No Resolutions

I am not sure why it always seems as if things are ending right around this time of year when in reality not much really changes at all as a new year rolls around. We make resolutions or goals or whatever you want to call them. We have good intentions and sometimes we follow through with what we want for the new year and sometimes we don't. I don't think I am going to make any resolutions this year, because I was thinking about how much my life changed in 2009 and none of them had to do with resolutions. On Jan. 1, 2009 I did not know that I would be holding a baby boy in my arms right now and typing with just one hand. I did not know that I would no longer be teaching (at least in a school). I did not know that I would learn to sew and crochet. I did not know that we would have a new vehicle. Those are just a few things that come to mind.
Each year I realize how much more I am blessed to have family and friends that care so much. So many things have happened in 2009 and no matter how much I want to plan things out, I know that 2010 is going to be full of unplanned greatness.

Nana the Cleaning Wonder

When Nana comes to visit, my house always ends up cleaner than it was before she arrives. My mom cleans better than anyone I know and that has really been helpful this week since we are in the middle of a bathroom renovation. I decided we should redo our bathroom since we are nearing the bottom of our house renovation to-do list. At first we were just going to paint. Then we were graciously given some money and a gift card for Christmas, so we decided we would get new hardware. But then, we found the perfect vanity that would fit in the spot where our existing vanity is that would not mess up the plumbing or venting. If we were going to replace the vanity, then we would need to replace the flooring and so on and so on. With a relatively small amount of money we are going to significantly increase the value of our home (we hope).
Renovations are not as easy to do with a baby, so with Nana coming to visit, we took the opportunity to paint while she was here to play with Seth. Since Seth does take a pretty long nap during the day, my mom was also able to help us in the bathroom (she scrubbed the bathtub, and I mean scrubbed) plus she did laundry, the dishes, and helped me straighten the house. So to my mom, THANK YOU, and now that the house is cleaner than it was when she arrived we are ready for some bathroom demolition. I have a very strong feeling that we are going to need Nana back at our house very soon, especially after the mess we are about to make.

Traditions in the Making

We had a lovely Christmas here in the Tillery household. We spent a couple of days in Jackson with family and then we drove home Christmas morning to spend our first Christmas as a family of three at home. Our Christmas at home was filled with a Jesus' birthday celebration which even included a chocolate birthday cake after dinner. We didn't have presents to exchange. We spent time together and took time to celebrate the birth of our Savior. It was such a simple and special time.

Get Up and Go

Last weekend we were visiting with family and I was asked by a few people what I was doing since becoming a stay-at-home mom. After giving my response, I was told that I apparently have gotten my "get up and go," which I have been told, can take some time for many new moms. I admit I did have a week or two where I just wanted to sit on the couch all day long and watch t.v., but it soon passed. What have I been up to, you might ask? I have since been filled with an urge to improve my homemaking skills.
I checked out a book at the public library called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver. (If you love food, cooking, gardening, or just want a fascinating read, I highly recommend this book.) It has been very inspiring and has motivated me to learn more about eating foods in season and possibly growing some vegetables this coming Spring. I love the idea of gardening, but I often fail at carrying out all the work needed in a well maintained garden and that's sad considering how small of a garden patch I had to maintain. I hope to change that this coming year. I do a pretty decent job at growing my own herbs, which I still have growing in my windowsill (I almost brought them in too late, but they are holding on). I have ordered some seed catalogs and I hope to inch my way toward being a more skilled gardener.
I have also been learning about composting which I plan to start doing in the very near future. I am also in the process of improving my sewing skills and I hope to learn how to crochet and knit. I have been practicing my baking skills and trying to perfect a chocolate chip cookie recipe. For some strange reason I feel the need to know how to make bread, and I am going out on a limb here, but making my own cheese. I think those sound like very good homemaking skills. Weird, huh?
I am not sure how to explain it but all of these plans, tasks, and the experiences of motherhood have just about put me in a state of elation. I feel so happy. I feel so comforted by being at home. Sure I like to get out, but I also feel so happy just being at home with my sweet family. I am almost giddy at the thought of all that I want to learn to improve my role as a wife, mother, and homemaker.

Felt Mr. Potato Head

This past week I worked on a very fun sewing project. I came across the idea of a velcro Mr. Potato Head from a blog called Make It and Love It. I made three of these cuties for some of Seth's cousins. Although they did take about three and half hours each to make, they were very easy to sew and they were super cheap. Each of these come with a pouch attached to the back containing two more mouths and a different hat. I think I am going to do a few more experimental pieces with the one I make for Seth. If your interested in making your own, you can check out step by step instructions here.

The End of an Era

by Bryan.
That's right. Bryan is actually authoring a blog post. Crazy isn't it.

