Current Obsession: Pinterest

I know I have blogged about my obsession with Pinterest before, well things have never gotten better. I still am obsessed with Pinterest. I have converted some people to the ways of Pinterest as well. I have so many ideas from Pinterest that I want to do, a lot them will have to wait until we are in a different house, but it's fun to plan. Love recipe ideas from Pinterest, love fashion ideas from Pinterest and lots of fun kid stuff to pin as well. Your not on Pinterest? Get over there and get started, once you get the hang of it you will be obsessed.

Some of my fav Pinterest inspired projects...

Super Hero Capes

Made from cheap t-shirts from Michaels

Stacked Flower Pots 

Super easy, just spray painted some pots and put upside down pots inside the bottom two to stack.

Easter Peeps Decor

Had the glass thing laying around just added Peeps

Lost Socks

Love this, its going to be apart of my laundry area redo, if I ever get to it, but this thing is great, we always have lost socks hanging on it.

The Time-Out Chair

Everyone loves this one, well except the kids :)

Ikea chair and timer and that's it!

Lego Table

Have you seen the price of a Lego table, forget it! $7 Ikea table and some Lego square things and done.

Hanging Art Area

Made this for the playroom, Ava also has one in her room (yes I spilled the green paint all over the baseboards and just left it)

Crayon Hearts

Picked up the molds at Target, took all our broken Crayons and chopped them up and then put them in a baked for a bit then let them cool and popped them out.

Mr & Mrs

My newest Pinterest inspired project. In the process of getting our new room together after the great room transition of 2013. So this awhile ago and kept in my to do file. Love it.

Letters from Michaels and some paint.

So there you have it some of my fav Pinterest inspired projects, so many pins so little time. I am sure I'll have more to share, stay tuned!

When It Rains It Floods...

When you live where we do. It's been a few years since we had a bad flood and water in the basement. At least this time the power managed to stay on. Of course my children once again waited until we were in the middle of a basement flooding to catch the stomach flu. Second time people! At least with school being cancelled on Thursday and Friday they didn't miss any school. But there is nothing like standing in water doing puke laundry. 

My awesome grandma took pity on me today and came and got the rest of the laundry and is doing it down at her house (her basement never floods even though she is practically right next to the river). So we are in flood state and the river is going to crest today we got a lovely message from the city saying we were in the zone for that. The river is already pretty close, but usually we are just dealing with rain water and not the river water, so say prayer it doesn't reach us.

Here is the very first McDonald's ever, under water. Yep we are home to the very first McD's, its a museum now and in the summer they have the classic cars out, but right now they are underwater (and WTF are those people walking through the nasty water for!?!). (Photo from Google)

This is on the other side of the track where we live, nice right?

(Photo from Google)

And OMG Genes & Judes is practically under water, anyone from this area knows how horrible that is! (Photo from Google)

So that's the haps over here! Kids seem better today, Ava is drinking and keeping it down so far and Logan is eating toast and drinking and keeping it down. Hopefully they are on the mend, me I go back to work tonight, hopefully the only route for me to get there is still open!

Oh Yea I Have A Blog...

So it's been a minute or two since I last blogged, back in January of 2012. Yep. Life got incredibly crazy that month and it hasn't let up since then. So now to catch you all up.

~Went back to work as a NCT at the hospital I always wanted to work at in September of 2012 after 6 years as a stay at home mom. Just as we were all adjusting to me back at work, the s&%t hit the fan...

~ January 2012 my Dad got sick and ended up in the hospital with pneumonia, which is when they found the lung nodules.

~In February 2012 my Dad was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma stage 4B after a month waiting on results, a very unusual case compounded by his extensive medical history (diabetes, kidney transplants, etc).

~In August 2012 my Dad kicked cancers sorry ass, but the Chemo did a number on him causing him to swell and develop sores on this legs and feet, made worse by the fact that he is a diabetic, they wouldn't heal.

~In August 2012 my dad underwent an amputation of the worse leg, through the knee amputation. Surgery proved to be the last straw and caused his donor kidney to finally shut down. He ended up in ICU on a ventilator after retaining so much fluid, things were not good.

~In August 2012 he started back on dialysis.

~From August 2012 until March 2013 he was in and out of hospitals and rehabs facilities, with mystery infections, dialysis complications, and the sort. He has been home for one month and of course as of today is back in the hospital with pneumonia.

