Sunday Funday!

So.. it's not often that we find ourselves with nothing to do on the weekends.  This weekend we went to a wedding reception Saturday night and Sunday afternoon we were supposed to do a mall walk to help raise money for adults with special needs.  Unfortunately, Kylee had other plans.  She decided to sleep in (after rockin' out at the reception until late into the night) .. and so we missed the mall walk.  But quickly came up with other plans!  Which included packing up and driving the 54ish miles to Lincoln, Nebraska.  Once we got to Lincoln our first stop was Raising Cane's. Oh. My. Amazing!  They have some of the best chicken strips and the most AMAZING dipping sauce!!  Even Kylee was loving the dipping sauce!

After leaving Raising Cane's we made our way to the Lincoln Children's Museum.  Now we have a museum here..but the one in Lincoln is AWESOME!  (Yes, I think a children's museum is awesome.. so what?!)  Kylee loved running around and screaming at the top of her lungs.  She loved playing volleyball with her daddy in the Husker sports area! (And she was so talented that she was tossing the balls under the net two at a time!)

She wasn't so sure about riding on the horse. But loved playing with the saddle!

The Children's Museum is outta this world!!

After we left the museum we went on down to the Westfield Mall.  I was a little apprehensive about it when we first got there.  From the outside it looked a little rundown.  But once we got inside it looked like every other mall I've been in.  We got some delicious snackage in the form of fresh cinammon pretzel sticks and slush drinks.  Kylee was all over the pretzel sticks.  We walked around a bit and let Kylee play in the playground area and then headed home late in the afternoon.  It was the perfect Sunday Funday with my perfect family.    (And Kylee did AMAZING on the drive there and back. No crying, no fussing, and even napped a tiny bit!)

What did your family do this weekend?

Thirsties Duo Diaper Giveaway!

Step right up folks and let me tell you about one of the sweetest mamas I know!  Her name is Jess and she just recently opened up an online cloth diapering store in good ol' Omaha, Nebraska.  That's right people.. we have cows.. and NOW a cloth diaper store!  Jess and her husband opened up Top to Bottom Baby Boutique after going through the frustration of waiting for diapers to get shipped to them.  Imagine the absolute horror when her sweet baby boy was born early and had no sweet soft diapers to cover his bum!  Jess is such a sweetheart and is always up to answering any questions I have and even letting me drop by her house before 8am just so I can pick up some diaper detergent.  Yeah! THAT is how much she rocks!  So when she approached me about doing a review for her...I literally jumped at the idea.  What was I to do a review on?  Why the Thirsties Duo Diaper of course!  I have tried the Thirsties AIO and LOVE it.. so I was hoping that I would love the Duo just as much!


The Duo Diaper comes in two sizes which will cover you from birth until the glorious days of potty learning!This adjustable rise on this diaper is awesome and allows your little one to wear each size twice as long.  Now THAT is my kind of diaper.  I love soft fluff that looks cute and spares my wallet as much as possible. 
We are actually able to snap this diaper rise down which is something we rarely get to do anymore! 

Another feature of the Duo Diaper I love (like other Thirsties products) are the leg gussets!! I don't know about you.. but I hate leaks!  I hate changing up after leaks and diaper explosions.  It's no fun and you're crazy if you like doing it.  Thirsties leg gussets keep all the yuck stuff in while remaining gentle on the legs.  (No more red marks people!) 

Look at that cute bum! And those fantastic leg gussets!

Anyone hate unstuffing wet and poopy diapers?  Well fear not.. the Duo Diaper has openings on both sides of the diaper between the microfleece and waterproof layer. This enables easy insert stuffing from either side of the diaper and also makes for very simple cleaning. There is no need to remove the soiled inserts when washing and who doesn't love that?!  (Which is especially nice in the case of the Duo Diaper inserts because they absorb a ton and then some!)

We've got nothing but love for Thirsties Duo Diaper in this house!  It's cute, easy to clean and quick to dry, and trim enough to fit under a pair of jeans!  That in my book is a true winner! SO... which one of you would like to win your very own Thirsties Duo Diaper?  The lovely Jess is offering one up (in your choice of size and color) .. I told you.. she's precious! So how do you win?

Mandatory Entry:  Head on over to TTBBB and tell me one product that Jess carries that you love and one product you would like to see her carry in the near future.

(This entry is required.  You don't do it. You don't win. Simple enough.)

Additional Entries:

1.  Become a subscriber to the TTBBB mailing list  (I will verify with Jess)

2.  Follow TTBBB on Twitter  (Leave your Twitter ID in comment)

3.  Become a fan of TTBBB on Facebook (Leave your FB screen name in comment)

4.  Follow my blog publicly with Google Friend Connect (2 entries...leave 2 seperate comments)

5.  Follow me on Twitter (Leave your Twitter ID in comment)

6.  Add my button to your blog (Leave a link to where I can find it in your comment)

7.  Tweet this giveaway and include @Mommacrissy and @TopToBottomBaby and a link back to this page in your tweet.  You may tweet up to 2x a day (tweets must be 3 hrs apart)

** For 10 additional entries make a purchase from TTBBB **  (This will be verified)

Please make sure I have a way to contact you if you win.  Email address in comment or email address visible in your blog profile.

