I get this question A LOT!
I have talked about this before, but I found some new information that I wanted to share.
1. MALE INFERTILITY Disposable diapers could be the cause of the sharp rise in male infertility over the past 25 years. It is thought that disposable diapers heat up boys testicles to such a degree that it stop them from developing normal.
2. SODIUM POLYACRYLATE, which is linked to Toxic Shock Syndrome and can therefore no longer be used in tampons, is the super absorbent gel in disposable diapers. You can find the little "gel balls" on the skin of your baby's bottom. It is interesting to note that employees in factories manufacturing sodium polyacrylate suffer from female organ problems, slow healing wounds, fatigue and weight loss.
3. TBT (TRIBULYTIN) In May 2000 Greenpeace found TBT in Pampers® Baby Dry in Germany. TBT is one of the most toxic substances ever made. It harms the immune system and impairs the hormonal system. There is speculation that it could cause boys to become sterile.
4. DIOXIN Traces of the carcinogen Dioxin have been found in disposable diapers. Dioxin causes liver disease, immune system suppression and genetic damage. It is a byproduct of bleaching with chlorine gas and is banned in most countries. Unfortunately, the USA still allows it.
5. ASTHMA In 1998 a study showed that childhood respiratory problems, including asthma, might be linked to inhaling the mixture of chemicals emitted from disposable diapers.
6. UTI INFECTIONS IN BABY GIRLS also seem on the rise with an increased use of disposable diapers.
7. BABIES POORLY DEVELOPED OUTER SKIN LAYER ABSORBS ABOUT 48 CHEMICALS if you use disposable diapers & wipes and standard baby products. This can be greatly reduced by using cloth diapers and natural baby products.
Why do I use cloth diapers? It is better for my baby! (Cost savings and environmental factors aside).
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
TTC will be a long road....
Moving on to cycle #4. I will be calling this month to set up an appointment with our doctor in July for our IUI cycle in August.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Nathan's First Birthday Pictures!!
Nathan and his car that my grandma bought him before she passed. He loves it!
Nathan and Pop
Nathan, Elmo, and Grandma! He loves Elmo! And Grandma too!
He loved the cards for some reason. :)
Nathan and his car!
With Grandma again.
Hmmm...what's in here?!
My cutie pie.
The cakes that I made for the party. In case you can't tell, it was an Elmo theme.
:)
This is fun!
So cute..JPG)
He rarely crawls anymore. Always walking now!
Nathan and Aunt Kathryn
Ahhhhhhhhhh.....
Such a ham!
Blowing out his candle
Hmmmm...what is this?!
Yum!We had such a wonderful time! It was so nice to have our family and friends celebrating with us. Nathan was great the entire time. Really loves spending time with people. I still can't believe that my baby is 1!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Letter to my 1 year old boy...
Dear Nathan,
Happy Birthday sweetheart!!!! Today is your very first birthday. One year ago today I was holding you in my arms for the first time.
At one year, you weigh around 25 lbs and are 32 inches tall. This past month you have grown and changed so much! You are now taking steps! You can push up to standing without holding on to anything. Then you take about 8-10 steps before falling over. You walk back and forth between mommy and daddy and the furniture all the time. You are now eating so many more foods! You love bananas and Cheerios. You like macaroni and cheese and you love spaghetti! Mama is just feeding you whatever we have for dinner. You even like tacos! You hardly have baby food anymore. You are getting so big! You still babble to us all the time. You love to say mama and dada and walk towards us. Daddy loves coming home from work because you are so happy to see him. You giggle and race over to see him. You are sleeping a little better, but I still think that we have some improvement to make in that area! You love going for walks in our new carrier. You love just riding on mama's back and looking around. You seem so peaceful back there. You are still nursing all the time. We have been nursing for a year!! Such a huge milestone for mama and you. Your first birthday party is this Saturday! Lots of friends and family are coming. We are very excited! We are also getting family pictures taken on Sunday. Can't wait to get those!
And so big boy, you are 1!!! This past year has been the best of my life. We have such a special bond and I love waking up to your sweet face every morning. From 7lbs 11oz to 25 lbs, you have grown so much. Mama and daddy have grown too; We are much better people because you are in our lives. You are the center of my world sweet boy and I will love you for all the years of your life. But nothing can replace this first year.