So as you can see most of our time and attention has been with my Dad. Things are not good, but we are just taking it one day at a time right now and we keep fighting. We are all adjusting to our new normal. 

So what else has been going on since I last blogged.

~When I left you all I had finally finished my masters degree in I/O Psychology and was waiting for the actual degree and wouldn't you know those fools at the college lost my degree. It's safely in my hands now, but there was much rage at the time. No I am not doing anything with this degree, don't even ask.

~My wonderful husband is back in school working on his masters degree in a library science, he will be done in a year, and we both will happy when he is done.

~Logan started Kindergarten, he got into the year round school in the district, so my baby will be starting 1st grade in July (so weird). We love the school and the format and are excited that Ava will automatically get in since she has a sibling in the school, no more lottery woes for this family. He is thriving and doing wonderful!

~Ava is still at Mothers Day Out, and also doing wonderfully. She starts preschool in the fall, she will go three days a week and go to Mother's Day Out one day.  So get ready for this people, I will have Logan in school all day, five days a week and Ava in school part of the day four days a week next school year!!! But what will I do with my free time you ask? That brings me to my next wavy line...

~I went back to school this spring, working on my pre-req's for nursing school. Yep third degree is the charm people. 

~Work has been great I do love what I do. Yea, we have bad shifts and deal with some crazy stuff, but I love it. My work family is made up of incredible people that have brought me through this horrible year. Their support, laughter and general craziness has helped me keep my sanity. Someone knew I needed these exact people in my life. Love them. We work hard and play hard :)

~I was doing an adult gymnastics class for awhile at the gym my kids go to (and one that I trained at occasionally when I was on the YMCA team out here) it was a lot of fun and boy was a sore after class, you know that good sore. I was throwing round-off flip-flop layouts again (on the tumble track of course) and it felt incredible. But the girl that taught the class moved to another gym and thus the end of my gymnastics come back hahaha.

~Skating you ask? (hangs head in shame) I've been off the ice for um, almost a year. With everything going on and going back to work, skating with my coach was becoming increasingly harder given the drive out to Dundee and my group class on Saturday mornings was to hard with my over nights and needing to work every other weekend. I miss it and I know I am a happier person when I am skating, I just need to get my behind back in gear and at least get back into group lessons. I was so close to landing my Axel. Maybe this summer I'll get back on the ice. The problem is just skating is never enough, I have to have a goal and then I want to compete again or do ice show again and I just don't have the time for it right now. So sad. I need to just be happy with getting some exercise I guess. 

~We got a dog last July. His name is Adobe, he's almost 3 now. We rescued him, he is a terrier mix and has fit into our crazy family just perfectly.

~Logan and Ava both continue to do gymnastics. Logan played Baseball last spring and will resume next month, he is doing the spring training right now, he is excited. Ava also started doing ballet, I am not into the dance thing, but I was forced to do it as a gymnast. She loves it of course so that's good and it helps her gymnastics so I am happy.

~But wait you say, you use to blog about babies and VBAC and all that fun stuff. Whats going on there? Well nothing at the moment. As you can see life got crazy and we decided to wait. I am still a huge supporter of VBAC and VBA2C and I am sure if I have another baby this blog will blow up with those posts again and trust me I have never stopped researching and keeping up on happenings in the birthing world. I still would love to go into that specialty in nursing. All I can say is stay tuned...

So that is the very abridged version of whats been going on here. Hopefully I can keep this up again :) If not see you in another year...I kid, kinda.

St Jude Trike-A-Thon!

It's that time of year again! Logan is participating in the St. Jude Trike-A-Thon at preschool on February 6th! He is hoping to make his fundraising goal again this year and needs your help! You can donate by clicking on the link below or directly to us. Let's give thanks for the healthy kids in our lives and give to those that are not!

Thank you!
Matt, Brandi and Logan

I Did It!

Totally funny that the last thing I posted about was going back to finish my masters, obviously going back to work and finishing my masters took every ounce of my time so I haven't been blogging much, but I am back to tell you that I am OFFICIALLY done with my M.A. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology!!! So proud of myself for getting it finished, even though I have NO desire to work in that field right now, I am sure it will be useful somehow, somewhere, healthcare is so diverse you never know were it will fit in.

