Sh*t my husband says.

Anyone else have a weird spouse? Well, I for sure have a strange one. Over the years I am still asking myself, "what the heck is this man talking about?!" I can't go anywhere without this man asking or saying ridiculous things. So over the past week I've jotted down my favorite quotes from the man himself. 

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While in a Target Parking lot: "Red trash... Why did I say red trash... A red neck that's trashy??"

(I was reading an email and have no clue what the heck he was even rambling about. It was just super funny to randomly hear.)

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While sitting on the sofa: "I stepped on a rubber ducky and thought it was a mouse."

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While driving and seeing a moving truck drive by: 

Dillon: "We could call them" [two men and a truck]

Me: "Yeah we could"

Dillon: "Or we could call two marines."

Me: "Ooh or college hunks"

Dillon: "Yeah... Wait no."

While casually talking to each other: 

Me: "I need a new phone case."

Dillon: *Aggressive tone and face* "OKAY. DID YOU LOOK ON GROUPON?"

This man is obsessed with groupon goods lately..

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While driving:

*Tantrum* "I HATE WAITING. WAITING IS NO LONGER IN MY VOCABULARY. I won't make a marine wait again. 'Oh your pay is messed up? SIT DOWN.'"

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While shopping at lowes: 

Me: "The exit is right there."

Dillon: "You mean salad?" [salida]

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Me: "Why would I go to target and the mall with the kids alone?"

Dillon: "Because you're Chelsea and you like going to target."

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I jotted this down because he is actually sweet sometimes:

(We were in a chic fil a parking lot)

Me:"Did you get ketchup?"

Dillon:"I got barbecue"

Me: "Hmm"

Dillon: "Do you want me to go back inside and get you some?"

Me: "Would that be a hassle?"

Dillon: "Nothing is a hassle for you."

I have a weird kid too.

Me: "Are you hungry?"

Opal: "Noooo"

Dillon: "Want chicken nuggets?"

Opal: "No"

Me: "French fries?"

Opal: "Yeah!"

Aren't toddlers the funniest? French fries are always a hit, right?

Now back to Dillon. 

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We were driving to New Jersey and saw a
kid consignment store that I wanted to go into but it was 6 am.

Me: "I wish they were open."

Dillon: "I don't, you'd probably make me stop."

Me: "I would! When's the next time I'm gonna get to go there?!"

Dillon: "Probably this afternoon on our way home."

*driving fast leaving the toll booth*

"This is when you kick it."

^^what the heck does that mean?^^

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*driving past sign for New York.

Dillon: "Well babe, I guess we are going to New York.... Or as the people there say, York."

Me: "Nobody calls it York."

Dillon: "Well the people from New Jersey call it jersey."

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"This is a pretty good place to play hide and seek." *pointing to forest*

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At a Denny's in New Jersey:

Dillon: "That lady's name is Beat Rice. What a horrible name." 

Me: ".....you mean Beatrice?"

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I mentioned how my tank top kept going really low and showing my bra:

Dillon: "It's like your shirt is playing limbo. 'How low can you go...!'" *proceeds to shimmy*

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"Are boogers biodegradable?"

I hope you have a weekend filled with fun!

We are spending our weekend packing and cleaning before the movers get here on Tuesday!

It is finally time to leave DC for good!!

:-)

xoxo, Chels.

He is here!

Oliver Wayne is finally here! We welcomed our sweet boy on Wednesday, June 3rd. We woke up bright and early and headed to the hospital for our scheduled repeat C-Section. It was a calm car ride.. but weird in the fact that we knew within hours we would be holding our son. I was really nervous for it all, knowing what to expect everything to be like.

When we got to the hospital we were greeted by really nice nurses who asked me about my previous birth experience and then made sure that this experience went the complete opposite. Everyone came in and introduced themselves to us, explained what their role would be in the birth, and then again, asked how they could make me feel comfortable. It was absolutely amazing.

Once all of the papers were signed, and I was prepped... I had to walk into the OR. I didn't know that would happen, but it did. It was intimidating walking into that bright white operating room. Funny part was that I was too short to climb onto the table. They actually had to find a stool for me to hop up there on. Once I was on there I was prepped and given the Spinal block. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but I definitely almost jumped out of my skin when I felt the pinch of it. Thankfully my anesthesiologist was incredibly nice and good at what he did. He made me feel safe and in good hands. (My last experience, my anesthesiologist was a total b***h, honestly.)

