Anne is a 30-something full-time SAHM mom of 5 ranging from 3 to 17 and grandma of 1 who resides in Ashwaubenon (Green Bay) Wisconsin. She started blogging in 2008 as a way to regain her sanity. She enjoys coffee, chocolate, cheeseburgers and vodka along with spending time with her husband and kids.
As the family and I prepare in every way possible for the arrival of Little Miss Ellie I thought now would be a good time to start jotting things down that we need to do, what we’ve done and start planning for the big day. I also thought that while I am in the process of recording these things here it would be pretty cool if I looked back and shared my first 3 birth stories. I’ve always had the intention to write them down for each of the kids so they would have them when they were older but the birth story is kind of like the baby book….one of those things that is forgotten over time.
So, first things first.
We have finally started getting things ready around the house.
We haven’t done a lot yet but we definitely made one big improvement.
Yes, Little Miss Ellie officially has a place to sleep once she arrives.
The Alex was kind enough to assemble the new crib we purchased last week.
I am quite pleased with our purchase since Ellie will have a bed that can grow with her.
We have also picked up a few clothing items here and there in addition to a nice supply of diapers.
And that, that is where our prepping ends.
We have yet to….
Get a car seat
Get a stroller
Get a bouncy seat
Get a swing
Buy crib bedding
Buy Wipes
Buy onesies
Pick up breastfeeding supplies
And the list goes on and on and ON!
I recently posted about shopping for this years holiday cards for our family to send out and am happy to announce that I made a decision and the cards have been printed and delivered to the house. Now I just need to start addressing envelopes and get them sent out. I am hoping to have them all addressed and ready to go within the next two weeks just to ensure that when it is time to get them in the mailbox they are ready to go!
This year we made the decision to get our cards from Tiny Prints because in all honesty, they were the company that met all of our needs and had our favorite design. When I say our, I mean our entire family made the decision to choose the card we did, which pictures were used and everyone gave their final approval before the order was submitted.
As an added bonus, on November 9th, 2011, you can take advantage of Tiny Prints 1 Day Promotion and receive a FREE card to your kids from Santa Claus by visiting the Tiny Prints Facebook Page and personalizing one of two great cards! This offer ends on 11/9/11 at 11:59 PM (PT)
The great news is that our family has partnered with Tiny Prints to bring you an awesome giveaway to win 50 Holiday Cards for your family to send out this holiday season!
Here’s how to enter!
MANDATORY 1st ENTRY:
Visit Tiny Printsand take a look around, then come back leaving me a comment with a link to the card you like.
For additional entries:
1. Follow me on Twitter for 1 entry. Leave a comment with your Twitter ID.
2.Tweet about this giveaway then leave me a comment with the link to your tweet. This is SUPER easy is your use the Twitter icon located at the top of this post.
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8. Grab my button and add it to your page and leave me the URL for your page for 3 entries.
9. Vote for The Megalomaniac Mommy on Picket Fence Blogs for 1 additional entry by clicking on the logo below.
This giveaway will begin on November 9th 2011 and end on November 16th 2011 at 12 NOON CST and is open to US Residents Only. Winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond and claim prize. For more information on giveaways hosted by The Megalomaniac Mommy, please read the Policies page.
Disclaimer: I wrote this blog post while participating in the Tiny Prints holiday blogging program. I received compensation for my participation. All opinions are 100% mine.
You may have seen me tweet or post on Facebook about the incredible amount of pain I am in with this pregnancy.
The reason for the pain, other than the fact that I am entering my 31st week of pregnancy is that my symphysis pubis is separating.
Yep. My pelvis is basically too darn relaxed and is falling apart.
You can read more about this condition called Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction and discover all of the great things I am experiencing with this pregnancy!
I experienced this with my last pregnancy as well but it was nowhere near as bad as it is this time around and I also had a doctor who kept blaming the pain I was in on a UTI and he kept giving me antibiotics.
This pregnancy, the symptoms are oh, about 100 times worse.
No joke.
There are moments that I am in so much pain that the Alex has to assist me with getting up, walking and doing normal everyday tasks.
