10 Things to Do with the Kids

Here is a list of the top ten things students around the world said they remembered and loved most about their mothers.

1. Come into my bedroom at night, tuck me in and sing me a song. Also tell me stories about when you were little.
2. Give me hugs and kisses and sit and talk with me privately.
3. Spend quality time just with me, not with my brothers and sisters around.
4. Give me nutritious food so I can grow up healthy.
5. At dinner talk about what we could do together on the weekend.
6. At night talk to me about about anything; love, school, family etc.
7. Let me play outside a lot.
8. Cuddle under a blanket and watch our favorite TV show together.
9. Discipline me. It makes me feel like you care.
10. Leave special messages in my desk or lunch bag.

From: LifeHack

The Dog Days of Law School

This is the first time in my adult life that I don't have a job--I'm not even looking for one.  I just stay at home with my sweet baby girl.  Quite frankly, I still can't imagine leaving her with anyone...although on the flip side it sometimes pains me NOT to work.  But that was the plan, so I just suck it up and go with it...and being a stay-at-home-mom can be quite stressful.  My baby girl has been having a little bit of a hard time lately, so she's not sleeping well.  She's learning new things every day which makes watching her every move so important.  She rolls and scoots everywhere.  If she wants to go somewhere, she'll find a way to get there.  The other day I was thinking about how little time I actually have to myself.  For example, yesterday...Sunday...I went to the bathroom...by myself.  (I usually sit Liliana in there with me).  Daddy was in the other room watching her, so I took my time in the bathroom.  It was surprisingly really nice to just have a few moments to myself.  So I guess what I mean to say is sometimes having a kid can be exhausting...Although I should point out that I do think it's easier then having a job.  I rarely get dressed because I'm home all day...I eat whatever I want whenever I want (I don't have to wait for "lunch time") and I get to play with the CUTEST baby all day.

But with that said, I know my husband is under an enormous amount of pressure and stress.  AND he doesn't even let on just how much stress and pressure he feels.  He studies 12+ hours a day...we literally see him maybe, maybe 2 hours a day...Liliana sees him less.  Since Lili has been having her sleeping problems (and she still sleeps in our room) my husband sleeps in what will be her room.  (I'll transition her in January).  He leaves before we get up so we don't see him in the morning and he gets back well after dark.  AND his tolerance for things in lower.  Life in Law School is completely different than undergrad.  The stakes have never been higher.

Needless to say, I'll be happy when his finals are over with, and I'll have 5 whole weeks of just me, him, and Liliana.  He works hard, and we sure do love him.  Liliana LOVES him...I'm sure this will all be worth it when all is said and done!

The Baby Weight

I always want to make my blog entries meaningful and fun.  I come up with things I want to tell the world, but then when I actually sit down to type them out, they leave me.  My mother-in-law called me a few weeks ago and told me she thinks I should start a blog about my life as a new mom or something you'd see on Pinterest.  And while I love the idea, and fully plan on doing it...I haven't yet.  The more I think about it, the more I don't think I have anything to really contribute to the Pinterest world.  I don't sew (although I want to; I don't own a sewing machine).  I cook--but I use other people's recipes...I only make slight changes to them.  I'm not crafty, and I'm jealous of people who are.  I have loads of opinions, but at the risk of creating confrontation I tend to keep them to myself.  I'm still searching for my nitch in the blog world.  There are soooo many blogs out there I just can't see my blog being anything really spectacular.  Anyway...I'll figure it out...

