Updates: Website Face Lift and Traveling

     As you can see (and may have noticed) I've been away for a while! Although I've been MIA for about a month, I promise not to leave you empty-handed. I've rolled out a whole new look and feel to the site, added some features, and modified my content. Here's what's new, and what you can expect:

A Whole New Look

     I've given FML(B) a much-needed face lift! Gone are the odd background and boring header. Instead, I have rolled out a much more vibrant and interesting header while implementing a simpler, more straightforward template.

Keep in Touch

     Follow me on Pinterest or Instagram, Join my RSS Feed, or subscribe to receive updates via email. With new social icons up and running properly, it is easier than ever to keep up with FML(B). (Sorry, still no Facebook or Twitter.)

Become a Supporter

     Want to become a supporter of FML(B)? Want free advertising space for your site/blog? Click Here to find out how!

    

Make it From Scratch Mondays

     FML(B) is becoming more food-y! Learn how to make it from scratch- from butter to buttermilk pancakes and much more, making it at home is a lot easier than you may think! This series is rolling out in my effort to eat only things that I can make at home, and will be starting in the next couple weeks. Keep your eyes peeled!

Adventures Overseas

     One place that I wanted to visit badly on my life list- and the place that my husband and I have wanted to go to for even longer- was Vietnam. I can now cross this goal off my list! Stay tuned in the coming weeks for my experiences as I do-and eat- things that I really had no intention of doing or eating. And, as an added bonus, you get to see how much weight I gained after having a baby. Lucky you!

What do you think? Any suggestions? Glitches? Let me know!

Welcoming Lela

Complete: Drop # 7- Have a Child

     Wow! It's been a while since I've posted anything on here!I think a part of me really needed a break for a bit, and just some time to relax before some major life transitions. Regardless of my lame excuses, I'm back! And I am bringing a little half-me along for the journey :-).

The Push

     Lela was way over-baked. She was due May 18th. A week came and passed, and no baby.
Anything over two weeks late is considered a medical condition, so they scheduled me for an induction on May 31st.

     Thankfully, that morning I went in to labor myself. We checked in the hospital at 9:00 A.M., and the nurses decided to admit me (was sent home the day before- false alarm). After they broke my water my contractions increased. It was time to give me the juice.


     Epidural: Epi-Do It!
     
       After my water broke the pain and contractions significantly increased, taking place every three minutes or so. After they gave me the 'juice', no pain. The mood in the room completely changed, and both myself and my husband were much more at ease.

     Around 7:00 things had come to a standstill, and boredom kicked in. Vinh ran down to the store to pick up a pack of cards, and we played games  until it was time for me to start pushing. By 10:51 P.M., we had ourselves a baby girl!

Settling in to Parenthood

      The first night at home was frustrating. Breastfeeding is hard! The poor thing literally didn't get anything from me to eat, and she essentially starved until we decided to go against the advice from the hospital and sub her intake with formula so she would get something to eat (for which we got yelled at for later by the lactation). I'd rather have a happy and full baby than a half-starved one any day. Sure, exclusive breastfeeding is great if it's successful. But I can't be convinced that if mom's supply simply isn't catching up to baby's demand, that it's better to let the baby starve than to give her a bottle. Feedings should be as stress free as possible for both parties. I'll end my little soapbox speech here :-).

     There's still some problems in that area, mostly with falling asleep while feeding or general fussiness. Other than this ongoing difficulty we couldn't ask for much of an easier baby (knock on wood!) She sleeps very well at night and overall is fairly quiet... Unless she's hungry, which she's developed quite a desperate cry for (I would too, after starving my second night in existence).

     Being a new parent  is going to be an incredible adjustment. Here's to the next 18+ years of overcoming the challenges of parenthood as they arise.

Getting in to Grad School

      Well I'm not in yet, but...

      I got an interview! That's half the battle!

