A baby post!

This weekend has been really, really awesome. I feel quite a bit more ready for Audrey to be here now. We seriously have like NO money anymore, but we have everything we need, thank the Lord! We miiiight need to get some more newborn diapers, but we can do that when we have her and figure out how big or small she is. So anyways, here's how our Saturday and Sunday went:

Saturday- I was a tad bit down. Ok...really down. Some days it's really upsetting to not be able to do all that I'm used to and to feel so huge. All that on top of having to watch everything I eat and everything I do so that I don't have blood sugar problems or go into early labor. Paul took me out to a nice dinner at our favorite steakhouse here. I was able to eat my favorite diabetes friendly meal and enjoy what I was eating for once. I get so sick of eating the same thing over and over, so I'm going to make it my mission to find some other meal plans for these next 2 weeks. After dinner, Paul took me to Target..my favorite store. I did a tiny bit of couponing, which included buying 2 things of hair color, 1 with a $2 off coupon...and the second one gave me a $5 target gift card. So it basically ended up being buy 2 for the price of 1. I then went to the baby section and got another pack of newborn diapers since we only had 1. I wasn't really expecting to have a baby early, but since I am...I want to be prepared with newborn diapers. I also got some hospital pacifiers. Fun stuff! When we got home, I was able to color my hair and do a little bit of self pampering...on top of getting laundry done. Feeling much better!!

Sunday (today)- I relaxed and printed off coupons until Paul got up. We decided later to go to Which Wich (an amazing sandwich shop here) where I thoroughly enjoyed eating something other than "the usual." I had the idea to go to Carter's babies and kids afterwards. When Paul walked in with me, he realized we didn't have any newborn clothes. He decided we really needed to get her a small newborn wardrobe until she grows into the bigger stuff. The store was having a big sale and was also doing a 10% military discount for memorial day weekend. Let me tell you...it was SO weird to see Paul SO actively looking for our daughter some clothes. Even after I said I thought we had enough, he was wanting to pick more out...and who was I to say no? Take advantage of his desire to buy baby clothes!!! He picked out some cute stuff and we ended up getting about 14 outfits (some onesies, some 3 piece sets etc) for $60. It was decent for Carter's! Now our baby will be well-dressed no matter what size she is when she's born :-) I'm excited. When we got home, we both worked together and cleaned the inside of my car...wiping and cleaning everything. Getting it ready to put the carseat in.

That about sums up all the baby preparations at the moment. I plan on getting other things ready, slowly but surely. SO EXCITED!!

A bit more on it.

Today I had the opportunity to devote some time to researching couponing and organizing all my coupons/stuff. This is really the first day this week I have been able to do so, due to doctor's appointments out the wazoo and being on minimal activity requirements. lol. It was a GREAT productive day in the coupon department :-) So I wanted to share a bit about the things I have learned recently. Thursday night, Paul and I were lucky enough to be able to go to a couponing class held here in town. I had been wanting to go to one for a while and was thrilled that Paul wanted to come along. It feels good knowing that we are doing this together. I learned quite a few new little things that I had not known before:

1. When using a B1G1 free coupon, you can use ANOTHER coupon on the product that you are actually paying for. For example: Today I went to Target. I had a buy one gillette body wash, get one gillette deodorant free. I used that coupon and also a $2 off gillette body wash coupon. So, I paid a total of $1.49 for the body wash and the deodorant. The deodorant is normally $4.24 and the body wash is $3.49. That's a really decent savings right there.

2. When shopping at a pharmacy: If they have a buy one get one sale going on, you can use a B1G1 coupon on top of that sale and get BOTH products free. How freakin sweet is that??

Other things discussed were things like matching rock bottom sale prices at stores with the coupons for dirt cheap prices. Sale cycles are normally 3 months, so having a 3 month stock will get you through to the next sale where you can stock up again :-) Side note: store loyalty cards are AWESOME. Find a store and get one. My personal favorite is Kroger. Another good couponing store is Target, where you can use both target store coupons and manufacture coupons on 1 item for more savings. After a while, you figure out items that you won't ever need to pay for again, due to knowing what kinds of coupons come out and sale prices etc. Here are a few things you can normally get for free:

1. toothbrushes

2. toothpaste

3. soap

4. body wash

5. disposable razors

6. laundry detergent

7. dental floss

The key is to not be very brand oriented. Be willing to use different brands, depending on what you can get free or cheap.

