Hey guys! I know it's been quite a while since my last post, which was my letter to my future daughter. Well, who would've thought that she'd be born just 5 days later, a whopping 10 weeks early!
This is Miss Olivia about a week after she was born. I wasn't able to hold her for a while because she had so many wires attached to her and she had a tube down her throat helping her breathe.
This is a more recent picture of her when she didn't need the cpap machine anymore, and nasal canulas were the replacement. She still had a feeding tube down her throat too, which she was always tugging at trying to take it out (she was successful quite a few times).
This was taken just a couple days ago. She sleeps EXACTLY like me, so I had to take this picture. Her feeding tube is now through her nose and they keep lowering the amount of oxygen she needs, which is fantastic. She's doing so much better considering her traumatic birth.
I don't think I mentioned her full name yet, and it's Olivia Penelope Curran. She is seriously the sweetest baby ever, even though she had a pretty rough start in life. We knew before she was born that she would have a heart condition that will require surgery, as well as Down Syndrome. She was 3 pounds, 10 ounces at birth, which I was told is a great weight for only being 30 weeks and 2 days along. She is finally just past her birth weight and is slowly getting bigger and stronger everyday.
She has a very long road ahead of her, and will be in the NICU for quite a while. Sometimes plans definitely don't go as planned, and we were so scared at her being born 10 weeks early. I wanted to mention in this post that I have also set up a GoFundMe page for her. We luckily have good insurance that will cover everything medically, but between all the trips to the hospital and my husband still having to work 50-60 hours a week, we've been spending so much money on gas and food just to be able to see her, and we still need a ton of baby things since I had to cancel my baby shower. She will eventually be transferred to a better hospital for her surgery, but that hospital is well over an hour away from us. We won't be able to see her as often when she is transferred, and we want to try our best, but are starting to not be able to afford much. If anyone would like to donate anything or even just share her page, it would mean the world to us. The money donated will be going towards the baby supplies we'll need when she comes home, gas and food. Again, here is the link to her page. Any prayers and positive thoughts are more than welcome as well :)
My Dearest Olivia, I can't believe in just two and a half more months you will be here. It's been quite the journey having you in my tummy. We found out early on that you may have Down Syndrome, and then a couple months after that we were told you have a heart condition that will require surgery when you're no older than 4 months. To say that Mommy and Daddy aren't scared and nervous is a lie. I am scared that you might have developmental delays, and I am scared that you're going to need surgery so young. We just want you to be okay.
Do you know that you have a big brother? His name is Aiden and we found out about him in the Summer of 2015. We unfortunately never got to meet him, as Heaven needed another angel much too soon. He would've been born the month before we found out about you! You have a very special angel watching over you, making sure you're going to arrive safely. I miss Aiden terribly and you will grow up knowing he is always with you.
Despite everything Daddy and I have been through, we both love you so much already and can't wait to see your beautiful face when you arrive. We already know from pictures that you look like Daddy, and I can't wait to see the bond you two will have. He's always saying how excited he is to finally meet you and can't wait to hold you. I hope you can hear him when he's talking to you.
No matter what happens, we are always going to love and support you through everything in life. I'm excited to see if you'll like beauty products like I do, or be a gamer like Daddy and play Minecraft and watch Game Grumps with him. You are our little miracle and we wouldn't change that for the world. We love you so much Miss Olivia, or Oli as your Dad likes to call you, and we can't wait to see the person you become.
*Disclosure* This post is sponsored by Derma E. All opinions are 100% honest and my own like always!
Hey guys! I have some exciting news from Derma E for you today. They are going to be launching new packaging starting Sepetember 2016 through March 2017, and I have to say, I really feel this is a wonderful change the brand is doing.
The packaging on the left is the older packaging. To me, it's nice but very medical looking. When I'm in-store looking at products, it's not really something that stands out to me.
The packaging on the right is the newer, fresher look. I have to say, I absolutely love it! It's calming, relaxing, and definitely something I would pick up in the store.
You might be wondering if formulas are changing as well, and they are most definitely not! All products will still be the same great formula we all know and love, just in a newer, updated packaging.
You may have already seen a few products in the newer packaging, like the Hydrating, Anti-Wrinkle line, Firming, and their best selling Microdermabrasion Scrub and Overnight Peel. I'm a big fan of the Microdermabrasion Scrub, and their Hydrating line is amazing for my oily skin in the colder months.
I love both of the products pictured above. The Day Creme is great for day or night (for my skin at least), and I feel the Night Cream has a bit of extra hydration for the super dry skin types.
As I stated above, the new packaging is rolling out slowly with the first products being the ones I already mentioned in September, and slowly introducing the others through March 2017. Derma E is available in Ulta, Whole Food's, Sprouts and Target.
I, for one, am very excited for this relaunch. I've gotten the chance to try a few different products of theirs in the past, and now with the new packaging, I feel like it's more spa-like and calming, which is definitely something I love. With a new baby on the way, I'll have to be sure and take some pampering time, and Derma E will definitely be included in that!