So there are two more phases:

1. The Individual Interview
2. The Group Interview

     I am feeling pretty good about this! Although this semester has just started, I already feel like my undergraduate experience is being neatly wrapped up, complete with a little bow.

     I remember when I first started college. I would listen to some of the other students with awe at their vast knowledge of so many things. They were able to pull a wide array of subjects in to nearly any conversation for a fairly interdisciplinary discussion.

     Now I am finding that I am that student. I'm able to incorporate various concepts, explain research, and connect different fields in to my conversations to solidify my argument in a way I never could before. I'm coming across concepts I am already familiar with in my coursework. That makes things so much easier to grasp. Having the ablility to comprehend what the point of an article is without having to struggle as much as I did even two years ago is an amazing feeling!

     My interview is set for crack-of-dawn A.M. the first week of March. I'll find out a couple of weeks after that whether or not I'm accepted. I still have a couple of schools I have to hear back from, but I would love to get in to this particular program!

The Life of a Pregnant College Senior

"Every New Beginning Comes from Some Other Beginning's End"

- Semisonic

     It feels like I am wrapping up so many thing in a four month period! I'm already feeling anxious, disorganized, and unprepared. Most of it, I think, is because there are so many things that are supposed to happen within the next few months, but nothing seems to be written in stone. I'm not one that has to have everything planned all the time but jeez, I need some sort of idea about what's going on when, if at all!

Final Semester

     Clark U, I'm baaack! It's my last semester! And this is what must be the only part of my life I feel organized about right now. Despite the organization, there is a lot that has to be accomplished this semester! Some of them are fairly substantial, so I am already trying to read ahead. No doubt that this may prove to be the biggest resume-building semester of my undergrad career.

1. I'm taking a class on influencing public policy on the state level, which I am really stoked about. I'll be helping in putting together the Family Impact Seminar taking place this Spring in Boston.
2. I'll be presenting group research with other students in my Cultural Psychology class during Academic Spree Day (date not yet announced, usually late April) 
3. I'll have the opportunity to publish a research paper. Hey! That's on my list!

     Looking at it now, it doesn't seem so bad. I think it's just knowing that all of this is happening in such a short amount of time, and during a time where my personal life is completely disorganized. All finals are due May 9th and then graduation from college is May 20th! I'll be able to cross that off the list!

**Note: Also currently working on my applications to Graduate schools-
another goal on my list that needs completing

23 Weeks

Carrying the Peanut

     I've seen quite a few pictures and, for 23 weeks, I'm pretty small. I'm considering myself pretty lucky- I've had no real aches, back pains, leg cramps, etc that a lot of other women experience. The only slight annoyances I've had thus far is swelling of the hands (not feet, though) and a soreness of my upper left leg. I'm probably jinxing myself right now.

     I think the thing that is giving me the most anxiety is not knowing where we're going to be living when baby comes. It's our hope to move back up closer to family, but when? It isn't even something that we can necessarily push- it has to fall in to place at the right time. I'm probably not very anxious about it at all, but the change in hormones have really had an effect on my mood within the past few weeks. The whole first half I was proud of my lack of mood swings and then BAM! I'm mostly trying to recognize when my emotions feel disproportionate to the extent of the issue and then gauge my reaction appropriately. I can't always control the emotion, but I can control my reaction.

     There's a lot going on! I just have to focus on managing my moods and not panicking about upcoming deadlines, and everything will be okay. It's always been, and most likely always will be, mind over matter.

Let's get this party started.

Update: Drop #7- Have a Child

It's a Girl!!!

12wk, Sucking Thumb

       Went to the doctor's today for the 20 week ultrasound. Everything is where it should be, which of course is great. Heartbeat is normal, it has all its fingers and toes etc., sleeps with ankles crossed like its Daddy and oh, yeah, IT is a She!