It hurts to walk, climb stair,s lift my legs and really do anything that requires any type of movement involving my pelvis.
Oh and there is also the disgusting part where I can hear this clicking noise when I do move.
And lets not forget the pain if you even touch my pubic bone.
Yeah, that makes going to the bathroom tons of fun!
At night I sleep with 6 regular pillows in addition to a huge body pillow in hopes of getting comfortable and resting however sleep is not something I can do easily. One little movement here or there wakes me up and I usually yelp from the pain.
Right now the only time I can get any relief is if I get on all fours for a few minutes. After I do this I can usually move about easier for about 15 minutes before things start to hurt again.
Watching me walk around the house can be quite entertaining as well since I often mimic the movements of a little old lady and shuffle my feet taking itty bitty baby steps to get from point a to point b.
This past weekend the family and I stayed at a local hotel and the only part of the trip that was pain free was while I was in the pool.
Of course, this made me want to put a pool in our living room for me to sit in until I am ready to give birth but that idea was squashed rather quickly.
Also, the thing that causes more pain is that baby is still breech and has her little feet pounding at the cervix constantly!
So yeah, I am in pain.
And yes, I am going to complain, and whine and sometimes I have to cry my way through it all just to deal with it.
I know in the end it will be worth it because I will finally have my little girl here but really, this is not something I would wish on anyone.
I have given birth naturally 3 times and this pain that I am currently experiencing if far worse than labor in my honest opinion!
Tis the season!
The Megalomaniac Mommy is now accepting submissions for the 2011 Holiday Gift Guide.
Please use the form below to let us know about your product. Please provide a description of the product and if possible a link to where the product may be viewed online and we will be happy to review the item and consider you for inclusion in the gift guide. Once a decision is made we will email you to follow up. We are also accepting products for giveaways as well at this time. Our gift guide is currently up and accessible to the public and new items are being added daily.
We look forward to working with you.
We are not the family who goes out and gets their picture taken professionally.
In fact, we have only done this once and that was in March of 2009 and it coincided with Alexander’s first birthday.
Now don’t get me wrong, I LOVED the photos from that day.
Here are just a few
Again, I really liked the pictures and they were fairly inexpensive thanks to a coupon.
The only thing I didn’t like was that they were so staged.
I am not a fan of catching those perfectly planned and staged moments.
I prefer to capture my kids when they are being just who they are.
In 2009, we had a friend take a picture of us together at a family members wedding.
If you ask me, the result was much better than when we went into a studio to have them done.
This picture just represents our family so much better.
Especially since the little man is sitting there with a blank look on his face.
In fact, I liked this picture so much we used on our Christmas cards that same year.
The following year we took at family vacation and a stranger was kind enough to snap a picture of the five of us together (since I am usually the photographer).
Again, another picture I absolutely adore because it is our family and we are just being us.
Of course, once again the little dude has that dazed and confused look on his face but I still adore the picture.
After having our pictures taken by a professional and then just doing random family shots, I have to say the pictures I enjoy the most are the ones we have taken at random moments. I love that this way we can capture each family members individuality. But, I do not promise that we won’t be donning matching apparel in the near future to take another family picture. What can I say, we are having a baby soon and the Packers are 7-0! I think once the little lady arrives we will be breaking out the Packer gear and getting another family shot in but I doubt we will do it in the studio with a professional. I’m thinking the family, a camera and Lambeau Field as the backdrop!
What is your favorite family photo and do you prefer the staged professional photos or the random moments in life?
Check out the Family Photo Days at Shutterfly, to help meet customer needs and to raise awareness of Shutterfly holiday cards, Shutterfly is planning “Family Photo Days” throughout November. These have been very popular among customers in the past on a smaller scale. The objective is to generally drive inspiration around taking and creating a family photo (early enough so you can get it into a fantastic online holiday card), and raise awareness of Shutterfly as a provider of online holiday cards
Disclaimer: I wrote this blog post while participating in the Shutterfly Family Photo Day Campaign with Global Influence. I received compensation for my participation. All opinions are 100% mine.
