This is been quite an interesting week.  We’ve been dealing with some personal family issues that have kept Hubby and I both pretty bummed out.  It’s not something I want to discuss, but I’ve finally come to terms with some stuff we’ll have to deal with financially in the future. 

I’ve also been bummed out because 1 person I went to school with and 1 person I grew up with passed away this week.  They were both my age, and both died of health problems.  It reminds me while most of you probably consider me pretty young, I do have to pay attention to my own health.  I can’t sit back and say “oh I’ll deal with it when I get older.”  It’s caused me to worry even more about Hubby’s weight and his health.

Of course when I’m bummed I just have to look at Elliana, and she puts a smile on my face.  She’s hit some milestones this week.  She 18 1/2 weeks now, and she started picking things up if I put them on the tray on her swing.  She also made it through 2/3 of a bowl of cereal yesterday without spitting it out, so that made me very happy. 

This morning she tried to take the phone from me when I was talking to my Nana.  She “talks” to her every morning on the phone, and it was too cute like she was saying “My turn Mommy!”.  I held it up to her ear, and she started oohing and aahing before Nana even said anything to her.  She’s growing up so fast, and as happy as it makes me, it makes me feel a little sad, too.

Now I have to take her for her 4 month shots tomorrow.  You’d think I wouldn’t be nervous over shots at this stage, but I still am.  She didn’t have any problems with her last set, so I hope she does ok with these. 

I have always had allergies, and I’ve tried to combat the problem any way I can without having to take medications for it. If you’re a reader of my blog you probably know I hate taking medicine unless I absolutely have to. When I was in the hospital after my c-section the doctors were actually fussing at me because I wanted to get off the pain med drip as soon as I could.

Anywho, one of my biggest allergy triggers is dust. Hubby has to dust our house because when I come in contact with dust I tend to break out in hives. Because of dust mites I end up washing our pillows weekly, and I was vacuuming the mattress once a month until I starting using a mattress cover that I can wash with our bedding. I’ve also been using pillow cases that are supposed to be hypoallergenic, but they haven’t seemed to help.

That’s why I was extremely excited when I read about the Healthy Dreams Germ-Fighter Pillow from National Allergy. These are a type of allergy pillow with a bio filter that fights mold growth and mite allergen. Normal pillows grow mold and trap mite allergen, so you breathe it in while you sleep. An added benefit is that the Healthy Dreams Germ-Fighter Pillow also stops the growth of germs that cause colds and flu.

Since I’m breastfeeding I’ve been bed sharing with Elliana if she wakes up in the middle of the night for a feeding. I’m always concerned about what kind of germs she could be picking up from things like our bedding and pillows, so germ fighting is a benefit I can greatly use. She did get some flu protection since I had both the flu and H1N1 shots while I was pregnant, but she can’t have her own shots until she’s 6 months old. I have to try to protect her from germs as much as possible.

I may just have to order me some of these pillows as soon as I have the cash to do so because I can see exactly how great they would be for us. Just the thought of not having to add 3 extra loads of laundry each week to wash our pillows is reason enough for me!

Check out the following video from The Today Show if you’re not too scared to find out exactly what really is hiding in your pillow! They grew bacteria in Petri dishes from pillows!

It’s barely past noon, and I’m already threatening to pull my hair out.  I’ve got a dog who’s sick.  I don’t know what he got into, but he’s got the runs.  I walked into the kitchen this morning to find doggy diarrhea all over the place.

I’ve got a fussy baby who didn’t want to nap.  She finally wore herself out crying.  As soon as she went down I rushed into the kitchen to clean up the dog’s mess.  While I was in the process of doing that my grandparents showed up at the door wanting to see the baby.  They’re timing couldn’t have been worse.  I quickly explained what was going on, and I promised to take Elliana next door to their house as soon as she wakes up from her nap.  While I was talking to them and trying to get them out the door the cat gacked all over the couch.  Lovely.

My tried to push them out the door quickly, but I had to listen to my grandma complain about the car parts all over the driveway and carport.  Hubby’s working on the Rodeo, so he’s got tools and stuff everywhere.  She’s all afraid someone’s going to drive by, see the stuff, and steal it. Um…I’m here all day, and if someone pulls in my driveway I know it. It’s not like they’re Ferrari parts or anything. We may look redneck for a few days, but at least the Rodeo will get fixed, and I won’t have to listen to her complain about it sitting in the yard anymore. UGH.

Oh, and I have a TON of work I have to get done today not including housework.  We have no clean clothes.  And I have to find time to feed myself, but I hear a faint cry coming through the baby monitor. Sigh.

I was talking to my sister today, and she was asking me for pregnancy advice. I laughed because I don’t really think I’m the person to talk to about that. I had a pretty darn easy pregnancy, and I never actually had to deal with the rough part because I didn’t make it that far. Elliana decided to surprise us before things started to get uncomfortable.

I think she’s just wondering what she has to look forward to in the future. She’s due in June, and she’s had a really rough time thus far. I told her I really couldn’t tell her she’ll for sure experience this or that, but it got me to thinking. I decided I’m going to make her a little basket of things that she may find useful throughout her pregnancy.  A friend did the same thing for me, and I ended up using everything she gave me.

I’m going to throw some cute stuff in if I can find it, like maybe some body chocolate she can paint her belly with and take pictures and some baby related items. Then I’m going to add some stuff that most pregnanct women find themselves wanting at some point for those stages we all find uncomfortable and/or icky.

Let’s face it. Pregnancy and hemorrhoid relief go together, so maybe I can throw in some of the stuff my doc recommended to me (although luckily I never experienced that). I found some really good lotion that I loved to use when I was pregnant, so I’ll buy her a tube of that, and some cocoa butter. She’s still dealing with morning sickness, so some Sea Bands might be a good idea and some crackers. Tums might fit in there well, too!

Of course I’ll throw some edible goodies in as well. If anyone has any ideas of what else I should add to the basket feel free to share them. I found a kit to make a belly mold, so I might get her one of those, too.  I want to make it something cute that can take her mind off the bad experiences she’s having while at the same time providing her some relief from some of the typical pregnancy issues. I want to help remind her that pregnancy isn’t exactly comfortable, but it’s well worth it in the end!