Freezer Meal Update: Review

At the beginning of February all the meals that I made in preparation for the arrival of Miss S were basically gone.  Oh how I wished they could just multiply themselves!  Between the meals that our church brought us (an out pour of such love!) and a few take out meals on our part were just really having to think about actually going grocery shopping and a whole new meal plan.  Simple was the name of the game for sure.

I am still trying to figure out how to cook a dinner with a three year old and a 21 month old under foot... plus an almost 6 month old who usually needs to be fed around the dinner hour.  Sigh.  I am thankful that my mother-in-law comes over pretty often and I cook while she plays with the girls.  Blessing beyond measure!

Now that we have had a chance to see how all the meals turned out after being frozen I thought that I would give a review of each meal.  At some point I will put all these tidbits in each post as well.  For now, they will all be here should you be enticed to use any of the recipes for bulk freezer cooking.  Which, by the way, is something that I think I would like to look into doing more often after this little adventure.  You can check out my final list here.  I am just going to go down the list and some will be similar or the same so I will just lump their reviews together.

Beef Stew (from Mom C) - Beautiful.  I don't have the recipe but I am sure that I can get it.  Froze well in a zip lock bag and thawed well on our stove.  I dumped it in a pot and warmed it up.  Super easy.  Highly recommend.

Tator Tot Casserole - Meh.  It was alright.  I think it was my particular recipe.  This recipe almost needed to be doubled to make one good sized casserole.  I like to have left overs and this just didn't cut it.  It wasn't my favorite.  Froze fine, thawed and cooked up nicely.

Meatloaf- Probably one of the best things to freeze.  They are probably better once they have had the time to sit and have the flavors meld, especially in the thawing process.  I originally was not too impressed with the Italian Stuffed Meatloaf.  However, I really liked it the second time around.  I think the kind of sauce you use can make a difference, too.  I think I changed my mind.  I would make this again.  Meatloaf you really need to let thaw probably two days in the fridge.  It was also helpful to label each loaf with what pan I used.  Made it easy to know which one I should use that night.  Good tip.  Implement it!

Stuffed Peppers (from Mom C) - Again, I don't have the recipe for this but I am guessing any recipe you have for them will do.  They froze nicely in a freezer zip bag.  The peppers were pretty soft when they were done cooking.  I think that had to do in part to the freezing and in part the liquid in the stuffing mix.  They were still really delicious and the girls enjoyed them, too.

Lasagna-  Do I really need to review this?  It's a freezer meal staple.  If you have a recipe you love... do it. Always good to have on hand.  If you are going to make a lasagna for dinner just double it and have it on hand when you are in a pinch.

Okay, really... there is a lot to review. Everything really did well freezing and was super yummy.  The only things that I had to finagle was warming up the breakfast burritos.  Basically, I used a wet paper towel, defrosted, and then warmed on a lower power setting.  I cannot give you times because it varies by appliance.  However, I can see that a toaster over would be helpful for these if you are not in a hurry.  I would do all of these meals again.

If you have any questions please fell free to comment below and I will get back to you.

The Birth of Miss S - Part 2

You can read part one here.

We had already called Mom C to pack a bag and come over to the house.  I was in so much pain at this point I was ready for drugs and I made that known (nicely) to Husband.  However, I said, "We need to go NOW."  I was pretty sure this baby was going to be born in the car.  Mom C had yet to arrive.  I told Husband I didn't care we need to go.  He calmly said we couldn't just leave the girls even though they were fast asleep.  So, we waited in the van (I in the "trunk" area) until she was close by.  We passed by her on the way out and we were off.  My contractions seemed to slow down just a little but were still rather intense.  It was during this time that I wished our hospital wasn't quite so far away (20 minutes at regular speed...ahem)  Later I would be ever so glad that we were at this particular hospital.

When we arrived at the hospital around 11:10 PM the registration desk looked so far away.  No wheel chairs were close by and even if there had been one to use it may have been to painful to sit for very long.  To say that they processed me into triage quickly would be an understatement.  My one "Are you kidding me?" moment was when I walked back there they wanted to weigh me.  For real?  Of course I had a contraction while on the scale.  Anyway.  I get to my little bed, they check me... 7 cm and fully effaced.  I hear the nurse bark some commands about a room NOW and she didn't care where it was.  During this time I am telling them I want drugs.  They can't do anything for me yet because I hadn't had an IV.  Less than five minutes later I find myself in a L & D room with people zooming all around.  The resident checks me.  10 cm and fully effaced.  WHAT?!?!  I still want drugs people.  "Nope." They inform me, "You are having this baby naturally."  I laugh.

I push.

I cry yell.