Back in September of 1997, I was 15 years old and very excited about my upcoming 16th birthday. For a guy, turning 16 is about two things and only two things. A driver's license and a car. I had saved practically every dime I made since I was 12 mowing lawns and then working for a contractor my family knew. Saving and saving for a car. And then we found it. A 1994 Ford Explorer Sport, green with a gray interior, a 4.0L V6, and manual transmission. Perfect. Well, except for the fact that it had been totaled and re-built, but through some weird state to state title conversion, it came to Tennessee clean. It was in good shape though, and looked very nice. I was paying for it my self, and it was the best I was going to do. I couldn't have been happier.

Fast forward several years. I'm off to college. Still driving the good 'ole Explorer, but now it's not in such good shape. The paint is peeling on the roof a little, and when it rains, the windshield leaks some. When I hit bumps, there is this clank sound that sounds like one of the wheels might fall off. One day I noticed that the spare tire was missing. It attached under the back with a cable. All that was left was a little piece of broken cable. So at some point I was driving down the road and it came off. I hope there wasn't a car close behind me. I could have caused a terrible wreck. I guess I'll never know.

Fast forward to a couple week ago. I'm now 28 years old... still driving the Explorer. Now a piece of junk. Now there are more parts that don't work than do. A few of the issues are funny. The radio now longer worked. Have you ever tried to drive your car in silence, (except for the verity of rattles and clanks and shakes) it's weird. The fan for the heat and A/C worked... sometimes, and making that even better the windows no longer rolled up or down. Summer = Hot. The leaky roof, oh the leaky roof. Now not only did it leak, it dripped on the driver's side seat. I had to keep a piece of plastic in the back for when it rained. The clank sound when I hit bumps, I'll put it this way. Not a single person had ridden with me more than once in at least couple years, Stephanie included. Not only will the tail gate no longer stay up, one of the shocks that held it up snapped off, it literally flew off the car. One nice thing is that I can now take the key out of the ignition even when it is running. That's actually quite convenient. The tires are completely bald. I can think of at least 20 other issues.

So I know what you're thinking, "Why don't you just get another car." I can't get another car. That's the only car I've ever had. I can't get another one. I can't. But then last week, it wouldn't start. Cars are much less useful when they don't start. I tried several things to fix it, but nothing worked. I came to the realization that just having someone diagnose the problem would cost more that it was worth. So at long last the ride is over (so to speak). Salvage valve for it is only about $250 (thanks cash for clunkers). So I sold it to someone for 300 bucks. I feel bad because I think I ripped them off.

When they came to pick it up, and by they I mean the buyer and a tow truck, the tow truck guy turned the key "just to see." It started. The buyer asked if I would drive it to their house, and I said yes. I was thinking during my last drive in the old friend. It must have wanted me to drive it one last time.

And so ends the story of my first car. I pick up my new (to me) truck tomorrow. It's by no means a spring chicken, but I can't help but wonder how far it will take me.

Babysitting

Seth had his first babysitting experience this weekend. Saturday evening Bryan and I went to the annual water district Christmas party. This event was the first time that both Bryan and I had to be away from our little man. Although I wanted to call every five minutes or so I refrained because Seth was in good hands. Nana and Pop drove three hours to keep our cute little cookie (see photo above :). Seth sure does love his Nana and Pop and so do we!

Enjoying Life

I know it's been a while, but we have been staying busy and enjoying life for the last little while. Here's a recap of some of the things that have been going on...

Last week we enjoyed Thanksgiving with our families in Jackson. Seth sure did love staying with and being around Nana and Pop (my parents) and Uncle Michael.

Seth got to meet Memaw during this trip and got to see Pepaw again (my grandparents).

Seth also loved visiting with Granna and Papa (Bryan's parents).

We ate lots and lots between last Thursday and Sunday. Speaking of eating, we tried out our new roasting pan that I got on sale at Macy's on Saturday. I did not go shopping on Black Friday again this year and I was so glad because I got the same deals on Saturday without the crazy crowds. I also picked up a few cooking ideas from family members and hope to try some new recipes soon.

Yesterday we decorated the house for Christmas. I really debated over whether to decorate because I didn't want to fall into that whole consumerism thing like I mentioned last year and I am reading the book The Irristible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical by Shane Claiborne. Reading that right before Christmas definitely puts a whole new perspective on things.

Today I finally hung the four matted prints that have been sitting in our bedroom for almost 3 years. I am not sure what exactly we were waiting on. Maybe a bed? I think we will be waiting a lot longer thanks to having to buy a car.

That's right, the explorer has died. We are currently looking for a very cheap, and I mean cheap vehicle.

A discover yesterday will help us save some money. I found my missing pairs of pants. Yay!

I picked up some felt tonight and some fabric over the weekend because I have some sewing projects planned for the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned for more on that.

