Christmas...on a budget? Aw Man!

This Christmas is proving to be a tough one. Steven has been unemployed for almost 2 months now and we are on a very limited income. Of course, bills and baby necessities come first, and I have been doing my best to get Carter a few Christmas gifts here and there. Being the shopaholic that I am, I wish I could just go into BRU and do some serious damage. Instead, I have been relying on sales and coupons. I am determined to get the most for my money so Carter can still have a great Christmas.

First, I got him this because I think every little boy needs one. I also got him a few of the these as well. When I went to JC Penny last week, I grabbed him an outfit for $7.99...it is something he can wear to church, so that is nice. This week, I went to Toys R Us with a $5 off coupon and $5 in "R Us Dollars". I got him this, this, and these for about $30. When I get paid next, I am going back to get him this and this. Hopefully, I can line up a few Christmas Card photo shoots when my new equipment gets here, that way I can throw in a few more things along with some more clothes.

Although I am all about the shopping right now, I have not by any means lost the real meaning of Christmas. I know that we are blessed to have what we have...and most importantly, I am so thankful for a happy, healthy baby and a husband that loves me more than life itself. No matter what the circumstances, we will make this Christmas the best ones we've ever had!

New Moon Premiere

Steven and I had a blast at the New Moon premiere last night. We put Carter down around 8:30, and my mom stayed with him while we were gone. We left the house at 11:00, went to Dunkin' Donuts for coffee...it was late...then headed to the theatre. When we got there, we had to wait in line, even though we had already purchased tickets. There were hundreds of teenagers talking all sorts of "Edward vs. Jacob" drama...then there was me, 27 years old, wearing my "Forks High School" T-shirt. I'm a dork.

The movie was amazing! The issue with the 1st Twilight movie was that it didn't live up to the book. It was almost disappointing to people. In my opinion, New Moon the book was very boring. I actually kept having to re-start it because I couldn't even remember what I had previously read. I finally broke down and downloaded the audiobook. That made it slightly easier to get through. The movie was wayyyyyyy better than the book! What a relief!

What did Steven think? His first words when we walked out of the theatre..."Eclipse comes out June 30th...I'm already counting down." And people call me the dork!!

I love my husband.

Wordless Wednesday

Fight for Preemies

Today is Prematurity Awareness Day.

Please visit the March of Dimes website to learn more about how you can spread the word.

I ♥ Faces Entry - "Autumn Beauty"

This week at I ♥ Faces, the theme is "Autumn Beauty". After searching high and low for the perfect setting, I realized how ugly fall is here this year. Luckily, I took this picture of Carter at the Fall Festival on our last trip to New York...

Today, I went to the camera store and ordered a bunch of new stuff...I am hoping to make money taking pictures very soon, so I got everything I needed to do so. My prized possession of everything I got is my Tamron 18-270mm lens.

In my opinion, it is the Rolls Royce of wide angle lenses!! I also got a 50mm at the urging of some friends...for portraits. I got my studio light kit and a few other accessories as well. Hopefully, I will have it all by this time next week! Fingers crossed! Then its watch out Carter-man...the mom-arazzi just hit the jackpot!

A miracle occurred yesterday...my lovely mother-in-law sent us an early anniversary gift and saved the day...

With our financial situation, we were thinking we wouldn't be going to the New Moon premiere at all. But now, we have our tickets and they are safely tucked into my wallet...snug as a bug in a rug! Steven and I are actually going on a date!! I am thinking I will make a nice romantic dinner Thursday evening since he will probably be hunting in West Virginia on our actual anniversary (next Thursday). Seriously...it can't come fast enough! We are both huge Twilight fans and we're so excited about the premiere!

My Poor Sick Baby

Carter is still sick. I feel awful about it. We've been doing everything we can to keep him comfortable. At night, we keep the humidifier and vapor fan going. We are still trying to stick to the "Operation Night Night" rules, which is very hard. I keep reminding myself that it is better for him to be in there than with us where the air is dry and non-vapory. I just hope he gets better soon. Although he has been sick, he still obliges to pose for the mom-arazzi! I love him...

Play Ball!

Video Update!

