Consigning

I was blessed my many friends and family with beautiful clothes for Elaina. I received over 10 bags of clothes; some well loved and others never-before worn. Our basement is filled with bags and boxes.

I realized after 10 weeks of having a baby, they really don't need THAT MANY CLOTHES!
I had clothes for all ages (newborn-2T), except 3-6 months. I realized I had way too many clothes.

Elaina grew very slow in the first 7 weeks, and then BOOM gained 2 lbs. Even with Elaina growing as slow as she did I don't need 12 pairs of pants, 20 onsies or even 15 dress, and I love dresses!! Babies, I hear, grow fast and so I wanted to have nice, quality pieces and not have so much in my basement.

I initially wanted to give to friends,but I have no friends who were/are having girls; 10 boys have arrived or will be arriving in the year. So, I thought, I'll sell the clothes that I may not use and buy for the 3-6 months age that I need.

Here is what I learned when consigning.

Zip, Button, Tie: Make sure its easy look at. When things are not buttoned, zipped or tied its harder for the consignor to see the item, they get SO many people bringing stuff in that its not worth their time.

Light: Look at clothes in all different light. Sometimes a piece doesn't look stained, but in a darker or lighter room you can see a stain that may not have been there before.

Match it up: If the outfit has a few pieces, hat, diaper cover and dress put it all together. They dont want to have to (like above) piece it all together, they need to look through these bags quickly, and if you have a bag filled with item that are mis/matched but really have a pair they wont see this and will probably just give your bag back.

The other day I took a huge bag of clothes in, a few had stains I missed, a few had a bloomer or hat, but I didn't put them together and I didnt make them "ready to go".
I came back home, found the hat for one outfit, sunned a few items (getting stains out) and make them all complete, zipping, tying and buttoning. I went back and sold almost all the clothes.

Presentation is everything.

Now, you don't usually get very much for your clothes but if you learn the system you can negotiate. Some brands sell better so you can ask for a few bucks more. I was able to get $85.00 worth of clothes for $15.00 at a $1.00 clearance sale. I got Elaina her whole 3-6 month lot of clothes. I tried to pick pieces that will mix/match with other pieces....making more than one outfit out of what you buy.

Find a consignor near you, sign up for promo's/emails and watch the savings (earnings) begin!

The Birth of our Bright Light

The Birth Story of Elaina Caryn (Ca-Ryn) Rooney

Born May 1, 2012 at 2:26 am

6lbs. 3oz. and 20 in.

               

                April 30, 2012 was a beautiful spring day in Colorado Springs, with the sun warm and the air filled with the fragrance of freshly bloomed lilacs and cherry blossoms. I (Jen, their doula) received a call from Chris around 10:45am asking me to join them at their home. Karin had been experiencing contractions every 15 minutes from about 12:30-8:30 that morning, and they had progressed to every  5-7 minutes from 8:30-10:30. She had visited her obstetrician, Dr. Fuller-Eddins, earlier that morning, who had measured Karin at 3cm dilated and 95% effaced. The baby’s head was at a zero station. After having experienced several days’ worth of pre-labor signs, it was official: Karin was in labor.

                I arrived at their home around 11:45, and found both of them smiling from ear to ear with excitement. Karin busied herself with boiling water for tea for me and presented me with the banana-chocolate chip bread she had baked. She would pause to get through contractions and then move right back to serving me. I realized then that leading Karin through childbirth was going to serve as a new experience for me. How was I to lead and serve someone who is such a leader and server? I gave it to God, knowing it wasn’t about what I do, but what He does through me. We spent the next couple of hours getting the two of them comfortable with a few comfort measures and positions, and orienting them to a team mentality, with Chris providing a constant source of strength and encouragement for Karin. Karin had prepared note cards with applicable scripture that Chris would read to her at intervals, and they would pray together and smile at the stories Chris had prepared for her about memorable times from when they were falling in love. As they slow danced through contractions, I thought about how a new kind of romance was entering their relationship at that moment, and how someday they would look back on it with great fondness. Around 2:00, Leslie from Rockrimmon Massage came by to drop off some info about acupressure. Talk about perfect timing! She stayed for nearly an hour, volunteering her time and skills to show Chris (and myself!) how to trigger appropriate acupressure points for helping Karin’s labor to progress. They worked like a charm.

