Hospital Bag v. 2

A friend asked Kyle the other day what to pack in your hospital bag in prep for baby. Since we're officially in the third trimester (WHAAAT??), I thought I'd give a list of what I'm planning to bring and what are maybes. And since I didn't write one last time, I only have my memory to go by. :)

For baby
His/her own bag: Because Lewis ended up in the NICU for a week and I'm an over-packer to the max, I'm planning to bring a bag for baby. Plus there will also be extra room for the diapers and extras that come home with us.

Going home outfit: Since we don't know baby's gender, I'm bringing one gender neutral outfit to put on baby to head home. And I'll bring a cute bow in case we have a girl. :) I found these super cute sweats in mustard!

Onesies/Sleepers: I'm planning on having 2 onesies (one neutral, one girl) and two sleepers (both neutral). Our hospital gives out a onesie with their logo on it to all babies. I still have Lewis's and it's soooo tiny!

And this cuuuuteeee sleeper to match the mustard sweats.

Blanket: I have a rainbow blanket for our rainbow baby at home. So I'm planning to bring that to tuck around baby in the car seat for coming home. 

*And that's about it for baby. S/he really won't need much else. The hospital provides diapers and wipes and pacis.

For momma
Comfy clothes: Last time, I lived in the hospital gown until I was mobile enough to get up by myself after my C-section. This time, I am planning on feeling more like a human much sooner. So, comfy yoga pants are a must in case I need another C-section.

Nursing bra & tank top: I loved my Bravada bras and my Gilligan & O'Malley nursing camis from Target last time. If you're looking for camis, run because they're on sale right now!

Slippers: I'm really not a fan of socks, esp the grippy socks at the hospital, so my slippers will make their way into my bag as well. Depending on how convincing I am, I might have Kyle buy me a new pair to come home to.

Breast pump & Haakaa: I'm planning to nurse again this time, so I plan to ask my dr to write me a prescription for a pump to have on hand for when baby arrives. Last time I had to wait until the next day to get my pump. That was a little bit of a pain. The haakaa is awesome...it's a manual pump that collects milk when you're nursing on the opposite side. My only complaint from last time is that I didn't know have it from day 1!

Extra long phone chargers: I was reading another blog and she reminded me of how far away the outlets are from the hospital beds. So, here are the Android chargers I'm planning to get. If you're looking for iPhone, these are a great option and they come in varying lengths.

My own pillow: It was so nice to have my own pillow that was already formed to me. BUT if you do bring your own pillow, don't have a plain white pillow case. The hospital MIGHT mistake it for theirs.

Toiletries: I have this nifty hanging organizer from Thirty-One that rocks!
Shampoo & Conditioner: While I'm trying to train my hair to not need to be washed that often, I'm also a realist and recognize that I'll feel better when my hair is washed with my own shampoo & conditioner.

Toothpaste & toothbrush: Travel sized isn't necessary, but they do take up less space.

Deodorant: Uh...duh. You'll sweat.

Essential oils: I have a Thieves roller that will help me feel better about all of the germs and a lavender roller that will help me relax.

Coconut oil: I packaged some coconut oil in a 4 oz jelly jar that I will bring along to use in place of lanolin. There are two reasons behind this...one, I'm cheap and I don't want to spend the money on lanolin (even though it's not terribly expensive), and two, I'm lazy and don't want to make an extra stop when I already have coconut oil at home.

Chapstick: I'm addicted to my chapstick and if I lose one, it's like this meme over and over.

Nursing pads: Because they're helpful.

Prenatals: Over the last 5 years, I've noticed that taking prenatals have really helped me feel better. More importantly, they helped out a lot when I was nursing Lewis.


For daddio
Comfy, soft clothes: More than likely, Dad will be snuggling baby quite a bit too. So make sure to have something comfy for him to lounge in, but soft enough that it doesn't chafe baby's delicate skin.