Life is fun right now. Seth is growing and changing each day. He smiles so much and can make the /g/ sound and /oo/ sound amongst his cooing and giggling. He has also slept through the night for the past six out of seven nights. It is wonderful!!

We are so blessed and have so many things to be thankful for.

Stir Craziness

Bryan's car wouldn't start last week. So after almost a week of barely leaving the house, I was about to go stir crazy. I could have taken Bryan to work each morning, but I love it when he comes home for lunch, and I could have dropped him off at work after lunch but that just didn't work out for one reason or another this week. What about Bryan's motorcycle, you ask? Some mornings it's been too cold and the one day that he did ride it to work, it started to rain. Staying at home seemed to solve all our dilemmas with transportation. This week though in particular Bryan was very, very busy. Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights were filled with commitments away from home. So when I typically get lots of help and sometimes a much needed break during the evenings, I didn't get much of that this week, which added to the stir craziness.
After an uninterrupted seven hours of sleep, that's right seven hours, Seth and I were able to get out of the house this morning. We dropped off our shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, we went by the bank, and made a quick trip to the library. It was so nice. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it was enough to cure my need to get out of the house. Thankfully, Bryan was able to get his car (that he has had since he was 15) to run today. One day it's not going to be fixable, but we are hoping that day can be held off a little bit longer. In the mean time we are making do, and I am especially thankful that weeks like the past one don't happen that often.

My First Chocolate Pie

My First Chocolate Pie

A couple of years ago, I was given an assignment to write a personal version of the poem Where I'm From by George Ella Lyon. The beginning of mine went something like this:

where I'm from
by: Stephanie Tillery

Adapted from: George Ella Lyon

I am from chocolate pie,

from cornbread and West Tennessee barbeque,

I am from the table where every evening meal was spent together

filled with warmth and love.

I am from Grandma's blue hydrangeas,

the backyard apples trees, and the fuzzy pine planted

in the first few days of Kindergarten.

As you can see, chocolate pie has been a big part of my life. My dad is the chocolate pie maker in our family. Let me just go ahead and say it, no one and I mean no one else can make a chocolate pie as good as him. Well, I decided that I would try my hand at making a chocolate pie today using my dad's recipe that he so graciously shared with me the last time we were down to visit. I have seen my dad make a few chocolate pies in my lifetime. It wouldn't be too hard to replicate that chocolate goodness, or so I thought...
First, I only had a store bought rolled up frozen pie crust. I didn't let it properly thaw before trying to unroll it, so it cracked all to pieces which resulted in a very ugly pie crust and some of my edges browned too much while it was baking. Then, my chocolate took forever and I mean forever to slightly thicken using a double boiler which I insisted on trying since the original recipe called for that, even though my dad doesn't do it that way. I should have known better. For crying out loud, why didn't I just do it like my dad does it? I ended up dumping my chocolate into a regular pot and doing it like he does it after thirty minutes of stirring and finally it started to thicken. All the while I had my egg whites whipping in the stand mixer for the meringue. I am not sure what went wrong with them, but they ended up so not like my dad's. Maybe over mixing? Maybe it just wasn't his magic touch? I'm not giving up trying to make a good chocolate pie, but I know one thing for sure, I am going to have to do some major practicing to ever make a chocolate pie as good as my dad's.

2 Month Stats

Today Seth went in for his two month check-up and the first round of vaccines. We had an excellent report. He is a healthy and growing baby boy. Seth is up to a whopping 9 pounds and 14 ounces and he is 22 inches long. He was so happy during the exam and he even smiled at the doctor. When it came time for the shots he screamed bloody murder for about five seconds and then he was back to normal. I think I had a harder time than he did. As many of you know, I have a fear of needles and thorns of all kinds and it was so incredibly hard for me to see my baby boy being stuck with three sharp needles. That whole maternal instinct thing has really kicked in I think.
Seth will be starting a vitamin drop tomorrow and he can now take Baby Tylenol. I was told to give him some as soon as we got home to help ease the discomfort from the vaccines. Baby Tylenol was something I didn't think to get before today though. So on our way home we had to make a stop at Walgreens. (For all of you out there that have little ones on the way, make sure you put that on your list of things to buy.) We made it home and although the doctor said Seth could be very fussy, he hasn't been yet. He has mostly slept. It could be a long night, but if that means just holding my baby boy all night, I will gladly do it. He is only two months old once after all.
Speaking of sleeping, Seth has moved into his own room now. He started sleeping five or six hours at a time last week and we thought that was the perfect time to transition him to his own bedroom. Since we have done that I have only had to wake up one time each night to feed him. It only took 8 weeks for him to really realize people are supposed to sleep more at night than during the day. :)
In developmental news, our little man is smiling and giggling. He is not only smiling though, he is smiling back at us if we smile first. It is so exciting! He has just started the giggling and it just sounds like little happy grunts right now, not really continuous giggles, but it is such a beautiful sound regardless. He loves to try to hit objects and he really loves his new Tiny Love Classical Mobile. After noticing his fascination with the ceiling fan, we did some research and found this wonderful mobile. Seth loves it!
I tried getting a video of him last week when he just started with the giggles. I'm sorry it's sideways, I will try to get a better video in the next few days. I will know not to turn the camera next time. Excuse the hiccups, too. :)

