Piggy's First Easter Basket

     I started planning Piggy Baby's Easter basket back in March, before St. Patrick's Day even came around.  In fact, I actually got some of the things I was going to put in it on St. Patrick's Day!  Hubby just thought I was crazy for even planning an Easter basket for her "It's not like she'll remember it."  I know she might not remember it, but I sure as hell will!  I had an Easter basket every year up until I moved in with my dad.  Then, it was a hit or miss as to if we would even get anything on Easter.  But I still go on with how I was raised.

     Church was a big thing with my mom meaning Easter was also a big thing.  Every year, we would go shopping for a special Easter dress for me and a special Easter shirt and tie for my brother (he pretty much wore the same kind of dress pants every year).  There was even one year when my mom took me to get a special Easter perfume to wear!  On Easter, we would wake up, get all dressed up, and head to Sunday school then services right after.  We would come home and there would be baskets waiting for us on the table.  How they got there, I might never know.  There would also be bunny tracks (I discovered it was actually baby powder) leading from the door to the table then back to the door.


This is everything that was in the basket.



Some toys for her to play with.  There's a teether, textured playmat
rings, rattle ring, rattle, and a cool little Ferris wheel thing that can
suction cup to a high chair tray, table, or any smooth surface.
 Some nice, simple things for her and me to play with.

If you're going to have an Easter basket, you kind
of have to have the basket.  This cool
little number has a hat around the bottom. 
Of course, she has quite a bit of growing to
do before she can fit into it!



No Easter basket would be complete with out eggs.  Even though
she is too little to eat any candy, I still plan on filling these
babies up with random things like rice, beans, rocks,
 bouncy balls, sand, etc. and then gluing them
shut so that way she can shake them.  Easy DIY rattles!




A tutu for when she gets older (it's 12 months size) and some cool
 shades since she likes to stare at the sun or any bright lights.



This is Piggy's basket all put together.  Cute, isn't it?

To top off the basket, there's a cute little stuffed lamb for her.  The fact that this lamb is so fuzzy, it was a new texture to her and she was very intrigued by it.

 

        What did you put in your child's first Easter basket?  Share in the comments below!

Tutu of the Week: Easter!

     Celebrating her first Easter, Piggy is wearing an adorable pink and purple tutu.  Three layers of pink and purple in patterns and alternating with a pink and white daisy for the tutu and a pink headband with a purple lace flower on top to boot, this is a cute one to celebrate in!

Cleaning With a Baby

     After Piggy was born, I was so shrouded with love that couldn't care about how the house looked.  My parents and my mother-in-law were at the house with us and helping out by cleaning, doing the dishes, and making dinner.  I kind of got into the grove of my dad doing the dishes, my mother-in-law cleaning, and my mom cooking dinner.  I pretty much forgot that at some point, they'll all be back home.  That time finally came and my mind was thinking "The house is still clean so there's no need to clean.  You can do it next week."  Every week was the same thing.

     Once Piggy hit four weeks, I realized that the house was a complete wreck.  There were dishes overflowing the sink and onto the counters, trash piled up the wall being balanced onto more trash like a crazy game of Jenga, the couch was covered in random stuff, every piece of clothing was needing to be washed, the bathroom was a maze, the hallway became an obstacle course, and the bed was no where to be found.  Things needed cleaning and they needed cleaning now.

     I put my cleaning pants on and dove into the piles just to be interrupted ten minutes late by a cry Piggy.  Once she started crying, it would take her between half an hour to two hours to calm her down.  By then, I'd be too tired to clean.  I got the idea to let hubby watch her while I got to cleaning.  It worked...but only for a little while.  She would either get tired of being held by him or she was hungry making me stop what I was doing and come to her rescue.

     I hardly getting anywhere with cleaning.  I had to do something else.  I got to noticing a pattern.  I would go to clean, Piggy would want attention, Piggy Baby would get attention, she would calm down.  I had to give her attention while I cleaned.  What better way to give her attention than to wear her!  So I got a Moby Wrap.

     After the first week of wearing Piggy around while cleaning, I was able to get so much done.  The entire house went from looking like fifteen tornadoes, three hurricanes, and an earthquake struck to being nice and pristine.  I was loving it so much.  Unfortunately though, Piggy eventually got bored of me always wearing her that she would fuss whenever she was worn around for longer than half a hour.  So I had to think of something else.

     I made a cleaning schedule with times of when I was going to do what.  I made sure that every hour, I had time to feed and change Piggy.  I also made it flexible incase she decides to go on her own schedule instead of mine.  I had my days starting at ten in the morning and going until Piggy fell asleep or midnight, whichever came first.  From ten to two, I had everything that I needed to clean and then from three to midnight was catch up time incase I missed something because Piggy was being fussy or needed an extra change or threw up and needed to be cleaned up.  This was going great...until she decided to keep me up until four in the morning making me not wake up until one in the afternoon.  Even though she did go back to going to sleep around midnight, those few days of staying up until four hit me hard and I couldn't wake up before noon to save my life unless she was hungry or needed to be changed.

