Saturday, December 29, 2012

Gabriella's Birth Story

It all started on Wednesday, December 19...
It was after lunchtime and I was on my way downstairs to observe my dance class like I always do. All of a sudden I felt this wet and gooeyness "down there". I looked at my friends and they also could tell something was awkwardly wrong. I speed walked to the restroom to check what just happened. And there it was. My actual mucus plug all over my undies. It looked like someone with a really bad cold sneezed all over it. I wiped it out but bits and pieces kept coming out so I put on a pantie liner. For the rest of the day I constantly felt wet and sticky. So I waited until the end of the day to tell the nurse who is very much like my doctor and mother while I'm at school. When I told her what happened she said "That means your dilating more and labor may start soon." We both got so excited but then I told her that I feel constantly wet. Then she said that I should call my doctor and make sure that I'm not leaking any amniotic fluid. So I called my doctor and he said that I should go to labor and delivery to make sure. I all of a sudden felt anxious and excited all at the same time. All I kept thinking to myself was "Is this it?"
I went to the hospital and checked in to labor and delivery and told them I wanted to make sure I wasn't leaking any fluid. They checked me...and....nothing. I wasn't leaking fluid but I did indeed lose my mucus plug and I dilated to 2 cm  So they sent me home and the waiting game began. So for the next two days I walked, and walked, and stretched and walked just waited to get something started (which I then regretted but we'll get to that later). By Friday I finally just said whatever and made the decision to enjoy my pregnancy as long as I can. So I made myself pregnancy pretty. I shaved (what I could see), I deep conditioned my hair, I even took pics of myself. Little did I know that that would be the last night I get with my beautiful belly.
The last picture I took pregnant. 
I woke up the next morning pretty normal. I felt no special feeling but I was relaxed. Since it was a typical Saturday in my house, I was planning on lounging the day away anyways. But then I started having contractions. At first they were so mild that I thought that they were just Braxton Hicks so I didn't pay any attention to them. Then after a few hours they got stronger. I watched as my stomach tightened up for about a minute and then go away. Something told me to start timing them. So I opened up my recently downloaded Contraction Timer app and started timing them. Some contractions were 5 mins apart, some were 3, even one was 7. So of course I thought they were still just Braxton Hicks. Yea...it doesn't help that I have a high tolerance for pain. So I got up and did my normal prenatal yoga/stretches while watching Sister Act. The contractions kept getting worse. I couldn't even finish stretching. I sat down and started to time my contractions again. Along with that, I had increased pressure in my pelvic area as if I had to poop. The contractions were at least 3 or 4 mins apart by then. They felt like the worst period cramps in the world. Since I had the constant urge to use the restroom, I went to pee and when I got up there it was...bloody show. I knew it was time. I called my doctor, he told me to go to the hospital. So I grabbed my already packed hospital bag (thank God it was!) and my step dad drove me to the hospital.
I could barely walk up to the front desk because by then I was definitely in labor. The nurse hooked me up to the fetal heart monitor and the contraction monitor  The nurse said that the contractions were almost right on top of each other and that I wasn't going anywhere. I was so excited because it was finally happening. My baby girl was finally about to come. I was in the hospital at about 3:20 pm. I made phone calls and sent out group text messages saying that I was in labor. In a way that was kind of a mistake because some of the responders called right after and it became a bit overwhelming. So for about an hour I was on social media and phone duty all while my contractions killed me. Strong as usual =P. Then I finally put the phone down since it was dying and turned on the TV  The television was not really any help because I was still sort of anxious and phased my the fact that I was there about to have my baby. The nurse came in an hour later to check on how I was doing. I dilated to 3 1/2 cm. I asked when was I going to get the epidural and she said I would have to wait until I was 4 cm but she gave me something for the pain in the meantime. It was some drug that was put in my iv and boy did it make me feel so high as if I was at a pot house. It kind of eased away the pain but other than that it just made me feel fluffy and happy.
After at least 45 mins I was ready to get an epidural. The guy and the nurse came in and set me up. I had to hunch over and my bed was raised pretty high. I started to get scared because of the horror stories I have heard about the needle being so big. Please don't listen to those stories. The man who gave me the epidural was so nice and he said that its only going to feel like a Texas size bee sting. It wasn't even that. It was just a little pinch like a regular shot. After that, you feel absolutely nothing. When he was finally done, they laid me down and waited for it to kick in. I felt relaxed and I finally got like 2 hours of rest. When the nurse came back to check on me, it was time to push.
PUSH!!!
I pushed for about 45 minutes to an hour, so it went by pretty fast. Before I started pushing, I had to put my hand on my stomach one more time. It hit me that this was the last time where its just me. My doctor told me that she had a bowel movement in utero which was not good at all. So he called in the NICU nurses so he could make sure she was okay when she came out. Doctor Weix had to perform an episiotomy to make more room for her to get out. Of course I wasn't too happy about that. Before I knew it, there she was. I  first saw her little arm and hand go up and heard her cry. I burst into tears as they brought her to her bed to clean her off and check her out. My baby girl. My beautiful precious angel of a baby girl was finally here. Doctor stitched me up but I could barely pay attention because my eyes were on her the entire time and all I wanted to do was hold her.