I am NOT having this baby naturally.  I can barely control this pain unlike anything I ever felt.  My contractions slowed down a bit.  I think it was because there was a whole crew of people from the NICU in there because she was coming before 37 weeks.  Finally, my doctor says she's going to check something and it's going to hurt.  Um.  Yeah. Understatement.  I'm pretty sure I almost kicked her at that point.  I wasn't fully dilated after all.  When they checked me the second time Miss S was pushing down so hard that my water bag was bulging.  After they broke it something happened and a forebag was created hiding the last bit of cervix that needed to disappear.  That actually bought me some time to have an epidural.  YEAH!

It was just enough to take the edge off.  I still feel the contractions (there would be no sleeping through labor like I did with Miss A) and I knew she would be making her grand appearance soon.  They told me to let them know if I felt like pushing or the pressure increased.  It wasn't long after the epidural was in that I told them that things were changing.  They said the doctor was called to emergency surgery for an ectopic pregnancy and would come as soon as she was done.  They moved me into a more upright position to help get Miss S into position.  So, while I wait for the doctor each time I feel contractions... I push (not very hard.)  The doctor came back about 2 hours after I got my epidural and said lets see how you are doing.  They check and we are a 100% go this time around.  I steady myself for a possible hour of pushing (which is what I did with Miss A) -- to my great surprise 5 pushes and out she came!  It was now 2:31 AM, December 10 -- 6 1/2 hours -- about half the length of my last labor.  Once again they could not put my little bundle on my chest because she, too, had a short cord like Miss A.  Odd.  Miss S let out a little cry and once Husband cut the cord they whisked her over to be evaluated.

It was a long time.  All was quiet over there.  A little too quiet.  I called over to Husband but I don't think he heard me.  Finally, a nurse came and told me that little Miss S was having a hard time breathing and they were taking her to the NICU.  They let me touch her and see her for about two minutes and they were gone.  Husband went with her.  I remember crying and telling Husband, "I'm sorry."  I was sorry I couldn't keep her in longer.  While I know now there was nothing I could do, in that moment it felt like my fault.  I should have been able to keep her safe inside a little bit longer.  Our other girls had been early and no problems.  I naively thought she would be fine, too.

When all was said and done I was able to go down to the NICU (A branch of Phoenix Children's NICU - one of the best - is located on the same floor as L & D in this hospital) for about 20 minutes to see Miss S before I had to check in my room and with the nurses there.  Thankfully, Husband had already shown me pictures of what she looked like otherwise I think I would have just lost it with all the wires and tubes attached to her.

Miss S had a CPAP machine on her to force air in her lungs and cause them to really open up.  Gosh she did not like that thing.  Nurses called her, "feisty."  She also has a small tube that went down into her stomach to pull out stuff that may accumulate there as a by product of the CPAP and give her small amounts of nourishment.  They also wanted to be able to tell if she was digesting things well (which she wasn't for awhile because she was working so hard on breathing.)  She had an IV that was giving her some medicine that she needed and other nourishment.  Then there were all the "normal" wires for any baby in the NICU that check heart rate, breathing, and oxygen saturation.  It was pretty intense for me and my baby was not the sickest baby in NICU.  I couldn't even being to imagine what other mama's were experiencing.

So, now began my days of working on getting my milk to come in to help nourish Miss S while she was in there and not allowed to work on sucking.  Too much for her system to process.  This seemed like a daunting task as well given my not so great history in overall milk production.  Trips down to the NICU.  Healing. Checking in with my nurses from time to time.  Rest. Miss S made great progress -- breathing, then eating, some jaundice curbed.  I was discharged from the hospital on Monday (an interesting balance between time with Miss L and Miss A and being at the hospital) and Miss S finally was able to come home on Thursday evening.

She's doing better and seems to be thriving.  We are adjusting to being a family of five and thanking the Lord foe each sweet blessing and the extravagant love He shows to us through each one.

More thoughts and side stories of the NICU in the coming days/weeks.

The Birth of Miss S - Part 1

Well, our third little bundle made a rather unexpected early arrival on December 10 -- just two days beyond the 36 week mark.  Miss S arrived at 2:31 AM weighing in at 5lbs 15oz and 19 inches long.

We have an interesting story with her for sure.

At the 35 week mark I noticed contractions that were consistent and when I finally really paid attention to them I realized they were in a pattern but not really increasing in strength.  Just the same my doctor wanted me to go in to be monitored for awhile.  To make this part of the story a bit shorter they concluded that I was having contractions that went from 10 minutes apart to about 3-5 minutes apart.  However, they were not growing in intensity.  I could still talk through them, etc.  They decided to give me a shot of terbutaline to make them stop.  It worked.  I didn't realize how much I was contracting until they stopped.  We prayed that baby girl would stay put for a couple of more weeks.

So, we just kept going, going, going for another week and a half.

