Why I left Facebook: A reminder to myself

Yesterday at about 4:00 in the afternoon I deleted my facebook account. Well, actually I deactivated it. Not really sure how you completely delete it.

I did this for lots of reasons. Time waster, people who Im not even friends with annoying me, and the realizization that I dont even really connect on FB with people I am actually best friends with, family annoys me(and I have enough reasons to be annoyed with family in real life, we dont need to be FB buddies to exacerbate the situation).

But here is the #1 reason I left:

 It makes me HATE HATE people I wouldnt normally hate if it werent for our virtual friendship on FB. People's opinions, the things they update about, the WAY they update, the frequency of their updates, all gets on my nerves. To be fair, most everything gets on my nerves. I am told this all the time by my husband.  And these are people I never even see in real life, and probably will never see! It just made me think, if I was ever to run into someone in Bham, (or better yet, see them at church) that I am facebook friends with I would automatically have a bad taste in my mouth. And they didnt even do anything. These are fine, normal, nice people. I should be able to run into acquaintances and smile happily, have small talk, and go on about my way. After all, that's the reason we are acquaintances right? We wouldnt make stellar friends in real life, our personalities clash. So why are we accessible to one another 24/7 online? 

There's no reason for it. There's just not. Somebody has my number or my email. If they NEED to get in touch with me they can, and Vice Versa. :)

The End.

Life Update

I really don't feel like writing a blog post right now. Or anytime in the near future really. But, I know I will regret it if I dont document in some way Lucy's second birthday, so here we go.

 The Mermaid Party--that wasn't.

My Luce was born on September 1, 2010. Do you know what it was doing on September 1, 2012? Oh, it was raining, and lightening, and doing what it has been doing for the past month it feels like.

I had rented out the UA Rec Center Outdoor Pool for her party. I bought Mermaid cupcake toppers and Mermaid invitations from this Etsy shop.

I bought her a beautiful purple tutu swimsuit from Baby Gap (boom, for only $4) just for her party. I had mini beach balls as party favors in purple chevron treat bags, plastic containers that were going to be filled with cotton candy and labeled "Sea Foam".

I had someone ask me if I was "going all out" with her party. Haha! No, not by the standards of the parties on the party blogs I read!

We didnt get to have her party at the pool, obviously. So my only other option was to truck it up to my church and rent a jump house. We called Parties on the Move in Bessemer within three hours of her party and they were more than happy to swing out to the church and set one up for us. Seriously, I was so surprised at how awesome they were. Not only was it 3 hours advance notice, but it was on the night of the first Alabama game. Who wants to miss the game to blow up a jump house, especially when it is pouring down rain?! I just cant say enough about them and how kind they were.

At first I was so so disappointed that we couldnt have it at the pool. I had my heart set on it and Lucy loves the "bubble", thats what she calls any form of water. But it really all worked out great. Everyone who was coming to the party except for 2 people lived up in Bessemer/McCalla anyway, so it was a win for them not having to drive all the way down to Tuscaloosa.

I didnt get to fill my containers up with sea foam :( I was good and ordered every last thing for the party a month and a half in advance, but the one thing I was putting off until the day of were those containers of cotton candy. Hey, Im allowed to have one task left over for the day of the party! But I guess I just procrastinated on purpose when it really started storming around 2:00. Her party wasn't until 6:15. So, when we made the official decision around 3:00 to move her party I didnt see any real reason to pour efforts into doing that. And hey, now I have a ton of awesome plastic containers and labels. Hello Christmas candy gifts!

Since we didnt have it at the pool there were a few things missing from the partay. Like the fact that I didnt have table cloths for any of the tables. The tables at the pool wouldnt have needed it, so the white plastic Rubbermaid tables at the church got the chance to go natural haha. Also, at the pool I was planning on tying the 14 balloons I had to the umbrella poles on the tables. Again, no such thing at the church. So we were tacky and duck taped them down. It was awesome. I paid for those freaking polka dot balloons and my awesome friend Emily got there early and blew them up for me, so we were going to use them!!

I am really glad that I didnt try to overdo it with a ridiculous amount of "cutesy" food though, among other things that I have nixed that I used to do......like striped paper straws. Let me tell you something, when kids are this little most of the time both parents are bringing the kids, which means there are men there. I have watched and not one man gets excited over a striped paper straw. I know, you cant believe it. Also, I have always thought it ridiculous to use the straws if I am offering solo cups to drink from. Please tell me who wants to sip through a little straw when you could just gulp your drink down? Im not saying that I dont love paper straws and other cutesy foods, I have just decided that maybe those will wait until Lucy is maybe 8 and invites 6 little friends over to our house for her party. Maybe then we can "go all out". I feel like that is probably way easier to do on a smaller scale, and more practical. 

And, since we were RUSHED to switch locations I looked a mess in a T-shirt with icing all over my belly and running shorts. And I dont know that we took one picture :( I did see George filming a little and my friend Devin sent me a great pic of Lucy balling her eyes out because she was afraid of the fire on the candle. Crazy kid.

