Baby Registry

Here's a blogger's opinion on the must haves and the wait-and-see options for your baby registry. It's great to get first hand knowledge on what she needed and didn't need.
The Ultimate and Overwhelming Guide to a Baby Registry

And on another note, here is a great resource for cloth diapering. I for one would like to try it and see how I like it. From what everyone says, you can save a significant amount of money by cloth diapering.
Cloth Diapering 101


And for washing cloth diaper tips
Washing Cloth Diapers

Detergent Dos and Don'ts

To Vaccinate or Not To Vaccinate: What a Question!!

'Sigh' When becoming a parent there are so many decisions to make. To vaccinate or not to vaccinate...that is the question on my mind right now. Talk about a big fat pain in the ass. I've mentioned in my previous posts that I really hate going to the doctor. And I hate even more when the doctor tells me I have to do something that I don't want to do. If I want to get sick and die, that's my damn business and they can butt out. I've decided to start my research now on vaccinations. So far the people who tend to be more leery about vaccinations but also don't totally rule them out either (which I kind of consider myself in this category) say that you can always get a vaccination. You can never un-get one.

Now the common recommendation is to give you baby his/her first vaccination when they are two months old. Part of me has such a hard time accepting this. I mean really, why do you have to give your baby a shot when he's that young?? It seems a little rash to me. I've seen several people recommend waiting to give your child their vaccines until after they are at least two years old because their immune systems are much more developed and the chance of SIDS is much less common. I've also seen others that say four or five years old. And why do kids need a vaccination for the chicken pox?? I got them as a kid and look at me, I'm still chugging along, healthy as a horse. I can maybe see an adult male who has never had the chicken pox getting the vaccination, seeing as he could lose his chance of reproducing should he contract them. But really? A four year old needing the chicken pox vaccine. Please.

Since I do have some time to do my research, that's exactly what I'm going to do. This book comes highly recommended The Vaccine Book as an impartial study on what exactly we know about vaccines. If I do decide to vaccinate (or not vaccinate) my child, I want it to be because I have done my research and made an educated decision. Not because a doctor tells me it has to be done and not because a radical extremist group tells me that they are bad.

Here are a few other articles

9 Questions To Ask About Vaccines

Vaccine Side Effects

Hepatitis B Vaccine

Tetanus Shots

Potty Training Plea!

Maybe it's just because I don't know that agony of having to change 10-15 diapers every day yet, but I have NEVER understood why parents feel that it is appropriate to share the status of their child's potty training progress on Facebook. I mean really? The rest of the world really doesn't want to hear that your child pooped in the potty for the first time. And please, for the love of our almighty Father in heaven, DO NOT post a picture. It just crosses so many lines in so many places. I am generally happy that you're child will not be going to kindergarten wearing a diaper, but please, I don't really want to know!

Now if you have a funny story about your child potty training, that's a little different. For example, the pastor who lead my college campus Chi Alpha group told us a story about his son one night. Basically the youngest son was still in the process of learning to go on the potty. The older son really wanted to help him along the process. One day he walked into the bathroom and found his younger son facing the wall with his hands placed appropriately, buck naked, legs spread and cheeks open. His older son (who was maybe 5 at the time) had a big wad of toilet paper and was trying to wipe the younger son's butt clean. I can't even imagine walking in and seeing my young sons doing such a thing, but I would probably die laughing from it. But that is worthy of a Facebook share.

I won't promise to not post a pic like this...'cause
this is pretty gosh darn cute! 

I am posting this now, because I want to vow that no matter how excited I am that my child is taking steps towards never needing a diaper change, I will never post it on Facebook. My blog is free range (although I will never post a picture of his/her poop or pee anywhere in the world!) but never ever will I announce it on Facebook!

First Doc Appointment

Well we've been to the doctor and wow, how amazing it is! I think it was probably one of the coolest things I have ever experienced. It didn't feel very real to me before, but now that I've seen him/her and I have a picture, it's very real! And the coolest part was that we could see it move it's little hands and feet around. It was so awesome. The doctor was pretty nice, but I didn't really feel a close knit connection with her. I didn't really have a problem with her, but I just didn't feel like I could say what I was thinking as much as I would have liked to.

I honestly hate the whole doctor thing in general. I'm kind of the type of person that would like to just not ever go to the doctor if I can help it. I know that we have doctors for good reasons and they are valuable to have, but I just get irritated when they tell me I have to do something or really insist on me doing something. I feel like with this baby, I'm going to have to really decide what I want to fight on.

