Kayla turns ONE!

Dear K,

Are you really a year old?  I swear it was just yesterday that I was meeting you for the first time in your little incubator.  I am truly blessed to have been able to spend this last year with you at home.  I'm thankful every day that you are here and that you grew into the beautiful little toddler you are today.

 At 12 months, you are:

• Weighing in at 18 pounds 10 3/4 ounces
• Measuring 28.5" tall
• Still exclusively breast-fed although you're transitioning to whole milk like a champ
• Babbling all day - but no new word (still just mama and daddy or papa)
• Crawl properly although you still revert back to your tripod crawl (or lobster as I like to call it) when you really want to take flight
• You are working on your balancing and every now and again will let go and stand up on your own
• Bad mommy and daddy still have you in our room but maybe soon we'll be able to let go and move you to your own room
• You love to play and you LOVE to DANCE .. I think you take after mommy in that department!  Any song has you shaking your booty! 

It has truly been an honor to watch you grow sweet baby girl.  I see you know so big and strong and I just remember how little and fragile you were when I first saw you.  That saying that having a baby changes everything never rang so true until I had you.  You have changed my life in so many ways and I never imagined that my heart could grow.  I know you've been saying mama for a while now, but every time I hear you, I just swell up with pride and can't believe that you're mine.  I love you more than words can say and I look forward to your future.  Happy first birthday baby!

Love always,
Mommy

11 Months....

My sweet baby K,

My goodness - wasn't it just yesterday that I was posting that you were turning 10 months old? And here I am now, posting your 11 month update. I can't believe that we are a month out from your birthday! YIKES...where did my little 3 pounder go??

Let's see at 11 months you are:

• Weighing in at 18 pounds .. yeah, you heard me! :)
• You're wearing size 12+ months tops and 6-12 month pants/shorts
  
• Starting to crawl although you have the funniest crawl we've ever seen. You like to extend one leg out and crawl with the other one. We've lovingly dubbed it the "lobster crawl"
• You have 4 teeth on top and still only 2 bottom teeth (but those cause enough damage!)
• You're still pretty much exclusively breastfed
• You LOVE attention -- you're such a ham
• You love to clap and play with your feet but you're also starting to hate having anything on your head so my days of making you wear big flower headbands might be coming to an end :(
• You LOVE to smile and make funny faces -- every now and again, you'll give us kisses
• You're still pretty much only saying Momma, which Mommy loves, but Daddy's ready for you to call him
• You're such a daddy's girl it's unbelievable -- as soon as you see him, he gets the biggest grin you've got and you want to be with him

I've started planning your first birthday and have decided on giraffes as your theme -- in honor of your love for Sophie the Giraffe. It was one of the first toys I bought you and still one of your favorites. I'll post your 11 month picture soon.

Love you,
Mommy

Kayla arrives...

To read the first part of this story, click here:

After my family left, I was hooked up to fetal monitors as I had been during my stay.  A few minutes into the monitoring, I noticed that I could no longer hear the baby's heartbeat.  I assumed I had moved and the disks had moved, so I called the nursing station to let them know that there was something wrong with the monitor.  The nurse arrived and as she was moving the disks around, I noticed her growing more and more concerned.  I asked her if something was wrong and she didn't answer but I could tell she was panicking.  I immediately started to panic but thought maybe she just wasn't placing it in the right spot.

The nurse quickly left the room and came back with another nurse who was checking the monitor and the readout and then a nurse from L&D came into the room.  After repeating the same process, she asked me if I was having contractions or feeling any pain.  I replied that I wasn't.  She said "I'm sorry hon but I have to check you" and before I realized what she was doing, she was checking to see if I was dilated -- I was not. 

