Yeah, I TOTALLY know what's going on

So I haven't looked into it yet, but maybe there's an oil for forgetfulness due to being tired/being milked/being tired. There must be! And I will find it! Because I just keep forgetting everything and then when people talk to me, they assume I know exactly what they are talking about but I don't. OR as they are talking it then jogs my brain and I remember! BUT I can't make it too obvious that at first I didn't know what they were talking about and then the light bulb came on.

Because at first I'm overly confident and I'm thinking "clearly, this sweet person is talking to the wrong person but I'll just nod along politely because that's how I roll" and then BAM - in my head the memory floods right back and I think, holy crap! Ava DOES have Sarah's birthday party tomorrow and this lady is asking me about it. Do I know this person? Is this Sarah's mom (which would  be even MORE horrifying)? No wait - I don't think it's Sarah's mom but it is clearly someone from Ava's daisy troop. And now she has PAUSED which clearly indicates she asked me a question while I was kicking myself and I now have to come up with a response. Oh my.

I have found laughing and smiling does the trick sometimes for two reasons - 1) It just may be an accepted response to the situation and no one gets hurt when we go our separate ways. 2) It may show I was confused and then they will have some pity on me and we can still be friends.

I wasn't always like this. I swear! I was very good with names, people, faces, etc. I wrote things in my calendar but who are we kidding? That was just for show because I would have remembered the appointment, the weekly schedule, the month and year Tony had his last root canal (yes, he has had more than one). I used to be ON FIRE. Now, the fire is clearly gone and I am at the mercy of my phone reminders or I just forget anyway after I turn the phone reminder off (sigh).

I walked excitedly into a place the other day to have a couple hours of pampering with no children and without being milked and the lovely man at the desk asked me who I was there to see. I confidently and clearly stated "Tessa" because I just knew I couldn't possibly have the name wrong of the person who was going to let me hang out in their establishment kid-less. Oh no. The lovely man had a blank look on his face. I started to panic. He turns to the woman next to him who then looks at me. So I began to just ramble - "Oh I must have heard the name wrong. I'm sorry. I have a newborn. I'm always tired (insert please-help-me-smile). This rambling seemed to have helped because a customer in the store reached out and touched my arm and smiled. So that was nice. So they handed me over to someone named Stephanie (probably the closest name to Tessa they could find in their establishment so that I wouldn't feel too bad) and all was well again.

So I'm hoping this just lasts for a little bit longer because having my old brain back would be really nice. And I think it will. I am hopeful (insert smiley face). BUT I am going to search for an oil for this because there's an oil for everything else so I am confident!

Happy Saturday!

-Emily

"Things have changed." - Ava

Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones leaving my body. Or maybe it's just what happens when you add another child to your family. But when you forget to find your oldest child during a game of hide-and-seek, you feel BAD. I mean really bad - like tears spring up in your eyes as you look at your first born who asks you "mommy why didn't you come find me? Aren't we still playing?" The child I always had time for and I forgot we were playing a game. How does that happen? I was counting to 30 and in a few minutes, I just totally forgot. Where is my brain? 

Things have changed for sure. And while most of it is wonderful it is also much more tricky. Dinner time on is tricky as I have a child stuck on my boob, another one who needs to eat, I would like to eat, our dog wants to eat, then there's bath time, reading, etc. And Ava wants me to scratch her head in bed AND read the book but Jackson is crying. Hmmm, tricky. 

I know Ava was okay that I didn't come find her right away during our game. But I was not okay. So what do I do to make it up to her to show her I haven't forgotten her? I enroll her in swim lessons. How fun. Something else to get out the door for with a baby on my boob. And be on time. And I hope I don't forget. I already put it in my calender with an hour reminder time but who knows? Maybe once I hit snooze on the reminder, I'll forget. Because this also just happened. Ava had a daisy troop outing and my phone's alarm went off. So I hit dismiss and I proceeded to get her permission slip and made the loud announcement in the house "Don't forget - you have daisies in an hour!" And then I forgot. No one took her. And at at six o'clock I yelled out, "we forgot your daisy meeting!" How did I forget in an hour? There's got to be an oil for that :) 

So in a nutshell, I'm still trying, and trying to do better. And I know our children are loved and feel loved. I really do know this. But man, those little moments when you let your kids down - that hurts. And all I could think of to say was sorry - mommy's so sorry. Which I guess is good in a way - Ava will see it is good to apologize to others and to make things right. But I think that's still just me trying to make myself feel better. I won't beat myself up too much - I think this is all part of it, part of the transition to having another baby. And it really just was an accident. But that incident just keeps popping up in my mind at random moments. Dang being a parent is hard. But it's so great too. 