Anyways, those are a few of the things I learned at the class and am learning more about as I go along. I wanted to go ahead and learn as much as possible before I get really busy with the baby. Frugality is awesome.

On that note: Today I got 4 pairs of flip flops for $7.96 at Kohls.....YES!! I'm starting to save in other areas as well and it is so much fun. They are having a sale for flip flops for only $1.99, so I definitely wanted to take advantage of it. Then I came home and reorganized my coupon binder into specific categories. Fun stuff.

Ok, meds are kicking in. Must sleep.

A quick update...

This week has been way too eventful for my liking. Sunday night I started having bad contractions. Once they got to 5 minutes apart, Paul and I decided to go to the hospital. We got to the ER and they sent us up to Labor and Delivery. I had no idea what I was in for...I thought it was going to be a false alarm and I would be sent home within an hour. Not so. I told the nurse my symptoms and mentioned one tiny little detail that made her go "hmm, well that may make all the difference in what's going on." They had me pee in a cup, put on the hospital gown and get in bed. After a bajillion questions, I was hooked up to the different belts to monitor contractions and fetal heart rate. The nurse discovered right away that my contractions were coming very close together and very frequently. So then, they went about trying to figure out what was causing it this early on. Another nurse came in a little later and told me I had bacteria in my urine and I would be staying overnight. This made me cry because the last place I wanted to be was in that stupid hospital bed. When the contractions started getting worse, the nurse put Demerol in my IV for the pain. In about 2 seconds, I was KNOCKED OUT. Gone...out of this world. All the medicine they gave me still did not stop or slow down the contractions. I was given lots and lots of fluids and dozed in and out of sleep all night. My doctor came in Monday morning to tell me what was going on. She said I had a "raging bladder infection." I was given 2 prescriptions to treat the infection and stop the contractions, told to rest as much as possible and RELEASED.

Tuesday: I saw my perinatologist and he determined that I would deliver at 38 weeks because of all that had gone on and the risks of gestational diabetes.

Today: My OB set the date for June 17th!

So, Audrey will be making her appearance on June 17th and I am super excited!! Paul will have the best Father's Day present ever :-)

A year of marriage.

Ok, this post won't be directly related to baby either...

Paul and I have officially been married a whole year. One year ago, I was joining my life with his forever and I cannot believe how time has flown. It FLEW by. There are so many things I want to say. Marriage was nothing I expected it to be...in a good way!! I guess you could say I went into it with somewhat low expectations because I had seen so many people disappointed at how unglamorous it can be at times. I also think that being separated a year prior to getting married made things a tad bit different for us. We didn't have any of those "knock down, drag out" fights that some people say they have in the newlywed year. We did argue occasionally and we got mad at each other, but that's normal for every married couple. There were a couple times when we just need a break from each other, so to speak. Those 2 times, I just went home to visit family. But even during those days apart, I found myself wanting to be back with my husband. Absence definitely makes the heart grow fonder. Paul's work schedule has thrown many wrenches into plans made the past year. I believe I am a stronger, more independent person because of the military though. Paul can't always be there for me and I know that. I'm learning to be ok with that. He tries and that is all that really matters. That and the fact that he wants to be there with me, helping me, every step of the way. I would not trade one day of being married to him for anything and I know he feels the same way. We love each other deeply and I am sooooo blessed to have my husband be my best friend as well. Marriage is SUCH a gift. A gift that I am so grateful that God saw fit to bless me with. Now let me tell you about our "anniversary day/date."....

We celebrated a day early, because Sundays things close early and there's more of a time crunch. I woke up today and Paul and I started the day off by watching Army Wives. Yes, he wanted to watch army wives. We spent several hours just spending quality time together. Time where we were just concentrating on each other and being in love :-) We got ready for our date. Took our time and just made everything relaxed. I wore a red dress and Paul wore a polo shirt with dark jeans...and his wedding band. We went to Target and bought a few things for cheeeaaap with coupons. Had to get some couponing in there! Then we went to Saltgrass Steakhouse to eat. It's one of our favorite restaurants here. It's definitely expensive, but an anniversary is a good reason to spend money. I was able to stick to my diet and still thoroughly enjoy my meal. That made me really happy...really! Dinner took a while, but it was nice to just sit and enjoy Paul's company. We had limited phone use today, so it was extra special being together. After dinner, Paul took me to Motherhood Maternity....romantic, right? lol!! He bought me 4 nursing bras since that was the only thing left that I needed to buy before Audrey came. Now I feel really prepared and Paul was super sweet and understanding while bra shopping. We came home after that and worked in the yard together for a little bit, until it got too dark. Then we cuddled up on the couch together and watched tv.

