What leads to nesting...?

I did not realize how long it's been since I have done a blog update!  My last update was when Fi was only a month old!  A lot has happened since then: Dad got remarried, Sam and Amber had a new baby boy (Liam) and then moved to Utah, Ben and Ky moved to the South, Georgia!  Yay, they are closer to me now!  I found out last August that I am expecting again (Yay) and having a boy, (Evan Steele) due on April 26th and Gloria (MIL) who has been sick passed away on December 29th.  Fiona is a toddler now and into everything.  She has no fear and will climb up the jungle gym to go down the tallest slide!  You can see why I have been so busy!!

Well the real reason to my post was to list some of my favorite recipes I have found and/or adjusted for some homemade products!   According to Theron, I have been nesting since the day I found out I was having Evan, lol.  But also since we decided that I will be staying home, I wanted to find ways to do things cheaper, to cut costs and that were safe around my babies and myself (Theron included!).

My first ever homemade product was making my own laundry detergent.  I went for powder because it was easier and less time consuming than the liquid version.  Even though I have been using it for a while, I'm still tweaking it!  lol  But here is the gist of it:

Homemade Laundry Detergent (powder)

1 bar of Ivory, Zote, or Fels Naptha (I use both Zote and Fels Naptha)

1c. Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (in the laundry isle)

1c. Mule Team Borax (laundry isle)

1c. Oxygen Cleaner (I use generic brand)

1/2oz. - 1oz. of Essential Oils of your choice  (Tea Tree Oil and Lavender are good ones to try)

I mix it all in a food processor and use about 2tbs. per load. 

I enjoyed my detergent so much that I wanted to try other things.  My next product was a homemade cleaner.  It was basically 1/2 : 1/2 water and vinegar.  It worked great, but I have since stumbled upon another recipe that I liked a lot more.  Since I have been learning a lot about essential oils and their uses, I have been using them more and more in my products.  Here is my new general cleaner recipe (it also works well in my swiffer wet mop too!):

Homemade All Purpose Cleaner

1tsp. Borax (I actually used 1 tbs, more cleaning power!)

1/4c. white vinegar (I actually used 1/2c)

2c. water

30 drops of an essential oil blend (see below)

Boil the water, then add the borax.  Stir until dissolved.  Let cool then add the vinegar.  Pour into your spray bottle then add your essential oil mix.

Here are some EO (essential oil) blends: Lavender 'n' Lemon (1/2:1/2) I tweaked it with 1/2 Lavender, 1/4 Lemon and 1/4 Sweet Orange.  Smells awesome!  Mint Refresher- Equal parts eucalyptus, peppermint and orange EO (about 10 drops each) Suppose to be great for glass cleaner, but I haven't used it yet. Spice Splash- Equal parts cinnamon, clove and lavender OR orange EO (this is recommended for a bathtub scrub) and lastly, Citrus Sparkle- Equal parts lemon, lemongrass and tea tree EO.

Here is a list of websites that I use for reference: http://www.easy-aromatherapy-recipes.com/index.html , http://community.marion.ia.us/lynda/aroma/list-of-oils/content.html

As was learning about these cleaning methods, I stumbled upon recipes that were good to use on myself.  My biggest and most favorite find is the use of coconut oil.   Or, I should say many uses!  Check out this website: http://www.hybridrastamama.com/2012/01/160-uses-for-coconut-oil.html

I ditched my oil of olay face moisturizer and just started using plain coconut oil.  Then I added a few drops of tea tree oil and lavender for their healing and general "cure all" properties.  I also use this mix on cuts and sores.  It's been a lifesaver for Fi.   She got a bad cut on her arm and it is healing nicely.  Hopefully without any scarring (one of the coconut properties!).

My other favorite is my Coconut 'n' Sugar face scrub:

Coconut 'n' Sugar face scrub

1 cup organic demerara sugar (or any other coarse sugar will work)

1-2 tsp organic unrefined coconut oil (I used 2tsp, but may use 3tsp on my next batch)

2 tsp organic shredded coconut

I tweaked this recipe by adding about 4 drops of  Lavender EO

 

Heat the coconut until it's melted.  Add EO if you are adding any.  Mix all the ingredients until well mixed. 

http://www.29secrets.com/sections/beauty/gwyneth-paltrows-favourite-beauty-products

 

I have never felt my face feel so soft before!  It's great!