Okay, so the topic of this post is about my postpartum baby weight...I gained *gasp* 35 lbs while pregnant.  I was a big girl, and I have the pics to prove it.  I kind of watched what I ate, but not really.  The last half of pregnancy I cut out a lot of sugars and carbs because I was borderline diabetic.  Towards the end I'd say a good 5-7 lbs were easily water weight!  I couldn't fit into ANY shoes and flip flops with the elastic straps barely fit!  But after the baby was born I lost 20 lbs within the first 2 weeks.  I lost another 7 lbs over the course of the next 4 weeks.  I didn't change my eating habits (if anything I was eating more) and obviously I wasn't exercising.  In fact I wasn't doing much of anything except taking care of the cutest little baby.  Fast forward to now (4 months postpartum) and I'm sure my weight has gone up and down since then.  In fact at this moment I'm sure I'm up from the 8 lbs I needed to lose to get back down to my pre-baby weight...ANYWAY...I'm telling you all this to say, that's it...I can't be the chubby mom.  I didn't think it would take this long to lose the weight.  Here is what has been stopping me (well here are the excuses I've been using!)...1) I'm breastfeeding and I happen to read that vigorous exercise can decrease your milk supply .  Now I'm worried about that so I was hesitant to exercise.  However, I talked to two different doctors that assured me moderate exercise was fine...but still.  2) I believe that I need to eat a certain number of calories each day to keep up my milk supply.  (I've been eating PLENTY of calories!  haha)...Someone that had their baby a few weeks before I did said she got down to her pre-baby weight by eating 1200 calories a day!  (I'm pretty sure she's not breastfeeding!)  3) I have a baby!  And she's not the greatest napper, and she doesn't sleep through the night.  Needless to say, mama is tired!  So I just plain don't want to workout.  4) She's little.  Too little to take to the gym and have her go in the Kids Club or whatever that place is...so then where do I workout?  I like to run (on a treadmill mostly)...but that's not very easy with a baby.  Plus the hubs doesn't get home until late.  We eat dinner, give the baby a bath (in our case she takes a shower with daddy) then I put her to bed, and Adam studies until we go to bed.  Oh, and last but certainly not least, 5) I like food.  I do.  It's hard not to eat.  And I like to cook...and I don't like cooking "low fat" versions of "high fat" meals.

So for all of those reasons I've put off really working out...until now...I don't fit into all of my clothes yet.  In fact there is only a handful of clothes that I'll wear.  I can't be this size forever.  I refuse to buy bigger clothes.  So, I'll sacrifice.  That's what I keep telling myself: It's a sacrifice.  I've decided that 1800 calories is a good number, and plenty to keep up my milk supply.  (My sister said she ate 1600 and was just fine.)...So, I don't eat "low fat" foods, because generally they replace the fat with sugar--which is just as bad.  I just eat smaller portions and I don't eat as often.  And I'm trying not to eat too many sweets.  And I've been doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred--everyday, except Sunday.  I do it after I put her down to bed, while Adam is studying I'm in the living room doing my thing...then I shower and go to bed.  My goal is to lose about 10 lbs.  I have a before picture to post (yes, it's hideous, but perhaps it will keep me motivated.  I can't have the world seeing a picture of me being chubby without them seeing a picture of me not being as chubby)...but the picture is on my camera and I've currently misplaced the cord to put it on my computer...so...as soon as I find that I'll post it for all the world to see.  It's a sacrifice.

For now this will be my journey to document.  This will be my contribution to the blog world.  How I lost The Baby Weight.

3 Months

Here are some things about my 3 month old baby girl.  She's just over 12 lbs, and 24 inches long.  That puts her in about the 30th percentile for both height and weight.  She's a little girl.

She recently learned to roll over and that's all she wants to do--all the time!  She even rolls in her crib.  Nap time and bed time have been especially difficult because of it.  But she loves it.  In fact she squeals in excitement whenever she is on her tummy.  She loves sitting and standing (all with my help of course).  She is well on her way to crawling, I'm sure.  She has a high pitch scream/squeak that she does whenever she's excited.  Incidentally, she also does the high pitch scream whenever she's starting to get mad.  Whenever she gets excited her eyes will get big and she'll kick her legs a lot.  She gets excited a lot.  She's currently fascinated by EVERYTHING.  Feeding her during the day is not so easy, because she is distracted by anything and everything.  Consequently, she wakes up more at night to eat since she hasn't eaten as much during the day.  Oh well.

Liliana has also learned to take the pacifier out of her mouth and put it back in.  She doesn't get it in every time, but she gets it in most times.  She loves playing with things and putting them in her mouth.  I like to give her all sorts of different items to hold and touch and put in her mouth.  (Nothing crazy).  Just like different toys, water bottles, anything that I'm using while she's around.  I want her to feel different shapes and textures.

She smiles all the time, at just about anyone.  She even smiled at the doctor right before she got her shots.  Liliana doesn't really cry (knock on wood) unless she really needs something.  (Maybe all babies do that.)