Gabriella Alexis Anderson 



Born on December 22, 2012
@ 10:59 pm
















7 pounds
19 1/2 Inches











I will write another blog on my postpartum/post-birth experience but for right now I just wanted to reflect on everything from pregnancy to this moment...
This 9 month journey really hasn't been easy. I have cried so many times and felt lonely because I was doing this all by myself. But along with those not so good moments, I have also had a lot of great and wonderful moments. I can tell you that I sat in my recovery room just sitting there thinking back from the moment I found out I was pregnant, to when I gave birth and every other moment in between. Even though I cried, I feel extremely blessed. God has given me the greatest gift anyone could ever ask for and He has brought me through so much. I mean come on. I am 18 years old, a senior in high school, no job, baby daddy is away, most of my family is 3 hours away in Louisiana so I have very limited help, I have family problems, I have demons from the past that I am still trying to deal with, but with all of that going on I am doing a damn good job so far of taking care of my baby and other things I need to take care of and I thank God for it. 
So to all of you my beautiful readers and followers, please make sure nobody tells you that you cant do something or that its impossible. Because trust me, everything is possible. 
Proud Mommy


I'll put the link to my Picasa album to see all the pictures I have of her down below. Of course keep following this blog, me on Twitter and Instagram for more fun and updates. The fun has only begun! More fun blogs and exciting news to come. I plan on showing you all my weight loss journey, my modelling journey, my journey to graduation, personal journeys, holiday journeys, vacation journeys, of course journeys with Gabby and I, and any other journeys you can think of! 
Wanna see how my belly blew up? I have an entire album showing my pregnancy week by week.
Week by Week with Gabby

More fun to come!
Keep the faith.
-Kortney

"A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on." ~ Carl Sandburg
"No one can imagine their life having their own children. But when they are born, no one can imagine life without them."~ Unknown 


Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Pregnancy Diary: Patiently Waiting...

Yeap...
At 37 weeks:
At my doctors visit, which was last Monday, he said that I was thinning out and that I've dilated 1 cm. So that meant that baby could have came last week or she could make an appearance next week.
At 38 weeks (which is now):
Baby still hadn't came. So then at my last doctors visit, he said I was completely thinned out, I even lost my mucus plug, but I was still only 1 cm dilated!

I really am trying to be patient and occupy myself so I did quite a few things since the last time I blogged:

1. I stocked up on her essentials.
As you all may know, Im a pretty organized and proud neat freak. I seriously cannot do a single thing without a checklist or writing it down in my planner. So over the weekend I went to Target with my mom and we bought everything that we still needed. The thing is, we didn't really know what we still needed. My mom had already ordered a huge supply of diapers from Amazon.com that would last her throughout all her "newborn stage". So we were good on that, but still needed to know what else. Thankfully, thanks to my favorite baby websites, TheBump.com and BabyCenter.com, they had checklists of essentials for baby. So I printed out the list and we spent at least $175 at Target on just things for baby. Not bad.
Checklist: Baby Essentials - TheBump.com

2. I packed my hospital bag.



Thanks again to the checklist, I finally packed for my trip to the hospital. The most fun part about it was that I got to choose what baby will wear going home :)
Checklist: Packing A Hospital Bag - TheBump.com

