The Deegan Daily

Switching things up a bit...

2011-01-11T16:49:00.000-05:00

I've decided to move on from this blog to a new one. Find out more in my first blog post at Callie Mommy here

Thank you for following my pregnancy and first year as a mom. I hope you'll check me out at Callie Mommy!

Wishing You A Merry Christmas!

2010-11-26T21:08:00.001-05:00

Candy Cane Stripes Holiday

Christmas cards and holiday thank you cards by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Wowzers... Mommy Deegan is gonna be busy!

2010-09-18T01:42:00.000-04:00

Well, I should have started blogging again when I thought life was hectic. Because now, it's really about to get hectic!

I have boosted up my crafting to make more stuff for my Etsy / FB shop The Deegan General, I have taken on several photo sittings for CWD Photography, and I am now a Macaroni Kid Publisher Mom!

I have got A LOT on my plate, but that is a good thing! God is good, he provides when all is given to him.

Ella is growing like a weed.

In my blogging absence, she has learned to crawl,

pull up on EVERYTHING,

and even cruise on the furniture.

She has been babbling like crazy, and just the other day, she said her first word. Dada. Yup, this momma loves on her all day long, feeds her the perfect food whenever she wants it, and she STILL says Dada first. I actually caught in on film. I was making a video on my cell phone to send to Sean. I was making her laugh by kissing all over her face and neck. She looked at the computer where there was a photograph of Sean on the screen, looked back at me, and then back to the screen. "dada." It was so sweet, and although I am a little jealous, I am so happy I was with her and that I had it to send to Sean right then and there!

Have a Happy Weekend!

GOOOOOO STEELERS!!!

Blogger Fail

2010-09-16T10:36:00.000-04:00

Yeah, ya see...

I was going to take a mini blogcation, then life got in the way and I haven't updated my blog in FOREVER!
That changes today :)

There is so much going on in the world of Mommy Deegan, and even more in the world of Baby Ella Grace who has reached soooo many milestones in my blogging absence. I will do my best to post some videos and photos for anyone who is interested in keeping up with the little Deegan Diva.

I am excited to get back into the swing of things...

Ready, Set, GO!

3 year anniversary of Mr&Mrs Deegan 8/24/10

Crockpot Rice Puddin'

2010-06-14T22:50:00.000-04:00

During my pregnancy I discovered that I L-O-V-E rice pudding. I have looked for recipes several time and they just seem like too much work when I can just buy the yummy orange cozy shack container instead. However, today while looking for a yummy chicken and rice Crockpot recipe, a recipe for rice pudding popped up and it seemed to simple not to try. It turned out delicious! I cut the recipe in half and have easily 10 servings so I will post the amounts I used.

1/2 gal milk (I used 2%)
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup rice (it should have been 1/2 cup but I like more rice in mine)
1/8 tsp salt
1-2 tsp vanilla

Pour the milk, sugar, rice, and salt into the Crockpot. Stir to distribute ingredients. Turn on Crockpot to high and cook for 2 1/2 hrs stirring to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom. Around 2 1/2 hours the milk should be starting to boil around the edges, turn the heat to low and cook another 30 minutes. Add vanilla and stir, pour into room temp glass container with a lid and place in fridge to cool. Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon and enjoy!

And it's off to the pool we go!

2010-06-13T08:44:00.000-04:00

We took Ella Grace to the pool for the first time yesterday. We weren't really worried about her reaction to the water since she loves the bath and shower so much, but we were to see her reaction and obviously this would be the most submerged she's been up to this point.

After getting her all ready with her swim diaper, sunscreen, swimsuit, and sun hat we were off! The pool was so crazy crowded that I'm not sure we got a true response as to how she felt about being in that much water. She was more interested in watching all the crazy teenagers jumping in and out of the pool. She did however show some nervous behavior when we held her out away from our bodies. I think the buoyancy was a little much for her. Other than that, she seemed content and we had a good time.

This is what I am printing to hang on the wall. I am making 8x8 "posters" of her first and our favorite moments and framing them to hang together. Eventually I will transfer them to a scrapbook.

This is my favorite pic of the afternoon and I plan to print and frame it as well.

I can't wait to create more memories in the water with Ella Grace! Sean and I were both water babies growing up and it looks like she will be one too!

One year ago and Today

2010-06-11T21:16:00.000-04:00

A year ago today I cried in the bathroom a I prayed asking God to let me meet the baby growing inside of me. I went to the bedroom and told Sean we were pregnant and prayed with him for the chance to love this little one in the flesh.

This morning I rolled on the floor with my beautiful 18 weeks old baby girl. Ella Grace has given new meaning to both our lives. Tonight we had dinner just the three of us and it was picture perfect and I loved every moment of it. When I'm done typing this, I'm off to bed with my hubby and Ella Grace is already tucked in her cradle.

Life is good. God is great.

Ella's 4.5 month Stats

16.10 pounds

26.5 inches long

16.9 inch head circumference

90th Percentile across the board

She's a big girl, but proportionate :)

Friday Follow & Happy Birthday to me!

2010-06-04T10:01:00.002-04:00

WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME! I'm so glad you stopped by. Take a minute, look around, leave a comment. I LOVE comments. If you feel so inclined click on that little follow button to the right, OR on the facebook follow button just below it. And if your blog is looking for some new bling, please feel free to grab my button :)

Today I have lived a quarter of a century. A year ago I was dreading this birthday. I didn't feel as if I had accomplished something worthy of a quarter century celebration. I had checked off one of the big things on my life list, I was married, and while that is wonderful, it wasn't enough. Then, 1 week after my 24th birthday, I poas and got a BIG FAT POSITIVE. We were pregnant.This year, I celebrate my birthday as a mommy, and it feels right.

Last night I went out with two of my besties. We went on a mommie's night out WITH the children. 3 mommies, 3 strollers, 4 kiddos. We hit up Burlington looking for a bday outfit for me and I walked away with a pair of comfy play pants, seemingly momish but that makes me happy too. Then we went to Steak-n-Shake, for burgers, fries, and the most wonderful shakes. I gave myself the birthday present of locking my keys in the car and was very happy that I had made Sean put the extra set to my car on his key chain so he knew just where they were. I love my girls who weren't put out at all having to wait in the parking lot with kiddies who were getting beyond tired but instead laughed and chatted and made me not feel like such a duns by regaling me we stories of silly things they have done instead.

Today I am off to breakfast and a movie with my mommy and my daughter. We'll see how Ella Grace handles the Matinée. Haha.

Have a great day!

Thankful Thursaday- Quarter Century Edition

2010-06-03T12:34:00.000-04:00

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
~ Colossians 3:16 (ESV)

You might have noticed that this is a special Thankful Thursay post. A quarter century post. Tomorrow I turn 25 so I though I would list 25 things I'm thankful for.

1. I am thankful for parents who raised me to see God in the world around me and to seek Him in all things.

2. I am thankful for life long girl friends. I love you Gracie & Renee.

3. I am thankful for the love and laughter I share with my husband. I love you Sean.

4. I am thankful for my beautiful daughter Ella Grace. The best present I ever received. I loved you before you were even an embryo in my womb and I love you more and more each day.

5. I am thankful for a little brother who comes over to hold the baby when I need to take care of something and who I can still laugh with. You were my first friend and I will love you always bug.

6. I am thankful for music. Loud music to sing with the windows down, soft music to lull my daughter to sleep, and slow music to dance to in the rain.

7. I am thankful for creative outlets. Photograph, sewing, writing, baking. Ways I show who I am.

8. I am thankful for God's providing hand. I may not have things the way I want them, but he makes sure we are taken care of.

9. I am thankful for laughter in my marriage.

10. I am thankful for new friends.

11. I am thankful for baby smiles that make my whole life have new meaning.

12. I am thankful for Elmo. Song or tv he stops my babies crying and gives me a minute to go to the bathroom.

13. I am thankful for my grandparents who are here to love my my daughter and be a part of her life.

14. I am thankful for rice pudding. It's not helping my weight loss, but it does seem to help my sanity.

15. I am thankful for the hour that my daughter spends paying alone in the morning while I doze on the floor next to her.

16. I am thankful for my daughter, did I say that already? Oh well I'm doubly thankful for her.

17. I am thankful for in-laws who love me and help more than they should.

18. I am thankful that God has helped me to gain control over my anxiety without the daily use of medication.

19. I am thankful for friends who tell me I look good. I mean really, those are great friends.

20. I am thankful that my daughters father loves her and me and wants to be with us forever. I love you Sean.

21. I am thankful for Godly people who pray for my family. All of my family.

22. I am thankful that I haven't sat on the floor crying and overwhelmed with mommy-hood in 3 months.

23. I am thankful for the sun shining and the rain falling. I love them both, even more when they are at the same time.

24. I am thankful for baby laughs when I want to cry.

25. I am thankful that God has brought me through 25 years and is still molding me into who he wants me to be.

Mommy to the rescue! or not?

2010-06-02T09:56:00.000-04:00

I read an article on PBS.com this morning about running to your children's rescue when they forget things like lunches, homework, and other items they might need while at school. It posed the question of when NOT helping sends the wrong message. The writer was a you forgot it you have to live with it kind of mommy. She wanted to instill responsibility for oneself in her children. But watching her daughters unwillingness to help out those around her made her wonder if she had gone too far.

I know that I called my parents plenty with "I forgot." And be it homework, shorts for soccer practice, or my lunch, they rarely said no. Did this harm me? There are times that I still forget things, but I do not expect others to break their backs to help me. I do try and help those around me and with compassion I hope. I can't wait for Ella Grace to call me and need me to help her. That is something I consider to be the roll of a mommy, or daddy.

I have a running joke with my dad. I call and ask for "daddy rescue" when I really need help, and in return, he racks up "life credits." Now, I am an adult, and married with a child of my own, but every now and then I still need daddy's help. But more frequently he is calling and cashing in those life credits. Now, I don't know that I will ever be able to re-pay all of his help, but I don't think he really ever expected me too.

what do you think?

ARTICLE ON PBS

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2010-06-01T23:37:00.001-04:00

FOR TODAY
Outside my window...it's nearly 90 today but I am thankful for the sun!
I am thinking...of how much I need to do so we can move at the end of July.
I am thankful for...my father.
From the kitchen...spaghetti with meat sauce and garlic toast...mmmm.
I am wearing...yoga pants and a nursing tank.
I am creating...a family notebook, tye-dye onesies, and blankies for my pregnant girls.
I am going...to try and sleep very soon.
I am reading...a bunch of really great blogs, my new Women's Daily, and a vampire book.
I am hoping... for healing.
I am hearing... Ella Grace's swing.
Around the house... things are in relative order, but as always I still see a lot that need to be done.
One of my favorite things... lavender, the smell and the color.
A few plans for the rest of the week: babysitting, sewing, and MY BIRTHDAY!
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

The First Four Months In Photographs

2010-05-28T13:45:00.004-04:00

Friday Follow!

2010-05-28T11:07:00.000-04:00

I have not participated in Friday Follow the past two weeks during my computer vaca, and I've missed reading new blogs and meeting new bloggers. I'm excited for today! Please read through my blog and comment. I LOVE comments. Who doesn't love comments?

Mommy Moments

2010-05-27T22:12:00.000-04:00

There are moments everyday where I look at Ella Grace and think, "wow, that's my daugter." Sometimes I feel like her mommy, other times I say it out loud because it still doesn't fell like part of who I am. Then there are the moments, that I feel it, and anyone around would easily say, "she's a mom."

I'm not talking about when I'm nursing or something as equally obviously mommy. But moments where I'm caught off guard and surprise myself with the mommy finesse I have acquired some where during my 9 months of pregnancy and 4 months of mommy hood.

Today, I had a mommy moment of epic proportions. In the morning we wake up around 7am. Ella Grace nurses and then we doze and/or play in bed until around 8:30 or 9:00. When we come down Ella Grace plays either in her swing or on her floor mat while I get my own food, check my email, go to the bathroom. Whatever it is that I need 15 minutes to do. Today, it was the swing, and Ella Grace used her 15 minutes of alone time very constructively. Creating a huge poopy mess. I smelled it before I saw it. And I unfortunately felt it before I saw it as well. Up her back, down her legs, all over the swing. Sweet, ripe, smelly, baby poo. I unbuckled her and warmed at the wonderful smile she gave me, little did I know that behind that smile was a huge "ha ha mommy, you're gonna say eww in a minute." As I picked her up from the swing I felt it, slippery moisture on her back. I didn't even need to look to know what it was, but i turned her to survey the damage none the less. Wow! Her entire back up to between her shoulder blades was a giant mess of poo.

With my mommy hat firmly in place, I set to the task of cleaning her up. I put her on her belly in the pnp (pack-n-play) and worked at getting her onesie off without getting baby poop all over the place. I cleaned her back before I even took off the diaper and had just rolled her over to start the task of removing the diaper when there was knock on the door. UPS. Ugh. So, knowing that I had the messy parts cleaned up I ran to the door. I'm sure I looked frazzled when I opened the door. I hadn't showered yet, and I realized as I stood there that I still had wipes in my hand. He asked me to sign and I looked down at my hands, looked back at him, and said "give me a minute I need to go wash my hands." There was no way I was going to take his pen when I knew good and well there was at least a little poo on me. He looked at the wipes in my hand and said not to worry about it and have a good day.

As I walked back to Ella, I smiled. I'm a mommy.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2010-05-25T10:49:00.000-04:00

I'm starting a new thing- The Simple Woman's Daybook. I will be doing this entry every tuesday and possibly more often. My hope is to focus on the simple in life, and find joy in that simplicity.