20 Wk, Spine, Ribs, etc.

      Today I am officially halfway through the pregnancy. Now if only I can maintain feeling this good through the rest of it and I'll be all set! Both Vinh and I are very excited *Insert Smiley Face*. He's already shopping for shackles and a shot gun :-D

Update: Drop #27- Wean Myself from Social Media

     I haven't been on Facebook since mid August, and I can't say that I miss it.

     I've done this Facebook Sabbatical' before, but I've never done it for this long. It's been nearly four months since I've logged in. The reason for this past sabbatical has been so I can maintain focus on real life and my senior year in college without unnecessary distractions. It's been absolutely wonderful, just as my last sabbatical was.

     This sabbatical officially ends Friday, coinciding with the last day of this semester. Today I am going out and buying an old-fashioned pen and paper address book. Yes, if I can remember my password I will log on to Facebook friday, but it's going to be to ask people I actually care to keep in touch with for thier contact information. After that, I'm deleting my Facebook. There's still plenty of ways to keep in touch with the people I care to keep in touch with. Humanity has been successful enough up until this point without social media sites and, although times are changing, that doesn't mean I can't pick and choose what parts of me changes with it.

     I am not God. There is no reason for me to be checking up on what everybody is doing, just like there is no reason for anybody to be checking up on me. By the time spring semester starts up, my Facebook will be deleted.

     New York Times wrote an article yesterday about other 'Facebook Resisters'. It isn't a particularly persuasive article, but it provided me just enough food for thought to basically solidify the decision I already made about my own usage on the site. There is a link to the site below:




Photo Courtesy Steve Dykes for The New York Times

To visit article, click here

 

Update: Various Comments About Various Things

     I have recently decided that my bucket list is pretty boring. Do I really want to live a boring life? Why aren't there more adventurous, exciting things on this list? Why don't I want to swim with sharks or see the seven natural wonders of the world? Shouldn't I be aspiring to climb Mount Kilimanjaro or submarine down to the wreck that was once the Titanic?

     I thought about it a little bit more, and really I don't need all that much in my life. I don't have the desire to fly to the moon or spend thousands of dollars traveling the world. Yes, I do have certain places that I would love to visit and certain things that I would love to do, but I guess the reason why I want to do these things aren't just so I could say that I did it. It's moreso because that experience is going to mean something to me once I do get around to it. I guess it's the underlying reason for accomplishing something rather than the accomplishment itself that provides a sense of accomplishment.

     Regardless, I decided to stop being such a dried up prune and update my list to make it a bit more interesting. I had a lot of help from some other people's lists, but honestly not much. I guess I am not a risk-taker. Anyways, they are drops 49 to 56.

     Also a little bit about how I recently changed the blog, if there is anybody out there (?). Those items on the bucket list which are completed are now hyperlinked to the blog where I talk about thier completion. A bit of technical awesomeness on my part :-). In addition, I also made my background less depressing. That is all for now!

Update: Summer

     This summer was a complete waste of time. I suppose that's what happens, though, when you let your mind get away from you. Anyways, I didn't really get a lot accomplished on this list... nothing even close to what I wanted to do. But, it's fall semester now, and it's time to refocus myself and remember my goals in life. So, here's an update on what I wanted to accomplish vs. what I actually did accomplish:

1. Paint a really incredible painting- I would have been happy with a simple rough draft of this. Didn't happen. 

2. Catch up on all my bills- Got some of this accomplished, no thanks to me.

8. Learn Vietnamese- Didn't learn any Vietnamese this summer.

13. Have a successful garden- I had good intentions with this! Unfortunately I was gone way too much this summer so my garden went from growing successfully to a weed garden. 
15. Become fluent in Spanish- Nope

18. Cut my hair short and give it to a hair charity- I wanted to do this over the summer, but my best friend is getting married next September and I'm the maid of honor. She wants me to keep my hair long for the wedding. She's right- long hair for weddings is so pretty :-). I'll cut it in a year or so.

