Success!

Ok so my adventure went great yesterday! Lilly and I went to Joann Fabrics and got what we needed to make the wraps. It is a little labor intensive to make these because you have to cut 5 yards of fabric lengthwise twice and because I decided to add the front panel that required some more sewing.

The wraps are made out of a knit blend fabric, it feels like t-shirt sheets but not as stretchy. The edges are not hemmed or surged, but they will not fray.

So far Lilly likes it, it did take some getting used to on her part but once she was, she loved it! She actually fell asleep on me this morning as I was walking around the house and picking up. She also loves chewing and sucking on the fabric that is going over my shoulders that is her pacifier.

This one is just one solid color

This one is the same color and fabric as the one above but with an extra linen panel. It is still one piece of fabric so it is just as durable as the one above. I hope that the panel achieves its purpose, it is supposed to keep that middle area from stretching (one of the top complaints of the regular Moby users)

She does sink down some and settle a bit lower than shown here but it doesn't seem like she is going to fall our or anything. Lilly actually prefers her arms and legs out, I wish I would have taken a picture of her like that..maybe later.

I looked up youtube videos to figure out how to tie it and that was pretty easy, she feels safe, secure and it doesn't feel like there is a 10+ lbs baby on your chest/tummy. So far it doesn't seem too hot, I carried her around for about an hour earlier as a test and no complaints so far.

I'm going to keep testing these out and make sure they stay safe and don't stretch too much. I know they won't rip because there are no seams to rip under pressure. I hope this works I actually enjoyed making them last night!!

Getting Crafty and Schedule Making

Ok so I have been searching online for the last couple of days for some kind of wrap carrier for Lilly. After hearing some good and bad things about them I decided to look into the Moby Wrap. They claim to distribute the baby's weight over your shoulders, back and hips..which sounds great since my back isn't the greatest. And now after talking to a friend about her Moby wrap, she said it was a waste of $45, they are hot and they stretch too much. Alright point taken. So here is my thought process...it is just one long piece of stretchy fabric, I'm a kind of crafty person and I need some kind of carrier if I'm ever going to be able to go to Wal-Mart alone with Lilly (her carrier doesn't fit in the top of the buggy and if I put her in the big part I can't get that many groceries...I'm glad it doesn't fit actually because it seems like it is a safety concern to put them up there). So after doing some research, I'm positive I can make an "ok" wrap..but of course I'm obsessed with making it right. Moby makes a deluxe model with a non-stretchy panel in the middle so it doesn't sag as much and I can pick a fabric that breathes more than what they make theirs from. So today I'm on a mission to go and find fabric and make this wrap, if all goes well I'll have 1 or 2 wraps that don't stretch too much, aren't too hot, are less expensive than the real deal and don't hurt my back *fingers crossed*. I'm also hoping that if they turn out good enough I can use them as gifts for pregnant friends or maybe even as a source of income (this is a BIG maybe).

So this is what I'm hoping to make..something similar at least!

Now onto the schedule part: As most of my friends know I'm very anal retentive when it comes to a lot of things, I'm a list maker, schedule maker, and plan aheader (not a word I know). Since the arrival of Lilly I have found that I can't be nearly as anal retentive as I was and it has made me relax some on my normal tendencies, which is not a bad thing at all. For instance I now don't wake up and pick up the house I wake up and change Lilly's diaper and feed her. But I'm having a hard time figuring out Lilly's schedule or at least her cues for being sleepy. The only thing that has been a constant for about a month now has been bed time..she gets fed every night between 7:30 and 8:00pm then goes to bed afterwards. She eats just about every three hours while she's awake, but I can't figure out this nap thing. So for the last 3 days I have been writing down every time she takes a nap longer than 15 minutes. I'm still working on it, but it looks like she's up at 6:30am, and then naps at 7:30am..the rest is starting to make a pattern but I'm not sure what it is just yet. I'm not trying to force my baby into any kind of schedule by any means, I'm trying to figure out he cues and follow them, so I can at least know what to expect next. Well for the time being I know her nap times will change again soon, but until then I will at least be able to expect what's next!

My beautiful baby napping in her swing...this has cured fussy fussy baby countless times and it makes her happy so I can go to the bathroom, eat and at times clean the house :)

My beautiful sleeping baby in her co-sleeper, that we don't use as a co-sleeper :) I was so scared when we first brought her home that she was going to roll over in her sleep and suffocate that I ordered this, its a positioner and co-sleeper and it put my mind at ease! It also folds up and has a handle so you can take it places for baby to nap in..no more making a pillow fortress or bringing a pack n' play, well at least until 4 months when she grows out of this. It may look like she's grown out of it but she went through a stage where she wanted her head up against everything I guess it was a womb thing kind of like swaddling (which she hated).