FOR TODAY
Outside my window...the day is overcast, but I'm ok with that.
I am thinking...of love shared. Can you give to much away?
I am thankful for...girlfriends to talk to late at night and first thing in the morning.
From the kitchen...yogurt cereal for breakfast. Takes me back to my childhood.
I am wearing...my favorite nightgown, it finally fits again.
I am creating...order in my home and a new dress for Ella Grace.
I am going...to get things done today.
I am reading...nothing yet, but I endeavor to pick a book by days end.
I am hoping...to find an extra magic hour in the day today.
I am hearing...praise music on pandora.com.
Around the house...it's a mess!
One of my favorite things...smile from Ella Grace when she sees me for the first time in the morning.
A few plans for the rest of the week: lunch in the park with Patty'o, dinner with friends, planing more marketing.
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Ella Grace Recap

2010-05-25T10:34:00.000-04:00

Just some pics to show my little girl over the past two weeks...

Play time with mommy in the morning

Her "beary" best friends

She found her toes!

Mommy's lavender princess

The Thinker

2 weeks absence

2010-05-25T10:23:00.000-04:00

Ok- this was not an intentional blogging vaca, but it was needed. I needed to take some time to step away from my computer and survey the world at large. It's been a busy two weeks of being a mommy, wife, friend, and just me.

During these two weeks I have come to realize that although others might hurt me, I can't stop putting myself out there. I love deeply. There is no way around that except to not love, and for me, that is not an option. I give my love freely, hoping for love in return. Although it might hurt when this love is rejected, it is the very core of who I am. I feel deeply for others and those who know me best can attest to this.

I have realized that although I am "ok" with who I am physically, for me to be mentally and emotionally happy, I need to improve on my physical state. I also need to make time for other things that are important to me, reading a good book, taking photographs (of things other than my beautiful baby), laughing with friends, and making where I live my home.

We will be moving at the end of July. I'm more than a little anxious about this. I want to move somewhere that we plan to be for at least 2 years. Sean wan't to buy, but I'm just not ready for that yet. The thought of packing and getting ready to move makes me panic. I feel like we just got settled here. Scratch that, I feel like we still aren't quite settled here. But we need more space for Ella Grace to learn to crawl, and then walk. We need a place that we can really be comfortable in, and hopefully, a place closer to Sean's work.

I went to a church service in the park with Ella Grace on Sunday. It made me think of a line from one of my favorite movies of all time, Anne of Green Gables.

"Why must people kneel down to pray?" If I really wanted to pray I'll tell you what I'd do. I'd go out into a great big field all alone or into the deep, deep, woods, and I'd look up into the sky--up--up--up--into that lovely blue sky that looks as if there was no end to its blueness. And then I'd just feel a prayer."

Standing out in the park, singing prays to God, hold my miracle baby in my arms, I felt a prayer. A prayer for my family, for the love that will survive when the world tries to beat it down. They had a moment at the end where you could go forward for prayer. I am not a member of this church so I felt a little odd, but I went. When I told my name to the woman who was going to pray with me, I heard "Calloway? Calloway Williams?" and looked up to see and old friend. A friend from another church, from my teen years. A friend who took me to his prom. I began to cry. Seeing someone who knew the core of me at that moment, someone who could see my vulnerability and momentary lapse in strength, did me in. He prayed. He prayed for strength, for sleep, for peace, he spoke into my life. Through him God told me he was proud of me and that my life was not destined to repeat the errors of those I love. That I was not responsible for the problems in the lives of those I love. (He was more specific but I don't want to expose family issues in my blog at this time.) He reminded me to "give it to God, my pain, my fears, my joys. To allow God to carry my load, that he wants to carry it for me. It was a pretty awesome moment for me.

Today I am packing for Sean. He is leaving for a 4 day, 3 night business trip. This is the first time he will be traveling since Ella Grace was born and we are both a little anxious about this. It will all be ok, but we will miss each other and he will miss Ella Grace terribly. This will be the longest that I have been "alone" with Ella Grace. On my road trip my daddy was there. I do have friends coming over for dinner and hope to have them hold Ella Grace long enough for me to take a shower, unload the dishwasher, whatever , but that is not the same as having my husband come home at the end of the day.

I will end this now. I could keep going, but I have to get to that packing. I've missed blogging and I'm happy to be back! I hope you continue to read!

Momma got her stitch on...

2010-05-11T00:58:00.000-04:00

I did it! I successfully completed my first sewing project. I don't know why I thought a taggie blanket would be so super easy to make but it was what I decided to make. So after scouring the interwebz for tips on taggies, I got down to work! What do you think??

It's not perfect, but I'm pretty proud of myself. Can you guess what all the pregnant mommies I know are going to be receiving as gifts for their little ones??

My In-Laws luv me...they really do!

2010-05-10T22:41:00.000-04:00

I decided this needed it's own post so I didn't mention it in Mother's Day post below.
My in-laws got me a sewing machine for Mother's Day. I have been talking all about wanting to sew and I was totally surprised and thrilled when I opened my gift.

Of Boogers & Mother's Day

2010-05-10T10:21:00.000-04:00

Friday night Ella Grace could only be consoled if she was being held upright. All night long. She had a stuffy nose. Nursing was difficult because she couldn't really breath. So he was on and off and didn't nurse well in general all day. When she would fall asleep, if we put her down, she woke up within 5-10 minutes crying because she couldn't breath and then would realize "oh yeah, I'm still hungry" and the cycle would begin once more. At 6am Sean went to the store to get a nasal aspirator because we couldn't find ours and while there he got nasal saline to try and flush some of the goop out. When he got back he came and took her downstairs and let me sleep. He did all the dirty work of drops and sucking out boogies. Then he came back up and sat in the bathroom with her with a hot shower running to try and break up some more of the goop. It seemed to help, and she was a good, all be it tired, baby most of the day. Then around 5:30/6:00pm things went down hill very fast. She started having a hard time breathing through her nose again, and would cry and pull off when nursing since she could get any air. Neither Sean or I wanted a repeat of Friday night so we packed her up and headed to the Children's Heathcare Urgent Care place.

They checked her vitals and she had good O2 levels and no fever so we had to wait. And wait. When we finally got in to see the doctor she checked Ella Grace's eyes, ears, nose, and throat and then listened to her breathing. She said "it's just a cold. use a humidifier and keep with the saline drops and aspirator. This could take 5-7 days to clear." We left feeling bad for our baby and sad for the sleep we knew we would be missing. Orders in hand to call our doctor Monday morning and see if they wanted to see us, we went home. Climbing into bed just after midnight, already half asleep, Sean says "Happy Mother's Day."

Sunday Ella was still not 100% so we just chilled at home until we went to a late brunch around 2 with my mom, brother, cousin Justin, and his wife Renee. The food was delish and I got to eat the most delicious French Toast I've had ever, and some very yummy lasagna. Yeah, I know, sounds weird. The restaurant was a cafe/pizzeria with a breakfast brunch buffet. I always have a hard time deciding if I want breakfast or lunch/dinner when I dine at a place that offers both. So this was wonderful in my opinion.

Sean got me two wonderful cards, one from him and one from Ella Grace. Both made me cry good tears. He also got me a really neat book that I will write "in my own words" as the title says, about my life and all that has led me to this first Mother's Day. I think I'm going to also be using it for blog inspiration, so stay tuned!

Sunday night Ella Grace and I slept downstairs so Sean could be well rested for work today. Ella Grace in her swing and me on the couch, it worked out well. I either slept great or I was just too tired to notice if I was uncomfortable.

And that is all folks. All of Boogers and Mother's Day.

Friday Follow! Check it out!!

2010-05-07T13:13:00.002-04:00

Thanks for stopping by!

Friday?? Really??

2010-05-07T10:30:00.001-04:00

I can't believe it's Friday. I don't think I've gone this long between posts in a while. It's not that I've done all that much this week. No more than usual. I've just been feeling extra slow and tired. I have been working all week to get stuff together for a yard-sale tomorrow that I'm still not ready for. I babysat Monday and Thursday. Tuesday I honestly can't remember what I did. I think I worked around the apartment maybe? Wednesday we went to a Cinco de Mayo dinner at the house of close friends. Ella Grace and I ended up staying the night cause mommy had a her first post pregnancy drink and had to wait to nurse and then it was too late to drive home. And that brings us to today. Today I was out of bed at 8am. That's an hour earlier than my usual out of bed time. And why did I get out of bed early this morning? Well, you see, Ella Grace and mommy went to bed at 11:00pm and only woke up one time (at 4:30am) before 8am!!! Today will be spent getting the final items for the yard-sale ready and schlepping all of the stuff to my friend Stacy's house.So yeah...that's been our busy but not busy week.
Oh, I remember Tuesday!! Tuesday I worked around the apartment and then my Grand-Jo came over and watched Ella Grace so I could go to the bank and Burlington. The reason I needed to go to Burlington was to get more linky rings for Ella. She has started reaching for things and I wanted to extend the links on her floor mat thingy.
Here are some pics from the week...

3 Months of Heaven on Earth

2010-05-01T23:37:00.002-04:00

Ella Grace is 3 months old. Ella Grace is 3 months old. Ella Grace is 3 months old. I keep repeating that over and over as I look at my sleeping little baby. I can't believe three months have gone by. I have been a mommy for three months. Sean has been a daddy for three months. We have been parents for three months. We have been the sole providers and protectors of a little life for three months and not only is she ok, she is thriving!

Her three month stats are:

Weight: 13.15 pounds

(We nursed before we left so we might as well call it 14+.)

Length/Height: 24 3/4 inches

Head Circumference: 40 1/2 cm

I am loving my life as a mommy. I am exhausted and still looking forward to one day being able to sleep for more than 5 hours at a time (if I'm lucky.) I don't like cleaning poop out of clothing after diaper blowouts, but I've managed to clean up my poop covered daughter in public places with relative ease. We've made it through our first round of shots with no permanent damage even if we both shed tears. I have started back to work, just babysitting a couple of times a week and a few family and children's sittings as well as booking a couple of weddings for the summer. AND... I took my daughter on a 5 day road trip covering 5 states , nearly 24 hours in the car and a wedding.

I'm pretty proud of myself!

Here are some pics of my stinkerbell!

Momma Got Savvy...

2010-05-01T22:54:00.000-04:00

If you have seen pics of my on here of fb or have fallen in love and been peeping in my apartment windows you might have noticed that my hair pretty much has two doo's. Slick pony and messy pony. Well, I have decided that in an effort to not make like my husband look like a perv and to not look like a teenage mommy, that needs to change. So a new haircut was in order.

But wait, haircuts cost money. Good haircuts cost even more money. I have no money. At least not for stuff like haircuts. All money right now is being directed to bills, Ella Grace, and more bills. So I would just have to wait. Then came my scathingly brilliant idea! I could barter for a haircut! I've know the girl who cuts my hair since I was in middle school and she was just out of high-school and still learning how to cut hair. She knows that I am a photographer. I've sent bridal clients her way for their wedding day doo's. So I did a quick calculation in my head and decided to go on over and see if she would be interested in bartering a couple of haircuts for a family photo shoot. Sure enough! Momma's got a new doo!

Aside from wanting to show off my new hair, I also wanted to remind everyone that in the current economic climate, thing can get tight. But think about what you have to offer in exchange for what you need/want and don't be afraid to make an offer. The worse that can happen is they say no.

Ergo=Love

2010-04-30T08:32:00.002-04:00

I've loved my Ergo since first use, but after putting Ella Grace in the back carry for the first time I have fallen in love all over again! I wish I could supply Ergo's for all my mommy friends and readers. I love my Moby wrap as well, but Ella Grace is getting a little heavy for it and, it can't back carry.

I decided to try the back carry on a fluke, thinking she might be too short still, and she LOVED it!

Edited: I just found this awesome ERGO give away!! OMG!!!

http://thebabystoreplus.blogspot.com/2010/04/win-ergobaby-infant-carrier-then-get.html

I would LURV to have a second Ergo. Possibly one not so girly so Sean would wear it more :)

also- check out the giveaway-er's website http://www.shop.thebabystoreplus.com/

Friday Follow!

2010-04-30T07:43:00.005-04:00

I am growing extremley fond of Friday Follow and Follow Me Fridays! I love the easy access to load of blogs and love "meeting" all the new people who stop by my blog. I can't wait to see what new friends I make today!

Thanks for coming by!

Thankful Thursday

2010-04-29T14:56:00.000-04:00

I've seen this on some other blogs and thought it's a good one to add. Here is a list of what I'm most thankful for this week...

1. Ella Grace smiles first thing in the morning

2. My husband working hard to provide for us

3. A dad who is willing to drop what he has planned to help clean out the closet when the water heater busts

4. Apartment matienance people who replace busted water heaters so I don't have to

5. Friends who you can count on to share in your joys, sorrows, excitement, and fear

6.Pink & Red Starbursts

7.A big tub of orange Gumdrop pacifiers

8.Part time work with children I enjoy earning money we need

9.Barefoot weather

10.A safe return from a long road trip

What are you thankful for this week??

Barefoot and Fancy Free

2010-04-28T21:50:00.000-04:00

Although cooler than a usual spring day, today was beautiful. Ella Grace fell asleep in the back seat on our way home from babysitting and when we got to the apartment I decided to take the opportunity to clean out the car. If you have read my last 5 posts, and have ever traveled yourself, you can imagine how badly this needed to be done. So while my daughter slept in her car-seat, I cleaned out and even did a mini detailing job on the car. Walking back and forth carrying stuff inside my crocks were getting on my nerves so I kicked them off. The concrete is bumpy and as I cut across the grass to my car, the feeling of the cool blades beneath my feet was immediately relaxing. Anyone looking out their window or driving by probably thought I was crazy as I walked first in circles and then in a back and forth pattern across the lawn.

Have you kicked off your shoes lately??

5 Days, 5 States- Day 5

2010-04-28T03:08:00.000-04:00

Today was the last leg of our journey and the longest drive of all. Newport News, Virginia to Atlanta, Georgia.

Over 600 miles in one day wit my 12 week old. The two previous legs of our trip had been driven starting in the later afternoon. 2pm on both days actually. On both of these drives, Ella Grace was an angel. Sleeping most of the way and content to look at herself in the mirror during the times she was awake. Today, this was not the case.