Finally, I'd had enough of them not talking to me and I yelled "what's going on?" The L&D nurse said, "we've lost the baby's heartbeat and we're going to have to deliver this baby RIGHT NOW."  UM, WHAT?  I wasn't due for another 8 weeks and although we'd talked about a possibility of delivering early, I never thought I'd deliver that early.  Everything started moving quickly. I started shaking and was trying to remain calm but couldn't get around the fact that I was going into the OR and I had no family around.  I asked the nurses to call my husband but it was falling on deaf ears.  I realized that I still had my phone in my hand and shakily dialed my husband and told him to get to the hospital as fast as he could.  He swears to this day that I said we'd lost the baby but I honestly can't remember what I said.  I repeated the process and called my parents.  They were just arriving home from the hospital and immediately turned around. 

I was wheeled into the OR and the nurses were busy transferring me from the hospital bed to the OR bed and cutting my clothes.  The on-call OB/GYN was introducing himself to me and telling me to try to relax (I was still shaking uncontrollably) and was telling me he would do my emergency c-section.  The nurses were talking to the anesthesiologist about an epidural when he said, there was no time.  They had to put me completely under.  I was praying to all the saints and angels that my baby survive.  I had no idea if I had a little boy or girl inside of me and I wanted to wake up to meet him/her.  In a scene cut from a movie, my OB/GYN came flying through the doors and got scrubbed up.  The last thing I remember is telling him, "don't cut me, I don't have any anesthetics" as he was ready to go. 

I woke up to the most severe pain I've ever experienced in my life and cried when I remembered that I'd just delivered my baby.  I saw my husband and asked him "how's the baby?" trying to prepare myself for the worst.  He said the most beautiful words I'd ever heard "she's okay they took her downstairs" and I had to stop him and so I could ask "SHE?  It's a girl? She's alive?"  My husband cried with me as he said "yes, it's a girl and she's doing fine."  The next few hours were disorienting with me coming out of my anesthesia induced haze.  It was the scariest day of my life but one of the  most rewarding and I'm so blessed to say that at 10:34 PM on Sunday, December 5, 2010, my little miracle arrived in this world. 

December 5, 2010

December 5th, 2010 started out just like the previous four days - with me still in the hospital. I'd been admitted into L&D for observation that Thursday, December 2nd because my routine urinalysis showed some protein in my urine. This was what we feared and hoped would not show up as it is indicative of a pregnancy complication called pre-eclampsia. Pre-e is one of the most dangerous pregnancy complications, although one of the most common, because it affects both the mother and unborn child and the only known cure is delivery. I was about 31w3d at this point. It's funny how my husband and I had been joking the night before that I needed to get my hospital bag packed or the baby would arrive and I wouldn't be ready. That morning as I got ready for my appointment, I had a feeling I wouldn't be returning back home (but I STILL didn't pack my bag!)

So off to L&D I went - only to find out that my COBRA coverage hadn't kicked in yet, so I was listed as "uninsured." Now, my blood pressure was already high enough and this made it worse. I was checked in and told that they need to monitor my blood pressure to see if they could get it to go down and would be drawing blood to run some tests. My blood pressure didn't go down and as I showed protein in my urine, I was going to have to be admitted. GREAT. I was alone and scared - having not had the foresight to bring my husband or my mother along for my appointment. I finally got settled into a room, was allowed to eat and started my 24-hour urine collection which would determine if the levels of protein in my urine were increasing or staying the same. I was hoping that I'd be discharged before Sunday as I'd scheduled my maternity photos for that weekend. I had taken bump pictures each week but I needed my maternity photos!! I ended up having to stay an extra night, we did another 24-hour collection and we did an ultrasound to check on the baby. I was told that there was a big possibility I would not be leaving the hospital until I delivered - either that weekend or hopefully a few weeks later. This did not sound appealing to me, but I wanted to do what was best for the baby. I nervously asked the tech what my baby's chances of survival were if we had to deliver early, and was told the baby was about 3 pounds 14 ounces and the outlook was good -- not ideal as we were not yet at the "full-term" mark of 35 weeks, but better than if the complications had arisen earlier.

