Chatbooks

I might be totally late getting on a bandwagon I didn't know existed, but I used the Chatbooks app for the first time last week, AND I LOVED IT.

I have a lot of ambition and a lot of ideas, but like no time and a minimal amount of talent when it comes to being crafty. I like the idea of scrapbooking, but when it comes to the actual printing and pasting and organizing....well, I just don't have it. 

So I could order prints of my pictures and to put them in an album...but then I have to order prints and buy an album and then put the prints in the album. Time and energy that I don't have these days.

Before I had my boys, I would take pictures on my phone and then when my storage got too full I would delete the various selfies, pictures of margaritas, dog portraits, and memes on my phone. But now that I have the boys, how the heck do I delete any pictures? They're all of the boys and they're all good. I have to find a way to print them and organize them!

So I'm always scrolling through Instagram while I'm chained to my breast pump (I didn't choose the pump life, it chose me.), and I always see this sponsored photo for Chatbooks. I finally decided to download the app and give it a try.

Well I loved it!

Basically, this beautiful little app just syncs with your social media accounts and your camera roll and you can make these gorgeous little 6x6 books.

They're clean and organized and quick to make.

You pick what photos you want from your Instagram or camera roll, or you can just sync an entire Facebook album.

You pick what photo you want as your cover and  you can organize your photos in whatever order you want. You can do this with or without captions and dates. If you upload it from Instagram or Facebook, it will immediately include your caption and the date it was uploaded (but you can change the captions or remove them and the date). It's all so easy to customize, and you can do all of this with a kid hanging off your boob. Or whatever it is that you're doing. Très très appealing, isn't it busy mamas?

I made a quick album with 60 photos in under an hour (and believe me, I took time getting these pictures in order.) I went with 60 (but you can go up to 366 photos!) and my cost was right under $12.00 which included shipping. SO cheap! For an additional $5.00 you can get a hardcover, which is very cool.

I wanted to order a book as a trial run to see how everything printed. The quality is great! All the pages are a really smooth matte paper, and the photos print really clearly. If I had one complaint, it would be that some of my photos that were not dark on my screen, printed too dark on paper. BUT I got in contact with the Chatbooks Support, and had the most awesome response.

I corresponded with a woman named Brittany who was SO nice. She had me send her photos of the pages that printed too dark so she could compare to see if there was a problem with the printer. Then she brightened them up for me and she's having a second book sent out to me free of charge! AND now I have a good gauge of what photos to lighten and brighten up. (Which any Instagrammer knows it's always a good idea brighten dark photos anyways. I just didn't think to because mom brain, ya know.)

Isn't this just the friendliest email ever??? Talk about great customer service. 

Overall, I'm sure that a lot of y'all have already looked into this as an option, but for those of you who haven't, please do! It's easier to use and arrange than Shutterfly options, and it's so nice to have these little books on hand! I'm already imagining a nice uniform shelf dedicated just to these little guys.

As far as apps go, Chatbooks is a hard ten in my book.

I hope you give it a try and that you enjoy it!

To get your first 30 photo book for free, use my code AK97TMYU! (Although, I think this code only works if you get a subscription, which seems like a pretty neat option, but I can't speak for that.)

Here is the spine and some of my favorite pages. I took all of these photos with my iPhone, and I am not talented at ALL. They came out really clearly! And since the pages are matte, no annoying glare! 

These are some of the photos that printed too dark. The top I couldn't find the original for (WHOOPS). You can see the printed version on your left, and the original on your right. In hindsight I should have totally brightened these. But I definitely won't forget to do that for next time! 

Birth Story 1

When I found out I was going to have twins, I knew (and some parts of me kind of hoped) that they would come a little early. My pregnancy was rough, and I didn't plan on making it any longer than 36 weeks. I was being selfish. At 36 weeks, I didn't think of my twins as "preemies". At 36 weeks, they would probably be good to breathe alone. It's kind of a magic number when you're pregnant. I figured they might need a little help from the NICU, but not much. My mind was pretty firmly set on 36 weeks.

Never did I imagine that I would begin labor at 31 weeks. I never thought that I would be a real "preemie mom."

Saturday, April 9, 2016 
31w1d

I spent the afternoon laying upside down on an ironing board. I looked like an insane person, but I had two really stupid reasons for doing this. The first was to try and get my baby A to "spin" (look it up. Baby spinning is a real thing. Do I think it's credible? Well no, not anymore, obviously). The second reason was to try and get my gargantuan ankles to return to a semi-normal size. I regret doing this with every fiber of my being.

I knew something was wrong that entire day because, despite all my efforts to get my baby to "spin," I hadn't felt a single kick all day long. By the time my husband came home from work, I was really worried.

We ended up in the hospital around 11 that night to check our babies' heartbeats (just like they had told us to do in our birthing class). The nurse just said it looked like the boys were a little crowded and were only able to make smaller movements. Brian and I went home confidently.