We (mostly me) sing very silly songs to her all the time.  Mostly I make them up on the spot.  I think she likes them.

Overall, we couldn't have asked for a better baby!

I Had A Baby!

As the pregnancy neared the end I made a point to avoid videos of live and actual births.  I figured I'd have to go through it regardless, no sense in freaking myself out even more.  But I did enjoy reading labor and delivery stories.  I wanted to get an idea of what I could expect.  Everyone talked about labor and contractions being some of the worst pain they've ever felt.  And people talked about how when their water broke they felt a big gush (although it should be pointed out that the "big gush" is not always the case.  It could be a slow leak...a little trickle).

Since I worried about everything anyway, I worried about labor and delivery.  I worried I wouldn't know when I was actually in labor and needed to go to the hospital.  My doctor (and I should note this was my THIRD doctor...not by choice) told me to go to the hospital if A) my contractions became 5-7 minutes apart for 2 hours, or B) if my water broke.  My due date was June 18th and on that date and a day or two before I had a significant increase in my contractions...especially at night.  I had an app on my phone that helped me time the contractions...they never got within the range the doctor said in order to go to the hospital.  And they were painful, but not too painful (definitely not what I expected as "the worst pain of my life").

So my due date came and went and nothing...no baby...so the next day was business as usual.  Still having contractions all day, but nothing consistent and nothing that would require me to go to the hospital.  The day went on, we had pizza from Domino's for lunch...that was the highlight of my day thus far!  lol...it was late afternoon and Adam would be getting home soon, so I took a shower and laid on the bed.  I put a shirt on, but still was wearing a towel to cover my lower half.  Adam came home and talked to me for a minute then got in the shower.  Earlier in the day I youtube'd breathing techniques for labor so I'd be somewhat prepared for the real thing...so as I felt another contraction coming on I closed my eyes and practiced my breathing...then all of a sudden I heard a slight "pop" and a big gush of water soaked the towel I was wearing.  It was official, my water broke.  I got up slowly and walked into the bathroom.  I opened the shower door and as I showed him the evidence I said, "um, I think my water just broke."  With a scared look on his face he closed the door, quickly finished his shower, then we got all of our stuff together to go to the hospital.

We got to the hospital around 5pm, got checked in and when the nurse finally came to check me I was dilated to a 5.  The pain wasn't that bad, but the contractions had definitely gotten closer together and stronger.  I was 7cm by the time I got an epidural.  I was debating whether or not to get one in the first place (and I'm seriously considering not getting one the next time).  The pain was bad but manageable.  For the epidural I had to sit on the edge of the bed, and while Adam held me I felt the sting of the huge needle as it entered my spine.  But as luck would have it, the epidural only took on one side.  I still felt everything on the right side of my body.  I didn't say anything for a while, because I didn't want to seem like a "problem" patient.  The contractions kept coming, and some even took my breath away.  I finally told the nurse and the Anesthesiologist came to give me more medicine.  It wasn't working and the pain intensified.  I started feeling a lot of pressure--the nurse checked me and I was now ready to push.  Earlier, Adam's mom told me the contractions would get so bad that pushing would be a relief...I was about to find out how right she was!

Man!  Pushing was a lot harder than I thought it would be...every time a contraction came I pushed to the count of ten.  To be honest I don't know how much time had passed, and I'm not sure how long I actually had to push.  Adam stood by my head and made sure to steer clear of the action down below.  The doctor and the nurses in the room were great.  Very encouraging and pleasant.  After, what felt like forever, I pushed, pushed, pushed and out came my baby girl.  In the heat of the moment, Adam cut the cord and she was whisked away to be cleaned.  Adam stayed with her through all of this, and I laid completely exposed and vulnerable on the table while the doctor stitched me up.  Oh, and by the way, the pushing on my stomach after the baby was born was almost more painful then actually giving birth!

We thought she kind of looked like my dad when she was first born.

It was a rough start.

My sweet Liliana.

 I couldn't have done it without him!