Love Always,
Mama
Happy Birthday sweetheart!!!! Today is your very first birthday. One year ago today I was holding you in my arms for the first time.
At one year, you weigh around 25 lbs and are 32 inches tall. This past month you have grown and changed so much! You are now taking steps! You can push up to standing without holding on to anything. Then you take about 8-10 steps before falling over. You walk back and forth between mommy and daddy and the furniture all the time. You are now eating so many more foods! You love bananas and Cheerios. You like macaroni and cheese and you love spaghetti! Mama is just feeding you whatever we have for dinner. You even like tacos! You hardly have baby food anymore. You are getting so big! You still babble to us all the time. You love to say mama and dada and walk towards us. Daddy loves coming home from work because you are so happy to see him. You giggle and race over to see him. You are sleeping a little better, but I still think that we have some improvement to make in that area! You love going for walks in our new carrier. You love just riding on mama's back and looking around. You seem so peaceful back there. You are still nursing all the time. We have been nursing for a year!! Such a huge milestone for mama and you. Your first birthday party is this Saturday! Lots of friends and family are coming. We are very excited! We are also getting family pictures taken on Sunday. Can't wait to get those!
And so big boy, you are 1!!! This past year has been the best of my life. We have such a special bond and I love waking up to your sweet face every morning. From 7lbs 11oz to 25 lbs, you have grown so much. Mama and daddy have grown too; We are much better people because you are in our lives. You are the center of my world sweet boy and I will love you for all the years of your life. But nothing can replace this first year.
Love Always,
Mama
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Happy Mother's Day!
To all you mommies out there!
This time last year, I was in labor with Nathan! Such a blessed time of year for us.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Some updates...
First of all, thank you so much for the kind thoughts and prayers related to my grandma's passing. We really appreciate it. We are doing ok here. Taking each day as it comes. I miss her a lot. The hardest part is seeing my mom like this. She loves her mama and is lost without her.
In other news, my mama is graduating tonight! She has worked so hard for this nursing degree and I am so proud of her.
In house news, we are still waiting. Waiting on paperwork from the bank and the seller. I will be so glad when all this is over.
We keep getting closer to Nathan's birthday! Only 3 more days! We are very excited for this! His party is scheduled for May 17th. We are looking forward to it.
As far as TTC goes, the loss of my grandma has really got me back into the TTC spirit (currently CD 13-Fertile phase). I just know (in Kathleen's words) that she is up there picking out the perfect brother or sister for Nathan. Our family needs joy now more than ever, so Brandon and I are really excited about TTC. We have created a timeline for our infertility path. And after much consideration, we have decided to do some IUIs (intrauterine insemination) before doing IVF. There are pros and cons to this obviously.
Pros:
Less expensive!! Only cost around $300 per cycle. IVF is $15,000.
We can start sooner!
No meds for me that could harm my milk supply for Nathan. Big Pro!
Cons:
The success rates aren't as good for IUIs. However it is not impossible! We have gotten pregnant before on our own (with Noel) so anything could happen!
Our timeline:
May, June, July--Trying the old-fashioned way. :)
August--IUI #1
September--If IUI #1 fails, we will take this month off.
October--IUI #2
November, December, January--If IUI #2 fails, we will take these months off for the holidays.
February--IUI #3
March, April, May--If IUI #3 fails, we will take these months off to get ready for IVF.
June--IVF
We are really excited about our plan! It makes sense to us and we are looking forward to it. We just know that Grandma is up there watching over our baby-to-be.
In other news, my mama is graduating tonight! She has worked so hard for this nursing degree and I am so proud of her.
In house news, we are still waiting. Waiting on paperwork from the bank and the seller. I will be so glad when all this is over.
We keep getting closer to Nathan's birthday! Only 3 more days! We are very excited for this! His party is scheduled for May 17th. We are looking forward to it.
As far as TTC goes, the loss of my grandma has really got me back into the TTC spirit (currently CD 13-Fertile phase). I just know (in Kathleen's words) that she is up there picking out the perfect brother or sister for Nathan. Our family needs joy now more than ever, so Brandon and I are really excited about TTC. We have created a timeline for our infertility path. And after much consideration, we have decided to do some IUIs (intrauterine insemination) before doing IVF. There are pros and cons to this obviously.
Pros:
Less expensive!! Only cost around $300 per cycle. IVF is $15,000.
