I'm not done!

I have had a rather long hiatus from blogging. I'm hoping that will end soon!

I'm currently 27 weeks pregnant with another gorgeous little girl (who hasn't been named yet!). For some reason, the thought of going back and trying to catch up on the last year of our lives is stifling. So... I think I'm going to be starting over. If you'd like to keep up with the girls (albeit not quite as in depth as I've been here) and our move into home schooling, please go here and become a follower. I'd love to write more review posts, recipes, and general life posts, without quite so much focus on the babes. We'll see if I keep too that or not, ha!

Several of my posts from here will be revamped, and continued/reposted over there. So keep an eye out for new ideas (I plan on taking my "baby must haves" and re-doing it, since I'm now on #3, that list has changed!

I'll leave this up for a week or so, then the whole blog will go private. Perhaps if I can figure out how, simplyshaina.com will continue as the name for the new blog.

Thank you for following us this far, I hope to see you there!

Happy Birthday Abrielle!

Oh, sweet baby girl. My little sugar peach. I cannot fathom the fact that you are ONE!

You weigh 19 lbs and 7 oz. You are 29.5 inches long. Perfectly normal for a one year old girl.

You don't talk much beyond "Hi!", "Mama" and "Dada" and you refuse to sign anything.

You can walk 10-15 steps at a time, crawl anywhere, and you LOVE to climb.

You will eat anything you can get your hands on. Literally. You ate a poblano pepper the other day that you weren't a big fan of... but it didn't really slow you down. You aren't fond of asparagus or broccoli, but that is about it.

You have the sweetest heart. You start crying whenever your sister is upset.

You're still a crappy sleeper, but its okay. Mommy likes the snuggles.

You still nurse 12+ times a day.

You LOVE being worn. If you're fussy, or tired, I just put you up and you zonk out.

You're beginning to show your love of music. I love how when it comes on you simply cannot sit still.

You love to give kisses (if its your idea).

You fall asleep on Daddy's chest better than anywhere else.

You had your lip and tongue ties revised by laser surgery last month, and were a champ (more on this later, promise).

You LOVE books. Just today you pulled a book all way from your room to Papaw and climbed in his lap to look at it.

You are a Papaw's girl. You light up and start plotting how to get to him as soon as he enters a room.

You never slow down. You are full speed from when you wake up until you fall asleep.

You're tough as nails.

You're perfect little one!

I love you so much sweet girl. I can't believe it's been a year, and I look forward to enjoying you and your sister for years to come.

Happy Birthday Abbi Jean.

This might be a record.

Wow. It's been over six months since I last posted. Two kids, being mobile 95% of the time, a baby that doesn't sleep well... you know the drill. But I'm posting today! Yay! I have so much to post about. Lip Tie and how it affects breast feeding, woven wraps, the Highly Sensitive Child, taking back things I said with kiddo number one, home schooling, etc, etc, etc. I have movie reviews, book reviews, recipes... it's insane! But tonight, tonight I think I will do a bulleted catch up post. - Abbi is almost 11 months. She's crawling anywhere she wants to go, cruising everywhere, and is OH SO CLOSE to walking. She has 8 teeth (yes, Keevia had zero at this age). She's hilarious, can say hi, mama, dada, OH (uh oh), Tada! and I think she has a word or two for Keevia but I haven't quite figured it out yet. She looooooves her Daddy and goes to sleep for him much better than me. She still nurses about 10 times a day, eats anything you put in front of her, and LOVES her sister. She's not a fantastic sleeper. At all. In fact, she's kind of horrible. I've never had more than 4 hours. But she's cute? We recently moved her crib into the guest room to see if I got ANY more rest... so far its a no go. - Keevia is growing like a weed. She's SO smart that she scares me sometimes. Her biggest milestone recently was that we turned her carseat forward facing about 10 days before her third birthday. She adores Doc McStuffins, Princesses, Spiderman, Mickey Mouse, and reading. She has turned into a pretty picky eater, which doesn't make me that happy. But all in all, when I sit down and write out what she WILL eat, the list surprises me. - The girls get along SO well. It's shocking really. Other than a few hair pulls here and there, they really do love each other. I foresee them being thick as thieves. - Both girls got Influenza A the week before Christmas. We almost had to forgo Christmas with our families because of how sick Keevia got. She almost had a secondary stomach thing going on, it was horrible. Then last week Abbi and I both came down (along with my parents, and Carl to some extreme) some weird virus/flu thing. Thankfully Keevia didn't catch it. - Carl and I are fine. His schedule is wonky at times, but at other times he gets 5 days off in a row. I love the time we get to spend together! - I'm starting a new venture, Maimeo Dolls. It started after I started making the girls dolls for Christmas (ASK ME if I got them done, ha!) and turned into a love affair for me. I've also started loving crocheting and knitting again (and even some spinning!) I'm listing every thing on my Etsy shop. - I'm starting my weight loss journey again. I'm no where near my heaviest (20lbs less in fact!) But I would like to be much thinner, and more importantly, much healthier. I plan on blogging about this soon, but the word DIET is not crossing my lips. Exercise and lifestyle choices is how I'm going about it this time! Well that's the past six months in a nut shell. I leave you with this blurry photo until I can post better ones.

