Way over due!

We have been super busy here the last two months getting ready for the new baby and then having the new baby. But I finally have time to update and hope to do so more frequently now that things have calmed down for us.

On April 23 we went in for our scheduled c-section (we were hoping I would go into labor on my own so I could do a VBAC but that didn't happen) we went in at 8 am and the section was schedule for 9. We didn't know what we were having so we were very excited at this point. Finally around 9:20 we heard that the baby had a ton of dark hair, which is way different from what Elijah had when he was born, then at 9:26 we heard the cry of our new little baby and David looked over the sheet to tell me that we had another baby boy! Ezekiel Henry! He weighed in at 9 pounds 4 ounces and was 21 inches long. He was a big baby and the doc said I probably wouldn't have been able to have him naturally if I would have gone into labor on my own. David was able to cut the cord and bring him over to me to see. I got to see him for a couple minutes then they went upstairs with the nurse. I went back into recovery for not quite an hour and was brought back upstairs to my room. Shortly after being in there Dr. Worpel came in and talked to David and I and told us that Ezekiel had wet lungs. Normally when you labor and deliver naturally most of that fluid gets pushed out of the babys body and because Ezekiel was a c-section he didn't have that chance to get that stuff out. So he was put on oxygen right away to help his heavy breathing and she said it could take 12-24 hours to clear up his lungs and then he would be able to come into the room with me and I would be able to hold him. They said if I started feeling better then they would wheel me down to the nursery to see him. Finally after 7 hours the nurse came in and told us that his levels were back where they needed to be and he could come down to our room and I would finally be able to hold him. He was put on limited holding (only mommy and daddy) until the next afternoon. They had to tube feed him once and then they bottle fed him for his second feeding and he did well with that so they let me nurse him for his third feeding and he has been nursing since then. No bottles yet! When we left the hospital he weighed in at 8.10 and 4 days later was still at the same weight so we had to go in for a weight check at 2 week and he was 8.12. He only gained 2 ounces in a week and was still below his birth weight. We go in on Monday for his 3 week check up and will see how he is with weight gain. Hopefully it has gone up enough that I don't have to supplement and give him a bottle. He seems to latch on well and will eat for 20-30 mins every 2-3 hours.

Elijah loves being a big brother and is always wanting to hold Zekey and hug and kiss him. The first thing he does every morning after I get him out of his room is run into mommy and daddys room to check on Zeke. He is starting to want to pick him up out of his bouncy seat and swing so I have to keep and extra close eye on him with that.

I'm feeling quite well since having the c-section. I can get around really well and I am no longer sore. I can even fit back into my pre-pregnancy jeans! We are hoping that over the next couple of months we can figure out some way for me to be able to be a stay at home mom.

Week two and three of couponing

Week Two: This was Meijer band week with the sales which means that most of the items on sale were meijer brand and you can't really get coupons for that stuff. However they did have the Buy 10 for $10 get on free so I did get some good deals that way. Week two I spent $63.24 and saved 32.19 Not to bad for it being Meijer week.

Week Three: This week was kind of a last minute shopping trip. Elijah has a double ear infection so I figured while I was at the store I might as well do my grocery shopping while I was there. I only had about an hour to put together my list and gather my coupons but I dont think I did to bad. Here is what I got:


They had a lot of good deals this week. Bread was buy one get 2 free! Plus I had a .55 cent coupon so it was even cheaper. It was 2.99 a loaf but I got three loaves for $2.44 a total of .81 cents a piece! They also had the Jacks pizza that is uaully $3.33 each and I got them for $1.09 each. I spent $6.20 on grapes but they were cheap for $1.24 a pound and my boys and myself love to munch on them. Cream cheese was probably my best deal. I bought 4. They usually would be $6.96 for 4 of them but I paid$3.00 for 4 of them! Shredded Cheese I got 6 bags for $1.16 a piece and we love cheese over here so its a good deal! There were a lot of other good deals that didn't make it on my list so Im probably going to head back over there some time this week to pick up those few missing items.
Total spent tonight: $67.85
Total Saved: $54.67

The 'Pantry'

Now that we have started couponing our pantry is starting to change looks. This is the picture I took the first week I started: (two weeks ago)

This is what it looks like today. There is so much stuff in there! And I'm sure it will continue to grow which means more cleaning it out. The games on the top shelf need to be moved to the large storage closet.