Living a Dream

This week I have had several things to write about but I just haven't had a good opportunity to blog. I never realized how scatter-brained you become in the land of mommyhood. Every time I start something, my mind wanders to something else and so I start that and so on and so on. I had to be very intentional this week to finish particular tasks before starting something new in an effort to not leave a million unfinished tasks to be completed who knows when.
In amongst my very scatter-brained thinking I came to a realization. One warmer day this week Seth and I took a stroll around the neighborhood. I really enjoyed getting out and feeling the sun, watching the leaves blow, and listening to the sounds of nature. As we were walking, I thought about how much my days have changed. I feel like I am living a dream. I really felt like I needed to be pinched just to make sure I wasn't going to wake up. I am so blessed to be able to stay home and be with our baby boy. I love being a wife and mother. I love that my dream is a reality.

First Trip to Jackson

This past weekend Seth made his first trip to Jackson to visit with family. Seth got to meet Pepaw (his great-grandfather) and will hopefully get to meet Memaw soon. He also loved spending time with the grandparents. Bryan and I did too. :)

Here are a few pictures:

Meeting Pepaw for the first time

4 Generations

Nana, Pop, and Seth

Cooking Meat Like Crazy

Just so you know, I have been cooking meat like crazy. Yesterday and today, I utilized the crock pot. Man, I love the crockpot. What a great invention! Oh, and those Reynolds crock pot liners, they are amazing!
I cooked a pork loin roast which has been shredded, divided and frozen for three future meals. Today, during Seth's long nap and amongst my cleaning the house and preparing for tutoring I cooked a huge amount of ground beef. Again I divided the meat into three bags, I kept one pound raw for a future meatloaf, and I kept some out for our beef enchiladas tonight. Once all that meat was put away I shredded the roast I had in the crock pot for three future meals. So I prepared meat for ten different meals in the past two days. Before our trip to Jackson tomorrow, I will be rolling out meatballs for four different meals and dividing up some hamburger patties. All of this meat will remain uncooked but it will be ready for a quick thaw and easy cooking. I think it's been a pretty successful week in the kitchen.

Two Chickens, Five Meals

I have really gotten back into cooking again. I think part of the reason is because I have been cooking most of my meats ahead of time. I do have to take a little bit of extra time to cook the meats but it sure does cut down down the time for most meals since I can just add the cooked meat into whatever dish I am making.
I started cooking and freezing meat shortly before Seth was born in hopes to make my life easier once he arrived. I loved how much it simplified my life that I haven't stopped. We are so much less tempted to go out to eat if we know we can throw together a meal really quickly since the meat is already cooked.
I went to the store on Sunday and bought a lot of meat and I mean a lot of meat! I am actually hoping all of this meat will last most of the month if I plan well. I don't take one day to cook all of my meat though. I like to break it up through the week. So tonight I started cooking.
I could just pick up some chickens from the deli at Wal-mart, but I have found that they are sometimes rubbery, so I like to roast my own. If you have never roasted a chicken, it is super simple. I like to put a cut up lemon and some garlic in my standard roasted chicken. I salt and pepper the outside really well, tuck the wings under the body, and tie the legs together to make sure they cook evenly. It sounds complicated but it is really not, trust me. I cook my chickens at 400 degrees for an hour and thirty minutes.

Tonight I needed some chicken for Chicken Pot Pie so it was a perfect time to cook two chickens for future meals. I used one chicken breast and leg meat for our dinner tonight and I removed the rest of the meat and froze it for future meals like Chicken Enchiladas, Chicken and Dumplings, Chicken Tacos, and Poppyseed Chicken Casserole. So the meat from two chickens is going to provide meat for five meals and the nice thing about it is, the meat is already cooked. I put all of my cooked meat in quart sized freezer bags and label each one with what it is and the date that it was cooked.

On the agenda for tomorrow is shredded pork...