     Since I was getting up around noon, I was going to use it to my advantage.  I would wake up and give myself no more than fifteen minutes to fully wake up.  I would change Piggy Baby if she needed it, then before she could fully wake up, I would put her in her swing to lull her back to sleep.  I'd then do a load of dishes, eat me some breakfast, then get to cleaning.

     I am normally able to get a hour and a half of good cleaning done before she wakes up.  Once she does, I usually have thirty minutes before she wants attention of some sort.  By then, I'm either entirely done with cleaning, or almost done.

     When Piggy starts demanding attention, I give it to her.  I'll feed and change her and keep her happy until she decides she's tired again.  At that point, I just put her in her bouncer and bounce her to sleep then go back to finish my cleaning.  If she decides that she doesn't want me to leave her, then I just hang out with her until Daddy comes home.  Then I let him spend time with her and finish up my cleaning.  If it's after six though, I just go straight to cooking dinner and do what cleaning I can while it's cooking.  If Daddy doesn't get home until late (after eight), I just take her with me and bouncer her with one foot while I clean, do dishes, or cook.

     And that is how I get my cleaning done with Piggy.  It might take some experimenting, but eventually, you'll find a system that works for you!

Easy Window Cleaner

     When I say "easy window cleaner", I really do mean "easy window cleaner"!  Just two things - well, technically 3 - for this!  Ready?  Here you go:  vinegar and a spray bottle...and technically a wash cloth, paper towels, or sponge.  That's it!

     Vinegar brings a shine out of those windows.  Even better, you can use this on mirrors and fixtures like the bathroom faucet, kitchen sink, any thing you want to give a shine to!  Something else that vinegar has going for it is that it doesn't have those nauseating fumes.  If you're worried about your house smelling like a pickle jar, don't worry!  When it dries, it looses the scent so you won't smell anything.  Nice, eh?

     Compare vinegar to Windex and you won't tell a difference.  Well, except for Windex leaving that lingering scent, you won't be able to tell.  If it's a hot day outside and you don't get a chance to wipe off the vinegar, it won't leave any residue like Windex would.  Bonus:  you can get vinegar for, like, $2 for a gallon.  That's less than a small bottle of Windex!  Money saver!  And who's not into saving some cash?

Plastic Bag Storage

     If you're like me, after every store trip, you wind up with a lot of bags on your hands that you keep.  You never know what you can use these things for: the trashcan in the bathroom, dirty diapers, wet clothes, putting your husband's lunch in because he keeps loosing lunch boxes, the uses are endless really.  The only problem with these things is that they take over fairly quickly.  I have an entire cabinet full of them.  I practically have to shove them in and put the trashcan in front so the doors don't pop open.  Ok, so there's no "practically" about that.  I have to shove them in and put the trashcan in front of the doors.  I had  to do something about those bags.

     I present to you, my plastic bag storage containers! Alright.  Alright.  So they're just Lysol wipes containers and an old travel pack baby wipes container.  Not to high techy there.  But when you go from bulging cabinets to easy to carry wipes containers, it's hard to resist.

 

     How did I get my bags into the containers so neatly?  It must have been a lot of hard work, right?  Nope.  It just took me five minutes.  Alright, so maybe fifteen because I kept getting distracted by the TV, but it would have taken five without!  Fine.  The first container took me longer than that even without the TV distraction.  That was only because I was doing it the hard way.  Once I discovered the way easier way, it took five minutes.

     What did I do?  Well, first, you're going to need a Lysol container and/or travel baby wipes container and (of course) your stash of plastic bags.

     Step 1:  Separate all of the bags.  Don't have any inside of another.  That would just make it impossibly hard.  Take off the label (if you can) off of the wipes container.  If you can't, don't worry about it.  You can paint over it or something.

     Step 2:  Flatten out the bags.  This is where I discovered that I was doing things the hard way.  Before, I was just taking them and un-wadding and un-crinkling them aimlessly.  Then, I discovered that all I had to do was just find the "hem" on one handle and the "hem" on the bottom corner on the same side as the handle then pull.  It will straighten and align itself.  Then just do the same thing on the other side!  Viola!  Easy way that just takes a few seconds compared to the half minute before.  Once you've flattened out the bag, fold it in half where the handles are folded onto the handles (not handles onto the bottom).

This is what the "hem" looks like

After you pull, this is what it will look like

Ta-da!  Pulled on both sides and it's now flat!

Fold in half and push out the air

     Step 3:  Lay out as many bags as you want/can fit like this:

Handles go over the bottom

 

     Step 4:  Roll them up!  Make sure the get the air out before you start to roll up a bag.  Otherwise, you'll wind up with a big roll of air and a little bit of plastic bags.

Roll starting from the handle then move down to the bottom.  To make it easier to find the end once everything is all rolled up, on the first handle, flip it up then roll.

     Step 5:  Just put them in the container!  Ta-da!



Open the container...

...plop in the roll...

...pop the top back on and voila!

     For the wipes package, follow the first three steps then fold like below, then put in the wipes container.  Once again, ta-da!

Fold bottom just barely smaller than the width of the wipes package

Flip over and place the bottom of another bag on top, overlapping the same amount folded over for the above step

Fold handles in



Flip over and repeat with approximately twelve bags

 

Slip folded bags in through the opening then fix them flat inside



Pull top handle out and you're done!