Once I was numbed and everything was good, everyone else flooded into the room. It went from quiet small talk between the nurses and I, to a buzzing bee hive. I remember just wondering where Dillon was, and when he would be there. Once he was finally there it all began. Pressure, tugging, talking, then I felt the weight of Oliver's body missing from mine... and then there it was! His little baby cry! I was so happy and relieved to know he was Earth side! And even more comforting, my doctor had said, "this baby is posterior too!"...... I was instantly filled with gratitude and so proud of myself for listening to my gut. I could have attempted what the doctors even confirmed would have been a nightmare of a VBAC that probably would have still ended up in a C-Section.Although I have dreamed for so long of that natural birth experience, I am so thankful that I made the choice I did. I would have felt robbed again of my dream if things would have went south.

Once they checked everything on Oliver really quick they instantly brought him and laid him on my chest. It was awesome that my hands were not shaking and going crazy this time. Even more so that when I felt anything weird I could tell my anesthesiologist and he had some way to fix it for me. 

Getting to finally hold the little boy that was inside of me for so long was amazing. I was flooded with emotion and love. He was so cute, and to my surprise looked nothing like Opal. He was short and chunky, and looked like me! Every day he wakes up looking a little different and more like me. I love it! I held him for a few minutes, and would have got to hold him longer but I handed him off to Dillon because my eyes started to get really itchy and I couldn't stop blinking really hard. It was frustrating. But during this time Dillon got to go cut the umbilical cord, see Oliver be measured and weighed, and then we were all off to the recovery room.

Once we were there I got to nurse Oliver and cuddle him. It was the best moment. There's nothing like the first latch and that knowing that bond between you and the life you created is about to blossom. He did so well with his latch, and has only been getting better.

I'm not sure what it is about my body and birth, but I always have complications with bleeding. This time around I was passing baseball size blood clots after birth with a constant leaking of blood. Not good. But the DR stripped my uterus and after a while the clots stopped and the blood stopped leaking.

Once that situation was resolved I got to go to the mother-baby area and settle into my room. Once my legs were no longer numbed I got to go on a walk that evening before bed. My night nurse was on my nerves at that point lol. I was feeling really good, and I guess she wasn't used to that. I was taking small steps, smalllllllll steps!! And this woman kept telling me to slow down and that I was going too fast and that I should be in pain. I was so confused, like, was I supposed to pretend to feel worse than I did? Lol, anyways, walking was easy for me to do. It wasn't like I was speed walking or even walking at a normal pace... I was walking like an elderly woman who was very tired. The next morning my catheter was removed along with some monitor that was attached to my incision. I felt like a million bucks getting to use the potty by myself! And don't get me started on how amazing getting the IV removed was! It blew me away that this all happened on my first day post surgery!! None of this happened until day 5 with my last birth. I got to get dressed and do my makeup all on day 1!! It was so exciting.

My mother in law, father in law, and Opal came to visit after the surgery. I was incredibly nervous to see how Opal would take to Oliver. I didn't know if she would be happy, confused, angry... Didn't know. Thankfully though, she was amazing with him!! She came and sat next to me on my bed and kept saying "boy!" And "baby!" It was incredible! She kissed and hugged him a lot. You could see the love and adoration in her eyes. She is still doing great. We've only had 2 jealousy moments so far. I'm learning to balance how to spread myself between the two kids and my husband. Can you believe with 2 kids we've somehow still found time to cuddle and have quiet time to just talk on the couch. It seems so natural and easy, honestly.

 

Oliver has already been out and exploring with us. We have gone to Eastern Market, grocery shopping, and to a park for a picnic. We even  went to lunch at a bakery I've been eyeing in Old Town Alexandria.

Recovery for me has been a breeze. With the last C-section I was miserable. I had so much pain, swelling and trapped gas. This time around I think the most painful part was my engorged boobies!! Hahah! They switched my medication this time around to one I wasn't allergic to, and then some ibuprofen also. I had been taking it all every 6-7 hours apart rather than the 2-3 that is suggested. I still have so much medicine in my bottles and have stopped taking them because I don't feel much pain. The worst of it is probably just moving in bed I can feel the pinch of the stitches on my uterus, but even that is only for a split second and it is gone. Amazing, right?

I didn't even have much swelling in my legs or ankles. The swelling and bloat on my stomach is fading fast too. I wake up every day and it is at least 2 inches smaller. I have no fear that it'll all go down and I'll be back to somewhat normal very soon. :-) no worries about that either though, just want to fit my shorts because it is too hot for yoga pants, haha!!