Anyway doing the happy dance over here. Can't wait to actually see the diploma, have to wait until February I think which is when mid-year graduation. Can't believe I am done, whoo hoo!!!!!

Now it's Matts turn, he is busy getting ready to apply to get his Masters in Library Science!

Here we go again...

I started back at Elmhurst again last night. I am taking a Capstone class that the I/O psychology program developed so all of us that never finished up the internship portion of the program can now do so and earn our masters degrees. I am happy to report that my cohort is the only one with multiple members in the class, three of us. Everyone else was from different cohorts. We were almost the oldest cohort, but there is one person from the 2002 (we are 2004), so I don't feel so bad anymore.

I had a massive headache by the end of class. It's going to be a rough 3 months, doing something I have no interest in anymore. I was comforted by my cohort mate sitting next to me, say it's been so long as our professor spat out terms for yesteryear. Yes it's been a long time and I don't do anything in the realm anymore so it's going to be a little crazy getting back into this. My eye is on the prize, my M.A. which will be useful possibly if I decided to go on to RN, I could do a bridge program and get my MSN. That's a big maybe however, but at least I will be done and get my family off my back.

It was really weird being back on campus. I haven't been there since graduation in 2006, it was so damn hot and I was 20 weeks pregnant with Logan. I spent 6 years of my life going there, and four years living as an undergrad there so it was weird to be back. A lot has changed, they renamed a bunch of buildings, my sorority is no more, and a lot of the psychology department has moved on since I was there. So anyway hold on tight cause this is going to be hell on earth for the next 3 months for me.

What to do, what to do...

So I am very excited to start my new career next month, so far my (our) plan is working as planned. We had Ava, I stayed home with her the first year, went back to school to do the CNA program, got a job. The next stage of our plan was to work for a year and then possible start trying for a third bambino. Something that was usually such an easy choice, this time is not. I am not struggling as to whether or not to have a third, that I am good with. It's everything else that is just weighing me down right now.

Issues going through my head right now:

~We don't really have room for another child in this house
~This house will not be ready to be on the market in a year
~Even if said house was on the market in a year, who knows how long it would take to sell
~Money for a new house will mostly come from the sale of this house, so yea we have to sell before we buy
~What happens if I have early complications again now that I will be working? What happens if blood pressure is an issue again? I don't want to lose this job, and I need to make sure I get enough hours in the next year to cover FMLA.
And the biggie that keeps cropping up since I had Ava
~to VBA2C or Repeat C-section

Honestly right after I had Ava, I started researching it. I didn't even get to try with her because of a push to be delivered by 41 weeks, while I could have declined the c-section they forced me to schedule, I ended up with pre-e and had to be delivered anyway. Everything leading up to that was good though. I was dilated a bit (more than I was with Logan before my water broke), I was getting into contraction patterns, they just kept stopping, I needed more time, but my body was done at 8 days past due date, and pre-e is not something you mess around with. I get it, it was necessary. My first c-section, well jury is till out on that one, we will never know if it was necessary.

So I had resolved to the fact that I would have to birth that way if we had more kids. Then a couple of weeks later the ACOG released new guidelines and research that said a VBA2C held no more risks then a VBAC. Well now since then I have been researching providers, midwives, hospitals and more research so we can give this one more try. Through this research it has become very apparent that each c-section you have puts you at much more risk for maternal death. Um no thank you.

So I have a doctors name, a hospital and a midwife practice, it will be a pain to get there, but it's the best choice and chance we have at this. I really prefer to see a midwife this time as they are more holistic in their care and take more time with you. We have decided against my better memory LOL, to try and have a natural child birth, as it is the best and safest way to VBAC. This is going to take a lot of work, classes, doula, whatever it takes. With Logan my water broke and then nothing, so I was hooked up to pitocin as soon as they got me in bed. All I know is I was 1 centimeter dilated and having back to back contractions with doubles peaks, pretty sure that is not normal for early labor. I couldn't handle it I was losing control and had to get the epidural. All the dilating I did with Logan was after the epidural and I could relax, so I don't think they are the devil as some indicate. I know it's different if you go into labor on your own, easier to handle and that's what is getting me through this idea of natural labor. I have a lot of fear to work through that's for sure.