     That's all there is to it!  I keep one big container near Piggy Baby's changing table (for those really stinky diapers) and one in the car (you never know what might happen: need a trash bag, wet clothes from the beach, muddy clothes from a Piggy rolling around in her "natural habitat", too much stuff and not enough hands, etc.)  I keep the little package in Piggy's diaper bag (for those stinky diapers and poopy/wet/dirty clothes when on the go).

     What will/do you use yours for?  Leave a comment and let me know!

Things No One Tells You About Pregnancy

     As a girl, I thought there was always this fairytale kind of magic about being pregnant.  There is just something about having a growing person inside of you, the glow that comes with being pregnant, and the attention that people give you.  Unfortunately, there are some things that just conveniently were omitted in these fairytales.  I've decided to help you out and make a list of some of these untold truths about being pregnant.  I'm going to apologize ahead of time.  I originally began writing this when I was still pregnant, so if some of them make it seem like I'm still pregnant just know that I'm not.  I tried to correct them, but I think I kept reading the same ones over and over again and got side tracked.

     No One Tells You About the Cramps

     It's true.  During the first trimester (at least), there's some cramping involved.  I had some serious ones that made me think I was fixing to start my period resulting in me freaking out and going to the bathroom to check at every sign of these cramps.  I will admit that since my first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage and felt as if I was starting my period but worse, I was very paranoid that I was fixing to have another miscarriage.  I would have these severe cramps where I wouldn't (and couldn't) move from my spot unless it was to curl up in a tiny ball in the corner of the room saying "kill me now" while rocking back and forth like a psychopath.  It was not a pleasant feeling in the least.  The good news is that this doesn't occur through out the entire pregnancy for most women (and it fortunately stopped for me once I was in my eleventh week).  There are unfortunately the very, very, VERY few women who have to suffer through more or all of the pregnancy.  However, no matter how severe the pain, try to stay away from medicines.  My doctor told me it was okay for me to take Tylenol.  No matter what I might say that I took for medication, ASK YOUR DOCTOR FIRST!  What might be alright for me to take might not be right for you to take.  If your doctor says you can't take medication, a nice warm, but not hot, heating pad works just fine.  I would suggest taking a nice hot bubble bath, but I was told that the water couldn't be over 100 degrees and to not use scented stuff for long periods of time (like bubble bath juice).  Unfortunately, all of my bubble bath stuff is scented and I can't find any that's not and I don't have a thermometer to check the water.  My mom kept telling me to put some water on my wrist and if I can't feel it, then I'm good, but to me, that's no use when I looking for warmth to soothe me.

     No One Tells You About the Questions

     "When are you due?", "Do you know the gender?", "Are you going to breastfeed?", "Have you picked out any names?", "What are you hoping for?", "Are you going to post belly pictures on Facebook?", "Are you going to find out the gender?", "Are you going to tell everyone what the gender is?", "How are you feeling?", "Do you have any cravings yet?  What are you craving?", "Have you registered yet?" "Where are you having the baby?", "Have you gotten an ultrasound done yet?" and the popular "What are your plans for ___ [fill in with holiday, weekend, month, after baby's born, etc.]?" were thrown at me and I know I'm not the only one.  It wouldn't be as bad if every person asked me the same question through phone, text, email, or person.  It was horrible when the same person would ask the same question multiple times.  I pretty much came to the resolution to just ignore the questions and if I can't ignore them, just come up with a smart ass reply (impolite, I know, but I can only take so much stupid before I snap).  Facebook was the place where I got bombarded by the same questions over and over -- on the same post -- when I've already answered the question -- three times -- then someone asks again.  It just gets annoying.  The fact that some people were asking me what my plans were for my birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and anywhere from the day after the baby is born through the entire first month, and wanted me to come see them just drove me up the walls and (I'll willingly admit) made me think they were inconsiderate when they were upset when I told them my plans.  "I'm staying home for my birthday, staying home for Thanksgiving, I can't go anywhere for Christmas, and I'm more than likely not leaving this house for a few months after the baby's born.  If you're so desperate to see me (and baby), then you can come to me.  I'm not making fifteen billion trips just to see everyone that wants to see me.  I will make a few exceptions (like my dad who is a school bus driver and might not be able to get the time off to come see us because I'm due during school) but it won't be because feelings got hurt when I said 'Nope.  I'm not coming to see you.'"  I had to tell several people that.  It just got way out of hand.