The doctor that saw us asked us some good questions, but I really didn't feel like she was generally excited for us. I mean granted she sees people like us everyday and it's probably no big deal to her, but I kind of wished that she would have been a little more welcoming and enthusiastic. She kept talking about this test that you should get around 12 weeks that determines whether a baby has down syndrome and various other genetic disorders. I wasn't really interested simply because even if there is something wrong with this baby, we are not going to get rid of it just because something might be wrong. It's just not something I could live with myself for doing. So to me, it really doesn't make a difference whether or not the baby has something genetically wrong with it. I'm going to love it anyway. But she kept talking about it and when we finally said we weren't really interested she said that it was mostly for people who don't think they can handle a baby with a problem.

Then she also asked whether or not I have had a flu shot yet. Now I am not a crazy anti-vaccine advocate, I think they are an important piece of disease prevention, but I think they have gone a little overboard with vaccines these last few years. My mom never had a flu shot with any of my siblings or me and we are all alive to tell the tale. I haven't had the flu in years (knock on wood) and I've never had a Flu shot. I'm not about to inject my body with the actual virus to ward it away while I'm pregnant. No thank you! But the doctor asked me if I wanted one and when I said no, she tried to tell me that they highly recommend them when you are pregnant. Sorry, I just don't believe that putting any virus (whether it's supposed to prevent more or not) into my body that wasn't there to begin with is a good idea. If I catch something and have to fight it off, then that's what I'll do, but I am not getting a flu shot. She didn't push it any further though.

This whole going to doctor a lot is going to take some getting used to. I'll do it because I want to make sure my baby is healthy and everything is all good, but I sure don't like it. I'm the kind of person that thinks that once a year is too much. Sigh. Maybe if we lived closer to a hospital, I'd go for a birth center or just have the baby at home. Sadly, insurance rarely pays for births done in a birth center. So it's cheaper to do it at a hospital. Oh well. Maybe we'll do that with another kid. Then that way I'll at least know what to expect.

The doctor did recommend that we see a specialist at 18 weeks. They usually fly someone in from Salt Lake once a month and he does a high resolution ultrasound to check for any abnormalities. Because my mom had a baby with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, they really just want to rule it out ahead of time. Jackson is a really rural hospital and they don't want me to deliver in Jackson if that's the case. I do agree that it's something that we definitely need to watch out for. I honestly am not worried that it would happen. I doubt that we'd win (or lose in this case) the lottery twice in our family. But because we are high risk for this, our insurance will most likely pay for it and we'll get some really cool images of our baby. We'll also find out if it's a boy or girl at that appointment. That will be the week of January 19, I believe, so it's actually only two months away! Crazy. We'll know if our baby is a boy or girl in two months! I can't wait!

Appointment Tomorrow

Well tomorrow is the day. We are going to see this little guy or gal for the first time! It's pretty exciting. Our appointment is at 2:30 so we'll leave work a little early. It sounds like it's going to be a fairly long appointment. Blood and urine test, internal ultrasound and whatever other tests they think I need.  I am praying that they don't want me to have a pap smear. I've actually made up my mind to refuse to do it, and I would prefer things to not be tense and awkward when I do refuse it. I had one this last February and I've never had an abnormal one. And I've only ever had one sexual partner during my entire life. They've changed the regulation to once every two years if you have never had any abnormalities, so I hope they don't insist on doing it just because I'm pregnant. I've had a few bad ones that were really traumatic and I just don't want to do it.

Anyway, that's the only thing that I am a little leery about. The internal ultrasound doesn't worry me though. I don't think it will be that bad. And it will hopefully be the only time I have to do it.

Election Day

Today is election day in America! I am planning on heading out to do my part after work today. I can't wait to see the results. I honestly just want it to be over with and know who has won. This time tomorrow hopefully it will all be settled and finalized. I am honestly really worried about the results of it though. I really feel like if Obama wins, it's going to be sad news for this country. All the debt that this country is in is appalling. And he has no plans to stop spending! In fact he has specifically said he's going to continue to spend. And Obamacare...Lord only knows where we will be by the time four years is up and Obamacare has put the country even further and further into debt. I just really am frightened for the state of the country and what this world will be like if Obama is given another term. Right now Obama is prospected to be in the lead...I really hope that changes. I just feel like everything he stands for is against everything I stand and hope for. I know that it really is up to God and he is going to give the country the leader He sees fit, but man I hope it's Mitt Romney...

If you haven't voted, make sure you do!