Avoiding Frumpiness

Before life in mommyhood, I never understood how hard it was to take a shower. I never understood how hard it was to dress nice. I never understood why taking care of yourself was so difficult. Now I completely understand. Because Seth has been somewhat of a night owl, we both sleep for most of the morning each day. We wake up in time to greet Bryan when he comes home for lunch and that is when we truly start our day. It's sad, I know, but hopefully that is coming to an end soon. I can say I have successfully managed to get a shower each day, but actually drying my hair and putting on makeup has often been overlooked. I have finally been able to fit back into my pre-pregnancy pants just this week. The good news is I can fit into pants I wore two years ago, a size smaller than my pre-pregnancy size. The bad news is, I only have five pairs of pants, two of which are maternity pants, because somehow my pants that I wore last year have disappeared. So it is very desirable to just put on pajama pants and call it good and the vast majority of shirts that I wear usually have spit up on them within the first few minutes of wearing them. I say all of this because it is very hard to avoid the frumpiness that is often associated with stay-at-home moms. I am trying though. I don't want to lose the desire to put on makeup or to wear my cute new $7 striped shirt from Old Navy. I want to take care of myself. I want to avoid frumpiness at all costs.

Our Little Pumpkin

Seth dressed up as a pumpkin, which only lasted a few short minutes, for his first Halloween. We thought he was the cutest little pumpkin ever though.

Making Objects Move

I am amazed at how much Seth is growing each day. He went from just staring at objects to tracking objects to hitting objects in just a matter of days. He is still very uncoordinated and he really doesn't have much hope of getting much better if he follows in his mother and father's footsteps. :) I am not sure if he really even realizes what he is doing half the time but he seems interested in making objects hanging in front of him move so we couldn't be prouder parents.

The other day when I laid him in his crib, I put a stuffed frog close to him and he reached out to touch it.

Here's a short video of him reaching out and touching his stuffed giraffe.

Baseboard Buildup

When I was little my mom always made me clean the baseboards. I can't remember if it was a weekly chore or not but it sure felt like I had to do it all the time. Sure I had other chores too, but I despised cleaning the baseboards because it required crawling around on my knees with a wet rag until I had gone over all the baseboards. I admit I would fly through some areas that I knew my mom wouldn't check closely just to get done faster. (Sorry, mom).
It was not until today that I truly understood why I had to do something that seemed so pointless as a child. If you don't regularly clean your baseboards, then when you bend over to pick something up close to the wall, you realize how incredibly filthy your house looks. That happened to me today.
I have been trying to keep things picked up, cleaned up, and straightened up since I realized I had the case of the lazies last week. So as I was straightening today I noticed how incredibly dusty and dirty the baseboards were in our hallway. I don't clean my baseboards the way I did for my mom. I just use a feather duster to go over them every once and a while and call it good. I think that I might need to follow in my mom's footsteps though and pick up that childhood chore once again to avoid baseboard buildup. Once I came to the realization that my mom was not just trying to keep me busy but instead she was absolutely brilliant for giving me such a overlooked task, I couldn't help but smile. You can count on me giving Seth that same chore one day (maybe even as soon as he is crawling). :)

Update in Photos

Since almost all of my time is consumed with our baby boy right now, I don't really have much else to blog about at the moment, so here are a few pictures to show a little bit of what has been going on...

Seth got this adorable outfit from his Aunt Amy when she came to visit last Sunday. We have had lots of visitors and have enjoyed each and every one of them.

We bundled our little man up to go for an evening stroll around the neighborhood.

Seth likes to hang out in the swing when I am tutoring.

During tummy time, Seth can easily lift his head and turn it from side to side.

Seth started wearing cloth diapers today!!!
They still look huge on him, but I think in just a short time they will fit nicely.

5 Weeks

It's been five weeks since our little man was born and the last few weeks have been a learning experience. Bryan and I are becoming more accustomed to life as parents and Seth is growing like a weed. In the past week he has been able to go from just tracking an object with his eyes to turning his head from side to side to track an object. He is also attempting to smile (we think), and he is starting to hit objects with his hands while he is sitting in his bouncy chair. It is quite exciting.
I have been in kind of a slump for the past week, not emotional or anything, but a case of the lazies if that is even a word. I think I am coming out of it, but for a few days I didn't care about housework or doing anything except sit on the couch with Seth all day. I think it is a result of being able to be carefree. It is so nice. I am so thankful that I get to enjoy my days with our little guy and not have to worry about going back to work.

Bath Time

We decided it was time to give Seth a bath last night, his first real bath in his bath tub. We were told not to give more than a sponge bath until his umbilical cord fell off so with that happening a little over a week ago, we felt our baby boy should experience a real bath. Here's how the event unfolded...

Seth is trying to figure out what is going on and was remaining calm.

Puzzled by the feeling of water...

he started to melt down.


Then the cries erupted!


The cries continued until it was over. This was the overall feeling for bath time...


...and then complete relief once it was over.