     No One Tells You About the Diet Changes

     When I say "diet changes", I mean diet changes!  No soft cheeses, no deli meats (unless cooked until it's steaming), no raw/undercooked meat (that means no sushi -- period!), must thoroughly wash any fruits or vegetables, if it was meant to be served hot, you must eat it hot (that means no cold pizza for breakfast), little to no fish, no food heated in plastic, no (what I call) long-lasting food (like lunchables, ramen, yakisoba, TV dinners, you get the gist), limit caffeine intake, and (the one that kills me every time I bake) no cake batter because of the raw eggs.  A healthy eating person might think "Psh!  I can do it!" but let me tell you this: I ate relatively healthy (a lot of fruits and vegetables) before I was even pregnant, rarely (if ever) drank soda, and wasn't a big fan of junk food, but once I was pregnant, just about any and everything I couldn't have I started to crave.  Some things just killed me when I was told that I couldn't have it.  I'm in love with sushi and the doc said the only possible way to have it is if I make it with cooked meat and since I can't have under cooked meat (meat not cooked to 170) I can't eat steak the way I like it (medium rare, yummy).  I liked to eat ramen whenever I was hungry but not hungry enough to eat a full meal so that sucked.  Since I'm from the south, sweet tea runs through my veins, but I didn't mind cutting back on it as long as I was able to have a nice hot cup of my favorite tea at the end of the day.

     No One Tells You About Always Being Tired

     This one is one that you would figure people would think to tell you about, but they don't.  There's just something about a baby growing in you that makes you tired.  Sleep becomes a very precious thing even before the baby gets here.  So, note to husbands: let a sleeping pregnant woman be.  Don't touch her, don't try to talk to her, and the only time when you should attempt to wake her up is if she is on fire and doesn't know it.  If that's the case, first check and see if she's feeling too hot, if she is, don't wake her up yet.  Just go and get a bucket of water to throw on her.  The water will wake her up and cool her off.  Make sure to be prepared to run.  Any other situation though, don't wake her up.  It would be the equivalent of waking up a mother bear while you're holding one of her cubs by the tail and the other dipped in honey with Eau De Fish poured on top.  If you don't know what that's like, the here's some tips: (1) Run, (2) Run fast, (3) If you brought anyone with you, make sure to run faster than them, (4) Throw "The Pillow" (you'll find out what that is in a little bit) to her, (5) Offer her the food she's been craving the most...and then some, oh, and (6) Run.  Oh, and don't trip.  You've seen horror movies.  You trip, you die.

     No One Tells You About "The Pillow"

     When I say "The Pillow", I don't many just any pillow.  I mean the pillow.  It is a gift sent down from heaven to pregnant women everywhere.  It brings comfort and sleep when you need it most.  I'm talking about the pregnancy pillow, baby.  It can be an actual pregnancy pillow or (in my case) a body pillow.  Either way, it is lavishing.  Back hurt?  Put the pillow behind you and lean into it.  Hips hurt?  Put it between your legs.  Sides hurt?  Put it in the curve of your side and lay on it.  Need a cuddle buddy?  Just wrap it up in your arms and get comfy!  The Pillow is amazing!  There are all sorts of pregnancy pillows.  There's the kind where it's just long enough to cradle your back.  There's the kind that's long enough to cradle your back and put between your legs.  There's the kind that long enough to cradle your back, put between your legs, and rest your growing belly on.  Then, there's the one that just surrounds you with pillow!  Oh, and there's the body-pillow-as-a-pregnancy-pillow one.  I couldn't go a single night without having The Pillow.  I had it as my actual pillow then wrapped it around my back then put what's left between my legs.  AMAZING!  Why people never mention it prior to pregnancy?  I'll never know.  I have only found one down side to the all amazing pillow: my husband was jealous.  I'm the most comfortable on my right side when going to sleep, meaning my back is to him...and so is The Pillow.  When he wanted to cuddle with me, he couldn't.  There's a pillow in the way.  When I did lay on my left side, I was hugging The Pillow, so he still couldn't cuddle with me.  As he put it "The Pillow gets more attention than I do!  You turned The Pillow into your bitch!"  I didn't know what he was talking about until I watched "The Back Up Plan" with Jennifer Lopez.  I couldn't help but to laugh because the guys in it pretty much said the same thing my husband said.  When the scene came when the guy threw her pillow into the dumpster, I looked at my husband and said "If you dare do that to The Pillow, you're jumping in and getting it out.  If you don't do that, then you're going to buy me a new one.  If you don't do that, I'm going to buy the full-body pillow!"  I showed him a picture and he tucked his tail between his legs.  Before we even watched that movie, he's tried to hide The Pillow from me.  I always found it though.  (MUHWHAHAHA!)  Anyways, in my personal opinion, no pregnant woman should go without The Pillow.

