Things to do Before Baby #2

I know I want more children, but I'm not exactly sure when. I do know I'm loving spending time with my only daughter, and my husband as the three of us (and Snoop). One happy family.

For now, I want to cherish these moments and live them to the fullest before we become a family of four. Which by the way, if you happened to pop over to BabyCenter today you may have read my guest post on convincing him it's time for #2. No, I'm not doing any convincing right now, we are both happy and content with just one for now. But I wrote about this here before Lil' J was conceived and y'all were able to laugh with me so I thought I'd spruce it up and share it with the rest of the world.

Now, see you here who read my blog get me and my sense of humor. I'm not exactly sure what's up with these BabyCenter moms but they can't take a joke. I can't bare to read any more of them comments because I keep smacking my forehead and shacking my head in disappointment. I hope they aren't that serious all the time.

My dress: eShakti (use code "BMM0811" for $20 off); Her dress: Tea Collection

Anyway, the first baby bucket list I made was a pretty bad fail. I didn't accomplish most of the things as my baby fever overtook me. So no GRE, no graduate school, no traveling the world, and I can't even remember what else I wanted. This time I'm going for more realistic, and mostly aiming for things I'd like to work on and go do with my family. If I do it all, cool. If not, it's ok too. But this will be a way to keep my mind on my growing little girl without thinking too much about the future.

Comparing my two lists I can't help but laugh. Boy, how things change!

I'll cross these off as I accomplish them.

To do together as mother/daughter, or family:
1. Go on a bike ride.
2. Take swimming lessons.
3. Take a dance class with hubby.
4. Feed ducks.
5. Visit a pumpkin patch.
6. Take a trip to the zoo.
7. Get a mother/daughter pedicure.
8. Go kayaking as a family (with Snoop too).
9. Go to the circus.
10. Go to a concert.
11. Shop at the farmers market.
12. Take a stroller strides class.
13. Visit our state capitol.
14. Visit our local black history museum.
15. Complete a sewing class.

My dress: Ruffle Cascade Dress via eShakti (use code "BMM0811" for $20 off); Her dress: Tea Collection

Other to do:
1. Establish a regular date night with the hubs for AT LEAST once a month.
2. Teach my daughter how to fold her arms when we pray.
3. Make my will (I know, it's horrible I haven't done this yet).
4. Open Lil' J's savings/bond/college account.
5. Open our 401K.
6. Be cooking dinner (non-frozen meals) at least 3 nights a week. <--- This may never happen.
7. Take a creative writing course.
8. Get a 50mm 1.4 lens (for new newborn pics!)

Anything else I should add? What have you enjoyed doing with your families?

10 ways I will NOT use my breast milk

14 months, hours of pumping in the make up room, a half a dozen spilled bottles, 220 ounces of frozen breast milk down to none and one extremely healthy toddler later--I've learned a lot about breast milk, pumping, and just lactating in general.

Yes, she's still nursing. I stopped pumping when she turned one, and she drinks whole milk at school, or when I'm away. She'll nurse before bed, or when we're at home from time to time. I'm very proud of the fact that we made it to the year mark. Secretly, I hope she stops some day soon. But then again, another secret part of me enjoys having a way to keep her still when I just want to lounge out on the couch for a while. ... Stick a boob in her mouth and BAM! Quiet for days!

Over the past 14 months I've learned a lot about nursing and pumping and all that good stuff, but I'm still learning new things all the time. For instance, recently when Lil' J was attacked by ants and had yucky little bites all over her, some Twitter moms, wanting to be helpful, suggested I squirt a bit of breast milk on them.

Desperate, I gave it a shot. What the heck, it couldn't hurt right?

After a few days it didn't look like much had changed, and during her routine check up her pediatrician noticed the bites and suggested I get some Neosporin. Duh! Why didn't I think of that?

I was beginning to think these Twitter moms were pulling a prank, and I did some Googling to find out where this breast milk on ant bite suggestion came from.

I came across this article and was, quite frankly, pretty grossed out by some of the suggestions.

I told my husband about my efforts in trying to cure Lil' J's ant bites and he laughed at my breast milk attempt.

"It's like the Caribbeans and their coconut water," he told me. "They suggest you use it to cure anything and everything."

"Well, I think some of these breast milk suggestions are worse," I told him.

"Like what?"

"You don't want to know."

"Just tell me."

"Well, apparently some people use breast milk as lube."

"GROSS! Why did I ask?" I don't know... I tried to warn him.