On December 9, I had my 36 week appointment with my OB where she asked if I wanted to be "checked" or "left alone."  Husband and I were both pretty sure that I had dilated a bit more than when I was in the hospital and we had a bet going as to how far along I was.  I said I was maybe three centimeters and Husband said for sure four.  Well, let me just say that Husband won the bet and I owe him dinner.  My doctor said a solid four and maybe more. In God's providence, we decided not to go to our church's Christmas party and had dinner with some dear friends that were back in the Valley for the winter months.  Just before dinner (6:30 PM) I pulled Husband aside to let him know that I was having contractions.  They were not Braxton Hicks, I had only had a couple, and they didn't seem to be a big deal.  During dinner I had a few more but I didn't really think too much of them.  After dinner Mrs. B and I sat in the living room to watch Miss L and Miss A play and chat.  During that time my contractions became a bit more intense.  I tried to hide what was going on but there was one contraction where I had to look at the ceiling and really think through what I was saying.  In the midst of our girls letting us know that they were tired and ready to go home I confessed that my contractions were getting stronger and we should probably go (around 8:00 PM)  We joked about how Miss S could make an appearance tonight.  We also laughed that maybe it's Italian food makes me go into labor as that is what I had just before Miss A was born.  However, my thought at the time was I should just get a lot of water in me and lay down and they will disappear.  Yep, that's what I thought.

On the way home I really had to concentrate through contractions.  When I would do my controlled breathing Miss L thought that I was pretending to be asleep and she would chime in from the back seat, "Wake up, Mama, wake up!!"  It's hard to do controlled breathing when you are laughing and trying to explain that you are not, in fact, asleep.  The contractions were coming more frequently by the time we got home.  We made the call to my mother-in-law to pack a bag and be ready to come.  In the mean time, Husband and I got the girls ready for bed.  Miss L really wanted more help from me than normal on this particular night and I had to stop in the middle of the routine for a really intense contraction.  I didn't do anything to freak her out but I think at that point she realized something was "wrong" with Mommy and she started pulling out all of her stalling cards.  Husband ran interference and she finally settled down and went to sleep.  I guzzled down a LOT of water and laid down.

If anything, the contractions got stronger and faster.

Freezer Meals: I'm Done...I think

I'm done.


It's officially December.  I'm huge (in my mind's eye when many others have said, "Oh you don't look like you are due in a month.)  I'm tired of cooking -- to an extent.  And in some sense we are running out of freezer space.  Not entirely.  But there are some other things I want to throw in there and not have to worry about it.  So, I am done.


Not much happened in November.  I technically made two Chicken Pot Pies but one was for that night's dinner and the other I froze.  My mother-in-law (the gem that she is!)  made a double batch of meatballs for us so those are in there.   Yep, that sums up the month.  HA!


However, as I sit here looking at the list there are a couple of things that I can just let the slow cooker take care of for me.  While I tend to use a different recipe for enchiladas I stumbled upon a friend's recipe that I loved while we were visiting with her family earlier this year in Texas.  I can just whip it up, freeze it, and then put it all together when we are ready for it.  Sounds delish.


That may be the only one I really go after from the list.  My cranberry chicken is super easy and really everything I need for it is in the pantry.  I just need to make sure that I am stocked up on everything times two for that.


I'll keep the other recipes around and close at hand for when I need to start cooking again.  I can double it up or some of them may just be easy.  Also, the burrito recipes may come in handy when I am scrambling for something to send with Husband to work for lunch.  He's not picky so I will look at that some more, too.


I need to work on my freezer inventory list as I have some things in there that I am sure that I will forget about when Baby#3 arrives.  You know, like vegetables and some other sides.


OH!  I will also add a few things from Costco.  Chicken nuggets (because the girls are gaga over anything chicken nuggets these days) will be used for lunches mostly but will probably make an appearance with dinner at some point, too.  Ravioli will feed our family 2-3 times depending on how hungry the girls are that night.  Fish for tacos (we love them!) or just to throw in the oven with a side if we are running out of time.


So, I think we have a good start to things.


What now?


Well, we wait for Baby#3.  We thought she might try to make an ultra early entrance yesterday but alas she is content to stay inside a little longer -- with the help of some modern medicine.


I have a lot of the ingredients I need for lactation bars so my mother-in-law has graciously offered to make up a bunch of those for me.  I can bake them up no problem.  I need to get that moving here sooner than later.  HA!


My dad has also said that he would help with Christmas cookies (ahem - I know you are reading this) and he can be bribed with dinner or the promise of chocolate chip cookies anyway.


Welp, here's the final list.  Not fully finished but I took a good whack at it!


