Summer is almost gone

This has been a fun but busy summer for us and I can not believe that fall is almost here! Summer is my favorite time of year because we are always out doing something fun. We did spend a little more time indoors this year then normal but with the crazy weather we had that was expected. I was going through all my summer pictures from this year and wanted to share some of my favorites.

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A full day of fluff

Amelia's birth story

Here is the wild and crazy story of Amelia's birth

Thursday, June 23rd I started itching like crazy, seriously it was horrible. I stayed up until early Friday morning scratching myself raw. The bottoms of my feet and palms of my hands were the worst. So as soon as my doctor was open Friday morning I called and they got me in to be checked out. After running some blood tests it was discovered that I had Cholestasis of Pregnancy , my doctor actually had never dealt with this condition before and had to call the high risk in Des Moines to find out what we needed to do next. He called me back about an hour later and said that he wanted me to come in that night to start the induction. Since I was already 37 weeks and the complications to the baby start at 38 weeks or after he wanted to get her out. We went in at 7 pm June 24th to start the induction. They broke my water at around 10:30, at this point I was only dilated to a 2 so I knew it was going to be awhile still. I had planned on going all natural but between the pain of the induction, the itching and pain from SPD I decided to go with the epidural. I tried to rest for awhile, the nurse came in and checked me at 3:30 am, I was barely a four, about an hour later I called her in because I really felt ready to push, she checked again and I was a 9 so they called the doctor in, after he got there it was only three contractions later I was holding Amelia. She was born at 4:51 am June 25th, 7lbs and 20 inches long.
They got her all checked out, got me cleaned up and stitched the one tiny tear I had and just when I thought we all were going to get some rest is when the madness started. I started bleeding heavily, the nurse was there with me and she was pressing on my stomach because she could feel something in there. At first she thought maybe it was a piece of the placenta but it turned out to be a very large clot ( weighed 1lb 6 oz and was the average size of a placenta ). After that is when she called the doctor back in, along with several other nurses. The bleeding and clotting just would not stop, they tried five or six different medications and finally had to call in the gynecologist to see if he could get it to stop. It took him a little while longer but he was finally able to get it to stop.
Later that afternoon I needed to use the rest room so the nurses came in to help me, I was holding onto Chris when I told them I was dizzy and that is when I passed out, had a seizure and actually stopped breathing for a few moments. I do not remember any of that, I remember waking up to about six different nurses asking me my name and if I knew what happened. Apparently due to the blood loss, my blood pressure crashed when I stood up causing the black out and seizure. It was decided at this point that I was going to be given blood after all, I had lost three units of blood and they were going to give me two units of blood. It took the rest of the day to get me back on track, we did have to stay in the hospital an extra day because of it all but I am doing a lot better now.
Amelia is nursing like a pro and is a pretty calm baby. We are adjusting to life with four children and things are going pretty well. It is going to take some time for me to get back to 100% but I am getting there slowly.

My labor and delivery was nothing like we planned which was disappointing but we are just happy that everyone is okay.

Meal plan 5/1-5/14

I did not post my last few meal plans but I am back on track now and ready to share.



5/1 pancakes, eggs and fruit
5/2 tuna sandwiches and fruit
5/3 whole chicken, carrots and potatoes
5/4 chicken and noodles with corn
5/5 mashed potato and beef casserole
5/6 cheesy beef burgers, carrots and fries
5/7 grilled cheese and tomato soup
5/8 cheesy scrambled eggs and fruit
5/9 meatloaf, mashed potatoes and corn
5/10 pancakes, eggs and fruit
5/11 spaggetti and meatballs
5/12 chicken on the grill, baked beans and green beans
5/13 french toast, eggs and fruit
5/14 french toast, eggs and fruit

What is it about the breast?

So after hearing yet another women tell me she had a nursing picture deleted by facebook I have been sitting here thinking all day, really what is it about the breast? What is it about a nursing mother that makes people act so oddly? Why are we so offended by a breast.

Honestly you can not walk into a store that sells adult clothing without seeing several pictures of women half dressed, walking by a victoria's secrets makes me cover my son's eyes ( yes I seriously do this ) yet very few people seem to be offended by this. Really have we become so over sexed that the only thing that breasts are good for is selling over priced lacy bras?


I can remember a trip we took to the zoo last summer, there was a mother sea lion sitting on a rock, nursing her baby. Of course everyone thought it was so sweet and snapped pictures. One of the same people who did this walked by a mother sitting on a near by bench, nursing her newborn and was disgusted by it. I heard her lean over to the person she was with and make comments on how disgusting it was that she was sitting right in public for everyone to see. It took everything in me not to say something to her.


I myself have been targeted due to a nursing picture, I was targeted by someone I trusted and it was one of the most hurtful experiences I have had. Speaking from experience I can say that I do not think people really know how hurtful it is to target a women because she is nursing. It does not matter if they are asked to leave a public place or if they are harassed about a picture they have posted online or have in their homes the feeling you are left with is a really horrible one. You are left feeling like you are doing something wrong or dirty because you are wanting to breast feed, using your breasts in a way designed by God to nourish your child.

Americans as a whole need to take a serious step back and look at the way they react over nursing in general. The stigma over nursing in public needs to stop and a women should never be made to feel poorly for wanting photographs of her nursing experience or for nursing her child while she is in public.

Oh for the love of fleece

It is common knowledge that I have a bit of an addiction when it comes to cloth diapering and trying all there is to try. Since I started using fitteds and prefolds I have tried every style of cover there is. While my favorite will forever be wool, fleece is a very close second and here is why.

Fleece makes a great cloth diaper cover, it wicks wetness away from your babies skin, it is very breathable, hardy and will hold up to lots of usage and washing, easy to care for and clean and it dries very fast.

Another great thing about it is that it is very affordable and comes in a large variety of prints for boys and girls, plus the embellishing possibilities are endless.

If you have not tried fleece for a diaper cover yet I really suggest that you do!!!