32. Go scuba diving- I did this!!!! Completed!!! Did it in St. John USVI and it was amazinggggg.....
33. Jump off a cliff in to water- It isn't too late to do this, but I don't think I'll be getting to it this summer....
40. Read the Bible (Including old testament) and Quran. - Yeah.... No.......

41. Send a postcard in to PostSecret- Actually I think I will make the time to do this in the next week or so. Haven't done it yet though

     Soooooo That's what I accomplished from my list this summer.... basically nothing. Very disappointed in myself. But, Like I said before, I just need to refocus. Update next week.

Update: Drop # 38: Get Rid of this Horrible Acne Once and for All! (as well as reference to drops 13, 28 and 38)

     I am not about to post any before/after pictures or anything like that... And all you lovely negative people who are holding back secret feelings of schadenfreude at my misfortunate skin, keep your mouths shut! Ever since I stopped working at my previous job, my skin has taken an almost immediate turn for the better. It's kind of amusing, really. I am assuming that the stress from working at that place had quite an impact on me. Although it isn't clear all the way, I am positive that there was no way of repairing or trying to get rid of the stress-reduced acne except, of course, reducing the stress. And, I am also convinced that there was no reducing the stress and strain that my previous job put on me without simply not working there anymore.

     On a somewhat related note, although it was not necessarily my choice to leave my previous job (although I could easily argue it was, and I can present such argument if anybody would care to hear. I'll just assume at this point that nobody really does), not working there anymore has really injected an incredible amount of positiveness and productivity in to my life. If I was still working there is a good probability that I would not have had time to start my garden (which I did this past sunday), do half the papers I have had to turn in, or start my volunteer job I have going on now. Really, the acne relief is an unexpected benefit. The benefit to my schoolwork alone is enough to be satisfied.

     But, enough about all this. Let me just sign off this week by stating that the main source of my unwanted acne has been eliminated. With a little bit of acne medication and perhaps an increase in my consumption of water, hopefully it will clear up...!

... Just don't STRESS ME OUT! :-)

Update: Drops 26, 27 and 39

     My Facebook Sabbatical thus far has been a success. Granted, it's only been about five days, but hey- I can only make the days go by so fast! Plus, I have to post either today or tomorrow to show progress on drop 39. I have to say, though, I am really very much so enjoying my sabbatical. How nice it is not to have to pay attention to everybody's sob stories and excuses for not living for the day! I know what you may be thinking, perhaps... Nobody makes you partake in all of the drama that is the world of social media. Well, of course not. Hence the Sabbatical. But, really, just by logging on and going down the 'newsfeed', glancing at what's on the mind of various friends and acquaintances both old and new, I am convinced that whether it is known or not, it does have an effect on your daily do-ings (if you will...). The very first day, I just felt such positive-ness, almost (it felt like) in the form of a sense of relief. I still occasionally feel like logging on, yes. But I am convinced that the longer I continue on my Sabbatical the better I will feel, the more positive I will be, and I don't know that I will even bother with it again. Don't quote me at this point, though :-).

     As far as my organization and an attempt at becoming a neat freak... I am trying. I think this is something that may take a long time to adjust to. I am taking it slow, and have started out with my wallet/purse. I am trying to keep all things that belong in a wallet actually in the wallet rather than pockets, floating in huge purse, etc. It's kind of floundering right now; it has its ups and downs. On a related note, I took my spring break to do the typical clean out the living space routine. My question is... Is it really supposed to stay as neat as when I cleaned it? It's amazing how little effort it takes to really mess this place up. What am I supposed to do, run around with paper towels and disinfectant everywhere?

     And, although the house is currently clean, the basement has flooded from all the melting snow. It's only about three inches, really, but now damp basement smell is coming up into the house. Yuck.

Update: Drop #27: Wean Myself from Social Media

Facebook Sabbatical

     Let's be honest; this weaning thing just isn't going to work. I think there's a good argument in support of technology as an addiction. It's amazing how many times I see people checking thier phones just to see if there's anything to respond to.