Read for the Record

Today is Read for the Record Day! All around the world people are reading Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar in hopes to set a world record. Seth and I did our part today by reading it together. We submitted our names into the count and tomorrow we will know if we helped set a new world record. Seth even had a special outfit for the occasion. I found a The Very Hungry Caterpillar outfit at Kiddos Consignment store a couple months ago and couldn't resist the $3 price tag. It is probably the only time he will ever wear it but it made for a cute photo.

*I think I might have set a new record for the number of posts in one day. :)

Picture Time

Seth is 3 weeks and 2 days old. He grows and changes each day. He is such a content little baby boy and he is absolutely adorable...

Executive Cost Cutter

I have enjoyed three weeks of laziness since Seth's birth. I think that is why I have felt so good. I am well rested because I sleep when he sleeps. I have done a little housework here and there, but really not that much. I have cooked each day and have really tried using up the stuff we have had in our cabinets for a while. I haven't left the house on my own yet, partly because of fear and partly because I don't really have anywhere to go. Bryan is such a natural when it comes to taking Seth and all the baby gear out but as for me, I wasn't even able to get the carrier out of the car on my own last night. Since I couldn't lift more than 10 lbs. after the c-section, Bryan had taken care of getting Seth in and out of the car. I guess I need to practice that skill since I can't stay in the house forever. :)
Bryan, Seth, and I have been out a few times including our first trip to Wal-Mart last night. We also enjoyed our second trip to Cheddar's which could very well be our new favorite restaurant. The food is wonderful and the price is even more wonderful. Our meal was less than $20 and it would have only been $14 if we had ordered water instead of tea. That's less than so many of our other regular dining out choices which have been visited on a much more limited basis.
We have been in practice mode as I call it for the last 6 months or so, meaning that we have only been living on what Bryan makes, so that we were sure that we could handle cutting out my salary from our budget completely. I am picking up my tutoring again next week which brings in some income but my school paychecks end during the middle of November. I think we are ready. We won't be able to go out to eat hardly at all, but I have been able to really change the way I cook meat, and it makes cooking meals every single day a lot easier. I have been cooking meat in bulk and then freezing it in small batches and it has definitely simplified cooking.
I saw a segment on Rachel Ray the other day about coupons and while I would love to use coupons, I have not been able to really utilize coupons as well as I would like. Last night, we were able to save $11 on things we were already buying anyway with the coupons I found this week. I was so excited! I am definitely going to be hunting for more since I now have plenty of time to look for savings.
It occurred to me on Monday that I am not going back to work. I am not sure I really realized that until then. I am no longer primarily a teacher. I am now a mom, but I have come up with another role for myself after reading a blog post from one of the many blogs that I subscribe to on Google Reader. I am now also our home's Executive Cost Cutter. I have realized my new job is to love my husband and son as much as I can, to enjoy our time together, and to keep our costs down while doing that. This new job is going to be a challenge at times, but I am confident that I can take on my new role wholeheartedly. I think, as a family, we have made a good start to cutting costs, but I will be looking for even more ways to live life with less money and with more love.

Newborn Essentials

Bryan and I were talking last night about some of the things that we have used as new parents that we didn't expect to be so helpful or useful. We came up with a list of newborn essentials. We have found that every new parent should have:

• Receiving blankets- We were so glad that we were given the advice to get lots and lots of receiving blankets during one of our birthing classes. We have about 15 and we use them for everything. We lay them down on everything so that we don't have to worry about washing covers and sheets all the time. These blankets are also very good for swaddling which an important blanket wrapping technique that every parent needs to know how to do.
• Vaseline in a Tube- If you have a baby boy, this is a must because you need lots and lots of vaseline for diaper changes if your little one is circumcised. Vaseline in a tube makes the diaper changes a lot easier than if you are trying get the vaseline out of a tub.
• Newborn diapers- We are planning to cloth diaper, but our diapers are incredibly huge right now and we had quite a supply of newborn diapers from showers. We have found that it's kind of hard to know if your baby is wet at first because you can't really "feel it" from the outside because newborns don't wet very much at first. The newborn diapers have a yellow stripe on the outside that turns green when a diaper is wet or poopy. We didn't realize this until our last day in the hospital thanks to a nurse telling us. We probably would have eventually read this on the package or discovered it on our own, but it has been a nice feature to the disposable diapers while we are using them.
• Bouncer Chair- We use our bouncer chair everyday! It is so nice because it can easily be moved from room to room.
• Pacifiers- Get one of every kind! We were not going to use a pacifier for as long as we could hold out. We lasted about a week and a half. I was doing some research on pacifiers and found that a pacifier is really helpful for babies until they are about 6 months old. It is a soothing tool but is not needed beyond 6 months, so pacifiers are really useful until then. We decided we would give one a try. We put one in Seth's mouth and as soon as we did he spit it out. We tried again and the same thing happened over and over again. We decided we would try a different kind that we had been given and Bryan had picked up a Soothie while he was out. I really wanted Seth to use the Soothie brand because it was recommended by several friends but it was so awkward and too big for him. After trying several kinds we eventually had a winner but a certain one doesn't just work because you want it to.
• Boppy- I thought I wasn't going to use the Boppy pillow very much after I first got home from the hospital but it has proven to be very, very helpful for feedings. If you are breastfeeding, get one!
• Socks- I was thankful that I was given several pairs of socks in a bag of used clothes that I received because I didn't buy any. Socks are needed but I just didn't think about stocking up on a lot of them. Don't overlook the socks!
• Dr. Brown's bottles- These bottles were recommended by our pediatrician and by several friends and while we have only had to give Seth probably 4 bottles of pumped milk, they have really been great.
• Medela Double Pump- If you breastfeed, get a good pump. It is worth the money! I had to pump in the hospital when Seth was having trouble feeding, and I have also pumped at home a few times for convenience when going out. A good pump is essential!