 Giveaway ends Thursday, March 4th at 10:00PM .(CST). I will use random.org to determine the winner and notify the winner via email. The winner will also also be announced on this blog. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.

Tea?

WalMart has been having some AMAZING clearance sales lately!  We got her a too-cute-for-words Radio Flyer horse last week.. and today I got her a fun and cute tea set (originally $16.99 and on sale for $7..score!).  After a trip to Books-A-Million and lunch we got home and sat down for some tea!  Kylee loved it and continued playing for almost half an hour!  She offered us both tea and was "pouring" it soo nice and offering up yummy pastries!  I don't think I ever had a tea set as a little girl.  Or I don't remember it anyways if I did.  I can't wait for more tea parties with my cutie girl.  (Warning: Many pictures following!)

Tasting it first to make sure it's alright!

More tea for everyone!

Concentrating so hard..

Stacking the cups.. she sure is a tidy girl!

Mama loves her tea.. thanks baby girl!

Tea parties sure are a lot of fun!!

Giddy Up!!

So while browsing the aisles of WalMart last night I came across a pretty sweet deal! ...  it's "Oss" (horse).

This too-cute-for-words horse was sitting on the top shelf of the clearance section!  Originally priced at $69.00..it was on sale for $35!!  So of course I had to buy it for Kylee.  She loves bouncing on the couch so I figured she would LOVE this!  It was about 8:30 when I got home last night.  (YES.. I got to go shopping by myself!!)  But I really wanted Kylee to try this out before she went to bed.  So I set out putting it together.  Now.. I am a huge fan of Radio Flyer.  But, my one complaint with this toy is that it seems like the screws you put in the main part of the horse should be a tad bit longer.  But after working some magic with the screwdriver I had this baby put together in about 20 minutes.  I put the batteries in (it makes horse and galloping noises!!) and Kylee hopped right on!  All in all I will say it was a great deal and a huge success.  She was not happy this morning when I told her she couldn't eat breakfast on the horse.  I mean really.. who wants to sit in a highchair and eat when you could dine while riding your "Oss". 

Operation Fluffy.. Commence!

I'm not addicted to many things.  I mean..I really love photography, Twitter,  fine dining, blogging, walks on warm and sunny days, being with my daughter, Twitter, chocolate, Twitter, traveling, reading and journaling, Twitter, and top notch movies.  Oh..did I mention I really love Twitter?  There are so many amazing mamas on there that love the things I do.  Especially... CLOTH DIAPERS! So.. when Kim of Dirty Diaper Laundry decided she was going to create OPERATION FLUFFY to help spread the word of cloth to as many listening ears as possible.. I knew I wanted to get involved.  Enter.. Cloth Diaper Carnival VI- Get Cloth Diapers Featured on The Ellen Show !! 

The goal has been broken up into phases. And we'll continue until Phase #301 if we have to! Ellen just has to have cloth diapers on her show.. I mean.. she just has to!!  So what's phase #1 you ask? Well..All blogs, big or small, will write a post about Why Cloth Diapers should be featured on Ellen.  Sounds simple enough right?  Exactly. So.. here goes!

Dear Ellen,
   Your show has entertained me and my daughter day in and day out.  You have an amazing sense of humor, an infectious laugh, and a wonderful heart!  I love how you care about everyone.  From top notch celebrities to the struggling single mother fighting to feed her family.  I also love that you're able to keep the attention of my soon-to-be 15 month old daughter!  It's time I spend watching your show and folding laundry, straightening up after Hurrican Kylee (sweet destructive daughter of mine), OR... stuffing and putting away my cloth diapers!  Now.. I know cloth diapers probably aren't your thing.  But.. I'm here to ask you to get to know them.  They're soo nice, friendly, simple, and GREEN!  No, I don't mean the color green.. although you can get them in green. (Lime green, sea green, light green, green-green.)  I mean they're green.. great for our environment type of green.

  So why you?  Why is it YOU that we're bugging 24hrs a day on Twitter? Why you that we're spamming all our #operationfluffy at?  Because your audience.. is us!  You have the mother on a single budget.  You have the mother looking for a way to help the environment.  You have that father in the audience looking to save some money at the end of the day.  We need your help to spread the word of the modern day cloth diaper!  They're simple, they're CUTE, and they are great for the bottoms of all babies!  (Have I mentioned that EVEN PETS can wear cloth diapers? Yep.. it's true!)  So Ellen.. from the bottom of my cloth loving heart.. I'm asking you to help us.  Buying a hybrid car and purchasing only organic food just isn't enough.. our landfills are flowing over in stinky disposable diapers that are going to be there for years and years.. and YEARS to come! 