Tuesday

We started a new schedule this week at our house and are slowly getting adjusted. I think its hardest for Elijah because hes the one who gets to nap. lol. I'm now working 7:45 - 2 instead of 2 - 6:30 which is so much nicer. I like having the whole afternoon and evening off rather than the morning and a few hours at night. Elijah got out of his crib yesterday when I put him down for a nap and he fell out and hit his head on the rocking chair which resulted in a big ole bump/bruise on his forehead. Poor little guy. But he is doing fine now. He fell asleep in my arms today for his afternoon nap so I put him in his toddler bed for the very first time to sleep. He is so small in there! For the most part he will still be in his crib for sleeping but we have to make sure he is out or close to being out before we put him in there otherwise he will climb out and hurt himself again.

I haven't been shopping yet this week to get groceries. I don't think I will get as many cheap items because its brand week (all meijer items on sale) and its hard to get meijer specific coupons for those. But I hope to do well anyways! I got a big packet of Target coupons in the mail today (well Nick did and gave them to me) and they can all be paired with a manufatuer coupons which means double the savings. So I might make a trip out to Target too but we shall see. I have a few (5) blogs that I follow that have all the good deals posted on them and on one blog I found this great way to organize your coupons. Lucky me had the perfect basket, that already sits on my desk, that I can use for this organizing. What you do is take small envelopes and I used note cards and labeled each one into categories. The note card sticks into the envelope (flap cut off or folded in) and then goes into the basket. This is a really cool way to organize the many coupons I have. Plus if I want to bring it shopping with me it will fit into the seat of the cart. However I dont think I will be doing that seeing as how Elijah is my shopping buddy and they would all more than likely end up on the floor! YIKES! Usually I put the coupons I am planning on using in on envelope that is labels "Coupons to use this week" and bring just that with me. Its really handy. Here is a picture of my organizer:

Meijer Saturday Trip

This is getting exciting for us! But I don't think I have a whole lot of storage spots available! But I will not need to buy anymore diapers for Elijah or the future baby. I have plenty of those stashed up. I also have plenty of cereal as well. I hope next week to find some good deals as well but I don' t think I will buy as much stuff as I did this week. It was a lot of fun to see how much I can save and how much food and toiletries I bring home for that amount of money. So my final trip for this week was back to Meijer for their Super Saturday Sale! Here is a picture of what I bought.

And the run down:

Non coupon items:
Loaf Pan
(2) Cheese Toast Meijer Brand

Sale Items, Coupon Items:
(2) Post Cereal: Reg $2.39
Sale for .99 cents.
Final Price 1.98 for 2 boxes
Saved: $2.80

(2) All Liquid Laundry Detergent: Reg $5.14
Sale for $3.00
Coupons: $2.00, $1.00
Final Price: $3.00 for 2
Saved: $7.28

(5) Colgate and Aquafresh Toothpaste: Reg $1.97 and $2.17
Sale for $1.00
Final Price: $5.00 for 5
Saved: $5.45

(2) Quilted Northern 6pk double rolls Reg $2.13
Sale for 1/2 off
Final Price: $2.13 for 2
Saved: $2.13

(5)DelMonte Veggies Reg. .99 cents
Sale: 69 cents
Coupons: $1.00/4, $1.00/5
Final Price: $1.45 for 5 cans
Saved: $3.50

(2) Kellogs Frosted Mini Wheats: Reg?
Sale: $2.50
Coupons: $1.50/2
Final Price: $3.50 for 2

Honey Nut Cherrios: Reg $3.39
Sale: $2.39
Coupons: $1.00
Final Price: $1.39
Saved: $2.00

(2) Gold Fish Crackers Reg $2.19
Sale: $1.00
Final Price: $2.00 for 2

Soft Soap Hand Soap Reg $2.84
Sale: $1.50
Coupon: .35 cents
Final Price: $1.15
Saved: $1.69

FINAL GRAND TOTAL:
Total Before Coupons and Savings: $61.18
Total After Coupons and Savings: $30.30
Total Amount Saved: $30.88

I saved more than I spent!

Friday Trip Out

Today we ventured out to Target and to Meijer again. Today is my last Friday off until April when we have our next baby. So we made a day of it by shopping and saving. First we hit up Target to get some shower and wedding presents. I also was checking out diapers because I have some good coupons to use there. While looking I found a pack of size one diapers that someone had purchased online and then returned to the store. I guess when that happens they mark them really cheap to get rid of them. The top of the pack was also opened and taped back shut but for the price that I got them for it is worth it. (price to come after picture). They also have a TON of clearance going on right now. I found two 2T shirts for Elijah next winter that are so fun and 50% off so I picked them up. Those were my major deals for Target. Then we went to Meijer (had to take mom to get grocerys) and I brought along a few more coupons that I printed off. I got 4 boxes of granola bars and a G2 Gatorade drink. Here is the picture of my deals for the day!

