Very Different and Yet The Same (ABOUT MY TWO PREGNACIES)

For those who do not know I am expecting my second child (and my last) in mid-August. I have come to learn even though there have been a lot of things alike in each pregnancy they so have been very different all the way down to the way that I conceived each one (GET YOUR MINDS OUT OF THE GUTTER!!!! It is not what you think).

Over six years ago my wonderful husband and I embarked on an infertility adventure that included a lot of ups and downs. With our story it did have a happy ending on Dec 21, 2011 I gave birth to my miracle son Caleb and just over a year later I found out I was pregnant with our little girl Caydance. What makes these two babies already different is the way that I conceived. Caleb was conceived through the infertility treatment known as an IUI (intrauterine insemination) and his due date could not be more exact! I mean come one there is only a two day window that I could have gotten pregnant. Well we were told once we had Caleb that we could do another infertility treatment for two years, which was not a big deal because we knew we were going to try for another one after two years. That is how Caydance's story differs! If you do the math you can realize that we became pregnant before the two year mark of starting another treatment. Caydance is my little miracle baby because I always joked that the only way that it would happen "naturally" for us if the moons and planted aligned just right! Well I guess Caydance got the message and decided she was coming sooner then the two years of wait that was recommended before starting another treatment. What does that mean (Hub's knocked me up! I thought I would never get to say that). With this being said I am not sure how accurate my due date really is and this may be a little TMI but have PCOS I do not have a regular period (I am lucky if I get three a year) and so when my period did not show up it was no cause to check. I found out I was pregnant by taking a HPT before starting a new medication (which is done out of habit because of my lack of period). When I finally got in to see the doctor not only did they confirm I was indeed pregnant but 19 weeks and having a little girl (all in the same visit)!

Now with being towards the end of this pregnancy I realized how much was similar and what has been very different! The first thing is morning sickness. When I was pregnant with Caleb I had only one burst of wanting to throw up and that was it (Lucky I know) but with Caydance I was on and off having bad days which I thought was medicine related of feeling really sick. There was one week I thought I was going to die from straight puking and not being able to keep anything down! The second thing was being physically exhausted. Through my entire pregnancy with Caleb I was beyond tired and never got any of my energy back  until after he was born and my body's hormones and other stuff was getting back to normal. With Caydance on the other hand I got a huge burst of energy in my second trimester and now just feeling really tired. The third thing was my back spasms and pressure points. It was like as soon as I was pregnant with Caleb my back would not stop going in an out of spasms along with the lovely pressure points that come with being pregnant. Caydance has caused no back problems but with her it has been leg cramps (Charlie Horses) and the lovely pressure points that come with being pregnant. What has been similar really comes down to the science and blood work! I am Rh negative so obvious that will not change during any pregnancy, I have developed gestational diabetes with both pregnancies, and being anemic during both pregnancies.

 I did end up going to triage once in each pregnancy but for different reasons. When I was pregnant with Caleb he was measuring big and I had to go through weekly NST (Fetal Non-stress test) and one day at testing Caleb decided to be very inactive. They admitted me to triage for further monitoring and decided to do an ultrasound where they look at breathing movements. Caleb was required to do so many breathing movements within an 45 minute time frame....well he failed and then I was admitted for 24 hours of observation. He ended up perking up and passing the test within 15 minutes the second time they did the ultrasound. I went to triage with Caydance because I had spotting. Everything ended up being fine and it was likely I broke a small blood vessel from being on my feet too long. However, because of Caleb being born early and with the spotting I was identified as being a candidate from pre-term labor and have a whole bunch of new rules I have to follow. My biggest fear is having another pre-term baby and having a stay in the NICU.

What else has been very different about this pregnancy is how I am getting things ready. When I was pregnant with Caleb I was taking weekly photos and sharing a lot of the process with family and friends. With Caydance there has not been a lot pictures and I am not sure there is even going to be a shower! Crazy? I have no clue why that is because I am very excited about having a little girl and being a mother of two!

The one thing that has been the same for me is that I really do not like being pregnant. I had people come to me time and time again tell me that I was must enjoy every second of being pregnant because of my struggles. Well the answer is no! Please do not get me wrong there are things that I do love being pregnant like feeling the little ones move around but when you add in complications it sometimes makes it hard to enjoy all the moments. I personally rather much skip the 9months and be at the end result of being pregnant.

So the next step is giving birth to my little girl!

A Bipolar Mom and Daily Life! : Mouthwash Foot Soak! Did it worked for me?

A Bipolar Mom and Daily Life! : Mouthwash Foot Soak! Did it worked for me?: Mouthwash foot soak? Yep you heard right... a mouthwash foot soak! I have seen this recipe pop up from time to time on Facebook and getting ...