Abrielle at 5 months!

Oh Abbi.... how are you so big?

You're five months old!
- You wear size 2 diapers.
- You wear strictly 6-9 month clothes, with some 12 month sleepers and outfits
- You wear a size 1 shoe, on that very narrow foot of yours!
- You're VERY close to sitting on your own!
- You sleep 80% of the night with Mommy and Daddy still. We start you in your crib, but you really only stay there about an hour.
- You take 3-4 naps a day.
- You nurse every hour to every hour and a half.
- You are JUST now starting to look interested when we eat around you.
- You LOVE chewing on Sophie the Giraffe, and playing with your Lamaze giraffe we bought.
- You are entranced by your sister. You simply adore her!
- Your shirt/onesie is constantly soaked to your belly button in slobber. You are the droolingest baby!
- You are still toothless, and I have a feeling that you'll follow your sisters foot steps!
- You like staying up late with Mommy.
- You really just like Mommy in general.
- You squeal and carry on constantly.
- You still make ADORABLE grunting noises when you want to nurse.
- You smile with your WHOLE body. You get excited all over.
- Abrielle, you aren't the best sleeper in the world. You nap pretty fantastic, but when it comes to bed time, you sleep very lightly and nurse 50 times during the night.

You are beautiful, perfect, and the snuggliest baby around. We wouldn't be complete without you. You're growing SO fast, yet I can't wait to see how different you are from your sister as you get older. Love you Abbi Jean.

Wordless Wednsday: Sisters

Keevia 2.5 year post

Keevia, how are you two and a half?

You weigh about 30 lbs and are 34 inches tall. Who knows how big your head is, but it is hard to get 4t shirts over your head at times...

You wear size 5 diapers and are ALMOST potty trained! You can go all day at home without having an accident, but you still wear diapers at night and pull ups when we go out.

You wear 2t shorts and pants and 3t-4t shirts. You're so long waisted!

You have the biggest vocabulary. I couldn't even put a number on it. You speak in full sentences, and usually full paragraphs. You know things that just blow my mind.

You can say, and identify all your ABC's and numbers up til 20.

You know your colors and shapes (even some shapes Mommy doesn't know!).

You LOVE playing outside, and are completely fearless. I have to watch you like a hawk because you'll just do/go wherever!

Around the time Abrielle was born you began going to bed in your bed by yourself. We take a shower or a bath, put your jammies on, get a sippy and a paci, and read two stories. Then I turn out the lights and "sit in that chair" until you fall asleep. Bedtime is so much easier!

You are absolutely the BEST big sister. If Abbi is crying you go to her and say "It's okay Baby Abbi... I'm here.. It's okay... I'm here" over and over. You love on her, you talk to her.... you are just wonderful!

You ADORE to draw. We have a big easel in the living room and you play with it several times a day!

You still ride rear-facing in your carseat.

You are currently obsessed with cheese sandwiches. You make cute little "mmmm, mmmm" sounds with every bite.

You still have three molars to pop through.

You love to read. Or, well, to be read to.

You simply adore Blues Clues, Fresh Beat Band, Pocoyo, Mickey Mouse Club House, Dinosaur Train... and many others.

You're turning into a very big Daddy's girl, and that makes Mommy very happy!

All around, you are the sweetest, most loving little girl. You want to please, and very rarely have to be disciplined. You adore your sister and are very gentle with her. You're becoming more and more outgoing (You go around Wal-Mart saying "Hi! I'm Keevia! I'm 2"). You love Mommy snuggles, even when you don't want to be worn much any more. I'll love you for always my baby.

Abrielle's 2 Month post (way late!)

Abbi! You're two months old (or, well, now you're 2 and a half months old, but I'll try and remember two months stats, ha!)

You weigh 11lbs and 7oz. You are 24 1/2 inches long! Which means your the average weight of a two month old, height of a three month old, and head circumference of a three and a half month old!