And with that I decided to take that list and make my own. 10 things I WON'T be using my breast milk for. Here you go in no particular order:

1. Acne: Ever heard of Proactive? ... Or maybe this is the secret ingredient.

2. Diaper Rash: Luckily Lil' J rarely gets diaper rashes, but it's much quicker, easier, and probably more effective to use our cream for this.

3. Facial Cleanser: Seriously? You'd think people have gallons of their milk sitting around. Sorry, I don't wash my face with liquid gold, or my bodily fluids for that matter.

4. Cold Sores: These things are gross enough without the idea of letting milk dry on top of them.

5. Scratches, Scrapes, and Cuts: Bandaids people! And something that works... Like Neosporin.

6. Sexual Lubricant: I think we addressed this enough earlier. But I would like to know who actually has tried this sexy idea.

7. Contact Solution: If you're in a bind for contact solution please don't look for the nearest lactating mom. You can make your own by mixing salt with distilled water.

8. Chapped lips: The 25 cent chap stick in the check out aisle appeals to me more.

9. Eye Puffiness/ Redness: Once again, the thought of putting milk in my eyes seems weird and wrong. Coming from a human or not.

10. Ashy Legs/ Dry Skin: I'll admit, I've been in a bind several times where I look down and my legs are pale white from dryness. But it would take far too much milk, and would be far too awkward to pump my milk like a lotion bottle.

What do you think? Would you do any of these things?

10 Things I'll do differently next time around

I often think about what I'll do differently with my next pregnancy/birth/child. Pregnancy was SO FUN. I really enjoyed it. Every bit, right down to my cankles. In fact, I was a little obsessed with my cankles. Still am.

I don't have any regrets, but there are some things I didn't do with Lil' J that I want to try next time. You know, new experiments to do with my next victim. So without further adieu, here's my growing list of "next time arounds."

1. Not tell anyone I'm pregnant until I'm extremely fat. Not even my husband (kidding... sorta). Actually, it would be cool if I didn't even know until I was really fat.
2. I'll get a 3D/4D Ultrasound. It's one thing I didn't do with Lil' J that I wish I had.
3. Whatever my due date is, I'm adding a week to it from the start and calling that my due date. I know no baby of mine is going to be early, so I might as well expect it to be at least a week late. That way when I'm a week late (really two weeks) it won't be so stressful.
4. I won't find out the gender. I'm still not sure I'm brave enough to follow through with this. Maybe with baby #3. But I figure baby #2 doesn't matter if it's a girl or boy cause I'll be happy for Lil' J to have a sister close in age, but I'll also be just as happy to have one of each out of the way. If I have two girls I'll be dying to know if #3 is a boy. So it's the perfect opportunity for a surprise baby.
5. Buy cute maternity clothes. I was so excited I didn't need special maternity clothes, but I sorta wish I had. I think getting a few comfy maternity jeans and shirts can be something I have to look forward to with baby #2.
6. Take more bare belly photos. I only have a few from my maternity shoot with Tara and I wasn't even that big. I want to take a photo on the way to the hospital with skin and all.
7. Give birth in water. This isn't mandatory but I think it could be cool. Unless of course I get induced again. If that's the case I want an epidural right away. Which leads us to #8...
8. I'm getting the epidural ASAP. I waited as long as I could before, which was cool. My water broke and I was 5 centimeters dilated, but next time, just give me the drugs when I get there.
9. Give him/her a binky right away. It doesn't have to be habit-forming, but I'd like the kid to like them. Maybe he/she would have more of a chance if I actually gave him/her one from the start. No milk is coming out of the binky and I have yet to meet a baby who prefers a non-food producing binky over eating.
10. Move him/her to their own bed sooner. Like maybe even right away. Ok, maybe not that soon, but I'm not going to wait 5 months next time.

I think of more of these things daily, but I imagine I'll forget most of them by the time it's time for #2.

My Take on Tangled: From a Disney Freak

If you know me you know I'm a Disney FANATIC! I don't think I know anyone who knows and loves Disney as much as I do. My mom owned almost all of the Disney Classic videos when I was growing up, and now I own all of the Classic DVDs AND their sequels (but one). That's right. Did you know that Mulan 2 was REALLY good? Not nearly as good as the first of course, but WAY better than your average Disney sequel.

Anyway. Some people like the perks of having a "mom blog" because they get free stuff. I don't care so much about the stuff as I do some of the opportunities. So when I saw that one of my friends got to see Tangled I was like "What?! Where's Disney and why didn't they write to ME?!" I'm their biggest fan! And I was so hurt!!

I've been anticipating this movie for over a year. I heard it was going to be called "Braided" and I kept calling it that for awhile. I was looking at some of these concept-art pictures and was SO EXCITED. About it.


