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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Let's Talk Pregnancy - part 2


First trimester = non stop sickness
Second trimester = lots of stretching/discomfort & pain
Third trimester = total and complete loss of sanity

Some women get tired during their first trimester. All I really felt was sick. Constantly. I'd wake up sick in the middle of the night and be unable to fall back asleep after forcing myself to get up and eat.

I've never felt so tired (without having first putting myself through a hellish work out, at least) as I feel now. The last two weeks have been ridiculous. The exhaustion hit me as quickly as morning sickness left at the end of my first trimester. (My morning sickness was completely gone one Monday morning during my 15th week. After having been SO SICK 24/7 for weeks on end that I couldn't believe I felt so amazing! And then I got scared. So scared that I called my Dr, went in that morning, and bawled like a crazy person when they found her heartbeat. From then on it was just on-and-off sickness...nothing that couldn't be fixed with a little snack [usually french fries].) Anyway.

I've been resisting the urge to nap during the day because I feel like napping wastes time & if I just push through feeling sluggish I'll eventually snap out of it. Usually that works. Today? No dice. 8 hours of sleep last night, followed by a solid 20 minutes of consciousness to make me & husband breakfast, followed by a two hour nap and now I'm ready for another one. Like, my eyes are burning and my body feels like it weighs a million pounds. It's so weird. I HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING ALL DAY. What the heck?!

Not only am I super, ridiculously tired, I'm also completely crazy. I can't stop cleaning things. And reorganizing things. Example: Last night I couldn't sleep before vacuuming. I felt like the floor was SO dirty that I just could NOT let it go one more second! So I vacuumed. At midnight. I'm sure all of my neighbors really appreciated it. Then I did the dishes, pulled everything out from under our bed and reorganized that. Took apart the table/storage area in our kitchen and pulled our shoes and coats from the bedroom and set them up there. Made the bed (yes, at midnight. Shaun wasn't home from work yet haha). I was contemplating tackling the bathroom when he walked in and saved me from myself.

ALSO IMPORTANT (not really, but I'm going to blog like it is!): I need to replace all of our blinds before the baby comes. They're dingy and discolored and I'm 90% sure she's going to contract something nasty if I don't get rid of them immediately. Plus, they're at least a century old (true story. when we first moved in, our landlord told us our apartment was "recently remodeled" and the nicest one! husband and I looked at each other like...uh...seriously? turns out it was remodeled in the early 1970's. ...yeah...).

...I just stared at the screen for ten minutes and then started falling asleep. I feel pretty freaking lucky that I have the option of going to lay down right now...so...I'm going to take advantage.

Next installment: A lively discussion on DIY hair bows! How many does one really need? Does anyone else feel like Utah moms go a liiiiittle overboard with how big they make theirs? Is "theirs" a word? How many hours can I sleep today before I should be concerned? I digress.

TTYL, friends.

Monday, January 21, 2013

I'm Having a Baby. Help Me.

Hey dudes. 
Happy Monday.

Last night I had a semi-hysterical meltdown as I realized I only have 7 weeks left before I bring a child into this world. Hoooooly moly. Things just got REAL.

stolen from here

So! I started compiling my "Thing I Need to Pack for the Hospital" list and I realized I really have no idea what I ACTUALLY need versus what I think I need because I don't know any better. This is where you come in! Help me!

KEEP IN MIND: I'm having a scheduled c-section and will be in the hospital for approximately three days after she's born.

Here's my initial list:

Lipgloss
Hair ties/pins
Face cleansing wipes & lotion
Wisp toothbrushes (for when I can't/am in too much pain/too tired to get out of bed haha)
Travel shampoo/condit/razor/etc
Maternity robe (being forced to walk around with my guts recently sewn together AND my bum hanging out the back of a hospital gown? No thanks, friend.)
 SIDE NOTE: I ordered my beautiful maternity robe last night! I haven't spoiled myself a lot this    pregnancy...and after the semi-hysterical meltdown I mentioned earlier? Let's just say I needed it.
Men's sweatpants (baggy w drawstring that come waaaay higher than my incision)
Maternity tank(s)
Fuzzy socks with grip on the bottom

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ITEMS:
Slippers (necessary? unnecessary?)
Nursing undergarments (how big should I really order these things?! sooo lost)
Belly binder (I've read these are life savers for women who have had c-sections. thoughts??)
 *also - do I wear the belly binder IN the hospital? I've read conflicting reports: they help your incision feel better vs they're horrible devices of torture. so...not feeling too sure...
Laptop/iPad with movies/reading material so I don't go crazy

Have I missed anything? Was there anything you had that you didn't need? Or WISHED you'd thought to bring with you? 