     No One Tells You About the Unwanted Advice You'll Receive

     From the second I announced I was pregnant, I was getting unwanted pregnancy advice.  Most of it was just the same stuff over and over again.  There was this one time when I had gone grocery shopping with my grandmother.  She brings this insulated bag for her cold stuff and all that was in it was two gallons of milk and a tub of ice cream.  I picked it up out of the cart to put in the truck (keep in mind it was with both hands) and she started to flip saying that I shouldn't be carrying anything that heavy.  Seriously?  I know my limits on weight!  There's no reason to flip out!  Then there was when I was coming back from Georgia.  I always bring a backpack for my carryon.  My step dad went nuts with picking it up with everything I put in and saying "Don't put too much in that.  You shouldn't even be carrying a backpack."  Once again, I know my limits!  Once I announced on Facebook that I was pregnant, I had comments of "Be sure to eat right", "Make sure to exercise", "Make sure to go to the doctor", "Drink a lot of water", "Don't push yourself too hard", "Buy a lot of diapers now so you'll have them later", "Don't bother with a gate until the baby can crawl", "You'll need to get this", "Don't bother getting that", all stuff that I already know or don't need to know.  I mean, who's to tell me that I'm not going to need to get a bottle sterilizer (I've had people tell me that)?  I don't drink the tap water here (mainly because we've had problems in the past with the plumbing and I think it tastes nasty) unless it's been boiled.  Why would I trust the water to rid of the bacteria off of my baby's bottles if I don't even trust it enough to drink myself?  Since we don't have a dishwasher to help steam the bottles, I think a sterilizer would be a necessity.  There's also been people to tell me that I simply HAVE to get a wipe warmer.  What's the point?  You get the same effect by placing the wipe in between your hands and not have to worry about them drying out either.  I've pretty much gained the mentality of "If I ask for your advice, give it to me.  Otherwise, shut up!"  That might be rude to some, but I can only be polite for so long before I just snap (and like I said before, I can only take so much stupid).

     No One Tells You When to Start Shopping

     This actually has no right answer, but when you and your SO have two different ideas on when to start shopping, things can get a little hairy.  I wanted to start right after I hit the half-way mark, but my husband wanted to wait until the last minute (or at least that's how it felt to me.)  I had been trying to seek advice online about when is best, just to come across the same thing: "When you're ready to start, start" with the exception of one person saying "You can wait on everything until the baby is born" (uh, what?!  Nuh-uh!  I couldn't do that!  I like being prepared!)  Much help that has been for me.  At one time, I was trying to slide my dear hubby into buy a crib.  Just a crib (and maybe the mattress too, depending on the price and if it came with the crib).  Boy, I was trying.  I found this crib online that I REALLY liked for $200 and the day after I found it was when the store was starting their layaway plan.  I coaxed DH into going to the store to try to put it on layaway.  Once we got there, we found out that the store didn't have the crib meaning we couldn't put it on layaway (shucks).  Husband thought that was going to be the end of crib-hunting (boy was he wrong).  The next day, I was on Craigslist and Bookoo searching for a crib.  Any crib.  One that we can just call up and say "Hey, I want that."  I succeeded in finding seven cribs that were in the running.  I sent a picture of the first one to my husband with "Please?".  He must have given in some and emailed the person, but by the time he got home, the crib had already been sold (strike two!).  So, with me being me, I didn't give up yet.  While he was watching TV, I was online and just so happen to "come across" those other six cribs.  With each one, I turned the computer around with a remark of "there's this one," "what about this one," or "this one looks nice."  I was shot down with each one with "mhm," "okay," "that one's got scratches all over it," "that's too much," "yeah," and a simple nod without even looking at the screen (strike three!  You're--).  No, no, no.  I was NOT going down that easily.  I gave him a break from cribs for two days before I planned on striking again.  This time, I found a crib just like the one I wanted from that store...for $125!  I started to do a little dance thinking that he was going to be all for it!  I snapped a picture and sent it to him.  He replied with "where is it?"  "Oceanside" (!), "How much is it?" I've almost got him! "125" then...nothing.  I waited almost thirty minutes for him to reply with "We don't have it right now.  Let's wait, okay?  We can shop around."  My plane was shot down by the Red Baron.  I surrendered to the Axis Powers and was taken as a prisoner.  I was put on a crib-hunting hiatus while worrying about whether or not I was going to survive the wait to be released and the war to turn.  While I'm in here, I must make every second and move count.  So, my advice to you, negotiate an agreement on when to start shopping before you get the urge to get stuff so that way you know you're not waiting until the last minute.

UPDATE:  So, yeah.  My hiatus only lasted for a week before I once again started to attack him. Fortunately, though, this time, it only took one time.  I found a nice crib, changer, AND mattress for only $60.  Showed him a picture, and BAM!  I finally not only had him on the hook, but I also reeled him in and brought that sucker to the surface to show off the fruits of my patience...or lack there of.
 
     No One Tells You About "Leaky Boob Syndrome"

     Ok.  So, maybe Leaky Boob Syndrome (a.k.a. LBS) isn't a real medical term, but it at least adds some comical relief to the unfortunate, yucky, and annoying time when your breasts start to leak colostrum.  It's like your first period for your boobs.  You never know when it's going to first happen and after the first time, there's no telling when it will strike again.  More than likely, the first time, it'll leak through your bra and shirt leaving embarrassing spots for all to see, resulting in the paranoia of wearing pads to keep it from happening again.  For me, there was at least a brighter side to LBS: it first happened to me in my sleep.  I just woke up one morning, went to the bathroom, caught a glimpse of me in the mirror and noticed "wet" spots on my shirt ("wet" because they were actually dry but still looked wet).  I was confused as to what it was and first thought it was drool until I noticed that my bra was making me itch.  I look inside to see flaky, yellowish stuff dried onto my bra...right where my nipples stay.  When I saw that, I knew instantly that I had LBS.  While I got lucky with my first LBS strike happening while I slept, the next time I wasn't as lucky.  About a week had passed since my first mishaps and I was getting a little too confident that it was just a one time thing.  I was just laying in bed, on my phone, scouring the wonderful world of Pinterest for interesting stuff, lulling myself to sleep.  My hair had fallen into my face so I swiped it away with the back of my hand.  When I did, I noticed that my hand was wet.  First thought "wow, I'm sweating a lot", realized that I wasn't sweating leading to my second thought of "did I drool", felt my mouth and it was dry, making me sit up and look for the source.  That's when I noticed that the back of my hand had yellowish, watery, milky junk on it.  EWWW!!!  I had leaked through my bra, through my shirt, and had enough to start pooling on the back of my hand.  Since then, I've noticed that my LBS only strikes at night so I just sleep with a washcloth in my bra to catch it all.  I know that there are pads that you can buy that are specially made for LBS, but when your boobs are still growing to the point that one of them is too big to fit in the bra and likes to make a little appearance at the party on a regular basis, pads just don't work.  I tried using tissue and stuffing my bra like a middle school girl, but once again, with one of my girls wanting attention, it doesn't work out too well.  The washcloth was the way to go for me.  Just fold it in half, then fold it hot-dog style, then just put one end in one cup and the other end in the other, and I was set where even if my immodest friend attacked, I'd still be covered.

