New facebook site!

If you are in the market for some cute, gently used baby clothes, please visit my consignment site on facebook- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003610958884.

(Natalie's Closet 2x because I'm a loser and don't know how to set up a facebook page when not using a real first and last name..)

I am probably the last mom on the planet to start one of these fun online consignment stores, but I work full time and don't have much access to the computer. After some careful deliberation, I have decided it's in our best interest to get rid of some of Natalie's clothes to make room for more, duh. ;)

Kids grow so quickly-- why pay retail?!

Seriously, I salivate when I hear the words "clearance", "yard sale" or "consignment". It's like music to my cheapwad ears.

Okay, it's 11pm, and I have officially been ignoring my husband for, oh, three hours... so bye bye!

Hi!

So... I'm still working on Natalie's Minnie birthday party, slowly, but surely. I had hopes of it being a big ordeal, but then I got tired and just have run out of time to plan it. I don't want to be the overwhelmed hostess, so I think it's going to be a relatively simple affair.
The above are beauties off of etsy, and they were probably the most expensive part of the party. They were $12 to design, $5 to print out at Walgreens,$10 for stamps, and $3 for envelopes. I had to buy some clearance party invites from Target to find the right size envelopes. $30 for invites wasn't exactly what I was planning to drop, so I'm having to scrimp in other areas. So... basically I just paid the money to get people there so I can serve them crackers! I kid, I kid. Really, it's mostly family and only a couple of friends here and there, so it really was unnecessary, but you only turn one once, and it's mostly for the parents. :) And just so you know, there's more of the invitation than that, but I didn't want all of the crazies out there crashing our party so we've cut the address off.

We're going to have cupcakes, and my mom's making a fondant smash cake for Natalie. I'm making a banner from a cute tutorial I found on pinterest, and I have some other things up my sleeve that will take place the night before the party. I work best under pressure. I have also taken three days off before the party to plan, but we all know that means I'll be sitting around in my pjs playing with Natalie. ;)

OH... and another somewhat unrelated update, I have found the beautiful wonder that is Smocked Auctions. It's a facebook page based out of Texas where smocked dresses are sold for half off retail. There's only a select number of clothes in each size, so you have to pretty much act like a rabid dog to bid and win. I think I won a dress tonight for Natalie, and I'm kind of having buyer's remorse because I don't have $40 to spend on a dress she'll wear once. If you want to see a real life soap opera, tune into Smocked Auctions Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 8:30 CST. Grown women whining about not winning clothes for their babies, drama, drama, drama! You just have to roll with the punches, ladies, and wish for the best! I may or may not have won, but, trust me, I'm in more trouble for winning than for losing! :)

And that's all. Baby's asleep, and I'm about to go cuddle with my kindle!!

Minnie Mouse Birthday Party: In Progress

I'm going to be updating every so often with my progress on Natalie's first birthday party! I'm working on finishing up Natalie's birthday banner this weekend, in between working in my yard and attempting to clean out some of our garage. It just never stops, does it? :)

Please stay tuned!!

Mama Laughlin: my internet role model

I have a role model out there in blogland. I read her blog on a weekly basis and get excited when she has a new post because I'm always sure to laugh. Her name is Brandi, and she is a funny, BEAUTIFUL mom of two precious little boys. She's also someone who has struggled with weight issues in the past and conquered the scale. She lost a ton of weight after her first pregnancy and then got pregnant again, so she's working down to her goal weight now. And she looks KILLER. Like, " I hate her for being so pretty". :) But you can't hate her because she's real and funny and is doing the hard work to beat the scale. If I had a tiny bit of her motivation, I'd be doing good! She's so hardcore. One of her more recent posts is about how she fits in her fitness goals with being a working wife and mommy. It makes me tired just reading it!!

Anyhow, I know not many people check my blog out since I am just pretty awful at updating, but I think you should check out her blog for some major inspiration, funny stories, and some pretty incredible before and after pictures. ;)

Long time, no blog! It's seriously been a while. Again. All I can do is assure you just how busy we've been! Brandon's work schedule has gotten busier, and he's still doing night classes and plugging away at his degree. That translates to us being ships passing in the night... and I'm, well... I'm working and being a mommy to Natalie and attempting to maintain our home.

I cannot believe that Natalie's almost a year old. When I close my eyes, I can still envision being big and pregnant. This time last year I was in extreme "nesting mode". I would daydream at work about holding her and smelling her little newborn head. ;) I would mentally rehearse what steps I would take if I went into labor on any given day. I was researching how to naturally induce my own labor, and, each night, I was taking a bubble bath and hoping THAT would trigger labor while I was reading "What to Expect When You're Expecting". I would pull out the cell phone and time my contractions, only to realize they were the pesky Braxton hicks kind and not the real deal.

I remember struggling through the pack and play assembly and being convinced that something had died under our kitchen sink. Hormones! The smell went away as soon as I was back from the hospital. :)

I remember the last night I was at work before maternity leave. I stuck around long enough to change, say my goodbyes for three months, and then I went to see a movie with my then barely pregnant friend, Kelley. Her baby's now almost six months old! Time flies! We watched The King's Speech, and she ate a TON of food because she was still in that very fun stage of pregnancy that dictates that you will absolutely be doing a disservice to your child unless you devour everything in sight.