   Come on Ellen.. jump on the #operationfluffy bandwagon .. I dare ya!

Much Love,

Christina & Kylee (and all of the other cloth diapering mamas and babies out there!)

Sometimes I Get Bummed Out..

That I was never able to see my daughter born.  I never got to experience seeing her take her first breath.  I wasn't there to hear her first cry.  I didn't get to witness my loving fiance cut the umbilical cord.  I didn't get to breathe in that new baby smell as she was first out of the womb.  I didn't get to give her a kiss and welcome her into the world (until hours later).  So yeah.. sometimes I get bummed out.

(Pictures taken by Tim when Kylee was only a few hours old. She was hooked up for monitoring and medication

(I FINALLY got to hold my baby girl when she was about 8hrs old. Swollen head from her head hitting my pelvic bone over and over.. poor girl)

I was induced with Kylee.  She was a stubborn baby.  She didn't want to come out.  She loved kicking her mama in the ribs and giving me sweet sweet heartburn. Thursday, November 13th I went for my OB appointment and she checked me and I wasn't anywhere close to being ready.  We discussed options and decided that we would induce the next day.  I was MORE than fine with this. I was miserable. Friday morning bright and early we went to the hospital and after spending a decade a few hours checking in and getting situated.. we started the pitocin.   I was on that damn pitocin for 13 hours and had NO progress.  My doctor came up to check me and we talked about trying a different drug that was just going to help soften up my cervix.  I was game. I was ready. Unfortunately.. we had to wait until Monday.  So I shoved handfuls and handfuls of food into my mouth (Hey! I hadn't eaten in like a day!) and we are discharged.  Monday morning we go back to the hospital (a different one this time.. one closer to my OB's office) and start the softening up the ol' cervix.  I make some progress.. and around noon my OB comes and breaks my water and things start moving along a little faster. Then comes the epidural. And then life for hours without being able to move my legs, control my bowels (sorry nurse for passing gas just as you went to check me.. not my fault...but sorry).. ANYWAYS.. I'm FINALLY ready to push in the early hours of November 18th.  I push. And push. Push again. Push until I feel like I'm going to push my own organs out of my body.  Her head just won't cooperate!  So we try to vaccuum her out. (Medically speaking.. I mean we didn't stick a Dyson on her or anything!) .. Doesn't help.  More pushing. Suddenly... they say.. "We can see her..she's almost here! Just a little more!" (Yeah right...) So more pushing.  Suddenly.. I'm not feeling so great.  Things are starting to get blurry.  My eyes aren't staying open like they should.  My chest feels really heavy.  I pull the nurse down towards me and yell at her to help me!  She says, "Hang on honey you're almost there."  I look over at the tv. Saved by the Bell is on.  That's the last thing I remember.

Tim tells me that I started talkin really funny.  Not making much sense.  And then I went into a seizure.  Doctors came running in from everywhere.  Tim was reassured and then brushed to the side.  They had to get us into surgery and get baby girl out right away.  I was given meds in my IV to stop the seizure.  They performed a c-section and retrieved my baby girl.  However..she wasn't breathing.  This was due to the  medication they had given me combined with the stress from her attempted vaginal delivery.  Tim remembers standing outside (he wasn't allowed to go in) and peaking through the tiny glass window and seeing our doctor working on Kylee and saying "Please breathe baby. Just breathe." He cried. (Don't tell him I told you..) Finally Kylee started breathing.  Me? I was still totally out of it.  I don't really know much of what happened from seeing Saved by the Bell on to then waking up in recovery.  It wasn't until after it all happened that I even knew I HAD a c-section. 

I woke up in recovery. Totally confused. Not even knowing where I was.  Not even knowing that I was no longer pregnant.  I asked for Tim and the nurse brought him over.  He told me about what happened and told me she was okay and the breathing tube had been taken out.  He even brought me some pictures he had taken! (What a sweetheart).  They even left a little bit of her umbilical cord on so he could cut it.  (Wish a doc or nurse had taken a picture...). 

Anyways..before you all start falling asleep..  I know a lot of people have very strong opinions about c-sections verses vaginal delivery. Medicated births verses natural birthing.  The point is.. I may not have wanted a c-section to start out with.  But I'm so glad that I had one.  It saved the life of my daughter and myself.  My stubborn daughter happens to have a gigantic head (like her mama) and her head was too big to fit down under my pelvic bone so she wasn't coming out by herself!   The recovery from my c-section wasn't pleasant.  It was damn painful at times.  But it was meant to be. I firmly believe that.  I will not be attempting a VBAC with any future children.  My doctor supports my decision as does my loving fiance'.  

But yeah.. sometimes I get bummed out...

But then I look at her. And nothing else matters.