A Birth Story: Luke Ezra Marozas

It's been a minute since I last posted. And there have definitely been some updates in our life. I love reading birth stories and hearing peoples' experiences. I hope you'll enjoy ours. I'll start from the very beginning.

I had a doctor's appointment on Monday, February 26th. It was a routine visit, and I was feeling pretty good that day at 36 weeks and 4 days. I went in and my blood pressure was high. They made me lie down on my left and rest and re-took it later. Baby looked great, but they didn't like my blood pressure. They were worried that I was on my way to pre-eclampsia. They allowed me to go home but not first without a trip to the lab to have blood drawn and do a 24 hour urine collection. They told me to monitor my BP the rest of the day. I don't know about you but if someone tells you that your blood pressure is high and that you just need to relax....it's not all that easy. Well my blood pressure continued to go up. I called the office twice and left 2 messages with my readings. They finally called me back and told me to head in to labor and delivery. I was freaked out. I had to stay 24 hours overnight and be monitored. My blood pressure did go down and was put on mild bed rest. I followed up with my doctor that Friday, March 2nd.

At that appointment, my doctor went over everything with me and asked me how I felt about an induction. At this point, I was 37 weeks and 1 day. She wanted it scheduled for the following Thursday night which is when I turned 38 weeks. It was all getting super real. I called my parents and let them know when they needed to start heading our way. We got confirmation the following Tuesday to come in Thursday night to start the induction process with Cervidil. They ended up being super backed up with lots of deliveries so instead of getting there at 6:30pm like planned. We didn't get in until about 10pm.

Our last picture as just us.

Some of the goodies for everyone who helped us. We also had gift bags for those nurses assigned to us. Don't forget your nurses, ladies!!

We got all checked in, and they started the Cervidil. Not sure if any of you have had this placed but ouch. I was thinking it was some type of suppository gel insert or something...no! It's essentially plastic. My nurse placed it. My body took to it right away and my contractions started. I took some mild pain medicine to rest because my contractions were on top of each other. At 2:30am on Friday morning, I heard a slight pop. My water broke. Um OK!? Brian was freaked out. I was laughing because they said that it (Cervidil) could send me into labor but it was unlikely.

Once my water broke, my contractions were super intense & on top of each other. I could not rest and had a long ways ahead of me. I called for my epidural and thank you Jesus for that. Fast forward to around lunch time...I was almost complete. It got really real and we were ready. Well...we had to wait a bit longer and started to push around 2ish. I pushed for about 3 hours. I hadn't had anything to eat and I was really exhausted. I remember looking at Brian and crying. My epidural wasn't working all that well; I was so exhausted and had zero energy. I wanted to waive the white flag and have them roll me to the OR for a C-Section.

They called my doctor and she came in about 6:30 or so. She checked me and said that she was going to stay and coach/push with me. I had had about an hour in between my initial pushing with my nurses and the time that Dr. Wang had gotten there. I must have gotten a second wind. We think his head was turned to the side instead of being tucked chin down so it was A LOT to get him out.

Luke Ezra was born at 7:49pm on Friday, March 9th. It was a crazy delivery and one that I, Brian, nor my doctor said they would ever forget. As soon as he was out, I was a sobbing mess. During his delivery was shift change so I got a whole new set of nurses. But everyone stayed and cheered me on and congratulated us. I remember grabbing their hands and thanking them because they were SO sweet and didn't have to stay. I have big tears in my eyes typing this because I just LOVED them.

Marozas Party of 3 + my SAINT of a doctor, Dr. Wang! To say we love her is an understatement.

Stay tuned for part 2 to come. As long as it took Luke to get out....he wanted to extend his stay at the hospital just a bit longer.

This and That: Life Update

Hi friends! I thought I'd just chit chat with y'all today and give a little bit of life updates. I feel like we have so much going on but at the same time, not much at all. Do you ever feel like that?