Even though Carter has been sick for the last few days, we're still having fun!! And Mr. Carter is finally ready to learn how to walk!!

Butchino Family Update

OK..."Operation Night-Night" is going well. Last night, Carter went to bed at 7pm. He cried for 3 minutes then fell asleep. He woke up around 8:30, cried for 27 minutes, then gave up and fell back to sleep. He woke up again for about 10 minutes at 1:15. My only thought is that 7 was a bit too early to put him down because he woke up at 5:30 ready to rock n roll! Tonight, we will adjust our schedule. 6:30 - Dinner, 7:00 - Bath, 7:30 - Playtime/Snuggle time, 8:00 - Story time, 8:15-8:30 - Bed. I am hoping this will allow him to sleep a bit later in the morning.

As far as our family issues, we are doing OK. Steven is still searching for a job, but we are making ends meet, by the grace of God. I have a couple photography jobs coming up that will definitely help us out. Unfortunately, we have had to give up some of the "fun" family things that we do, but it is giving us the opportunity to find some things we can do that are free. We have been spending a lot of time hanging out with friends and letting the kids play. My house is also immaculate because I now have a live-in nanny to keep Carter busy while I clean. LOL, Steven and Carter are two peas in a pod and it is so fun to watch them play. Sometimes I think I have 2 kids!! I am so blessed!

Baby #2 is still in the making. After discussing everything, we decided to continue with the Clomid for now. Obviously, we will not be financially set to pay for a frozen embryo transfer if the Clomid does not work, but we are trying to stay optimistic about that. I am on Day 7 of my Provera, then I will begin round 2 of Clomid. It is in God's hands as always, and we are cool with that! Please keep us in your prayers.

Steven and my anniversary is coming up in a couple weeks. As our present to each other, we got my mom to take Carter overnight on the 19th so we can go to dinner and then to the midnight premiere of New Moon. I am pre-ordering our tickets this week. We are both pretty big Twilight fans, so it will be a great night out for us. We are very excited!!

Today is Sunday...Football Sunday! Unfortunately, I am expecting a sad Fantasy loss to my brother-in-law since most of my good players are off this week. Oh well...at least the Browns can't lose this week, since they aren't playing! That ought to make for a positive week for me! Now...if I could just get Steven to install the cupboard locks that have been sitting in the kitchen for 2 weeks!!

Operation Night-Night

We are re-do'ing Night 1 of "Operation Night-Night", also known as "Mission: Carter Sleeps All Night". We attempted 2 nights ago, until we went in to check on a hysterically screaming baby who happened to have his leg stuck between the rungs of his crib. Steven almost had to take the crib apart to get him out! Ugh!! Last night, we had dinner with friends, so we were off-schedule. We decided to re-do the order of events tonight...6:00 - Dinner, 6:30 - Bath, 7:00 - Bed. Last time we tried, he cried for 35 minutes before we went in. Even then, we ended up rocking him to sleep. Tonight, we put him in his crib and he cried for 3 minutes!! Now, we still aren't in the clear since we are not allowed to go in his room when he wakes up. Although I do feel much better knowing that our hard work is paying off!

Keep the prayers coming that we can maintain the strength to do this and that it is a short journey to a full night's sleep.

12 Month Well Visit

Steven and I took Carter to the pediatrician today. He weighs 18 pounds even and is 30 inches long. She said his low weight is not a big deal, as he has always been on the small side. He eats well and is very active, so he is good. She also said that his not sleeping through the night is purely behavioral at this point and that we need to stop going in his room at night when he cries...and no more nightly bottles! I am not looking forward to this!!

We also discussed the pros and cons of the flu vaccine. Steven and I have been debating it for awhile. He was against it and I was on the fence. After talking with the doctor, we talked about it alone and he said "You're his mom...you're in charge of well-being. I'm his dad...I'm in charge of making him tough." So, I made the decision to go ahead with the vaccination. I know it isn't for everyone and that it is a big decision, but I feel that it was best for Carter.

