Changes!

Good morning!
I am quite possibly turning out to be a flake when it comes to blogging! I know it is a time-consuming activity (which was originally the point) and so I typically find that I have more pressing things to handle. So, with that said, I have passed the Praxis 1 test (all 3 parts!), am taking my first of 2 Praxis II Tests tomorrow in Mobile (Family and Consumer Sciences), and then I will be studying like a mad woman for my other Praxis II Test (Elementary Education) that I am taking on January 3rd! So all through the Holidays I will be studying... sorry visiting family! But once those 2 tests are over I am home free until June! I can focus all my insane baby-momma energy on Elli-Anne Goley! 

Speaking of that little goober, she is a total mess! I can feel her kick like crazy all the time (Well, until Dusty puts his hand on my tummy to feel... then- NOTHING! Probably pretty frustrating for him...). She has 2 favorite spots to let me feel her. One is my right upper side, distinctly close to my ribs, but not quite painful yet. It feels like she taps me with a little hand saying, "Momma, hey feed me" or "Momma, I love those cookies, popsicles, calories galore!" And then the other favorite kicking spot is my lower left side belly. She usually moves there when I am laying in bed before I get up or when I am stretched out on the couch. This is usually indicating nothing in particular other than she likes to shake her groove thang! 
If you have followed my short updates on Facebook, then you know I have quite a few sayings racking up for how Elli loves to move. This was called to my attention last week and so I looked back and some of the things I have said to describe her make me laugh! So here are a few, just in case you didn't catch them the first time:

"We got a kickin chicken on our hands this morning! Elli-Anne is on a roll! ♥"

"OK two things: 1- My sweet husband let me sleep in today because I was up half the night with Kung Fu Panda (Elli-Anne)... It was awesome (sleeping in!) 2- Elli-Anne obviously loves my morning cereal. She was kicking like a fool right in my right side. You could see the jolts clearly so I tried to post a video... but no she is shy! What a turd nugget!"

"Elli-anne is having a dance-dance-revolution-off in my belly! insane!"

Those weren't really the super funny posts but they do make me laugh... The super funny ones are when I am describing how fat she is making me! I mean come on people! Last week she was the size of a cauliflower, now a head of lettuce! Massive. 

Everything is starting to really pick up and change fast! I am gaining weight like a champ- or a fat, lazy, hungry person... either way. I am 26 weeks and have gained like 23+ pounds! And luckily I don't own a scale because that number is really off my last appointment at 23 weeks... haha! Not so funny though, are the stretch marks sneaking up on me! They started out looking like teeny, tiny veins on my side stomach... Then they started growing a little and getting darker... I went into total freak-out mode because with stretch marks, you can't fix them! They have to come and fade out. I was not about to surrender my stomach... hips, fine; butt, oh well; my stomach? forget it! So I started obsessively putting on baby oil, lotions, body butter, etc. every time I go in the bathroom (which is like 4,763 times a day!). The tiny vein-like marks haven't gone away but they haven't gotten any bigger or darker. There are new ones though. If I can keep them at bay they may just go away once my tummy (hopefully) shrinks back down one day.

She has really picked up on her activity and she is getting stronger everyday! The updates I receive from all kinds of baby websites tell me she is adorable now (2.5 pounds or so- the size of a head of lettuce!) and just fattening up, adding the finishing touches on her little details- like eyelashes! She is breathing amniotic fluid now, practicing for the real thing! That blows my mind! She is also soaking up my antibodies, working on building her immune system- so I am being a total germ-a-phobic! 

Another change I must mention is how much nesting I have been into. I have been "directing" (you could call it bossing) household furniture changes, room decor improvements, etc. as well as decorating for Christmas, organizing pantries and cabinets and making lists for more and more projects I want to accomplish before March! Now, Elli is helping me out some with the whole nesting thing- she makes me make cookies (by the dozens!) & devour them, occasionally cook dinner, and keep groceries stocked and laundry done. All of these things I might normally loathe, I am actually enjoying now! It is calming to organize your entire kitchen, break your back baking cookies for no reason and then follow that day up with a round of sweeping and dusting... Weird huh?