You still fit in your 0-3 month clothes, but not the sleepers! You're soooooo long! You have the longest legs and arms (and fingers and toes!). (and at 2.5 months old you're basically in all 3-6 month clothing).

You've JUST started sleeping in the crib for a few hours at night. But only when you sleep in the crib, and not the co-sleeper. So you made your poor, poor daddy take the crib apart and move it into our room. :)

You love to be held. In fact, you demand it.

Mommy cannot eat hot wings. Your belly does not approve of them at all.

Mamaw apparently has nails and spikes on her chest and lap, because whenever she gets you for some reason, you scream bloody murder.

You've started to get colicky, and really like to be in Mommys arms or nursing from 7pm on.

You love taking baths with your big sister!

You've started cooing and laughing, and squealing occasionally!

You still wear size 1 disposable diapers, but you're starting to grow out of your newborn/small cloth diapers. You tolerate cloth better than Keevia did! (At 2.5 months old you're juuuuuust about grown out of size 1 diapers as well...)

You still don't like to be cold. At all. Where I had to dress Keevia as cool-ly as possible, I have to dress you warmer than I would think.

You'll take a pacifier (MAM) but not as much as K did!

You're the sweetest, snuggliest little girl, and I cannot imagine my life without you!

We're still alive!!

Hey everyone!

We're still alive! I swear!

Abbi is 8 weeks old as of yesterday. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? She's doing fantastically. Still a super easy baby. She's in 3-6 month sleepers already! Growing like a WEED.

Keevs is in the middle of her 2 year molars. She has two through and two to go. I am SO READY for them to be through! In the midst of this, however, she has started going to bed SO EASILY!

I have a ton of posts in my head, but hardly any time to sit down and write. I'd love to blog about our breastfeeding journey thus far as its been...challenging to say the least. But we're still doing it! I also need to talk about my COMPLETE baby carrier stash churn and how I've gone from Soft Structured Carriers to wraps and ring slings! I also want to talk about my wheat-free lifestyle and how its lead to weightloss, and helping my PCOS. Plus I need to spit out a 2.5 year post for Keevia and a 2 month post for Abrielle!

To tide you over, for your viewing pleasure...

Polar Opposites

I realize I may look back on this post in the months to come and laugh my tuckus off, but as for right now Abbi and Keevia are complete and utter polar opposites.

Abrielle was SO active in utero, and now that she's out she is the calmest, quietest baby EVER. She cries when she's getting a diaper change (sometimes) and occasionally when some gas crosses her stomach... but other than that, she makes little whimper noises. Keevia screamed. Constantly. Our entire hour and a half car ride home from the hospital was a complete scream fest with Keevia, while Abrielle NEVER MADE A SOUND.

Keevia is super long waisted, with short(er) legs (and a honking huge head). Abrielle has a normal sized torso and looooooooooooong legs (and long fingers and long toes)(and a huge honking head).

I can put Abrielle in the bouncer awake, and she will fall asleep. To date, (I'm not even joking here people) excluding a very few rides in the swing, Keevia has fallen asleep outside of someones arms TWICE. Both of those times were watching TV. She did FINALLY learn how to fall asleep in the car after she hit 6 months, but those first 6 months had me singing to her, rocking the carseat... basically doing anything I could to get her to sleep.

Abrielle sleeps like her father (read: the dead), Keevia sleeps like me (read: any noise within a 1 mile radius can wake her up).

Keevia took a pacifier (voraciously) from day one. Abrielle will (sometimes) take one in the car, or in the middle of the night when she doesn't really want to nurse but has that need to suck.

Keevia nursed every hour to every hour and a half. Abrielle nurses every 2-3 hours (this may have something to do with the fact that I nurse them differently. I didn't ever do ten minutes on side A then switch to side B for the remainder of the feeding with Abbi. I offer one breast, let her nurse as long as she wants, burp her, then offer the second breast if she wants it. If not, I start the next feeding on the second breast. I had oversupply issues/milk imbalance issues with Keevia, and I think a good bit of the screaming she did was because of belly ache).

Keevia wouldn't let ANYONE but CLOSE family hold her from day 1. Abrielle could care less who has her as long as Mommy gets her back to nurse.

All in all, Abbi seems to just be a calmer baby. I've said numerous times in the (*SOB*) almost two weeks she has been here that I didn't realize how high maintenance of a baby Keevia was until I had Abbi. I could NEVER have considered laying Keevia in a bouncy seat and taking a shower, and with Abbi I would have zero qualms about it. And it's not just a second time mother thing, it's totally a child's temperament thing!