I'm sure over time we will have a much longer list, but these are the things that we have used or found most helpful these past two and a half weeks.

Feeling Good, Feeling Fine

Bryan, Seth, and I headed to the doctor's office yesterday and today. Seth had his two week check-up yesterday and was given a good report. He is healthy and he seems very happy. He is now back up to his birthweight of 7 pounds, 4 ounces. Breastfed babies tend to lose about ten percent of their body weight after they are born so our two week check-up basically was scheduled so they could check his weight. Last week, when we went to the pediatrician, we saw another doctor in the practice and he had recommended that Seth see a Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor because of him being tongue-tied. We saw our regular pediatrician yesterday and he said the ENT consult was not needed because Seth can put his tongue out beyond his gum line. We were assured that he would not have speech problems later (a huge concern for me) and he obviously does not have any problems with feedings. Should it become a problem in the area of speech we can have a ENT consult when he begins to talk and clipping the skin under his tongue would still be an option and an easy fix if it is needed. After being weighed, Seth managed to poop all over our doctor (yes, he made quite a mess). Then we scheduled our two month old visit and headed home.
Today we had to venture to the same building as yesterday, but to my doctor's office because today's visit was for me. Since I had a c-section, my doctor had to check my incision and hopefully give me clearance to resume normal activities. I am very happy to report that I am 11 pounds lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight. That's right, 11 pounds lighter than the day that I found out that I was pregnant! I guess that gestational diabetes diet paid off for more than just a healthy baby boy. I was given the OK to drive again. Yay! I am still not supposed to lift over 25 pounds, but that is fine by me, since I do still have some minor soreness. My incision has healed nicely and I just have to report back in a month to make sure I am healed completely.
So with two good reports and one very supportive husband/daddy, we are feeling good, feeling fine!

Finding the Words

It's been hard to blog for the last several days. It's not because I have been too busy, because I have had plenty of time. I actually probably have had more time to blog than before because of all the time in between the 2-3 hour blocks of time between feedings. It's not because I haven't felt up to it due to recovery, because I have really felt very well other than some minor soreness. It's not because I have wanted to keep everything a secret, because I am ecstatic about our little man.
I haven't blogged because I haven't been able to find the words to describe what has actually taken place in our home since the birth of our son. I didn't go through what some people call the "baby blues" or anything like that but both Bryan and I have been filled with such strange new emotions. Never before have we ever been touched by something so deeply. I find myself just staring at the human being that came from both of us and being so filled with joy and awe. As I was going through some of the paperwork from the hospital, Bryan and I were both amazed at how much of an impact our son's footprints had on us. I tried reading a book the other night to Seth and I was barely able to make it through the tiny book without breaking down and crying because it was such a special moment. I know I still have a lot of wacky hormones going on right now, but this goes beyond hormones, I think. These deep feelings of joy and happiness and awe were unexpected but are so amazing. Sure I knew people said parenthood changes everything and that you cannot imagine how much you can love a child of your own, but I didn't expect for the new bond between Bryan, Seth, and myself to be so strong. So even though I have been silent for several days, big things are happening here at the Tillery household, and boy, those things and feelings are amazing!

Visit from Nana

This morning my mom left our house pretty early after spending the week with us. I cannot begin to describe how helpful she has been this past week. We not only got to spend some great quality time together but she made sure that I was getting enough rest and not doing too much around the house. I was sad to see her go and I wish that we weren't three hours apart. I can't wait for her and Pop (my dad) to visit in just a few short weeks. Thank you, Nana, for everything!