We can start sooner!
No meds for me that could harm my milk supply for Nathan. Big Pro!
Cons:
The success rates aren't as good for IUIs. However it is not impossible! We have gotten pregnant before on our own (with Noel) so anything could happen!
Our timeline:
May, June, July--Trying the old-fashioned way. :)
August--IUI #1
September--If IUI #1 fails, we will take this month off.
October--IUI #2
November, December, January--If IUI #2 fails, we will take these months off for the holidays.
February--IUI #3
March, April, May--If IUI #3 fails, we will take these months off to get ready for IVF.
June--IVF
We are really excited about our plan! It makes sense to us and we are looking forward to it. We just know that Grandma is up there watching over our baby-to-be.
Monday, May 5, 2008
I love you grandma!
My grandma Norma Jean passed away on Saturday morning. Here she is with Nathan on Christmas last year. I miss her so much already. Sunday, April 27, 2008
Sunday...
I had a negative test this morning, so moving on to cycle #3.
In other news, Nathan and I are sick! BOOOOO.... We both have stuffy noses. I thought that mine was related to allergies because I have had symptoms for the past week. But now it has moved into a cold or something. I can't hardly breathe! Poor Nathan hasn't been sleeping well the past two nights because of it. We had to cancel our photo session today for his 1 year pictures. We moved it to next weekend. Hopefully we feel better by then!
In other news, Nathan and I are sick! BOOOOO.... We both have stuffy noses. I thought that mine was related to allergies because I have had symptoms for the past week. But now it has moved into a cold or something. I can't hardly breathe! Poor Nathan hasn't been sleeping well the past two nights because of it. We had to cancel our photo session today for his 1 year pictures. We moved it to next weekend. Hopefully we feel better by then!
Friday, April 25, 2008
Busy, busy
I have been so busy the past couple of weeks. Brandon was out of town this week so Nathan and I went to my mom's to visit. It was such a nice time and Nathan loved seeing Grandma!
Other than that, we have been outside a lot! The weather is so nice here and we are out walking every day. I really enjoy it, although my allergies have been acting up. BOOOO!!
We are busy planning Nathan's birthday party!! I can't believe that it is almost here! We are having a BBQ on the 17th of May. I am really looking forward to it, but kinda sad at the same time.
As far as the house goes, we are waiting (always waiting) for the owner to approve our purchase agreement, then we can move forward with the loan stuff. I will be glad when this is over!
On the TTC side of things, I am on CD 27 and 11 DPO. I will be testing on Sunday. But I am not expecting anything from this month. We just didn't give it our best effort (if you know what I mean). :) I am just really not into the whole TTC thing yet. Can't seem to put my heart into it because I have a feeling IVF #2 is around the corner. We shall see!
Other than that, we have been outside a lot! The weather is so nice here and we are out walking every day. I really enjoy it, although my allergies have been acting up. BOOOO!!
We are busy planning Nathan's birthday party!! I can't believe that it is almost here! We are having a BBQ on the 17th of May. I am really looking forward to it, but kinda sad at the same time.
As far as the house goes, we are waiting (always waiting) for the owner to approve our purchase agreement, then we can move forward with the loan stuff. I will be glad when this is over!
On the TTC side of things, I am on CD 27 and 11 DPO. I will be testing on Sunday. But I am not expecting anything from this month. We just didn't give it our best effort (if you know what I mean). :) I am just really not into the whole TTC thing yet. Can't seem to put my heart into it because I have a feeling IVF #2 is around the corner. We shall see!
Monday, April 14, 2008
House and TTC updates
The offer on our house was accepted!! It has been a long time coming. We felt like we were going to never reach an agreement! But we did! So now our plan is to get everything worked out with the contracts, paperwork, and loan stuff. Who knows how long that will take, but as of right now the house is ours!! I am trying to not get too excited until we actually sign the paperwork though. ;)
As far as TTC goes....it feels like that has kinda taken a backseat to all the house stuff. We have been so busy with all of that, that TTC'ing has been kinda tough. Brandon and I actually talked about it last night and agreed to take this month as it comes. We agreed to try not to stress out about this. At least I know that we will have IVF to fall back on. So we shall see what happens!