                By 4:00, Karin had been in a strong labor pattern for a good amount of time and we decided to head into the hospital. Her contractions had, in addition to being frequent, become extremely long. Upon arriving at Memorial she informed me that I need to update the information I had given her, as her long contractions were proving my handouts to be inaccurate. I laughed to myself—what a firecracker she is! I figured it unwise to tell her she was having it harder than most. The charge nurse, April, measured Karin at 4cm and 100% effaced and gave her the challenge of walking for the next hour to see how she progressed before being admitted from triage. A few steps at a time, we made our way down one hall, where an hour later April found us, Team Rooney, working through a contraction with Karin leaning over a bench. Karin was admitted into the room adjacent to the bench (good thing, or we’d have probably never made it into another room!) and measured 5-6 cm. At about 5:45, the spa tub was filled and the jets were turned on, and Karin tried to figure out what was supposed to be so great about laboring in a tub. It didn’t turn out to be the saving grace she had been hoping for, as her contractions were still extremely long and most of her pain was in her back. Still, she stayed with each contraction and focused hard on letting them pass through her without fighting them. She really had it down, at least for the most part. Chris stayed where she could see him, coaching and encouraging her through every contraction. By 6:15 she was a solid 6cm, and at 6:30 she decided to get out of the tub. As she was getting her hep-lock placed and the nurse asked about allergies, she gave the cute and unexpected response that her only allergy was to contractions. From then on the nurses kept commenting on how much fun she was. Chris agreed, of course, and so did I.

                Chris continued reading Karin scripture and telling her love stories while she labored, and Karin’s mom joined us as we continued trying various positions and working through each contraction. At 6:30 Karin’s water broke, and at 7:00 she measured at 6-7cm. Her contractions continued to be long and close together, often one right after another without the first having yet subsided. She prayed for strength and discernment as she grew in exhaustion. I was so impressed by the attitude she held and the way she would speak to herself with reassuring scriptural truths. Chris never left her side even as dinner time came and went; I recall that one time he did attempt to run to the waiting room for his sandwich (because I told him to!), but he came back before ever actually entering the hallway. He just wanted to be with her. He would hold her face in his hands, rub her arms, and speak soothingly to her. He did his job just perfectly.

                Around 8:00, Karin measured at 7cm, instead of the 7-8 or 8 we had all been hoping for. It was disheartening to see such minimal progress after witnessing the amount of work she was putting in. She was doing everything right, but the urge to push was causing her some problems. (A strong urge to push prior to complete dilation, combined with extreme fatigue, causes a vicious cycle. Any lapse in strength allows an involuntary push which then causes the cervix to swell, which then keeps the cervix from dilating.) Karin recognized that she had reached her limit, and decided to get an epidural so that she could rest and avoid injuring herself. Praise God for her discernment even in the midst of such fatigue!

                By 9:00 the epidural had been placed and Karin was feeling much more comfortable as she dilated a little more to 8cm. Karin’s sister arrived and was able to offer Karin a chance to process what had happened so far, and Chris and Karin prayed and gave thanks for God’s provision in their lives. As soon as she had settled in a bit, Karin started asking me about my baby and whether I had enough milk at home for her since I had been away so long. Chris and I both had a good chuckle, it was just so “Karin”—sweet and thoughtful. Chris ate some dinner, Karin had some applesauce, and I slipped away for bit. As I was making my exit, I ran into Chris’s parents and sister, and Karin’s mom in the waiting room. Karin’s dad was dutifully watching their other grandchild, Liam, at Chris and Karin’s house. I was so honored to meet each of them. They were all so friendly, and so eager to hear any news of their beloved Karin’s progress. I returned to find Karin trying to sleep, so I got comfortable in the rocking chair next to her and waited for her labor to progress.  After 5 hours, progress still did not occur, however. Pitocin had been administered and the contractions were strong and frequent, but Karin’s cervix remained at 8 cm. The swelling remained as the probable source of the problem.