Happy Tuesday everyone.

-Emily

I am now the crazy oil lady

So yeah, it's been since October since I started using young living oils and I can now officially say I am the crazy oil lady. I totally see it in people's eyes when they come over with horrible allergies and they look at me nervously when I ask them if they want me to make them a capsule - they look a little frightened. Of course I also tell them they don't need to take it if they don't want to or if they're not comfortable with it or check with you doctor first, etc. But they are usually pretty curious so they down it. Then they're amazed when it works. And then we laugh together because the whole thing still seems so weird and wacky to me. Because how can a few drops of lemon, lavender, and peppermint help their allergies? I know - weird.

Premium Starter Kit I got back in October (it came with freaking 11 oils and a diffuser):

But what also is so weird is how I used to readily give Ava some claritin whenever her allergies were crazy (because allergies trigger her asthma and oh Lord, my anxiety would go up) and she would suffer horrible bloody noses from the allergy meds. So now I had a child who wasn't suffering from allergies anymore but instead would have bloody noses for a few days. Well that's great. By the way - the side effect for Ava from me putting the allergy trio on the bottoms of her feet? No allergies.

Allergy trio that works for us:

Now, even I must say an oil one person uses for a headache may not help me with my headache. I found that out when everyone swore by YL peppermint rubbed on my temples for a headache - did not help me one bit. But luckily there are other oils to try (just like there's other meds to try for migraines) and I found my choice oil! A drop of thieves on my thumb pressed to the roof of my mouth for 30 seconds. Now, let's all laugh together right now (hahahaha) because that is just plain wacky. But I would usually take 3 extra strength rapid release tylenol for a migraine so since I don't do that anymore, my liver thanks me greatly.

So I really really really want to have an oil party so I can explain what carrier oils are, show everyone my bag of tricks, show peeps how I make foot cream, etc. because I soooo wish I could have learned some of this stuff early on from someone in person. But my friend Ashley so willingly answered all of my questions through email, text, facebook, etc (she lives far away from me) and was so patient with me as I learned and asked questions. And I invite you all to do the same too! Seriously - ask me your questions and I will try to help you because I am literally up all hours of the night and day feeding a human. And also, let me know if you want me to add you to our oil group on facebook. That's how I started learning about all of this young living oil stuff. 

I do want to mention I only use young living oils - nothing else. Someone who I love dearly (name will be withheld) tried to help her child's eczema by using some store bought oils - they didn't work. So her conclusion? Essential oils don't work. Wrong! They do work if you are using 100% pure therapeutic grade oils. Luckily, this person tried young living and her daughter's skin looks amazing. So yeah . . . she is now a crazy oil lady too.  

So talk to your doctor if you are on meds, come over to my house and check out my collection, ask me questions, laugh at me - whatever floats your boat. Because I was the person laughing when I heard about oils but now I laugh even more because I have found them to work wonders for my family and I haven't had to pay for Ava's asthma meds for months. Take that singulair and albuterol! (I know, I know, that sounds so stupid and cheesy but I am running on fumes for sleep so please forgive me).

Ava's asthma oils:

Happy Wednesday!

-Emily

Pregnant no more!

Well hooray for a new baby and the return of sleeping on my stomach! Phew - that was a long nine months but our Jackson is HERE and we are sooo excited! He came into the world last Sunday, March 16th crying his lungs out, weighing in at 8lbs 11oz - yikes! That's a big baby!

It started Sunday morning at 4:30am - I was awake walking around the house when I bent over to get my phone - a gush of something nasty came out and I said "uh oh." Tony then said, "what's 'uh oh'?" I said, "I think my water broke." Well, I then proceeded to take a shower, shave my legs and then do what any pregnant mama should do when they think their water breaks - wait for Trader Joe's to open at 8am so I could get some grocery shopping done before we went to the hospital. So I stuck a pad on (sorry for all of this TMI stuff) and waddled around a grocery store. Ha! I am an idiot sometimes. But I really needed to go to the store!