CD: 16 (Fertile phase)
As far as TTC goes....it feels like that has kinda taken a backseat to all the house stuff. We have been so busy with all of that, that TTC'ing has been kinda tough. Brandon and I actually talked about it last night and agreed to take this month as it comes. We agreed to try not to stress out about this. At least I know that we will have IVF to fall back on. So we shall see what happens!
CD: 16 (Fertile phase)
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Letter to my eleven month old boy...
Dear Nathan,
April has arrived and with it comes warmer weather and lots of rain. You are 11 months old today and growing and changing every day.
You are getting to be so big! You still weigh around 25 lbs. But you are so much more active now. You crawl all over the house and pull up on furniture. You walk all around the couches and chairs. You even stand up on your own now and wobble back and forth before falling down. You babble all the time. You love having conversations with yourself. It is so cute! You have shown a preference for "Elmo's World". You love this part of Seseme Street! No matter where you are in the house, you will race back into the living room when you hear the theme song. You are nursing all the time now. At least once an hour you are crawling up into my lap. I think that it is your way of spending time with me and getting that closeness you need. You are going through a stage right now of needing mama all the time. You cry whenever I'm not around and when you can't see me. We are hoping that this stage passes soon so that Daddy can do things for you. I said in my last letter that you were sleeping better, well that stage has passed!! You wake up a lot at night now for some reason. Hopefully we can go back to sleeping good again soon. Since the weather has been nice, we have been going on walks everynight. Mama puts you in the carrier on her back and you love it! You even fall asleep back there sometimes! It is nice to get out of the house with you.
So sweet boy, 11 months have passed. Only one month left until your first birthday. Mama is busy planning your party and getting ready for this big event. I am looking forward to it, but it will be a bittersweet time. Bitter because I can't believe that a year will have passed in the blink of an eye. And sweet because you have graced our lives with joy and light and I am looking forward to all the years to come. I love you so much Nathan Cole!
Always,
Mama
April has arrived and with it comes warmer weather and lots of rain. You are 11 months old today and growing and changing every day.
You are getting to be so big! You still weigh around 25 lbs. But you are so much more active now. You crawl all over the house and pull up on furniture. You walk all around the couches and chairs. You even stand up on your own now and wobble back and forth before falling down. You babble all the time. You love having conversations with yourself. It is so cute! You have shown a preference for "Elmo's World". You love this part of Seseme Street! No matter where you are in the house, you will race back into the living room when you hear the theme song. You are nursing all the time now. At least once an hour you are crawling up into my lap. I think that it is your way of spending time with me and getting that closeness you need. You are going through a stage right now of needing mama all the time. You cry whenever I'm not around and when you can't see me. We are hoping that this stage passes soon so that Daddy can do things for you. I said in my last letter that you were sleeping better, well that stage has passed!! You wake up a lot at night now for some reason. Hopefully we can go back to sleeping good again soon. Since the weather has been nice, we have been going on walks everynight. Mama puts you in the carrier on her back and you love it! You even fall asleep back there sometimes! It is nice to get out of the house with you.
So sweet boy, 11 months have passed. Only one month left until your first birthday. Mama is busy planning your party and getting ready for this big event. I am looking forward to it, but it will be a bittersweet time. Bitter because I can't believe that a year will have passed in the blink of an eye. And sweet because you have graced our lives with joy and light and I am looking forward to all the years to come. I love you so much Nathan Cole!
Always,
Mama
Friday, April 4, 2008
This time last year...
I was around 34 weeks pregnant with my sweet baby boy! These are the pictures that we had taken during this time. I just love looking at these. I really miss my big belly and having Nathan so close. It is amazing that he is now almost 11 months and crawling all over the house. Just seems so hard to believe that only a year ago I was trying to imgaine what he would look like and what kind of mother I would be.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
More pictures from Easter!
Mama's cutie pie!
My nephew Zach. Trying to figure out how to open the egg!