After we got home, Steven put Carter in the playroom. Normally, we will stand him up and he'll kinda sit down right away. Today, he stood up all by himself for about 10 seconds!!! He even started to fall and re-adjusted to balance himself!! I am a proud mama!! We are also up to 6 teeth now. He got 2 of them a few days ago. What's weird is that he has 4 top teeth and only 2 bottom ones. He doesn't play by the rules, and that's why we love him!

Sharing.

"Some for you...

some for me...

some for me again...

some for you...

some for me.

See Mommy, I know how to share!"

I have to add that this was Steven's Blow-Pop to begin with. Any time Carter sees a stick coming from our mouths, he thinks its an invite to help himself. At least he shares with us!

Happy Halloween!

Carter celebrated his 1st real Halloween tonight, since he was in the NICU last year. We did not Trick or Treat because it was very windy here and we don't want him to get sick, but we did spend it with family. All the kids wore their costumes and got a chance to play together, while their parents' promised them trips to Walmart for candy in return for their compliance to our "too cold to trick or treat rule". It was very nice and they all looked so cute!

It seems like every holiday gives me another reason to be thankful to God for making Carter such a strong little fighter. This Halloween is not different. He has come such a long way and we are so proud and thankful that he is ours!

Halloween 2008

Halloween 2009

Happy 1st Birthday, Baby Boy!

1 year ago today, my life was changed forever. On October 29, 2008 I woke up 32 weeks and 5 days pregnant in Anti-Partum Room #1 at MetroHealth Hospital. Around 7 am, I started to feel very odd, so I called in my nurse and had her hook me up to the monitor. I had two very mild contractions in a one-hour period, so I sent Steven off to work for the day. I just couldn't shake the weird feelings I felt, so I called the nurse back in and told her "Something is wrong." At that time, I began getting the most awful headache I have ever had. She called in the doctor that was on-call, and at that point, I called Steven and told him to get back to the hospital. The doctor came in to see what was up and I told her what I was feeling. She went to check to see if my cervix was dilated, and I went into a hypertensive seizure. We did not know it at the time, but the contractions I was having caused my BP to spike to 220/186...which in many cases would result in both maternal and fetal demise. At the same time, I had a placental abruption, which is also often fatal. I was coded and my OB rushed to my room, with no shoes on his feet. He got to me just as I was coming out of the seizure. He said "Candi, I need you to push." I mustered up every bit of strength I had (which wasn't much...the seizure made me very weak) and pushed once. Carter John Butchino was born at 8:46 am. Steven arrived 14 minutes later. At that point, I was completely out of it. People had to keep reminding me that I had the baby. My poor husband kept asking me questions to see if I was OK. Every answer I gave him, including the date of our anniversary, was wrong. After about a half-hour or so, I was able to speak and understand what was going on. I remember Steven showing me a picture of our tiny little 3 pound 14 ounce baby that he took on his phone. 3 hours later, I was able to meet Carter. Steven took me to the NICU and the nurse handed Carter to me. I was in awe. He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Our miracle baby was breathing on his own and was completely unscathed from the horrible entrance into the world that he had just endured. I didn't think I could love him any more or be any prouder of him than I was at that very moment...

Exactly one year later, I can honestly say that I don't know where the time has gone. I now have a beautiful 1 year old little boy that is the fire in my heart and that breath in my body. I am so blessed to be his mommy. God must really love me to have given me such a wonderful little man to spend my life with. I am thankful every day. I couldn't love him any more or be any prouder of him than I am at this very moment.

...He's Tall and Friendly!

So, after much begging and pleading, my mom sat down today and helped me finish Carter's Halloween costume. She is an amazing seamstress and I was getting more and more confused every time I looked at it. So, we sat down and she helped me fix the mess that I had made. This is it, minus the stuffing that has to be added into the top of the hat that will round it out...

Is that not the cutest little Gabba you've ever seen?! Believe it or not, he actually liked wearing it!

Win Carter Some Gabba Stuff! *Pics Update*

Carter's party was entered in gabbafriends.com October birthday contest! Please go to the blog and vote for him...he can win some cool Yo Gabba Gabba prizes that we all know he will love!!

http://gabbafriends.blogspot.com
(voting is on the right sidebar)

Thank you!! Also, here are some photos from Carter's party yesterday...