Then!  After what seemed like a year, they finally brought the baby to me...all 7lbs, 1oz 19 3/4 inches of beautiful baby girl.  Craziest and coolest moment ever...oh, and kind of scary too!  I had no idea what I was supposed to do!  And I'm sure all parents say this, but I really did (and still do) have the cutest baby ever.  LOL...We decided to name her Liliana Rivera Harper.  After an hour or so I was taken to a Postpartum room.  I know some people can't wait to get out of the hospital after they have a baby, but not me...it was the first time we were altogether alone.  It was nice--although I was in a lot of pain.  We had many visitors and it was all very surreal being with the baby.  I don't think we got more than 2 hours of sleep in the 2 days that we were there.

I could go on and on about my experience.  Needless to say, I'm more than happy to do it all over again...soon, maybe?  ; )

40 Weeks

With my official due date coming up tomorrow (alright so I started this post back on June 17th...), I wanted to recap some highlights of pregnancy.  (Mostly I want to do this for myself...but also for the very few who read this post).

The first trimester was difficult, but not as difficult as some ladies have it.  I didn't want to tell a soul at first.  Adam had a hard time understanding this...he would have told everyone we knew as soon as we found out.  Luckily, he agreed to wait until I said it was time.  We saw the doctor for the first time at 10 weeks and heard the heart beat.  At that point the doctor said there is a 5% chance of miscarriage.  So, we decided to tell people about 3 weeks after that...just to be sure.  Based on the numbers, the measurements, the math, the doctor put the due date as June 18th.  That seemed forever away.

The first trimester I was sick everyday from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep.  Nothing sounded good to eat, but I soon found out that I felt better if I did eat.  So I had to take snacks EVERYWHERE...I had to eat every couple of hours or I'd be sick as a dog again.  I had baggies of cheez-its, gold fish, granola bars, crackers...and of course a bottle of water everywhere I went.  There were granola bars stashed in Adam's car and my car, just in case we forgot to take snacks when we were out.  Adam was great about putting together little snack bags of all these things.  We took them everywhere.  I couldn't eat just anything too...certain smells and foods became off limits.  With that in mind I ate a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

This is my first pregnancy so I worried (and still worry) about anything and everything!  It is sometimes exhausting worrying about all the stuff I worry about!  =)

But everything is all so new and different...I took to the internet to look up every "weird" thing.  And every "weird" symptom always turned out to be normal.  The internet is a funny thing...it will give you great information, but it can also make you even more crazy and worrisome, so I stopped looking at it because sometimes I drove myself crazy with it.

At 16 weeks we were caught in a freak blizzard in New Mexico, got into an accident (and I didn't even think to go get checked out as the hospital), and got stranded for 2 days...that was scary...and quite the adventure.

As it got closer to the time of the anatomy scan I became increasingly curious about whether we were going to have a boy or a girl.  Everyone (and I do mean everyone) was convinced we were having a boy.  I read through countless lists of "Old Wives Tales" to determine the sex...in the end the results were always 50/50.  Ha!  Half of the tests said we were having a boy and half said a girl.

At our anatomy scan we were able to see our baby up close and personal.  It was the craziest thing to see our baby on the screen.  The lab tech gave us a guided tour of my uterus and pointed out all the important parts...the heart, the lungs, the brain, etc...and she revealed that we were having a GIRL!  When she first said it I didn't believe her because my mind was so set on having a boy.  At the end of the scan she went back over the "girl parts" and it was clear we really were having a girl!  Adam had the biggest smile on his face when we found out.  I think for a second he was a little disappointed that we weren't having a boy, but I know he was singing a different tune really quickly.  He was very, very excited to be having a little girl.

At 32 weeks I stopped working out.  It just became too uncomfortable and Adam said I looked "unnatural" when I was running.  Haha...what a goofball!  Hopefully I'll continue to workout longer in my next pregnancy.

Ok, overall, I loved being pregnant.  I didn't have any major problems, and most of the symptoms I felt weren't over-the-top.  I liked my growing belly, and I was lucky enough to make the journey and NOT get any stretch marks.  Towards the end of my pregnancy (like the last 2 1/2 months) I experienced ridiculous heartburn and acid reflux.  It was so bad that I'd wake up in the middle of the night chocking on my own vomit.  It was way gross and very scary.  Also, my feet and hands started to swell...a lot!  I couldn't wear any shoes except flip-flops.  And it hurt to walk...I thought my feet were going to start floating and carry me away!  Also, I got tired of not being able to sleep on my back.  I'm totally a back sleeper or stomach sleeper.  Sleeping became increasingly difficult as I got bigger and bigger.  It was a whole production for me to shift from one side to the other in bed.  Plus it was slightly painful, as I could feel the baby move with me.  Oh and buying maternity clothes was depressing most of the time...no cute clothes for cheap.  I mostly wore my same clothes up until the last couple of months.  I wore Adam's t-shirts a lot, and I wore dresses as shirts.