Beef Stew x 1 (from Mom C)
Tator Tot Casserole x 1
Mom C's Meatloaf x1
Stuffed Peppers x 1 (from Mom C)
Husband's Lasagna x 2
Italian Stuffed Meatloaf x 2
My Chile x 2
Veggie Chile x 3
Ren's Chocolate Muffins x 2 (has good stuff like pumpkin, flax, etc -- it's not ALL sugar)
Chicken Pot Pie x 1
Fiesta Chicken x 2
Fiesta Chicken (Green Version) x 2
Spaghetti Sauce x 2
Spinach & Artichoke Mac & Cheese x 2
Green Chile Enchiladas x 3 (or more at the request of Husband)
Spaghetti Pizza x 2
Turkey & Vegetable Meatloaf x 2
Meatballs x 2 (17 in each bag) from Mom C
Brown Bag Burritos x 1 (makes 20-ish)
Chicken Spaghetti (Pioneer Woman) x 2
Pulled Pork x 1 (more if meat comes on sale again)
Breakfast Burritos x 1 (will probably make more - cranks out about 16)
Chicken & Rice (Quinoa) Burritos x 1 (makes about 8?)
Baked Ziti x 2
BBQ Beef & Bean Corn Bread Casserole x 2
Bacon, Egg, Cheese Biscuit Cups x 1
Ham & Cheese Pockets x 1
Sausage Biscuits x 1
Twice Cooked Mashed Potatoes x 2
Cranberry Chicken x 2
Broccoli & Cheddar Soup x 2
Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken x 2
Lactation Cookies x LOTS!


*That is not a picture of MY freezer.  Just so you know.

Did Not Forget

No, I have not forgotten this blog exists.

However, I am trying to figure out how we are only about a week away from Thanksgiving.  However, I am not too overwhelmed by that because what I still need to pick up from the store is minimal.

I have made little progress on my freezer meal list and I think that I am just going to be okay with that.  I may have a few things that I want to work on and maybe I will bring in help for those things.  We will see.  I have two turkeys in the freezer right now and we will cook them up and bag the meat in December.  Seriously, I can't beat the price to not only feed my family for about .59/lb but then I can turkey stock and have that on hand in the future as well.  I am a bit bummed that prices are not as low as last year but in the grand scheme of things I cannot complain.

I have a TON of recipes to post.  Last week I used my slow cooker almost every day trying out new things to cook in there.  Some are total winners and some... well, were major flops in my book...but my husband is ever the encouragement and eats it and even is willing to take it to work for lunch.  I am debating about putting the "flops" on the blog.  Although, I saw someone do that and kind of liked that I saw that not all things are yummy or come out the way we want them... and the pizza delivery at the last moment can be and is a reality in some homes with littles 'round the table.

With all that said, I have just been tired and working on some other things.  Also, I have been gimping around as my hips have been bothering me more in this pregnancy than the previous two.  Yesterday, I had a ton of energy and got some things done only to realize I over did it by the time it came to dinner.  To be honest, I have also just wanted to veg out by the time the girls go to bed.  I will try to be more productive in the coming days.  HA!

Freezer Meals: October Update

So, I am pretty sure we are good to go on meat loaf now.  HA!  It's a good thing we like it around here as we now ave FIVE loaves in the freezer.  Three different kinds - Turkey w/ vegetables (so YUMMY!), Italian stuffed, and a Mom C meatloaf.  Yeah, I think we are just fine there.


I made a bit more progress this month.  One weekend I cranked out four things:  Turkey meatloaves, Sausage (and cheese) Biscuits, Breakfast Burritos (made 23), and Twice Cooked Baked Potato Casserole (which I am pretty sure we will also be having for Thanksgiving... divine!).  These were all relatively simple so I was able to crank them out in a decent amount of time.  There was some rush at the end (we were off to see a movie) because I took a long break while the girls were napping.  Dinner was delegated to Blimpie's and in the end all was perfectly fine.


Husband asked if I was done after that day.  I looked at him and kind of laughed.  I said, "No."  However, my goal is to basically be done by the time December rolls around.  The only thing that I think that I want to be working on in December are Christmas cookies and lactation bars.  HA!  Husband thought this was funny and a good idea all at the same time.


I also tried to find random moments to whip something out during the weekdays.  I did the Bacon, Egg, and cheese biscuits on what turned into a rather busy and tiring day but it was worth it for sure!  I may make more of these because I just scored 5 packages of bacon for under $4.  Whoop!  Although, I am pretty sure my family would just like to eat some bacon, too.  HA HA HA!


It seems like there were a couple of weeks when I was really trying to crank some things out and when I thought I had all the ingredients I would find I was missing one.  Or some other random hiccup.  But we press on just the same.  I realized that some things will not be made in the quantity that I had originally anticipated so my list is becoming more streamlined and I am rethinking a couple of recipes.  Nothing has been totally scratched as of yet.