Okay, so here is the run down:
Sunbelt Granola bars on sale for 2/$4
I used two BOGO coupons
Final Price for the 4 Boxes of Granola Bars: $4
Amount Saved: $4. 38

Gatorade G2 on sale for .99cents
Used a .50 cent off coupon
Final Price: .49 cents

Two Shirts original price: $6 each
Clearanced out at $3.00 each
Final price for 2 shirts: $6.24
Amount Saved: $6.24


AND THE DEAL OF THE DAY...
Huggies Diapers Size 1, 84 count
Regular price: 16.99
Marked down price: $4.26
Coupon used: $1.50
Final Price: $2.76
Which averages out to be around .03 cents a diaper! When usually that pack would be about .20 cents a diaper! WOO HOO!!

Couponing week one:

Today we adventured out to Meijer to do our weekly grocery shopping. I ended up with two grocery orders.

Order one consisted of the following:

2 pks Huggies diapers
regular price: 9.97
sale price: 8.97
final price: 6.72 each after coupons
received a $4.00 CAT OYNO coupon

2 pks Huggies wipes
regular price: 5.99
sale price: 5.49
final price: 4.86 each after coupons

5 boxes of Betty Crocker fruit snacks
regular price: 2.22, 2.22, 1.88, 1.88, 1.88
sale price: No sale
final price: 1.53 each after coupons
received a $3.50 CAT OYNO coupon

5 Breakstone Cottage Cheese doublers
regular price: 1.00
sale price: no sale
final price 1.00 each
received a $5.00 CAT OYNO coupon

Total before coupons and sale prices:
$48.92
Total after coupons and sale prices:
$37.59
Amount Saved:
$10.65
Received:
$12.50 CAT OYNO (coupons good for money off your next order)



Order number two:
The second order consisted of all my 'regular' grocery items as well as a few extra things that I was able to get for really cheap.
Here are the really good deals:

-Buy two milks get a 1/2 gallon of chocolate milk free (with coupon) valued @ 2.79

-Italian sausage
reg $3.89
final price $2.15

-(2) Quaker Oats 18oz.
reg. $3.28 each
final price $.98 cents for both! could have been free but couldn't get the extra coupon to print!

-(3) Goldfish crackers
reg.$2.19
final price $1.00

-(2)Starkist Tuna pouch
reg $1.89
final price $.04 cents each!

-(2)Aunt Jemima Syrup
reg $3.48 each
final price .99 cents each!

- 2 pk Gerber pjs
reg $9.99
final price $5.99

-(4) Delmonte canned Fruit
reg. $1.49 (2) and $1.36
Final price $.49 cents each

-(4) Cereals (Frosted Flakes-2, Corn Pops, Apple Jacks)
eg. $2.69, $3.39, $2.95
final price $1.75 each

I obviously bought more than what was listed above. Those were just the good deals I got. I used the $12.50 CAT's that I got from my first order on my second order. My Final Totals were:

Total before coupons and sale prices:
$86.59
Total after coupons and sale prices:
$42.52
Amount Saved:
$44.07

The two orders combined I paid the following:
Total before coupons and sals prices:
$134.83
Total after coupons and sale prices:
$80.11
Total Amount Saved:
$54.72

I do have to say this is the most I have saved using coupons ever! And I am happy to be saving it. I hope in the future I can learn new tricks and save even more but I am proud of myself for getting this far. I have always 'clipped coupons' but never to this extent and its nice to see that the 2 hours I put into this with finding all the coupons is worth it! I would also like to thank Rosaria who checked us out at Meijer, she was very helpful and friendly and didn't mind the coupons at all! There were even a couple that I had items for and they were not working so she did the adjustment thing and made the computer take them! YEAH! Oh here is one last picture for fun...
Yes that right, thats my grocery list! YIKES! What a mess! Yet I still survived! WooHoo!

Savings of the week...

I think I am going to start adding some different things to my blog besides family updates and such. Today I will start of by sharing some of my great deals that I have gotten over the last two days.

Friday we make the trek up to Muskegon to the Lakes Mall to visit the motherhood maternity store. I was looking online at some of their sale items and was going to buy online but I don't really like to return stuff so we decided to make the trip. I was looking to get a dress or two for a few upcoming weddings that we have as well as some nursing bras. I was lucky enough to find 2 new dresses, 2 long sleeve t-shirts, 1 sweater, 1 pair corduroy pants, and 3 bras. I was really excited to finally find some dresses to wear and other warm clothes for the winter. I spent $175 dollars which seems like a lot but I saved $112 dollars which is also a lot. Plus, Motherhood has good quality clothing that will last for all the rest of my pregnancy's and I will be able to use them over and over again.
While at the mall we also stopped in at The Childrens Place. I've been looking for some pj's for E and they have their monster sale going on. I found 2 pairs of pj's and 1 red and white stripped sweater for him. The pj's were on sale for 6.99 and the sweater was only $5 bucks! Which is really cheap for childrens place. I dont know how much I saved there at the moment. but I know it was a lot!

