Saturday, July 30, 2011

Three in a tub, Rub-a-Dub-Dub

Yes, we managed to fit 3 people in one of those itsy-bitsy kiddie pools! It was the perfect way to spend our Saturday afternoon and it was free :)








Thursday, July 28, 2011

Update

Went to talk with my plastic surgeon today and have decided to aim for a C cup for the breast reduction. He says he can't guarantee it because it depends on the "layout" of my breast (whether it's mostly tissue or fat kind of thing) and what he'll be able to remove. I was also very ecstatic to find out that he includes a breast lift in the reduction (at no extra cost like other surgeons) because he knows that nobody wants to finally have smaller, "normal" boobs that are still saggy...especially since I am 21 I'd love to experience perky-ish boobs again! Paid the $350 dollar deposit along with hubby's rent today so we are officially broke until financial aid kicks in next month, yippee! Hopefully August 11th I will be posting about my successful surgery and new boobs! Until then...

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Wordless Wednesday

Finally Approved

On May 26th I spoke with Dr. Cherny, who had been recommended to me by 2 friends at work and my doctor, about getting a breast reduction. My main concern was being able to breast feed my next child. With Gabriel, I struggled to breast feed for the 10 weeks that I did due to many factors including his tied tongue, my breast being so large I couldn't see if he was latched properly, it hurt to hold him in position while he fed, and flat nipples. After many break downs because I could not continue to breast feed and because of the physical pain I was in (my breast grew exponentially during pregnancy and BF from a 36DD to a 34G) I decided to look into getting a breast reduction.

It took me 6 months before I made a consultation appointment with a surgeon and even then I still had doubts. I knew that they would have to remove some of my milk ducts during the surgery which would lower my future milk supply. Was the relief from pain and increased confidence, not to mention the ability to function better in daily life, worth the possibility of depriving my future children of breast milk? Wasn't I being selfish by wanting the reduction? After encouragement from my mom, husband, and doctor, I finally decided it was worth it. They pointed out that with my current breast size I had horrible back and neck pain that literally incapacitated me on some days, caused me to be short tempered and irritable, made it impossible to find bras, and made everything I wore revealing. After the surgery I should be able to engage in more physical activities such as working out, jogging, and wearing my little guy around in the baby harness (which currently causes so much neck/back pain that after 15min of wearing it my back seizes up and I can hardly move).

After the consultation on May 26th I decided to go ahead with the breast reduction and to see if insurance would cover it as medically necessary. After a few mess-ups between the clinic and insurance, I finally got my approval on the 23rd of July! Once I realized that I would soon be relieved of the pain and the self-conciousness that my breast caused I cried tears of joy. Now the full impact of the upcoming surgery has finally hit me and I am so anxious and excited that I can hardly think of anything else.

Though I am still worried about breast feeding my future children I have learned through my doctor and research that it is still possible though I may have to supplement. I don't mind supplementing, my main goal is to provide my children with the very best, natural, nourishment that I can provide. Also, after breast feeding after a reduction in "rebuilds" the damaged or lost milk ducts so that any future children should be able to breast feed as if you never had the reduction. This is very encouraging to me and the main reason that I decided to do it now instead of wait until the next child.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Gabriel is 10 Months!

Gabriel Zechariah Sandoval is ten months old today. In two months he will be a year old! Where did all of the time go? Wasn't it just yesterday when I held him for the first time, put him to my breast for the first time, saw him smile? Yet now he is standing and sitting like a big boy, learning to crawl, and eating mashed chicken! Happy ten months Gabriel :)





Friday, July 22, 2011

Only Three Weeks!

We move to our apartment in only 3 weeks! I am so excited I can hardly contain it! It's been really nice saving up money while we live with my parents but it has had it's drawbacks. Such as Jaime, Gabriel, and I sharing a room and trying to squeeze all of our clothes, baby necessities, etc. in one room. Having our own place will be wonderful but it will also have it's own set of stresses. I'm going to miss having my mom around every day to answer my questions or watch gabriel while I shower; and we will have more bills as well as classes to attend. However, I am so ready to have my own place and to be able to run my family without worrying about interfering with my parents household rules/style.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Our Day

 Practicing my crawl with Grandma and Uncle Nick

 Telling Mommy Good morning.
 Still haven't figured out how to move my arms..
 But I can move my legs!
 My new walker.

 Funny faces.

Monday, July 11, 2011

You Are More

We all have something in our past that we are not proud of or wish we could forget. Perhaps you are still struggling with that something or feel that you will never overcome it; it's just "who you are." I know there was a time when I was a Sophomore in high school when I made some really stupid decisions. Luckily, my parents loved me enough to send me to a private school, away from my friends and the bad influences that are so accessible in a large public school. For three months I was depressed and angry with my parents. I felt like I did not fit in at the small Christian school, that everybody looked at me weird, that I had done to many "bad" things to be accepted. I could have really used this song "You Are More" by Tenth Avenue North to get me through that rough time. This is a song that every young lady needs to hear. God loves us all, especially those who are not perfect, "When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." (Mark 2:17) God does not expect us to be perfect and never make mistakes. What is important is realizing that He forgives us when we ask for repentance.