We left Newport News around 9:30am and by 10:00 she was awake and fussing. She would take her paci, be chill for about 5-10 minutes and then fuss again. Where as on the way up we didn't have to make any unscheduled stops, today we had to stop quite frequently as Ella Grace decided she needed to nurse every 2 hours. Dad and I were and are pretty beat from the trip and we just wanted to get home. Oh well. Not much we could do. She did give us a couple of 1 hours naps and when I was sitting with her in the back seat she was much less fussy. It gave us some playtime too. She is starting to hold her toys and either try to eat them, or shake them around, so playing with her is becoming more and more fun.

Here are a few pics from our last day on the road...

5 Days, 5 States- Day 4

2010-04-26T23:49:00.001-04:00

Today was our only unscheduled day. We were just chillin at my Aunt Jenny's with Gran, Shannon, and Tristian. Playing with Ella Grace and trying to keep Gran in check and daddy working on stuff around the house and in the yard.

Spending the day, helping take care of a woman who took care of me for years, has been both a rewarding and emotionally draining. I loved my Aunt Jenny before I came, but my respect for her has grown exponentially in the past 2 days. I am glad that I've had this time with my Gran, but I also am aching inside. The woman I knew as a child is gone. She knows who I am most of the time, but her actions and thoughts are those of a small child. Constantly feeling like others are out to get her and bossing her around just to boss her not to help her. She thinks she can still take care of herself and any help is just people picking at her.

Seeing her play with my daughter brought joy to my soul and I'm glad I've taken pictures to show Ella Grace when she is bigger. My eyes are watering just thinking of the day that Gran won't be here. I am pretty sure that she will mentally be gone for a while before she actually goes. Either way, I know Ella Grace will never really know her.

5 Days, 5 States- Day 3

2010-04-25T23:00:00.000-04:00

Today was another travel day. Before we left we took some pictures on Aunt Cathy's back porch.

We started our day in Peterstown, West Virginia.

On our way out of town we stopped at Peterstown Cemetary to see my Paw Paw's grave as well as my great and great-great grandparent's graves. Peterstown Cemetary sits on top of a hill and the view is beautiful. I can't wait to take Ella back when she is older and I can tell her who is who and she can see where her Paw Paw's family is from.

(Me and Ella at the Williams Family Plot)

(Daddy saying hi to his Pop, My PawPaw)

(PawPaw's Tomb Stone, next time I visit,I'm taking him a six pack.)

And drove across the beautiful mountains and hills and valleys of Virginia to Hampton, Virginia.

My daddy was born in Newport News which is just down the street from Hampton. My Aunt Jenny and her kids as well as my Granny still live there and we took Ella Grace to meet them!

(Introducing Ella Grace to her Great Granny.)

5 Days, 5 States- Day 2

2010-04-24T21:38:00.000-04:00

Today was my cousin Brennen's wedding. We started the day with a visit to take Ella Grace to meet her Great Aunt Shelly (mother of the groom) and her 1st cousins once removed Seth and Brennen. Aunt Shelly and her boys lived with us for a good while when we were children. "The Boys", Justin, Seth, and Brennen are as near to being my brothers as possible without actually being my brother, and the only boy who holds a dearer brother spot in my heart is my own brother Joshua. I was beyond excited for Brennen, Seth, and Aunt Shelly to meet Ella Grace for the first time. Here are just a few pictures...

(Aunt Shelly and Ella Grace. Instant love.)

(Seth Michael and Ella Grace.I'm sure she'll adore him just like I always have.)

(Ben-Ben and Ella Grace. Ready for your own Brennen??)

Next was getting ready for the wedding and enjoying some yummy food. The bride was beautiful and we even managed to get a "cousins" picture. Only missing 2 by blood and 1 spouse. Tony, Joey, and Sean we miss you! I hope we can all be together as a group with no one missing sooner rather than later. Maybe we can plan for Ella Grace's 1st birthday???

5 Days, 5 States- Day 1

2010-04-23T23:15:00.000-04:00

Starting in Georgia, then traveling through South Carolina and North Carolina to Virginia, sleeping over in West Virginia and then traveling across to the Virginia Coast and tomorrow we go home. Friday we left Friday afternoon around 2. Ella Grace was starting to fall asleep and we crossed our fingers that she would sleep for just a little bit. And sleep she did!

(Ella Grace sleeping on the road)

Ella Grace slept until we stopped for dinner around 6pm. She woke up, I nursed her, then we played with her while daddy and I waited for our food at Cracker Barrel (the best traveling food.) Then when dinner was done, I rocked her back to near sleep and put her back in her car-seat and she slept until we reached our home for the next 2 nights.

We arrived in Peterstown, West Virginina around 9:30 pm and were greeted by some of the cutest little munchkins ever!

(My Aunt Cathy and two of her grand-babies, Skyler (3) and Sydney (10) with Ella Grace)

Sweet Slumber and Wet T-Shirts

2010-04-23T07:55:00.000-04:00

#1) I have never been a squeamish girl. I love a good day of playing in the dirt. I'm not afraid to kill a bug (I do HATE cockroaches.) I think worms and slugs are interesting and I can't wait to show Ella how a worm tickles when it crawls between your fingers. I don't mind smelling a little funky, be it from a day of playing soccer or running in the park or a weekend of camping and listening to good live music in a field (my husband is a reforming smelly hippy.)

#2) I love sleep. Me and sleep are like peanut butter and jelly. We are meant for one another. I function ok without it, but if given the choice I would choose sleep over most anything. This was true even before becoming a sleep deprived momma. I can push myself to function with little sleep, but it's not about how I function. I genuinely love snuggling down between cool sheets with the weight of a blanket on my legs, rubbing my cheek over the pillow and feeling my body fall into sleep. ( There is a picture of me sleeping in one of my high school year books, passed out on top of an open text book. I will have to scan this later and post it to give you a smile.)

What do these two things have to do with the title of this entry you ask??

Ella Grace has started sleeping in longer stretches as night. She will go down around 9 and sleep until 3, wake up to nurse and then fall back asleep until 5 or 6. GREAT! Sleep is mine once again! Right? If I went to sleep with Ella Grace at 9 that would be six hours straight followed by another 2-3 hours. That would be the logical thing to do right? I've done this exactly once. Want to know why?? Even though I have no problem with getting dirty, and even though I am driven by a deep love of sleep, I HATE really really HATE waking up with a wet t-shirt from leaky boobs. I will take a shower in the middle of the night if I wake up in a wet t-shirt. I don't know what it is about the feel of a milk soaked shirt that bugs me so much, but it is currently my ultimate gross-out.

So instead of getting glorious, dazzling, marvelous, divine, sublime, brilliant sleep- I stay awake until midnight, nurse my sleeping babe and then sleep myself from about 1 to 6 if I'm lucky. 5 hours is my current goal. 5 hours a night to keep my motor running. At the 5 hour mark, I wake up, boobs starting to ache, but t-shirt dry! I guess this is my pattern for now. I do try to get Ella Grace to sleep for another hour or 2 after that 6 am feeding so that I can doze a little but more before getting up for the day.

Five hours of sleep and I can go go go until midnight or 1 am. Pushing to get things done. Eventually I'm sure I will crash. I will have to take an afternoon nap with Ella Grace, or get a grandma or friend to play with her for 2 hours so I can sleep. Until then, I keep going and going and going and....

I'll let you in on a little secret, during those five hours of sleep I dream of the day where I can say, "Sean, tomorrow you get up with Ella Grace in the morning. I'm sleeping till noon."

Friday Follow, Follow me Friday!!

2010-04-23T01:22:00.000-04:00

Follow me! Follow me! Follow me!

I know this week's post have been sparce, but I promise to give you a good laugh this coming week. I mean, I'm going to have at least one good laugh to share from my 5 days on the road with my 12 week old baby. Yup, you read that right, Ella Grace and I are hitting the road. We are driving 5-6 hours (pre-baby drive estimate) today for a wedding tomorrow, then Sunday we are back in the car for about 9+ hours to take Ella Grace to meet her Great Granny, then Tuesday we are driving home. I promise to take lots of pictures and will try to write at least a post card or two.

So until we meet again, I can't spell that German word goodnight!

Happy Friday Follow!

Publish those sweet smiles and silly stories with Heritage Makers! (Giveaway)

2010-04-20T23:05:00.001-04:00

“Photos without stories are memories lost.”

—Dr. Sharon Murdoch

Do you have a box of photos from your childhood that you need to do something with?? Wedding pictures you never put into an album?? Photos of that growing bump and the resulting little one that are more than just pictures? Heritage Makers offers a system and products that help individuals celebrate family stories and events through storybooking, greeting cards, prints, and more.

About a year and a half ago, I became a personal publishing consultant for Heritage Makers. I have created cards, playing cards, posters, scrapbook pages and more with Heritage Makers. I can only be a consultant for a product I can stand behind. Now that I am a mommy, I am even more excited about Heritage Makers. I am currently working on a book of Ella Grace's first year and plan to continue making family "year books" to preserve not only our photos, but the stories that go with them.

As I said before Heritage Makers offers a full and versatile line of products to meet all of your needs. Each book is carefully assembled in the USA using only the highest grade materials including archival quality paper that is acid-free and lignin-free. Heritage Makers uses the latest digital printers and cutting edge processes to ensure your products are of the highest quality. Each book has a high gloss laminated cover for extra durability. Linen reinforced stitch binding and end papers that resist page tearing means your product will last lifetimes. Standing by the idea of these being stories to cherish forever, if your project ever becomes damaged or worn out, you may send it back to us for a replacement at half price. With this assurance, your storybooks can truly be treasured for many years by fingers of all ages.

Heritage Makers makes it so easy to share the stories of our lives that I not only wanted to tell you about Heritage Makers, but I want to give one lucky Deegan Daily reader a publishing credit for one 7x5 book. This book can be used to publish any story you wish to tell, but I will also provide the winner of this book and anyone else who asks with several story guides as well as ideas of what story they might choose to first write. With easy drop in, but fully customizable, templates available you'll be holding your new completed book in your hands before you know it!

BUY IT

You can create and publish your books, cards, posters, and more for as little as $10.00. Take a look at our product line and let me know what you are interested in. As a consultant I can offer you prices and packages not found on the website.

WIN IT

One super lucky Deegan Daily reader will be wining a 7x5 book, and 8x8 scrap page credit, and a free month of premier membership. Please note that shipping of your final project is not included. Just visit Heriage Makers and come back to let me know what your favorite product or feature is.( You must follow my blog to comment.)

Extra Credit

1.  Follow me on twitter and tweet about this giveaway
You can copy and paste this into twitter:

Win a 7x5 HM book credit from #mommydeegan!

2. *2 Entries* Fan The Deegan Daily on Facebook! (please lave 2 comments)

3.  Subscribe to "Deal"ectible Mommies by Email or Subscribe to my feed. (please leave a comment)

4.  Follow The Deegan Daily...You can Follow My Blog on my right-hand sidebar! (please leave 2 commentd)

5.  *2 Entries* Blog about this giveaway (please leave a link to the post and comment.)

6. Grab my button! (also in the right hand column of my page.)

7. *10 Entires* Purchase anything from the HM website. (leave a comment for each .)

Open to residents of the US only!   Giveaway will end on May 1st at Midnight! Winner will be chosen using random.org!

And the winner is...

2010-04-19T15:04:00.002-04:00

(image found on google images)

Number 3! Alyssa from Adventures of the Stay At Home Mom is the winner of our 2nd giveaway. A gift basket of natural soaps from Turbid Blue .

I will be sending you more info later today!

Thanks to those who entered!
Our next give away is starting tomorrow!

My #1

2010-04-17T22:29:00.002-04:00

You see movies and read books and dream of having a perfect family outing on a perfect spring day. Well, at least I have. Being a wife, a mommy, having a family of my own, these things have been #1 on my to-do list for life since I was old enough to know what a mommy and wife were.

Tonight as I sit and think over my day, it was not perfect, but it wasn't a dream, it was in real life! So who cares if it wasn't perfect, I've made it! I have started my very own family. I'm a wife. I'm a mommy. I can check #1 off my list and edit the details a little to something a little more attainable and a lot more interesting than perfection.

9am, what a perfect wakeup time. Babe still snuggled deep in sleep, husband making breakfast to bring me in bed. A nice gentle breeze blowing through the open window.After having breakfast in bed and a long luxurious shower I hear the babe cooing gently in her cradle.

The morning started early. Earlier than we had anticipated. Ella Grace decided to wake up at 6:30 and that woke Sean up. I fed the baby and rolled over to go back to sleep. Sean decided to take a shower and take Ella Grace with him. Did I fall back asleep? Of course not! I took a fast shower after they were out and then had to nurse the baby again and didn't even make it downstairs without smelling like milk.

~~Husband: "Honey, lets go for a nice stroll in the park. Pack a picnic and then come home for an afternoon nap."~~
~~Me: "sounds wonderful dear!"~~

8am
Me: "Ok, Lemonade Days start at 10am. Do we want to take the stoller or just the Ergo baby carrier? "
Sean: "Stoller? We have a stroller?"
Me: "Yes, can you clean it off? It was in Michele's garage for a while."
Sean:" Let's plan to be there when the festival starts."
Me:"ok"

10:30am
Me: "Ok everything is in the car. Sean, why are those cds there?"
Sean: "I was going to look through them"
Me:" Can't you just talk to me?"

Ok... I won't keep giving a play by play but there were arguments but there was fun and today was a dream come true for me. We went to the festival, walked around, and ate some BBQ. Left the festival, went to IKEA (where we met Sean's mom and brother for lunch) and walked around some more before coming home to crash around 5pm. Here are some pictures of my not so perfect, perfect life.

Sean packing his ever present backpack

(I'll blog about this some time.)

"Ok mom! I'm ready to go now!"

The view from Mommy's seat.
(Thank you Grandjo & Don for the mirror)

The"small" bag of yummy kettle corn that was bigger then Ella Grace.

Sean wearing the ergo for the first time.

My in real life dream come true family.

I've discovered my summer treat
Frozen Cherry Coke from Burger King!

Take a moment to enjoy the lack of perfection in your real life

instead of wishing or hoping for impractical dreams.