Hey everyone! I know I normally do my monthly favorites before my empties, but honestly, I don't really have any favorites to share! I was lazy again and didn't wear makeup at all. I have been better with my skin, though I haven't been using many new products, and it was a pretty crazy month overall. So, I'm instead just continuing with my empty products!
Starting off with the few skincare products, I used up two different sheet masks. The first one is from When, and it's their The Last Choice mask. I've gotten a little more into sheet masks lately now that I know how to use them better, and the When brand is pretty great. I also used up a Pur~Lisse Blue Lotus + White Tea mask. I had gotten two or three in a previous Ipsy bag, and this was my last one. I really liked this one too, but I don't think I'd go out and purchase myself.
I used up a deluxe sample of the Shiseido Ibuki Gentle Cleanser as well, and this cleanser is freaking amazing! It gives me that squeaky clean feeling, which I know not many people like, but in the Summer when my skin is super oily, this comes in handy. This tiny tube lasted ages too because you only need the tiniest amount to get the job done.
I have a few bath and shower products as well. My husband and I both used the St. Ives Rich & Creamy Vanilla Body Wash, and we both enjoyed it! It lathers up really well, smells amazing, and is pretty inexpensive.
I've been working through my Bath & Body Works handsoaps, and this Sugared Vanilla Wish scent is to die for! I wish I had 50 backups of this stuff honestly, but B&BW handsoaps are too expensive in my book, even during a sale, so once I use up what I have, I'll be moving on.
The Garnier Olia After Color Conditioner came in a boxed hair color from ages ago, and I just never used it up until last month. I love Garnier hair products but I don't care much with coloring my hair anymore. The Olia line of haircolor is fantastic, though!
Lastly is a few random products. I had gotten the Secret Clinical Strength as a sample, and I really do like this. It dries down and doesn't leave a white residue on your clothing, and it smells nice too!
I pretty much exclusively used the Bausch+Lomb Renu Fresh Contact Solution, as it's the only kind that doesn't make my eyes burn. It's rare I wear my contacts anymore, unless I'm going out. I tend to stick with my glasses.
Technically I didn't use up the two vitamins pictured, but I had to get rid of them. They both contain Folic Acid, and I found out I can't take folic acid, I need folate. Folic acid is the synthetic version of folate, and my body can't break it down like others can, and being pregnant, I need the folate to help keep my baby healthy. The Super B-Complex is by Nature Made, and the Prenatal Vitamin is by The Wellbeing Centre.
Number of products used up: 10 Total for the year: 113
October and cooler weather is finally here, and I couldn't be more excited! Fall is my favorite season, and I'm also nearly 29 weeks pregnant so the heat we were having was not good to me. I always start the month off going over my goals from the last month, and then telling you all what my goals are for the new month.
Goals from September
- Finish the one book I started back in August: Big fat fail over here! I'm just about halfway through it at this point.
- Go out on a date with my husband: YES! Our 3 year wedding anniversary was September 21st, so we went out for a lunch date to Olive Garden. I can never get enough of their unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks!
- Donate more to Purple Heart: Sort of! I've been getting more things together to donate and so far I have three big trash bags worth, and I have a pickup scheduled for later this month.
- Use up 10 beauty products: I just looked in my empties bag, and there are exactly 10 products! Woohoo! They're not all entirely beauty/makeup, but I have a few healthcare things as well, which counts in my book!
Goals for October
- Get more baby stuff set up. My husband and I have very recently started getting baby stuff together for when Olivia arrives. We had some amazing things that were very kindly given to us, and more kind people are giving us stuff soon, plus my baby shower is in a couple weeks! We're gonna be loaded but I need to get my booty into gear and have it all set up and organized. At least the crib is put together!
- Clean and declutter our home more. You all know I've been on a decluttering kick in all aspects of my life. I've gotten rid of countless things, and thrown away junk I hadn't used or cared about in years. This week and last week alone, I went through about 10 trash bags worth of stuff to throw away, and it's like a breath of fresh air.
- Take better care of myself. This is kind of broad, but since I'm now in the third trimester, I need to take the time to really take care of myself. Sometimes I feel like a chicken with its head cut off when I'm cleaning, throwing junk away, putting donation bags together, etc., and I know alot of my aches and pains are due to that. I also have been very bad again with not taking care of my skin, and I didn't wear makeup at all in September. I need to have more nights where I take a nice shower, pamper myself with a face mask, and REST!
- Post at least 3 times a week. I had an original goal of posting Monday's, Wednesday's, and Fridays. I was good the first full week in September, then it was very sporadic. I think with everything going on and me in hardcore nesting mode, this little blog has gotten neglected. So, even if I don't do the Monday, Wednesday, Friday thing, if I can aim to post 3 days a week, I'll be proud of myself.
Well that's everything! What are some of your goals for this month?