                 Around 2:00am on May 1, Dr. Fuller-Eddins detected heart decelerations in the baby following contractions, which is a sign of fetal distress. Upon a closer look, she found that there was a general lack of variability in the baby’s heart rate, also indicating fetal distress. Because dilation was still not occurring and the baby wasn’t tolerating contractions, Dr. Fuller-Eddins recommended a caesarian birth. This was all so different from Karin’s birth plan. I was so impressed to find Karin praising God and acknowledging His control over her life despite this news. While she may have been disappointed at first, she chose to be wise and welcome God’s will in her life. She asked Chris to read the scripture she had prepared from 1 Samuel 27-28: “I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give [her] to the Lord. For [her] whole life [she] will be given over to the Lord.”

                At 2:15 Karin and Chris went in for surgery, and at 2:26 baby Elaina was born.  I was sitting in the waiting room with the grandparents when all of their phones buzzed at the same time and they all read the text and saw the picture of their new baby granddaughter. It was such fun. I cried with them as they hugged and congratulated each other, and I went back to the nursery to catch of glimpse of the sweet tiny baby before leaving them to celebrate together as a family.

                Upon visiting the next day, I learned that when the doctors were performing the c-section, they found Elaina in a very odd position. Her head had been cocked back and to the side, and her arm was up by her head. If Karin had continued to push or if Dr. Fuller-Eddins had decided to try to let Karin deliver vaginally, it would have been very risky for both Elaina and Karin. It is now so obvious that God’s hand has truly been in everything, from start to finish. The change in doctors, the epidural, the heart rate decelerations, and the c-section were all outside of everyone’s plans—except for God’s. Because Karin and Chris had committed themselves to God’s will and were willing to part with their birth plan, they were blessed the safe delivery of a beautiful, healthy baby girl. I am so encouraged by this story. God is so good!

                Karin and Chris, it has been an honor working with you through this amazing time in your life. Thank you for choosing me to be your doula. Continue to commit yourselves to God’s will-- you will be excellent parents!  Congratulations on the birth of your beautiful daughter! Elaina, your entrance into this world was nothing short of a modern day miracle. God was here in your birth and will be with you always. May you be the light for Christ that your name means you to be.

In Christ,

                        Jen DeBrito

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A Week on the Farm

Pine Hill Farm! 

We were able to house sit for our great friends this past week. We have been friends with the Meyer family since before they were a "family". Bill was not even dating Dawn. Bill was a youth leader for me during middle school, I was 13 years old.
Since then, they married, now have 4 beautiful, kind, children (who make up songs for Elaina, sew toys for her and even created their own labor induction method, that I must personally say, WORKS!), and live in Colorado Springs.
We have been so blessed by this family; they have been a huge encouragement to me and Chris from when we were newlyweds and now as parents we look to them for support and guidance.
Hanging on their farm was a real treat!

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Elaina loved the Chickens. They came very close to "eating" her feet! She had a very questionable look on her face most of the time, peppered with a smile or two; she had never seen such creatures in her 9 weeks of life.

 We were beyond spoiled- this house is beautiful, comfortable and a great place to rest. I laid in the sun, read my book and took LOTS of cool afternoon, just rained, naps.

Sweet Ruby (Pyrenees/Bernese mountain dog)  was so gentle with Elaina, she come 1/8 inch from her face, but never licked E. Elaina didn't mind at all.

Chris was in DOG HEAVEN! He has wanted a dog since I met him. Now these last few days confirmed the desire- we are looking to get one next Spring. Now, we have to decide which kind we want (the list goes on).

Elaina found her toes. While tanning/shading she looked down and saw this marvelous sight, moving, wiggling toes. I am not sure she knows they are her,and that she controls them-it was so sweet.

We also experienced Elaina's first laughs. She has been smiling and had a few little "laughs" but today there was no question. Ruby was coming up to E's face, not licking just smelling, after a few times E started laughing. A few minutes later Chris ended up whistling noise to keep getting Ruby to come back over to Elaina...the laughing was overwhelming. Chris was crying, I was crying- such sweet memories!

Fashion Blog

I  L.O.V.E to use fashion blogs as a way to "update" my closet without going shopping.

There are a few blogs that I regularly visit and look back over for ideas on pairing pieces of clothing. I love seeing someone else's take on patterns & prints and how to mix and match. I am not always so creative.