Also completed this month -
Fiesta Chicken (Red Version)
Fiesta Chicken (Green Version) x 1 -- The other crock pot is being used for soup today.
Ren's Chocolate Chip Muffins
Spaghetti Sauce


Beef Stew x 1 (from Mom C)
Tator Tot Casserole x 1
Mom C's Meatloaf x1
Stuffed Peppers x 1 (from Mom C)
Husband's Lasagna x 2
Italian Stuffed Meatloaf x 2
My Chile x 2
Veggie Chile x 3
Ren's Chocolate Muffins x 2 (has good stuff like pumpkin, flax, etc -- it's not ALL sugar)
Chicken Pot Pie x 2
Fiesta Chicken x 2
Fiesta Chicken (Green Version) x 2
Spaghetti Sauce x 2
Spinach & Artichoke Mac & Cheese x 2
Green Chile Enchiladas x 3 (or more at the request of Husband)
Spaghetti Pizza x 2
Turkey & Vegetable Meatloaf x 2
Meatballs (not sure how many yet)
Brown Bag Burritos x 1 (makes 20-ish)
Chicken Spaghetti (Pioneer Woman) x 2
Pulled Pork x 1 (more if meat comes on sale again)
Breakfast Burritos x 1 (will probably make more - cranks out about 16)
Chicken & Rice (Quinoa) Burritos x 1 (makes about 8?)
Baked Ziti x 2
BBQ Beef & Bean Corn Bread Casserole x 2
Bacon, Egg, Cheese Biscuit Cups x 1
Ham & Cheese Pockets x 1
Sausage Biscuits x 1
Twice Cooked Mashed Potatoes x 2
Cranberry Chicken x 2
Broccoli & Cheddar Soup x 2
Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken x 2
Lactation Cookies x LOTS!

Miss A's Birth Story

I find Miss A's birth story to be quite entertaining at times.  Mostly because it all basically starts on our anniversary. Nothing says "celebration" like an OB appointment, right?  When we found out that Miss A was head down I started to cry.  It was one of the best things I had ever heard.  I so desperately wanted to try for a VBAC and my OB said as long as she was head down and I went into labor on my own (no use of labor inducing drugs, etc) then I should be fine.

The week prior to this particular appointment (36 weeks) my OB checked me and said I was at least 4.5 cm -- she said she couldn't quite give me 5cm.  She said let's see what happens over the next week and if I want I can have my membranes stripped the next week.

Fast forward to the next Thursday (37 weeks) and it's our wedding anniversary.  My dad drops me off at my appointment while Husband's parents watch Miss L.  We did it this way so that after the appointment Husband and I can go to dinner together in one car.  It's just nicer that way, you know.  I meet with the doctor and confirm that I am nearly at 5 cm but not quite and about 90% effaced.  Can you say, "ticking time bomb?"  We talk about the possibility of stripping my membranes.  Let's face it.  It's the end of August in the Valley of the Sun.  It's hot.  I'm big.  I want this baby to come on out.  I'm done.  Husband and I look at each other and say, "Sure."  The doctor stripped my membranes and off to dinner we go.  I had heard that some people could go into labor 12 hours after having this done.  Some 24 hours later.  Some it doesn't really do much of anything.  Depends on how ready you and baby are.  We didn't really know what to expect.

Husband and I enjoyed a lovely dinner at a local Italian restaurant.  We basically had the whole place to ourselves until about the last 15 minutes we were there.  It was awesome.  We had a lovely dinner and some yummy dessert.  As we were getting in the car I could tell something was happening and mentioned as much to Husband.  We arrive home in time to put Miss L to bed ourselves.  We also tell Husband's mom to go home and get things ready as we think Miss A will be arriving sometime during the night.  At this point my contractions are starting to build.  Some are enough that I need to stop talking to concentrate to get through them.  It turns out that I am in labor just three or four hours after having my membranes stripped!  Nutty.

We head to the hospital around 10:00 PM.  Longest. Ride. Ever.  The hospital we went to is a bit of a drive from our house but it's not horribly far.  I'm pretty sure it felt like we were driving to California.  However, I was thankful for an app that Husband had on his phone that we had been timing my contractions with during the evening.  It gets to the point where it is able to predict your contractions.  I liked having a few seconds to mentally prepare for the next contraction and to be able to see potentially when it would end.  It was pretty accurate!  I finally understood all the talk about how difficult and painful it is to labor laying on your back or sitting can be.  I needed to be on a ball or the best for me was kneeling on the bed "on all fours."

The nurses had a hard time keeping the monitor on me and were very supportive of me moving around.  So, every 20 minutes or so they would hold the monitors on me to get a reading and then leave me be.  I wanted to go as long as I could without medication.  I got to the point where I was just shaking through contractions and couldn't stay up.  Throw in the towel.  Show me some epidural love.  It apparently was just the right timing for me because the anesthesiologist was available almost immediately rather than the over an hour wait I had been warned about.  Ahh... relief.  I think at that point I hadn't progressed much beyond 5 cm.  Te doctor talked to me about breaking my bag of waters and seeing what would happen.  It was nice to be able to rest.  Husband was a little nervous at this point that I would stall and have to have a c-section again.  Epidurals can help but they have also been known to hinder.  I told him, "Well, we'll just have to wait and see what happens."  We went to sleep.  Weird, right?

