It has been forever and a day since my last post, but I wanted to share my birth story while it's still fresh in my head.  Forewarning, this will be long, so here it goes!

Ever since my last labor experience with my first daughter, I've prayed to start this one naturally, and avoid being induced.  I recently got into using doTERRA essential oils for self-care, and started using Clary Sage essential oil on my tummy and certain reflex points daily once I hit 38 weeks gestation (when you're considered full-term).  I hoped to use my mood oils as well during the labor.

Sunday, Nov. 17th, I went on a good walk up the foothills with my mom to try and get contractions going.  I started having mild contractions that evening, but they eventually subsided for me to go to sleep.

Monday, Nov. 18th, when I woke up, I noticed I was having mild contractions about every half hour.  I didn't think anything of them, since I was certain they were false labor.  That afternoon, my mom came over and we walked around my neighborhood.  I noticed a good deal of lower pelvic pressure when I got contractions (like Hailee's head being pressed down), and after the walk they were coming every 20-25 minutes and were uncomfortable.  By 7PM however, they stopped and so I decided to take a shower and go to bed.

I hopped in the shower at 8PM and immediately, I had 3 strong contractions in the span of 15 minutes.  It was as if the relaxation of the water triggered them.  I got ready for bed, and started to diffuse my Clary Sage oil in the room, along with a mood grounding oil blend called "Balance".  Once I was lying down, the contractions were coming every 20 minutes.  This time though, I could not lay down through them. I had to stand up and lean on the bed to get through the discomfort.  The pain was dull, but not too bad.  This went on from 9PM to 12AM, and in that time frame, I noticed they went from every 20 minutes to 15 minutes, then finally 10 min. apart.  

I hopped in the tub knowing that if they were real, the warm water would boost them along.  Usually a warm bath will stop false labor.  Well, once I was in the tub they were coming every 6-9 minutes, and were getting painful.  Somewhere in that time frame, it clicked that I was in real labor!  I had to breathe through them, concentrate on relaxing my body (it's true they hurt more when you're tense), and I couldn't talk.  Finally by 2:00AM, we decided to call my mom.

Once she arrived to stay with my oldest daughter, my husband and I packed the car and drove to the hospital.  The contractions in the car felt worse.  Sitting and laying down just were not comfortable.  When we arrived, they put us in triage where they monitored my contractions for about an hour.  They were about 7 minutes apart, and when the nurse checked me, I was 100% effaced and 5cm dilated, and they could feel the water bag bulging.  So I was definitely in active labor.

They took us to our delivery room, and by this time, the contractions were painful and causing me to shake (even though I wasn't cold).  I was open to laboring naturally longer, but the anesthesiologist was getting ready to go into a surgery, and so I decided to get the epidural then since it was already 4AM, I was exhausted from no sleep, and didn't know how long he would be.

The epidural was a breeze.  They give you a local numbing shot first, and then the actual epidural feels like back pressure.  The anesthesiologist I had was wonderful!  He was very attentive to how I was feeling, and was very quick.  Once I was all set up, I was feeling anxious at this point, and so I applied the Balance oil blend on my chest.  The calming effects of the oil were amazing, I recall enjoying the aroma of the oil, and feeling very relaxed mentally. By this point it was almost 5AM, so my husband unfolded the chair next to my bed (they fold out into a bed), and we both got comfortable and rested.

For the next couple hours, we both rested and savored the time before our daughter would arrive.  I remember listening to her steady heartbeat on the monitor, watching the sun rise from our window (we were on the 3rd floor), and feeling very excited!  I was also so happy that I got to start naturally, and experience laboring at home.  By 6:30AM they broke my water and said I was 7cm dilated.

At 7:40AM they said I was 7-8cm dilated, and from there, the delivery was almost a blur!  No sooner did they leave the room, that I felt pressure to use the bathroom, and within the next minute I felt the urgent need to push!  The sensations were intense, I suddenly felt everything!  The discomfort was sudden, and it felt like my body was pushing without me doing anything.  We pushed the nurse call button, but no one answered.  I told my husband that the baby was coming now, and so he ran out of the room to get someone.  In a couple minutes, everyone was bustling in the room and my body had jumped to 10cm, and Hailee's head was right there!  