Mouthwash Foot Soak! Did it work for me?

Mouthwash foot soak? Yep you heard right... a mouthwash foot soak! I have seen this recipe pop up from time to time on Facebook and getting your feet ready for summer. One of the most popular recipes uses Listerine Mouthwash which can be found on the web like Pinterest or in web search. The recipe I used can be found in multiple places and not sure where the original source is from.

Listerine Mouthwash Foot Soak Recipe 

1/4 Cup Listerine of any kind (I used some purple one)

1/4 Cup Vinegar

1/2 Cup Water

Soak for 10 Minutes

I doubled the recipe so that I could soak both feet equally

Now this recipe says that your dead skin will practically fall off your feet after the soak. When I heard this I was simply like gross and almost nixed the entire idea thinking my entire foot was going to fall off. However, because I have feet that I would like to show off in pictures, I said what the hell! I made the mixture and soaked my feet in it and yes the picture below our my size 11 feet.

Okay when I first stuck my feet in this, I thought I would feel some sort tingling or other type sensation. However, there was no feeling of that kind and all I was thinking the entire time was that my feet were soaking in a mouthwash and vinegar... what the hell is wrong with me? Well after the 10 minutes of soaking there was no noticeable dead skin trying to fall off and my feet do not look like brand spanking new. Well that is when I decided to use a pumice sponge. I prefer to use those vs. an actual pumice stone but that is just my personal favorite.

When I used the pumice sponge I did notice that my rough and dry skin did diminish. When I was done soaking and scrubbing my feet I rinsed them off, the one thing that I did notice was the air did make them felt cooler, likely to do to mint flavored mine was. I will admit I was shocked at the results but was wondering what really made it work. From my research I found that Listerine has been used in foot care recipes for athletes foot and toe fungal infections, which at first I thought must because the Listerine is antibacterial but then I remembered from a Mycology Class (the study of Fungi) that I took both athletes foot and toe fungal infections are forms of fungi and not really sure how the antibacterial plays if any role in this. My second thought was maybe it just makes the vinegar smell nice or some how cut the acid affect. A quick chemistry lesson vinegar is also known as Acetic acid and it has a pH level in the range of 2.40 to 3.40. I have included a pH chart (below) so you can see where vinegar stands to other acids and bases. I  think to be honest that the vinegar is what really makes this foot soak work by doing what acid does an eating away at the object which in this case was my feet and the dead skin.



I guess the big question is... will I try this again? I think I will because it has been the only thing that I have to include over the counter products to help remove this dead skin. Now how often am I going to do this soak? Not sure but I will probably just start with once a week.

This by far has been one of the weirdest things I have tried off the web but I must admit I was shocked about the results.

***** WARNING ******

PLEASE TRY THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK. EVEN THOUGH I HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH THIS RECIPE I AM NOT A DOCTOR AND EVEN THOUGH I HAVE A STRONG BACKGROUND IN CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGY I AM BY FAR NO EXPERT! 

Sweets?.......... I think so!

I know I have not written in a bit but life has been crazy on my end. I had to go to the grocery store today and as we were shopping I realized I have no clue why we buy sweets like candy and pre-packaged cookies... please do not get me wrong they are yummy but they add up in price plus other things. Then we do not eat all of it and then it gets thrown out for being bad but when I make something it is all gone.. do you see the problem here?

To make a large family treat is often cheaper then buying it but the problem is it usually takes time. However, I am self-employed and a stay at home mom! So why am I not in the kitchen making yummys! I come from a large family of bakers on both sides.. I mean both of my grandmothers baked, most of aunts cook, and not to mention many of my cousins. So why am I not exploring my baking skills more then I already do? Well that is all about to change! I have challenged myself to explore baking and making more yummy treats then once in a blue moon.

I know I make a killer fruit tart but would love to improve on my cookies skills! I also know there are tons of sights with tons of yummy ideas!

So here is one of the first ones I want to tackle

Mini Strawberry Pies Recipe

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
2 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, quartered
1/4 cup vanilla sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon lemon juice
a dash of cinnamon

Heat oven to 400°F. Lightly spray large ramekins with oil and place in the fridge (this helps shape the puff pastry better). In a bowl, combine sugar, flour, lemon juice and cinnamon, then mix in strawberries and set aside.

Roll out thawed puff pastry and cut out pieces large enough to fill the insides of your ramekins. Press each puff pastry piece inside ramekins, then fill each with strawberry mixture. Cut thin strips of puff pastry and arrange across the tops of the ramekins in a criss-cross pattern and pinching each seam. Place ramekins on a sheet pan and bake for 30-40 minutes. Allow to cool. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: makes 2 large ramekins

Found from  http://www.wishfulchef.com/2012/05/mini-strawberry-pies-for-mothers-day/