After many hours in front of the computer to get our Louisville book “Baby in Kentuckiana” to the printer, my shoulders, neck and back were a mess. I pressed upload on all the files for the book, and soon called Lisa at Lexington Aesthetics to book a much-needed massage. As she told me about the new therapists, she mentioned the Raindrop Therapy massage. I decided to give the 90-minute a shot, and was not disappointed. Though I smelled like a pizza (according to my husband), I came out of there as loose as a noodle, with my sinuses opened up. The oils (including oregano and mint) are a combination of anti-virals, anti-bacterials, and anti-fungals, so could be helpful in shortening illnesses. It definitely shortened my muscle spasms.

As a lover of soft cheese I feel it my duty to share this tidbit of information to those with growing bellies! I can still hear my husband’s nagging voice saying “YOU CAN’T HAVE IT” every time I even looked at “bleu cheese” Well, ladies, guess what! You can - READ ON….

http://www.gourmet.com/foodpolitics/2008/10/eating-while-pregnant

Expectant mothers are treated like criminals if they’re caught with a glass of wine or a plate of sushi—but it’s time to change that.

Something fun that most expectant parents do is try to guess what their new baby will look like when he or she is born. Even if you decided to find out whether you are having a boy or a girl, you might wonder if the baby will have your husband’s dark hair, or your blue eyes.  A recent conversation with a friend brought back memories of my own pregnancies and my own Great Expectations.

With my first pregnancy, my husband and I decided not to find out the sex of our baby through ultrasound. Just the idea of a baby was enough to digest, I guess. As my pregnancy drew to an end, we played the inevitable guessing game, “will it be a boy or a girl?” It wasn’t just that every old wives tale pointed to a probable girl, but I also had a feeling, and we both thought I was carrying a girl.  What a surprise when the doctor called out “It’s a Boy!”  I felt such indescribable joy at that moment—finally knowing our baby’s identity, and then seeing my beautiful child.  Any vision I had of a girl vanished immediately.

We both agreed that although we thoroughly enjoyed waiting to find out our first son’s gender until birth, we would not do it the second time around.  This was mainly for practical reasons—specifically room sharing.   As soon as the ultrasound revealed another boy, I began planning his homecoming, and imagining another black haired, brown eyed baby.  Once again we were in for a huge surprise.  Not only was my labor and delivery different the second time around—a complete opposite from my first experience—but the baby boy they placed in my arms this time was the opposite of my first.  Despite already knowing his name, sporting big blue eyes and the palest blond hair, baby boy number two was truly a surprise!

Of course anyone who knows me has heard the story about the surprise of my life—finding out I was pregnant with baby number three.  After we recovered from the initial shock, we decided, once again, to find out the sex of our baby at the 20-week ultrasound, which we expected to confirm baby boy number three.  In my husband’s family, 6 grandsons had been born in 3 years, making it seem like a girl was genetically impossible.  Another boy was all I considered.    We picked out a name, I sorted the mountains of blue hand-me-down clothes, and then we went for our ultrasound. Of course, you can guess—we were having a baby girl! I think it is fair to say that my husband and I continued in a state of disbelief for quite some time. In the delivery room, the first thing we asked the doctor after she was born was, “it’s really a girl?”

Looking at my kids now, it is funny to think that I ever thought they would be a different gender, or have a certain hair color, or act a certain way. Because, of course, they are all three exactly the way they should be—not what I expected, but uniquely individual and completely wonderful!

Free makeovers during September

During the month of September, makeup artists from various cosmetic companies will be performing makeovers at ULTA, free of charge. I’m looking forward to possibly finding a new foundation–it’s about time I get out of the rut–when I get my PurMinerals makeover on Saturday. Call the Lexington store at the South Park Shopping Center on Nicholasville Road at 859-272-1022 for your appointment.

With all my little darlings off at school, and my work piled before me at my computer, it is sometimes easy for me to forget what my life was like just a few short years ago. In the throws of young motherhood, I would sometimes find time to jot down a few notes about my life—the good and the bad. I found this entry on my computer journal from January 2005, entitled “Tangled in Love”. At the time I was newly pregnant with baby number 3 and staying at home with my 3 year old and 5 month old.  Whether or not you are a stay at home Mom, I think all of us can relate to the crazy, mixed up joy of having young children in the house:

 January 2005—“Such a tangle of frenzy mixed with spaces of peace and contentedness.  There is no way to describe these days.  Just two hours ago I was frantic:  the baby was screaming in his high chair, Thomas was whining while I fixed his sticky peanut butter and jelly with honey sandwich, and my stomach was lurching with the sickness that pervades each of my pregnancies.  Now, at 2:45 in the afternoon, I find myself enjoying a leisurely hour curled up on the couch with a cup of tea and my book.  Just an hour a day to myself is all I really need to recharge.