They told me not to push for a minute so they could get everything ready, but it felt as if my body was on autopilot, and I couldn't do anything about it.  The need to push was greater than anything I've experienced.  When I finally started pushing, I could feel everything again.  I'll spare the details and just say that the "ring of fire" is a pretty accurate statement to describe the feeling of a baby's head crowning.  I cried some with the pain, but in just 5 strong pushes, Hailee's head popped out and the relief was my second wind!  From there I pushed as hard as I could.

The nurses told me "open your eyes mama!" and when I did, I could see Hailee's little head and body emerge up in the nurses hands!  I wasn't sure if I was going to cry, and as they placed her on my chest, I lost track of every sensation from there.  Everything had gone so smooth, I was almost in shock!

Hailee was born Tuesday, November 19th at 8:02AM.  She weighed 6 lbs. 3 oz. and was 19.75 inches long.  Shortly after her birth, my husband got to anoint the crown of her head with doTERRA frankincense essential oil. 

After our bonding hour, and first successful breastfeeding, we were taken to our recovery room.  The effects of the epidural didn't last, and I could stand and walk pretty quickly, use the bathroom, and take a shower.  I have been amazed at how much better I felt with this delivery. I felt ready to leave the hospital that day!  

Overall, I couldn't have asked for a better, smoother, more enjoyable labor and delivery!  And most of all, I'm thankful for another beautiful healthy baby girl!

Well it's about time I sit down and catch up on this thing! It's so easy to get caught up in life these days, I forget I even have a blog at times.

I have announced it everywhere else... except on my blog.  My husband and I are expecting our 2nd baby, due this November!

I must admit, I found these marriage ingredients on Dave Willis's website: http://davewillis.org/7-ingredients-that-make-a-healthy-marriage/

He really put together a great foundation of  "ingredients", and I couldn't agree with him more!  I give full credit to Dave for this post, I just had to share and include some of my own personal thoughts along with his (my thoughts being the bold-brown text).

To mix things up a bit, the following is a guest post by a mom who has three young boys, and her experience with raising them up to be gentlemen for their future wives. Enjoy!
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As a mother to three active and energetic little boys, I strive to instill on a daily basis values and morals that I find most important when raising young men. With a majority of research claiming that boys learn from their father on how to be a man, and how to treat women, I come to you with this question: "why can’t mothers do just the same"?  After all, who knows more about how a woman wants to be treated than a woman herself, right?  This is not to discount that dad’s play a very important role in raising young gentlemen as well, because let's face it ladies, our boys will eventually turn out like their dads in certain respects (isn’t that one of the reasons we married them?).  ;) Now bear in mind that I am teaching my boys far more than what I could possibly write here, but this will be just a glimpse of the greatest job I have been given - raising gentlemen.

It is never too early to teach our boys the importance of being a gentleman.  If anything, it just gives them more time to get accustomed to it and make it a daily mindset rather than a “for dates only” mindset. While our youngest boy (only 18 months old) is too young to understand most of the values and morals I'm trying to instill, it does not deter me from including him in my daily routines to help raise these young men of mine. Even with the smallest of gestures to include the boys in my personal daily routine, I have seen the boys blossom into young gentlemen.

My oldest son loves to complement me on my hair after it's been blow-dried in the morning.  He loves to run his fingers through it during a cuddly family movie night. He is also the first one to notice a new haircut or style/color change.   I love this about my oldest, and encourage this behavior. Noticing simple changes and complementing are values that will take him far in his relationship with his future wife.  As a result, he will make her feel beautiful on a daily basis (what woman wouldn't want that?). 

Our middle son adores complementing my nails. Every time I come back from getting a pedicure, he is the first to notice and say how pretty my toes look. He also gives me his input by telling me what color or design I should get next time.  I love that he not only complements me on something that's usually overlooked, but he also strives to be involved in the process. While it may not mean much to a 4-year old boy that his mommy’s toes look nice, the value I hope to instill by encouraging this behavior is monumental.  This will benefit his future marriage when he takes a sincere interest in his wife’s hobbies, or supports her even if he has no direct enjoyment/connection to them. By encouraging this, I hope to instill the desire to make his future wife happy, and share in the joy with her.

