braxton is kinda mean

Just waiting to go to my midwife appt in a few min. Having a very anxious day for some reason. I got hired for a shoot next week and I think I'm a bit nervous about it (not the actual shooting but actually having the energy) I couldn't say no, the money was really good so I'm gonna have to suck it up but I think its just getting my nerves going cause I have to plan a lot of it. Normally I love the stress of planning a shoot, its fun cause its different and exciting every time but while all these other hormones and emotions are flowing its making me nervous. Oh well I'll get through it and paying a few bills will be worth it!
So the other day I think I felt my first Braxton Hicks pressure wave (I am not supposed to use the word contraction) Doesn't pressure wave sound better anyways? It was pretty mild and short but definitely a strange feeling. I was sorta excited only because it will give me some practice to use my hypnobabies and try and figure out how to control them. Obviously I know they are nothing like the real deal but it gives me a little understanding. I noticed 2 more this morning and it was more of a shooting sensation. One was pretty intense where I had to stop for second from what I was doing. I imagine they will get more frequent as the time goes on. I'm trying to just take every pressure, pain, and movement as as experience and one step closer to meeting this little critter.
Also here are a few more photos from the shower...

34 weeks really? are you sure?

Just got my week 34 pregnancy email as I was sitting here, officially freaking out and feeling overwhelmed. I am not ready at all. I feel like most people are totally ready at this point but I am not. The room is not even close to ready, well the furniture is built but she isn't sleeping in the crib for a few months so it's just going to sit pretty for awhile. I have no means of organizing all the little things in the room (note to self order bins today) and nothing is in frames. I know its dumb little things but I won't have to the time to do it after she is born and I don't want to wait till I am further along. I already get out of breath walking to the kitchen.
We were so fortunate to get most of our stuff from showers but there are still a few things that are a necessity......

Co-sleeper
Co-Sleeper sheets
Changing Pad
Changing Pad sheets
Baby Bjorn
thermometer
Blake's diaper bag
nasal aspirator

Luckily we have some gift cards which will be a HUGE help but I think this weekend we are due for a Babies R' US run. I've only dragged Blake there once but I think this weekend will be lucky trip number 2 for him! That and building a stroller and bouncing things!

Random cute photos of sierra sniffing and sitting on babies stuff.

the hunt for a pediatrician

So the mission today is to make appointment(s) to meet pediatricians. I've been putting this off for weeks now. I've done research but getting info on dr's online is very limited. All of the dr's I've been looking up are referrals from friends of friends but I've only gotten names. Some have websites if they are part of a bigger practice but some don't so how am I supposed to know?? I'm being really lazy about meeting with people, mostly because I'm tired as shit and have ZERO patience left! Like none at all. BUT I know this is important but at the same time the person I choose isn't someone I'm stuck with forever right?
I started reading The Vaccine Book by Dr.Sears which was highly recommended to me by many people. So far I am loving the book. Its not an anti vaccine book by any means, it just lays everything out there. I am absolutely going to put the critter on a alternate vaccine schedule. Even without knowing all the specific details about vaccines my common sense tells me it can't be ok to give a newborn a bunch of shots at once. Plus I think all the drug companies are scary. I honestly don't think they give a rats ass about people and health, it's all about making a buck. It's a business and I get it but I just want to be educated about it especially if the info is there for me.
I want to make sure the dr I choose will work with me and a schedule and be able to help and guide me. I know now since more and more people are doing this there are a ton of dr's out there but its just a matter of finding them. The Dr. Sears site has a resource guide for dr's all over the US that will work with you on an alternate schedule but its still a very select few in orange county. I would also love to find someone that has a knowledge of alternative medicine. Don't get my wrong I love me some drugs but I also think a lot of things are heavily treated with unnecessary antibiotics and drugs right away without exploring other options.
So I think I've narrowed it down to 2 places that I like and will start there. Anyone heard of Dr. Leila Iravani or Dr. Lin,Irvine Kids? I was also told about Coastal Kids but then I read a nasty review for them on yelp that kinda freaked me out since the women going in for a prenatal meeting specifically went in to talk about an alternate vaccine schedule and the dr she was meeting with basically called Dr. Sears a hack. I know there are other dr's in the practice but I don't have any info on them. Are they worth a visit?

Another great weekend

Wow what a weekend! Again I think I will be recovering for a few days. Had my second baby shower up by my parents house. It was absolutely perfect! My mom is quite the little party planner. Unfortunately I don't think I got those skills that she has. The party was at my parents neighbors house. The night started with pizzas from the wood burning over (a chef neighbor is always a good touch) and sliders. My mom wouldn't tell me anything about the party so everything was a big surprise which was really fun. We had sushi and yummy Italian food. Everything was so pretty and delicious. The best part was the dessert spread. Lots of little treats and then a HUGE ice chest of different kinds of ice cream. It was like attacking an ice cream truck, it was so fun. All the little touches, from the flowers (that were all picked from around the neighborhood) to the candles to the cute colors were just so amazing. I know how hard my mom and her friends worked to put this together and it was just perfect! We decided not to open presents at the party since there were 60 some people and it was all couples. It would have taken forever and I just wanted to be able to hang out with people and have a good time. So we opened everything yesterday. Oh my gosh, my living room is covered in stuff. I don't know if I will have the energy to put anything away today but I might pull out all the clothes and wash them. Again I can't get over how generous my friends and family are. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Blake and I are VERY lucky! Here are a few photos from the night.

The dadness

http://www.thedadness.com/

The husband started a blog and its really cute! He has a really good way with words and uses proper grammar so check him out.

Protein

As you can tell I get obsessed with things and have to find solutions. So this week it is all about protein. I've been getting great suggestions on different protein shakes and ways to really max my protein. Today I tried an Odwalla Protein Shake and it was actually pretty good. I got the vanilla one and it kinda tasted like drinking cake batter with soy milk. It seemed to have a good amount of protein but also a ton of calcium.



In the beginning of my pregnancy I started drinking whey protein shakes (since I would usually have one after kickboxing) but after a few weeks I came across an article and it kinda freaked me out. The article talked about how hard it was for the baby to process the whey and that it wasn't a good idea. At the same time I was reading all these articles that said it was perfectly safe but in the end I just stopped using it, I didn't feel comfortable. I kinda gave up finding a shake since I thought the only other alternative was soy and I already consume a lot of soy (since we eat very vegetarian)
BUT since I'm back on a protein kick I decided to look a little harder today. My doula had suggested a Hemp shake so I bought one of those and I also got some sample packets of an egg white protein shake. I chose the ones that had all natural ingredients and nothing with fake sugar or added crap so I'm gonna assume they are safe. As far as taste I'll report back on the brands that I like but I feel like this might be a good way to add a bit more protein on those days where I just can't stomach an egg.....

Also I'm a total noob to this blog thing and I noticed I had a whole bunch of comments. I was so excited to see that! So thanks for commenting on all my silliness and also for some great suggestions. I really appreciate it!

Haba Toys

I don't really know when babies start playing with toys or when they need them but these are pretty cute.

Really cool site
http://www.oompa.com/