Since being home, our lives still seem normal. It feel natural to have this little baby nursing all day, along with a toddler who is getting into everything. Night time is actually fairly easy. Opal's toddler bed is in our bedroom. I nurse Oliver, wrap him up and place him in the bassinet. Then I lay a pillow on my lap/ chest and Opal climbs up into my lap and within minutes she passes out. I then move her to her bed and she's good for the night. I have been moving Oliver back into my bed and letting him cosleep with us because getting up and out of bed can be interesting with my stitches. It's much easier to just nurse him while sleeping, too.

So honestly, I've been sleeping normal too. The only thing I haven't been able to do as easily is cleaning up. I kind of just sit around in the sofa and Dillon cleans everything up. I'm so glad he's home to help me with everything. I couldn't do any of it without him. And bless his heart, he's been doing all of the diaper changes!! I have changed only around 5 diapers between 2 kids this entire week. I'm so lucky, lol.

I can't believe I am even saying this, but life with an eighteen month old and a newborn is going easy. I hope I'm not jinxing myself, but I'm just so thankful for it. I hope it can continue to feel this natural and amazing. 

And I know I have been saying for months that we still don't know what is going on with our future... And as of today... We still don't. But I will tell you what we do know.

We put in our 30 day notice and will be leaving Virginia at the end of this month.

We scheduled our move with DMO (TMO) for the last Friday of this month.

We are moving to my hometown in California as of now, but that shouldn't actually be our destination. We should find out our new duty station by next week, but can't change the TMO stuff until they cut us official orders.

I hope that sometime next week I can have a post all about our future. It would be nice to know where we will be moving to in 2.5 weeks. It has been and still is extremely scary and stressful to not know what our future holds. It's even scarier to know you're technically going to be homeless and jobless until someone finally decides to get to work on your stuff. We have been waiting and waiting, and then his application gets sent back to be fixed or changed, or a signature has expired... It's just all been a nightmare. I'm ready for it to be done. And as far as we know now, it is finally at its last destination and on the desk of the final part of this process. We are so close.

So until then, wish us luck and keep my family in your thoughts please! <3

Big Sister in training!

 Today my daughter is going to become a big sister. 

How amazing is that? AHHHH-MAZING!

Well, for the past couple of weeks I have been stressing out soooo much on how to prepare an 18 month old little girl for this. How do I explain this to her? Does she understand? Does she realize the growing belly she has been fascinated with the past 9 months is going to just disappear over this next week or two? Does she know that "brother" is another breathing, crying human being? I'm not sure, but I have been trying every day to show and tell her these things.

So I have asked veteran moms of multiple kids how they prepared their babes for their younger siblings. I read the blogs. I scoured pinterest. I did it all.

Here are the ways that I put Opal through a "big-sister-training".

1. Baby Doll training- We bought her baby doll a crib, diaper bag set, and every single day (multiple times a day) we changed her diaper, fed her, burped her, and then put her to sleep. We practiced "shhhhh"-ing and staying quiet because "baby was napping".
2.  Introduced the new baby's gear around the house. We set up the crib when we first moved into this apartment. We put a bassinet in our room. We put a rock and play in the living room. We bought a double stroller and used it before he arrived. We also added his clothes and shoes to her closet.
3.  Talked about baby- We have talked all about brother and how cute he is going to be. We let her answer questions about what big sisters do to help.
4. Set up activities that are all about her. Every day I sit down and watch a movie with her. We play with her toys. We clean up together. We read books. These are all things that I can still do while nursing her brother, and I explain that to her.
5. Taught her independence. We have one of those harnesses for our walks that she loves to use. This helps me because I can still keep her in arms reach while we are out, and she doesn't demand I carry her. This is great because not all situations call for a stroller. I can carry her brother in a carrier and she can walk herself.

I hope that these tips help you with your expanding family!

xoxo, Chels.

Fourth Trimester Needs, what do I need now?

 So you had your baby and you're home from the hospital..... now what?

This is the question all new parents have. You're incredibly tired, you're not sure why the baby is crying and you're not even completely sure what is going on with your body. Your boobs are filled with milk now, you're so sore down below, and to top it off.. you're going to have your "period" for around 4 weeks! How fun, right? Don't get stressed out about all of this stuff. You've got a sweet babe in your arms, and I promise they will make it all worth it!