Well, I guess that's about it...it's been a long journey, and I've enjoyed it and can't wait for the next step!

The Coolest Thing

I always envisioned telling my husband I was pregnant in a very special--or at least unique way.  But things rarely go as planned.

One Monday morning I woke up, went into teach but didn't feel well.  I had that sick feeling--the feeling you get when nothing sounds good, your stomach hurts, and an all over icky feeling.  Luckily all of my classes were back to back in the morning and I was done shortly before noon.  So, I left early and went home to rest.  Adam didn't have school that day, so he was just home studying.  He convinced me to go to the gym with him, and on the way home we played the game, "If I could eat anything, what would I want?"...I decided on Red Robin...I had a craving for steak fries.  So we got home and showered then went out to lunch.  I still wasn't feeling great and didn't think much of it other than a little stomach bug.

I had talked to my sister earlier in the day, and she insisted that I take a pregnancy test.  I wasn't in a hurry to do that so I brushed her off and didn't do it.  But she kept calling (I stopped answering)...but by the early evening I figured it could hurt, so in between folding laundry while Adam sat at the table doing homework I went into the bathroom.  The next thing I knew I was seeing 2 pink lines.  I looked at the instructions to make sure I was reading it right...2 lines meant Positive.  I was shocked...so I called Adam in to have him take a look at the results and verify what I was seeing...he saw the same thing...

I took another test the next morning...the 2 lines came right back.  Over the next week I think I took a total of 4 or 5 tests.  I was pregnant.  I couldn't believe it.  It was by far the coolest thing that had (and has) ever happened to me.

That was 9 months ago...well 40 weeks ago...and on the eve of my due date I find it appropriate to recap my pregnancy...

I slipped on a banana peel

So I mentioned that we live with Adam's aunt in their beautiful home.  We are staying upstairs and I have to travel down a big staircase everyday.  Last Sunday I was making my way down the staircase and halfway down I lost my footing and fell down the stairs.  It was very scary and Adam came running to see what happened.  I fell mostly on my back (and have the bruises to prove it) but I hit my belly a little too.  I was VERY VERY worried something may have happened to the baby, but after the initial shock and pain I felt okay.  And I felt the baby move like normal.  But as I sat in church I became more and more worried (that's what I do...worry about EVERYTHING!).  So when we got home I called the on-call doctor and they said to go into Labor and Delivery--just to be on the safe side.  So I did.  It's the same hospital I will deliver at, so it was kind of nice to see how everything would go--kind of.  Everyone was so nice.  They hooked me up to a heart monitor and movement monitor (both for the baby) and monitored me for hours.  They did blood work and an ultrasound just to make sure everything was okay with the baby and the placenta.  Everything came back fine.  Our baby is perfectly healthy and active.  The ultra sound was nice to have because we haven't seen her on the ultrasound since the 20 week anatomy scan!  The ultrasound tech said that she is about 5 1/2 lbs at the moment, she also confirmed that we are definitely having a girl, and she said that the baby has hair!  Pretty exciting!  I can't wait to see what she looks like!  We were at the hospital about 7 hours.  It was nice to spend that time with Adam too.  He was so great!  Towards the end he was getting cold, so he got in bed with me.  Cutest thing ever!

Pregnant in Tulsa

Sometimes I wish I was more of that girly-girl that wore make-up everyday, or even did my hair everyday, and dressed nice.....well, I'm not.  I generally look presentable--except that has changed since I've been pregnant.  Moving to Tulsa our stuff is everywhere...we're staying at Adam's aunt's house for a few weeks because Adam's dad's house has too many occupants at the moment.  As a result, most of our stuff is at his dad's house (packed away) and a small amount of stuff is at his aunt's house.  I'm not even sure where all the baby's stuff is...which is SUPER annoying.  (But I think I have enough stuff to get us through the first days and couple of weeks of her being born.  Oh, and the only usable mirror at the place we're staying is down a big staircase in another bathroom.  My big pregnant self avoids walking up and down stairs as much as possible, so I rarely do my hair and make-up.  And my face is fat...my sister and brother remind me of that on a regular basis.  And it's hot in Tulsa--and slightly humid.  Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining per se, but I am making excuses for the way I look!  haha...I've already told Adam, for my next pregnancy I'd do things a little differently--looks wise.