Saturday (today) mom and I went over to Carters to look for a b-day present for her neighbors son who will be 1. Of course you can't go into that store and not buy anything. So once again I was looking for p'js and found some along with a lot of other stuff. I bought a baby present for a friend, a spring jacket, 2 sets of pj''s, 1 pair of fleece pants, and a shirt for E. The original prices for everything before taxes came to a total of $125 dollars! That is so much money! But they had a lot of sales/clearance with an additional 30% off and then I had a coupon for 25% off your total purchase so I was able to get all those items for a grand total, after taxes for only $18.88! Now thats a great deal!

It's the holiday season...

Our Christmas Tree

This year we went with the Coffeys to the Leber Tree Farm and loved the selection they had. We had gone there the first year we were married and hadn't been back since because we tried out different places. So we went there this year and you take a tractor wagon back to the trees pick out your tree load it back up on the wagon, hop on and ride back up to the barn. Elijah LOVED the tractor and riding on the wagon. We decided to check out the balsum fir trees this year and we loved them. They have soft needles so you don't get all poked when you decorate it and they hold the needles better so they don't fall off as quick and won't hurt to step on! It has a really nice color as well. Elijah had a lot of fun walking through all the trees helping to pick one out. There were so many good trees to choose from. They were all trimmed so nice and hardly any had huge gaping holes!

Here are some pictures from our adventure:

Elijah and Grandpa standing by the tractor.

Elijah helping Daddy cut down our Christmas tree!

After Dale and Joy dropped our tree off Elijah got really excited and ran around it squealing with happiness! He was so excited even though I'm sure he didn't really know what was going on. lol

Time to open up the tree. Elijah helps Daddy take off the netting...we did it nice and slow so he didn't get slapped in the face with branches. Notice its not hurting him to touch it! It's such a nice soft tree!

Our finished, decorated tree. No other decorations were up yet at this point. They are slowly going up this week. I will post more pictures of them when I get the time to take a picture! LOL

Opps! A little behind...

...but i have a good excuse this time! I have been super busy plus I have been super sick with morning sickness! After battling it for a while I ask my doc for something to help and he put me on unisom and B6 which might have worked a little better if it hadn't knocked me out. When ever I took it all I wanted to do and could do was sleep which isn't that great when you have a 14 month old at home and have to drive a half hour to school twice a week...no falling asleep while driving for me thank you! So after trying that out for a while he put me on a new Rx and it really helps with the nausea which is great. I can actually make it through the day with out barfing my guts out! So things are going much better for me this time around because of the new medicines I'm on.

Elijah is doing good as well. He is a very active and injury prone little boy. If you are around him much you will know he is constantly getting hurt. We visited the ER a couple of times, once for a smashed finger in a door, no broken bones which was good, and the second time because he fell while walking and bit his lip, and a major blood vessel in that lip! After about 8 hours of bleeding and multiple blood soaked bibs, rags, towels, and blankets we thought that would be the good thing to take him in. After being looked over by the nurse, Physicians assistant and then the actual doctor that came to the conclusion that they didn't know what would work. They suggested we could wait another hour to see if it would stop( it had already bled 8 hours) or they could put in a stitch but they were not even sure if that would work. So after mommy and daddy were kicked out to the waiting room they three (nurse, pa and dr.) all held him down, which is a challenge in itself) and inserted 2 stitches into his lip which worked! We were glad it did! And the doctor (who we really liked) was glad that it worked to. They gave him a little stuffed teddy bear with a rattle for him for being such a good little guy! He is still very active and gets into and onto everything and gets hurt a lot but i guess thats all a part of who he is!

Picture time!

This was after we carved pumpkins. He loved taking the lid on and off and looking inside. However he HaTeD the carving part. He would cry if we tried to get him to touch the guts or if we put it near him. It was to funny!

Our little froggy! I got this costume at a garage sale in the spring and it fit Elijah perfectly! It was so stinken adorable. This was at the Smith Grandparents house on the front porch. He is quite the poser sometimes!

This picture was walking into our church for their fall festival. They had a lot of fun games, a couple which E could do but he got a ton of candy and enjoyed playing there!

These are a little out of order but oh-well! E, NyNy and Linin (as E calls them) sitting in Grandmas rocker Halloween morning waiting for their orange breakfast. And last our new little Coffey bean! At our 10 and 14 week check ups the doc couldn't pick up the heart beat so he sent us in for an early ultrasound. We (the u/s tech) found a heart beat of 163 and showed us our sqwirmy little bean. We are NOT finding out what we are having!