Our Officery or Nursery/Office

I am finally getting around to sharing photos of the newly redecorated office/baby room. We have affectionately nicknamed our second bedroom the Officery (Office+Nursery). It is nice that we have enough room within the room to have an office nook for Andrew, complete with a wall of shelves for his memorabilia. I hope you like what we did with the room! Liesl really loves her mobile which was made for her by her grandma. Let me know what you think and what space saving tips you may have for living in a small space with a baby.

That's our officery! We love it and find it very cozy.

Welcome Liesl Joy!

One week after starting maternity leave, we were blessed with the arrival of our beautiful baby girl. That week was frantic as something in my mind and body knew that it was the last few days before our lives would be changed forever. I cleaned the house from top to bottom, I got the nursery/office all set up and prepared, I ran the errands that I knew I did not want to have to run or send my husband out to run with a newborn, and Andrew and I spent lots of time together. We went out to eat, saw several movies we had been meaning to see, and went to a Rockies game.

After such a full week, I was feeling great as the weekend began. As Saturday drew to a close, I felt energized and normal. I told Andrew that, whereas the previous week I had felt that our daughter was going to come at any minute, I was now seriously wondering if she was going to come on her own freewill at all!

We had a great day and went to bed WAY too late (1 AM). At 2:30 AM I woke up and went to the restroom, a very common function for a pregnant woman in the middle of the night. However, this time, there was blood. For those who know my history with pregnancy losses, this terrified me. I woke Andrew and we called the doctor. He told us to come down to the hospital to get checked out to make sure that the baby was fine. We ran around the house and threw things into backpacks, just in case we had to stay. I felt like I was having a heavy period and my back would ache occasionally. However, I had no idea that these were actually contractions, I was expecting something in my gut hurting not in my back.

We arrived at the hospital at about 3:30 AM. They hooked me up to the monitors and baby's heartbeat looked great to our immense relief. We knew that if anything was wrong, they would be able to take the baby out via C-Section but hearing the steady beat of her heart filled us with so much comfort. The nurse checked my cervix and I was only dilated 1 cm and only barely effaced with contractions at about 7-8 minutes apart. Andrew and I both knew that this meant we were indeed in labor but would be sent home until we had progressed further. The nurse left the room to call the doctor to verify what he wanted us to do. In that space of time, I felt three gushes of fluid, my water broke and we were staying put.

Our doctor dropped by at about 10 AM that morning and checked my progress. Unfortunately, I was not progressing as quickly as he wanted. After your water breaks, doctors like to have the baby delivered within 24-hours to avoid infection. I was still only 1 cm dilated with sporadic contractions. I was given oral misoprostol to help soften my cervix. After four hours, I had dilated to 4 cm. Next, I was put on pitocin to increase my contractions. With the pitocin came a lot more pain.

I had been placed on bed rest because the doctors could only get a consistent reading of the baby's heartbeat when I was lying down. This was most likely caused by the placenta being in the way of the monitors causing the readings to be faint when I was in a sitting or moving position. The baby's heartbeat was healthy and strong however the nurses were not seeing enough variation in the baby's wake patterns and therefore they wanted to keep a constant eye on her activity to ensure that she was receiving enough oxygen. To make sure that the baby was receiving enough oxygen, I was periodically given the oxygen mask to wear.

I had planned to get an epidural from the start. With all the possible complications that could occur during delivery, I decided that I would prefer to be on a heavy pain killer just in case. However, I knew that I could not be on an epidural indefinitely and therefore decided to wait as long as possible to minimize the risk of needing a C-section. After 12-hours of labor without pain killers, I requested the epidural. I knew that we still had a long way to go and my contractions were getting to the point of not having long enough rests in between. If I didn't get some rest now, I felt that I probably would be too exhausted to push when the time came and I did not want any assistance via suction or forceps.

After I got the epidural, I felt no pain and slept as much as I could for the next 10 hours. It was glorious. The only uncomfortable part was feeling like I had no control over my legs. I could move my feet but lifting my legs was very difficult. That mostly bothered me mentally rather than physically. Andrew was extremely relieved when I started being able to rest and sleep. There is no doubt in my mind that he will encourage me to get an epidural in the future too.

It was amazing, I knew when it was time to begin pushing. I told the nurse that I felt like I was telling my body to not push and that I felt like the baby was right there. She checked and yep, I was ready to go. We were now ready to push, the part that I had been most terrified of for the last 9-months. How was I supposed to get a child out of me through such a small opening??? However, as soon as I started to push, it was the best feeling in the world. I was finally actively doing something. I felt strong and in control of my body and ready to meet my child. It was glorious. Ok, it probably helped that I was also on pain medication! I remember saying to myself, "This is it, Esther. You are going to get this kid out and as fast as possible."