Day and Night Reversal

My suspicions were correct. I had a hunch that when Seth was still in the womb that he had his days and nights switched. I could feel him moving all night long and he tended to be pretty still during the day. This has apparently carried over to life outside the womb. He sleeps all day. He wakes to eat and he stays awake for a few brief minutes at a time. He is absolutely wonderful and content. When Bryan and I tend to like to sleep though, he chooses to be fussy and not so content. How can you be upset with someone so cute though?
Bryan can sleep through all the crying and so luckily he hasn't lost any sleep yet, because he has to go to work each day. I, however, have only gotten a few minutes here and a few minutes there during the night. It's not a huge deal right now though because my mom is visiting for the week and she kindly listens out for him for the good part of the mornings while I catch up on some much needed sleep.
I read somewhere that to fix this reversal problem, you need to make sure the surroundings are clear for the day and the night. I have almost every light on in the house along with all the window coverings open to make it apparent that it is day time. I have been trying to talk to Seth during all our feedings and he has even been spending some time of his napping time in his bouncer chair. Tonight my plan is to make sure to be keep the lights low while feeding and I am going to be very quiet in hopes that he will soon be able to realize that day is day and night is night. We'll see how long this learning process takes...

Canceled Discharge

Thursday evening after we had all of our belongings packed, we had practiced strapping Seth in the car seat, and we had even signed the discharge papers' a nursery nurse came in and told us that we actually couldn't leave. Seth had only fed five times during his first 24 hours and had not fed since his circumcision done earlier in the day, which we were told was to be expected. Apparently since he wasn't feeding all that great though, even with the help of some of the nursery nurses, they wanted to keep us one more night so that they could guarantee that everything was alright with his feedings. We were told that Seth had a slightly tied tongue (this just means he has an extra bit of skin under his tongue), it was not severe, but it could make his nursing abilities slightly harder. We were discouraged but wanted the best for our baby, so we endured the hospital setting for another night.
We met with the lactation consultant the next morning and got the ok to go from our pediatrician. We have had to do some pumping and feeding as part of our nursing plan, and things are going more smoothly but it is definitely a learning process for us all.
We were able to actually leave the hospital close to 11:00 a.m. on Friday and we journeyed home as a family of three. Seth was wonderful in the car and stayed sound asleep during the entire car ride. When we arrived home, Seth got a tour of the house, was introduced to Bella, and of course had to be loved on lots and lots.

Ready for the first car ride


Being wheeled to the car

Arriving at home


Our little gloworm trying out his bed for the first time

And Then There Were Three

After a very long induction process, it was decided because of Seth's increasingly slowing heart rate, that my water should be broken and if a c-section was needed then we would just have to go that route. Having your water broken is a very strange feeling. I can't imagine having that happen in public. It was very, very strange. The contractions continued and kept getting stronger, but there was still no progression. The head was not dropping.

It was decided that a c-section was our best option because we had to get Seth out. So close to 7 p.m. Tuesday evening I was wheeled down to the operating room and at 7:32 p.m. Seth Bryan Tillery was born. The whole c-section process wasn't as bad as I was expecting but I only got to see our baby boy for a few seconds before Bryan and several of the nurses took care of him during his skin-to-skin time. I was glued back together (that sounds funny but that is literally what happened) and then I was wheeled off to recovery for about an hour and a half.
When the three of us were finally all back together again, we couldn't have been happier. I was not in a lot of pain, Bryan was a complete natural, and baby Seth was just perfect. He is such a beautiful baby.

The three of us have been getting to know each other for the past day and a half and we get to go home tonight. This is going to be an amazing phase of our lives.


Proof that Bryan did not pass out. :)
Bryan was absolutely amazing and is the best daddy ever.


Getting cleaned up


One minute old, 7 pounds, 4 ounces, 20.5 inches long


They let me see Seth for just few seconds before his skin-to-skin time with Bryan.


The first time I got to hold our baby boy.


Right after the 3 of us were reunited. I could literally barely keep my eyes open, but I was still smiling.

Slow Induction

Last night we arrived at the hospital at 6:00 p.m. After an uncomfortable night, thanks to Seth's feet constantly shoving into my ribs during contractions, I was ready for the pitocin to get things moving along. After being on the pitocin for about two hours, I had still not dilated hardly at all and my cervix was still too firm to break my water. If my water is broken, we have to deliver within 24 hours whether it is vaginally or by c-section but it would most definitely be by c-section (something I really don't want) so we are just going to wait things out for now. We will know by lunch if we might have to do another round of the cervix softening medicine through the night again and try pitocin again tomorrow morning. If that is the case, then they will take me off everything at 3:00 p.m. and let me eat, and then start the medicine up again around six. So far the pain has not been too unbearable. I have finally figured out what a contraction feels like and the light ones have actually been happening for a couple of weeks and I just didn't realize it. So we are just hanging out for now...

Transitions

I figured with all the changes that are about to take place I would transition my blogging from more of my reflections on life to our life as a family of three. While I will still be the primary person blogging, it is my hope that all three of our lives will be reflected more for family and friends. Welcome to our world as we transition into parenthood!