And, wow, I know it was a while ago, but it's like yesterday to me. I remember the day at the hospital, the feeling I had in the pit of my stomach as I was admitted and shown to our labor and delivery room. It was the best day of my life, and I will never forget it. I got to meet my sweet girl. I was so terrified to hold her that first time, so in awe of her and unsure of myself. I was pretty sure I had never seen anything so beautiful, and I did not feel worthy of her.

But, thank goodness, the nerves have dispelled and my relationship with my daughter has turned into a comfortable ebb and flow. I am not a nervous mother (anymore) , and I am thankful for that. I have learned things over this past year, taken the advice of others, and have settled into my own reasonably normal routine. I worry for her, and I pray for her, but I surrender her care to my heavenly father. He knows the hairs on her head, and for all the bad things in this world, He is good.

I am so thankful for her health and happiness. I have truly never met a happier, more entertaining child. Aren't those the words of a mother? ;)

That being said, I LOVE LOVE LOVE her and cannot wait to celebrate her birthday on the 18th! We're having a fun Minnie Mouse party. I ordered my invitations tonight and am VERY slowly working on her birthday banner. ;) Cannot wait to have the house full of friends and family celebrating our girl. ;)

the post where I bemoan the effects of antidepressants

When a doctor tells you to not stop taking a pill cold turkey, believe the doctor. Let that be the preface to the nervous ranting that's about to take place. As the few of you who actually read my blog know, I've been taking Zoloft since Natalie was about four months old. Give or take, that's six months of a drug in my system. Let it be said that I am horrible when it comes to taking pills. The only exception was when I successfully remembered to take my prenatals throughout my pregnancy. I have more often than not remembered to take my Zoloft and have had great success on it. No weepiness, no extreme terror, no feelings of impending doom. I'm not really exaggerating; these were all real things I felt when I was being tossed through the emotions of postpartum depression. It is real. It is terrifying. Well, we want to get pregnant again. While my doctor has advised me it's safe to be on Zoloft while pregnant, I feel uneasy when I see all of the law firm commercials linking antidepressants and birth defects. I just don't feel right when I watch those. I want this out of my system. And... I had been trying to wean. Initially I was going every other day taking the pill, and then I got brave and decided to skip it two days in a row and then three. This is now day four. I'm up past midnight-- shaking. And what's worse? I can't, for the life of me, find my pills. I remember having them the other night and shaking them for Natalie like a rattle. I stayed at my mom's the other night because I worked a late shift. I'm thinking they're over there, but it doesn't help me right now. I have dug through my purse and diaper bag. I have gone through the medicine cabinet, knowing it's not there. I have paced and laughed out loud like a crazy person. I'm not liking this. Anyhow, there's got to be another way... I don't think I'll spiral into another deep depression because ,surely by now, my hormone's have settled, but I wasn't expecting the dizziness, confusion, and shaking! I have never truly felt withdrawal symptoms. And to make matters worse, we were watching the movie The Unknown with Liam Neeson where he loses his memory and is fighting to figure out who he is. It's nothing but confusion and flashbacks, and it's totally distorting my reality. Funny sidenote: Brandon fell asleep during the movie and bolted upright in bed and asked me why I knew him. Freaked me out. I asked him what he was talking about and he gave me a silly grin and went right back to sleep. Anyhow, I guess I'll get my refills tomorrow and hope for the best. This is weird. I thought I could do it on my own (foolishly), but there's a bit of a dependency here. Anyhow, thanks to anyone who read this messed up retelling of my side effects!

blech blargh blah

What is it with this year? Ever since having a baby, it's like my immune system is failing me... I used to be able to count on one hand how many times I was sick in a year. Never again? Since late November/early December, I have been fighting the same stuffiness and congestion battle. At just around the time I would normally recover, I get it again. The perks of having a baby? I don't know. And then today... I had a lean cuisine for a late lunch and it went downhill from there. I don't know if it was a bad meal, a stomach bug, or what... I just know that I was sick from pretty much 3:30 onward. I was really trying to get over it because there was a five year work celebration tonight complete with steak, potatoes, and a cake. How long has it been since I've had a steak? Oh, probably the night before I had Natalie... anyhow, I got sick twice before Brandon got home with Natalie ( he had taken her to his parents to watch a football game so I could do some laundry or take a nap or catch up on reading, whatever) and was really trying to get it together enough to get ready and leave. I managed to get dressed and have Natalie's clothes laid out for when they came in the door. Brandon showered and helped me to get Natalie ready and her diaper bag prepared. I got sick one more time, sat down, decided to try one more time. Got in the car, stopped to get drinks for the party, collected all the dignity I had left and got sick in the Kroger parking lot... And that point Brandon made the phone call and cancelled us going to the party. He dropped me off at home, ordered me to drink a ton of water, and went back to his parents to watch more football with the baby. I got sick twice more and finally collapsed into a dead sleep. No dreams, nothing, just sleep. I always dream. It was a weird heavy feeling. He and Natalie came back at around 8:30. She fell asleep as soon as she arrived. I had a few meatballs his mom had sent home for me from the dinner she had made, and life's normal again. Just that nagging feeling that something isn't right and I don't feel well. I hate that I missed the party, and I hate that groggy pain in my head. Cannot wait to fall back asleep and wake up feeling normal! Anyhow, how's everything going with my friends? Sorry for the TMI, but this blog will probably be documenting another pregnancy in the near future, so I'm gearing up to share all the fun details again! (ha!) And no-- I don't think today's nausea was anything to do with carrying another baby. It was more like a migraine. :/ And if it was by the slimmest chance ever the symptoms of another pregnancy, I'm in for a fun ride...