One Month Down, and Infinity to Go

I can not begin to describe the amazingness (yes, I'm using "amazingness" which is obviously not a real word) of this last month. My daughter, London, is now a month old and the changes that happen each and every day are beautiful, emotional, and have been eagerly anticipating the changes to come.

You may remember that London was born with some mild trauma including a little bent nose which I can happily say is completely normal thank you very much. She gets a little more hair each week and is, quite frankly, looking more and more stunning every day. But I may be slightly biased as I am her extremely proud mommy.

Mommy. I'm still getting used to this new role. Well, maybe not the role itself but the word "mommy". I had this conversation with my own Mom yesterday about the adjustment period of a new title. She's still adjusting to being Nana as I'm adjusting to being Mama. It's like the transition from calling Brandon my boyfriend, to my fiance, and now my husband. It was an adjustment period each time and I kept catching myself calling him by the wrong title. And again when I became his wife as Mrs. Nissen. But now saying my maiden name sounds silly. And I imagine I'll have the same reaction soon about being London's Mom. It will sound silly to think of myself of anyone else. I was not a Mom for 25 years but I will be for the rest of my life.

And I'm hoping to get back to posting at least once a week - I know my husband would like that. He's the reason I'm posting today. He's been bugging me about getting a new blog up and this one will be live just in time for him to read it before his check ride. He's back in Dallas finishing up his training to be a Captain for American Eagle Airlines. To say I'm proud of him is an understatement. I know being away from London is hard for him especially so soon in her life when each day is something new - well, it's new to us!

That's the great thing about our world of technology. I can send Brandon pictures and videos, we can video chat through Skype, and he can be as involved as possible. As a military brat, I wish we had the technology readily available when my own Dad was deployed overseas for up to a year at a time. That chat once a month for less than 10 minutes was all we got and we were beyond grateful for it. Now, London's daddy doesn't have to go more than a few hours without seeing her. It really is an amazing thing to have him away from home but so connected.

So, I'm grateful for the technology we have available, for the time and patience and helpfulness of my Mom staying with me while Brandon is away, for our friends who have come over to meet Little London and dote on her, and, finally, grateful for the continued love and support from all of our friends and family. Thank you for everything from the little text messages just to "check-up" on us to spending weeks out of your life to help me keep my sanity.

Here's hoping that the next installment isn't far away!

Breastfeeding, Pumping, and How I Make It Easier on Myself

It's only been 13 days since little London Rose came into my world officially. Each day is something new, funny, and exhausting when it comes to her and my own recovery process. London's mild trauma has corrected itself into a perfectly shaped little nose, no more swollen head, and her bruising is all gone. Now, Mommy's progress is a little slower and some days are better than others of course.

The Day Before London Joined Us! 8/29/13

Having decided to breastfeed, the food I put into my body is just as important if not more so than when I was pregnant. The vitamins and nutrients that I pass onto London are an essential part of her development. Sadly her latching ability was affected by her mild trauma (she's got a really high palette that prohibits a good  latch). So that means I pump every 3 hours - let me tell you that being attached to that machine for 40 minutes every time is exhausting and definitely putting a little strain on me. But I'm sure my tolerance will build as time progresses. The benefits to breastfeeding is numerous but as someone who was formula fed (and my husband was too!) I am not going to lose any sleep if for whatever reasons we need to switch to formula for London. We all turned out just fine. I will supply her with as much breast milk as I can for as long as I can though.

Here are some of the breastfeeding/pumping tips I've come across that have definitely helped me:

• Hydrate! I try to drink at least 3 liters of water every day - that's 13 cups. And trust me I can tell when I'm low.
• I have a designated place that I pump and I make sure I have a pillow, blanket, my iPad, my iPhone, and the remote control so I can stay distracted if need be.
• Set a timer. I pump for 20 minutes on each side but will go longer if I'm in the middle of a let down.
• Use your hands as well as the pump. The warmth of your hands and massaging motions help to get your milk flowing.
• Avoid greasy foods - it hurts your supply and just makes me feel gross in all honesty.

What tips and tricks have you heard? What worked for you? I'm always looking for more help and advice!

And another bonus is the amount of calories you burn from breastfeeding which I'm 100% sure with how well my after baby weight loss progress is going. Let me break it down for you:

Starting Weight: 219

London's Birthday: 247

And Today: 225

So far I'm down 22 pounds of the original 27 that I gained. I am amazed how fast this has fallen off and I am beyond grateful. As soon as I can start working out again I will start easing into it and hopefully continue to weight loss to my goal weight of 150. 

