My New Normal

For the first time in several months, I'm writing a post the day that it's going live. I really enjoy having my blog posts scheduled in advance so I can just sit back and reply to comments. Such is not the case today. It probably won't be for a little while.

Welcome to my new normal.

the mug says it all...

Have y'all ever had a moment in your life that completely jolts you, shakes your core, and makes you change your entire way of living? No? Well... allow me to be the first to say it SUCKS. It really sucks. My moment was the entire month of January. 

A lot of y'all know what happened, and there's a LOT of y'all that don't. For the sake of this post my sanity I'm not going into details. I'm still not sure if I ever will. But that's the beauty of this space being mine. I can talk about whatever the heck I want to. Just know, that I am OK and I really appreciate everyones' thoughts and prayers for me and my family. 

What I can (and will) say is this: I was not at home the entire month of January. This forced Josh to be the father that I've honestly never seen him be before. He gave the kids baths, he fixed dinners (the dinners may have been nuggets w/ mac n cheese, but it was dinner), and he did school runs. Josh really stepped up and only made me love him more. I'm really proud to call him my husband. My entire family is proud of him. Something that none of them have ever said before. Ever. I really do have an amazing husband, y'all.
Sure, he could've done all those things before, but let's be honest: I've spoiled the whole family and really taken care of everyone. I've always been the one to make dinners, give baths, and tuck everyone in. I never asked for help. I may have wanted it some nights, but those nights Josh was just as tired. We've both always worked full time. 

Until now.

I'm not working full time. I've even changed my sidebar bio. (Amanda, I didn't even need to ask for help!) My new normal has become the stay at home mom. I'm going to be honest, y'all; I'm still not used to it. This entire week, I've cleaned the whole house from floor to ceiling. I've done countless loads of laundry. You could eat off of my bathroom floor. Ainsley picks up her toys when she's done playing with them. It's really great. 

But. 

Yes, but... 

It's strange to me. I've always had a full time job. If I lost a job, it's never taken me long to find a new one. My close friends know this about me. However, when I came back home on Feb 1st, I made the decision to not go back to work. It wasn't an easy decision and I spent all of January thinking about it. It is, however the best decision for our family at this time. I need to be home. I need to be with my kids. Ainsley has me all day, and Zander is home by 3:30 from school. We've all needed this time together.

It's still going to take some adjusting on my part though. 

I've texted a few lovely ladies from my tribe this week, and the one thing I've noticed to be consistent in my conversations is that the quiet is strange to me while Ainsley naps. I've always been around some sort of noise. My time away from the house was spent in a very noisy atmosphere. Previous jobs have always been noisy.
While Ainsley is awake, we talk and play. Theres music, T.V., etc. When she naps I keep the T.V. on or listen to music, but I'm glad when I have someone to talk to. I'm still not used to the quiet. It's definitely an adjustment.

This is my new normal. Stay at home mom. Housewife. Whatever you want to call it. This is me.

I'm not regretting my decision in the slightest, I'm simply confessing that I'm adjusting. Eventually I'll get back into the swing of things in blog land. I plan on going back to doing link ups. I still have my sponsor page up and running. I haven't been promoting anything because I'm not quite ready yet. But I am back. I will be blogging at least 3 times a week again. The blogs I sponsor will have content to promote... that much I can promise. I love every one of my readers, and I'm happy to start to get back into the swing of things.

I must confess though, that during my adjustment period - however long that may be - your continued thoughts and prayers are appreciated. I'm very blessed that I'm surrounded by such amazing friends and family. Y'all have been amazing. So thank you. Thank you for everything. 

Just A Kid With Glasses

Four Eyes. A name that haunted me in elementary school. A name I never wanted to be called, and yet ended up being called because my vision sucks.

I was in third grade when my vision began to weaken. Roughly 8 or 9 years old, give or take a few months. At the time, I didn't really know what was going on. My vision was still good enough to where I could move to the front of the class just to see the board, but not good enough to read signs 50 yards away. The summer after third grade was when my parents figured out my eye sight wasn't perfect anymore. We (my mom, sister, and I) were vacationing somewhere in Florida. My mom and sister were laughing at the restroom sign (4 U 2 P), but for the life of me I COULD NOT see the dang sign!! WHERE WAS IT?? That's when my mom figured out I couldn't see far away.