 

The Big C

C-Section that is.

Get ready, this is a novel.

I have been debating about what my "birth plan" (please, dont confuse me with a person who thinks they can plan every single aspect of a birth. This isn't my first rodeo!) will be. Really there is only one question, C-section or No?

Gasp! You are considering an ELECTIVE C-section?! 

Well, Yep.

Here's my story, short and sweet.

Went into labor with Ryder, pushed for almost 3 hours. Not labor, pushing. I remember falling asleep in between contractions and waking back up to push. My doctor was on vacation and this other doctor that I had never met before was going to deliver Ryder. I'm not someone who gets hung up on absolutely having MY doctor there, all I care about is if the one I have to see is nice and understanding. Of course if I had to choose I would like my doc, but hey I get it, you aren't completely devoted to me. I feel like that's how movies portray how doctors are supposed to be. Then if the doctor isn't there the pregnant woman always freaks out and the husband is always like "we wont accept this! You tell Dr.____ that he better leave his sons soccer game and come deliver our child!" As usual I have gotten off track.

Moving right along....

After I was just ready to meet the Lord instead of giving one more push the doctor game in and said Ryder's heart rate was dropping and they would like to do a C-Section. YES. For the Love of God, get this kid out of me! I feel like if I had any energy left I would have used it to scream that victoriously. 

They wheeled me out, got him out, brought me back to the room, and thats all I know. I remember them asking me if I wanted them to bathe him or if i wanted to feed him first. Nope, didnt want to feed. I have video of me that George took during all this and I swear my eyes roll into the back of my head at one point. Recovery was awful. The experience was awful. Awful.

Ryder had a huge bruise on his face where he kept hitting my pelvic bone and thats "why I couldnt push him out". Oh yea, also, since the nurse that was with me instructing me to push kept shoving her arm to "make way" I wound up with a blood clot the size of a golf ball. Had to have 8 ob/gyns in the practice examine me, talk about me at a party they had, and eventually send me to the UAB Oncology department because they had "never seen anything like it". 

Whew. Maybe that wasn't short and sweet after all.

2 years and 9 months later, Lucy was born. C-section again. WHY? Well, I asked my doctor about giving it a second try the old school way and she wasnt a fan. I didnt push it because I just didnt want to. She told me a horror story of a woman insisting on Vbac and her scar ripping open and her and the baby died.

Is that true? I don't know. Is it true that my hips or pelvic bone is shaped weird and thats why I couldnt push Ryder out? I dont know is my answer to that one too. Probably not.

But let me tell you this. Lucy's birth was one of the easiest, most enjoyable things I have ever done. George and I woke up, finished making the house perfect for when we came home, and I even went to Target an hour and a half before I was scheduled to have her to get Ryder a big brother gift. I know, procrastination!

The c-section went fine, everything was lovely. There were forest animals in my room from Snow White it was so magical. Moments after, I was sitting up, eating a grape Popsicle waiting on them to hand her over. Recovery time was amazing. Unlike Ryder's entrance I didnt feel like my guts were going to fall out. I was up walking around about 2 hours later. Seriously, it was awesome.

Now here we are with number 3! Ive thought a lot about what route I want to take with this one. I know my doctor isn't for Vbacs, so there wasn't even a point in asking her. I have talked a lot with my friend Ashley who is taking that route and she was awesome and even sent me several doctors in my ob/gyn group that are Pro Vbac. 

Ultimately though, Im just going to stick with the C-Section. 

I have considered keeping it a secret since I have several FB friends who are very clearly against C-sections. Not that I really give a rats ass what kind of statistics you have to share with me about how doctors just want to do sections to get more money and to make it easier. Listen I know, I have read all of the stuff. Im just not gonna love private messages urging me to reconsider. I have a LOW LOW tolerance for super opinionated people. And if I hadn't had such a crap experience with Ryder, and then such a wonderful one with Lucy I might be pluggin away switching doctors, hospitals, everything. Just to make sure I could deliver the regular way. 

Honestly, I do feel cheated that I will never have a vaginal delivery. It sort of makes my heart a little sad.

And hey, its still early in the game. If YOU, YOU PERSONALLY, have had two c-sections, were told your hips were small, and then delivered your third vaginally I would like to hear from you. I could be swayed if I hear from someone in my exact situation.

I guess that's it!

My Favorite Things

1) Trident Layers Gum. Strawberry Orange is so so good.

  I always kind of shy away from fruit flavored gum because it seems too sugary to me. Not this stuff, its super refreshing.

2) Smith's Rosebud Salve in a tube.

You can go here to get some from Sephora, or be like me and hit up Urban Outfitters. It makes my lips feel super smooth, but Im not gonna lie, at first the smell reminded me a little of a grandma. But I usually tend to buy things that smell like baked goods, so it was a change for my nose to smell a flower. 