Here's my list of things you should have on hand once you're home!

PHOTO FROM EARTHMAMAANGELBABY.COM

C-Mama Healing Salve / Mommy Bottom Spray/ balm:

I love Earth Mama Angel Baby products, (obviously) but if you happen to have your own brand preference, great! As an example though, I am using these. If I have a VBAC I will use the Mommy Bottom Spray, (and/or possibly this balm) and for my scheduled C-section my handsome and wonderful husband ordered this salve for me. You can buy the spray in stores at Target and Babies R Us, the C-section salve you have to order online.

To see their full collection of postpartum care products, go here.

Pads:

Let's face it. Nobody really wants to talk about the bleeding (lochia) that happens after birth. But it is going to happen regardless, to every mother. You can't wear tampons during this time frame (4-6 weeks) so what do ya do? In the hospital you'll be wearing these huge diaper-like pads that they provide. Last time, I bought my "favorite" pads, which were thin and what not. I hated it.This go around I bought maxi pads, because let's face it, thin just ain't gonna work. I made sure to buy nighttime ones too, because worrying about leaking all over my sheets is at the top of my worries. Blood just grosses me the heck out, and coming from there is even worse. For the first week to 10 days it'll be at it's heaviest. I will switch to a smaller, thinner pad once the bleeding goes down to a regular flow.. until then, maxi pads!

Belly Band:

I mentioned this in my hospital bag post, but I think it is fitting here too. Your belly is gonna be swollen and most likely your skin will be loose/ saggy feeling. These belly bands help hold everything up and in. It helps after a cesarean too, because you can protect your stitches/ scar from your clothes rubbing against it.

Lactation Cookies/ Teas:

I may pack a couple cookies for the hospital and have some on hand for my arrival home. Good to help your milk supply. I've heard from a lot of women that these types of products helped them. I have used the teas before, but never the cookies. I may give them a shot!

Postnatal Vitamins:

I will finish the bottle of prenatal gummy vitamins that I have and then I will switch to some postnatal vitamins and possibly add some specifically for nursing. I will talk to my OB about this, you should too.

Water Bottle:

The thirstiest you've ever been in your life will be the second your baby latches on to your breast. I promise. And if you are unable to get up to get something, you'll be a crazy woman demanding anyone in your house (possibly even your dog or cat) to get you a beautiful tall glass of ice water. So to avoid this scenario from happening, make sure to top off your water bottle before nursing.


Hope this helps you remember and plan for yourself AFTER birth.

xoxo, Chelsea.

Hospital Bag Pt. 5 Free Hospital Bag Checklist!

Hospital bag checklist- free print.

To wrap it up with the Hospital Bag I want to give you all a free printable checklist.

Feel free to share this print with your friends and family, and Pin away on Pinterest! 

I want to wish you luck with your pregnancy, delivery and motherhood.

Download this Checklist from my Dropbox!

xoxo, Chels.

A letter to my first born.

Opal, my dearest Opal.. You are the light of mine and your Daddy's eyes. We adore you, love you, and think you're the greatest creation in the entire world. Pretty soon you are going to be given the greatest gift in the world- a sibling. You will forever bear the responsibility and title of being a big sister. He is going to look up to you, come to you for advice before he turns to anyone else, and always expect you to back him up... and you will. 

Coming from someone who bears that title as well, I will always try to help you and guide you as you guide him. You will never be alone.We will shed light on the right and wrong things to show your baby brother. I promise. You're going to rock at being his big sissy! Really!

Before he comes though, we are going to soak up every second we can of alone time with you. We're going to make sure you know that we love you... that we really love you. We're not trying to divide up our love, but rather spread more. He is a blessing, and so are you. I am going to do everything I can to capture the little moments that we have with you forever behind my camera lens. 

You have been my best friend the past 18 months. And now I will have to share you.. Because I know your heart is going to be snatched by his little baby hands.You're going to climb up next to me, but not for our normal cuddles, hugs, and kisses.... but to smother Oliver in hugs and kisses. You're going to look up at me, with that sweet smile on your face, and say, "baby!" and I'm gonna hold back tears. But that's okay. That is exactly what Mama and Daddy want for you both. We know that you will need each other.

Oliver is seriously the luckiest little boy in the whole wide world- because he's got you by his side.

 This week you will be a big sister, 

and I can't wait to see you grow into the greatest one ever.

 Opal, my dearest Opal, I love you so much.

-Mommy.