**on a side note, after re-reading this I have realized that I am a totally random person (yes April I know) and that I am a terrible speller!

Much Needed Update

Ok, so I totally forgot I had this. I thoroughly enjoy blogging so let's see if I can keep this updated and figure it out. Alright update time....

August 2008 --
Mike found out that we were able to transfer to New Orleans out of Chicago. We found out that we were going to have a BABY! And we came to Baton Rouge for a friends wedding and looked for houses in LaPlace

I was so excited I took two tests!

Our first ultrasound! Right about 6 weeks

Sept. 2008 --
We moved to LaPlace. Got our house all situated and settled in.

October 2008--
Nothing really new; pregnant and nesting..that's about it

15 weeks..this week you are the size of an orange :)

November 2008--
April came to visit, oh how I missed my "framily"!! We had a wonderful time, we spent a day in New Orleans and a day in Baton Rouge.

My Dad lost his long long battle with addiction. Although I was totally distraught over the passing of my dad I can now say that he is in a better place and no longer in pain.

We also found out that the little jelly bean in my tummy is a girl...we immediately knew that her first name is Lilly but couldn't decide on a middle name. I guess it's like they say one door closes only for another to open up.

April and I in front of Mike the tiger at LSU

December 2008--Our first Christmas back in Louisiana and man it was nice to be able to spend it with family

24 weeks...Lilly's first Christmas

January 2009--

We took maternity pictures.

This is one of my favorties!

The "framily" came to visit for my baby shower, which was great! I love my family and friends they were so good to us! Miss Lilly has a lot of people who love her!

All of the "framily" back together again Dawn painted my belly!

February 2009--

We had another baby shower in DeRidder with Mike's family..even more people who love Lilly. Happy Valentines day and lots of physical therapy for my back, man this kid is already hurting me!

March 2009--

You know how they say the bigger the better? Well I beg to differ, I never thought it was possible to have such a big belly.

36 Weeks...Holy tummy batman can that thing get any bigger

37 Weeks at Emily's baby shower, she was 34 weeks at that point and I won the belly bumping competition :)

April 2009--

My due date came and went..oh I couldn't imagine life not being pregnant at that point in time. April 7th I went to the doctor and he did an ultrasound to see how big she was and Miss Lilly came in at a whopping 8 lbs and 12 oz. So I immediately asked him to induce me! Mike and I went to the hospital at 7:30 that evening and they induced me at 5:00 the next morning. They finally told me I could start pushing at 5:00pm and I tried that for oh 3 hours! Miss Lilly was "sunny-side up" meaning she was facing up and not down, which makes it harder for her to make her entrance into the world. So after 3 long hours of pushing my doctor decided to do a c-section. And at 8:05pm Miss Lilly entered the world screaming her little cone head off! She weighed 7 lbs. 12 oz at 21 inches long. And after a day in the hospital we finally decided on a middle name..drum roll please...introducing Miss Lilly Kate!

Daddy got to introduce me to the familyMy poor baby had a cone head after being stuck for 3 hours!

"Love at First Sight"

We are finally getting used to life at home with a baby, living off of little sleep but loving it.

May 2009--

My first mother's day, it was great I spent it with my mom, her boyfriend and Mike. I now can't imagine life without my beautiful Lilly aka; monkey, Lilly Bug, sugar beez and many many more . So far this month we have had our first coo's, ahh's and ooh's and our first real smile. She smiles at momma, daddy and the fan. After much pain and agony I have finally gotten the hang of breastfeeding and Lilly has been sleeping a lot longer through the night. Most nights its 5-6 hours at a time but we have gotten lucky twice where she slept 7 hours straight. At this month's doctors appointment she weighed an even 10 lbs, and was 22 inches long!

Here is Miss Lilly in her beautiful Mother's Day dress

Lilly LOVES bath time, I finally got my picture to show all of her boyfriends

First time sleeping in her crib.

Oh the news..

Ok so this is my first attempt at blogging on this website. Wow where do I start? Mike got out of the military in Oct. of last year. We moved to the Chicago suburbs in December 2007 for his job at the airport. Since then we realized that we don't want to raise a family here its just too crowded, unfriendly and not home. So we have been looking to see if a job opens up in New Orleans or Baton Rouge so he could put in for a transfer. So a job opened up at the New Orleans airport and Mike put in for a transfer, and he got a phone call the next day saying that it was possible! And we are now transfering there in Sept. Oh and thats not all, the very next day was our two year anniversary and then a week and a day later we found out that we are expecting...a BABY!! Perfect timing! Now the real whirlwind begins, finding a house in LA, packing everything, moving everything and then unpacking everything, finding a doctor, and everything else involved in this move oh and all in less than two months!