In The Headlines, And An Anouncement

33 Best Burgers In America

I'm sad to say I haven't had a SINGLE one of these burgers, because we happen to LOVE any burger we can get our hands on. However, there's a good chance we will be heading to Fort Bragg, NC in about a month, so we can visit Johnson's Drive In located just outside of Fayetville! In case you are wondering, that's the announcement. More on that below.

Kraft Recalls 36,000 Cases of Cheese

So let me get this straight...some people didn't take off all of the plastic before eating their over processed fake individually wrapped cheese, and now there's a recall on the whole product? Seems a tad bit excessive, and I don't even support Kraft. #nogmo

Shackled Children

If you can't handle 8 and 9 year olds, you probably shouldn't be on the force. Plus it's against the law to use handcuffs on children in that state specifically, so there's that.

Ronda Rousey Body Shaming

No doubt she's awesome and the fact that people are body shaming her is ludicrous, but I think the fact that she's calling out other women in her response is just as bad. I personally think her comeback would have been more powerful if she wasn't shaming someone else in the process.

Gwen and Gavin Split

The shit is bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S. I happen to think that celebrities have a small dating pool because they tend to date within the industry. As such, if you limit yourself to a specific pool, there is no guarantee Mr. Right is going to be in there. Hopefully they will find love in the future! At least they made beautiful babies!

Cecil The Lion

I'm from a family of hunters, but they hunt to eat and for population control. In fact, the only antlers my dad has is from a deer that they tried to rescue after it broke it's back jumping a fence. Hunting these gorgeous creatures is just greedy and I'm glad Delta isn't allowing Big Game Trophies on their planes.

Civilians Protecting The Military

I don't want to go too in depth about the threats to our military and families stateside, because it really gives me anxiety. It's way too close to home, and brings up so many hot button questions about soldiers that can't protect themselves, and it's a problem that I can't believe we have in this country. On a positive note, the support from the community has been inspiring to watch. I know it's not safe or realistic to have vigilantes running around trying to protect the soldiers, but I would be lying if I didn't tell you that I wanted to be out there with them to prove that something needs to be done. We live in fear while our soldiers are deployed, but we don't get hazard pay to worry about them stateside. What happened America?

Okay, so as I mentioned up there, we are 90% sure that we will be heading to North Carolina in a month or so! I've already been picking Lindsey and Carrie's brain, but if any of you have insight into Fort Bragg or the Fayeteville area please send it my way! It's hard to figure out where to live when you've never set foot in a town, and yet we do it to ourselves every time. 

We Have A One Month Old!

A month ago, the nurse told me that each day would get easier even if I couldn't see it day by day, and I am thankful to admit she was right. I've cried more days than not, and felt like I must be doing everything wrong more than I'd like to admit, but I feel like we've come so far since then that I'm slowly forgetting the root of all of the fears and 'baby blues'. As my love for her grows, everything seems to have begun falling into place and I can now have more of a sense of humor about all the ups and downs. Yep, love, a sense of humor, and savoring the little things seem to be the key. Here are some of the little things:

+ Her eyes have begun to lighten.

+ Loves to sleep on us, but especially Daddy.

+ I love that I can calm her by simply putting my hand on her chest. It's funny that I've been doing that to her daddy for years. Proof that he's trained me for motherhood well.

+ Tried to get her on a schedule, but she showed us who's boss. For now, we are just thankful she can sleep up to 5-6 hours at a time at night. Doc said let her sleep, so that's what we are doing even if it does mean changing the sheets.

+ She is strong, which she showed by almost ejecting herself out of the bucket during the newborn photos, and she's only gotten stronger since. Every time she holds her head up it blows my mind, and we love tummy time for more practice...even if sometimes her strength is fueled because she is mad I woke her up for tummy time. Sorry Charlie! Pun intended.

+ We can't believe she's already grown out of the Newborn Swaddles, hats, socks, and is even too long for some of the onesies. Speaking of the swaddles, she's also an escape artist and can get out of them no matter how good we swaddle her. This kind of defeats the purpose when she spends all night fighting them, but it still seems to be better than her flailing her arms around. I'd love any insight on this from other parents of escape artists.