Pregnancy Brain is real; Let me just start with that. The most annoying change has been the subtraction of many of my brain cells. I feel like I am a total stoner some days. I will say something that is perfectly normal to me and then Dusty will just look at me and laugh. He likes to point out that I: A. make no sense whatsoever, B. am a total space cadet, or C. am a hormonal lunatic. Sometimes all three! It is pretty silly to be me some days!

I look forward to exiting the 2nd trimester after next week and start having parties and sleeping less and getting even bigger! Mostly just the parties though... Our next Doctor's appointment is December 27th and I am doing the glucose test (fingers crossed, no one will know what a terrible junk-food-aholic I am and my results will be fine- no special hardcore diet, no worries!). After that I think we are getting close to 32 weeks, which starts your bi-weekly appointments! Talk about the home stretch! But for now (101 days to go), I am looking forward to spending some much-needed time with our families over Christmas! (Before we move into baby shower month!)

Thanks for reading! And be looking for a post soon about Elli-Anne's "Project Nursery" as I near the end of testing I will be finishing up in there!

Santa Baby!

Ho Ho Ho!
Merry Christmas my lovely readers! We are definitely in the Christmas spirit at the Goley house! We have taken a short break from the nursery to get all of our decorations out and some presents have even come in that we already have wrapped and under the tree!

Last year, due to insane traveling plans, we did not decorate at all and let me just tell you, it was the saddest Christmas I have ever had. You know the feeling when Christmas finally gets here and it is just another day, nothing magical, nothing exceptional, just another bleak day of winter... Well if you do its terrible, if you don't be glad! So this year I put my foot down and told Dustin to march his behind up in that attic and bring down every box of Christmas we had! There is something so warm about a house filled with lights and sparkle-y things (Elf playing in the background), whether it is 80 degrees out (like it is here) or a snowstorm.




To further get us all in the spirit, I wanted to share a few decoration pictures (taken with a crappy cell phone camera that doesn't cooperate with "mood" lighting... sorry!) and then get on to a list for Santa!

 

Now, on to that Christmas list for Santa!

I wish everyone else would do one of these to help me out this year! We aren't doing very many gifts but there is one person in particular who is not someone who wants anything or ever really needs anything (ahem... Dustin)! I could definitely use some help!

But, This list is not intended to come across as, 'oh I need all these awesome, expensive things or I'll hate Christmas!' (Let's not forget the real reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place, the best gift you could ever possibly get- Jesus Christ was born (in a manger, a freakin manger)! So again, don't think everything on the list is a must have, just ideas if you were already struggling to figure out what I might like!

The list is divided into a few different parts:

I have 1 plead, 3 wants, 1 need and 1 backup plan for when all else fails

1. PLEAD- I want to pass the Praxis 2 tests I have scheduled on Dec 18th and 20th

2. WANT- Keurig Coffee system (the Single cup Elite 40 model- mostly found for around $119.99) I went ahead and did the research on this and Bed Bath and Beyond seems to be the best way to go because you can use those $10 coupons towards this and maybe even use multiples, I'm not sure! 

As far as all the accessories go, I really would only like a storage container for the pods (and maybe some store credit for pods- but not necessary, because you can get them anywhere!) I like this storage solution, also found at BB&B (Cheap-o tip: buy the machine and storage container(s) separately so if you can use more than one coupon, then you can print more and get these for like nothing!) It is not likely that they will run out of these and you have time, so shop smart people!

3. WANT- A pair of Tom's shoes (to match the pair Elli-Anne already got!). I am not sure about the size but I will check on that. I did, however, stumble upon this awesome website that sells Tom's at a discounted rate of $26.99! (Thank you Pinterest!) So check it out here! I like this grey pair... and, for half the price, why not go all out and get the LV Tom's too!?

3. WANT- Moroccan Oil in the big bottle! I found this to be a pretty good price and they are offering Free Shipping! I love the way this stuff makes your hair smell and then, sometimes, due to it being the only smell I can really tolerate while preggers, I like to rub the excess off on my elbows and neck (like perfume!) so I can smell it all day!

