Welcom Laney Jo

On September 24, 2013 we welcomed a beautiful healthy baby girl.

Scheduled C- Section due to baby measuring large

Last picture of pregnant me!!

Daddy is ready to go!

 

Laney Jo Brose
7 pounds 13 ounces
20 inches
12:32pm

Turns out she was a lot littler than we were expecting! But she did have a big chubby face! And some rolls on her legs, you know the kind that you just wanna squeeze, ya that's been a hard thing to fight lately!

And did I mention the hair....Oh the hair!!! The nurses were obsessed with her hair, they kept putting bows in it and anytime she would make a noise they would hurry to pick her up so they could use that as an excuse to pick her up and play with her and her hair! 

And those cheeks....OMG!!!!! Between the cheeks, the rolls, and the hair! It's impossible not to spoil her and squeeze her as much as possible!

 

My mom watched Tegan for us while we were in the hospital (And Aunt Cindy helped too!! Thank God for my family!!!) She waited until the 2nd day we were in the hospital to bring Tegan up to the hospital to visit us and meet her new sister. I was still getting over the surgery and working on getting feeling back in my legs, plus I was in some pain that night so the 2nd day was better.

 

When they met it was adorable. Tegan didn't quite understand what was going on. She wanted us to come home with her which was the hard part, explaining to her that we still had a few days we had to be away from her while mommy healed and they checked out her sister.

 

Tegan couldn't believe the baby had so much hair!

Love at first site and a life long friendship <3

Laney bought Tegan a few presents for their first meeting!





It was so much fun getting to have Laney to play dress up with, that hair and her being so tiny, I changed her outfits and hair bows constantly!!

We stayed our regular 3 days in the hospital for a C-Section. I really wasn't ready to go home, it was so nice being taken care of and having every want or need waited on by someone else. The reality of coming home was a bummer to say the least but, it did mean that I was going to have both my babies under the same roof though (which was the scariest part of all I think!) I snuggled Laney as much as possible at the hospital but definitely enjoyed all the help from the nurses.

 Idk if I'm ready to go home but... I better get ready! :)

 

Slacker

Some serious slacking on my part has been going on. If you can't tell by the lack of posts :-/

This pregnancy has been a roller coaster to say the least. I have had extreme migraines and body aches! I am not all "holistic" or anything by any means but I do SWEAR BY peppermint extract! It has helped so much with the migraines and even little headaches, a little dab on my temples and back of my neck right at the hair line and viola no more headache!! Round ligament pain, a dab on the area and viola no more ache! Lower back pain, a little dab and....well you get the idea! This stuff is absolutely amazing!!

Thank God for our chiropractor also! Mitchellville Family Chiropractic is pretty amazing! I swear by Chiropractic visits especially when pregnant! {SIDE NOTE}--When I had Tegan it was amazing to me how easy my pregnancy was after I started going to the chiropractor. And labor....so smooth and easy! The day of Tegan's birth I went into labor at 8A.M., saw the ob and was told I was almost thinned out all the way but still wasn't dilated enough to need to go to the hospital. Ate some greasy McDonald's (I know smart huh!!) and then went to the chiropractor. Yes you heard correct! I was dilated to a 4 90% thinned and having contractions and I went to the chiropractor! Kari Swain (Swain Chiropractic in Altoona, IA) is one of the most amazing women/Dr's I have ever met in my life! She is so insightful and helpful and flat out AMAZING!!! she adjusted me (As well as she could in a standing position) and gave me a couple exercises to do when I got home to help drop baby down into ready, set, go position and to thin me out completely and start the "bringing home baby" process. Came home did these exercises and went back to the ob after an hour. He took 1 look and said to get to the hospital. Once there things changed...hinse having a C-section.. :-(-- Needless to say when I found out I was pregnant this time I instantly called the chiropractor {SIDE NOTE}--Had to start going to Mitchellville Chiropractic due to a change in our insurance and Swain chiropractic doesn't take our new insurance. And paying out of pocket and then fighting the insurance company myself....not happening! So we still love Kari and Alicia and all their staff but had to go within range of our insurance!-- This pregnancy has been by far worse then my first but thanks to the chiro I feel good enough to not want to crawl in bed under my covers and remain in the fetal position for the remainder of this pregnancy!

On another note...We are 31 weeks pregnant today.
Everyone's favorite question: "What are you having"
With Tegan we told instantly even had our parents there with us to find out at the time we did. This time we want to keep it a secret. It has a few family members pretty crabby but honestly that just makes me want to keep it a secret that much more! We were going to do a reveal party but after seeing how bent out of shape people got we decided to keep it a secret until birth. :)

Work out! For the Prego you!

No marathon session necessary — two 15-minute walks on Monday (even if it's to the post office and back), followed by a yoga class on Tuesday, a pregnancy-aerobics tape at home on Wednesday, lather, and repeat.

So excited to start this! Especially now that the weather is getting nicer!!

BIIIG NEWS FOR THE BROSE FAMILY

Well we have known for awhile but we have just told all the family and friends and WORLD!!!

Yep that is right!! Were expecting! And we couldn't be more excited! Now to just get a hold on my to do list before this one arrives! and that list is oh so big!!

A must buy!!

Ok moms! We all know all too well how it is to have a kid that wants to ride on your back or shoulders and how painful it can be! Strains your neck something terrible Right?? Here is the answer you have been looking for!