I had actually posted a one month photo last week because I was going by weeks, but as Will kindly pointed out- we now have to go by months. Even worse...eventually we have to go by years. I know this is common sense, but I'm beginning to realize how fast time is going to fly and I don't like it one bit. Sure, there are days when I look forward to taking her to Disney World, school recitals, and getting to re-experience life with her, but I know that when those days come I'll be desperate for the memories of late night snuggles during feedings, her little fingers wrapped around mine, and yes...even the laughter caused when diaper changes go wrong. Charleston Quinn...you are a pretty cool chick so far. Keep it up.

Things Are Lookin' Up

A lot of times we get wrapped up in what's wrong and forget to be thankful for what's right. Sure, we have a lot to be thankful for when it comes to Miss Charlie, but then we also get caught up by lack of sleep, changing diapers, dirty laundry, etc. and realize that things aren't all rosy when you have a newborn. Like seriously...I don't know how this tiny little thing can create so much laundry. Anywho, there have been some positives this week!

+ After a FULL week of no AC, we now have a brand new unit!

+ Will had his final check ride last night, so he will have the rest of the week off and more importantly, NO MORE NIGHT FLYING. I can't believe that we have two weeks until graduation and we are done...D-O-N-E with flight school.

+ Charlie has grown a FULL inch in four weeks and is in the 90th percentile for height. We had a checkup this week and she's still doing great! I need to take her one month pictures before she changes anymore, and I swear she's one month going on sixteen.

Now if only I could manage to get her to sleep on my schedule...Ha...Ha. Have a great weekend everyone! We are starting ours early.

Birth Story: The Best And Worst Day Of My Life

I still hold our wedding day as the best day of my life, but the day we brought a baby into the world together takes the title for "BEST and WORST Day of my life". Everyone kept telling me that my labor would be so easy, and the doctor even swaggered in thinking that it was going to be a breeze after bragging to my nurse friend that he wished all of his patients were like me. They said this would be a great labor experience with my health and fitness, however, that's not exactly how things turned out...but let's go back a few days.

On June 30th I went in for my last OB appointment a day after our original due date. I was 2 cm, 60% effaced, so we came to the agreement that we would Strip the Membranes {natural way to induce labor}, and if that didn't work, I would be scheduled for an induction. I hadn't wanted to be induced because that's just more drugs, but we also knew that leaving her in there for too long without knowing a true due date was a gamble too. So basically, we scheduled it, gave the family notice to head this way, and we were rarin' to go. My parents and Natalie {Charlie's Godmother} even arrived the night before, so we all had a nice dinner and a very sleepless night. Natalie and I giggled over the fact that we were basically having a sleepover like the old days, only now we were whispering about babies rather than  boys and instead of staying up until 4AM, we were getting up at that time to go to the hospital.

It didn't take long to check in, but emotions were high as we got the process started. Dressing gowns, IV's, Monitors, and going over and over the process filled the time until the doctor arrived, and then the Pitocin drip started about 8AM. Just in time for Will to finish up his academics and meet us at the hospital. {We couldn't have him missing class if we could help it!} Slowly the contractions started, and I realized that the day would not pass as quickly for everyone else as it was for me, so I sent them off to get some rest, which left time for Will and I to rest in between contractions. As you can imagine, we didn't have much success with that, so around 11:30 I was ready for the Epidural. I had been a little apprehensive about it, but I can honestly tell you that the lidocaine they use to numb you is the only thing that I felt. As a matter of fact, I didn't feel anything for the rest of the day and not in a good way. Well, good in that I wasn't feeling any pain, but bad because I didn't have any feeling from the ribs down. I was pretty worried when I touched anywhere below my ribs and I felt like I was touching a corpse. When they would move my legs I would say "What legs? I don't have any legs", and if only they had believed me...