 

So, after all my Internet and pinterest searching I stumbled upon the OCM.  The Oil Cleansing Method.  The idea is "washing" your face with oil, not detergents.  The idea is that oil cleans oil.  They explain it better here: http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/

 

There are tons of recipes out there.  So, after doing some research of different carrier oils ( http://www.dianelotions.com/shop/custom.asp?recid=9 ) I decided to use Jojoba oil.  It softens skin, minimizes fine lines/wrinkles and helps with unplugging pores.

 

Castor oil is the actual cleansing oil.  I would recommend the cold pressed kind vs. the OTC laxative kind.  If you use too much, it can dry out your skin.  I use about 20% in my solution for my combination skin.

 

Next, pick out what EO you want to use in the mix.  This is where I did a lot of research and looking at other recipes as examples.  This is what I came up with for my mix.  Lavender (for it's relaxing, cleansing and generally all around good for the skin), Juniper berry (works as a detoxifier and cleanser that can benefit the skin) and Geranium ( it revitalizes tissue and helps restore the balance  between oily and dry skin tones). 

 

I mix everything in a 3oz travel bottle.  Shake well before use.  Start out with dry skin.  Pour about nickle size into your palm and apply all over face. No need to wash your face before hand, this is also great for removing make up!  Then get a wash cloth and get it wet with the hottest water you can handle.  Wring out well and place over face until the towel becomes room temp.  Gently rub your face as you remove the towel.  Repeat 1-2 more times.  Then add a moisturizer of your choice (coconut oil for me).  It's safe enough to use every day, but I only need it every other day or about 3x a week.

 

My face has never been so clear and soft!  I've only had one pimple since doing this and it lasted less than 24hours!  Let me know if you have any questions or comments!!

 

I am working on a homemade bubble bath, but haven't found one that I liked yet.  So I will let you know when I come up with something!

Happy Birthday Fiona

She is sleeping now, so I will take this time to update my blog!  We both slept well last night so I am not in the need for a nap... that may change in the next couple of hours though! 

So at 5am on the 21st I went to the hospital to get induced... Fiona is stubborn enough that we had to convince her the hard way that it's time to come out!  It took 3 tries to start my i.v., but they finally got one in.  Next came my epidural catheter, placed by the anesthesiologist.  He was great!  So smooth that I didn't feel a thing (except the initial burn of the lidocaine).  Then they started the pitocin... then they upped my pitocin about every 1/2-1 hour... Slow going!  Then about 8pm, Dr. Hix and I were discussing a c-section if no improvement.  The nurse then decided to do the "rock n roll" technique.  I lie flat on my back and roll on one side for a 1/2 hour then roll on the other side of 1/2 hour.  After  an hour or so of this they start bringing all of the birthing equipment and get my stirrups ready on my bed.  My epidural was working so well that I didn't notice a change in the contractions... and suddenly they are telling me push!   So for 2omin I pushed and by 9:48pm little Fiona was born! 

Just how I wanted it!  No pain!  That came later when they disconnected my epidural and it wore off... but that's where percocet comes in! 

I couldn't have had a more perfect delivery!  No complications and everything went as planned!  She weighed 7# 14oz. and is 21" long.  Dr. tells me that she is in the 90th percentile of her height...  who knows if she stays that way.  She did gain all of her wt. and then some at her 2 week appt.  She weighed 8" 4oz.  She does eat well!

So far she has been a good baby, doesn't cry much and she loves to be held by Daddy!  I am going to miss Theron when he goes back to work... He is gonna have 12 hour days...  But we'll see how it goes!  Enjoy her pics!



Ever seen "Looks Who's Talking"?  I'm sure that's what she is saying!



Grandma and Grandpa Nunley



The proud Dad!



Finally, she sleeps!



See Ya!  I'm going home!



Our 1st Halloween



Enough said!



Frodo made a new friend!



1st Day home!



Early Labor!

No pics this time, just a quick update!  I have been having regular but light contractions since Monday.  About 12-15min apart.  By Wednesday I was 2cm dialtated and about 80% effaced.  By this time they were about 5-6min apart.  Dr. said we are getting closer!  That night I kept waking up to stronger contractions, making me so tired that I went home early from work.  Last night they were still strong and by early morning they were about 3-5min. apart.  Since we were both awake at 3am, we decided to go for a walk to "help things along".  It was chilly, but a very pleasant walk!  We called the hospital at about 6:30am and they told us to come on in.