So we get to the hospital and they ask if I've been having contractions. "Yes, sometimes - maybe every 20 minutes or so." So I get hooked up to the monitors and it turns out I am having contractions but not every 20 minutes - more like every 4-5. So they tell us we will be admitted to the hospital. Hooray!

 I ended up having a c-section (I had one scheduled for the next day anyway) and since then, everything has been just awesome. The recovery from surgery this time seems easier, breastfeeding is WAY EASIER, and you just know more about how to care for a human being the second time around - MUCH MORE RELAXING!! With your first child, it's like "here's your child - good luck to you!" and you try to tackle breastfeeding, figuring out if you should pump between feedings, do you change your child's diaper if they are sound asleep, etc - very overwhelming. So this time around - ahhhhh, much easier in many ways. A little tricky though too since there is another child in the mix who still has a jog-a-thon at school, school picture money to turn in - and oh yeah, a birthday party to attend (to name a few). Luckily, that has all gone well too. Phew, what a juggling act. I don't know how people with more than two kids do it - I have the utmost respect for those of you out there! Seriously.

 We seriously though could not have done any of this without help from family. My mom and Tony's mom seriously saved the day with taking Ava to and from school, feeding her, cleaning up dishes, feeding us - it was freaking awesome to just BE and only have to focus on feeding a baby, spending time with Ava, eating, showering, and sleeping. Then my sister came to visit which was great - Ava got to play all day with her cousins, my sister jumped to get me water or anything else I needed - again, FREAKING AWESOME. 

Praise the Lord though that it is Ava's spring break this week and Tony is still off work. It is 11am and we are all still in our pajamas. So that will be the big task next week - can we get our child to school with some food packed, looking decent all before 8am? Hmmmm, we will see.

But seriously, perfect timing from the Lord when our Jackson would arrive - He knew we would need some time to adjust and spring break for Ava was the answer! Seriously. Love it. So my heart is full and our family feels full and I am just so in love with Tony, Ava, and Jackson. My cup runneth over.

-Emily

Just a couple more days . . . :)

It's soooo quiet in my house right now. It's 4:29am and I am just sitting in the living room finishing up some things I wanted to get done before our new baby arrives. I paid some bills, updated my young living oil autoship order, and even laid out Ava's outfit for Monday since it will be Saint Patrick's Day and she needs to wear green.

Because this baby will be here Monday at the latest. I have a c-section scheduled if I don't have him between now and Monday. And seeing that it is already 4:31am on Saturday morning, I don't see myself spontaneously going into labor in the next two days. So Monday it is! We will have a Saint Patrick's baby.

Everything is ready to go - like, literally everything. From Ava's Big Sister gift being wrapped and ready to be opened to the money we will pay Monday morning for my c-section.

It's so wonderful the way God works. And you can see Him working when you seriously hand everything over to Him to arrange - not that we just then sit back and do nothing - being prepared, active, and wise etc is huge too. But to constantly look to Him and then not have that WORRY is one of the greatest feelings ever.

He seriously arranged so many things this past week just to make it that much easier for us to move forward with peace and security. We received a generous gift in the mail of four gift cards which was AMAZING and totally out of the blue. One of our tax returns was just deposited into our checking account today. AMAZING. And I love watching all of this come into play - because I literally smile or tear up and immediately think, "Thank you, Lord." And I relax even more and even laugh a little thinking back to all those years when I would worry about finances or how things would be - and of course things would be stressful because the Lord was not included in the equation. So what a comforting and secure feeling to wait and see everything unfold so perfectly. My cup runneth over.

So our little boy will be here very soon. And we are ready. And soooo excited. We have waited and waited and waited for this day. And my heart will grow again when he is born as I will have another baby to love.

"If I am thinking correctly," said Pooh, "a new baby is probably, undoubtedly, the grandest gift that ever could be."

-Emily

Moms Just Know

Mom's just know - or they should know probably, or maybe they don't know so if that's the case, then I don't know and just forget it.