     No One Tells You About "Snot-gina"

     Ah, yes.  The lovely thing that I like to call "Snot-gina".  It might sound like a joke, but it seriously seems like your lady parts are constantly suffering through a runny nose.  While it might be common, those who do not suffer from this excessive discharge should consider themselves lucky.  CAUTION:  TMI might occur past this point.  If you do not want to risk having to get this information, just skip down to the all caps section.  If you don't care, then just consider yourself warned!  Anyways, before being pregnant, I already had quite a bit of discharge.  Now, it seems like if I sneeze, my whoo-hoo sneezes too.  When I get up in the mornings, I have to rush to the bathroom to let the snot-dam relieve itself of the pressure that was built up over the night.  If I plan on wearing leggings, stockings, yoga pants, a dress or anything else that is made out of a thin material or nothing in the crotch region, I have to make sure to wear a pad and bring extras with me because the one I'm currently wearing will start to get a pool of snot after just an hour and a half.  If my hubby wants be to come to bed without any clothes on, I have to tell his "Sorry, Charlie" because I know that if I don't wear underwear to bed, then I'll wake up with snot all over me and have to wash the sheets.  On top of that, I have to wear that bra incase I suffer from LBS sometime during the night.  CLEAR OF TMI!  While it might seem to be pretty bad at the beginning of pregnancy, it will get worse.  Once that third trimester comes, it just gets so much worse.  Unfortunately, there isn't anything (that I know of) that can keep this stuff from happening.  The only advice that I can give to make it at least manageable, (1) wear a pad, (2) change underwear often (as in one or two times a day, if not more), and (3) if it comes to it, go to the bathroom to "blow your nose" when you feel the "sneeze" coming.

No One Tells You What You Need in Your Hospital Bag

     There are tons and tons of lists out there about what to pack in your hospital bag.  The truth is, most of the stuff you pack will not even be touched.  As tempting as it might be to pack cutesy stuff for you to wear, don't even bother.  Odds are that you'll be in an "I could care less about what I look like" kind of mood.  With that, nix the make-up too.  Dare I even say to nix the cute baby clothes?  Not quite.  I say bring two or three outfits for pictures.  That's it.  Don't bring an entire wardrobe.  You might be thinking "But I want to dress my baby up in all of these cute outfits!"  Just take my word for it.  Forget all of the toiletries.  All you'll need is some baby wash (you and baby can both use this), toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, and (if you prefer your own compared to the hospital's) ooberly absorbent pads, I mean the kind that could almost absorb the ocean.  There's going to be quite a bit of blood that even the heaviest of periods couldn't prepare you for.  If you easily get cold feet, bring some nice, warm socks to wear.  Something to put your hair up would be useful, too.
     Later into the 30 Blog Challenge, I'll do a post specifically for this section.  I'll go into more detail in that post, but for now, I'll just keep this nice, short, and simple.


     I'm sure that there's some more things that no one tells you about pregnancy, but for now, this is all I have.  If there's anything that you can think of for me to add, feel free to tell me.  You can also feel free to share your experiences of any of the above.  I won't judge.

Operation: Spring Cleaning - Week 2/Aftermath

     Last week, there wasn't much spring cleaning going on.  Incase you missed out on the action, or lack thereof, you can check it out on my post titled Operation: Spring Cleaning - Week 1...or you can just click on the link.  That would work, too.  Also, incase you missed the beginning part, Operation: Spring Cleaning, just click on the link.  Pretty simple.  Now, here's the final week along with pictures of how the house looks now.

Day 8

     I didn't get a chance to do any cleaning today because Fridays are the day I clean the bedroom.  It's kind of hard to clean a bedroom when there's a bear hibernating in it.  No, not an actual bear!  It's Hubby sleeping after not getting any sleep last night and having to go to work at five in the morning when it used to be 3 in the afternoon.

     Tomorrow, I'll be able to do some cleaning (if he's done hibernating).  All the stuff I was supposed to do today is just simply going to get moved to Friday.