I can't wait to see how Abrielle grows and changes... like I said, I could be laughing in a few months!

Abbi's Birth Story

Abbi's birth story is a long one. Prodromal labor kind of indicates that, but hers was almost annoyingly so. Still, we got the best present at the end. :)

On Friday, February 24th, I went in for my 37/38 week appointment with my midwife. My blood pressure and weight were fine, and Abbi's heart beat and fundal height were measuring perfectly. Melissa (my midwife) checked my cervix. The previous week I had been a 3 and now I was a 4, 75% effaced and had "bulging waters". She asked if I wanted my membranes stripped, and I said yes. I know there's controversy about stripping membranes, but living almost two hours from the hospital, I usually choose to have it done so I'll at least be closer if I do go into labor. I started having stronger contractions (I was having contractions constantly, but they weren't strong enough to be considered active labor) almost immediately.

We shopped a little, then headed to the Winchester Wal-Mart. While walking around, I began to feel like I was leaking fluid. The contractions were every 4-7 minutes apart, and I continued leaking. I called Carl and told him to head to Lexington and we went to the hospital to be checked.

Initially I tested positive for broken membranes. However, the nurse checked the stuff on her gloves that was closer to my cervix and it tested negative, so she had me pee in a cup and my pee tested positive (meaning my urine was as alkaline as amniotic fluid normally is). However, I was still having the strongest contractions to date. She checked me again after an hour or so, and I had progressed from 4cms to 5cms. The first time she checked me she said that she didn't feel bulging waters, but the second time she checked me she said that she did. They gave me the option of going to my sisters house for a bit and coming back when I was more "in labor" (letting Carl sleep some and me eat something), or stay at the hospital. We chose to go to my sisters. They "reserved" the room (with the TUB!) for me for a few hours, because they just knew I'd be back in the wee hours of the morning.

We went back to my sisters, I ate a bowl of oatmeal and took a long shower. I then laid down to "try" and sleep.

I woke up several times throughout the night with contractions, but nothing regular. Mom said (because she slept with me) that she could hear my breathing change and get faster, and she assumed that was when I was having one. I woke up around 9-10 the next morning and was only having my very minimal contractions.

Both Carl and Melissa wanted me to walk around some before heading home, so Mom, Keevia and I went to the mall for a few hours. I never had much of any more leaking, and the contractions I had were my usual ones, with very few strong ones thrown in. We called it a day a few hours later and headed back to my sisters. We started packing up to go home, and I went to use the bathroom before we left.

Holy lots of bloody show, Batman.

We decided to stay another night. Carl went out and got a big exercise ball, and I spent the evening bouncing away. Nothing. Went to bed and got up the next morning...still nothing. We went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast, where I had more bloody show. Frustrated, we headed home.

We literally hit our hometowns city limits and I started having stronger contractions. I had strongish contractions all that evening and the next day. I called my midwife on Monday afternoon to ask about the continual bloody show I was having (it was mainly mucousy with streaks of blood), and she asked to see me on Tuesday instead of Friday (when my next appointment was).

So, Tuesday morning we got up and headed back to Lexington. We got to her office around 10am. Again, weight, blood pressure, fundal height and heartbeat were all perfect. I had progressed to 6cms and was 80%+ effaced. She said my cervix was SO super soft she didn't see how I hadn't had a baby.

We decided, that since I was already 6cms dilated, and my body was so ready, and I lived 2 hours away, that we would go ahead and break my water. I called Carl and told him to head our way, then we went out to grab something to eat and some fruit and snacks for the delivery room. We got to the hospital, got checked in, and started getting settled in the room. Unfortunately the tub room was occupied.

Carl didn't get there until after 2pm because of a double wide trailer that was PUT TOGETHER traveling down the mountain parkway. There was no way for him to pass. My midwife was super understanding though and said she'd come and break my water once he got there. She got held up herself, so my water wasn't broken until about 3:30-4.

Funny story. I didn't have much water to break. Like, at all. I barely wet a chuck, and it took several, several tries to break it. My Momma thinks that it actually did at least leak on Friday. I don't know. I know that either the breaking of the water, the cervical manipulation, or SOMETHING catapulted me into much harder labor. 

I had a super sweet nurse who put me on the monitors directly after my water was broken for about 20 minutes. She then came in and started talking to us about books and Kindles, and Nooks while I bounced away on the birthing ball. I began noticing I had to reaaaaally concentrate to get through a contraction. I really only wanted to be sitting on the toilet because I felt like I needed to pee constantly.