To go beyond the daily routine and instill values on another level, our family started a new tradition: Mother/Son date nights. Not only do these dates offer a great way to teach gentleman-like values, but they also allow for quality one-on-one mother/son time (something quite rare in a typical busy family of 5). I use these date nights to teach the boys specific gentlemen values such as: opening doors for others, and proper restaurant manners.  However, it goes beyond simple etiquette.  These times are also for letting the boys explore their creativity, and practice their planning skills. There is no denying the joy and excitement that comes from our spouse, fiancé, or significant other planning an entire date based on our own personal likes. Knowing that they took the time to create a night devoted to our enjoyment makes us feel loved beyond belief, and keeps the cycle continuing, as we in turn want to do something special just for them. So, by allowing my boys to create/plan the date night and letting their imaginations work, I hope to instill the foundations for their future dates - my goal being to encourage spontaneity and the creative desire to try new things (even if it's something they don't particularly like). After all, their future wife may have different likes, and it’s important for my boys to encourage those likes and participate in them as well.

I will continue to share these moments with my boys for as long as I can. I admire their ability to grasp and learn at such a young age, and I hope that they will one day thank me for these memories. Maybe, if I’m really lucky, I’ll even get a thank you from my future daughter-in-laws as well. ;) For now though, I’m just soaking up these precious moments with my 3 little guys, and holding on to the childhood within them. For all too soon they will be off in the dating world all on their own, and I will only be able to hold my breathe and pray that what I taught them now will carry into their adult lives.

I find myself compelled to dedicate a post to my husband, who without, I would not be where I am today.

Marriage is a lot like a roller coaster.  From a distance, it looks exciting, intimidating, fun, and even scary for some.  The anticipation standing in line (like dating) can have your head spinning in a multitude of emotions: excitement, curiosity, and thrills of the unknown.  When you finally get on the ride (engagement), you are committed.  There's only a limited amount of time to change your mind, and once you're going it can set your heart racing, and your stomach butterflies to swarming.  The very first plunge (getting married) can take your breath away, and the remainder of the ride is the marriage journey.

A roller coaster has many ups, downs, and tricks.  It cannot continue to go straight up, it's impossible.  As is marriage without problems.  Marriages will always have their bumps along the way, there's no way around it.  However, if a roller coaster were to go straight down, it would eventually crash into the ground, ending the ride (this can represent divorce).

If you continue to ride the roller coaster though, you start to realize that it's due to the combination of "ups" and "downs" that make the ride worth it - a ride without any change would hardly be a ride at all (like two people growing apart, and no longer in the marriage mentally).  It's when a marriage experiences the "downs", that it can truly begin to appreciate the "ups".

By the end of a ride, there is a sense of accomplishment, pride, and thrill that you did it.  And what's more, the fear and anxiety was worth it, and you had fun overall.

Of course, this is a rough simile, as not everyone enjoys roller coasters like I do - some even get sick. But that aside, my point is, marriage is never perfect.  I'm glad for the trials, because it helps make me a better wife and partner to my husband.  It allows us to grow together and learn as a team.

The biggest gift I can give to my husband, is the promise that my vows will remain intact, and that I'm on this ride with him until the end!

I love you Babe!

I love finding great recipes simply because you have items that have to get cooked before they go bad.  In my case, it was half a bag of large carrots from Costco (they were intended to go in crockpot recipes, but I just didn't end up needing too many).

I found this recipe in a book, and had to try it.  I'm usually not a big pork fan, since there's a common tendency for it to be dry, but this comes out moist, tastes amazing, and my guests loved it!

I'm finally getting around to posting a new project on here!  This one is fairly easy, and minimal tools are required.

Here are the items you need for this project (most of which can be found at Michael's):
- Baking clay
- Hoop earrings
- Baking glitter
- Small pliers
- Baking dish
- Glaze/Clear nail polish
- Needle
 7.) Once your charms are glazed and dry, use pliers to form your earring hoops into rings that will hook around a wine glass stem.

8.) You now have cute homemade wine charms!  Do not soak them in water.  If they get spilled on, take a damp cloth or paper towel and gently wipe them clean.  Try not to bang the charm, as the vine could break with enough force.

This crockpot recipe has been my biggest hit yet!  I got the recipe from www.sixsistersstuff.com.  It's really easy, and the compliments I received were endless!  The consistency is more like thick chili than soup.  Great for a party, or family dinner.

Picture belongs to Six Sister's Stuff

Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground beef (or ground turkey works too!)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 package mild taco seasoning mix
• 1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
• 1 (16 oz) can black beans drained and rinsed (you could use kidney beans or pinto beans)
• 2 (14 oz) cans stewed tomatoes
• 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 (4 oz) can diced green chilis 

Directions:

1. Brown meat and onion, drain. Let meat cool for a minute, then dump into a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag.
2. Dump the remaining ingredients into the bag, mix together, and zip bag closed.
3. When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours.
4. Cook on HIGH for 1-2 hours or LOW for 2-3 1/2 hours.
5. Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole.  Enjoy!