Welcome to the World London Rose!

I can proudly say that as of Friday, August 30, 2013 my husband and I are the proud parents of London Rose Nissen who came into the world at 10:27pm at 6lbs 8oz and 19 inches long. To say she made us work for it is an understatement but any child of mine wouldn't enter the world with any less fun and excitement. Fair warning, if you don't want to know the details of day don't read ahead. I promise to leave out the gross bits though! And know that this blog is more for me to record the day so I can go back and remember all the little things.

Mommy and London

If you've been reading along with my blog or are a friend of mine you know that my husband has been in Dallas for work since the 15th of August. So, the anxiety of ensuring that he made it home on time for his daughter's birth had been weighing on my mind. Friday at around 1am I got my first contraction - and I knew right away what it was. I had been having Braxton Hicks and this felt nothing like that. This was like the intensely awful menstrual cramps I used to get when I was a teenage and hadn't discovered Midol yet. Because I have an obsession with social media, technology, and all things iPhone I immediately pulled out my phone and started up my Enfamil Expecting Baby Pregnancy App. This handy app was free to download and came with a contraction calculator. I started keeping track of the length of the contractions and the time between them.

At 2:34am I called my husband in Dallas to let him know what was happening. With any luck he'd be able to catch the first flight out of Dallas at 6am and meet me at the hospital. At 3am I woke up my parents (Dad and Step-Mom) who were sleeping on an air mattress in the nursery and let them know that today was the day! My husband let his parents know and I then called my mother in Colorado so she could get started on her journey to Chicago.

Per the doctor's orders I waited till my contractions were 10 minutes apart before calling the office to alert the Doctor that I would be coming in soon. That was 3:48am and now we're off to the hospital! Thanks to Dad for driving us through Chicago so early. I know you were not enjoying the early hour but at least we avoided Chicago traffic and Labor Day weekend traffic!!

Now we're at the hospital, it's about 4:30am and if you remember Miss London is not going to join the world till 10:27pm. That's right I am looking right at 21 hours of labor. And if that time frame tells you anything it should be that not only did Brandon, her father, make it to the hospital before her arrival so did all of her soon-to-be grandparents! It was an incredible blessing to have everyone there (minus Papa John who could not get away but we do have a special visit with him planned in just a couple of days! Can't wait!).

The decision for pain relief, namely epidurals is on each woman to decide. I opted in favor of the epidural and am so glad that I did. I got my epidural around noon and truly believe I could not have made it through without it. I was able to nap through contractions! (How awesome, right?!)

Let's fast forward through the day and now we're at 9cm dilated and I've got a fever. Over 101 degrees which means my little girl's heart rate is really high and the doctor is thinking about getting me to start pushing soon but hoping I'll have the urge, which never came. The doctor assures me that the fever I've got happens to some people with extended labors and that it just means that I have to antibiotics after delivery and so will our little girl.

Now, we're at 10cm dilated and getting close to push time. But, we have wrench thrown in! Low and behold that it's 8pm and we have a conflict - my husband's fantasy football draft starts at 8pm....yes, you read that right. Fantasy football draft starts at 8am and it's important. My husband and my father are now sitting in the room on the couch on the iPad doing the draft. Yes, I'm 10 centimeters dilated, fever, and getting ready to start the pushing and their chatty away about good running backs! My husband knows what he's doing is not going to go unnoticed or untold - he even looked at me and said, "This is going to go in your blog isn't it?". Oh yeah, it is.

My very cool doctor comes in and tells me she's going to have me start pushing now so Brandon hands over the iPad to my Dad to finish his draft and all of the parents leave the room. All day I've had Brandon with me and our 3 sets of parents have been in and out visiting with us. But now, it's just about this time with Brandon and me and becoming a family.

Two hours of pushing later my daughter comes into the world "sunny side up" which basically means she made delivery very difficult and painful (even with my epidural). She had mild trauma from delivery including her little nose looking like she had it pressed up against the glass on a fish tank. But everyday it sorts itself out and she gets cuter and cuter (if that's possible).

And due to that fever I had I don't get to keep her too long. The policy at our hospital is that they do a quick check with her and then immediately encourage skin-to-skin contact and the first attempt at breastfeeding within 30 minutes. But with the infection they have to get her started on antibiotics asap so I get to hold her briefly, and so does Brandon. Then he takes her out to see the grandparents in a show and tell. After that they cart her off to the NICU.