Luckily, this blogger is a good friend of mine so she got me in touch with her contact and I wrote to him saying "What about MEEEEEE?!!" In so many words. And then they apologized and got me in touch with the people in charge of the Texas screening and there I was last night, Little J in my lap, watching Tangled two weeks before the official release. And let me tell you it was GOOD! SO GOOD! In my opinion it's the best Disney movie since The Lion King. No joke!

So good in fact that I need to re-do my Disney top 10. In fact, I've been re-watching many of them over again these past few months (especially over maternity leave) and there's a lot of re-working I need to do.

1. The Lion King (1994): Surprise surprise (not really)! I'm not sure this movie will ever be replaced. To this day this movie is amazing to watch. It makes me laugh and cry. It's got a great message, great music, beautiful artwork. Just amazing!

2. Aladdin (1992): Princess Jasmine, the Genie, and of course Aladdin are characters I fell in love with. I will watch this movie any time I catch it on TV, and it ALWAYS makes me laugh. Even though I've seen it a million times, and even though I know it by heart. Some Disney movies have a lull part I want to skip over (like that "Can You Feel the Love Tonight scene in Lion King, or the Be Our Guest scene in Beauty and the Beast) this one doesn't have one of those scenes for me. I love it from start to finish!

I can't believe I'm doing this but...

3. Tangled (2010): Yes, Tangled has made my top 3 in Disney movies, and therefore one of my top 3 favorite movies of all time. I'll have to see it again, and again and again to make sure the excitement of it doesn't wear off but it really was good. It had me laughing, tearing up, and wanting to jump up and sing. All of the beautiful qualities of Disney Classics, plus my favorite aspect--A love story. But they didn't skim it over, they really let you get to know the characters and fall in love with each of them. But it's not too girlie like other princess movies, it has more than enough humor for little boys. It was enchanted like Beauty and the Beast and... Ok, I'll stop and let you see it.

I was comparing it to my other favorites and I like it more than everything after this, surprisingly. It was that good (to me). I think the biggest reason was because of he humor. Lil' J had fallen asleep and I tried not to wake her but I still couldn't help but laugh out loud at so many parts. Music, humor, and plot score higher points with me than the depth of the "message." Which I think some of these others on my list do a better job of developing and conveying.

 4. Mulan (1998): I know it's a newer one too, but music is one big thing I love about Disney movies and this one didn't have a song I dislike. The storyline is great too. The horse in Tangled today reminded me of the one in this movie. I think it's cute how you see a lot of the same characters cross-appear in Disney movies (or maybe I'm the only one who noticed).

5. Beauty and the Beast (1991): I don't really need to give this one a description. Everyone loves this movie. Its a classic. Nuf said.

6. Pocahontas (1995): I love this movie. I love the Romeo and Juliet-style romance, and how strong Pocahontas seems as a woman. Great message about nature, and we really sure resurrect this classic seeing as how we're all "green" focused these days. I'll always love this movie regardless.

 7. The Little Mermaid (1989): My mom says this was the first movie she and I saw together that I could comprehend, and that must have been why I decided to dress up as a read-headed mermaid with "nude" colored (of course meaning a white shade on my dark skin, but I didn't care cause I was Ariel!) for Halloween my Kindergarten year. I re-watched this movie recently and wasn't as captivated as I used to be but it will always be a favorite.

8. Tarzan (1999): My favorite thing about this movie was the music. It also is really just plain hilarious. It's one of those movies that doesn't need a "princess" to be good. It's actually one of Disney's movies more geared towards boys but I like it just the same.

9. Lady and the Tramp (1955): The oldest Disney movie to make my list, but oh it will always be a good one. Not as many songs as some of the others but oh so cute! I haven't seen the sequels yet, even though I own them, I need to get on that.

10. Toy Story 3 (2009): I actually liked this one better than the first one. I don't like many of the Pixar movies as much as the classics (which is why this is the only one on the list) but this one had a sweet message, a great story line, and was hilarious. It's the only Disney movie I don't have in my possession at this time but I hope to change that by Christmas!

Honorable Mentions: The Princess and the Frog, Wall-E, Up, Cinderella.

Honestly, I watched Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Cinderella recently and I fell asleep during them. Could be the sleep deprivation, but I think they just aren't topping some of these new ones to me!

So there's a new top 10 Disney Classics list from a Disney critic. I will say one thing I DIDN'T like about last night's movie and that's seeing it in 3D. It was not necessary and actually made me a little dizzy. I'd much rather see it again in 2D and just enjoy it!