LOTS of Snacks: I ate some of the snacks that we had packed, but because my labor was so long (30+ hours), Kyle felt like he couldn't really leave to eat. The snacks came in handy during labor and when the kitchen was closed. But our hospital is awesome and they have hospitality rooms that are stocked with sandwiches, yogurt, string cheese, etc for when the kitchen is closed and mom or dad need a snack.

Long phone charger: Again, same as for mom. The outlets are placed obnoxiously far away.

His toiletries: Idk what all he wants in there, but he can pack them. :)

Helpful, but not necessary

Headphones: I spent a lot of time up pumping last time and I anticipate a lot of time pumping, nursing, or awake with a baby this time. So headphones might make my list of "to bring" items so that I can watch TV without disturbing Kyle.

Huge water bottle: Some hospitals give new moms a huge thermos or insulated water bottle with their logo on it, but ours doesn't. So if I want something of my own, I might pack one.

Do any other mommas have some input? Drop your comments and suggestions below! I'm sure I'm missing something, so I'll update it when I come up with it.

How many times have I done this?

So, in all seriousness. How many times have I tried to jump back on the bandwagon and be consistent with my blogging? I mean, I've had a blog for the better part of the last decade. So there's your ballpark timeframe.

And it really is so hard to stay consistent. I wanted to keep blogging last spring after we lost our first little baby. But it was so hard to keep up with all that I wanted to say and who I wanted to say it to. Then I started grad school at the same time and I got overwhelmed. That sense of being overwhelmed hasn't gone away, but it's just looking a little different these days.

After that semester, I really wanted to share our news about the newest little babe on the way. But when we lost that one on Mother's Day, I decided that I needed to take the summer to focus on our family and homework. And before I knew it, we were back to school and pregnant again. Praying all the while that this one would stick.

Here's to a new year. I'd love it if you'd stick around, but I can't make any promises about being consistent with my posting here. Grad school is still looming and with my maternity leave drawing neigh, things are looking a little overwhelming again. But God is good and busy isn't bad, especially when it's this kind of busy.

This year, I'm working toward "being present" in everything that I do. I'm not sure what that might look like, but I do know that it means saying "no" to more and focusing my attention more on what and who is in front of me.

For now, I'll leave you with a comparison picture. The first is from 10 weeks with Bean Sprout and the second is from today, at 26 weeks. Hello, (almost) end of 2nd trimester!

   

 

What are you working on this year?

I'd love it if you shared in the

comments.

Life Happens

Holy Cow...has it been forever since I've updated here. This last year has been nutso...summer flew by with grad school and being home with Lewis. This fall was crazy busy with getting back into the school year AND taking 2 grad classes. So now we're finally slowing down, but not for too long.

Lewis is now 2 and loving life. He's recently transitioned into a new daycare and so far, so good. There have been some tears at drop off, but he's typically chipper and ready to see momma when she arrives after school. He's chattering up a storm and looking more and more grown up by the day.

Kyle is still in sales at a local music store. He's been there a year and is still loving it. Plus...he's only days away from the big 3-0! Woot!

And I'm still teaching and working on grad school. This semester I'm only taking one class and that's ok, because... We're having another little peanut this spring!! Woo! I'm 25 weeks and it feels like a lifetime ago that we found out, but we are so thankful for a healthy baby and momma thus far.

It's been a full year of emotions, school, learning, and growth...but 2019 is already looking up.

So...tell me. What are YOU looking forward to this year?

It's finally here...

Fall is here, everyone! We are loving this cooler weather. This week is full of adventures and festivities. It's the annual Potato Bowl at UND this week AND Homecoming! It's busy, but fun.

So tomorrow will be spent at the world's largest french fry feed. Friday will be a little relaxing. Saturday we will see the parade! And Kyle and I have an opportunity to get out a little bit and see Mary Poppins in Fargo with my sister and her husband.

And then we're gearing up to celebrate my birthday next week.

Here's the cake I'm making for myself. 2 layers of this with a few modifications. And 1 layer of this.