4. NEED- No fun! I just need some big ole granny panties from Walmart or somewhere... My cute little Victoria's Secret cotton undies are absolutely miserable! They are teeny tiny! Ahh! But this could also be filed under the "gift card" type situation too :)

5. IN-CASE-ALL-ELSE-FAILS- Money! Duh! All of these things I have listed, I can go out, find the best price, charge it on my credit card (earn free clothes from Old Navy) and then just pay it off with money! So, as I think anyone my age would say, when all else fails, go for the money! Please note that this was not #1 on my list, in fact, it fell dead last! That is because I love Christmas and I love surprises and presents under the tree. Money works and is definitely a direct approach but it is not nearly as fun as the real deal!

So here's an idea- Be nice and send the people in your life  a Santa Baby list! Not sure what you want or how to condense it down into a reasonable list? Start with the format I used here (you can skip the first one, PLEAD, because I am just pathetic :)) But go for 1 NEED and 3 WANTS or vice versa and then go ahead and spell it out that if none of it is do-able Money/ a Gift Card is the next best thing!

Happy Shopping!

Check in with Elli-Anne!

Hello!
So I know I have been a terrible blogger to leave you all hanging just when things are getting good! I am back though, so have no fear! Firstly, let me make excuses for myself :). I took the Praxis 1 test today in Mobile, AL and passed! I was studying for this test and trying desperately to stay away from blogging in the mean time. It was very hard! But, now I have passed this one and am about to move on to the next two. The Praxis 2 tests I am taking are English and Family & Consumer Sciences. These tests are scheduled for December 18th & 20th so I may have to step back again to study for these. After Christmas though, I am in the clear to blog your eyes off!

Now that excuses are out of the way, on to what you may have missed! I am currently 23 weeks with Ellington-Anne Goley. She is moving more and more every day and last night she gave her daddy a ninja kick right before bed! It was pretty amazing that Dustin could finally feel her. We laid in bed trying to describe what it felt like to each other (to me it is like someone is tapping their finger on my tummy from the inside, to him it felt like a quick twitch on his hand). She is getting stronger and stronger every day and I have noticed that she sleeps less than she used to, allowing more time for play in there. In fact, she played what seemed like all night last night while I was trying to sleep! If I want to feel her all I have to do is eat and within a few minutes there she is, tae-kwon-do baby! I am looking forward to seeing my belly move, as so many people tell me about!

We had our 23 week check-up (thrown a little off-schedule due to the holidays- so it was for 5 weeks, not the usual 4) on Monday and everything looked great! I love Dr. Vice because, despite the fact that I gained more weight in this 5-week period than I have the entire pregnancy, he said I "looked perfect". Drum roll please... We (I am totally roping Elli in this one!) gained 13 pounds from 18-23 weeks! Ahh!!! So when I refer to her as "The Beast " or "Elli-Belly" stop defending her! We are getting pretty big. I don't care though- I guess you could say I am fine with sacrificing anything for her already, even my body and swimsuits! Although, I don't have any stretch marks yet, I feel them coming. There are what appear to be tiny little veins running from my left rib cage towards my belly button that look suspiciously like the beginnings of stretch marks... but I can't be sure yet. I am itching like a fool! So I have been tummy buttering, dry oiling and slathering on the lotion constantly! Paranoid much?

We have been working on the nursery (Stop. Don't even ask for pics yet; I want to finish or mostly finish and post them all on the same blog) like crazy! Dustin is the sweetest daddy ever (already!), sparing no expense for his little girl's room and being super handy and dedicated to time-consuming projects! I <3 my husband! We have the crib, mattress, and rug on order, and then I found "the" fabrics I plan to use for the crib skirt and chair throw pillow, and to line or cover the openings for the cubes! So I will update that in a post as soon as the things on order come in and it is mostly finished!