Monday, April 11, 2016
31w3d

We went to our final birthing class. I had signed us up early because I was expecting the boys to show up mid-May. We toured the labor and delivery floor, saw where our families could wait to meet our babies, checked out the recovery suites, and we even went to visit the NICU.

As we left the NICU, the sweet receptionist there said "I hope I don't see any of y'all again!" and we all gave a good natured laugh and waved.

Tuesday, April 12, 2016
31w4d

6:00 AM

I tried to ignore the urge to pee just like every morning, but I lost...just like every morning. I wrestled out of my maternity pillow, heaved my swollen little body out of bed, and waddled to the bathroom, grumbling to myself and the boys.

I didn't even bother to turn on the lights anymore because I didn't want to risk waking myself up too much. I sat down, finished business, and pulled up my pajama bottoms and started to waddle back to bed. I wasn't even a step away from the toilet when I felt a rush.

Damn it, Nat. I kicked off my shorts and sat back down on the toilet.

I had read about this crap. Your uterus starts to press on your bladder so much that you're basically incontinent. This was obviously just my freaking luck.

Half way to the bedroom another rush came out.

Oh my God, Natalie. Get it together.

Muttering to myself and the boys, I started blindly reaching around under the bathroom sink for the Clorox wipes. I wiped up my mess and waddled off again.

I got fresh bottoms and immediately it happened again! I peed myself.

Great, I thought. I had a meeting at school and I was going to go and probably pee my pants. It was finally time to turn on the light and put on some glasses. I started mopping up with Clorox wipes.

At this point, I started to think that maybe my water had broken.

I started googling and found stories of broken water and also of women who were just no longer able to hold their bladders.

Well I knew how this would play out. I would be the raving hypochondriac contacting my physician, yet again, with some non-problem that I found in some rabbit hole I jumped in on Google.

I put on a maxi pad and made some tea. At this point it felt like I was peeing myself just a little bit every few minutes. Too much information? Yeah, Brian thought so too. But in our birthing class we had been told that when your water breaks it can trickle out slowly sometimes, so, per his suggestion, I emailed my doctor and waddled my pregnant little butt to class.

8:45 AM

A nurse called before my group meeting and said that they would really like me to come in. They said what I described sounded really suspicious. I told her that I had been googling again and that my language was probably reflecting what I had read and that it was probably nothing and that I was probably just a loser who was peeing herself as we spoke. Yuck, but whatever, pregnant women have a free pass to just do whatever at this point anyways. I told her I had a meeting and that I'd come in after that.

9:15 AM

She called again during my meeting and I said it was almost over.

I explained to my group that I was most likely just completely incontinent, but also (super casually) that my water might have broken. The ex-pregnant girl in my group said, "Oh no way. You would KNOW if it was your water."

10:00 AM

The nurse called again and I finally left my meeting.

10:20 AM

I was on the table for all of a second when my doctor cranked me open.

My water had broken.

I was too shocked to even panic.

Everything started happening so fast. She told me that I was to go straight to the hospital. I asked her if I had some "wiggle room." I literally said those words: "wiggle room." I wanted to go home and get things. I hadn't packed hardly anything yet! My hospital bag had makeup wipes and maxi pads in it! What about all my Pins about "The Perfect Hospital Bag"??? I had plans that were falling through. She look apprehesive, but said she wanted me there in an hour tops. I wanted to go home and get my iPad and maybe put on some make up.

I called my husband's cell and got no answer. I called his work phone and told his boss my water had broken. He came running to the phone. He said he'd meet me at the hospital.

I was driving home when I started to really freak out.

What the hell am I doing??
What am I doing going home for an iPad???? My water is broken! One of my babies is being exposed to infection and he is probably in shock and I'm thinking about eyeliner???? I went to CLASS?????

At this point the shock started to wear off and the panic started to set in. I flipped a U and high tailed it back to the hospital. I had to park like a mile away. I called everyone as I walked. My mom. My dad. My mother-in-law. My grandmas. I needed prayers. My babies needed prayers. Only one grandma answered. Nobody was expecting a call like this at this point.

I was checked in a settled into a bed within half an hour. I was on bed rest, they said. They were giving me steroid shots and antibiotics to help the babies, they said. They put a catheter in (OUCH). They said it would be a long stay. They hooked me up to monitors to track the babies' heart rates and my contractions. I was so uncomfortable and worried and sad. But I felt confident that they would be able to keep my babies in for at least a week.

A nurse told me, "A day inside of you is like three days in the NICU."

After I had my sons, things didn't work out very traditionally. They were in the NICU and my husband and I were home. So my home life didn't change much at first. I was able to recover without being the sole caretaker of my boys. Is it the way I wanted it? No, not at all. I would MUCH rather have come home from the hospital with my boys, but you have to find the silver linings in all situations. But in all seriousness, please don't ever tell me or any other NICU mom that we're lucky we don't/didn't have to recover with a baby in the house. We feel FAR from lucky. Moving on.