Day 9

     Today was the most productive day, by far.  While it wasn't any of the stuff I was supposed to do today, it was almost all of the stuff I needed to do in the living room.  I cleaned under the couch, wiped down the walls, cleaned the window sill, cleaned the door, organized the couch arm rest compartment, dusted the ceiling, and cleaned the lights and switches.  I'm proud of myself.  As a reward for doing all this cleaning, I shall eat a turtle (the candy, not the animal!)

     Let's hope tomorrow winds up the same with productivity!

Day 10

     Hurray!  I was once again able to get a quite a bit of cleaning done!  Like yesterday, it wasn't for the room I planned on, but cleaning is cleaning.  I wiped down the walls in the hallway and kitchen, and in the dining room, I cleaned the window sill, wiped down the walls, cleaned the table and chairs, and cleaned under the counter.  I was also able to clean the bedroom door and light switch.  I was going to dust the ceiling in the dining room and clean the vents in the bathroom and living room, but when trying to empty the vacuum, Hubby kind of broke it.  Now anything that involves the vacuum has to be put on hold until the fifteenth of April, when we're able to get replacements...and more carpet shampoo.

     Now that I have the cleaning momentum going, let's hope it lasts until spring cleaning is over.  Let's also hope that my momentum wears off on Hubby so he can get to his cleaning list!

Day 11

     Yet another productive day.  I actually did the cleaning I was supposed to do today!  Granted, I didn't get all of it done because Piggy became grumpy towards the end, but it was still the cleaning I was supposed to do.

     Today, I was able to wipe down the cabinets, clean the oven, cleaned appliances, cleaned the backsplash, and cleaned the light switches in the kitchen.  Hubby changed the air filter and now the house is colder than before.

     Since the momentum has been keeping up, things are looking good for tomorrow!

Day 12

     This was the most productive day.  The only thing I didn't get done that I was supposed to was cleaning the shower curtain and anything involving the vacuum (like dusting the ceiling and cleaning the vents).  I was able to scrub the floors (yes, like Cinderella), cleaned the walls, wiped down the door, cleaned the drains, cleaned the faucets, organized the cabinets, cleaned under the sink, wiped down the cabinets, and cleaned the light switch.  As a reward for cleaning everything I needed to, I'm giving myself the day off tomorrow...that and I don't have any cleaning scheduled for tomorrow since I did it during the weekend.  Awesomeness!

Day 13

     Today was a well deserved day off.  I spent the morning cuddling with my little Piggy Baby and reading a book on baby-led weaning (which I'm going to do a post on eventually).  I got my daily does of the Ellen Degeneres Show and the Dr. Oz Show in along with a 20 minute workout to get back my pre-pregnancy body (also another post I'm going to do eventually).

     Not only was today nice and relaxing, last night was very restful for everyone - and I mean everyone, even Piggy.  This morning marked a milestone for her.  She not only has slept through the night once or twice, but try a week!  With my sleep almost back to normal, tomorrow is going to once again be full of cleaning!

Day 14

     After a nice day off yesterday, I got some progress done today.  Since I only had dusting the bookshelf and cleaning under the entertainment center for today, I decided to also tackle some stuff for tomorrow.  I was able to clean the lights and switches, go through my clothes, check and clean the smoke detectors, wipe down the cabinets, wipe down the closet doors, clean the door, change the lights, and go through the dresser.  All being in the bedroom.  I also changed the light in the storage room.  I nixed rearranging the furniture since just moving the bed over a few inches made more room between the bed and Piggy's crib and changing table.  This makes for an overall great cleaning week.

     Well, it's the end of my two weeks of spring cleaning.  That means that Operation: Spring Cleaning is over.  Even though I didn't get around to doing everything these past two weeks, doesn't mean that I'm not going to do them.  I'll knock them out whenever I get the chance to.

     In case you want to know what all I didn't get to, here's a quick list:

Truck/Car

• Clean consoles
• Clean front seat
• Clean mirrors
• Clean cup holders
• Clean back seat
• Clean windows
• Clean trunk
• Vacuum*
• Shampoo*
• Car wash

Kitchen

• Clean drains
• Scrub floor
• Clean under sink
• Clean dining room side counter
• Organize drawers
• Clean lights
• Clean behind & under stove
• Clean behind & under fridge
• Clean trash can

Bathroom

• Clean under sink*
• Clean vents*
• Clean shower curtain
• Dust ceiling*
• Clean lights

Dining Room

• Dust ceiling*
• Shampoo carpet*
• Clean blinds
• Clean lights

Living Room

• Shampoo carpet*
• Clean vents*
• Shampoo couch*
• Clean windows (inside)
• Clean blinds
• Dust DVDs & books

Bedroom

• Dust ceiling*
• Clean vents*
• Clean window sill
• Clean window (in & out)
• Clean cabinet shelves
• Wipe down walls
• Clean closet shelves
• Clean blinds
• Vacuum closet*
• Shampoo closet*
• Vacuum under nightstand*
• Vacuum under dresser*
• Shampoo carpet*
• Go through nightstand
• Organize cabinets
• Vacuum under bed*
• Vacuum under crib*
• Organize closet

Hallway

• Clean vents*
• Dust ceiling*
• Vacuum*
• Shampoo carpet*
• Clean lights

Hallway Closet

• Go through everything
• Organize
• Wipe down walls
• Vacuum*
• Shampoo*

Storage Room

• Go through everything
• Wipe down walls
• Sweep & mop (mop x2)
• Clean lights & switches
• Clean door

     Yeah, it's still quite a bit that I didn't get done, but you also have to remember that the vacuum broke.  Anything that's marked with a * will be stuff that requires the vacuum.  There's actually a good chunk of stuff that requires the vacuum.