I was still in the hospital on Sunday, December 5th, and about to go stir crazy. I wanted out at all costs. I didn't care if I needed to be on bedrest (my doctor had already told me I couldn't go back to work - but the joke was on him because I'd already been laid off by then) I could do that at home. I didn't need to be in the hospital. Finally, my doctor came in and told me that if everything looked good Monday morning, I'd be able to go home. I was thrilled. Family came to visit me and the day proceeded as normal. Once visiting hours were over, I asked everyone to go home (my mom had been spending the nights at the hospital with me) since I was being discharged in the morning. Little did I know that less than 2 hours later, I'd be delivering my baby.

To be continued.....

REVIEW: Trend Micro Titanium Maximum Security

Bzzagent is at again with more free trials! This time, I was lucky enough to receive a free one year subscription to the new Trend Micro Titanium Maximum Security. Here are some of the key features that Trend's Maximum Security offers:

• Set and forget - Titanium™ Maximum Security is extremely easy to activate, and once it's done, you don't have to do a thing. Not only is the software non-intrusive, but it takes up less than half the disk space and memory of other security products — so your computer runs faster (and you avoid stress). From the main console, you can access easy-to-read security reports with all the details about the Internet threats that attack your computer. Talk about no worries!
  

• Maximize your PC's performance - The System Tuner feature of Titanium™ Maximum Security can help you recover disk space, make Windows run faster and optimize your computer's performance. Test it out today! From the main console, select Tools > System Tuner > Ok > Perform Tune Up

Some of the things I liked:

• Easy download -- the software download took little to no time to download and installation was quick and easy. The software wizard will let you know if there's any conflicting software (there shouldn't be any other anti-virus software installed) or if you need to perform any updates to your system before the installation is complete.
• Begins working right away -- once it's installed, you can immediately run a scan and see what's lurking behind your computer. You get fast and accurate reports that not only protect your computer, but also help your computer's performance.
  
• Increased computer performance -- I installed the software in the laptop that my family uses the most and almost immediately I noticed that it was running a lot faster. This computer is several years old so it ran about as fast as it could go with all the programs we had installed on it. Now that the software scans for potential Trojan horses and viruses and quarantines them, I see how much they were the cause of my computer running slow.

I've always been a Norton/Kaspersky anti-virus software user, but I'm a new convert to Trend's Maximum Security and I will keep using it long after my free year is up. If you're interested in trying it out for yourself, visit the Trend Micro website and purchase the software at a discount with code "BZZ30." So what are you waiting for? Protect yourself today!

REVIEW: Burt's Bees Natural Skin Solutions for Sensitive Skin

My skin is fairly normal but there are times when certain products can irritate my skin causing redness, itching and stinging all making me want to claw my skin. Imagine my delight when BzzAgent offered me their latest campaign:


Burt's Bees (R) Natural Skin Solutions for Sensitive Skin is a new line of natural skin care products formulated to cleanse and moisturize your skin without causing irritation or redness. Infused with the softening properties of Cotton, Rice and Aloe, Natural Skin Solutions for Sensitive Skin replenishes skin and hydrates with the power of natural ingredients.

There are four products in the line: Sensitive Facial Cleanser, Sensitive Daily Moisturizer, Sensitive Eye Cream and Sensitive Eye Cream. I was graciously provided a full-size sample of the facial cleanser and the moisturizer, as well as several moisturizer samples to hand out to my friends/family.

Before I jump into my reviews, here are a few details about the skin care line:

• it's naturally gentle and can be used daily
• contains cotton extract to soften and replenish skin's outer layer
• fragrance-free and hypo-allergenic
• dermatologist and allergy tested
• 99% natural

Sensitive Facial Cleanser:
This soap-free cleanser is gentle and has no fragrances - it lathers up very creamy and glides on smoothly. It does, however, smell clean (like soap) to me. A small amount will wash your entire face, so be careful with how much you use. I feel like the cleanser doesn't do as great a job of removing all of my eye makeup as my usual cleanser (I end up with a bit of raccoon eyes), but does a great job on the rest of my face. If I remove my eye makeup prior to using the cleanser, I can definitely see it remove the traces of oil from my eye makeup remover. When used with my Olay Pro-X, it performs really well. After using it, my skin feels fresh and clean and moisturized which was a very nice surprise.