When my little guys finally did come home, it was awesome! Seriously, there is nothing that I took for granted: the feedings every three hours, the dirty diapers, the laundry. I don't think I showered for like four days after they got home. And that might actually be a low estimate. But it all felt pretty great. 

After they got home, I quickly found that with two babies in the house, beggars can't be choosers when it comes to help. 

However, there certainly are some things that are more helpful than others. 

As moms we WANT everyone to love on our babies. Seriously, there are few things better than seeing our kiddos in the arms of someone we love. I was so proud the day I got to hand my baby over to my grandmother. Seeing a woman who cared for me as a baby sing my sons the same songs she sang to me? Talk about priceless. Shoot, I basically just love to hand over my babies to people just to hear them confirm all the things I know are true: that they're the cutest babies they've ever seen. 

But as moms, we also need to BOND BOND BOND with our babies. It's so critical.  Mom probably loves sharing (I do!), but don't forget that her bond with Baby is much more important than your bond with Baby. Find other ways to be a good friend and help. Help that mama take care of business so that she can take care of her new baby (or babies!). 

It can be so overwhelming to have a new baby and still feel responsible for everything that is needed to keep the house up and running. 

Laundry. Dishes. Dinner. Errands. Other Kids. Dusting. Bottles. Groceries. Personal hygiene....

Don't wait for Mom to ask you if you can help out with these things. OFFER. INSIST. 

If you're a close friend or relative, offer to help her with laundry and general housework. You don't have to deep clean, but gosh you'd be surprised what a pleasant feeling a clean bathroom can give a person. Be the magical fairy godmother who delivers that wonderful, bleach-scented gift. 

If you're a semi-close friend, offer to drive mom to appointments. She's likely on some hardcore meds or just intoxicatingly sleep-deprived and shouldn't drive. If Dad isn't able to be around to shuttle Mom and Baby to pediatrician and OB appointments, offer to be the chauffeur for the day. Offer to go pick up any medications from the pharmacy that might be needed, or to make an emergency diaper/wipes/formula/cereal/ice cream run. 

Do anything that allows Mom to relax with her new baby. She needs this time to focus on bonding. 

If you're really itching to hold Baby (who wouldn't be??) come over to hold the baby so that Mom can have a meal with both hands or take a shower AND indulge in blowdrying her hair. Offer to hold the baby while she does something that makes her feel good! 

The best help I've gotten is when food magically appears, or a grocery run is taken care of, or when bottles and pumping parts are cleaned and sanitized. And when it comes to sharing my babies, I'm so grateful for those arms that have magically appeared to hold my boys when sleep cannot be held at bay any more. The arms that show up accompanied by the melodic voice that says "Go take a nap, Nat."

Ultimately, just be there for that new mama in any capacity that she might feel comfortable with. Be conscientious. Be a good friend. 

And when in doubt, be a good friend who shows up with pizza. 

I would LOVE to hear from any mamas out there about what you think are the best ways to help a sista out after having a baby.

Stay strong, new mamas!

All week long I had been tired and cranky. I was due to start my period on October 2nd. It's like clockwork.

I woke up on October 3rd feeling groggy and kind of cheesed off at nothing in particular.

I was on the couch when I decided that I should go get donuts...I was all like "You deserve the donuts; you're PMS-ing..."

But then I was like ".....wait."

We had only just decided to start trying; I had only been off the pill a month. I wasn't even ready! Brian had talked me into it! He had been wanting a baby since last Christmas when he held one of his best friend's newborn. I wasn't even sure I was mom material! I'M NOT MOM MATERIAL OH MY GOSH.

The positive sign showed up as clear as day and so quickly, and I had a million feelings hit me all at once. Pickle and I were skipping in circles (she probably still doesn't understand why lol).

I was like "who do I call??? How do I call??? DO YOU TELL SOMEONE THAT OVER A CALL???Brian had just left for work! Should I put on makeup??? Should I just go in my pajamas??? WHAT DO I DO???"

So I called my mom. We freaked out and screamed together. Pickle and I were still skipping around.

I slapped on some makeup and a dress and checked out my bump.

It looks rounder, right? Should I start cradling it with my hand already? Is it too soon? Definitely not too soon. Just start touching it a lot. Let people know you aren't just bloated now. Am I glowing or sweating? Definitely glowing.  Or maybe sweating...is it hot in here???

I bought a tiny pair of shoes and put them in a box wrapped in red. I put the positive test in a ziplock bag underneath, just in case Brian thought I was joking.

I walked into his work with the box and asked to see him in private. He thought I had brought him a cupcake.

I'll never ever forget his face as he registered what the tiny shoes meant. His smile was incredible. He picked me up and swung me around and we hugged and laughed and kissed and jumped around. It's one of my favorite memories of all time.

He asked if I was kidding (as predicted!) and I proudly pulled out my positive test. It was awesome.

In that moment, together, we became parents. At that point, it was the happiest day of our lives.

I was mom material.