I pushed for an hour and a half. My contractions were still sporadic and sometimes there would be a back to back contraction and other times we had to wait five minutes for another one to start. However, it felt like no time at all. I was so happy to be doing something, to finally be in the home stretch of bringing my daughter into the world. Andrew was there the whole time, helping me push and supporting me. He was so excited and thrilled when he was able to first see our baby girl's head. With one final push, our baby entered the world with a little annoyed cry. The doctor suctioned out her mouth and nostrils and rubbed her back and within seconds we heard her loud and throaty cry. I started crying as soon as I heard her cry and exclaimed, "Oh thank God! Thank you, God." I had been holding my breath, praying for it even though it only took a second to hear. With its sound, I knew that everything was fine and that God had blessed us with a healthy baby girl.

And when I say healthy, I mean HEALTHY! Our daughter was born two days before her due date and weighed 8 pounds 9.6 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. Turns out my belly was all baby! All healthy, squirmy baby. Andrew cut the cord and the nurse placed her on my chest. Instantly, her head was up and looking for food and five minutes later she was nursing. I looked at Andrew and asked if she looked like a Liesl. We both agreed she did and we named her Liesl Joy.

Losing two children to early miscarriage and being diagnosed with MTHFR has been one of the greatest challenges given to me by God. The pain of loss and the fear of the unknown has been so great. Every month, every day, every hour was a test of faith and giving over my anxiety to Christ that our child would indeed be born into this world and healthy. However, at the same time, I knew that I had to have peace with whatever outcome God chose. I will tell you this, I did not do well most days in the faith and peace category. However, God got me to the finish line and blessed us beyond anything that I could have imagined.

The first time we came across the name Liesl while searching for baby names, Andrew and I immediately loved the way it sounded (pronounced LEE-ZL). When we read the meaning of the name, we were sold. Liesl means "God's Promise." After the loss of our first child, James, God brought me a lot of comfort from the Psalm 30:5:

"For his anger is but for a moment,
    and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
    but joy comes with the morning."

I felt in my heart that this verse was God's promise to Andrew and I. That there would be suffering according to His great purpose but that He would also grant us joy in the future. This verse is Liesl's birth verse and also her middle name. 

It is my great pleasure and honor to introduce to you all our beautiful blessing, our little miracle, God's promise of joy in our lives-Liesl Joy. 

 

Baby Update: Living in 1000 sq. ft.

I realized this week that here I am, nearly 38-weeks along and I have written about our baby once on my blog. It has been an amazing journey so far and I am excited as we are winding down to the last few weeks. I have one more week of work before I begin maternity leave and then I intend to rest and maybe nest a bit. ;)

Planning out how to transform our two bedroom condo into a baby and adult friendly living space has been a fun challenge. Ultimately, I have been searching for things to minimize long term costs as well as clutter because, let's be honest, I don't have room for three strollers! What I have come to realize is that some of the best investments may cost more up front but will hopefully save us in the future.

I need to give a shout out to my dear friends who have imparted so much of their wisdom and money saving tips. Most of the tricks/tips/consumer advice is directly from them and I am eternally grateful for their guidance. 

Here are a few things we have done to make room, save money, and minimize clutter:

1. Transforming our second bedroom into a nursery and office nook. The second bedroom in our home has for the last four years been Andrew's office. The closet was full of computer parts. The walls are covered in framed Star Wars posters and metal baseball signs. There is a small chair in the corner that was considered my reading spot although rarely used. One entire wall was taken up with a huge desk and Andrew's custom built computer. Under the window sat Andrew's electric piano.

Slowly but surely, we have cleared the clutter in the closet to make room for a tall narrow dresser for Baby's clothes and things. The piano has gone out to the garage to be stored in the rafters until our next home, replaced by a wooden wagon loaded with handmade blankets and a few stuffed animals. The large desk was replaced with a more efficient, streamlined desk with shelves above for Andrew's prized items and books (well out of the reach of little hands). Soon the posters will come down and be replaced with softer artwork. The final item will be our crib which is still sitting in a box waiting for Andrew's skillful hands to put it together. We kept the walls sandstone as the color is soothing, neutral, and versatile.