Four Eyes. The name rang in my ears like nails on a chalkboard. Four Eyes. The kids on the bus were so mean. I wouldn't wear the glasses if I didn't have to. They were big, ugly, and I hated them. Little did I know then, but my vision would only get worse. So much for not having to wear them all the time.

Fast forward to my 27 year old self. I have to wear corrective lenses all the time. My driver's license even says so. "Class B Restriction: Must wear corrective lenses or contacts." Damn. Thanks, DMV. Only now I don't care. Glasses have come a long way in 20 years. And the big ugly frames I sported all those years ago are actually IN STYLE now! WTF? Really? Ok... I don't wear them though.

I've had every frame imaginable. Wire ones, plastic ones, big, little... well, you get the idea. I've had contacts too, and even still prefer them. (I can wear pretty sunglasses with contacts!). My problem now is the strength of my prescription. I'm almost legally blind. So now that I have to buy my own glasses (even with insurance) they cost a small fortune because of the lenses. They're strong, y'all. I have an astigmatism in both eyes AND I cannot see to save my life. It's bad. Because of the lenses my last pair of glasses cost almost $200 after insurance! Ouch.
* The following post is a review for Firmoo. All opinions are my own. I have been given these glasses in exchange for an honest review.

When Firmoo approached me asking to review their products for FREE glasses, how in the world could I say no? Free anything is amazing, but free glasses? Heck YES!

Only... mine weren't 100% free. Did I mention I have horrid vision? Yes.. it's true. Because the strength of my lenses is so powerful, I had to pay a total of $9.95 for these glasses. BUT, $9.95 is the best deal in the world... EVER... for glasses. I was seriously excited to get my prescription for that cheap, y'all.

The whole process was extremely easy. You pick out your frames, you give them your prescription, and you give them the distance between your pupils. Easy, peasy! During the process of picking out your frames, you get to "try them on". Firmoo has the ability to upload your picture to see the glasses on your face. No need to worry if the frames are going to look silly on your face before you hit "purchase". A plus for me because I'm super picky about my frames.

Firmoo spoils you when they deliver the glasses, too. You get a new hard case, a cloth carrying case, a cleaning cloth, and a mini screwdriver. Anyone that's ever had to carry glasses around -  even if they don't wear them full time - knows the importance of having all of this handy. You never know when you'll have to tighten a screw!

All in all, I was completely satisfied. The customer service was pleasant to work with, and time between order and delivery was about 4 weeks. I've never ordered glasses online before now, but that might change after this. Not only are the frames super affordable, but it was nicer not having to deal with the ladies at the eye doctor breathing down your neck while you pick out new frames. Ha!

So what do y'all think of the frames I picked? I personally love them. They're not too big to where I feel like a 4th grader again, but they're also not what I would normally select. (Hint, I have never owned a pair of reddish glasses!)

Firmoo has a huge selection and there's literally something for everyone. Heck, if you want to step out of your comfort zone and get the big glasses (they are back in style now) go for it with Firmoo!! At least you won't have to spend a small fortune!

Happy Birthday Ainsley

Hello, my sweet friends... you really are seeing this correctly. This is Melissa... NOT Amanda. But I have to thank her very much for giving y'all semi updates while I was away.

The following post was originally scheduled for Jan 29, aka Ainsley's birthday. Given my absence Amanda reverted it back to a draft so as to not freak out all of my readers with a random phantom post. Thanks again, Amanda. Since I'm not 100% back into the swing of things, I haven't edited any of the post originally drafted and the rest of this will be as if it is Jan 29.
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Two years ago today, miss Ainsley came into our lives. It's hard to believe that my baby girl turns two today. Year one flew by as well, with the only thing worth blogging about being sleep regression.

Year two I was introduced to the strong-willed, "do it myself", strubborn mess that is my daughter. Ainsley's personality has really bloomed, and despite having to stay on my toes with her I wouldn't have it any other way.