My sweet little peanut neice, Rylee.Monday, March 31, 2008
In memory of Naudya Jo
March 31st is “Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Day”
This article was written by my dear friend Tanya:
This Birth Defect occurs in 1 in 2,000 births yet is not widely known. With the rate of live births in the United States at 4,115,590 in 2004, this translates to approximately 1,800 live births with the congenital diaphragmatic hernia birth defect. Cystic Fibrosis occurs in 1 in 3,000 live births in the United States, and spina bifida has an occurrence of 7 in 10,000 or 1 in 1,478 live births. Congenital diaphragmatic hernias occur just as often as cystic fibrosis and spina bifida, except congenital diaphragmatic hernias often have fatal results.The reality of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia struck home this past year when Clint and Tanya Gottschalk lost their daughter—They wrote this about their struggle. . . “Look into a new born babies eyes and you can feel hope. Hope for a life filled with love and joy. We too saw hope in our daughter Naudya Jo's eyes when she was born in May 1, 2007. She was diagnosed with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) several months prior to her birth, but no amount of preparation could prepare us for the heartache CDH caused our family. Naudya Jo was put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) at 24 hours old to give her overworked heart and lungs a chance to relax. Nine days later, she had excessive bleeding when being removed from the machine. Emergency surgery was performed and she temporarily stabilized. Before receiving the life saving surgery to repair her diaphragm, she developed pulmonary hypertension. On May 16, 2007 our daughter passed away peacefully in our arms.” Due to the lack of awareness many municipalities, including Kansas and 28 other states, 13 cities, and Mexico have proclaimed March 31st Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness day, with new states and cities being added each day.Why is awareness necessary? The more people that know about CDH and our precious babies, the better chances there will be for improved treatment, stronger support and more research. Breath of Hope, Inc. is leading a nationwide effort to educate the public and help save babies born with CDH. Breath of Hope offers expectant parents information about making the best medical choices for their baby with CDH. They also offer support to parents of survivors and non-survivors. You can show your support by wearing a turquoise ribbon, sharing this article with a friend, passing along information on CDH via e-mail or sending donations to Breath of Hope, Inc., PO Box 6627, Charlottesville, VA 22906. You may also go to www.breathofhopeinc.com for more information on this non-profit organization; or you can contact cdhawareness@breathofhopeinc.com and find out what you can do to help spread awareness for the congenital diaphragmatic hernia birth defect. Help give all babies a chance. Every breath they take, is our breath of hope.
This article was written by my dear friend Tanya:
This Birth Defect occurs in 1 in 2,000 births yet is not widely known. With the rate of live births in the United States at 4,115,590 in 2004, this translates to approximately 1,800 live births with the congenital diaphragmatic hernia birth defect. Cystic Fibrosis occurs in 1 in 3,000 live births in the United States, and spina bifida has an occurrence of 7 in 10,000 or 1 in 1,478 live births. Congenital diaphragmatic hernias occur just as often as cystic fibrosis and spina bifida, except congenital diaphragmatic hernias often have fatal results.The reality of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia struck home this past year when Clint and Tanya Gottschalk lost their daughter—They wrote this about their struggle. . . “Look into a new born babies eyes and you can feel hope. Hope for a life filled with love and joy. We too saw hope in our daughter Naudya Jo's eyes when she was born in May 1, 2007. She was diagnosed with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) several months prior to her birth, but no amount of preparation could prepare us for the heartache CDH caused our family. Naudya Jo was put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) at 24 hours old to give her overworked heart and lungs a chance to relax. Nine days later, she had excessive bleeding when being removed from the machine. Emergency surgery was performed and she temporarily stabilized. Before receiving the life saving surgery to repair her diaphragm, she developed pulmonary hypertension. On May 16, 2007 our daughter passed away peacefully in our arms.” Due to the lack of awareness many municipalities, including Kansas and 28 other states, 13 cities, and Mexico have proclaimed March 31st Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness day, with new states and cities being added each day.Why is awareness necessary? The more people that know about CDH and our precious babies, the better chances there will be for improved treatment, stronger support and more research. Breath of Hope, Inc. is leading a nationwide effort to educate the public and help save babies born with CDH. Breath of Hope offers expectant parents information about making the best medical choices for their baby with CDH. They also offer support to parents of survivors and non-survivors. You can show your support by wearing a turquoise ribbon, sharing this article with a friend, passing along information on CDH via e-mail or sending donations to Breath of Hope, Inc., PO Box 6627, Charlottesville, VA 22906. You may also go to www.breathofhopeinc.com for more information on this non-profit organization; or you can contact cdhawareness@breathofhopeinc.com and find out what you can do to help spread awareness for the congenital diaphragmatic hernia birth defect. Help give all babies a chance. Every breath they take, is our breath of hope.
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