The Piggyback Rider distributes the weight evenly, and they are strapped to you with a harness so it is also super safe and you will both be comfortable!

It is for kids 2.5 and older and holds 60 pounds!!

Prices range but mainly around $80

you can find it at http://piggybackrider.com/

**Live, Laugh, Love--and ALWAYS kiss me Good night**

Let's talk DAYCARE!!!

I own an In Home Daycare and I am also the mother of a 2 year old. Parents trust me to not only keep their children safe and get them to and from school on time, but also to feed them healthy square meals, to make sure they are not being bullied or being bullies themselves!! But unlike most in home daycare's I offer tutoring for children of all ages, I offer frequent ft days that also teach the kids something along with being fun. But I live in a small town that is out of the way from the "Big Cities" so the number of kids are limited and in my small town there are at least 6 daycare's, all of which are in home as well. Unfortunately for me many have been in business for longer then I have been alive! Or living in this town. So, I may be extremely safe and qualified but I', out voted and over looked and kids are being "watched" not educated or CARED for!! There is a VERY big difference between being cared for and being"watched!!

Even more as a mom I know how picky I am about who I let care for y child, so I know other parents feel the same way and I try to adhere to what they want and need in a daycare provider. The following is excerpts from Parents Magazines Article 'The Child-Care crisis' by Sharlene Johnson You can find the whole article here... http://www.parents.com/baby/childcare/child-care-crisis/

There is nothing more important to a working parent than knowing her child is in a good child-care situation. Good child care often costs more than families can afford. A recent survey of Parents readers who use child care, 84% said that finding affordable, quality care is either a challenge, very hard, or IMPOSSIBLE!! 66% of parents think the lack of access to child care is a serious problem--to which I totally agree!!-- Particularly in this economy, parents face tough choices.

Having a full-time stay-at-home parent simply isn't a reality for most families anymore. 23% of moms and 3% of dads stay home full-time with their kids, according to the latest U.S Census data. Resulting in nearly 11 MILLION children under 5 years of age being in some type of child care each week. Around 40% of those are in the care of grandparents, or other relatives, or friends. 30% of children attend a child-care center, Head start, or preschool, and 15% go to a in-home Daycare.

No one wants to settle for someone who simply will "watch" their kids, given what we know about the amount of brain development and learning that occurs in the early years.

Early Childcare and Education as one concept?? It is important to have loving caregivers who know how to organize the day so that the children are engaged and excited to be there.
Parents would be shocked to realize that there are no federal standards for quality and safety in child care, only a mishmash of inconsistent state laws.

Cost of child care increased twice as fast as the median income of families since 2000--per Child Care Aware of America.-- annual fees range from $3,900 to $15,000 depending on a child's age--Infant care is more expensive. Even when family/friends help with child care you still pay for it. Fuel, travel, time etc. are all spent when you have relatives, friends care for your children. Nothing is free.

Even when couples need 2 incomes it may not be worth it for both partners to work. The pressures are even greater on single-parent families, and the situation is harder for low-income households. $10 Billion per year is spent by state and federal governments for low-income families through the Child care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), but only about 1 out of 6 kids who qualify for assistance receives it and many states have long waiting lists for vouchers. Funding for child care has never been a national priority!

As much as the cost of care varies, so does the quality!! Most states earned a failing grade in the most recent report. 16 states don't require lead teachers in centers to have a high-school diploma, and only 21 states insist that caregivers have any child-development training. A home daycare can have a dozen children and not need a license. Some states exempt those in churches or other religious building from any oversight.

The ratio of adults to children is important (experts recommend at least 1 adult for every 4 babies or 10 pre-schoolers) But numbers are not the key to quality. Kids need to be in an environment that supports all aspects of their development--social,emotional,intellectual, and physical-- Something as simple as responding to a babbling baby can have a profound impact on his language skills. The facility matters too--Children need space to play and explore.

Despite there critical role child-care workers earn little respect and their paycheck is about $21,000 a year! You can have an amazing staff member who is a natural with kids, but she has to quit because she can't afford to pay her bills on her salary! Staff turnover is hard on your children, they become attached to their caregivers and having them change frequently is harmful to their feelings and learning abilities also.

Experts are increasingly concerned about health and safety issues. It is important for staff to be trained in First-Aid as well as CPR along with safe-sleeping practices, and child-abuse prevention. Only 8 states require that caregivers in licensed centers and family child-care homes have a comprehensive background check, including a fingerprint check against state and FBI records, as well as a check of sex-offender and child-abuse registered. Stricter regulations are being implemented but only AFTER a tragedy occurs. Inspections of these facilities should also be regular and MANDATORY!!

The Child Care and Development Block grant hasn't been updated since 1996! There is limited financial help available for middle-income families, who can not qualify for state or federal assistance and even if they receive the grant it barely offsets a small fraction of the fees parents have to pay! As part of his Fiscal Year 2013 budget, President Obama proposed to increase the amount next year to 35% of qualified expenses up to $3,000 for one child and $6,000 for 2 or more children in a family that makes less than $75,000 a year.

Imagine if all the child care centers closed for a week. EVERYTHING would come to a screeching halt! But you don't hear people talking about us as if we are critical to the functions of society.

**Live, Laugh, Love--and ALWAYS kiss me Good night**