     I'm actually going to explain myself on why I didn't do some of the stuff.  I didn't do anything on the truck or car because that would go by a lot easier if either me or Hubby were to watch Piggy while this went on.  Since it is just me during the majority of the day, it would be difficult for me to clean the car (the truck is Hubby's job) and keep an eye on Piggy Baby at the same time.  I'm just going to leave this for an open weekend.

     I didn't even touch the storage room (except to change the light) because it stinks.  We were watching a friend's dog and that was where he would sleep at night.  We think he peed somewhere in there making it stink to high heaven.  We've been trying to get the stench to go away by putting "Lysol bombs" in there (keep the button on a Lysol can down and throw it in) but by the time the can is empty, there's so much Lysol in the air that you have to let it air out for a day before going in.  After that day, it's back to stinking.  This is also the reason why for the storage room, I have "sweep & mop (mop x2)" listed.

     The bedroom is a little hard for me to clean by myself.  I don't know where Hubby wants his stuff put, can't reach to the back of the closet shelf, can't even reach half of the stuff in the top cabinet (and yes, our bedroom has cabinets built into the wall.  We didn't choose this, it was already built in.  If I had my way, those things would be GONE!)  and can't move the furniture on my own.  I'm too tiny for that.  Hubby had to work nights so by the time I got up, he would be at work and by the time he got home, I would be in bed.  There was the occasional half hour together before he had to go to work or the half hour before I fell asleep.

     I know that I promised pictures, but I absolutely forgot to take them while I was cleaning.  I'm going to take them next week.  So, don't fret.  Pictures are coming!  Plus, by the end of the week, the house is once again a wreck and needs to be cleaned again.  The living room would have to be the worst because within a few hours of cleaning it, it needs to be cleaned again.  So, as I clean, I'll take the after pictures!

Easy Carpet Deodorizer

     Living in an apartment has it's advantages.  It also has it's disadvantages.  One of them being the "used/old apartment" smell.  There have been times when I walk through the door and a nauseous odor smacks me in the face.  Every time I smell it, I cover my nose and parade around the place spraying air freshener behind me, just to have to do it again a week or even a day later.  I have tracked the source to two things: (1) the fact that the pipes under the bathroom sink leak and gives off a mildew/moldy smell and (2) the (quite) old carpets in every room but the kitchen and bathroom.  Oh, what a joyous thing.  Since we can't fix the leak under the sink ourselves, we have to be patient (and have been since May...it's now October) for the apartment maintenance guy to fix it.  To temporarily get rid of the smell in there, I sprinkle baking soda in the cabinet where the leak is, scrub it into the wood some, let it sit for a few days, the vacuum it up.  Like I said, it's temporary, but it works up to a month (depending on how much the sink is being used).  As for the carpets, there's nothing we can do about that.  It's not like we can say "Hey, the carpet stinks!  Replace it!" and the owner of the apartment complex is going to bend over backwards to make it happen (I mean, seriously, we've been waiting for five months just to get a pipe to stop leaking.)  That means we have to do the next best thing: DIY carpet deodorizer.

     This little (and I mean little, just one ingredient!) recipe is probably one, if not the, simplest to do.  All it is, is baking soda.  Yep.  Baking soda.  Just sprinkle it all on the carpets.  If you have kids, they can do the next part which is to shuffle those feeties across the carpet to really get that baking soda down in there to soak up the stench.  Now, the hard part, leave it.  Yes.  Leave it.  Depending on the stench, anywhere from an hour to a day (yes, a day).  Once time is up, vacuum it all up!  Ta-da!  If you still have that old-carpet stench, just repeat.  It's no biggy!  I didn't even have to go onto the internet to look this up.  Why?  Because I learned it from my mama!  She would sprinkle the baking soda all over the house and tell my brother and I to have fun, and we did!  We would make "snow" angels, draw, become a train, and what not.  The only rule she had was to stay on the carpet where the baking soda was.

     I didn't really see a need in posting pictures for this.  I mean, just picture carpet looking like Frosty threw up everywhere possible and you had to vacuum it up...after shuffling around in it first, of course.  Feel free to give it a try and tell me how it worked for you!

Tutu of the Week: Flaming

     For he first Tutu of the Week, Piggy Baby is sporting the Flaming tutu!  This tutu has a yellow top and three layers.  The first two layers are alternating from red to orange and orange to yellow.  The top layer is a pattern of red, orange, yellow, white, then yellow, orange, and red.  With a white daisy as an embellishment and an orange headband with a red, lace flower, this tutu is nothing but hot!

     Tune in next week to see what will be the next Tutu of the Week!