What's your Disney Top 10, 5, or 3?

My Top Ten Baby Making Tips

Now I'm not a fertility expert or anything but I do know a thing or two about baby making. Before trying to get pregnant, I researched fertility tips and tricks and thought "what the heck, why not try it."

So in no particular order, here are some things you can keep in mind if you think you may want to try to get pregnant in the next year or so:

1. Start Taking Prenatal Vitamins: Never too early to start. It can take your body a few months to stock up on all of the nutrients you may be low on (especially folic acid), so it's not a bad idea to start a few months before you begin trying to conceive.

I picked up some cheapos at first but then a few people told me they go straight through you and don't break down right. So I got Garden of Life Raw Prenatal vitamins. All of the ingredients are things you can understand, and while they don't taste the best, they're easy to swallow. I also took the Oceans Mom vitamins (and still do) which has DHA and is great for baby's brain development. I attribute Lil' J's advanced intelligence in part to my religiousness of taking these.

Vitamins not your thing? BeNice Prenatal is a drink that comes in a packet you mix in with water to get all the prenatal vitamins you need! (Free shipping right now too!!)

2. Eat Healthier: Really, you should be getting all of your nutrients from food but take note to things you can cut back on, and what you can eat more of. Green leaves are more rich in folic acid, so eat lots of yummy salad. Also, cut back on caffeine. Studies are back and forth on whether or not caffeine affects the ability to conceive but it doesn't hurt to take a break from it. I did, and haven't looked back since. I had my husband give it up too because excessive caffeine can affect sperm count.

Also, think about cutting out artificial sweaters if you haven't already. If you're craving something sweet, BellyBar has a bunch of yummy things to try. I love their shakes but my favorite is their Berry Nutty Cravings. They also have a new "boost" bar that compliments your prenatal vitamins.

3. Keep Warm: I read a great book called Pulling Down the Moon which has 12 steps to optimizing your fertility. One thing I thought was interesting learning about were my body's processes, and how fertility is a warm process, therefore drinking warm liquids (or water at room temperature versus cold temperature) made less work for my body. I dunno, maybe it was all in my head but I ate a lot of steamed veggies, and drank a lot of warm water with lemon, and if I ever ate something cool, I would usually drink something warm with it.

4. Use a Sperm-Friendly Lubricant: Did you know stuff like KY jelly inhabits the swimmers from getting to their destination? It's not birth control or anything but it doesn't help things when you're trying to get pregnant. I used Conceive Plus. Which doesn't inhibit them and supposedly helps the swimmers get there easier.

5. Keep the Legs Up: Ya know. After doing the deed. Use good old gravity for 5-10 minutes to get the swimmers on their way.

6. Get Your Spouse Involved: My husband thought I was a little crazy when I was telling him what he could and couldn't eat and to skip hot baths. But it's good to discuss things and make sure you're on the same page. It's a good idea for him to eat better, exercise too. My husband used these vitamins. Oh, and Horny Goat Weed is supposedly suppose to help male fertility but really... Who the heck knows! Whatever you do, don't be like me and turn in to a sex natzi.

7. Relax: It's the #1 think you'll get tired of hearing from people when you're trying to conceive. But try it. Go on a baby-makin moon, or try Circle + Bloom (a fertility relaxation program). I did both. Use this as an opportunity to try that yoga class you've been eye-balling. Or start a new book. Something to get your mind off trying to conceive (TTC). If it doesn't work, you can always think about all of the reasons why you DON'T want to get pregnant and try to trick your uterus using reverse psychology.

8. Get Regular Exercise: I took my dog for a jog every day (obviously pre-baby. Now he's lucky if I remember to pet him). Gaining or loosing weight can whip your baby making machine into gear! You can try Carmen Electra's Striptease DVDs like I did during my stripper stint and hit two birds with one stone!

9. Know Your Fertile Days: There's a few key days every month that you're most fertile. You can take your basal body temperature every day to track when you ovulate. I did this for a month but it really took the fun out of "being spontaneous" (but even when I wasn't tracking I still knew when I was ovulating I just didn't tell my husband so he thought it was spontaneous). I recommend the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility to learn more about that good stuff.

10. Know it Can Take Time: Only about 25% percent of couples actively trying, get pregnant in the first month of trying. You really have only a 25% chance in any given month but 90% of couples get pregnant within a year of trying. So don't give up!

Questions anyone?

And here's a little something to help--Everyone who comments on this post before October 9th will be entered to win a pack of the Garden of Life Prenatal Vitamins I mentioned earlier!

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Random.org winner: Commenter #37: Brittany!