     I was listening to NPR on my way home from work one night (yes, I do partake in National Public Radio... I'm a bit of a loser hehe). The guest, an expert on something or another pertaining to this issue- I can find the source if anybody's interested in learning more- was talking about just this topic. Basically, his concept of why people cannot wean themselves from social media or technology may be explainable partially due to our innate desire to not be bored. That is, every time we go to check these things, a little shot of adreneline rushes to our head from the prospect of something special being there, waiting for us to read it. Usually, yes, it ends up being junkmail. However, the prospect that we'll get a message from an old friend, perhaps, or even something announcing good news or fortune. Therefore, when we pick up that device, we are searching for that rush of adrenaline to relieve the boredom. Yes, I can see how this makes sense. I wouldn't attach my name to this theory just yet, but it's plausable.

     So, I have decided that there's no weaning off of social media; I just have to give it up. So, I'm going on a Facebook Sabbatical. This Sabbatical is going to last me anywhere from two months to a year. No Facebook. It's coming off my phone also. With help from others, I have come to the conclusion that although social media is a great virtual 'phonebook' so that you can easily contact someone when needed, it's a horrible communication tool. While it promotes openness of ideas, concepts, and a freedom to share your voice, it does so with undertones of ignorance, hate, and misunderstanding. How easy is it to say things to somebody you would never say to thier face on 'face'book? It's very easy, of course. How many hours does the average person spend a day on social media and the likes? Spring's coming, anyways, and I wanted to start a garden...

     Anyways, starting tomorrow (ironically, Facebook's self-proclaimed 'Day of Peace') I'm done for a while. Ideally, I hope this Sabbatical allows me to take some time to clear my mind and rid myself of the evil-ness that can occur as a result of text-on-a-bright-screen. When it ends, I would hope that the ultimate result would be a minimal relationship with social media, if a relationship at all. So, I might be updating this a lot more now... either out of boredom or accomplishment... Hopefully it's the latter!

Update: Multiple Drops

     So, I'm sure everybody is just dying to be updated at this point on my progress on completing my bucket list, especially the drops which I have already discussed. I can cut the anticipation with a butter knife. Well, let me just tell you exactly how I'm progressing thus far.

     Oh wait... I'm not.

     Surprise surprise. I am speaking exclusively to what I had decided to focus on first.

     To be more precise, I have yet to totally commit to getting back down to my ideal weight of 130lbs. I haven't even committed to drinking an appropriate amount of water on a daily basis, never mind eating more fruits and veggies or (heaven forbid) getting into a decent workout habit. Nope, not feeling it in the cards anytime in the near future.

     As for my organization skills? I did organize my purse, and I am attempting to keep receipts either in the trash or in my wallet. It's just so easy to stuff whatever it is (ID, bank card) in my jacket pocket. Coincidentally, it seems as if everything I put in my jacket pocket has a natural tendency to wander on roads, classrooms, wherever. In other words, it FALLS OUT, and then I fail miserably at locating whatever the item is. Regardless, I have been keeping up with this drop the most. Honestly, if it was public knowledge at how little effort I have been putting into the simple task of keeping my purse/immediate self organized, it would speak LEVELS to the amount of effort other drops have been getting. Ah, well....

     Social Media? This seems to be getting MORE attention now that I have made and put this on my bucket list. Perhaps it is due to the lack of effort needed to access such sites as Facebook. With two touches of the screen, I am automatically connected to everybody I never bother to see or really keep in touch with anymore. I learn so much about people I barely knew just by those two little touches of my touchscreen portable device. If you're even reading this blog, it says something about your connection to the virtual world. I can conclude you either accessed this blog in one of two ways:
     1. Through me letting you know of a random update through the FB... orrr.....
     2. Quite randomly and most likely in error

     With that said, I have other drops well underway. There isn't much value in discussing them preliminarily, however, so I won't make a post until they are official and complete :-). Hope good weather is coming your way, wherever you may be from.