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

2010-04-17T21:18:00.002-04:00

I am determined to lose weight so I have not been allowing myself to buy junk food when I'm out and about or at the grocery store and I will get rid of all the junk food in my house. By eating it. Not all at one time, but in moderation. I will eat it and I will not replace it, thus limiting my access to junk. Great theory right?

The ice cream went first, then the Popsicles (although I 'm thinking of removing Popsicles from the junk list), the cookies have been gone for what seems like forever. I'm now down to the boxes of brownies, cakes, and muffins that fill my makeshift pantry shelves. The good thing about things that need to be baked is that I have to really want something to take the time bake it. And a little secret, frequently after I take the time to bake something, I no longer want to eat them. The smell has satisfied me. Yesterday was a day where I was hankering for something sweet and warm and delicious. Brownies, but if I was going to heat up the oven and in turn, my tiny apartment, they couldn't be just plain brownies. And really, who wants to read a blog or a tweet about plain old out of the box brownies. Big deal Callie. you put water, oil, and eggs in with some premade mix and popped the pan in the oven. Good job!

The Idea

My husband L-O-V-E-S peanut butter almost as much as I do. So i decided peanut butter swirl brownies were in order. Not that I'd ever made them before, but the concept was divine. I prepared the box as directed with two changes.

Change #1- I only used 1/2 the amount of oil the recipe called for. (My logic in this was that peanut butter has a good bit of oil in it)

Change #2- After pouring the batter into the pan, I poured melted peanut butter (about 3 BIG tablespoons) over the top and used a butter knife to swirl it in with the chocolate.

The Result

In the future I will probably put the peanut butter and brownie batter in in layers so that the swirls go all the way through not just on the surface.

What do ya' think? What are some creative things you have done with basic box mixes or think would be yummy to try? Leave me a comment and maybe I'll try it and let you know!

Friday Follow

2010-04-16T00:26:00.001-04:00

As many of my readers know, I'm trying to make my blog great. Part of a great blog is the followers. In my quest for greatness, I have come across the Friday Follow. This is a great way to get new followers and to find new reading material for myself as well. This is my first week participating. Take a look and sign up if you also want to expand your reading audience.

If you have just discovered my blog through Friday Follow, don't miss out on the current give away! Check it out HERE

BABIES Sweepstakes

2010-04-15T23:02:00.000-04:00

There is a new movie premiering on Mother's Day. Babies, follows four babies from around the globe through the first year of their lives. I'm really looking forward to seeing this, possibly on premier day. (**Hint, Hint Sean**) I have been signed up for this thing called BzzAgent for almost a year now, but haven't really done much with it. With the encouragement of a friend who is also an Agent, I am back to it. Through my BzzAgent webpage, I found out about the Babies Sweepstakes. Below is the information on how to enter and what you could win. I entered and would LOVE ant of the items up for grabs. Let me know what you think about Babies.

FROM BZZZ AGENTS:

The Babies are coming...and now's your chance to show off the moments in your baby’s life with the “Everybody loves...your BABIES sweepstakes!”. Become a BABIES Facebook fan and share a photo or video of your baby’s moments. Your baby could be featured on the BABIES DVD and you could win a Kodak Easyshare M350 Digital Camera plus an exclusive, limited-edition JOHNSONS® diaper bag, created by high-end designer Timi & Leslie, and filled with a year’s supply of JOHNSON’S® Baby products! Visit Facebook.com/BabiesMovie to enter.

This is hysterical! I love Jimmy Kimmel

2010-04-15T22:56:00.000-04:00

Sleep

2010-04-14T22:07:00.000-04:00

Tonight is the second night I have tucked Ella into bed and kissed her sleepy cheeks, turned around, and walked back downstairs. She is fine, I'm sad. I miss my night time buddy. I nurse her, then swaddle, then rock her to drowsy. Then I place her in her cradle, turn on the Sleep Sheep and go. Last night I dream nursed her at midnight. I plan to do the same tonight. I change her diaper and then she's back in bed. She slept until 5 am last night. 9:30pm to 5am is a pretty good place to start. But I will really love it when she goes until at least 7 when Sean is about ready to go to work. With this development of going to bed and sleeping through the night basically, means that the couch cave has been retired for now. My living room is back in order and I am sleeping next to my husband. I am happy to be next to him, but do miss my late night time with Ella Grace even if I now get more sleep. This development also means my little girl is getting bigger. She is almost a 1/4 of the way through her first year. I've been a mommy for nearly 3 months. There is still sooooo far to go, but I feel like this time is flying by.

Random Photo Of the Day

Always kiss your children goodnight - even if they're already asleep. ~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

It kills you to see them grow up. But I guess it would kill you quicker if they didn't. ~Barbara Kingsolver, Animal Dreams

Baaaaaa- Sleep Sheep Review

2010-04-12T11:08:00.003-04:00

Very recently, we received a "Sleep Sheep" from Sean's Aunt. Mimi had heard raves about this product and thought we could use it with Ella Grace. It's a noise maker that fits nicely inside of a cuddly sheep. It plays for different sounds:

1. Mother's Heart Beat

2. Rain

3. Ocean Waves

4. Whale Calls

The night we got this, we were heading back to our place late and Ella was rather fussy. Surprised and pleased that batteries were included we decided to give it a try. It has a great feature of a Velcro loop thingy to attache to a crib, pnp, bed-rail, or in our case- a car seat. We strapped it to the handle of the car seat and off we go. Within moments there was silence from the backseat. Ella Grace was fast asleep to the sound of the rain. We can't thank Mimi enough for the Sleep Sheep. It's now attached to the rail of Ella Grace's cradle and has been wonderful to help sooth her back to sleep this past week. Oh, and another great feature- it has a timer on it! You can choose to have it play for 25 or 45 minutes and that to me is awesome. No having to press the button every few minutes and no need to worry about wasting batteries. The best of both worlds! I'll load a video or at least a picture of Ella Grace and her sleep sheep as soon as I figure out why my laptop is messing up with YouTube.

Eat Sleep Poop

2010-04-12T10:55:00.000-04:00

Yes, those are the bullet points of my day. They are also the title of a book my Grandjo & Don recently ordered for me.

Eat Sleep Poop A Common Sense Guide to Your Baby's First Year This book by Scott W.Cohen M.D., F.A.A.P is great! I began browsing it last night and it really is a great resource. The wording is easy to read and the author is a hoot. He writes from the standpoint of both a pediatrician and a new dad. The book is broken into 10 Chapters ranging form preparing for baby to growth and developmental milestones to colds and food. Throughout each section he includes little boxes of "Common Sense Bottom Line" summaries. These are written with humor, but really to help you pull the main point of the information provided. Another great feature are the "Daddy vs. Doctor" segments. These little antidotes speak of his own path to realization as a doctor through his experiences as a father. I'm excited to continue reading this book and will surely be thumbing through the handy index in search of just the right answers. Of all the baby books I've browsed and own, this is thus far a favorite. I'm sure I will be pulling from this book for some of my upcoming posts.

Ella's New Trick!

2010-04-10T22:19:00.001-04:00

Giveaway #2 Presenting Turbid Blue Natural Soaps!

2010-04-09T10:05:00.001-04:00

So, a great friend of ours makes soaps. Not just any soaps mind you, but luxurious natural marvelous smelling and incredible feeling soaps. She has graciously offered to sponsor a giveaway and gift one lucky reader with a gift basket of these superior soaps. Her generosity continues by allowing the winner to pick any 5 item from her site and then she will include a selection of other goodies not necessarily currently featured. Sounds good right?? I'm jealous I can't win.

Turbid Blue keeps their cost and shipping fees low in an attempt to make natural soaps affordable for all budgets. This month all soaps are on sale for $1.99!!! Incredible!

To enter for a chance to win you must follow my blog. The task for your first entry is to visit Tubrid Blue's etsy shop and take a look around. Comment on this post about what soap you think you would like most.

EXTRA Entries:

1 Entry- vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs by clicking this link.You can do this once a day and receive an additional entry each day. Just make sure to comment on this post each time.

1 Entry-follow me on Twitter there is a link in the side bar of the blog. post here that you are a follower.

1 Entry- tweet or retweet about this giveaway. 1 entry per day w/comment on this post.

1 Entry- Fan The Deegan Daily on Facebook

3 Entries- Blog about this giveaway and post a link to your entry on this post.

5 Entries- Purchase something from Turbid Blue

Please leave a comment for each entry. If an action is worth more than one entry please leave a comment for each entry.

** Open to US Residents 18 and older.**

GIVEAWAY ENDS 4/16/10
THE WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED 4/18/10

The Fairest Lady In The Land

2010-04-08T18:11:00.000-04:00

Last night Ella Grace and I went to Medieval Times with Betsy (my MIL) Maryanne (Sean's Aunt) Eddy & Maddy (Sean's Cousins). Fun was had by all and Ella was soooo good. The princess and prince adored her! I can't imagine if I had a baby that cried a lot. Don't get me wrong, Ella Grace has her moments, but generally she is a happy chill baby. Content to watch what is going on around her and snuggle into mommy's chest in the Moby Wrap or Ergo. Last night was an Ergo night. I can't wait to take her again when she is old enough to really be excited about what is going on and truly enjoy the show.

The 3/50 Project

2010-04-07T10:53:00.001-04:00

I first heard/read about the 3/50 project on a poster in the bathroom of a local Mexican Restaurant. I thought it was cool then and I remembered how cool it was when it popped up on my FB page.

Below I have posted a copy of that poster. But basically the 3/50 project is a call to arms to help support local independently owned businesses. Those mom and pop restaurants and stores that get screwed by the big guys ability to slash prices. So, will you do your part? If you already eat out 3 times a month it's really not a difficult request. Choose local and your money stays local.

Pick 3. Spend 50. Save your local economy.

I'd love to hear about the great places local to you that you enjoy! Personally I LOVE Marc Anthony's Italian Restaurant. Ordered 2 large pizza's from them for Sean's family that is in town this week and they loved it as much as we do. The customer service is wonderful and they knew who I was by the sound of my voice on the phone. The owner and his brother both brought the delivery because they wanted to meet Ella Grace. That doesn't happen with the big stores. We've never even had the same delivery guy when ordering from the many chain restaurants.

This is your charge! Below is the battle cry! Do your part! NOW! :)

GREAT PHOTO COUPONS/CODES!!

2010-04-06T11:07:00.000-04:00

I am always on the lookout for deals on photo printing. Since I take all of my own photos and refuse to use a studio (there are exceptions) I end up with oodles of pictures that I want to print, but yeah, it can get expensive. So I thought I would share with you what I found today!

Today 4/6 at WALGREENS.COM use code POSTER199 for $1.99 11x14 Poster - 5 uses per account.
Great for Grandma & Grandpa, Uncles & Aunts, and all the friends who keep asking for pictures of your little cutie!!

Tomorrow 4/7 Only. Print the coupon found here for 20 free 4x6 prints
Announcement anyone?? Or maybe just 20 of your favorite to put into a large floating frame to make a collage of your little love bug.

Through 4/10 at WALGREENS.COM use code BUNNY5 for 50 Prints for $5.00
Print all those Easter pictures that are sitting in your camera or computer.

Happy Picture Printing!!

And the Winner Is...

2010-04-02T13:30:00.000-04:00

The ShortyRED giveaway ended 3/31/10 at 12:59pm. The winner selected by random.org was entry #8 Katie! This is including the two early entries found in my post Giveaways Are Coming!

Thank you to everyone who partcipated and please make sure to remember ShortyRED Designs for all your graphic design needs!

The next giveaway will be starting soon!

On the list of giveaways:

Organic Soap Gift Basket by Turbid Blue http://www.etsy.com/shop/turbidblue

Custom Hand-crafted Earings by Freebranch Jewlery http://www.freebranch.com/

Customized something from Brit the writer of http://lostincraftworld.blogspot.com and soon to be Etsy Shop Owner

Project Credits from Heritage Makers by ME!! http://heritagemakers.com/318771

So.... keep following and reading!! You never know what you could win!

Baby Ella is 2 months old!!

2010-03-31T23:48:00.000-04:00

Can you believe it?? I can't. But it's true. My little baby girl. The one I have dreamed about since I was old enough to not be a baby myself, wanted since my teens, and ached for since meeting my husband, is now two months old. Today was her 2 month appointment and it was a doozy.

As you may or may not know, Ella Grace was not gaining so well during her debut weeks. She was only 10 oz above her birth weight at her one month appointment. However, the following week, she had gained a pound! Flash forward to today...

I spent the morning loving on my little girl. Blowing motor-boats to make her smile, singing songs, taking pictures and telling her how much I love her. I packed us up for her 11 o'clock appointment and we were on our way.

Two month baby check appointments are a shot appointment. As I mentioned in my previous post "That's A LOT of shots!" Sean and I have decided to do a modified/delayed vaccination schedule for Ella Grace. I knew this was what I wanted, but on my way to the appointment I was becoming anxious. I wasn't sure if it was the thought of her getting shots in general, or my fear of someone (a nurse or doctor) telling my what I had decided was wrong and trying to pressure me to change my mind. I think it was a little of both. I've also previously mentioned my mommy crush/hero Jessica. I called her for support and she came through for me. She not only told me that Ella would be fine, but she also made me remember it was my right and my job as Ella's mom to make decisions that I felt best for my daughter. That no-one could tell me 100% that my decision was right or wrong, and that as long as I was confident in my decision, that is what mattered.

I decided on 2 shots. Polio and HIB. Two very basic vaccines with mild if any reactions. Ones that I received at her age. I mentioned at sign in that we didn't want all of the shots today. The nurse called us back. We took Ella Grace to be weighed and measured...

Ella Grace at two months!