3) This Sports Bra from Old Navy.

 I went to Old Navy last night with my friend Ashley to stock up on sports bras and running shorts. No, I am not getting outfitted to run my first 5K. HAHAHAHA! There will never be any kind of running associated with me. I was always the last to finish the mile in school, and it about killed me. But! George and I are leaving Saturday morning bright and early to fly down to Orlando for 3 days. I needed some comfortable things to wear since we will be walking around outside sweating all day. Now I just need to go steal a couple of XXL tshirts from some sorority girls. The comfort level is attracting me people.

4) The Groop Dealz website.

At first I thought all of their deals were from Etsy shops, but that's not true. I have bought from here so many times, and I love it. They have jewelry, party supplies, gifts, etc. Its one of the first things I check on my phone in the morning. Although today they aren't really offering anything great....check back tomorrow though, there is new stuff everyday!

That's it! 4 little things for you to check out and love right along with me.

Breaking News

I have made a decision with this pregnancy that is so life changing it makes me so happy when I think about it.

 

 

Get Ready.

 

 

 

 

I have decided that instead of worrying myself to death over what bedding set I should choose I am throwing all that out and only having a sheet and a crib blanket. No skirt, no bumper. 

 

I am one of these people that searches and searches and checks and re-checks online stores for my choices in....well, anything. Its a terrible habit to have. I cant make a freaking decision to save my life. I will spend HOURS, HOURS searching for the perfect ________. So I have made the decision to not even have to make one!

 

This is great for several reasons:

 

1) Now I dont have to look for forever, I can find a blanket I like, maybe a matching crib sheet or two and the rest of the crib sheets will be Circo brand solid colors. WIN.

 

2) I can spend what money I would spend on a bumber and a skirt on cute decorative pillows, and stuffed friends, and maybe a cute mobile!

 

3) This is the one I am most excited about: I wont have to deal with the terrible task of putting a new sheet on the mattress while battling with the bumper. This alone makes it all worth it. I feel like the place to break a sweat is while working out or playing outside with your kids, not while changing out an infants bedding.

 

Both Lucy and Ryder have/had all the bells and whistles, but I am thinking simple for this nugget. Here is a picture to prove my point. 

 

 

Picture from Lay Baby Lay. Seriously the best site ever if you need help in the decorating a nursery department. Thats what 85% of this site is. And she gives you the links on where to purchase most every thing you see + tells you paint colors.

Nothing but a sheet and a blanket. I like this decision each and every time I say it :)

Hey There!

Aren't Poppies pretty? Pic from here.

It's been almost a month since Ive blogged it up. 

What have I been doing?

• We are FINALLY FINALLY making actual progress in getting our house ready to put on the market. We have painted, ordered new carpet-should be in this week, and put new vinyl floors down in two of the 5 rooms that need it. Still a little ways to go, but progress is happening.
• I have become obsessed with Jim n Nicks cheese biscuits. The other night after we left Yogurt Mountain I still wasn't done stuffing my face. I had to go through the drive through and get 1/2 a dozen of these guys. I devoured 2 before we even made it home. Im happy to say that I still have three left though, so I wasn't a complete pig :)
• I have discovered Rifraff on Facebook. People, you can now buy clothes off Facebook. All you do is comment on clothes you like with "run and ship" + your size and they send it out. I am currently wearing a striped maxi dress from them and I love it.
• We did our first family photo shoot since Ryder was 6 months old. That's the last time we have had family pictures made. It's about time. Our friend Hilary did the shoot and we had such a fun time. She shoots with film, and her pictures look so rich and old. I cant wait to get the pics in! Go here to check out her blog!

I guess that's all I want to share for now. Cheese biscuits and a mound of unfolded laundry keep calling my name. Guess I should go be responsible and eat the biscuits......haha!

Color Crush: Peach

If I have to pick a second favorite color to crush on this Summer besides mint, it has to be peach.

Peaches are my favorite Summer fruit. So in honor of their juicy goodness, here are my peach Etsy pics.

Paper Garland from Glitter and Grain. $12

Peach Druzy Ring from Liesl Pawlil. $135

Hand Embroidered Peach Wall Art from Merriweather Council. $25

Jupiter Lollipop- Peaches and Cream from The Groovy Baker. $10 for 7

Floral Collage Peach Wedding Invitation Suite from Miss Wyolene. $700

*Whenever I think back on my wedding I get so angry about how much money we spent on ugly things. My invitations would be one example....but that was before Pinterest and before I knew about Etsy :/

Artist Teddy elephant in Peach from zverrriki  $88.27

Peach Chevron iPhone case from Colors and Friends. $16.99

 

Peach Branch Garland from Fleur Lux. $45. How pretty would this be hanging above a little girl's crib, or just in her room. 

Hope you enjoyed my finds! I know I do :) No excuse me while I go purchase those suckers.......