Fast forward to 6:02pm, and the pushing began. I had no reference for how to push, but I listened to every bit of advice to start getting her down the birth canal. In spite of the fact that I had zero feeling, she was moving down and things were looking good up until we realized that she was turned to the side and didn't want to budge past my pelvic bone. After thirty minutes I suggested turning off the epidural, but the doctor seemed apprehensive. Instead, they pulled out extra handlebars, gave me every option known to man about how to push/pull/contort my body, and had Will and Natalie wrangling both my legs. This lead to another thirty minutes of pushing that got us nowhere until I could tell my doctor was getting frustrated. He was telling me to push where I felt his hand, so I told him I would if I could feel where he was pushing. I think it finally clicked that I did not have enough feeling to do what needed to be done and the epidural was then turned off. It would have been nice to take a break until it wore off, but nope...we kept pushing, and they kept telling me I was doing sooo great. I had to be on oxygen, was getting conflicting advice on how to push, and simply emotionally and physically drained, so I snapped back "I don't believe any of you". Luckily, it only took another thirty or so for me to tell that things were coming along, and as Natalie started getting bucked every time I pushed with growing strength in my legs, I at least felt like we were getting somewhere.

It was when I regained feeling in my abs that I knew we were in business. A nurse took over the leg opposite Will, and although I had barely any strength left, it only took one push for the doctor to realize it was time to pull out the safety net and put his delivery gown on. Two more pushes and he threatened mentioned that he may have to open me up to give her more room. Apparently that was just the push I needed to get her out, because he wasn't getting anywhere near me with those scissors. One more push and a tiny little human was placed on my chest. I was exhausted, they were sewing me up from a small tear on the left side, among a few other minor complications, but I could care less. I just was happy to be done with the hardest two hour workout I'd ever had in my life.

While they cleaned her across the room, we marveled at how long she was. We were thinking she would be 6 pounds and change, maybe 19 inches, and instead she was 7.13, 21 inches, and all legs! Actually, not all legs at the time because she had the WORST cone head I'd ever seen. I told Natalie to get her hat ready, because baby girl was not going to meet everyone like that. I know it's normal, but I totally had a "what have I done to my baby?!" moment. Poor thing hung out under my pelvic bone for so long that it was inevitable. I was only thankful that her face was perfect from being turned, and all that really mattered was she was healthy and loved.

Finally, once everybody had gone home, the three of us began our new life together. We clung to the natural instincts we didn't know we had, and hoped that would be enough to get us through the night, and well, the rest of her life.

Why Does The AC Only Go Out In Summer?

I'm glad y'all have appreciated all the pictures this week! It's funny, they make it look like we've got our act together, but just so you know...that's impossible with a newborn. In fact, on the day we took the newborn photos I was so engorged that I told the photographer I didn't want my chesticles anywhere in sight, and even worse- we forgot to refasten Charlie's diaper all the way on the way home and as you can imagine, we had to take apart and clean the whole car seat. See what you future parents have to look forward to!?

As if life with a newborn isn't difficult enough, we woke up to hot air blowing out of the AC unit on Wednesday. I called and let our rental company know that we had a newborn in an 85 degree house which got us moved to the top of the list, but then we found out that the whole unit may need to be replaced, which doesn't happen in one day. We now have two window units working full force, and I don't mind running errands so much right now.

All in all, things are going as good as can be expected, though. We are still working on our breastfeeding, but she's still alive and growing and I have proof. I took a meal to another brand new mommy this week, and was blown away by the difference between the two babies. Christian was born at the exact same stats as Charlie (7.13 pounds, 21 inches), and yet she's grown SO much in the two weeks before he was born. Crazy right?!

And in non-baby related news, I braved Target while out and about with Charlie and finally found my favorite calendar/planner! For whatever reason, my brain only functions with a calendar that is set up horizontally, and Blue Sky is the only company that makes one. These buggers are hard to find in stores other than online or Target. but they are still worth the hunt. Forget those expensive calendars that all bloggers are addicted to {you know which one I'm talking about}, because these are where it's at and the price tag is way better!

Now it's time for us to get out of this hot @$$ house, and head home for our final baby shower/reveal with the family. I've been stressed about driving Miss Charlie all the way to Pensacola by myself, but maybe the AC going out was meant to make me want to leave. Not that I want to leave Will and I feel bad that he'll be stuck here in the heat, but he knows he could come with us if he wanted {I'm only slightly trying to make him feel guilty}. Unfortunately, he's got studying to do to get ready for his FINAL check ride, and he doesn't think he'll be able to study as much with the fam. Either way, his girls will miss him terribly. He's been the only thing keeping me sane, so we shall see how this goes without him. Wish us luck!