Any thoughts/advice will be appreciated - but I'd especially love to hear from my fellow c-section ladies who had to chill in the hospital for a few days before taking their little miracle home.

One last thing...

Can we talk about pain for a minute? I want the low down on c-section incision pain. What kind of pain are we REALLY talking about here..? Like...will I be able to roll myself out of our super tall bed when I get home from the hospital? Or will that feel like I'm being torn in half? Should I plan on lowering it a little for myself? Should I plan on just sleeping on an air mattress in the living room for a couple weeks? Should I just plan on asking them to keep the catheter in me indefinitely and live in the hospital for the rest of my life?

To help you in your responses, the following information should be taken into consideration: I'm a decently huge, whiny baby when it comes to pain.

Alright! I'm ready to absorb all of your maternal wisdom and experience! GOOOOO!

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

A Little Perspective

Having a bad day? Read this story. Maybe it will make you laugh and think, "Well...at least THOSE things didn't happen to me!"

The Most Embarrassing Day Ever
by Calee Reed

*WARNING: This story is fairly uncomfortable and downright gross at times - which, I think, makes it pretty funny.*
*Read at your own risk.*

Shortly after Shaun and I got married I came down with a terrible cold. I mean...it was BAD. My throat was so sore and my cough was so intense that my voice went completely away. Fevers, chills, congestion, you name it. It was not fun. 

Pretty romantic, right? Just the way every new bride wants to look/feel as a newlywed? Let's just say I was REALLY glad we had dated for so long before we got married, so he didn't feel tempted to leave me right then and there..

It must've been on my third or fourth day of being sick that I decided to go to the store because I needed more medicine and my husband (who had been kept awake for nights on end by my incessant coughing) was at school all day. So I pep-talked my way out of bed, pulled a hat down over my blotchy, un-makeup-ed face and set out for the store. 

Not too bad yet, right? Here comes the good part.

Once in the check out line at the store, I started coughing. The kind of coughing where you wonder if you'll ever be able to stop because your throat is itching and on fire and you can't breathe. Like...people three lines over were looking that's how loud and raspy and horrific it was. And I didn't have a voice (lost it, remember?) so I couldn't explain to the check out lady that I was fine and just needed to get outta there. So employees started to ask me if I'm ok and do I need help and am I going to die!? (haha ok no one asked me that last one, but still.) As I try to see through the tears that have started pouring down my cheeks due to the coughing fit, and as I'm surrounded by concerned employees and curious shoppers, I PEE MY PANTS.

Right there. In Broulim's. Amazing. THAT'S HOW HARD I WAS COUGHING, PEOPLE. Who does that?! Soo then I started laughing - which, have you ever heard someone with laryngitis laugh?? the sound is truly grotesque - while coughing and peeing...it was all just...wow.

You think that's the end?? NOT EVEN CLOSE.

After stumbling out of the store and bolting for my car as quickly as my weak, sickly legs could carry me, I felt another coughing attack coming on. This time, instead of peeing myself (which would've been impressive to manage to do again), I THREW UP. In the parking lot. In the middle of the day. In the middle of the lane. One nice old man asked if I needed help and I'm sure he thought I was SO rude for not saying anything to him (I was TRYING to say I was fine, but...once again, no voice), but all I wanted to do was get home and never, ever leave my apartment again. Ever.

When I got home, I turned on the shower and started texting my sisters about how unbelievable the last hour of my life had been. I love that my sisters and I can laugh about things like that - and believe you me...we laughed a LOT about this specific chain of events. I didn't lock the door to the bathroom because...well, why would I? Without going into too much detail, I used the bathroom right before I went to get into the shower...and, just as I thought my humiliation was complete and that I couldn't be MORE embarrassed than I had been earlier at Broulim's... my new husband walked into our apartment and called out, "Calee? I need to ask you something can I come in?" I quickly tried to reach the bathroom door fast enough to lock it, while croaking/whispering,"No!! NO! Don't come in!!!" But...AGAIN...NO VOICE. So, my brand new husband (who I was trying my very hardest to be attractive and perfect for) walked in on me using the bathroom, as I was halfway to the door, in a state of complete disarray. 