My last crockpot recipe of BBQ pork ribs was an absolute success with my husband.  Only problem was there were no seconds!  

To all my married ladies:

We love our husbands.  They are our heroes, our knights, and best friends.  We love them unconditionally... but let's face it girls, our husbands do things that just downright annoy the crap out of us!  So here's just a little bit of good humored venting.

10 annoying things husbands do:

1. Leaving dirty dishes: not in the dishwasher and not even in the sink, but on the counter or around the house. How about dishes with food still left on them?
2. Blaming negative moods on PMS: just because women are the more emotional sex, does not make our feelings invalid. Also not sure why some guys think telling us we're PMSing is going to help the situation any.
3. Not picking up after themselves: self-explanatory... who enjoys cleaning up after others?
4. Dysfunctional planner: If it's not forgetting an event, it's not coordinating an event well (like inviting people last minute, or not making reservations). 
5. Leaving the toilet seat up: self-explanatory... it's gross (or hazardous to someone who doesn't notice and goes to sit).
6. Forgetting how to be romantic: Most men must suffer memory loss. The art of flattery and planning dates become faint memories that seem to resurface only on certain occasions like anniversaries and birthdays.
7. Browsing their phone when out on a date: self-explanatory... it's rude! Can you hear me now?
8. Pretending to listen/zoning out: ever had that conversation with your husband while the TV's on?  Yea me neither...
9. Too much TV/Games/Internet: feel like your husbands hooked up to electronics sometimes?
10. Expected to be a constant babysitter/housemaid: being left on baby/child duty or cleaning duty too much is a recipe for resentment. 

Anyway, not all men possess these traits.  These are only intended for light-hearted teasing.  We love our men.  Our husbands have many wonderful traits that won our hearts in the beginning, and keep warming our hearts throughout the years.  To all you husbands out there, thank you for being our providers, our strength, good fathers (to those with kids), and best friends.

* just be sure to wine and dine us sometimes.  :-)

UPDATE:
This recipe was a success! My husband said this is his favorite crockpot recipe by far!  Just one little change I would make, is that 6 hours on LOW is the perfect timing - no longer.
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Time for a new recipe!  Being a mom to an 8-1/2 month old, my love for crockpot recipes has grown!  What's not better than dinner cooking itself, leaving you free to handle mom duties, or on rare occasions, relax.

Anyway, today I'm trying out a new recipe I found for slow cooked BBQ pork ribs.  I bought all the ingredients at Stater Brothers.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1-2 lbs. pork ribs
• 1-1/2 cups ketchup
• 1-1/2 Tbsp seasoning salt
• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white vinegar

Bottled BBQ sauce can be used I'm sure as well, to keep things even simpler.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut pork ribs into reasonable parts (about 3-4 ribs per piece), and set aside.
2. Mix remaining ingredients to make the BBQ sauce.  I mixed mine in a large freezer bag to save dirtying a bowl.
3.  Place ribs inside the bag with the sauce, and let marinate in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight if you wish.
4. When ready to cook, place entire contents into a crockpot and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours, or on LOW for 6-7 hours.  I prefer the low cook setting.
5. Enjoy!

 This recipe can also be frozen for a later date.  When ready to use, simply let it thaw in the fridge for 24 hours.

If you're like me, you've tried a taste of everything that your baby has eaten.  From formula to pureed green beans, and blended turkey & sweet potato.

In my opinion, I have no idea how babies manage to eat what they're given.  Formula would be the one item I don't suggest any parent to try.  Second to breast milk, it has everything a baby needs and is necessary... but between you and me, it tastes worse than sour milk.  My personal experience with a small sip nearly triggered my gag reflex.

Other than formula, I've tried quite a few of my daughter's pureed meals.  Most of the fruit tastes good, and the veggies taste pretty close to their solid counterparts.  It's when I get to the blended "meal" options that I begin to wonder how bland chicken and rice can taste so... unappetizing.  The worst would have to be the turkey meal options... let's just say they do not taste close to what's written on the container.

Of course, the wonderful thing about packaged baby food is that it's easy to travel with, convenient for providing your child with variety, and the fact that babies don't know any better means they're still going to get the nutrition they need and not complain. However, they pale in comparison to homemade baby food.