Charlie's Newborn Photos!

Soooo I was going to hold out on these, but that would be pure torture for me. I drove all the way to Dothan with baby in tow on Monday just to get them, and I'll have you know I cried the whole way through the gallery Charlotte put together for us. I couldn't believe how incredibly beautiful they turned out with the two beings I love the most as the focus, and mostly...I was blown away by how much she has changed in her two {almost three} weeks of life.

Things are hard when you have a newborn, but having moments like these to look back on will make it all worthwhile. People constantly ask how things are with our little bundle of joy, and I reply "Hard, but we are lucky she's so darn cute, so I don't mind!" We love you Charlie bug! Even if you do keep us up all night.

Love Comes First

Hi. My name is Janna, and I've been deliciously lost in the eyes of my newborn. I mean there's also breastfeeding, diapers, loss of sleep, and allowing myself to heal, but mostly we are just enjoying our new doll baby. I have started the birth story, but I'm takin' my time while trying to find appropriate words for the...um... 'intimate' parts let's say. I also figured that before we get to that I should probably share the maternity photos first, because I don't ever want to forget the special moments where we were just 'us'. I look back at these, and it's amazing that I really do love him even more now that we have charlie, and I can only hope that this love continues to grow. Love is where it all started after all.

I can't believe that two months ago we were footloose and fancy free on that beach, unaware of how much would change, and now it is bittersweet as I come to the realization that life will never be this simple again. I worry about the changes a baby can cause in a relationship, but I know that we both have the desire to become even stronger for her. First comes Love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage...

World Meet Charlie, Charlie Meet World!

On July 2nd, Charleston Quinn finally made her appearance! She was born at 7:55PM, weighing 7.13 lbs, and 21 inches long. As of now she has dark blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. I wish I had time to share more, but there's a little one that needs me a whole lot at the moment. Thanks for all the Instagram love, and we will update you soon!

Pregnancy Bucketlist

Now that this pregnancy is coming to an end, I can share how we ended up making the most of this experience. I wish I could tell you that we have a baby already, but she's STILL hanging in there. In fact, I think she has grabbed onto my ribs and is hanging on for dear life, because that's what it feels like. However, don't be surprised if you see something popping up via other social media in the next day or two. I think the stork may be a'comin!

When I asked everyone what were our must do's during the pregnancy, everyone agreed on date nights, movies, and stocking up on sleep. I figured these were some good tips, but it wasn't enough for me. I'm not one of those people that thinks our life will be over when we have a baby, but I am embracing the fact that our priorities will change. Luckily, even before we knew we were pregnant we soaked up every minute of fun and will always savor the memories.

Throw a party {or three}.
Try new things.

Bike ride while you still have balance.
Whip up a labor intensive recipe that you won't be able to enjoy with a newborn.

Dance even if it's superdeeduper awkward with a belly.

Run {or walk} a 5K.

Wear a bikini while no one can judge you.

Go on at LEAST one adventure.

Volunteer in some capacity.
Visit any theater...movies, musical, comedy, and/or thespian.

Get a tattoo...j/k, but I did do this by accident. Whoops.

Date nights, both on the town and cuddled on the couch.
Enjoy fun in the sun and water whenever you can.

Travel until your doctor grounds you.

It's strange to think that a year ago I was sending Will off to Survival Training and a month apart. So much has changed in that year, and I can't believe the memories that we've made. Some of the best times of our marriage have actually happened while we've been pregnant, and still I know even better memories are to come. Once Charlie gets here, it's like we get to experience life with her all over again, and I can't wait.

40 Weeks, Can You Believe It?

How Far Along 40 flipping weeks. I love being pregnant, but I just keep thinking about how big she's going to end up if she keeps cooking...yikes.

New Experiences Heartburn. Only once, but once was enough.

Gender Still assuming both doctors and three US techs are right, and we have a girl ;)

Total Weight Gain I almost made it to 25 LBS, but then I lost a few pounds. Apparently that's normal towards the end, though. Total is now 21 pounds of baby love.

Sleep I'm a bit tired of waking up before my alarm clock, but it could be worse.

Pregnancy nightmares Yup, and it was TERRIBLE.