These are my top two: Hello Fashion and The Daybook Blog

All through my pregnancy I looked at The Daybook and tried to keep my wardrobe fresh. And now with a baby, funds are low in the shopping department.

I am hoping in August to update my closet with these a few items.

 One Splurge, Anthro!

 This necklace is over $80.00 at JCrew. I found it Here for $14.00

Pink shorts- yes, please! Looking at Gap, Old Navy or Loft.

I love all things pink and dresses. With nursing dresses are not practical. Looks like this summer will be skirts and shorts.

Picture Perfect

Bath time at Grammy  and Grandpa Rooney's. Grammy picked the perfect Pink tub; having a pink tub makes taking a bath so much better!

A new developmental milestone that sweet baby Roo has conquered is SMILING, sometimes even giggling :) She is always happy once she wakes up and gives us huge grins. We love seeing what interests her and what catches her eye. She  is now able to focus on objects for longer periods of time. Her favorite is our sky-lights, the back sliding glass window, the moving trees are huge hit and the 3 pictures about our couch.

 Tummy Time. We are hoping she continues to build her neck strength.

Elaina loves to sleep. She loves to sleep with her hands over her eyes, and/or above her head. The top left picture is her sleeping after playing on her fun mat. All worn out.

 Pool time! She has enjoyed the pool. She is usually in her stroller, sleeping!

 Her feet are just so cute, and long.

Elaina's first wedding. Congrats Steve and Kat!
I have to be honest. Getting her ready, by myself ready and making sure she was fed before was quite a stressful (tear-filled) event. Chris was an user and so I was left to navigate this new experience. I have 2 more weddings this summer and I am actually a bit nervous about the stress level for both E and I ( I will have Chris for those two weddings). Prayers are welcome!

Although E is only 5 weeks old she had her own place setting at the wedding. Jordan almonds, lollipop, fresh fruit, a TINY bottle of ketchup, and her own place setting. They waiters brought her chicken nuggets, french fries and corn on the cob, we kindly declined. We just laughed because it was so funny.

Mama Must-Haves

I know I am only 5 weeks into this whole mother thing but there are a few things I cant live without, or could I?

This book has been amazing, already. Elaina just hit her first "leap" and it was so neat to know how to support her during this time of developmental change and also not go crazy because I couldn't make her happy at times (I'm sure there are many more of those to come!) This book is on sale at Amazon and is great for moms with children under 20 months. Babies go through growth spurts, and developmental "leaps", this book helps you recognize those leaps and how to engage and stimulate your little one during that season.

Because of the c-section this co-sleeper made night feedings much easier the first few weeks. I was not able to get up from a laying down position very easily and this helped make those late, sleepy nights easier. We have also taken this to grandma and nana's house. For the time being its lot easier than a pack-n-play, once she is bigger our traveling load will increase!

Lastly, I know its only 3 items, would be Baby Connect for the iPhone. This app has been good at helping me know when the last feeding was, what side I was on and also tracking all those diapers. Weight gain was really difficult the first 4 weeks and so I was put at ease when I could see she had wet a good amount of diapers. I am sure I would be just fine if I didn't have this application,but it has been a nice piece of technology.

Bright Light

Elaina Caryn is here!

May 1st at 2:26am we welcomed our sweet baby Roo. She was 20.5 inches long and weighed 6lbs. 5oz.

We are so thankful for her safe & healthy arrival!

We are getting into a groove with her, lots of kissing and cuddling. She is very aware after she eats, looks all over the room and is drawn to bright lights. We are sleeping well, taking lots of naps and praising the Lord that she is putting on weight. She lots over 1lb after we left the hospital and we have been working hard ever since to get some meat (if you can call it that) on her.

We are learning her and thankful that she already has a personality, as she make sure we know what her likes and dislikes are.

I am enjoying the team effort it takes to care for Elaina and excited to see what new things God is and will continue to do in our family, both as a couple and as parents. Chris (AKA Poppi) is such a servant and continually blesses me with acts of service and care.

Elaina: Bright Light
Caryn (Ca-Ryn): Pure

We hope that as Elaina grows she learns who the true Light is and can then be a light to lead others to God. We are praying purity over her heart, mind and body and believing in Gods plan for her life.