There's a girl in the corner 
With tear stains on her eyes 
From the places she's wandered 
And the shame she can't hide 

She says, "How did I get here? 
I'm not who I once was. 
And I'm crippled by the fear 
That I've fallen too far to love" 

But don't you know who you are, 
What's been done for you? 
Yeah don't you know who you are? 

You are more than the choices that you've made, 
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes, 
You are more than the problems you create, 
You've been remade. 

Well she tries to believe it 
That she's been given new life 
But she can't shake the feeling 
That it's not true tonight 

She knows all the answers 
And she's rehearsed all the lines 
And so she'll try to do better 
But then she's too weak to try 

But don't you know who you are? 

You are more than the choices that you've made, 
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes, 
You are more than the problems you create, 

You've been remade. 

You are more than the choices that you've made, 
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes, 
You are more than the problems you create, 
You've been remade. 

'Cause this is not about what you've done, 
But what's been done for you. 
This is not about where you've been, 
But where your brokenness brings you to 

This is not about what you feel, 
But what He felt to forgive you, 
And what He felt to make you loved. 

You are more than the choices that you've made, 
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes, 
You are more than the problems you create, 
You've been remade. 

You are more than the choices that you've made, 
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes, 
You are more than the problems you create, 
You've been remade. 

You've been remade 
You've been remade. 
You've been remade. 
You've been remade.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Beautiful Sleep

For the last 6 days I have been working with my son Gabriel trying to teach him better sleep habits. He is used to taking naps in my laps and when it comes to bed time if I try to lay him in his crib before holding him for an hour he freaks out. He can be deep asleep but as soon as he touches that mattress and realizes that mommy is not holding him he wakes up bawling. Anyway, I couldn't take it anymore. Besides being very time consuming and restricting, he is just getting too big and it is painful to hold him so long with my bad back. So, we decided to Cry It Out (we had already tried creating "routines" to help him sleep and positive encouragement but it did not work with our son). I read about parents feeling bad because their baby cried for 30 minutes...Gabriel cried for 2 hours on at least 3 different instances this past week (and still  did not sleep). I ended up going in there and picking him up but would not hold him to sleep, he just missed his nap. I felt really bad because I knew he was tired but I also know he needs to learn to fall asleep on his own. But boy that baby is stubborn! He may be exhausted but he is determined to have his way and sleep in my lap. Even though I read to him and sing to him before I lay him down to sleep it is not enough...he wants mommy! My boy definitely has a strong will and is very determined, I hope it goes to good use when he's grown. I began to think that he was never going to give up and never learn to self-sooth so that he (and I) could get a good nights sleep.

However, for his nap today he only cried 30 minutes! And though he didn't take a full nap (only 35 minutes and I could tell he was still tired) I was still very proud of my little man! So I thanked God for this small blessing and prayed that tonight would be an improvement as well. Sure enough, he only cried/whined for 15 minutes before falling asleep for the night! Also, Gabriel has been waking up after sleeping for a half hour and then cries for 15 to 20 minutes before falling back to sleep ever since we started the Cry It Out; but he didn't do that tonight! Lets hope the rest of the evening goes this well.

Friday, July 8, 2011

So Far So Good - SoftBum Diapers

We have been using the SoftBum diapers for about a week now and I really like them. I was hesitant about using them because they have a velcro closure, but decided that the elastic leg adjustments were worth it. Gabriel has chunky legs but not a chunky tummy so it was really hard to get a lot of the snap diapers to fit him properly. Though I'm still worried that the velcro won't last as long as the snaps they do create a great fit, especially when combined with the elastic leg adjustments that SoftBums has. Plus, my husband loves it because it goes on almost exactly like a disposable. Also, you can use it as a pocket diaper or snap in a liner so when you go to change it next time you just take off the wet liner and snap in a new one! Overall, I'm really liking the SoftBums cloth diaper for it's adjustability and "reusable" aspects (not to mention they are super cute!).

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Our Trip To Missouri (visiting Grandpa)

 Floor time like a big boy
 Flying with Daddy!
 Family picture time...
 Impressing everybody with his bouncy skills.
 My dad's dog, Brittany, was afraid of Gabriel.
 But he was very interested in her.
 The cat scared him, he didn't like her.
 Trying to flip backwards out of his highchair at Pizza Hut.

 The Hotel we stayed at
 Bath time!
On our way home to Iowa!