Here is one of the articles I found:

Comparing Risks of VBAC and Repeat Cesarean: Studies and Statistics

In her book, Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth (aff), Ina May Gaskin compares the risk of vaginal birth after cesarean with repeat cesarean:

The medical evidence about VBAC is actually clearer than some recent medical and media interpretations of it would suggest. Cesarean surgery is just as risky as any other major abdominal surgery for the mother — a considerably higher risk for her than vaginal birth. With repeat cesarean she has three times the chance of dying and roughly five to ten times the risk of suffering complications. [emphasis mine]

In examining the the general risks of cesarean vs. vaginal delivery, studies have shown certain increased risks due to caesarean delivery, and other increased risks due to vaginal delivery.

General risks of cesarean delivery (those with higher risk than vaginal delivery) include:

• A threefold increase in the risk of death to the mother
• Greater risk of death to the infant, by more than double when no labor complications are present
• Increased risk of newborn respiratory problems
  
• A dramatic increase in the risk of hysterectomy
• Increased risk of infection and its complications
• Risk of dense adhesions, increasing the likelihood of organ injury in future abdominal or cesarean deliveries, and increasing the likelihood of bowel obstruction
• More intense and longer-lasting pain in the six months subsequent to birth
• Bladder injury
• Increased psychological problems for the mother, including difficulties in establishing breastfeeding, weakened mother-baby bonding, postpartum depression and even instances of PTSD
• Risk to babies in future pregnancies, including increased risk of pre-term delivery, low birth weight, brain and spinal cord injury, respiratory problems, and unexplained pre-term death in the womb
• Risks to future pregnancies due to accumulated cesarean scars, such as ectopic pregnancy, placenta previa and placental abruption

General risks of vaginal delivery (those with higher risks than cesarean delivery) include:

• Anal sphincter trauma
• Temporary urinary incontinence

Fewer studies are available in directly comparing specifically VBAC deliveries to repeat cesarean, however, studies appear to indicate:

• VBAC represents no additional risk to the infant,
• Repeat cesarean does however represent increased risk to the mother.

Although VBAC does represent increased risk of rupture of the uterine scar, again, this risk has not been shown to correlate with an increased overall risk of death compared with caesarean delivery.

Yea so there you have it. This decision should be an easy one. Especially if we do want to have a fourth. I feel like a 3rd c-section would be it, I had a hard time recovering from my second, one so I feel a third would be it for my body.

So now we have to decide when are we going to do this. In my research I read an article from Mayo Clinical about pregnancy spacing and found out that 5 or more years between births increases pre-e chances. Well I am already at increase for that since I have had PIH and pre-e in both of my live pregnancies. If we wait until we moved, we might get to that point and I don't want to do ANYTHING to increase my chances of pre-e. The treatment is really rough on me, and I am just not a present in the first two days of my kids lives because of it. Not to mention good bye VBAC.

I was starting to think we should wait two more years. I would be 32, which means if there were to be a #4 if would be a lot closer in age then we want to #3. We really don't want to be having kids much past 35 since I have so many issues already, they will just get worse as I age.

I need to get my surgical records from the hospital so I can take them to the new doctor/midwife and see what is going on and if VBAC is in the cards. I need to meet with these new care providers and make my wishes known. I have no idea how long my body is going to take to get back to normal after "the removal" it could be awhile. So if we are going to go for it in a year, I need to get started on all this. I just feel like we have to wait because if the house situation, so then I am back to the spacing problem and if we are nearing 5 years between I am putting my self more at risk for something that I am already at high risk for! So anyway, I am struggling with all this right now. We have to make some decisions and that's all there is to it. My family WILL NOT be supportive of a VBA2C, and I can only surround myself with positive as we take that journey. My husband is supportive, but I feel like sometimes he just says what I want to hear. He is however the only person that really saw what I went through after we had Logan and he was so worried after my c-section with Ava, but it was better this time. I am sure all Logan's medical issues, NICU, etc, played a big part in the hot mess I was after that birth.

I wish I could just jump into work and not worry about it until next year, but the planning and making sure I have a care provider that supports our decision, my take a year to find, or to get into if this place is super busy.

I found a lot of great blog postings from ICAN, I will have to post some. Some of the c-section ones I could have wrote myself. It' s nice to know I am not alone in the way I feel.

SO this was a long rambling post, but I couldn't sleep last night thinking about all this and needed to get it out.

I am, however, super exited to start working and I am sure my nerves in relation to that is also keeping me up at night, which gives me time to think about all this other stuff...oh well that's life!