We visited Columbus recently and got a very generous amount of clothing and other miscellaneous items from a friend and my aunt... So, I think it is safe to say that 3 storage totes of amazing baby clothes (most with tags!) will suffice for this little rotten thing, for at least the first year! I won't be needing any clothes at any of my showers... I also (you already read an entire blog about this, but hey...) won't be needing disposable diapers, wipes, or any of their accessories like the Genie, wipes warmers, etc. because we are cloth diapering and, therefore, also using cloth wipes! Sure, call me granola, nay-say all you want... I stopped caring about, oh, the second I realized that we are the ones committing to do this (so all you people who just have something to say but no real input, meaning you don't plan to ever change one of our daughter's diapers anyway... shut up and go on- find something else to focus your negative energy on!). Whew-there. I said it. Now we can move on!

We have all of our registries ready to go (after quite a few frustrating customer service line calls to unsaid stores... ehem... Walmart & Babies R Us). So if you are interested or just want to get a head-start on your shower gift (I hate that I always procrastinate and end up having to get the last few little random things that are no fun and never go cute together... everyone always beats me to the good gifts in the right price range!) then you can go check out our 4.7 million different registries! We have 3 showers in 3 different cities so we had to accommodate each one with stores they have available to them. So, we are registered at Babies R Us, Target, Walmart and Amazon.com. The first 3 have pretty much the same stuff, covering everything from bottles to blankets and then the Amazon.com registry has all of our cloth diapering needs (and a few other miscellaneous things)!

Hmmm... What else?...Oh yes, I am hosting the (first and) final Tyler Candle party this Friday night at my house. This is meant to help anyone who is in the area who likes Tyler candles but wants to smell the ones I have left before they buy them... Bring it on! Elli-Anne gets all the money and, believe me, we need it because she has been very expensive! I have a limited number of each scent/product left so hopefully this will sell-out! Then an added plus is the extra closet space it will free up for more baby stuff- they require an insane amount of stuff! If this is your first hearing of this, I am selling the Tyler Candles from my mom's store (closed) under cost, meaning that you pay less than what we did at wholesale! Candles prices are as follows: Small $3, Medium $6, Large $9 and the other miscellaneous products (wash, lotions, etc.) run no more than $9. This should be pretty nice for Christmas! Speaking of, the Christmas scents accidentally went to auction, but check my Facebook page and I will link that page up in the next few days so you can go get those for dirt cheap!

I am working on a Christmas list for a quick blog (maybe tomorrow :) ?) so be looking out for a sweet and sassy Santa Baby post soon!

Thanks for reading and I love your comments and questions so come on with 'em!

...and I do WHAT!? with the poo?... The beginning of my journey through the cloth diapering world

WARNING: This post is not one for the faint of heart or queasy stomach! The most commonly used word is "poo" and I talk a lot about nasty sh*t, literally. So, as mentioned in previous blogs, please go read something else if you aren't interested in my opinions on poo :)

Cloth Diapering is something that has definitely come a long way, especially from the cotton folded diapers with the giant safety pins back in the day. This is something that I have been interested in for years and luckily all that has changed is the availability of more brands, styles, prints and You-Tube tutorials!

Well, "Why cloth diapers?", you may ask... I like them because they are adorable, better for your baby's bum (no diaper rashes), better for the environment (no landfill trash), and ultimately save you a lot of money! the dispute on the money issue comes down to what styles, brands and how many cloth diapers you buy. If you get what you need and not just go nuts over all the colors, then you should break even on the first child, maybe even get some "free" use. But by the second or more babies, you are basically diapering for free! You can't beat that and since I know for a fact we plan to do this again (and maybe again), it is worth the initial investment for me!

Now, I know what you are thinking- gross! But let me walk you through what all my research and a billion questions to a friend who uses them and is on her second child now (basically diapering for free!) has shown.

First of all let's start with the types of cloth diapers- There's a ton of types to confuse the interested person enough to stop looking. That's kinda where I was; completely lost and discouraged. Then my friend Cindle, the one I mentioned above, helped enlighten me on the differences and told me that all my current knowledge about cloth diapers was from the pocket-style, which is also what she uses. After a lot of research I found that this style is the most popular and common in the cloth diapering world. And, just look how adorable the prints come! These are Alva Baby, a brand suggested to me that are actually pretty inexpensive, and comparable to the BumGenus!