It may not sound like the best date, but to me...it was amazing!! It's way too common for us to be together without appreciating each other. There are times when you feel more like roommates than husband and wife, so reconnecting us necessary. Getting that quality, devoted time with my husband today was SO refreshing and just what my heart and soul had been needing, especially with this baby coming soon!! I think I'm just wanting to really enjoy our one on one time while it really is just us two. Well, I'm getting sleepy and my husband is already asleep beside me so I think I will hunker down and see if I can sleep. I am SO thankful for this wonderful life God has blessed me with.

Couponing...

This post has nothing to do with baby, so I apologize in advance for that! hehe. I wanted to blog about something I have become passionate about. Free money...errr...coupons. Well, that's what they work as, right? I really don't know how Paul and I ever went without using coupons to buy groceries, toiletries, etc. They are available and out there, why not use them? Atleast once a week, I will come across free deal through my searches of different couponer's blogs. Some of the things I have gotten for free have been:

~Body washes (nivea body wash)

~Toothbrushes (reach toothbrushes)

~Razors (Nocxema, and wilkinson sword)

~Dental Floss (reach)

~Soap (Ivory)

~Deodorant (men's degree)

~conditioner

I love love love getting necessities for free!! The main blog that I follow is The Krazy Coupon Lady. She posts tons of walmart and target freebies with what coupons to use and from what insert or website. She has a facebook page you can "like" and stay up on the deals. There are TONS of other pages and sites to follow and keep up with for free stuff. Ask me for a list if you want one.

Another good way to get free stuff is to watch these pages for giveaways and free samples that companies are doing. The companies will send you samples of their product for free, with high value coupons to use to purchase in the future. I can't count the number of freebies and samples I have signed up for.

I have recently started couponing for food and grocery items. It can be a bit trickier to do, but every little bit counts. Paul and I can normally save around $15 per grocery trip when using coupons. Coupons.com is the best for this. Also, if you have a grocery list made out, you can go and search online for coupons for the specific items that you are going to buy. It *is* a bit time consuming, but saving money is worth the time.

You should almost *never* buy something at retail price (food is another issue...you can't avoid buying retail on some of that). Companies will send you coupons for their products if you go to their site and request them. Sometimes, you can just print them off straight from the site. Another thing to do is get a store loyalty card. We use Kroger and it allows us to double and triple coupon amounts. Doing that on top of a sale means CHEAP stuff.

Anyways, I'm exhausted and probably not making a whole lot of sense at this point. I'm definitely not a pro at this, but since I have free time while waiting for Audrey to arrive...I'm working on perfecting the couponing art so that I can just stick with it forever! I still have so much to learn!!

I'm terrible!

I have been so bad about blogging lately. There's really not a whole lot to update on the baby front. I saw my dietician last week and realized just how much work this really is. I'm having to write everything I eat down and test my blood sugar levels 4 times per day, which is finger pricking. I totally changed my diet and I'm losing ALOT of weight already. It was soooo overwhelming at first and I cried a lot because I honestly didn't know what I was doing. I've got the hang of it now somewhat and am doing much better. I still need to come up with dinner plans for me because I just kind of graze on whatever I know I can eat at this point. Cooking and I just don't mix. There's only a little bit left of this, though. I'm 33 weeks on Friday and she will be here in no time! I'm getting very excited and anxious. I've washed all her clothes and stuff, now I just need to get on top of the cleaning that needs to be done. I'm still incredibly mobile and able at this point..which surprises me. I stay busy and that helps. No sitting around for me.

Monday is my next appointment with my perinatologist. I'm anxious to know how big she is, because I'm sure she is a big baby!! Labor and birth should be interesting, for sure. Then I have an OB appointment next Wednesday and I meet with my dietician on Thursday. Busy busy busy!

Anyways, there's really not a whole lot else to update on. I'll blog again when I have more to say.