My pregnancy with Ainsley was SUPER easy. I knew immediately when I was pregnant though. I felt it. I know that sounds strange, but moms out there will get it. Especially if you've been tracking your ovulations. There are just some pregnancies where you know. This was that pregnancy for me. No surprises what-so-ever! When I knew I'd get a positive pregnancy test, I bought two from the dollar store and tested at work during my lunch break. Sure enough! Two little pink lines appeared! PREGNANT!

The months to follow went by without any issues. I had no morning sickness, no pains, no swelling, and no gestational diabetes. The only time I felt pregnant was when I felt her little kicks... which eventually turned into the big kicks!

Two weeks before she was due, I went to my doctor asking about being induced. The reason being was we had moved an hour away from the doctor's office and with this being my second pregnancy I didn't want to risk going into labor and Ainsley just popping out in the car! (haha). My doctor agreed to an induction the week before my due date. Janurary 28, 2013 I went to the hospital.

My doctor was the best (in my opinion). If I didn't see him for my regular appointments I would see the midwife from his office. Both of them were very much into holistic medicine practices, so they asked if I'd be willing to try a different approach to my induction. I had been induced with Zander, so I went in that day completely expecting the pitocin drip and staying strapped to the bed. This was not the case with Ainsley.
My doctor wanted to use Cytotec. It's cheaper than pitocin, and it naturally triggers the body to start contractions as well as ripening the cervix. The plus side? I didn't have to be strapped to a bed!

Y'all this was seriously a much more enjoyable labor experience. Yes... it was hard... it was exhausting, but I was FREE! I had a total of three doses of cytotec. With each dose I had to be monitored for an hour to make sure Ainsley's heart rate stayed steady. After that hour was up, I was free to do whatever I wanted to try and get her out. This included walking around the labor ward of the hospital and bouncing on the birthing ball (aka giant yoga ball). I also was free to deal with the contaction pain however I wanted. The walking really helped. My contractions were strong and steady with Ainsley, too. I thought for sure she'd be born on the 28th.
Wrong.
Everytime the nurses checked me I was at 1 cm dialted, high, and firm. This little stinker did NOT want to come down. Everyone that came to visit me in the hospital during labor kept asking, "why don't they just break your waters?" I didn't want that. I was stubborn. I wanted to walk and bring her down naturally. Yes, the cytotec helped start the contactions but I had to keep drinking water and keep moving to stay in labor. As discouraged as I was that it was taking so long, I didn't give up. I never asked to have my waters broken. I kept walking. I kept pushing through the pain.

I had a friend at the hospital with me taking pictures of the whole experience. She wanted to get pictures of everyones' faces once Ainsley arrived. At 1 AM on Jan 29th I told her to go home and get some sleep. Ainsley was taking her time getting her. I told my mom the same thing. I went to sleep, too.

At 7 AM I woke up very wet! VERY wet. I panicked and pushed the nurse's line thinking I had peed the bed! How embarrassing! Sure it's a hospital and they've seen it before but I was mortified! Only... it wasn't pee. My waters had broken. The nurse checked me and I was 9 cm dialated! NINE! This little stink of a daughter waited until Grandma and the photographer were both 45 min away from the hospital! I quickly called them both and told them she was coming! I thought I had time.

That's when the pain REALLY started. I thought the contractions were bad before. WHOA! Once the waters had gone that's when it got bad. I begged for an epidural! Within 20 minutes I had one.
8:00 AM they checked me again. 10 CM! TEN! Holy cow! She was coming fast! My mom came rushing in as I started pushing.
8:30 AM. Ainsley Louise was born. Jan 29, 2013. 24 hours of labor later.
My photographer friend arrived 10 minutes later (Have I mentioned GA traffic SUCKSS), but she still got some amazing pictures. Everything in this post is from what she took. Photo Cred.

So Happy Birthday my beautiful Ainsley. "I Love You THIS Much"

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Linking up with Anne for Wednesday wishes. 

My wish is that all of my tribe knows my love I feel for them. Y'all are truly AMAZING friends and I'm so blessed to have y'all in my life. XOXO