Sensitive Daily Moisturizer:
I have nothing but great things to say about the moisturizer! It's absolutely fabulous -- a little definitely goes a long way so while small, the container should last a while. The moisturizer is rich and creamy and your face feels like it's just gotten a drink of water. I can feel a difference in how my face feels - it doesn't feel tight and once I put my primer on, my face is glowy and ready to be made up! Again, it's fragrance free and gentle so there are no worries that your face will break out or that you'll see any redness. I will continue to use the moisturizer, but I'm almost positive I will make the switch.

To learn more about these products, visit Burt's Bees on Facebook. Have you tried the Sensitive line? Have questions or comments? Please let me know!

Ten Months....

Holy crap! Is my baby REALLY 10 months old? Where did the last 10 months go? It seems like just yesterday that she was born and now here we are at almost one year old. Craziness. I've been wanting to start writing letters to K every month, but always forget so no time like the present.

Sweet Baby K,
I can't believe you're already 10 months old. Time is just flying by and I have enjoyed every single minute of being home with you. It just don't seem possible that you came into this world a 3 pounder and now you're so big! What are you up to this month?

• At your last check up, you were 15 1/2 pounds and 26 1/2 inches long
• You're scooting on your butt and trying to do the army crawl, but not quite there yet - this makes keeping you in one place a real task -- I kind of miss those days when I could lay you down and knew you'd still be there when I came back.
  
• You're saying "mamma" and "papa" and clapping your hands -- grandma sings you a song about potatoes in Spanish, so I think that's where the "papa" comes from ... daddy is anxious to hear you say dada
• You're still pretty much EBF with 2 meals of solids mixed in -- you love apples and pears (anything sweet) and you tolerate most veggies
• You're now snacking on table foods -- mommy and daddy can't eat unless we share with you -- and you love your Plum Organics Puffs and Mum Mums
• You have 2 bottom teeth and are cutting 3 more at the top all at once!
• You like playing with just about everything BUT your toys - wooden spoons, hangers, anything. Mommy can't leave anything within reach because you'll scoot your little butt over to it
• You're sleeping through the night for the most part, but sometimes wake up to nurse around 3 am which comes awfully early when you don't go to bed until 10:30 - 11 o'clock
• Your naps are hit-or-miss some days you'll take a couple long naps and others you take 15 minute cat naps
• Changing your diapers is a real struggle since you're quite the squirmy baby

All in all we are quite amazed at your progress. You've come such a long way since you were born. Can't wait to see what the next month brings.

Love you always,
Mommy

REVIEW: Dr. Scholl's For Her High Heel Insoles

I'm currently participating in the Dr. Scholl's campaign through BzzAgent and can I just tell you what great timing this campaign is!

The insoles are super soft and comfortable! They fit right in to my shoes and don't make them tight at all. They are easy to remove but you really won't want to! I was able to wear my heels all day without taking off my shoes and it didn't feel like I was wearing heels at all. The insoles take the pressure off the ball of your feet and makes it feel like walking on air. If you're interested in trying these out, I've got several $4 off coupons I'd be happy to pass along!

Celebrate Covergirl's 50th Anniversary....

Like COVERGIRL on Facebook and celebrate their 50th anniversary. There will be a lot fun prizes and games for all.

Are you a Dior Diva??

Christian Dior has an awesome program that rewards its customers for loyalty, the Dior Diva program. It's very simple - each $1 spent on Dior products earns you $1 Diva reward. Once you reach the reward level you want, you send in your receipts and they mail you a fabulous prize!

The reward levels are as follows:

Adorable Diva - 100 points
Receive deluxe travel sizes of Dior best sellers in an adorable mini Dior shopping bag.

Diva Deluxe - 250 points

Receive a full size Diorshow Extase Mascara in Black and a deluxe skincare miniature in a must-have pouch.