I've started making my daughter's pureed meals, and I was surprised just how easy they were.  Some of my favorites are: apple sauce, pureed pears, carrots, yams, butternut squash, and chicken and potatoes.  The fruits and vegetables are all prepared the same:

Pureed Baby Food: Fruits & Veggies
(note: most fruits/veggies have to be cooked; however, bananas/avocados can be pureed raw)

1) Cut/Chop your fruit or veggies into manageable pieces.
2) Place in a steaming basket in a pot of boiling water.
3) Cook until soft/tender.
4) Let food cool off a little, then place into a blender or food processor.
5) Blend to puree, adding some of the boiled water to thin to a desired consistency.

You can serve the food fresh, or freeze for later:

6) Place puree into ice cube trays and freeze.
7) Remove frozen cubes into a labeled freezer bag to store.
8) Allow cubes to sit in fridge overnight when you plan to use some the next day.

The difference between fresh made baby food and store bought is night and day.  I have a friend whose son didn't like store bought butternut squash, but then he tried the home made version and loved it!  If moms have the time to try making their own baby food, I highly recommend it!  Not only will you be able to make better tasting food for your child, but you will also cut costs on baby food at the store.  It's a win-win!

I'm finding that time management isn't just a valued skill when it comes to motherhood, it's a necessity!  These past few months, I have learned how to juggle taking care of a baby with moving to a new home, remodeling said home, arranging a surprise party for my husband's 30th birthday, and of course just handling the every day tasks of cleaning, running errands, projects and finding time to care for myself!

Needless to say, I've had plenty of excuses as to why I haven't been able to keep my blog more up to date.  Something I hope to remedy, now with life settling down in our new location.  Good thing is that I've had plenty of time to think of new topics and recipes to post, so I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things on here.

My daughter is 8 months old now, and it's hard to believe how fast the time has flown! She still hasn't cut any teeth yet, but is loving trying new foods I've been making for her.  She also hasn't mastered the art of crawling.  She loves to roll around, and stand in her walker.  I may end up being one of those moms whose child goes straight to standing and walking, and skips the crawling stage all together. 

I'm loving making her baby food, and I can't believe how easy it is! The best part of course is feeding it to her and seeing her reaction.  She likes pretty much everything except green beans - which I can't blame her... I don't like them either.  But for their nutritional benefits, I've been mixing them in with other vegetables she likes.

Anyway, it feels good to finally write a new post.  Now I just need to manage my time well enough to keep this updated!  Hope everyone is well, and Happy Thanksgiving!!

Well I'm finally 100% recovered! That being said, moving on.  Our daughter is almost 3 months old, and I can't believe just how fast time goes by.  She smiles all the time, has almost started laughing, and is discovering her voice and the use of her hands more and more each day.

Being a stay-at-home mom has been wonderfully exhausting and rewarding.  Trying to squeeze cleaning, cooking, laundry, and baby duties all into one day can be quite challenging.  I'm learning patience in a whole new way.  Life is finding routine again though.  At 7 weeks, Emilee slept through the night for the first time.  Now at 12 weeks, she sleeps every night from 8pm to 7am (hopefully this won't change once she starts teething).  Biggest challenge I have with her now is solidifying her nap schedule - she's a very light napper.

Despite her short naps, I'm loving her new baby stages more and more - each month is my favorite month, and she keeps getting better and easier.  Even with a rough labor, long recovery and those seemingly endless sleepless nights... I'm addicted!  It's no secret to my family and friends that I want more.

I have always wanted 2 kids, but for the first time in my life, I'm considering 3.  Even my husband who has always just wanted 2 is open to 3.  The thought of a house full of kids laughing and playing puts a smile on my face, and I'm so excited for those days to come.

I've primarily used this blog to share recipes, ideas and some life stories... but today, I just need to vent (be forewarned, this could get a bit TMI).

I found this cute project recipe in one of my parenting magazines and thought I'd share!  It's an Eco-Friendly Play Dough that you can make at home for your little one to play with.

Photo taken from Google Images

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Salt
• 1/2 Cup Water
• 1 Cup Flour
• 1 Tbsp. Beet Juice (or other natural dye)
• *Optional* A few drops of essential oil like lavender or mint

What new mom hasn't stressed over her newborn?  Over the last 3 weeks, I've had my share of concerns:

• Does this look normal?
• Are babies supposed to be this gassy?
• Am I producing enough milk?
• When will this umbilical cord stump fall off?
• What does this cry mean?
• What is THAT?!

Photo taken from Google Images (looks identical)