Side-note: Babies really don't fit in the one-size-fits-all until they are about 10 pounds so instead of investing in an entire newborn system, I want to just go ahead and start out on newborn Pampers Swaddlers- disposables (Sorry Mother Earth and cloth diaper advocates!). Plus, I've heard newborns go through like 20 diaper changes a day! Once she is around 10 pounds, let the earth and money saving begin! But they will grow with her until she is like 35-40 pounds and potty-trained! Think about it- the same diapers from 10 pounds to potty trained!!! Amazing!

Back on topic: The pocket-style has an outer, waterproof shell and absorbent inserts that slide between the shell and the soft inside that touches the baby's bum. Each diaper change you toss the shell and the liner(s) separately into a foot-operated pail (with the breathable, washable pail liner). You then leave them there for a day or two- basically until you are ready to wash!
"But what about the poo?!?", you say... Well this was the most enlightening part for me! Breast-fed babies have  a liquid, runny poo until solids are introduced, so those are fine to toss directly into the pail. The solid-ish poos have a rule of thumb: If they are "plop"-able, then "plop" them into the toilet and flush. That is simple! Wash the liner and shell like normal. Wet ones always just go straight to the pail.

Something cool that has come out for on-the-go changes is the disposable liner that goes between your baby's bum and the diaper, catching the solid poo (not letting it stick in any way to the diaper), making the change quick and easy in public restroom. You would simply pull the liner out and toss the turd like a disposable diaper, then put your diaper and inserts in the wet bag for washing at home and get a fresh one.




Let's talk dirty... laundry that is!
This is probably the hardest part to sign up for, but once explained from a mom who does this all the time, it gets better-sounding. So you have this 1-2 day old pail of stinky, wet cloth diaper pieces, now what?

Well according to my sources, you just:

1.) Take the pail in the laundry room, dump everything into the wash (including the wet bags and pail liner
2.) Wash these on a quick rinse cycle first (This is way better than the toilet attachment that sprays them first- not interested in doing that at all!)
3.) Add two scoops of  any free and clear detergent, 2 scoops of oxi-clean free
4.) Wash on the hottest setting with high water level
5.) Do a quick, small rinse cycle to make sure all the soap came out
6.) Hang your shell covers on a drying rack overnight
7.) Dry everything else in the dryer on med heat
8.) The next morning, re-stuff the diapers so they are ready for diaper changes and put away

That is not so bad. I always imagined (and I think my husband does now) scraping poop, turds in my washing machine, touching every single dirty diaper with my hands, stinky hours over the toilet rinsing rank cloths, giant stains and a stinky, leaky kid... not the case at all! Just a couple of extra rinse cycles!

So just to clarify, the accessories needed for this style are:
1.) The outer shells/ diaper- You need enough to diaper change for around 2 days and then a few extra, just in case.
2.) The absorbent, diaper inserts- Each diaper should come with at least one, but you want extras. From what I understand, at night you may want to double up. Plus, I think we could all agree it would be better to have extra underwear on a trip than run out of clean! So I would guess (and this will probably change with more research) order 10 extra inserts. I have also seen youtube videos where people use the microfiber (sham-wow type towels) wrapped in the cotton for night diapers. The problem with those towels alone is that they would potentially pull moisture from the baby's bum too... So with delicate skin it is best to have cotton closest to the inside of the diaper/ baby bum.
3.) The disposable liners for trips to the store (if expecting a solid stinky). Again, breast-fed babes don't need these until they are into solids!

4.) A foot-operated pail! Cuts down on germs and extra hands I don't have when disposing of dirty diaper parts.

5.) Breathable, washable pail liners. Most people have a few of these and they rotate their uses and wash with the diapers. The odor isn't terrible like you might think either- because you are washing every other day or so and the liner is breathable. I've heard diaper genies for disposables smell horrible! Also, one hippie said to put a little baking soda at the bottom of the can and maybe a rag with a lavender oil down there too...

6.) Wet bag for trips to the store and diaper changes on the go. This is just a washable, water-proof bag that you put your soiled liners and covers in while out and about, away from your pail. They recommend having a few of these to interchange.
7.) The expandable drying rack. These are super cheap at Walmart and can be folded and put away for non-washing days. Also, my laundry room is right by the garage so I could set this up in there for more room! But I have been advised to do this step overnight, so it wouldn't be in anyone's way anyway!