After a couple of hours the nurse (Nurse Laura?) came in to check me.  7cm!  Yeah for progress!!  Husband was amazed.  So we kept sleeping.  Each time they checked me another centimeter progress.  Moving right along.  At sometime before 6 AM I was fully dilated and ready to push.  The doctor told the nurse to go ahead and have me start pushing and he would be there soon.  Apparently I was a better pusher than anyone anticipated because soon the nurse stepped out to call the doctor down and to hurry.  Unfortunately, there was a point where Miss A was "right there" but couldn't quite push her through.  After nearly an hour of pushing the doctor asked what I thought about an episiotomy.  "No way, Jose!" was my response.  However, he told me why he was thinking about it and after awhile I consented.  The only reason it was ultimately worth it was because Miss A came out on the next push!  YAY!!  Miss A was born at 7:09 AM (the day after our anniversary...whew!), 6lbs 9oz, and 19 inches long.

Dr. J had told me when we started that he likes to put babies right away up on the mother's chest and let the mothers clean the babies.  So, I was waiting for that.  However, when Miss A came out he just held her.  He looked up and said, "Her umbilical cord is too short to reach your chest so we have to cut it before you can hold her."  Random and funny all at the same time.

Miss A was perfectly healthy.  After some time they moved us to a "shared" room and hoped to move me to a private room later in the afternoon.  Once settled into the private room I was a bit more comfortable with everything.  The healing process from a c-section vs. successful VBAC were very different.  Each with their own pros and cons.  The details of each I won't go into here.  Some small and some significant.

The first night the nurse came in to do some measurements and other tests on Miss A.  They had to take her and that was no big deal.  When she came back she made the comment, "This is one of the strongest babies I have ever seen!  I usually weigh them on their tummies so they are not so wiggly and your baby rolled right over!"  I laughed.  Indications of what was to come?  Maybe.

Miss A started to show some signs of jaundice.  Doctors said we could go home as long as we had he blood levels checked the next day (which was a Sunday) -- we located a place that would be open on Sunday and we were discharged Saturday late afternoon.  Awesome!

We took Miss A in for a blood test and her jaundice was a bit increased.  They told us to see out regular doctor on Tuesday.  So, in we went to our regular pediatrician.  Unfortunately, by Tuesday even I could see that Miss A was a bit "yellow."  Our pediatrician was concerned and upset at the advice to wait from the other doctor.  He sent us on chase to try to get Miss A's blood levels checked.  However, it was late in the day and most places were closing up.  In the meantime our doctor went ahead and ordered a bili-blanket for Miss A to start right away (home light therapy) which was delivered to our house.  Needless to say, we didn't find a place to have her blood test that night but went in right away Wednesday morning.  We got a call back by noon that day from our doctor confirming that her levels were high and to keep using the blanket.  She had to be getting the lights except when she was nursing.  He warned that if her levels remained high the next morning then we would have to go to the hospital.  Her levels came down and we had to go in for blood tests the next three days as well as keep her in the blanket.  I was glad we could treat at home but a little scary, too.  We learned a few things for sure.

We had more nursing issues with Miss A like we did with Miss L -- to be anticipated at some level.  We hired a private lactation consultant and it made a world of difference.  I produced more milk this time around but still had many struggles and frustrations.  But it was all worth it.

Miss L's Birth Story

I think that several people have asked for my birth stories and I never got them fully written down.  However, the Lord has really preserved that part of my memory with them through the last couple of years.  Husband fills in some details that I don't remember which makes for a more interesting story.  So, with Baby #3 on the way I wanted to get Miss L and Miss A's story down and then be sure to get #3's down, too.  Sorry, she doesn't have a name yet so she is just #3 for now.

Miss L was born on a Thursday.  Her story really starts the weekend before.  My dad had just left to go back to New Mexico (he wasn't living here when Miss L was born) and Husband's parents had gone to Denver to celebrate an early Christmas with his grandparents.  We stopped by their house to check on something and as we were leaving I quipped, "You know, now that ALL the grandparents are gone something will happen."  It was a joke.  When I said those words I was only 35 weeks and some change.  That Monday I had an appointment with my OB.  They checked me -- "Soft but closed."  Miss L was breech which we had only recently confirmed through one of those fun family ultrasounds.  Turned out that the tech that ran this other business was also the tech at my doctor.  The doctors had been convinced that they were feeling her head when they felt my tummy.  I told them what I had discovered at this "other" ultrasound without giving away that their tech was moonlighting.  They sent me over to ultrasound to confirm for themselves that she was breech.  Sure enough... same tech found the SAME thing.  So, I made an appointment for Friday to talk about my options for turning this baby girl around.

Wednesday night I went to bed without a care in the world.  We were anticipating a friend's Christmas party that weekend and in the middle of lovely Advent celebrations.  Of course the night held the usual trip to the bathroom that began several months before.  Around 4:00 AM I bolted out of bed and to the bathroom.  Thankfully, they are not very far from each other.  I was wet.  What was all this?  I thought, "I have heard of incontinence in pregnancy but this is ridiculous!"  Husband had heard me gasp when I jumped out of bed but didn't think too much of it until I started calling his name.  He came to see me and I was laughing.