11.9 pounds

23 3/4 inches long

38 1/2 Head Circumference

Once in the room, she began to talk about today's visit. "Today is a vaccination visit she will be getting..." "excuse me, we actually only want to do two vaccinations today." "The vaccines we get are premixed with..." "no, we only want the Polio and HIB today. That is all." "The doctor will be in shortly." Yeah. She seemed kind of miffed that I was standing firm. I felt good. The doctor came in and things got rolling. He looked over Ella's measurements and was pleased. He congratulated me on getting her weight up while continuing to almost exclusively breast feed. (Ella has been given formula on occasion) Then came time for the shots. He administers the shots himself. Something that I really appreciate. He is who examines my daughter and he is the only one who will ever give her vaccinations. I told him I only wanted to do the Polio and HIB today and he said ok. Reminded me that I needed to keep track of what she receives and make sure she gets the next dose (if required) at the appropriate time. He asked me when I planned to do the two other shots that we were not getting today. I told him that we would be back in a month but that I still wasn't sure we would be getting the DTAP then. I'm still doing my research and feel that as long as she is not in day care, we can hold off on this for the time being. He was okay with that, for now, and told me to feel free to call and talk to him anytime. Then came the shots.

He did them fast and although she cried, she didn't wail like some babies I heard in the office. I immediatly took her from the table and nursed her. Since she was only in her diaper we were almost competly skin to skin with my hooter hider covering me. Dr. V told me to take my time. By the time we walked out, she was calm. Not as happy as when we came in, but not a mess.

The rest of today has be trying. My mom went and bought us a bottle of baby Tylenol when she was fussing and crying even when nursing. She was hurting and I wanted her to feel better. Now it's nearly midnight and she has finally fallen asleep and I'm about to crash myself. We'll see how the rest of the night goes. We have to be up early tomorrow. Our first time trying to be out of the house before 8am. Wish us luck!!

New Button on my side bar...

2010-03-30T16:16:00.001-04:00

If you haven't noticed it, look harder! It's Jack's Harvest.!

A mom-owned and operated frozen organic baby food company! And I just happen to know both of the founding moms! Heather Schoenrock and Connie Pope. Now, obviously Ella Grace isn't eating solids yet, but I can't wait to see her face when has her first taste of Jack's Harvest!Some of my readers are already feeding their babies solids, or are about to start. Some of you might even have older children who you are fighting with to eat their veggies. That is why I'm sharing this with you now. Take a look at Jack's Harvest online and place your order today! Check out the recipes section to see how Jack's Harvest can help you get those older kids to eat some of the wonderful veggies they think they don't like and all the great flavors available for getting your babies started on, not only yummy in the tummy but good for the body as well, solids. When Ella Grace starts solids I will make sure to write all about it and what she thinks of Jack's Harvest. In the mean time, get yours now and tell me what your little ones like best! Better yet, tell your local grocery store that you love Jack's and want it in your store! Heather and Connie have provided great letter you can send to your local store on their home page. You can also find them on twitter and facebook !

I can't wait to hear about what flavors your little ones love! Send me pics and reviews to mommydeegan@yahoo.com

(Save an additional 10% when you purchase eligible Jack's Harvest products sold by Amazon.com. This discount will be reflected in your cart at checkout. Offer valid through March 31, 2010.)

Awing Ella Grace...beacuse I can!

2010-03-30T15:36:00.000-04:00

Because this is my blog, I get to AW my sweet little Ella Grace. Enjoy!

Laundry day is fun!

Thank you Rachel and Peggy! I LOVE my elephant.

Man, it was a long day!

Hmmmm...not sure what this thing is, but I like.

NO...regression is bad!

2010-03-30T15:26:00.000-04:00

Last night Ella Grace was up until almost 2am. Yup. So did she sleep longer you ask?? Nope. Shorter actually. She was awake at 4:30, 6:30, and 8:30 to nurse. We went back to sleep from 9-10:15 and then she was up until 1pm Slept for 20 minutes and was awake again. She has now been asleep for almost 1 1/2 hours.

I am exhausted but have so much to get done. I have 3 posts that I need to edit and put up and then I need to clean the fridge out, make several phone calls, figure out dinner for tonight and the rest of the week, clean the bathroom, finish up some final editing on some photos, and bath Ella and myself. I literally stink. Not sure why I smell so bad other than that I didn't shower yesterday and well, today is almost over. Ok. Maybe I do know why I stink. I have to run through that to-do list so that we can try to have an early night. I need sleep. Wish me luck? Or sweet slumber?

Bare Naked

2010-03-26T23:30:00.001-04:00

No, not me! Bare Naked natural granola.

Tonight I went to the store in search of something yummy. I wanted something junky but not too junky. I looked at Chex Mix, but it just wasn't doing it for me. I had a bag of some sort of chocolate pretzles, and then on my way to checkout, I saw it. The "healthy" section of the grocery store. I wandered in. I recognized many of the items and brands. But felt a fraud walking through the isles with my junk food in my buggy. I walked back and put it where I found it then headed back to the healthy section. I looked around and something caught my eye. Chocolate granola??? Ooooo... that sounds wonderful! Then I saw something else, Izzy Sparkling Water. In a CAN!!

I am a huge fan of this water, but I have never seen it in a can before! The can's have slightly less than the bottles, but that's okay, they also cost less.

I headed to checkout with my "healthy junk food" feeling pretty good about my purchases. I'm home now with Ella, settled in bed with my laptop and munching on my Bare Naked Chocolate Granola, washing it down with Izze Pomegranate Sparkling Water in a can. Yup, still feeling good about my purchases.

I might have to go buy some other flavors of this granola. It's pretty darn tasty.

Note: this is my first product review. I was not paid or even asked to write this but I did and I stand by my opinions. If you purchase these items and do not like them, you can write me and I will give you my address to send me the remaining product. I will not refund your money, but I will gladly accept your cast offs.

Hospitals and Hand-Me-Downs

2010-03-25T22:13:00.003-04:00

Hospitals

Today did not start out as planned. Then again, what day with an infant ever really goes as planned??

Last night I set my alarm for 7am. This is the first time I have set an alarm to actually wake me up since Ella Grace was born. I had planned on being up and ready to see Sean by 8am. I knew I would be nursing Ella Grace somewhere near 7 so the alarm was more of a "hey it's 7" alarm than "hey it's time to get your booty moving" alarm. Well, apparently when my alarm went off I hit off instead of snooze and since Ella had nursed at 6am she wasn't awake at 7, so we slept. We slept until Sean called at 8am and woke me up. I woke quickly but thought, "ok, I can still be out of here fast-ish and see Sean before his procedure." I threw some clothes on, packed the diaper bag, got Ella Grace out of the swing where she was sleeping. I un-swaddled her and changed her diaper. At this point it was 8:20. Ella Grace was awake and wanted to nurse. Lucky for me, this past week or so she she become much more efficient in her nursing so this didn't stress me that much. While nursing, Sean called again. They were taking him to his surgery now. "What?? Now?? Why??" I was trying to remain calm but it wasn't working so well. Sean's mom was nearly there at this point and was able to talk to the doctor and see Sean before his procedure. That at least gave me some comfort. He didn't go under without seeing the face of a loved one.

Ella Grace and I got to the hospital around 9:45 and by 10:20 Dr.S was out talking to us. The lump on Sean's neck wasn't a lymph-node, but a nasty looking cyst. He had cut it out and cleaned up the area surrounding it to avoid further infection. He had attempted to locate a lymph-node near by, but was unsuccessful. He no longer feels like we were dealing with Lymphoma, but wants Sean to follow up with either a hematologist or an infectious disease doctor. Something is causing Sean's health problems, and he feels strongly that he needs to see someone who will pull all the pieces together and hopefully help us out. Hopefully giving us that much needed break I wrote of yesterday.

Sean is now home. He is tired and sore, but stubbornly trying to do work.

Hand-Me-Downs

As many of my readers know I have been babysitting for a special family with triplet girls for a while now. Before Ella Grace, I was their Saturday sitter. I was there every Saturday to help with whatever needed helping. Birthday parties, Girl Scout field trips, packing for vacation, school shopping, cleaning out the girls clothes. As you can probably imagine, that last item yields quite a bit of clothing that no longer fits or the girls simply don't like and won't wear. For several years, their mom participated in local consignment events, but that was more work than it was worth, so this season, she is cleaning out the storage closet and getting all those clothes out of the house. Now, although there are little to no baby clothes yet, there are oodles of cute clothes 2T and up so I talked to my mom and she agreed to store whatever I wanted to keep for Ella Grace. I also called my good friend Ashley to come and see if there was anything she would like for her little K bug. K bug is 3 so there was quite a bit that Ashley could and would use. We spent a couple of hours on Sunday going through clothes and a couple more hours on Thursday. Ashley walked away with BAGS of clothing to last K bug for quite some time. She is a single parent, and works hard. But as we all know, kids are expensive. These clothes are a real blessing and budget saver for her. The great thing about Ashley taking these is that she can pass them along to me for Ella Grace!

If you have clothing that your children have out grown, take a moment to think about the people in your life. Is there anyone who you could bless?? Understandably, most won't have as much to give away as the mother triplets, but every little bit helps. If you don't know anyone personally, how about donating to a women's and children's shelter? Or your local Red Cross? I'm not a fan of donations to Goodwill as then people have to buy the clothing. I would much rather simply gift them to an individual or an organization.

Have you had your break today?

2010-03-24T17:56:00.000-04:00

If only going to McDonald's really made things better and made a girl feel refreshed. Then again, if it did, I might be as big as a house instead of the comfortably curvy girl that I am today.

As people IRL (in real life) know, Sean and I don't have the best of luck or can't "catch a break" when it comes to health issues. Today, Sean went in for testing at one of the satellite branches of our local hospital. He has a bump on the back of his neck that has been there for several years, but has just recently started to bother him. In the past 2 months, he has competed 3 rounds of antibiotics in hopes of taking care of the issue. We assumed it was a cyst or folliculitis (infected ingrown hair.) When the antibiotics didn't take care of the issue, we were sent to a general surgeon to talk about cutting it out. We were still thinking cyst or folliculitis.

Last Week

Dr.S: "I would like to do some test just to make sure we aren't missing something. This appears to be a lymph node and I don't want to just cut it out without doing a CT and blood work first. Then we can byposy it and send it to pathology to rule out Lymphoma."

Me & Sean: "Lymphoma?"

Today

Sean's mom took him to the hospital at 6am for testing. At 11am, after blood work and a CT, they admitted him. The byopsy has been scheduled for 10:30am tomorrow.

Really, I could use my break.I wonder if Ronald can help me out. If nothing else, I need some french fries. I'm typing this from Sean's room at the hospital. Ella is asleep in the bobby on the little hospital table/tray thing next to my laptop. She is blissfully unaware of the worry and angst her parents are currently experiencing. I keep telling myself and Sean that everything is going to be fine. God did not bring us to this point together and give us Ella just to take Sean away from me. He is going to be here for the long haul.

With that said, could you please take a break from your day and say a prayer for us? A prayer for health and peace and for all that is to come.

God Bless you and yours.

RedBook April Giveaway Bonanza

2010-03-23T13:49:00.000-04:00

Okay, I admit, RedBook didn't call what I'm about to tell you about a "giveaway bonanza". However, with 1,767 giveaways including vacations, diamonds, washer/dryers, laptops and $250k in cash, I think this qualifies as a bonanza.

I don't buy magazines myself. I either look for free subscriptions, or scarf them from my in-laws house. (Don't worry, my MIL is glad to see the clutter go.) RedBook is one of the scarfed mags. This month I won't even take it home since I am spending a few days at their house and can enjoy it here and then we can toss it...err... I mean recycle it. This months issue is packed with great giveaways and I thought I would share them. Although, come to think of it, I could just keep this information to myself and increase my odd of winning. Oh well.

Two of the great giveaways are:

the Dior Beauty makeup and Redken hair products used o Trisha Yearwood for the cover shoot : enter here

$250k, yeah that's right, $250,000.00: enter here

to see what else they have click here

So... head on over to RedBook and try your hand!

Thankful and Camp Caglewood

2010-03-23T08:59:00.003-04:00

When Ella was born, one of the first things I did once I had her in my arms was count her fingers and toes. 20, 10 perfect fingers and 10 perfect toes. I was not born this way, and although they checked her out as well as they could while she was in my belly, and told me many times over that my condition was not one that would likely be passed on to my children, in my heart of hearts I still worried. So when I saw those perfect little fingers and perfect little toes, I cried.

My worry for my child was for physical abnormalities. If she had been born with anomalies such as mine, she would have been fine, but I was thankful that she wasn't. Of course we had the test run during my pregnancy to test for downs syndrome and other such conditions, and that was a fear as well. But I wasn't overly concerned about that either. For physical disabilities I would be able to help her and I knew people who could help Sean and I as well. For mental disabilities, we had Paul, Jessica, and Camp Caglewood.

From www.campcaglewood.org

"Caglewood is a Special Needs Camping Program that serves individuals with developmental disabilities through active programming that provides enhanced life experiences, personal development, and respite opportunities. Caglewood fosters the core development of those we serve by engaging them in activities designed to promote independence and confidence. Caglewood’s programming inspires spiritual and social development through communion with nature. A camping trip with Camp Caglewood consists of counselor planned and led activities, crafts, devotionals, hiking, camping, swimming, and various forms of physical therapy and adaptive skills training.

Caglewood is designed for both children and adults diagnosed with developmental disabilities including the autism spectrum, PDD, down syndrome, and cerebral palsy. Parents and caregivers send their loved ones to camp for respite care, and independence growth."

"The Caglewood program was in development for almost two years prior to the formation of the corporation in 2001. The beginnings of the Caglewood program sprouted from the experience of Jessica and Paul Freeman. Both served at the same summer camp program as counselors and program leadership while in college. Paul went on to serve on the board of the camp, and studied Special Education and facility administration while Jessica went on to work with two different brain injury programs where she performed Occupational and Art therapy. She also facilitated the move of several clients from group homes to independent living. Then working together they completed developing the Caglewood business plan and began implementing phase one in September of 2001."

Paul is one of Sean's best friends. They grew up playing football together. I am happy to claim Jessica as one of my closest friends now. She is my "mommy hero", but that's another post all on it's own.