That's when I knew. 

I knew that day could not possibly get ANY more embarrassing than it had been.  

And it didn't. (THANK HEAVENS.)

And now I have a funny memory of a terrible day that helps give me perspective when my hips and back are sore, or I can't sleep because my legs are restless, or I have heartburn or congestion or any other pregnancy symptoms. Because, after all, I didn't pee my pants in public today...nor did I throw up in a parking lot...and my husband did not walk in on me in unflattering (to say the least) circumstances.

So...hopefully that funny/terrible/embarrassing day helps you and your perspective, too :)

xo - 

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

So...anybody need a wedding dress..?

Remember that one time I bought a wedding dress because I thought I was going to get married? And then I didn't get married which was a bummer at the time *but* a total miracle in the end because I got married a few years later and life all worked out?

WELL. I've been lugging this wedding dress around since then and I'm really REALLY ready to have it go to someone else who will wear it and use it and let it make them happy on their big day.

Here are some pictures!
(first two are not me. shocking, I know. 
BUT they show the dress fully constructed, so I thought you might enjoy that.)





 I hated the pleated top and had it removed (by a professional!). I still have the top, so if whoever wants it wants the top - it's all yours! I'm including the garment bag, too. The ONLY thing missing is the ribbon (shown under the bust in the top pictures). $75 OBO.

Anyways. I'm currently storing TWO wedding dresses in my tiny apartment, so if you know anyone who's in the market for a pretty rad organza, drop waist, pick-up skirt wedding dress with a killer train you just send 'em my way.

Thanks y'all.




Saturday, January 12, 2013

DIY Wall Art for the Nesting Insomniac

Let's get real: Pinterest and crafting blogs have become my best frienemies since this insane pregnancy nesting instinct kicked in a couple months ago. All I want to do is sew and crochet and paint things and clean and organize and then RE-organize and Google weird projects and blah blah (you get the picture). 

*truth: I've always been a crafting junkie, so maybe I'm just using pregnancy as an excuse to finally pursue whatever idea pops into my head regardless of what time of day (or night) it is? anyways*

My sister Nikki has a cute frame in her kitchen and the note inside it reads: "Happiness is something you decide beforehand". I decided that the sad, blank space on our white wall needed some cheering up *so* I set out to copy the quote and put it in a large, oddly shaped frame I picked up from DI forever ago.

SIDE NOTE: THE DI HERE IS AMAZING. 
SMALLER SIDE NOTE: That's about the only amazing thing about Rexburg. Sad but true. 

I went to the craft store and picked up some thick posterboard, came home, Googled "DIY Wall Art" (I was hoping to find a cute idea for painting the background of the board before writing the words in) and I came across THIS BEAUTY:

Oooohhh aaaahhhh sooo cuuuutteee!
found here by Cozamia

With a little more looking, I found a DIY tutorial! WooHoo!!

found here <--click followed="followed" for="for" i="i" link="link" modified="modified" p="p" the="the" this="this" tutorial="tutorial">

It was preeeeeetty darn late and I had work in the morning, so I did the responsible thing and started the project RIGHT THEN! (haha). Mine is not as cute, nor perfect, but it is perfect for our wall! And, bless America, I'm not super crazy about my wall art being 100% perfect - imperfections = character, right..?? - so I took some short cuts, ran out of painter's tape halfway through, and used what I had (masking tape!) to finish it up.

Picture of my tools:

don't mind the stacks of paper, pineapple, etc...so random

NOT PICTURED: Painter's tape. I ran out, remember? Word to the wise: don't run out. It makes everything a LOT harder. I only had a little bit left, though, and it was after midnight, so...couldn't run out and get more before I started (and I obviously wasn't going to wait to get started!...) 

Exact-o knife, random paint colors that I like (acrylic, latex, whatevs), a couple different sized brushes, and a neutral colored paint for the final layer. I used Folk Art acrylic paint in Champagne so my last coat is a little metallic and I like it lots! 



To understand how I went from the "tools" picture to the final project, click the tutorial link above! 