That's it! Sign me up...

Once you know the style of cloth diaper you want to work with, it is easy to find reviews on which brands are best, where to find deals and who has the best patterns! I have even found diy diapers and liners tutorials for the extra-thrifty! There are You Tube videos, blogs and discount sites to help you once you understand the basics of your style choice.

For all the grandparents, friends, and future babysitters out there who are frantically deleting my phone phone number from your phones in fear- Chill out! I don't see how this is any different then dealing with a dirty disposable. In fact, you put the whole dirty diaper in the bag and send it to my house for disposing/ cleaning... saving your can from smelling like a**! I think you win in this situation! Take the dirty off, bag it and put the clean on. The best news of all is that with the cottons and soft materials used, babies in cloth diapers don't get diaper rash (caused by chemicals and wetness- its absorbed into the stay-dry materials) therefore, do not use diaper rash creams! No creams, no rash, no chemicals, no landfills, no coupon-clipping, no clean up- What was the argument against this again?

Find out about cloth diapers: check
Share the news of how awesome cloth diapers are: check
Convince family and friends they will survive it: check
Convince Dusty he can do this and lots of other dads love cloth diapering: working on it!

Next venture: choosing between re-usable wipes or homemade disposable wipes vs. store bought....
should be interesting!

Finally, I'm letting my inner-hippie free- minus taking mood-altering drugs :)

***Please send me any questions you come up with because before Elli-Anne gets here I want to find out as much info on these as I can! So your questions are my questions! Thanks for your support :)

Ellington-Anne (Elli-Anne) Goley... Our Baby GIRL!!!

Well, it is official! We are having a Baby GIRL! Ellington-Anne Goley was smothered in love and support this Saturday past at our Gender Reveal Party. (You may remember the last post about what our plans were for this party and what the heck it is.) We invited our families and close friends to be a part of the biggest surprise of our lives! I have never been so thrilled and totally side-swiped as I was Saturday!

We kicked off the party with some healthy betting. The idea here was that guests would drop a dollar or so and place a bet whether they thought it was going to be a boy or a girl. Once we knew the gender of Baby Goley, we would draw a name from the bucket and the winner would win a Tyler Candle! What turned out better than expected, was that most guests started their bets at $5 and went up to $20 each! Let's just say, "Thanks!" for that, because, as it turns out, girls can be very expensive!!!

To help place your bet, we displayed some "Old Wives Tales" and my answers to them. (After having a long discussion and a Google-off about whether it was "old wives tales" or "old wise tales"- I won!)
Check out the answers and see what your guess would have been!















We also served food before the big reveal. My husband's (really messy!) Award-Winning Chili warmed us all up (and made us all squirmy :) - it has like a million kinds of beans in it!) and prepared everyone for the anxiously awaited information.

Dusty and I finally picked up our cupcakes: Man, I was so nervous!

We decided to turn around so we could see the cupcake first, then turn and show the crowd. Now, I must say, I was absolutely rug-swept-out-from-under-me-floored! The whole pregnancy, I thought Baby Goley was surely a boy and that is the only concept I had wrapped my head around. So when I saw pink in that cupcake, well my faces said it all. As for Dustin, let me just tell you, I have seen that face before. The night I told him I was pregnant (remember I told you) he leaned over the counter and started spitting, well, at the reveal, he leaned on the table and it was priceless! Check out his surprised face! (Note: The camera was on constant shot, meaning it was taking pictures very fast to catch everything. So, as promised, I'm showing the good, bad and ugly!)

So a baby girl... Hard to believe, even still today. We already had a few things picked out either way, like a nursery wall color (Tiffany/ Aqua blue) and names. For our baby girl we had Ellington-Anne (Elli-Anne for short) Goley and for a boy we had Grierson Scott Goley. So Elli-Anne will be the first addition to our little family and we could not be more thrilled! Even Sam Bo Riley was excited!

I figure I should save some tear-jerking for a later post when it finally hits me that we are having a little sweet girl so I will just say, "Thanks for reading!"