The camp is currently up for a grant through the Pepsi Refresh Project. This is a vote driven grant opportunity, meaning everyone, you and me, have the opportunity to vote for who should get the moola each month. Paul and Jess and the other wonderful people who work with the camp submitted the camp to the program and were accepted. The voting for their round begins April 1st. We need to get everyone to vote!

So...

Set a reminder

and on April 1st make sure to

The first day of voting is most important as those in the top 10 get placed on the front of the website so those who have never heard of Caglewood would be able to vote for it if we bust our booties and get them in the top 10. After that, you can vote everyday and I hope you will. Please feel free to send this on to anyone and everyone you know! Blog, facebook, twitter, myspace, email! Get the word out!

I will be posting a reminder on the 1st as well as a linky button to vote. I am also adding a linky button for donations to Caglewood. If you feel so inclined, they are a non-profit and always in need and thankful for even the smallest donations.

For now, if you feel so inclined, donate HERE.

Thank you!

Happy Birthday Maggie!

2010-03-22T11:28:00.000-04:00

On my first day of kindergarten, as my mom and dad were pulling up to the school, I saw a girl. She was standing in front of the school sign having her picture taken with her little sister. She had long blond hair. I wanted blond hair. "I hope she is in my class" I told my parents. When we walked into my classroom, she was there, her name was Maggie. We were in kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade together. In 3rd grade, the teachers suggested separating us as we were known to be quite chatty. In 4th grade Maggie when to a different school, 3 weeks into the year, I transferred there. My family moved away in 5th grade, and Maggie and I didn't end up back together for another 2 years. 7th grade, we both started a new school, middle school. But we had each other.

That was the last year we were in school together. But our friendship has remained. We don't see each other often. It's been almost 2 years I guess. But I will always love her and pray for her and hope that one day our lives will reconnect.

Happy 25th Birthday Maggie Girl, LYLAS.

Presenting ShortyRed Designs! (our 1st giveaway!)

2010-03-22T00:00:00.002-04:00

It's here!! My first blog giveaway!!

As many of my readers know, I'm a bumpie. I post and respond to and lurk on www.thebump.com . I was quite obsessed with it during my pregnancy, and have developed friendships with some amazing women through common posts and comments. Well... one such lady ShortyRed is a wonderful graphic designer and has launched an etsy.com store. She can design pretty much anything you can think of!

She created this new watermark/logo for my photography business.

She has graciously agreed to create custom "A note from..." cards for the winner of this give away!

WIN IT!!

Description

Personalize notes with your favorite photos. 20 (3.5x5 in) personalized flat cards with white envelopes.

Great design with color or black & white photos.

All photos and texts are customizable.

(not this exactly, but your own custom " A Note" note cards!)

MANDATORY: *1 Entry* To enter this giveaway, you first need to follow me! It's easy, just click the "Follow" link in the right column of the blog. Then visit www.etsy .com/shop/shortyred and come back and tell me what you like about her designs!

Make The Odds A Little Better

1. *1 Entry* Follow me on twitter and comment that you follow my tweets in a comment on this page.

2. *3 Entries* Fan The Deegan Daily on Facebook and ShortyRED on Facebook and comment that you are a FAN in this post.

3. *2 Entries* Subscribe to The Deegan Daily by by using one of the subscription options in the right column and let me know you subscribe in a comment on this post.

4. *2 Entries* Blog about this giveaway and include a link back to my blog (please leave a link to the post in the comments on this post.)

5. *1 Entry* Comment on another post in my blog and leave a comment on this post letting me know.

The winner of this giveaway will be sent information on contacting ShortyRED and further information on photograph requirements for customization.

Open to US residents only. Giveaway will end March 31st Midnight! The winner will be chosen using random.org and announced on April 2nd!

Please Remember: Our sponsors are responsible for prize fulfillment. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery, although we hope it's right away!

READY, SET, GO!!!

Happy Birthday Seth Michael!

2010-03-20T00:27:00.001-04:00

Today is my cousin Seth's 25th birthday!

Seth and I spent the first 7 years living more like siblings than cousins, and our birthdays are so close to one another - a little over 2 months apart, that he will always be more of a brother. Almost a twin. To this day, when I hear of things in his life that have not turned out well, my heart aches. Likewise, when something in his life is going well, my soul soars with joy and pride. I love you Seth Michael. I wouldn't be the girl I am today without you in my life.

Happy Birthday brother of my heart.

Little Laughs...

2010-03-19T09:48:00.001-04:00

Last night in a state of utter milk drunkenness, my daughter laughed at me. She was smiling and cooing and being very lovey. Which is not typical for a 1am feeding. Then she looked at me and laughed. It was not a hesitant, was that me, sort of laugh. It was intentional, and sweet, and wonderful. It was a look into the future for me. I can't wait for us to laugh more!

Nothing is a more wonderful sound than that of a child's laughter. I have felt that way for a long time. Now that it is my very own daughters laughter, I long to hear it again and again and again. God help those who cause her to to cry instead of laugh, this momma might not be able to restrain herself.

What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul. ~Yiddish Proverb

Oh the places I NIP...

2010-03-18T23:34:00.001-04:00

Nursing in pubic is considered somewhat controversial...and to me that is crazy! Nursing is one of the most, if not the most, organic things a mother and her child do. And really, how many people would rather hear an infant screaming than have a mother nurse in public? I adore nursing my daughter. I am amazed that my body knows when she is going to be hungry and how much she is going to need to eat and that there is always milk for her. I was thrilled that the nutritionist we saw not only thought 1 year was a good goal, but she said that she wished it was seen as a minimum amount of time to nurse. Tomorrow is 7 weeks since Ella Grace was born and in that time I have nursed in lots of places... here is my tribute. In no particular order.

Verizon Wireless - Northlake Diner - Babies R Us - Walmart - Kids Consignment - Northlake Mall - Olive Garden - Steak n Shake - Outback Steak House - Church - Public Park - Longhorn Steak House - McDonald's Parking Lot - Publix Parking Lot - Prosthetic Doctor's Office - Husband's Doctor's Office Waiting Room and during his appointment - My Parent's living room - My In law's living room - Wachovia Parking Lot- Side of the road in a random neighborhood

and not even 2 months in yet!

I want to add a note that in no way do I look down on mothers who formula feed. I do however encourage those I know to really give breast feeding a chance and not give up if things don't start out "easy".

Check out my favorite site for all things breastfeeding related.

Giveaways Are Coming!!

2010-03-18T00:07:00.005-04:00

Just a little head's up-

I am going to be having giveaways galore in the next few weeks! Take a peek at these great sites and all the great products they have! Become a follower of my blog through this post within the next 48 hours and you get an extra entry when the give-a-ways go live! If you are already a follower simply make a post to let me know you saw this!

That's A LOT of shots!

2010-03-14T21:29:00.000-04:00

DISCLAIMER: I understand that vaccination of children is a hot topic. I am not writing this in hopes of altering anyone else's views on childhood vaccination, just to get my feelings out there. I am not including a bunch of data, however I do encourage anyone and everyone with small or new children to do their own research and be fully comfortable with the decisions they make for their children.

During the course of my pregnancy, I had to take the twins I was caring for to their 4 year old well child appointment. Little did I (or their mom) realize that they would be receiving 4 shots each that day. They were really brave. One didn't cry at all and the other only cried for a few minutes immediately following. However, they did not feel so hot an hour or so later. They both were extra crabby and nothing seemed to comfort them.

I had heard plenty about the current debates about vaccines. In the long run I want my daughter to be safe and understand that vaccinations are one way to protect her. However, I was and still am concerned about the number of shots she is going to receive. The total is a concern, but the number at each scheduled visit is what concerns me most. Her body is so tiny and the thought of her being stuck by any number of needles makes me cry a little, but the thought of four needles in a matter of minutes piercing her sensitive skin and shooting her body full of foreign substances is more than I can take. So, we are going to be spreading out her vaccines. I have talked to her pediatrician as well as a doctor at the local department of health and they have both okay-ed our request to have no more than 2 vaccinations given at a time. This means that Sean and I will need to take extra care to make sure she is given the correct shots and that the spacing between the shots is correct. That extra care, is more than worth it in my opinion, because like I said before, it's all about making sure Ella Grace is safe.

The Couch Cave

2010-03-14T17:51:00.000-04:00

AKA....Mommy & Ella's bed.

Sean is not a good sleeper. No, let me rephrase that. Sean is not a good lack of sleep person. He literally starts going a bit quaky when he is running low on rest. The first week of Ella Grace, she and I slept upstairs with Sean. We live in a one bedroom apartment so Ella's cradle is next to our king size bed. However, every little sound she made woke Sean up. Just normal baby sounds. He was such a concerned daddy and simply wasn't used to the sounds she makes in her sleep. After a week of little to no sleep, Sean was practically incapable of functioning much less in any condition to work. Thus the "Couch Cave" was born.

Since we don't have a second room, and we don't have an extra mattress, and our couches are both love seats, it made more sense to me for Ella and I to make our bed downstiars than for Sean to try and find an alernative place to sleep. By pushing the two love seats together, it creates a cave of sorts for us. It blocks out any drafts from the front door (and boy can it be drafty), and is quite comfortable in my opinion. Not only does this allow Sean a better nights sleep, but me as well!

I'm not really sure for how much longer we will continue with this arrangement. Our lease is up in July and, if Ella is still not sleeping through the night by then, we will at least be in a two bedroom apartment after that. I miss sleeping beside my husband during the week, but the memory of our "couch cave" are ones I'm sure I will cherish forever and hopefully Ella will find ammusing in her childhood and even more so when she becomes a mommy herself.

One week makes a BIG difference!

2010-03-10T23:09:00.000-05:00

Today Ella Grace and I had an appointment with a nutritionist. For her it was a visit to check her weight and to talk about if we needed to do anything to boost her in take. For me it was a check in on my current weight loss and to make sure I was eating what I need to eat to make good milk for my baby. Well...we both passed with flying numbers! Ella gained a whole pound this last week and I lost another 2! Yay for us! Next month when we go back, the nutritionist is going to go over my food diary with me...I'm a little nervous about that.

Today Ella weighed 10.5 lbs!

www.my-calorie-counter.com The webs free Fitness Log

What A Wonderful World...

2010-03-09T22:29:00.000-05:00

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do
They're really saying I love you.

I hear babies crying, I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll never know
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
Yes I think to myself what a wonderful world.

Another Way Our Government Wasted Money

2010-03-09T16:56:00.003-05:00

I received what at first glance I thought was our 2010 Census in the mail today. However, when I opened it I was not only disapointed, but frustrated at the money wated. I'm sure every other American got one of these today or will be receiving it wthin the coming week. But for now, the first sentence of the letter reads:

"About one week from now, you will receive a 2010 Census form in the mail."

I am fully in support of the Census and I believe in it's importance. But this seems absolutely ridiculous to me! According to the US Census Bureau in 2008 they estimate 130 million housing units in the United States. At approximatly $.50 to print and mail these that is over 60 million dollars just to mail these papers out! Tell me how that makes sense? Tell me how when there are people in our country struggling to put food on the table, roofs over their families heads, clothing on their children's backs...tell me how spending $60 million to mail these out makes sense? I know I know...if given to the American people it would only be $.50 per dwelling, but every penny counts right??

What is your opinion??

Lindsay Lohan v. ETrade :GET A GRIP!!

2010-03-09T11:28:00.002-05:00

Apparently Lindsay Lohan has filed a lawsuit against E-Trade. Claiming that their Super Bowl ad was taking a shot at her.

If you haven't seen the commercial, take a look...

See The NY TIMES Article Here

Really? I mean really??

As a new mom, this commercial made me LMAO! We have joked since probably day one that Ella Grace is a milk-a-holic. Proof of that is in my blog in two places! Post 1 Post 2

It NEVER crossed my mind to think of this commercial in relationship to LL and her infamous drunken escapades. How about you?

Baby Leggings Give Away-- Adventures of Baby Kaitlyn

2010-03-09T10:57:00.000-05:00

As many of my readers know, I am a pretty loyal viewer and poster on thebump.com. Beacause of this, I view LOTS of mommy blogs such as Adventures of Baby Kaitlyn. :) And some of them host give-aways. Yes, like the ones I hope to host soon!

I am currently entered in this give away for a pair of baby leggings from Sharpe Crafts. If you haven't seen these, they are awesome! They are so much easier than pants for changing a baby's diaper and they also grow with the child. They can be worn under skirts when a little girl gets older and again I would think are a great help with potty breaks!

I would love to be able to buy several pairs of these...but for now, I will cross my fingers and baby Ella's legs in hopes that we win!

I should be sleeping....

2010-03-08T00:38:00.001-05:00

I Should Be Sleeping

I never knew there were such great movies
on TV at three A.M.
I'd never guess that at midnight Tuesday
I could have pizza ordered in
I've never been a real night owl
but these days I'm all turned around
there's only one thing I'm sure of right now

I should be sleeping
instead of keepin these late hours
I've been keeping

I've been pacing and retracing
every step of every move
and even though I'm feeling so right
I'm so happy still I know
I should be sleeping instead of dreaming about you

song title 'I Should Be Sleeping' by artist 'Emerson Drive'

Yeah... this song runs through my head as I sit waiting. Trying to decide if I should try to sleep...or wait for Ella to wake up and nurse just one more time...I REALLY should be sleeping.

Woohoo! FREE STUFF!

2010-03-07T17:10:00.000-05:00

Today while doing my usual hunt for on-line deals I came across a jewlery site I've never visited before ChunkyBling.com. And what do you know, they are having a Bloggers Special! Blogging For Bling! Naturally I'm going to give it a go!

ChunkyBling.com specializes in interchangeable watches. They also carry full lines of other chunky jewelry such as beaded bracelets, Swarovski crystal and Swarovski pearl rings, and interchangeable charm necklaces. All at great prices!

Another neat thing about this company is you can host an online jewelry party with some friends and earn a bunch of FREE jewelry. For mom's on a budget a way to score free bling is always a good thing!

Ella's One Month Stats...