"Um...I'm pretty sure that my water just broke."

Not fully awake Husband made a comment about making it stop.  No, once he fully was awake he realized we can't put the water back.  You can make contractions stop but if that water breaks that baby is a comin'!  So, we tried to get ready as we wrapped our minds around the fact that our baby would be coming that very day and NOT in four weeks like we had anticipated.

I decided to take a shower and despite what I knew was coming (surgery) I still had a granola bar before we left because I was that hungry when we left around 5:00 AM.  We had no bag packed (on the list of things to do for the weekend) and just threw some things together.  Of course, we laughed as we called our parents at the crack of dawn.  Husbands parents were in Colorado and were going to try arrange flights to get back ASAP.  My dad prepared to head out from New Mexico and be there the next day.

Just before we left the house I felt a bit of pressure in my low back.  I didn't realize that it was the first of many contractions.  We laughed in the vehicle as I sat on a stack of towels and hurried to the hospital.  Once we got there I was taken into triage only to have them confirm that my water had indeed broke, I was in labor, and an ultrasound confirmed that Miss L was still breech.  With that, they started prepping me for the operating room.  I guess Miss L's heart tones wavered just enough for them to call it an "emergency c-section" but it was nothing like some of the emergencies that others have endured leading up to a c-section.  At this point, my contractions were starting to come more frequently and with more intensity.  I was not a happy girl.  The doctors still wanted to check how far dilated I was -- 5 cm.  Of course at this time they make the comment. "Gosh, if she wasn't breech we think you would have had a great natural labor!"  Thanks.  Not exactly what I wanted to hear right now when that is what I had planned and wanted!  However, I had prepared myself for a c-section until I knew she was turned.  She wasn't and this was the best thing for us.

Husband gets ready for the operating room, too.  They roll me away and tell him to wait in a particular area and inform him that they will come get him when they are ready.  I was not a huge fan of being separated at this point but I understood.  It was kind of funny in the OR and I appreciated the lightheartedness of it all!  The anesthesiologist did a great job.  We laughed that they had to extend the table a bit because I was too tall.  He felt my pain as he was well over six feet tall.  The epidural was painless and took effect fast.  I remember at one point my leg fell off the table -- the surgical assistant was there and caught me.  I laughed because I couldn't help him.  They laughed, too.  One thing I also remember is how incredibly cold I was in that room.  The only time that I was cold while being pregnant!  HA!  They piled on the warmed blankets.

Soon, the procedure started.  Husband was watching over the curtain.  One time he asked me, "You didn't feel that?"  I said, "No."  "Good," he replied.  I again laughed.  Soon I had to just concentrate with my eyes somewhere else because the tugging and pressure were a lot.  The next thing I know Miss L was out!  She arrived at 7:59 AM, 7lbs 6 oz (at 36 weeks to the day), and 20 3/4 inches long.  She was perfectly healthy!  APGAR scores were as high as they can possibly be without being perfect (we learned that no baby is ever given a perfect score).  Husband's eyes were filled with tears of joy -- so much had happened in the last few hours!  He went with Miss L to the nursery while they closed me up.  I was coming down from my adrenaline rush.  All I wanted to do was sleep.  So, I did.  I realized I could see all that the doctors were doing on the other side of the curtain by the reflection in the surgery light.  The best thing to do was close my eyes.  I got a bit of rest for which I was thankful.

Soon I found myself in a makeshift room just off of triage.  The maternity ward was full and they hoped to have me in a room by evening.  Until then we would just have to wait it out there.  Pastor N was the first person to come see us.  Then family friend KW surprised us but it was really fun to see familiar faces for awhile.  Honestly, it was hard to know what to do with this new baby in this closed off room.  I had leg compression machines on my legs to help prevent blood clots.  I think the lactation consultant visited us.  We mostly just cuddled with our new little girl.  By evening they did have a room for us.  Elder K and his wife came to visit and soon after Husband's parents arrived fresh from Colorado to see their granddaughter.

We were tired and I was thankful that Husband would be staying with me for the night.  We learned quickly that we were not so very good at swaddling and Miss L was squirming out from time to time.  I think I finally just held her on my chest to get some sleep.

The next day (Friday) is spent trying to figure out nursing and healing.  I am hooked up to all sorts of things to help with the process.  What I really want is to be able to go to the bathroom without some big production.  It's a relatively average day.  My dad arrives from New Mexico to meet his first grandchild.