Moving on, it's LOVE WEEK! I know that Valentine's is a made up holiday, but I really do love it so much. Nothing makes me happier than seeing all the pink and red candies, flowers, balloons, and cards. But please...leave the stuffed teddy bears alone. HA! You don't have to have a significant other to celebrate...honest. There's always galentines! Last year, B and I hit up In&Out for our Valentine's dinner. Yes, you read that right. We went and got cheeseburgers and fries. It couldn't have been more us if you tried. And guess what, we are going to keep this 'tradition' and do it again this year. Ain't no shame in our game! I don't need steak and lobster (ew!!). And I really don't care to be dressing up at this point in my pregnancy. Sooooo cheeseburgers and fries are our choice. Do y'all do anything low key? Or is Valentine's an over the top holiday for you? BTW, did you see my Valentine's dessert post?

This past weekend (Friday) to be exact...I think I temporarily lost my mind. I for some reason freaked myself out (for no good reason at all) that this baby was coming any day. Y'all, I'll be 35 weeks on Thursday. He could very well come at any time (but let's be real, we have a few weeks), but I had myself in a straight up panic and started throwing everything into a suitcase. I wasn't even happy with it because it wasn't organized, and I didn't have time to plan everything out. And GOD FORBID, I didn't have my own going home outfit -- don't worry, I ordered it, and it will be here Thursday. I can't even begin to tell you how crazy my mind works. Of course, B set me straight once he got home and told me to take a chill pill. We made lists of what we have left to do and pack. I have him packed as well as baby. I just have a few last minute things coming in/things I need to put together (nurse gifts!).

I guess the fact that my next appointment starts my series of weekly visits. How did I get here so fast? I have constantly gone over things in my head...do we have everything? Am I ready? Is B ready? What about Gopher? Is he going to even like the baby? Will we know what to do? Is B going to pass out in the delivery room? It's hard to anticipate the unexpected...truly. Especially for quite a monumental event in one's life. I think we are as 'ready' as we'll ever be.

Does anyone else like the new snapchat? I think it's AWFUL. I hardly get on it anymore and mainly just watch InstaStories. I feel like everyone is migrating there and away from snapchat. Now, if Instagram would just go back to the regular scheduled programming and not this STUPID algorithm, we'd be in business. If you aren't following me on Insta, be sure to find me! I post there mostly.

This Wednesday starts Lent. Is anyone out there giving up anything or taking on anything? B always does a better job at this than me. He is giving up quite a bit this year (alcohol in general being one). A podcast he listens to suggested doing an almsgiving which we already do with our snack packs. I think giving back to those in need is so important. Why not incorporate both almsgiving and volunteering to your Lenten season? Junior League of Austin and helping those we pass on Austin street corners has been eye opening. I highly suggest getting out of your comfort zone and helping. I promise you have the time...sacrificing that show or sleeping in, you can be helping. You just don't really know, until you know. I know that we will so encourage this once baby is old enough. Just a challenge. :)

And I can't leave y'all on too much of a serious note so here are some recent purchases of mine. Some aren't here yet so I'm patiently waiting stalking the delivery man. Anybody else this way? I'm also refusing to buy any real Spring clothes (even though it's about to kill me) because I want to see just how much weight is left over after baby and where I stand on sizing.

Happy Fat Tuesday!!

 

Battle of Beauty: Drugstore Foundations

We all know the wide range of beauty products out there -- some good, some not so good. Some people spend a lot on their make up, and some choose not to. And that's okay. I get it. Especially if you aren't someone who wears a lot to begin with or doesn't wear it on a daily basis (work from homers --- raising my hand). This is going to be the first part of my beauty series: drugstore foundations!

A couple weeks ago, I hit Ulta and headed straight over to the drugstore area. Literally, I had no method to picking up the foundations that I did other than choosing more well known brands that could be found no matter where you go, CVS, Walgreens, Target, Walmart, etc etc. I was actually pretty surprised with my findings...honest. To be totally transparent, I did no prior research to buying these, and I applied these all the SAME way. I used my Beauty Blender and the same primer (I got this as a sample and I am OBSESSED!).