Miss Anything At this point I know I'll be able to eat and drink the things I 'missed' soon, so now I could care even less. You better bet there will be a Jersey Mike's Sub in my future, though.

Cravings Nada.

Symptoms According to old wives' tales she's about to come out. My uterus has been super tight, I started breaking out from the hormone changes, I was in a 'mood' Thursday, and I'm less hungry. On top of that, the doc confirmed I was 1cm dilated, starting to efface, and she's moved down the canal. Friday also brought on some early labor signs,

Mood Mostly, I'm just thankful that we are more prepared for her arrival than I expected to be. However, Thursday I was most definitely in a mood. I was frustrated with everyone bugging me about when they should come like I miraculously know when she's going to make her appearance. I'm very appreciative that she has so many people that love her and want to be here, but I'm not a psychic and our house isn't a hotel. I can't tell you anything other than our home is open to you for the birth, but you will be sharing it with whomever else shows up at the time. I have one guest bedroom, one air mattress, and two couch slots. First come first serve people. #notmyproblem

Best Moment This Week I went to the doctor expecting to hear 'no change' for my 39 week appointment, but when he said 1cm and starting to efface I was elated! I know it's still up to her, but at least that meant my body was doing it's job.

Looking Forward to Meeting her, le duh.

Exercise Still going strong! I have to start off reeaaally slow and build up, but I'm determined not to quit. The thought of not working out for up to six weeks after is extremely motivating. Plus, anything that might move her along is a bonus.

On My Mind Labor is going to suck. That is all.

Before I forget, I'd like to send a special shout out to Kathryn who sent Charlie clothes and some adorable Origami Owl jewelry, Courtney and her Mia for the adorable romper and drawing, and P!nky who has been checking on us everyday via the sweetest text messages. In fact, everyone of you that has kept up with Charlie has meant the world to me,and you guys are all why I keep blogging! Now I hope you all have a great week, because I think we will too ;)

I Got Scammed

Buying second hand is an amazing thing, but there is always a chance you get a dud or worse...a scam. I'm usually very diligent about comparing the pictures from ads with the expected product and buying from specific sites that I trust, but I let my game slip since we were in Dothan and I found a great deal on an Ergo Baby Carrier. 

It wasn't a 'too good to be true' scenario, so I didn't question anything. Even after meeting the woman and physically holding the carrier I was satisfied with the quality. However, when I got back in the car I noticed the Chinese writing on the box and felt that sinking feeling in my stomach. I should have said something right then and there before she got too far away, but I was embarrassed, blamed myself, and simply believed that I would never get my money back. We even made it all the way home before I voiced my concern to Will, who immediately looked up the counterfeit information and confirmed I was right. He suggested I contact her, and I figured what have I got to lose? Surprisingly, she agreed to meet us the next morning and give us our money back while playing the victim herself saying she didn't know it was fake. She was a dern liar and I could see right through her, but I played along all the way up until I had the money in my hand and said 'deuces'. So here are a few tips to avoid this scenario:

#1 Giveaway: The box will not be in Chinese. {Duh...Janna}

#2 Giveaway: The padding won't be as thick on the straps.

#3 Giveaway: The Buckles will say 'STEALTH'. Although some fakes still do.

. Find even more tips here and here.

It's sad we live in a time where people peddle fake baby products, but to be honest, it was a really good knockoff. I think I would have kept it if she had charged something more like $25, but I'm thankful we will now have a carrier that I know will be safe and warrantied.

My Worst Nightmare

There are many things that could fall into the 'my worst nightmare' category, but I'm actually referring to the nightmare I had Monday night that was the worst nightmare I've ever had in my life. They say that pregnancy dreams are extra vivid, but I hadn't really experienced that until I dreamed that Will was unhappy in our marriage and decided to divorce me while I was still pregnant. He didn't want to be tied down anymore, and although I kept waking up, every time I went back to sleep the dream dragged on. On top of or perhaps because of that, I also had heart burn in the form of acid reflux for the first time in my life to the point where I thought I'd choke because I couldn't swallow. Sounds lovely, huh?

I know this isn't a premonition or something I worry about, but it is my worst nightmare played out. There is no question how much I love this man, and I just never want to let him down or even worse...lose him. I made sure to show him that when he came home {teehee}, and he accused me of just trying to get Charlie to come early, but  either way- he wasn't complaining.