So we go in and the on call Dr. checks me out, do my vitals etc.  They hook me up to the fetal monitor and contraction monitor.  It was cool listening to Fiona's heartbeat for an hour, even if she kept wiggling away from the monitor!  My contractions decided that they are shy so they slowed way down... kind of like taking a car in to the mechanic... 

So I get sent back home until they are 2-3min apart and I can't talk through my contractions.  But both the nurse and the Dr. agree that things are in place and it's very likely we may meet Fiona sometime this weekend!  Wish us luck!!

Ward Baby Shower!

I know my days are numbered for bringing our little girl into this world!  One baby shower down and one more next week for family and non-member friends!  A quick update before we start... the nursery is finally finished!  Had a little snafu with UPS, but my crib bedding and wallpaper border finally came in! I barely gave Theron a chance to settle and relax when he got home from work that night.  I told him relax while he can while he eats dinner, cause we're gonna be busy afterwords.  He's such a trooper!  Now my room feels complete!  He also caught my nesting bug... either that or he's tired of my worrying, loudly about things that need to get done still.  All the doorways now have their door facings on (it's only been about 2-3 years when we painted the hallway! The bathroom ceiling is done, so we put up the border in there and this week he said he will finish with tiling the floor and install the new commode!  Of course, these are all old renovation projects that had been left undone... The backyard seriously needs cleaning (especially since the roofing project), pool needs to be put away for the season....and I look around and wonder when I became an Adams family member... Cobwebs everywhere and all my window treatments have either more cob webs or cat hair on them... work, work, work!

Well, enough of that ranting, nesting talk!  I had my first baby shower!  It was great!  I had a lot of friends who were there, and a lot of soccer moms who wished they were there!  I received several more cute clothes (can't have enough of them!), some toys, picture frames, burp cloths etc.  We played a couple of fun games.  One in particular I thought was really cute, and helpful!  One of the hosts bought a fancy porcelain pink piggy bank.  She had everyone gather some change then passed around the piggy bank.  People would put some change in the piggy bank while giving me their "two cents" worth of advice.  Some advice was about parenting, some about continuing to be a couple, and one sister gave advice about using/ teaching the baby to love the priesthood. 

I know I shouldn't have favorites, but I did receive some beautiful and unique gifts that I wanted to share!  One sister went to JoAnnes (they just opened up a new store here!), and got some beautiful felt fabric that had sparkly silver accents in it.  She made me two blankets.  Everyone oohed and awed.  We are hoping that they will last a while.!  They are very fancy looking... I just loved them.

The babies blessing dress
Above, the two baby blankets

The other gift almost brought me to tears!  One sister, who I served with in the RS presidency gave me a baby's blessing dress from White Elegance!  Should have seen my jaw drop!  I don't think I could have picked out a prettier one myself!  It also came with a mother/daughter matching bracelet set!  It's simple yet elegant... perfect for one who doesn't care for a lot of foo foo!  I forgot my digital camera... but the host had an extra disposable one on hand, so it got passed around and a lot of pics taken.  When those get developed I will post those, in the meantime I just took pics of some of the stuff when I got home! 

Wait! Don't Faint! Yes, this is an Update!!

Oh... Where to start!  I can't believe it's been since April!  Sorry there were no updates during my second trimester.  Health wise, I was healthy, but I had a lot of things going on during those months!  I take an zantac every morning, so that nipped the heartburn and my nausea did go away completely!  Not much happened in May, except my birthday.  June is a different story.

(above) Carrie and I , Us with Bella's truck

I went to Seattle to visit Carrie and to finally meet Will.  It was a very good visit.  Just before we flew out there I got a call from back home saying mom took a turn for the worse and we weren't sure how much longer.  So, during this whole trip I did the best to enjoy myself while I kept my cell phone handy just in case.  I think the highlight of our trip was going on the "Twilight" pilgrimage!  We visited Port Angeles, Forks, and went over to La Push.  It was great!  We also went across the border to visit Victoria, BC.  That was awesome too!  I had a little trouble getting through customs because my i.d. wasn't current... but they let me through after all (btw, a week after I got back, I renewed my license pic!).  Similar problems with airport security too!  Who know that wt. loss could cause such problems!?