2. Cloth Diapers: I would like to introduce everyone to the brave world of Bum Genius cloth diapers. I know, cloth diapers, ewwww...right? Well, these babies are not like the thin pieces of cloth safety pinned together as seen on Lady and the Tramp. No, these diapers look and function just like disposable diapers only you don't have to buy box after box after expensive box of diapers that will irritate your child's skin and fill the trash can. I have been told that 24-diapers are more than enough for one child and that if you air dry the water proof covers they will last a long time. We are also going with snaps because they are much more durable than Velcro. There are several different types, but the kind we are going with are the 4.0s that grow with your baby. The diapers work for children 7-35+ pounds. While the initial cost is high ($400 for 24 diapers), Andrew crunched the numbers and determined that we would spend more than that buying disposable diapers in 6-months. Do you know how long kiddos wear diapers??? Much longer than 6-months. Additionally, we can use these on more than one child. Anyway, I could keep talking about how awesome, economical, eco friendly, and cute these diapers are but I will let you take my word for it. :)

Oh! One more thing, you can also get reusable cloth wipes...just saying, another super duper cost saving option for money savvy mommies. :)

Photo Taken From Here.

3. Phil and Ted's Stroller: Ok, these strollers are insanely expensive when purchased new. There are economical versions like the Classic or E3 that run about $400 for the bare bones basics (which is pretty much all we were looking for plus the Graco car seat adapter). But, if you can find a gently used version on Craigslist that is the best plan. We got really lucky and scored a Phil and Ted's Explorer stroller with the second seat, Graco car seat adapter, and tons of other accessories for $300 (regularly an $800 value). What is so awesome about this stroller is that it is a streamlined stroller that is light and easy to fold up, can be used to jog/off road, with the car seat adapter becomes a travel system, and eventually can be modified to push a toddler and an infant! We decided that the $300-$400 price tag was worth it to just buy one stroller for the now and future (yes, we want to have another child and not too long in the future meaning we will have an infant and a toddler needing a ride most places).  Additionally, we just don't have the space for more than one stroller, this one fits folded in our coat closet next to our vacuum.

Photo found here. Check out Phil and Teds for more info and options.

4. Think carefully about what you will need versus what Babies R Us tells you you need. Ultimately, we got light weight swaddling blankets that will double as burp cloths and play mats. A fold up baby tub made for easy storage under the sink. I didn't get a changing table and instead opted for a changing mat that could easily be folded up and put away when not in use (in the diaper bag!). Instead of a swing which takes up a lot of room, we went with a vibrating bouncer. Instead of a bassinet, we got a play yard that can double as a bassinet for the first few months and then become a play pen or travel crib for visits with friends and family (easily folds up and stores in the closet). Instead of a white noise machine, we are going to use our phones with white noise play lists from ITunes or Spotify. Instead of an expensive monitoring system, Andrew has found HD IP cameras that link up with your phone to give you visual and audio access to your baby while they are napping.

Toys R Us

Toys R Us

Toys R Us

5. Insurance covered breast pumps: The new Healthcare Reform Act requires insurance companies to offer some sort of coverage for breast pumps. Depending on your coverage and company, your insurance may cover the complete cost of a breast pump, a portion of a breast pump, a rental of a breast pump, etc. Call your insurance and find out what they cover. Then ask them where you can order your breast pump. My insurance required me to go through a durable medical equipment provider. I filled out a form online, selected a breast pump from the available list, and just received my pump in the mail. The provider handles all of the paper work and I didn't have to spend a dime. The $100-$300 you will save is well worth the time it takes to get the info from your insurance company.

Those are some of the things that we have done to save money and space. Praying that we will continue to find storage and money saving solutions as toys are added to our baby's nursery. :D

If you have any advice, money saving tips, or storage solutions please comment and share!

New Carpet At Last!

We did it! The final major DIY project (mostly DIY, we ripped up and hired people to install) on our house is complete. New carpet at last. It is so soft and makes our whole house feel brand new. Here are some before and after photos of the project. So happy it went so well.

Our original carpet:

Ripping up the carpet:

Our beautiful carpet after the guys at Carpet Exchange installed the new SmartStrand Silk carpet (Bamboo Stalk)

Our house with all our stuff back on it! It's so nice and clean and fresh.

We are so pleased with the way it all turned out. The carpet is probably the softest on the market, eco friendly, has excellent stain protection, and does not contain chemicals. We feel very confident that our little baby will be perfectly safe and comfortable playing around on the soft cushiony surface.

Now that the carpet is in, I get to focus on setting up the nursery. So excited about preparing our home for our sweet bundle of joy.