Me later that night: Sweet dreams, lover.

Will: Hope you have a nightmare.

Me: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You basically got makeup sex due to a dream.

Will: Well, it did work out in my favor.

To end on a positive note and have the obligatory post photo, here are some lovely gems that my MIL recently sent to me. I particularly enjoy the bath tub picture, but he's just darling across the board. Can you tell he likes playing sports?

Now wish me luck tonight in the heartburn department. I know I don't have room to complain with how easy this pregnancy has been, but that ish is TERRIBLE.

The Best Father's Day I Ever Had

Will was hoping to have Charlie make her appearance on Father's Day, so we started celebrating last Sunday. I was determined that Father's Day wouldn't be forgotten if I did go into labor, therefore he got his presents last Sunday and then the real fun kicked off Friday with a couples massage. It was his first spa massage and a first couples massage for both, which made it extra special. He had a check ride that morning and got his stress worked out, and the only pain I've had this pregnancy was my piriformis muscle, ergo my masseuse spent over half of it on my bootay and I couldn't have been more happy about it as strange as that sounds.

Saturday, we went to Dothan to play at our friend's pool/clubhouse and it was a blast. We had fun in the sun, grilled some amazing food, and played a few rounds of the most intense 'Timber Tower' Jenga you've ever seen. Yours truly even won once or twice, which never happens when I'm playing against Will for anything. I guess my balance exercises have paid off along with a new found level of patience I recently acquired.

Then come Sunday, Will and one of our sweet friends (that wants to remain nameless) surprised me with plans to have a cleaning party to get the house spotless for Charlie! I mean, can I be any luckier? Oh wait...I can...Will also made his famous ribs for us on top of it. I'm still in shock that these two came up with the plan to have a cleaning party, and I'm just so thankful for the wonderful people in my life. I almost feel bad that Will's first Father's Day weekend turned into something that was just as much for me, but I guess that just proves how great of a dad he already is. I wouldn't want to go "halfsies on a daughter" with anyone but him!

I Don't Want To 'Adult' Anymore This Week

It's not like this week has been a bad week and I actually feel very accomplished, buuuuut it's been a doozy. Let me break it down for ya: I had to call Direct TV to get our bill lowered when it went up $40 bucks at the year mark. Sure, I knew it was coming, but you know stuff like that doesn't fly with me. Our bill is now $20 cheaper and we have free movie channels. I had to call our insurance and every Medical Supply around to find out how and where to get a breast pump now that Tricare is covering them. I almost think it's too generous of them, but I'm not about to pass it up- you know me and 'free'. Then I discovered that our water usage had doubled and I crawled around in the dirt checking the meter to find we had a pipe leak in the yard. I think I'm most proud of the fact that I've been tracking our water usage and even though the bill only went up slightly, I knew something was wrong and probably saved our landlord a lot of money if that hole was never discovered or the pipe eventually burst. To top it all off, I paid bills, worked on paperwork, and tried to get some things done on our rental property so that if I go into labor it all won't be forgotten. Like I said...I feel pretty dern accomplished.

Luckily, my wonderful hubby did the part that I didn't want to do and that's backup/activate/setup/restore my new iPhone! My Lifeproof case finally came in, so I am now allowed to play with my new toy. I was pretty disappointed with the new Lifeproof colors, but then I stumbled upon The Skin Dudes and am way happier with a waterproof vinyl skin than just getting another colorful case. I guess I'm happy with the phone in general even though I haven't tested it out much. All I know is that the zoom setting is amazing, because I was getting too blind to read the tiny screen on the 5S. Will did get to upgrade to my 5S until his upgrade, and bonus: I sold his old 5 for almost what I paid for the new phone. Oh, and in case you've never thought about getting a Lifeproof case, we have saved $1,000+ by not having insurance on our phones for the last four years, and you can't beat that.

Now I just hope Charlie doesn't make her appearance this weekend...we have Father's Day activities scheduled, a pool party with friends, a trip to Dothan, and another surprise happening for me on Sunday. I guess we will be finishing this pregnancy with a bang either way. Cheers to all the fathers and baby daddies out there. It's your weekend!