Mom did pass away on June 30th.  Too young in my opinion, but the Lord decided that she was ready and she came to terms and was also ready.  She will be missed greatly, especially now, since I am expecting my first and I so wanted her to be here for it!  It has been an emotional roller coaster for me since she past away.  We decided as a family that this was her last gift because it brought the whole family together.  Sam and Amber blessed their new baby Knight that same weekend she passed.  They weren't going to have hardly any family there, and then suddenly we were all there for that special occasion.  It's considered our bittersweet family reunion.  We didn't see any fireworks this 4th of July, but we were all together.

I was able to recoup and relax completely when Theron  and I made our yearly trip to Colorado.  His parents asked me what I wanted to do, and I replied, to just relax and do nothing!  We did visit Bryce Canyon on the way there.  It was beautiful!  So I had a week of beautiful sights, fishing at the lake, and relaxing in the Colorado mountains! 

Bryce Canyon... Beautifull views!

Part of the new roof...

A wallpaper boarder that matches the valance will be added
along the chair rail... my friend Lisa turned the lamp into
a tree!

The bears aren't staying... yay the crib is up... Lisa also
painted 6 little animal portraits to put up on this wall...

By the time we got home and settled, we realized that our Summer fun was at an end and we have a few things to concentrate on now.  Theron is putting up a badly needed new roof (we went with metal panels), the baby room is just about complete, and we finally installed a brand new ac unit.  I am training a new girl at work for when I go on leave and we are also in the process of finding a pediatrician and some kind of day care for Fiona.  We've decided that I will go back to work but only part time, 4 days a week.  And no more Saturdays!  I will take Wednesdays off so Theron and I can have at least one day off together during the weekday.  I didn't want to stop work completely because (1) I would miss working with the animals, and (2) the boss doesn't have an office manager to replace me... everyone else at the clinic is too new!  I figure he only needs me a couple days of the week, but not full time.

I am almost 32 weeks now and Fiona is growing like a weed!  She still as wiggly as ever!  Her new "trick" is finding mom's rib cage.  Not fun... poor thing is starting to get cramped!  She also likes to toss and turn at night when I toss and turn.  I am glad she is so active, it lets me know that she is doing well!  But I am tired of waiting, I want to be able to hold her already!  Patience, I know... she will come soon enough

12 Weeks and counting...

Much to my relief... and Theron's, my first trimester is almost over! I will officially be 13 weeks on Wednesday (14th)! I am feeling pretty good these days. My stomach is still a little touchy, but I think it will be this way for the duration. My appetite is mostly back to normal and my heartburn is sporadic. I still get bouts of nausea, but it's few and far between and I keep my pills handy just in case.

I was having cravings earlier, but they seem to have subsided for now. Now, my baby is moving up a little higher, and seems to have settled on my poor bladder. With my stomach being as small as it is, I am unable to eat a lot of food in a single serving. So I compensate by eating small high protein meals with a few carbs thrown in for good measure. And I am eating about every 2-3 hours. If I don't, my stomach will let me know. It either growls or gets upset (a little nausea... weird). It has taken my boss a little while to get use to seeing me eating something every time he turns around! He asked me the other day if I was able to use protein drinks to help with my protein requirements (about 80g/day). Any bariatric patient will tell you, after two solid weeks of only ingesting protein shakes, gets old pretty quick and you never want to see one again. So I answer my boss... I can but just the thought of those protein shakes wants to make me puke!

I had my monthly ob visit on the 29th. It was a special visit. Putting the yearly exam aside that I had to endure, I was able to hear my baby's heartbeat! It was awesome! I am not very emotional (as most of you know), but I almost cried! I was also much relieved at this visit. I love my ob/gyn doc. She is very understanding and knows my condition well (including the bariatric part). Apparently, it's not very common to treat pregnant bariatric patients. The nurse that we had talked to prior to our official dr. visit has no such experience at all. We were reviewing the list of test that will be needed and when they will be administered. She mentioned the glucose test for gestational diabetes. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the gastric by-pass surgery, I will give you a quick lesson on dumping syndrome. A part of the intestine is re-routed and re-attached to the new stomach pouch. Because of this, sugar is no longer safe for us to ingest. When the sugar goes into the stomach, it hits the intestine too fast and causes severe cramping/vomiting/diarrhea/nausea. It pretty much makes you bed ridden for the rest of the day. No more sugared drinks, cake, candy, ice-cream, etc. All bad, unless you can get it in sugar free. Anyhow, I tried to explain this process to the nurse. She replies that a lot of women get sick. Theron and I just looked at each other... she don't get it... I try to explain again... then she asks, "well, can you drink a coke?" I say yeah, a diet coke... she says, no it has to have sugar. I say, again, ... I can't have sugar... Then she says, well discuss it with your dr. then. Ok.