I don't think Mom or Carl either one really realized how fast the contractions were getting more painful. Mom was talking to someone on the phone and was talking about how they were getting "a little harder". I remember thinking "Umm...no....these freaking hurt..." and Carl was ordering a pizza (and asking me if I wanted any....). An hour after my water was broken, the nurse came in and monitored me again (just Abbi's heartbeat for 1 minute. LOVE THAT HOSPITAL). As soon as she was done, I stripped off and got in the shower.

The contractions were much more managable in the shower. I either sat on the chair in there, or stood with the water hitting my back. A week or so before I had watched this video that a doula friend of mine had posted on Facebook, and being very, very musical I decided to give it a try. I began singing any hymn I could think of. I sang "Just a Closer Walk With Thee", "Amazing Grace", my favorite "Come Thou Fount" and more. Literally anything that popped in my mind I started singing. And it worked. It worked very, very well. If I sang, I didn't notice the contraction as much. If I didn't sing it was muuuuuuuuuuuch harder to concentrate through it. I stayed in the shower for over an hour (the nurse came with a handheld doppler and checked me while I was in there!). I only got out because I was starting to get very, very hot, the contractions were beginning to come on top of one another, and I couldn't sing through them anymore. I was pretty sure I was in transition.

I got out and had them move the bed so that I could lean on my hands and knees. ALL of my pain was right over my bladder area, and it was agonizing. There for about 10 minutes I was having contractions on top of one another, and then they slacked off to about every 3 minutes. The pain at this point was almost unbearable. My Mom started pushing on my low back (even though I wasn't having back labor like last time) and the pressure or something made it bearable again. Funny thing was that my chiropractor (who had came in about this time) couldn't do it like Momma could. I was checked somewhere in here and was at a 8 or a 9. My midwife told me the way I was sitting might actually be putting MORE pressure on that area of my stomach, so I moved onto my left side. I tried to rest as best I could between contractions. Looking back, I think I was ready to push here, but I didn't really have a strong urge. I weathered several contractions on my left side, and finally started sobbing that I couldn't do it anymore. My midwife recommended that I start pushing and see if that helped.

Oh, sweet relief. If I pushed through a contraction the pain went away. They got things ready, and I started REALLY pushing. In about 2 pushes she was crowning and I began feeling the ring of fire. I started pushing steadily and gently (when the midwife told me to) and then around 2 big pushes later, she was out! I didn't have any ripping or tearing again!

They laid her on my chest and started cleaning her off. She was slightly reluctant to cry, but they got one out of her pretty quickly. Throughout the entire birth I didn't really have very much fluid at all come out.

Keevia was in the room the entire time. Mom says that when it started getting intense she handed K her iPhone and Keevia climbed up on the couch, with her back to me, and watched Blues Clues. Either right before I gave birth or right after, I started crying, and she got a little upset that Mommy was crying... So Mom picked her up, and she was fine. I remember her going "That's Baby Abbi!" as Abbi was laid on my chest.

We delayed cord clamping until the cord had stopped pulsing, and then we snuggled with Abbi a little longer. I delivered the placenta with no pitocin and it was MUCH more pleasant than when I delivered it with pitocin with Keevia.

Because she came SO quickly (about 4 hours after my water was broken) and in only 4-5 pushes, she was bruised to pieces. She had broken blood vessels in her eyes, bruising on her eyes, nose and forehead, and big bruises across her back. I'm a mean old Mommy. They took her and weighed and measured her, then brought her back and she latched right on to nurse. She nursed about four times in the next two hours.

All in all, it was a much less painful birth than Keevias. With K's birth I kind of hypnotized myself and was silent. I was much more vocal with this birth (I even asked for a C-Section when she was crowning), but I was able to be more aware. I was more vocal because I could BE more vocal. If I opened my eyes with K I started hyperventilating. I was able to reach down and feel Abbi's hair and head as she came out this time. I think a lot of my pain was from being ready to deliver, but she just hadn't dropped fully. When I started pushing, I dropped her myself. Melissa had told my Mom and Carl while I was in the shower that she could stretch my cervix to a 10 when she broke my water, it was THAT soft.

I don't regret them breaking my water at all. I went so quickly it would have been difficult for us to get to the hospital if it had broken at home (especially if I had dilated more before then!) and almost impossible for Carl to get there. I have a beautiful healthy baby, and I couldn't be happier. I honestly never felt like I had a baby at all. The only real pain I felt after birth was from my tailbone, I think I pushed it out a little.

So there it is. If you read it in its entirety you deserve a medal! Ha!