An hour later in a new room we are reunited with our little one and finally get to start being an inseparable family. We're now just over a week into this parenting thing and I have learned more than I ever thought possible. I am more in love with my husband, head over heels for my daughter, and can honestly say that I am more excited for each new day than ever before.

Do you have any fun labor stories? I'd love to hear them!

Braxton Hicks, Nervous Ticks, and Preparing for Baby's Arrival

We've entered into Week 39 of my first pregnancy and each day is still bringing in something new or something painful - most of the time both! While I want my little girl to hold out at least another week and hopefully a few days after that even so her father can finish his work training for his promotion, I am also getting very antsy and anxious to meet her. I feel like I've been waiting on her forever! But I'm sure every pregnant mommy-to-be feels the same.

Little London's room is ready for her arrival and so am I!

So, while I power through these Braxton Hicks contractions how am I supposed to keep myself entertained? Thankfully I've got my Mom and Dad staying with me so I'm not completely alone inside my own head. My Mom's even been helping with the housework and cooking so I can really take it easy. (I know I'm going to miss all the help when my little girl is here!) Thanks Mom!

I am realizing that as I set out to write this post I really didn't have a plan as far as tips, tricks, or information to pass on. This one was really just to write as I find that relaxing (and my husband has asked me for a new post to read! Hi Buby!). Sometimes a blog post is just a blog post and it's for no one else other than the writer. I do promise to have plenty of information and observations that I'll pass on as I continue on down the Mommy Blogger road.

Right now, the only information I have is to make sure you have done all your pre-hospital stay preparations done. Those things include:

1. Install the Infant Car Seat - And remember that most, if not all, hospitals won't let you leave with your little one unless you have one!
2. Pack Your Hospital Bag - There's no way to really know what you'll need at the hospital and frankly most will be provided to you including diapers and the like. But a simple Google search will give you hundreds of "fool-proof" lists to follow for what you could need. My husband and I have a small duffle (I realize I have no idea how to spell that and spell check doesn't seem to know what I mean.) bag packed with some toiletry items, a coming-home outfit for my little girl, and a change of clothes for the both of us. 
3. Map Out Your Route - Most likely you won't be the one taking yourself to the hospital, and if you're like me my husband won't be the one taking me either. So, making sure you have the map printed out or at least the address written down so you can plug it into your phone's GPS is a no-brainer. My parents and I actually drove the route last weekend so it wouldn't be completely unfamiliar with the inevitable rush to the hospital panic ensued. 
4. REST! - I can not put the emphasis on resting enough. Sleep as often as you can, take naps, stay off your feet and just take it easy. I've heard it a hundred times and I'm sure you have to - once that baby comes it's not about you anymore and you will be on the move pretty consistently. I am more than grateful to have my family and friends around me to support me in every way that they can. It takes a huge weight off my shoulders and helps me focus on all the exciting and tiring things to come!

Got any major things that I should add to the list? You can find pretty extensive lists with a little searching but for me, this is the bare essentials list before your little one makes their grand debut! Who knows? My next post may be about the exciting process itself of bringing home baby London! We'll see....

Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

I made these last night for my parents and they were a hit so thought I'd share the recipe. I'm sure my Mom will also appreciate finding this recipe easier since I'll pop it on Pinterest too. On a side note, I got her all set up on Pinterest a few days ago and she's a pinning machine now! Have fun Mom!

Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 4lb Pork Roast
• Minced Onion - this is a family preference. You can use one large onion.
• 5 Whole Cloves
• 3 Cups Water
• 16oz BBQ Sauce
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Rolls or Hamburger Buns

Directions:

1. If you are using the large onion, slice it and place it on the bottom of your slow cooker.
2. Cover your Pork Roast in salt, pepper, garlic pepper, minced onion on all sides and place in the slow cooker.
3. Place cloves on the top of the roast.
4. Fill the crock pot with the water - it should be about 2/3's of the way full and not covering the roast.
5. Cook the roast on LOW for 8 to 10 hours. You can cook it on HIGH for 4-6 if you are in a hurry or get up late!
6. Remove the roast from the cooker, discard the cloves, and remove excess fat.
7. Place roast in a large bowl and shred with two forks. It should fall apart very easily.
8. Once shredded, add BBQ sauce to the bowl and mix well. You can use as much or as little BBQ sauce as you like.
9. Serve on rolls or hamburger buns with your favorite toppings! Enjoy!

This recipe is easily altered to make it your own with different spices, your favorite BBQ sauce, some people put the shredded pork back in the crock pot with the BBQ sauce to simmer and really meld the flavors. All up to you! Have your own variation? I've love to hear about it in the comments!