If I were to do this project over again, I'd definitely do the herringbone pattern instead of a modified chevron pattern. (I would also take lots of pictures so I could do a tutorial of my own, and download a photo editing program so my blog pictures don't look so amazingly ghetto.)

EASY. CUTE. You KNOW you have an empty wall that needs some random DIY painting on it! Just do it.




Friday, January 11, 2013

Truth Time

I'm hoping that by writing this and sending it out into the universe I'll experience some kind of catharsis. Ok. Deep breath, here goes:

I feel super nervous right now.

For a fireside I'm doing.

In three weeks.

Is that crazy? No? Well, would it be crazy if I told you I've been nervous about it since it was scheduled - which was like six months ago..? And that I experience the same nerves for every fireside I do, from the moment it's scheduled until the moment I say "Amen" at the very end?

It's such a hard mix of emotions. I LOVE love love getting the chance to share some of my story, my experiences, my testimony and music with people. It makes me so happy to have even just one person come up after and say they felt the Spirit, or uplifted somehow, or enjoyed what I did/said/sang/whatever. Working with Deseret has been the best and most fulfilling "job" I've ever had - hands down. On the flip side, I feel a LOT of pressure...pressure to be prepared enough, entertaining enough, to say the right things/what that group needs to hear, to sing perfectly, to keep everyone's attention. It keeps me awake at night sometimes...just thinking about (let's be real - WORRYING about haha...) what I need to do.

There aren't words to explain how humbled and blessed I feel that Heavenly Father has given me such an amazing opportunity. I just wish I wasn't so darn AFRAID! I wish it was all sunshine and roses and not being able to WAIT to do more! Instead of this sinking, miserable anxiety that finds its way into my chest and squeezes and squeezes until all I feel is afraid.

In my brain I know that God has my back and will help me/support me. I feel like He's behind this whole Deseret adventure, and that when I stand up at a pulpit to speak or sing I'm delivering His message in my own way and with my own words/music. It's funny to think that I've performed my whole life and I still get afraid. More than butterflies, more than just the day of. Why is that..?

I'm not planning on quitting Christian music anytime soon - which will include firesides! - so I've just got to find a way to manage these negative feelings better.

What do you guys do when you're feeling stressed about an upcoming job/performance/etc? How do you tune out the adversary when he's whispering that you're just not good enough? Or that you're bound to fail somehow?

Ready? Go.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

You shouldn't have!

Hey! You have extra money you don't know what to do with and you want to buy me a present?!

Oh alright, but only because it will make YOU happy.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/119204917/tiffany-blue-long-maternity-gown-ankle?ref=sr_gallery_5&ga_search_query=maternity+gown&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_page=2&ga_search_type=all

Maternity kaftans on Etsy. Yes, please.


Let's Talk Pregnancy (part 1)


Things I expected:
-Mild discomfort
-Cravings
-Eating whatever I want, whenever I want without any sense of shame or embarrassment
-Looking adorable in maternity clothes
   NOTE: Two of those four things definitely happened. The other two..? Mmm debatable.

Things I didn't expect:
-24/7 congestion
-Finding myself unable to catch my breath several times a day
-The feeling that my tiny fetus is trying to karate chop her way out of my uterus
   NOTE: She's only like 3 pounds right now, right? I swear she must be 3 pounds of PURE freaking MUSCLE because, let me tell you, little mama knows how to KO my insides at 4 am.
-How many INTERNAL ultrasounds I'd need (sooo not fun)
-How difficult rolling over in/getting out of bed would become
-The inability to sleep comfortably. Ever. No matter what.

Fatigue, nausea (it never 100% goes away, now does it?), headaches, back aches, feeling like a gigantic blob of blobbiness. <--real been="been" definitely="definitely" different="different" expected.="expected." has="has" i="i" p="p" pregnancy="pregnancy" swear.="swear." than="than" what="what" word="word">
I feel like there are women out there who sincerely enjoy every moment of pregnancy. I feel like I've met them before in the hallways of church? Or read their blogs? Or...made them up in my own mind to torment myself with comparisons? Not entirely sure.

I've enjoyed MOST of my pregnancy. That's a victory, right? I know for sure that the first thing I'm going to do after coming home from the hospital with this baby on the outside of me (after I heal for six weeks...ick) is lay FLAT on my face/stomach and sleep (until she starts crying...which will probably give me a solid 15 minute nap).

Until next time.




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