Yum!

Hopefully I'm back for a little while now. We'll see. If not, it's good to see you around here again. :)

Where has time gone?

I wrote this a few weeks ago and forgot to share it. And since time flies when life is busy...I'll share it now. 

Written 5/22
 
I've been trying to find time and gumption to write for weeks now and while I still don't have much to say, I wanted to send out some encouragement.

Life is hard and circumstances suck sometimes. Although that is the case, there are some people that make life easier to trudge through.

It's the end of the school year. Life is hard. Money is tight. Sleep is fitful. Stress is high. But this is just a valley before a peak. And God is good.

A friend of mine shared this verse with me last week.
“Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” - Psalm 42:7,11

He is in control and when we have hope in Him, we know that we will return to those peaks. Life is not without trials and heartache, but because He is good, we will make it through.

Added 6/11

Summer is here and life is still tough. But with summer comes the sunshine and the full days with my boy help immensely.

Happy Monday!

Mid-Week Likes and Links

I've seen this topic floating around for a while and since I've been MIA (sorry!), I figured I'd kick things off again with some stuff to look at.

Here's a funny article that's oh so true.
We're loving these and these from Amazon lately.
If you're finding yourself saying "yes" too much, this  is for you.
An idea for the mothers in your life. Plus, it'll arrive in time!
Thinking about this place or this city for our 5 year anniversary. Thoughts?
STILL LOVING this recipe but adding some Mae Ploy
We just finished this show and started this one
And I'm firmly on Team Wade for "my" show

And last but not least, I'm watching this video on repeat.

Happy Wednesday!

Mid Week Book Talk | 04

It's a little hard for me to choose which book to talk about this week. But I think we'll have to go with my most recent finish, Stand-Off by Andrew Smith.

This weekend is the WAR for Literacy conference in town and Smith is our keynote speaker this year. The WAR conference is designed to be a free conference for teens that explores Writing And Reading (WAR). There are sessions on favorite books, writing poetry, screenplays, using social media, etc. The last two years the keynote speakers were Chris Crutcher (Crazy Horse Electric Game) in 2016 and Ellen Hopkins (Crank) in 2017.

This year we have Andrew Smith, author of award winning Winger and its sequel, Stand-Off.

Stand-Off by Andrew Smith

Stand-Off follows Ryan Dean West, a 15 year old senior at Pine Mountain, during his final year of high school. After a junior year full of pain, frustration, love, and heartbreak, Ryan Dean struggles with anxiety and fear of what may come. Coach M moves him up to the stand-off position on their rugby team and makes him team captain, but that responsibility might prove to be too much for young, Ryan Dean. To top it all off, he is assigned to live on the Freshman floor of the dorm with a 12 year old! Even with all of these challenges, Ryan Dean still has his girlfriend, Annie Altman, by his side.

After reading Winger last year, I had high hopes for Stand-Off. I was hoping to read more about his anxiety and how he copes with it. I also wanted to read more about their rugby team and Ryan Dean's final year of high school. And I think that was the biggest let-down. The novel takes place over the course of a few short weeks at school. Smith only covers one of the rugby matches in the season, which leads me to believe that the book couldn't have covered more than the first six weeks of school, tops.

My Goodreads review was this:
A nice story about Ryan Dean and his time at Pine Mountain. I definitely preferred Winger, but Stand-off was a nice tribute to Ryan Dean growing up and dealing with his anxiety following Joey's death. Unfortunately, in all 401 pages, only the last 2 talk about the end of his senior year and what his future might hold. Stand-off was severely lacking in rugby stories, unlike Winger, and it almost made Ryan Dean seem more like a little kid than the first go-around.

All-in-all, read Winger and make sure to read Stand-Off because it wraps up Ryan Dean's story, a little too nicely.

Happy Wednesday!

*Post does contain affiliate links, which means I may be compensated from any purchases you make, but at no extra cost to you*