up without skimping and saving for months, I'm sure she will appreciate it.  


But I did spend all that money on school for a reason.  So I guess until work decides to pay me, and give me benefits (forgot about that awesome university insurance perk..I'm the benefit provider) to be a stay at home mom, its off to work I go.   

Day 23: Photo Challenge

Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book

I love, love, love Jodi Picoult!  Don't know who she is?  Did you watch My Sisters Keeper and cry your eyes out?!  She wrote that!  Most of her books are tear inducing which makes me like them even more.  This is probably my favorite one of hers. (aside from my Sisters Keeper, which was even better as a book.) 

 

More babylegs

I can't help myself:

I saw this adorable pair of knee high socks at Jo-Ann Fabric when I was there getting tulle for Addison's tutu.  Being that they were 40% off how could I pass them up, we all know that Addison needed a pair of valentine leg warmers!  For some reason you can't see it on here but the dark pink hearts and stripe are shimmery, what a stylin' baby!  Next up St. Patrick Day leg warmers.....just waiting for them to be marked down too!

Day 22: Photo Challenge

Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at

Teams

Team Sports to be specific.  I'm just not one of those competitive types of people, well unless it has to do with learning/tests then I just want to be the smarter one...bitchy, I know but oh, so true!  

I never was into team sports (I ran track and cross country) and I always wished that I was.  I watch people who are part of a sports team that enjoy it so much and I wish I could make myself feel that way just a little bit.  I tried to get into softball but I just don't have it, I'm scared of getting hit with the ball no matter how much I tell myself I won't get hit.  And then there's the whole trying to care as if its more than just a game, but to me its always just a game and I couldn't care less if I win or lose!  I hope that my children get some of my husbands love for playing sports and competition cause I just don't have it.  Of course if my children just want to be nerds like me that's okay too.

Day 21: Photo Challenge

Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget

bitter cold, blustery, wintery days.....I am ready to forget about them.   Bring on spring.  I want to see my tulips & daffodils popping up to say hello to weather that makes me want to venture outside of my house!  I want to see if my azalea bush I planted last year lived through its first winter.  I want to plant even more flower bulbs!  Winter....ugh!

Day 20: Photo Challenge

Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel

 Ireland, I'm not sure there is another place in the world that's landscape/architecture appeals to me as much as the Irish countryside.  The castle's (even the ones that are now nothing but crumbling remains) are absolutely beautiful, the landscape is so green and perfect! 

OMG BBQ

Seth Cohen (Grand Am friend turned family) was in town this past weekend/week from the Philly/New Jersey area and with him he brought us wing sauce from Quaker Steak & Lube, Wing sauce from Anchor Bar, and Bar-B-Que Sauce from Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. Tonight we had some boneless pork chops to cook so we decided to try one of the new BBQ sauces  he brought us.  We went with the Roasted Garlic Honey pictured here:

All I have to say is YUM!  Dare I say, it knocks my favorite Sweet Baby Rays out of the water!  A+ Seth, A+!

Day 19: Photo Challenge

Day 19 - A picture and a letter

Dear Michivan #24815,

   I received word that your days with us are limited, as they are trading you in for a newer, younger, lower mileage model.  Next Monday will be our last ride to Ann Arbor together.  You have done me well for the past 2 years that we have been together first as a rider and now as a driver.  We won't talk about the dead battery and running out of gas on the way to the gas station that day after I picked you up from the dealer last winter.  Or the bad ignition switch 2 winters ago that left us van less for over a week.  I don't blame you for the gas part at least that one is on an Extreme Dodge employee.  You have been good to us UofM employee's, saving us countless miles of wear and tear on our personal vehicles and hundreds of dollars in fuel costs. I hope your next life gives you a great family with children who will fill your seats full of french fries and park you out of the elements in a toasty garage!  It's been real.


Love Your Primary Driver, 
Amber


 

Raspberries

this girl lives for them..all day every day.

Day 18: Photo Challenge

Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity

I don't have an appropriately gross picture to depict what I am talking about but those fatty pythons that I have always had for arms...UGH..Puke.End of Story.

Tutu's = too too much fun

So, I finally bought the stuff to make the tutu that I wanted to take Addison's six month pictures in.  It was so much easier & faster to make that I had expected and I am so happy with the way it turned out.  I actually purchased two yards of each of the colors that I used, 14 total yards (I somehow forgot to get pink though!!!!)  and I had to cut it into strips myself because their selection of the small spools of tulle was a joke.  But I saved money by buying it off the bolt, it was on sale and I actually had enough to make two tutu's with the materials that I purchased so when my best friend came over later in the day we made a second one for her four year old daughter Taylor. 

I used these directions and did the slip knot method cause it was the easiest, I doubled up my tulle in an effort to make the tutu fuller than if I had used a single piece of tulle for each knot.  I added some ribbon throughout the tutu, glued on a big bow and flower, and made her a matching headband.  I cannot wait to do her pictures in it! 

supplies

finished tutu

finishing touches

Day17: Photo Challenge

Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently

Maybe you have been completely oblivious to my life lately, but THIS:

 I do believe will never stop making an impact on my life.  Pregnancy its self was pretty life changing, then you add the baby to a family and it changes everything.  Hearts get bigger, fingers and toes are counted, emotions are crazy, houses get cluttered, patience wears thin, you survive on little to no sleep, lots of smiles and laughter, a few tears (yours and the baby's), lots of poo, laundry explodes, priorities change, friends disappear, new friends are made, days seem shorter, time is more precious, hours are spent admiring and cuddling and every last bit of it is oh, so worth it!  

 

New Years Resolutions...

I know, I know its like the 16th of January where was I with my resolution on the 1st?!?  I was busy, thats where I was...But welcome to day two of my nine, count them nine, whole days off work!  Ahh, its so wonderful to be able to say that!  So my only resolutions that I made were to keep my house more picked up and to organize this place so we don't feel so cramped with all the babyness that is quickly taking over!

So far I have been following Cleanmama's January Cleaning Month Plan and wow it really has helped make it easier and I have noticed how much neater the place looks on a day to day basis.  That and the new vacuum cleaner that we got for Christmas makes a whole world of difference. 

The other project I nominated the husband to help me with was building a few shelves in our (VERY) large storage closet.  Which was in a state of :

OMG! So shelves were built and a few bins were purchased.  While its still a work in progress, it looks soooo much better and wholy cow I can move in there without something falling on me!  The plan is to put up another wider shelf up top to store our extra bedding on and then just to work on organizing what we have in there already better.  But this is the wall of horrible now...

Amazing!  Also impossible to get far enough away to take a proper photo. There is still more organizing to be done in this closet but I am so happy with what we accomplished in one afternoon!  Next up....unsure, but I have kitchen cabinets that could kill a person.  Might be a good place to start next!

And because she's so flipping adorable:

We started cereal on Friday.  It's a hit!