Here are the four that I chose to test.

1. COVERGIRL Clean Liquid Foundation  This was my least favorite. First thing being is that it doesn't have any type of dispenser. You twist of the cap and then what? Carefully pour it on the back of your hand? Pour it on your beauty blender? No thanks. Also, it had a weird smell. Coverage was eh. Color range was about 12 different ones. Not bad but not great. It was also the cheapest of all 4 foundations. {$}

2. NYX Total Control Drop Foundation  This was in my top 2. You use a dropper to dispense which I liked. It also is very liquid-y but goes on great. The finish is powdery/matte. Coverage was wonderful, and I likened this to my not so cost friendly Laura Mercier foundation that I LOVE. One thing I will say about the NYX....do NOT use a mattifying primer. First time I tried to apply it, I used this primer (which I love ESP for the summertime). While it is a great primer, it does not match well with this foundation. Use something a bit more hydrating (like this one), and it will go on flawlessly. Shade range is phenomenal on this one with a total of 29 colors. {$$}

3. L'OREAL True Match Lumi Foundation This foundation is very nice. It does give a luminescent finish if that's what you are looking for. I would say this may not be the best foundation for someone who has super oily skin (especially during the summer); however, it is great for winter/spring in my personal opinion. I tend to run on the oily side so while I still liked this, it wasn't at the top of my list because I know it would be sliding off my face once this Texas heat hits. The shade range is decent with a total of 15 colors. It also has a pump for dispensing which I really like. Also contains a broad spectrum SPF of 20. {$$}

4. REVLON PhotoReady Airbrush Effect Foundation  This was a great foundation. It is described as medium to full coverage which I completely agree with. It, too, is a pump dispenser like the L'Oreal foundation. The consistency is thicker on this one however on the skin, it does not feel heavy/cakey. It also has a broad spectrum SPF of 20. It gives a bit of a luminescent finish but nothing like the L'Oreal. The one drawback to this one is that the overall shade range is less to be desired with only 6 colors (WHAT?!). Luckily, they had a shade that worked for me. {$$}

Overall, the Revlon and NYX foundations were my favorites. They stayed on. They covered well. And the price points were not bad at all. Neither of these 2 products caused any breakouts when wearing them. And I have worn both multiple times because I do like them so much. Be sure to let me know if you have tried or currently use these or are going to try. Are there any others out there that are off the charts? Send me your recs!!

Friday Treat -- Valentine's Cookies!

Two recipes in one week....I know. I know. I'm practically a food blogger. What can I say? These cookies are so easy, so fun, and so yummy. I originally found them on Facebook. I made them at Christmas time but with Christmas themed sprinkles. Brian was super skeptical. He told me the other night that he initially underrated them. Imagine that!? I'm the one with the sweet tooth...I know better. Let's get on with the recipe shall we?

Ingredients

• 48 Ritz crackers
• 1/2 cup Marshmallow Fluff
• 1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1lb Melting Chocolate (Milk, Dark, or White)
• Sprinkles

Directions
Lay out 24 Ritz crackers on a baking sheet. Mix together your marshmallow fluff & creamy peanut butter in a bowl. After thoroughly mixed, put a little bit on each of the Ritz crackers....just enough to cover the cracker. Once complete, top each with the remaining crackers. Now the fun part, melt the chocolate according to the package directions. I used dark chocolate on this time, and they turned out really good! Coat each "sandwich" entirely in chocolate and lay back on your baking sheet. Once all have been coated in chocolate, add your sprinkles. This might be fun if you have little ones who want to help. Once the sprinkles have been added, just pop the baking sheet into the fridge for 30 mins-1 hour so the chocolate can really harden. And you're done!

These are really tasty, and we ended up putting ours in the freezer when it was all said and done. Makes for a good crunch in my opinion. You can do these for ANY holiday or even for birthday parties. They would also be fun to give away as homemade gifts for the holidays. It's up to you. I hope you enjoyed this & let me know if you make them!