At different points in the night Miss L was taken for routine tests.  I think some of it had to do with how many hours old she was and it happened to fall in the middle of the night.  The nurse was supposed to bring her back at a particular time (early Saturday morning about 1:30) to nurse.  The nurse walked in... no baby.  The first thing out of her mouth, "Everything is fine... but..."  A million things run through my head.  I like this nurse so her concern for me and Miss L are genuine.  She told me how she had been watching Miss L and how she had looked a little "off" and jittery.  She checked her blood sugar and it had tanked... significantly.  She knew that I did not want to give Miss L formula but she was in such a bad place that she gave her just enough to balance Miss L out and then the nurse came to talk to me about next steps.  And thus began a long and difficult road of nursing of which I will not recount here.  I was thankful, however, to figure out the problem then rather than later.  I was also thankful that things had not been worse for Miss L.  And, no, it was not a nurse trying to push formula on me either. 

At that point, on top of everything, Miss L had jaundice.  So much so that they decided she needed to be under therapy lights for 24 hours before they would even think about letting us go.  UGH.  I had a very hard time with this.  She was only allowed "out" for 30 minutes to nurse.  It seemed like 15 of those minutes were used to just get her latched on.  Stress me out.  It was hard for me to want to go see her as there was nothing I could do to help her.  I felt like it was my fault and I had not done all that I could to care for her properly.  I cried.  A lot.  Foolish, now, I know.  But in the midst of crazy postpartum hormones that is where I was.  So, this was the icing on the cake after a fairly stressful night.  Lovely.

After all was said and done we were in the hospital 4 full days (Thursday AM - Sunday PM) and I have never been so excited to go home.  Miss L was healthy and doing well.

Now we had to figure some things out on our own....  ha ha ha!!

Freezer Meals: Update

UGH!  I am not making it through this list as fast as I would like to at this point.  The only thing I crossed off this month was Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti.  However, I can add that I randomly made a tator-tot casserole and doubled the recipe.  So, I froze half.  Also, my very sweet, kind, and oh-so-gracious mother-in-law made two meals for me.  I'll add those meals (and cross them off because it's fun) so I will have a running list.


I think I need to sit down and look at the budget with Husband to see if we can extend the budget a bit so I can make these extra meals while still feeding us.  I had been doing pretty well with that but it seems like all of a sudden the prices went up in stores and the good sales came to a grinding halt.  I anticipate some good sales on certain items with the holidays coming up so we will flex when that time comes.


Also, a sweet blessing in timing is that Zaycon Foods will be offering their yummy chicken to all lower 48 states soon at $1.49/lb.  We'll probably get two units this time around.  If you are interested in using my referral link please let me know.  :)  Can't beat that price these days!  It will be a good stock up item for us and as my husband says, "I like meat!"  He's been good in enduring my "meatless" meals from time to time but he likes to remind me that he is an omnivore with more carnivorous tendencies!  Anyway, once we get the chicken I think I will be able to cross things off a bit more quickly with the purchase of a few simple items.  YAY!!


Of course, I am always finding more recipes that I want to try... never enough time :)


Tator Tot Casserole x 1
Mom C's Meatloaf x1
Stuffed Peppers x 1
Husband's Lasagna x 2
Italian Stuffed Meatloaf x 2
My Chile x 2
Veggie Chile x 3
Ren's Chocolate Muffins x 2 (has good stuff like pumpkin, flax, etc -- it's not ALL sugar)
Chicken Pot Pie x 2
Fiesta Chicken x 2
Fiesta Chicken (Green Version) x 2
Spaghetti Sauce x 3 or 4
Spinach & Artichoke Mac & Cheese x 2
Green Chile Enchiladas x 3 (or more at the request of Husband)
Spaghetti Pizza x 2
Turkey & Vegetable Meatloaf x 2
Meatballs (not sure how many yet)
Brown Bag Burritos x 1 (makes 20-ish)
Chicken Spaghetti (Pioneer Woman) x 2
Pulled Pork x 1 (more if meat comes on sale again)
Breakfast Burritos x 1 (will probably make more - cranks out about 16)
Chicken & Rice (Quinoa) Burritos x 1 (makes about 8?)
Baked Ziti x 2
BBQ Beef & Bean Corn Bread Casserole x 2
Bacon, Egg, Cheese Biscuit Cups x 1
Ham & Cheese Pockets x 1
Sausage Biscuits x 1
Twice Cooked Mashed Potatoes x 2
Cranberry Chicken x 2
Broccoli & Cheddar Soup x 2
Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken x 2
Lactation Cookies x LOTS!

Match

Well, here's the first public photo of our little princess.  Our OB office doesn't allow us to video or take our own photos of the ultrasound so I had to rely on the scanner.  I'm a little lazy about taking it back to the office to do it.  For whatever reason it didn't do a great job but it gets the job done.

A couple of weeks ago I sat down with Miss L and showed her this picture.  I pointed out the nose, cheeks, lips, tummy, chest.  I asked Miss L, "Do you know what this is?"

"Baby!"

"And where is this baby right now?"

"Mama tummy," as she puts her hand on my tummy.

"That's right!  You're so smart!"

She takes the picture from my hands and begins to inspect it a bit more.  After a few moments she put the photo on my tummy and exclaims, "Match!"

Yes.

I think she gets it.

Heart.  Melted.