2010-03-04T09:52:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was Ella's one month appointment. I was really nervous about this appointment as I don't think she has been gaining much weight and I knew that was one of our pediatrician's main concerns. She lost a lot in the beginning due to jaundice. Apparently the APA finds a loss of 10% or less ok but over that they have concern. Well she lost more than 10% of her birth weight.

Flash forward to yesterday. I know that my daughter is, on the whole, healthy. She is strong and alert. She makes her needs known and she is generally a very happy baby. The first thing they did at her appointment was weight and length.

I undressed her and handed her to the nurse who placed her on the scale. The numbers jumped and then began to climb. 8.8...8.14...9.4!!! WOOHOO!! WAY TO GO BABY ELLA! Way to go mommy! Your milk is making her strong! Your milk is giving her the nourishment she needs!

Ella measured 22 3/4 inches long and passed all the other things the doc checked her for. She had to get her second hep B vaccination and of course she didn't like that, but I quickly sat with her and nursed her and she was my calm happy baby once again. Our doctor is still a little concerned about her weight. If she had been born at 8lbs and not 8.97lbs he would be happy with her weight. But seeing as how she is really only 10 oz more than her birth weight, he wants me to try and give her an additional formula bottle a day. We'll see how that goes. I think I am going to look into how to make MY milk more fortified so to speak.

We go back in one month for her two month appointment. She is supposed to get five, yes, I said FIVE vaccinations at that time. I'm going to do a separate blog on my feelings about this.

Happy 31st Birthday Sean!

2010-03-03T21:22:00.000-05:00

Look what Ella did for her daddy!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband Sean. He's an old man! Just kidding...

Sean is going to scan the card she made him and I will post that tomorrow.

I love you Sean! Happy Birthday!

Tummy Time and Mommy Time

2010-03-02T21:37:00.001-05:00

So tummy time didn't go so well tonight. At least not the part we filmed. After hanging out on daddy's chest and playing peek-a-boo with the sun she was beat! But...the video is cute and we wanted to share it with our family and friends who don't get to see us on a regular basis.

Yet another snowday in Atlanta...

2010-03-02T13:45:00.005-05:00

The music was playing. The swing was swinging. Ella Grace was so peaceful. If only it was always like this.

Montclair...the Black & Gold. GOOOO MUSTANGS!

2010-03-01T20:06:00.000-05:00

Today I took Ella Grace to visit my elementary school No, you didn't miss anything. I'm not a teacher. This is MY elementary school. I know that there are very few people who would be taking their newborn to the elemetary school they attended, but believe it or not, there are still a few people there who I know and who have remained a part of my life. Two woman. Mrs. Pursley and Mrs.Smith. They are wonderful incredible women. They have shown their love for me over the past nearly 20 years on every meeting. They are genuine woman who love God and share God's love in thier everyday actions. I was overjoyed to see their joy upon meeting my daughter. My camera died right after taking a picture in front of the school so we will just have to make a return visit to get pictures with these two great women.

One Month of Ella Grace!

2010-03-01T13:07:00.001-05:00

Happy One Month Ella Grace!

I can't believe my little girl is already one month old...

Nursing+Swing+Music= Self Soothing Napper!

2010-02-26T17:17:00.001-05:00

Twice today I have nursed Ella Grace to drowsy but not out and put her in her swing to just chill while I got myself together. I hate having milk dried on my boobs...lol. I created a new Pandora station and I don't even know half of what is playing on it...but she apparently loves it! She has done her "I'm fighting sleep" fussiness for a few moments but it never elevated beyond a couple of grunts and she closed her eyes and went to sleep. I hope this works at bed time too. I like the music it's playing so I'm all for it!

Ella Grace & Daddy

2010-02-22T23:00:00.004-05:00

This is Sean's favorite time of day...

okay... so Sean's shoulder might have helped a little bit, but...she still is really really strong!

Milk Drunk Baby...

2010-02-21T10:33:00.002-05:00

Got Milk?? Ella Grace does!

Another first...

2010-02-20T22:30:00.002-05:00

Today was not a fun day. Today we all cried. Today took Ella Grace to the emergency room.

At 21 days old Ella had her first visit to the ER.

Ella Grace was not acting like herself today. She was fussy, not nursing well, and even when sleeping she did not seem at rest. Then she started running a fever. Or at least she seemed to be running a fever. We could not figure out how to get her to be still enough to take a rectal temperature. Then she started to break out in a rash. If the fever or the rash had occured before 2pm, we could have taken her to the pediatrician. We have a wnderful pediatrician who still keeps Saturday hours! But, it was almost 4 when the rash showed up. We called the doctor and he said if we were really worried then we should/could take her to CHOA.

Now, as many of you know, I have taken care of countless other children of all ages. I have answered my phone numerous time and advised my girl friends that their child sounded fine and it was simply first time parent fears they were experiencing. Advised them watch their child for x number of hours and then make a decision.

Please tell me why I didn't follow my own advice??

By the time we got to CHOA, got checked in, got triaged (they did this very quickly and moved us into a private waiting area since she is so little), and got to a room, her fever was gone and the rash as improving. Still, we were advised that to be on the safe side they were going to draw some blood and run a screen on her urine to make sure everything was ok. A baby catheter, iv, and exam later, we were on our way home. Ella was fine, we had over reacted. We felt awful for putting Ella through all of this and have hopefully learned our lesson to chill and wait a few minutes unless things seem truly urgent.

Here are a few pictures from our sad experience...

Our baby could sleep through a rock concert!

2010-02-20T15:45:00.002-05:00

Since day one, we have made an effor to not be overy quiet around Ella Grace. We don't want her to be the baby that can only sleep in compete silence and that any slight noise would wake up. Here is proof that Ella truly does sleep like a rock.

Why does nursing hurt so bad??

2010-02-18T11:19:00.000-05:00

THRUSH! I took Ella to the doctor yesterday to have her bum rash checked. Turns out it's not a bum rash but thrush and there were traces in her mouth as well. The pedi said if I had any sores on my boobs the thrush would be in my nipples as well and could cause severe pain. This is such a relief! We have met with several LC's and they said her latch was good so we were really at a loss as to why it was hurting sooo bad and not getting better. We started meds last night and the doc said within a couple of days we should both be feeling better. yay!

TMI WARNING... Boobs:

2010-02-17T11:10:00.000-05:00

Mine are killing me. The cold weather makes them ache. It seems that no matter how warm my body is, my boobs feel like they are frozen and hurt like hell. We are using the nipple shield for nursing and I'm putting the lanolin on after and between feedings, I can *see* that they are getting a little better. They aren't as red between sessions and the skin doesn't seem as chapped. But the pain is still horrible!

Any ideas on how to helping the girls feel better?

Milk-a-what??

2010-02-14T21:38:00.001-05:00

Ella had way too much fun today but wanted to send everyone some love.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!

Ella's 1st Bath

2010-02-13T18:41:00.002-05:00

SHE LOVED IT!! Tonight we put her in the sink on her little bath sponge and waited for the crying and screaming that so many babies respond with during their first baths. But it never came. Instead, she just chilled.

And then... she fell asleep!

The Most Beautiful Girl In The World: Ella's Story

2010-02-06T22:33:00.002-05:00

(WARNING...this is very long and I leave nothing out so if you are squeamish or bore easily don't read it.)

It's been one week and one day since Ella Grace made her entrance into the world. I'm not really sure where to start her story. She tried for two weeks to get out. Sending Sean and me to Labor & Delivery 3 times before it was "the time". So I'll start the day before she was born.

Thursday January 28, 2010:

I woke up Thursday morning after a restless night. I wasn't feeling so great, but decided a shower was in order. After my shower I did my hair and makeup and was feeling really great. I put out an all-call on FaceBook. Someone please come take me to lunch! Right away out dear friend Patricia jumped to my rescue and shortly after our friend Molly said she wanted to join us! We went for BBQ and it was wonderful. I wasn't feeling any different. Still having contractions, but none stronger than usual.

I came home and spent the rest of the afternoon with my momma and waiting for Sean to get home. We had some baby work to do. I ran to my parents house around 7:30 for some spaghetti as Sean wasn't hungry.When I got back, it was rainy and gross and Sean was beat. He decided to head to bed early and I decided to hang out at my desk and goof off online. I ate 1/2 a fresh cut pineapple, hoping that it would be the natural inducer it claimed to be.

Around 9:00 I noticed that my contractions were getting stronger. I had a appointment at the doctor Friday morning so I was determined that unless my water broke before then, no matter how bad the contractions got, if I could still feel Ella moving, I was NOT going into L&D that night.

Through out my pregnancy I have become involved with a group of women on thebump.com. These women have become dear friends and a source of support both before, during, and after Ella's birth. Thursday night I was online chatting with the ladies and as usual we were complaining and commiserating. As the night wore on, and my contractions didn't let up, several of them expressed their concern and really wanted me to call the doc. I decided to take a bath and try to sleep and if things got worse I would call.

I hadn't taken a bath since becoming pregnant. It was simply not a usually relaxing experience for me. With out my leg on getting in and out of the tub is awkward enough, add in a huge belly and things become laughable(or scary depending on the viewing angle.) But that night, I was desperate. I took a bath around 11 and was in bed by 11:30. I took 2 Tylenol PM and fell asleep.

Friday January 31, 2010

I slept until 4:00 when I woke up to a very strong contraction. I went to the bathroom hoping it would help relieve the contractions and got back in bed. I dozed a little but just before 5 was awoken with yet another severe contraction. I stood up to go to the bath room and felt a little "pop". This was one of the signs that my doctor had mentioned to me, but I still wasn't sure. I went to the bathroom and when I wiped, it was pink! It took everything in me not to scream with joy. I put on my robe and went downstairs. I had a glass of juice and waited. I didn't want to wake Sean until I was sure my water had really ruptured. About 30 minutes later I went to the restroom and sure enough, things were still leaking! I called the on-call number and while waiting for them to call back, I woke Sean.

"Baby. Sean. Baby. We're having a baby." He sat up so quick. Not rushed and freaking out, but quickly. He looked at me and asked if I was sure. I told him everything and we got moving. Sean ran to put air in the tires on the Jeep (one has a slow leak : / ) while I showered and made sure my bad was packed. He took a quick shower when he got home. The doc on call called us back and it was Dr. Johnson. I wasn't really thirlled with this as she isn't one of my favorites in the practice, but then I realized that it was going to be near 7 once we got all checked in and that a new doc would be coming on! My contractions were still around what they had been Thursday night. About 5 minutes apart and becoming more intense.

We got to the hospital at 6:45. It took FOREVER to get in a room. Finally at 7:25 we were in our room and the nurse was helping us get all the papers that we couldn't do in advance done. My mom and Sean's parent's were on their way and we were settled in for the long haul.

The first medical thing they did was a swab to see if my water had ruptured. It's ironic to me that pregnancy starts and ends the same, waiting for the end of a stick to change colors. I've never been so happy to see something change colors in my life! That change in color meant I wasn't going home with out an outside baby! woohoo! The nurse said she would let the doctor know and they should be in to see me soon.

When Dr.Simonson walked in the room I almost cried. Her being the doctor that would deliver Ella Grace was wonderful. I trusted her and knew that with her there, everything would be ok. Sean and my mom also really liked her and felt comfortable talking to her as well. In retrospect, we should have known that her being the doctor was a sign that we were heading for a c-section. She was the doctor who weeks before had told me that she was concerned that my pelvis wasn't opened up more than it was, and she was the only one I totally trusted to make that call. She examined me and I was still only at 2. A long way to go...

At this point it was about 9. I still wasn't sure what I wanted for pain management, but I was determined to hold off on the possible epidural for a while longer. Around 11 I decided to get some pain meds through my IV as my contractions were one on top of another and really starting to hurt. The catch, the meds would only last a couple of hours and I could only get 3 doses. The first dose worked for a while, I could still feel the contractions, but they were bearable. When it wore off I got the second dose and they told me I should start making a decision about the epidural. I talked to Sean and he encouraged me to do what I felt strongly about, but also told me he thought I should get the epidural. About 30 minutes into the second round of the pain meds, it was already wearing off and I was hurting. I decided that since there was a chance for a c-section, I would rather get the epi now, as my own decision and not rushed to get into surgery.

This was the most anxious point of Ella's birth for me. My mom never had an epidural, so she couldn't tell me what to expect. I didn't take classes so I really had no clue. Sean sat in front of me and I looked at him the entire time. He talked to me and told me how wodnerful and brave I was and how proud of me he was. I was crying and having to stay still during contractions and simply put, I was scared. The Dr. who did the epidural was great. She told me just enough so that I wasn't suprised by her actions, but not so much that I was made more anxious. The end result of the the epidural? What my doctor called a perfect epi. I could feel pressure and could still move my legs (with some help) as directed but the pain was gone! Everyone but Sean left the room during the epi and then came in for a few minutes after. We needed to try and rest so they (My mom, and Sean's parents) went out to the lobby. Right before I got the epi, Grace came by. I was really happy to see her and that gave me a little more strength of mind too.

It's nearly 3 now and neither Sean or I can belive it! The day has flown by. We rest until I start to feel more pressure around 5:30pm. I call the nurse and she comes in to check me. She says I'm about 6cm! yay! progress is being made! 30 minutes later I'm calling her again, I really feel like I need to push. She says that it's not time yet, but I tell her again how strong the urge to push is. She checke me again and sure enough 9 1/2 and almost 100% effaced! wow! that was fast! She leaves to go call for the doctor.

6:10 and Dr. Simonson is back in the room. She checks me and says that Ella Grace is still pretty high, but if I feel the urge to push, lets give it a go. I'm 10! There is no time to call for my mom no time for anything, my legs are up and she's telling me how to push. Deep breath in and push to 10 then repeat 2 more times. Break. We did this 2 x's and I was feeling awful. I threw up after the second round of pushing and I just didn't feel right. They were having a hard time keeping Ella on the monitors as she was getting lower and said that they wanted to put in an internal monitor. I looked at Sean and said "I need my mommy." Before he could call her, she was walking in the room. HER mom sense had told her to get in there and they were right on. They got Ella Grace on the monitor and we were ready to push again.