Runway Diva - 500 points
Receive a full sized Diorshow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum and Primer, Dior Addict Lip Glow Color Awakening Lipbalm, and a deluxe fragrance miniature in a chic makeup pouch.

Divine Diva - 1000 points
Receive a full size Diorshow Extase Mascara in Black, Dior Addict Lip Polish in Fresh Expert, 5-Colour Eyeshadow in Earth Reflection, and two deluxe skincare miniatures in a signature Dior makeup trunk.

I recently cashed in my receipts for the Divine Diva and Adorable Diva levels and this lovely package showed up at my door:

I love the makeup trunk. It's very nice and the top has the quilted Dior pattern. I also got a full size 5-color eye shadow, Diorshow Extase mascara and a Dior Addict Lip polish, plus a few samples. The total value of the full size products alone are $100, so about 10% of the total receipts cashed in. Not bad considering this is the only luxury make up brand that has a rewards program.

The little Dior shopping back and three samples are the current selections for the Adorable Diva category - the samples are Dior Addict perfume, a Dior lipstick and Diorshow mascara.

What are you waiting for? Become a Diva today!

REVIEW: Cross Edge Collection Rollerball

I was lucky enough to be selected to participate in the Cross Pens campaign through BzzAgent. I was super excited to get this campaign, because as anyone that knows me will tell you, I have a HUGE addiction to collecting pens. Needless to say, when I got the campaign invite I accepted and was impressed to learn that I'd be getting a free pen to try out. The campaign invite asked what I specifically looked for in a pen and I'm so glad that I thought to include I preferred rollerball pens instead of ballpoint.

I already had a high opinion of Cross, as I'd bought myself a lovely fountain pen from their ATX Collection after my college graduation. I got this lovely package in the mail last week.

My first impression was that the packaging of the pen was really nice but I was a bit disappointed because I was SURE I'd been sent a ballpoint pen instead of a rollerball pen. The pen is a lovely blue color and I immediately set to using it. Except, try as I might I couldn't figure it out! Rather than reading the letter that came with the pen (duh!), I set to the Cross website and looked up the pen. Imagine my surprise when I realized it was actually a rollerball pen! Why was I surprised you ask? Because I'd never seen a rollerball that didn't have a cap! And this is where I truly fell in love with the new Edge Collection.

With a quick slide, your pen is ready to use. And what a pen it is! It's so lightweight (another rarity for rollerball pens) and the ink flows nicely. I love that it's available in a variety of colors (black, titanium, blue and green) and also has different ink colors (black, blue, purple and red). If you decide you'd rather have a ballpoint pen, it easily converts to a ballpoint pen with a different refill. Slide it up and it's ready to use, slide it down and it's closed! Quick and easy to use and no worrying about losing that cap! At a price tag of $40, I think it's an excellent value for a genuinely nice pen (I think everyone should have at least ONE.)

If you'd like to get one for yourself or a loved on, now through July 31st, you can get 20% Off a regular-priced pen/pencil and free shipping at Cross and select retailers with coupon code SHOPCROSS. It would make an excellent Father's Day or graduation gift!

REVIEW: Covergirl NatureLuxe Foundation

I was able to try the new NatureLuxe foundation through BzzAgent. The color I was sent was Aspen, but it was a bit too dark for me. I was able to exchange it for a different color (Alabaster) and once I got the new color I was amazed by how silky and lightweight this foundation is.

The foundation has a touch of cucumber water, a hint of jojoba and rose extracts which give you this awesome finish. I don't usually wear foundation during the summer because even the lightest always feels to heavy on my skin. Not this foundation. From the moment you put it on, it goes on super smooth and your skin feels very silky. A little of the foundation goes a long way, but you can definitely build up the coverage that you need and not lose that lightweight feeling. It's perfect for these hot summer months. With a retail value of about $11.99, I think it provides excellent value for a drug store foundation and competes well with those higher priced luxury brands (including the one I normally purchase!) Have you tried it yet?