So I stress for the following two weeks when I see the doc again. I talked to her about my concerns for the test. Bless her heart. She says, well she's just a nurse... she only knows regular pregnant women. LOL. My doc said there was an alternative (fasting blood glucose test), and there was no reason for me to get sick. Especially since I am at minimal risk because I don't even eat sugar! Normally at this clinic, patients rotate with all the doctors so that patients are familiar with them when it comes to delivery time. Apparently I am special. My doc has requested that I have all my appts. with her. I ask why and she said because I was a"unique" case. Yay me for being different again at something! That's ok though... I don't want another situation like the nurse thing. My next appt. isn't until the first of May.

We were at the in-laws for general conference. It was nice to get away a little. We listened and watched conference on the computer (Conway doesn't have the BYU station yet), and the boys went to the priesthood session. It was a very enjoyable conference. I just love listing to both Pres. Monson and Uchdorf. They tell good stories and occasionally gives us a good laugh. A lot like Pres. Hinkley! I only mention conference today because I wanted to share an experience that I had. It has been a long time since the spirit has moved me to tears. I blame my hormones some, but the topic hit home because it was something I have yearned for so long to experience and it is finally coming true. It was a talk given by Elder Foster of the Seventies. He talked about a mother's love and the impact it has for all of us. What a sweet topic to preach.
A couple of quotes I took to heart, so that I will remember these words when I need them.

"Brothers and sisters, in a world where everyone is granted agency, some of our loved ones may stray for a season. But we can never give up. We must always go back for them—we must never stop trying. Our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, has issued a plea for us to go rescue those of our loved ones who may be lost... We never know when a heart may be turned. We never know when a soul may be weary and worn out by the world. When that happens, it seems our children almost always turn first toward Mother..."

"As in all things, the Savior set the perfect example in the love He showed for His earthly mother. In the final, most pivotal moment of His mortal life—after the anguish of Gethsemane, the mock trial, the crown of thorns, the heavy cross to which He was brutally nailed—Jesus looked down from the cross and saw His mother, Mary, who had come to be with her Son. His final act of love before He died was to ensure that His mother would be cared for, saying to His disciple, “Behold thy mother!” And from that point on the disciple took her unto his home."

It was pressed upon me how important our calling of being a mother is. Again the spirit moves through me as I review this talk and the special meaning and encouragement it gives us. Let us all follow Jesus's example and remember our mothers and remember who we are as mothers!

The Newest Nunley!

Well, Here's the good news! We are expecting our first child! These are our 6 week ultrasound pics. We were also able to see a little heartbeat going a mile a minute! Our due date is October 22. We also have our names picked out. Though Theron forgot the boys name, I gave him such a hard he hasn't forgotten it since. While we were going over names I asked him to offer any names he liked. He gave me the name "Myron". I just stared at him. Then I explained it was too old fashioned. That's when he said it was his mother's father's name. Like I said, old fashioned! Needless to say, he is not allowed to come up with any new names!

Our girl name will be Fiona Asenith, and our boy name is Evan Steele (Theron was thinking Elvan when he forgot the name... he needs to lay off the sci-fi books!) I also have a theme picked out for the nursery. It's going to be a jungle theme with baby animals, like tigers, giraffes, elephants, monkeys, etc. I think the colors are gonna be green and purple (good unisex colors!).

I haven't been sick, yet. Though I went off the prilosec (on it because of weight loss surgery), my stomach reacted by producing tons of acid. Hence I have been experiencing stomach pains and nausea. It's more tolerable when I take a chewable anti acid. I am already feeling better!

My next appointment is on the 29th. I will update then!