 I am not always so generous about my situation.  Just the thought of adding another baby to this chaos is so overwhelming that I sometimes sink to the ground, amidst the piles of dirty laundry and scattered toys.  I think about crying, but only laughter escapes.  I feel out of control a lot of the time—there is so much to do that it can never be completed.  And now this unexpected pregnancy has made it all seem impossible.  I had counted down the days to the delivery of my second child.  I was waiting until he was old enough so I could start working again. I dreamed of escaping the endless days of laundry, spit-up, arguing with a preschooler, diaper changes, and the ever-dreaded composition of peanut butter and jelly with honey sandwiches.  And now I find that I face another round.

 But I’m like the boxer who will not give in to the KO.  I keep getting up and I keep on gathering up the laundry, and running the dishwasher, and changing the endless diapers and spreading that peanut butter.  And in between I sing songs to Thomas and I blow raspberries on Henry’s belly.  I try not to let them watch too much television and I make sure Henry has his tummy time.  When it’s warm outside we take walks to the park and when it’s cold we make finger paint masterpieces right at the kitchen table.  In the end, memories will be the currency with which I am repaid.

 And so, it is at this time of the day, with the whole house to myself, that I claim a profound joy in being a mother; This attitude is a far cry from the one I will find myself possessing just 2 short hours from now when both children are screaming and dinner is burning on the stove and the phone is ringing and I realize I forgot to wash the baby bottles again.  But the idea is to have just one hour each day—or almost every day—to remember that it I might be tangled up, but I am tangled in LOVE.”

My friend Kim turned me onto this cheap date night earlier this summer. On Tuesday nights, kid’s meals are only 99¢ at all Fazoli’s, and you can follow that up with a yummy dessert at select Baskin-Robbins for Family Fun Night. Every Tuesday evening, from 6–10, kid’s scoops are $1 and small scoops are $1.50. It’s such a fun community atmosphere, too. Maybe we’ll see you there next Tuesday!

Participating Baskin-Robbins: Tates Creek Road in Lansdowne Shoppes and Alexandria Drive.

Jackie

Hilarious Halloween costume idea for expectant moms and dads.

I love stories like the one that came out yesterday about the mom who gave birth in her front lawn. Many people would be scared out of their minds, but it gives me great faith in the human body. Our society has taken a perfectly natural event–child birth–and made it an exclusively medical event, so it never ceases to amaze me when a woman’s body does what it is supposed to do. That was my motivation for going the drug-free birth route. After two miscarriages and infertility required medical intervention, I was determined to see if my feeble body could do something on its own. I was lucky that it didn’t let me down, and I learned and grew so much from the experience. Now, I can’t say that I would wish for a surprise home birth in my front lawn, but I’m pretty sure I would take that over an all day pitocin-induced labor while laying flat on my back in the hospital. I encourage all pregnant moms to educate themselves about the birth process, hire a doula to pamper and cheer you on on the big day, and embrace childbirth as the empowering, life-changing event that it is.

Jackie

As much as I hate to admit it, I had to take a second-grader “Back to School” shopping today. This is a process I used to look forward to. All the crisp, new supplies lining all the shelves of all the big-box department stores. I used to get jealous. Then I met my first school supply list. The specificity of it was daunting to say the least. Last year, we shopped at Wal-Mart and Target to fulfill our list, and I still I had to hang my head in shame on the first day of school as I explained to the teacher that I just couldn’t find a wide-ruled notebook with non-perforated pages.

This year, I procrastinated–as usual, but here I am a week before school starts, proud to tell you that I have fulfilled all my supply obligations. In under an hour! I decided to go straight to Office Max this year with my $10 off coupon. That certainly made up for any savings I would have found at Wally World. We breezed the aisles finding EXACTLY what we needed. One stop at Walgreens next door for free film day, and I was out with the paper products from the list.

Oh, and icing on the cake was Backpack Blast at GattiTown tonight. We got 24-packs of crayons, notebooks, colored pencils, scissors — I can probably return $10 worth of stuff just from dining there tonight. I’m now a believer in school supply shopping at an office supply store, and I suggest you learn from my mistakes as Kindergarten approaches for your little one. It will be here before you know it!

I’m still beaming from my big night out. Bunco night–once a month–is most rewarding. There are 12 women from different backgrounds, but all have one thing in common: we’re excited about adult interaction and inevitably have a good time.

I can’t overstate the importance of maintaining connections with other grown-ups after having children. I waited too long to get with the program–allowing guilt to play a major role. As a working mom, I often feel bad when I’m not home during the evenings. However, I’ve discovered this old saying to be true in our house: “If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy” — and mama is much happier if I’ve had some time out. The same is true for my husband. I also encourage him to get out.

It will take a couple of months to get your feet under you, but I suggest you don’t waste much time. There are so many options.

* Moms of Pre-Schoolers (MOPS)
* Play groups at Baby Moon
* Bunco groups (form one of your own, or ask around)
* Book clubs
* Bible Studies at church
* La Leche League

What other “mom” groups am I missing? Has anything helped you maintain your sanity while raising kids?