But, I just knew that Ava needed an antibiotic yesterday and I was not leaving urgent care until I got it from the doctor. I seriously was not leaving. My huge uterus was staying put in the chair until I was handed the prescription. Which is seriously a little weird for me because I have always just listened to doctors, did what they said, and didn't speak up. But this is what I did last year when Ava got pneumonia - I just went along with the doctor even though her temp kept rising, and even though I kept calling them to give them updates, and even then they still told me it was just a virus and "let it run it's course." And look where that got us? A trip to the ER with a child who had a 106.2 temperature - yes you read that right! 106.2! And how did they treat it? With antibiotics.

So naturally my anxiety started to rise when the doctor wanted to just send us on home yesterday and told us Ava had the flu and to just rest. I will have to say I am proud of myself for remaining calm at 9 months pregnant but also clearly explaining my case and advocating for Ava. Ava had puss pockets on her throat and was coughing up awful green phlegm! And was now running a temp! In my head, I'm thinking "this is an infection." And an infection she has had before that cleared up beautifully with antibiotics and then we were all on our merry way in life. So she listened to what I had to say but then said that she would prescribe Ava tamiflu and cough medicine - not an antibiotic. NOOOO!!! - is what I was shouting in my head. But out of my mouth came something very tame but also very clearly showed that I did not agree and yes, me and my huge uterus are still sitting here until you change your mind.

Now, I'm totally not saying we just always need to battle the doctors we see because most are wise and helpful - not saying this AT ALL. I have tons of respect for the doctor's we have for our family and are great! But I just felt like once this doctor honed in on "it's the flu," it blinded her to see anything else. So hooray to the doctor who took the time to listen to me even though she might have thought I was one of "those moms."

So last night, she took the antibiotic, and after that, didn't cough once, went to school today and is jumping around. It was not the flu. She is doing wonderful!

So listen to your instincts mamas! And when we need to be an advocate, I believe there is a way to do this with grace, manners, but some firmness, etc. Now of course, I have sucked at this on many occasions and just ended up sounding mean and degrading. So I am still working on it. But I want to show Ava it is okay to disagree with people but we can still be kind. Man, this whole parenting thing is so amazingly intricate! But it is the best job in the world!

- Emily

Operation Baby

I feel like I am preparing for every scenario possible with this child who will be born soon. There are all of these "what if's" going on in my head and I feel like I am training for some covert operation and need to be ready for whatever flies my way. I literally just typed a two page document listing Ava's schedule and her activities along with important phone numbers, name of her teacher, how many dairy items she can have per day, when her daisy troop meetings are, how to apply oils to her if she is coughing, etc. There is one for our dog too.

And I'm also making little piles everywhere with important documents. I have the "girl scout pile" with the money that needs to be turned in so if I'm not around to deliver it, it can be located and taken to Ava's daisy troop meeting. I also have a "tax pile" with all of our documents ready for our tax guy who we will see soon but, who knows? Maybe I won't see him soon. My goal for tomorrow is to stock up on toilet paper and food items for Ava so the person watching her while we are gone will be able to use our toilet without worrying. This time around being pregnant is soooo different.

When I was pregnant with Ava, we of course had things to plan for but we did not have another child who needed arranging. We just drove to the hospital at midnight, I had my sister straighten my hair first (what a stupid thing to do by the way), and all we had to remember was to lock the door when we left our home. That was it. I didn't need to have meals available for another human being, or directions for medicine written out, or a reminder for when library day is at school. We just blew away into the wind and came home with our beautiful Ava.

Now, I'm actually not stressing. It may seem like I am but I'm not. I am really glad I am getting all of this done because that makes me feel better. I do quality assurance stuff for work so me being organized is just a way of life for me. I'm getting the things done that I know I have control over. And I also know that flexibility is key to this whole birth thing because babies have their own agenda - and so does God. So while, yes, I am prepping and getting prepared, I also feel very relaxed in that the Lord has all of this covered.

I am literally just savoring these final weeks (or days - who knows?!) until our son comes. I am in a perfect place right now and just am thanking the good Lord for arranging all of this in His time. Because we had prayed for so long to have this baby - and now it is almost upon us! And the timing is just perfect. All of the noise around me - I just am shutting it out and focusing on our little expanding family. I am at such peace and peace like this only comes from the Lord.

So thank you to all who will be helping us with our sweet Ava while we are gone having our son! We could not do any of this without you! And I know she will be taken care of so well so that puts me right at ease.

I can't wait for this little baby to greet us all!

-Emily