We did this 3 or 4 more times with me throwing up after each set and feeling worse and worse. She wasn't moving much, and then she started showing signs of distress. Her heart rate dropped and they quickly turned me on my left side and things got hectic. I remember the nurse calling for more people and Dr. Simonson giving orders to get an OR ready stat. There was an anesthesiologist in the room ready to give me drugs for surgery and then things got a little calmer. They flipped me to my right side. Ella's heart rate was back up but not giving them the "spikes" they like to see. We had a few minutes to talk. Did we want to try to push again? We could all tell that the doctor wasn't telling us exactly what she thought. So my mom and Sean both asked her what thought we needed to do. She said she felt we were going to end up with a c-section and should go ahead and do it now. Sean looked at me and I said ok. And things got busy again.

With the decision to go forward with the c-section made, they gave me some more epidural meds and I had to drink some nasty antibiotic stuff. Our family members came in and said good bye to us. I hadn't cried about the c/s until my daddy walked in. He walked in and I felt like I was a little girl not like I was about to have one of my own. But he told me to be strong and that everything would be fine and that is what I needed from him.

They wheeled me off to the O.R., and I barfed the whole way there. A funny note, it was just before 7 when we headed down the hall and the nurses and OR staff were making jokes about me making them work late. Once in the room they got me on the table and hooked up to oxygen. Every move made me feel sick and I was really feeling ucky. After they got me settled on the table, they let Sean come in. He got settleed and they got started.

We knew Ella Grace was low in my pelvis, but we didn't know how low. When Dr.Simonson opened me up, we were in for a little suprise. Ella Grace was stuck. I mean really stuck in my pelvis. It took almost 5 minutes for them to pull her out once they had their hands on her. Sean could see some of the hilarity that insued and I could feel my torso bouncing around. (No pain) I kept asking what was going on and Dr.Simonson laughed and told me she would try to remember to keep me informed. Apparently most women don't want to know when they are being cut and what's being moved around inside of them. I can't imagine why. Dr. Simonson told me she had her hands on Ella Grace but that the suction around her head at my pelvis was very strong. She asked a nurse if she could get some more leverage from her end and her reply was "I have my whole hand in her" to which Sean and I looked at each other with wide eyes and I told him to look. He could see the nurse at the end of the table so we then knew that her hand was IN me. He could see her sliding back on the floor as she pushed Ella Grace from inside of me. He scrub slippers were slipping. A male nurse got on his knees behind her and braced her feet with his hands and placed his shoulder into her backside to give some added leverage. Finally, she came out!

I could feel an instant change in pressure. Not from them stopping what they were doing, but from Ella being removed. It was a relief and sad at the same time. They told Sean to come around and I waited to hear her cry. When she did cry, I cried. I was a mommy. I listened to them talking and making sure she was ok. Finally, they brought her around to me. They put her on my chest and I couldn't believe she was mine. I told Sean "We need a picture!" He said there wasn't anyone to take one of the 3 of us and I told him to give the camera to the anesthesiologist and we had our first family photo.

They said that they were going to finish me up and that Sean could go with Ella Grace to recover. I don't remember much until getting to recovery. Apparently they up whatever meds are going through the epi once the baby is out and they are working just on mom. It took 45 minutes for them to get me to recovery. Once there and settled I got my baby and the nurses were awesome! They unswaddled her and helped me undress on top so that we could have skin to skin time and so that we could let her breast feed. I was so happy and so over whealmed at the same time. Sean was beaming and while I had a few minutes with Ella by myself, he went out to show the pictures on the camera to our waiting loved ones.

She was born at 7:17 pm the exact time picked by her Uncle Joshua. She weighed 8 pounds 9.7 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long. Her forhead was bruised, she had two black eyes, and her nose was squished. But she was and still is the most beautiful girl in the world.

Ella's First Swing

2010-02-03T20:18:00.002-05:00

Tonight we put Ella Grace in her swing for the first time... she seems to like it. My mom says that as a baby I LOVED my swing and it was her saving sanity. I guess time will tell if Ella is like mommy in that regard. Here is her first public video!

WELCOME TO THE WORLD ELLA GRACE!

2010-01-30T14:57:00.003-05:00

Ella Grace Deegan

Born January 29,2010 @ 7:17pm

8lb 9 oz

20.5 inches long

L&D- She's coming! Or not...

2010-01-25T11:30:00.003-05:00

I started having contractions on Saturday but they weren't close enough together. By Sunday at 5pm they were about 10 min apart. By 9pm they were 6-8 min apart. I called the on-call doc and she told me to try and chill and rest and if they got closer together to call and let her know I was on my way to L&D. I slept Sunday, well I tried to sleep, and Monday I woke up and they were about 10 min apart again. By 1 they still hadn't let up and although they weren't getting closer, they were getting stronger. I called the doc and they said to come in. I went in and they did an internal exam (sooooo much fun! NOT!). I was 1cm & 50% effaced. They hooked me up for a Non-Stress Test and it turned out my contractions were actually about 4 minutes apart. They said I should go home and do what ever I had planned for the night. If they got stronger in the next 3-4 hours or closer together, then to call and come in to L&D. Well, they got stronger and closer together. So off to L&D we went. When we got there they put us into a Labor room and hooked me up to the monitors. Sure enough about 2 minutes apart and fairly strong. The nurse tried to check my cervix but didnt know what she was doing and couldn't reach my cervix so I had to wait for another nurse to check it. I was still at 1 but a little softer than 50. At this point everyone thought that it was the night or at least the night before we would be meeting Ella Grace. Aunty Kim and Nick drove up from Grantville, and Brit drove up from Millidgeville. We were ready! I stayed like this till they checked me again at 11pm. When things were still the same, my doc said I had two options, go home and try to rest but probably be back at the hospital in a matter of hours when the contractions got worse. Or stay and they could give me something to help me sleep and hopefully allow my uterus to chill and my cervix to dilate more. Kim and Nick headed back home as it was late and they had to be back in Grantville for a delivery in the morning. Brit was settling in for the night with us. I got the meds and the stuff let my uterus chill, but also cause my contractions to completley stop. I had a drugy hazy night that I slept some but really just dozed. Poor Sean and Brit were troopers and were there for me all night getting me ice and water and helping me get my pillows arranged to try and make things more comfortable. The am doc checked me and I was still at 1 but now 75% thinned. She said I was no longer in active labor since my contractions had come to almost a complete halt and she was sending me home. I was devistated to say the lease and I'm still trying to understand WTF happened. I showered at the hospital and headed home. Brit had already taken the day off, so she came over and helped with some much needed cleaning at the apartment. We set up Ella's swing and picked up baby stuff from a couple of my other extreamly generous friends. We set up the downstairs pack-n-play and she basically kept me busy all day, trying to get ready and trying to get this baby moving again. Contractions are still coming and I'm super crampy so I know things are going on. I go back on Friday to see the OB and I guess I'll know more then. So...she didn't come Monday or Tuesday...but she has to come soon right?

January 13, 2010 Bump Update

2010-01-13T12:37:00.005-05:00

Just a little pic to show my ever expanding bump.

36 weeks 2 days

Snowday in Atanta...

2010-01-09T19:52:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a snowy day in Atlanta. It started Thursday night and by midnight we had about a 1/2 inch on the ground. I know, that's not really that much, but...it's Atlanta people!!

So Friday, my Mommy and I went to play at the park! It was Ella's first playdate! Lol...here are some super cute pics of our day!

We had so much fun and I can't WAIT for Ella to be here to play with us!

I love you Mommy!

Just a cute pic :)

2010-01-06T09:04:00.000-05:00

This picture was taken New Years Day at our friend's Patricia and Andrew's home. It's one of the few pictures that we have of us together with the bump. :)You would think that with us having as many cameras as we do, there would be more pictures of us, Bue Sean doesn't like being in front of the lens. I think this one is really cute though and I'm happy to have it! Thank you Patrica for taking it and sending it to me!

35/35

2010-01-04T20:56:00.000-05:00

Today was/is a pregnacy milestone. And if I could find my point and shoot I would take a bump picture, but I can't find it!

So yeah. Today I am 35 weeks pregnant with 35 days to go. It's pretty exciting and pretty overwhealming at the same time. The train I've been riding pulled into "Contraction City" about a month ago, but Saturday night, I made it all the way to downtown. Sean and I made a 10pm drive to L&D due to consistant and painful contractions. They checked me out and said I was still "closed" and then hooked me up to the monitors to check the contractions. Sure enough, there they were! They were real full on contractions. That made me feel better since I would have felt bad and silly about dragging us out in the super cold for minor "irritations". They kept me overnight and started me on Procardia to stop the contractions. With an IV pumping fluids into me and the meds to take away the contractions, I was set for the night. Oh, not to mention the pain meds for my back pain. (I hope that when it's really "time" that I don't have back labor. That was possibly the worse part of the contractions.) They sent me home yesterday, Sunday, after they were sure that both Ella and I were fine. I'm on the Procardia for the next week and have to go back to the OB on either Friday or Monday. I guess I shoud call and schedule that. When I got home last night I felt fine, but by 10pm I was coughing and by this am I was feeling it deep in my chest. I was sure it was just a cough, but tonight I'm starting to feel pretty cruddy.

So instead of going crazy celebrating this milstone in my pregnancy, I am going to eat some mac-n-cheese, take some tylenol, and go to bed.

Good night all!

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2010-01-01T12:44:00.000-05:00

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SOOOO EXCITED!!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T11:17:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year to all my dedicated readers! Lol... do I have any readers?

2010...wow.

It makes me think of what I was doing Y2K. I was 14 and I was babysitting Taylor and Ashley Marshall. My first real baby sitting clients. I was babysitting and all of my friends were at a New Years Eve party at Leann Rittenbaums house. Brett Kneisel called me at midnight and that made my... well... New Years. Funny enough I ran into a friend of the Marshall's day before yesterday while I was out shopping with my mom. I haven't talked to Leann in years. I would love to,but I guess that's just one of those friendships that fell to the wayside after highschool. I chat with Brett every now and again and wish him the best. He was such a huge part of my life for several years that I still find it odd that he's not really in it at all any more. 10 years makes some big changes.

Well not so big i guess, last night I was babysitting too. But this time I was babysitting my "inside" baby. My little Ella Grace. She is still cooking away inside and we can't wait to meet her. So last night was spent chatting with other pregnant ladies online and just chilling at home with my hubby. The highlight of the night...

Chocolate Almond Ice Cream! mmmm...

So, what are your plans for the year? I know this year is going to be one I will never forget. Sometime in the next 2 months, I'm going to be a mommy. A mommy! Wow. Yeah, I would say 10 years makes a difference. Sean and I are signed to our lease until the end of July but plan on looking for somewhere new starting in late May or early June. Our apartment is only 1 bedroom and that will be fine for a while, but Ella is going to need her own room and we are going to need more space for all the stuff that comes with having a baby. We also have no where for her to really crawl so a larger home is on the list for 2010. I want to get my photography really going this year. I want to be able to help support our family financially through my photography. I know that being able to control my own schedule would make it possible for me to be the mommy and wife I want to be, so that is my big goal for the year.

I am not going to make "resolutions" this year. I am just going to say that I am going to try to trust in God to help me find my way and I am going to try to be a better person. Simple as that, lol.

One final time, Happy New Years to all I love and hold dear! 2010... I'm here!

The Deegan Daily

Switching things up a bit...

Wishing You A Merry Christmas!

Wowzers... Mommy Deegan is gonna be busy!

Blogger Fail

Crockpot Rice Puddin'

And it's off to the pool we go!

One year ago and Today

Friday Follow & Happy Birthday to me!

Thankful Thursaday- Quarter Century Edition

Mommy to the rescue! or not?

The Simple Woman's Daybook

The First Four Months In Photographs

Friday Follow!

Mommy Moments

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Ella Grace Recap

2 weeks absence

Momma got her stitch on...

My In-Laws luv me...they really do!

Of Boogers & Mother's Day

Friday Follow! Check it out!!

Friday?? Really??

3 Months of Heaven on Earth

Momma Got Savvy...

Ergo=Love

Friday Follow!

Thankful Thursday

Barefoot and Fancy Free

5 Days, 5 States- Day 5

5 Days, 5 States- Day 4

5 Days, 5 States- Day 3

5 Days, 5 States- Day 2

5 Days, 5 States- Day 1

Sweet Slumber and Wet T-Shirts

Friday Follow, Follow me Friday!!

Publish those sweet smiles and silly stories with Heritage Makers! (Giveaway)

And the winner is...

My #1

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Friday Follow

BABIES Sweepstakes

This is hysterical! I love Jimmy Kimmel

Sleep

Baaaaaa- Sleep Sheep Review

Eat Sleep Poop

Ella's New Trick!

Giveaway #2 Presenting Turbid Blue Natural Soaps!

The Fairest Lady In The Land

The 3/50 Project

GREAT PHOTO COUPONS/CODES!!

And the Winner Is...

Baby Ella is 2 months old!!

New Button on my side bar...

Awing Ella Grace...beacuse I can!

NO...regression is bad!

Bare Naked

Hospitals and Hand-Me-Downs

Have you had your break today?

**RedBook April Giveaway Bonanza**

Thankful and Camp Caglewood

Happy Birthday Maggie!

Presenting ShortyRed Designs! (our 1st giveaway!)

Description

Happy Birthday Seth Michael!

Little Laughs...

Oh the places I NIP...

Giveaways Are Coming!!

That's A LOT of shots!

The Couch Cave

One week makes a BIG difference!

What A Wonderful World...

Another Way Our Government Wasted Money

Lindsay Lohan v. ETrade :GET A GRIP!!

Baby Leggings Give Away-- Adventures of Baby Kaitlyn

I should be sleeping....

Woohoo! FREE STUFF!

Ella's One Month Stats...

Happy 31st Birthday Sean!

Tummy Time and Mommy Time

RedBook April Giveaway Bonanza