But, overall I'm very happy to be here, and everyone (especially Adam's aunt) has been VERY good to me/us. Adam works Monday thru Friday so I only see him at night.  I'm pretty much left by myself all day to figure out things to do...but with Adam's whole family here it's easy to keep busy!  Some of the things we've been doing are going berry picking, swimming, going to baseball games, hanging out, etc.

Leaving Utah

I don't exactly remember how or why we even started talking about leaving Utah--I mean we knew we were going to leave once Adam got accepted into law school, but that wouldn't have been until August.  Plus, I figured since I was pregnant we would just stick out the summer in Utah, I would have the baby, then we would move.  Somehow it didn't happen that way.  After many, many, MANY, discussions (sometimes arguments) we decided the best thing for our growing family was to leave Utah as soon as Adam finished school...which was the first week in May.  I had to quit my job early--which I DID NOT want to do, and we had to make all the preparations to have the baby in Tulsa, Oklahoma!!!  Yes, that's right Oklahoma.  It's where Adam's parents live.  We made the decision for a couple reasons...1) to save money.  We can live rent-free with Adam's family.  2) We will also have the support system of Adam's family when we have the baby.  In Utah we have no one, and both of our families would have to travel to see the baby...and 3) We were both a little tired of Utah (although it's funny now, because towards the end we kept saying things that we'll miss about Utah.  It was definitely an adjustment for both of us when we moved out there--we didn't know each other back then--but the good ol' state of Utah grew on us and knew that we would miss it when we left).

So, we sold all of our furniture, including our very old school TV (for a whooping $25) and we packed up all of our stuff (well, we had to leave a chunk of it behind because it didn't fit!) and loaded it in both of our cars (it was more economical to not rent a U-Haul) and headed east, to the mid-west.  But it wasn't that easy...nothing in life ever is...leaving behind some good stuff sucked, but we were left with little options.  And we had to ship 6 big boxes worth of stuff too--didn't plan on that either.  Oh, and did I mention we had a car fiasco a couple days before we were supposed to leave.  That set us back a couple hundred dollars and 2 days in packing and getting ready.  That was no fun at all.  So with that in mind, and all the packing trouble Adam and I were not in any mood to be happy about the situation.  (Did I mention it took me MONTHS not to HATE the idea of us moving before the baby was born?)...Adam's mom came out to lend a hand and drive with me in the remote possibility that something might happen to me or the baby as we drove across the country.

After a late start on Saturday we finally got on the road...this was the only picture that was taken right before we left.  We were both in really bad moods and it definitely shows in this picture.  (That makes me a little sad.) It was cold and rainy and we hadn't really slept in days.

I would like to say that once we got on the road everything worked out...but it didn't...the car ride was rough and I'm pretty sure my baby girl didn't want to be in a car any more than I did...however, we were able to stick to our plan and make it into Omaha, NE (that's where Adam is going to law school) and check out some really great apartments.  Hopefully, we'll have something all set up by the time we move out there in August.  But eventually we did make it to Tulsa.  And we're here now.  It's been an adjustment for me (probably more so than Adam)...I had to transfer insurance and find a new doctor that would take me this far along (35 weeks at the time)...luckily we've been very blessed to have a "normal" first pregnancy with no real complications.  It's been a sacrifice at times, but so far everything has worked out.  There are times when Adam and I wish we had our place to hang out in, but we're grateful for a loving family who allows us to crash in on their space.  We are truly blessed to have such kind and giving people in our lives.

All Snugglely...

Who's Your Valentine?

Me: Adam, who's your valentine this year?

Adam: Tom Brady

Me: (staring at him)

Adam: You?

Me: (staring at him)

Adam: what?! he needs a pick-me-up this year!

Me: yes, Adam and you think you're just the man for the job...

LOL...my goofy husband.........