3. I finally finished her side of the room.
Since I still live with my family, we agreed to have baby sleep in my room since I want her close to me.  But our house isn't a mansion so my room is a little matchbox. No room for a crib, only a bassinet and barely fit for a playpen.  One of my friends who had a bassinet ready for me took too long to bring it to me so my mom bought a playpen. We had to squeeze it in but it works and I love it!
4. I washed all of her clothes and organized them some more.
2 of my good friends had just recently had babies and thank God they were girls too. So of course I got plenty of hand me down newborn clothes from them. So I washed them with Dreft laundry detergent which is safe for babies skin and smells soooo good. After I washed all of the clothes I separated them from things she got from the baby shower and the hand me downs. I put away some of the hand me downs in a separate basket because I either didn't like the clothes or they were too springtime-ish since their babies were born during the summer. But I actually had a great time going through all of it because I know that she will be wearing that stuff pretty soon and I felt comfort knowing that she has more than enough clothes to last her throughout her newborn stage.

As you can see I have been keeping myself pretty occupied. I just really cannot wait until she get here though. I technically have 10 more days until my official due date, but I have a feeling that she will come sooner (I hope so).

38 Weeks and 3 Days
1 cm dilated and 100% effaced

Patiently Waiting and Fingers Crossed!
-Kortney

"We must see things for how they are instead of how we hope, wish, or expect them to be." ~ Unknown




Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

Tonight was the annual Victoria's Secret fashion show that I always watch every year. I was overall sort of satisfied. It wasn't as interesting as it usually is. The beginning could have been just a little better even though I did like the Circus theme. When Rihanna came out I really couldn't keep my eyes on the screen. I found myself looking away a lot. The fashions didn't really make sense to me and the fact that I don't really like Rihanna just made it worse (sorry to all you Rihanna fans out there. I'm just not interested. I like the "long hair" her). One of my favorite parts of the show was the Calendar Girls theme. The outfits were so interesting and my favorites were the Christmas and the Cheerleader one. Oh yea, and Justin Bieber did an amazing job when he sang "As long as you love me". =) The Pink section is usually not my favorite because its too colorful for my taste but this year I actually loved it. It was really cute and I think that the song just made it even better because it fit so well. Another one of my absolute favorites was the Silver Screen Angels. Of course I love anything with diamonds and sparkles =D Luxury is my thing! Duh! Then Rihanna came back on and I  kinda stopped watching. Lol.
I've always loved stuff from Victoria's Secret so I try to watch every year. Well this was my mini review of the show =)

Bye!
-Kortney

"Maturity is putting a process between opportunity and decision." ~ Unknown

Pregnancy Diary: Nesting Time!


This past weekend I went into crazy mode. Well... most people would call it "nesting". Nesting, according to Mama's Health.com, is the term used to refer to an expectant mother’s instinct which gives her a surge of energy which prompts her to clean and do various chores around her home. Nesting usually arises as the mother nears her due date. And since I am 36 weeks, obviously my time is now. Lol. So I started off the day by cleaning out my dressers and making a completely separate drawer for her socks, bows, hats, and some of her clothes that didn't come with hangers. Then I moved on to my closet.... which was a bit challenging in a way since I do use my closet space for everything but I moved out all my "extras" or casual clothes out and made it exclusive to my dresses, coats and baby's clothes. I was surprised at how many coats and jackets I have... hmm. Not surprised by the number of dresses though. I love my dresses from my pageant ones to my clubbing ones. But anyways... I then organized my shoes (which I tend to do every 3-4 months or whenever I get a new pair) at the bottom of the closet, and after that, I decided that the middle space of the closet would be baby's clothes and I hung everything up.
During...

When I was done with all of that, my step dad was ready to start painting. Since I obviously can't be around the fumes for too long, I preoccupied myself by doing more cleaning and organizing of other rooms. I started on the game room, which will soon be her play room. I organized, hung up pictures, cleaned the windows (!!! I was really that dazed!!!) and vacuumed. I started to put in the outlet protectors but I just didn't. Lol I was serious nesting! Then I moved to the bathroom and put all her baby shampoo and baby wash and baby lotion and bath accessories in the cabinet.
Before I knew it, the painting was done. I got so excited just looking at it and I almost got emotional. By that time, I wore myself out. Baby wouldn't stop kicking me and my feet were starting to swell. Thankfully my room was done so I laid back and watched the Cowboys vs. the Eagles game for a while until I built up the energy to get back up again. But I'm still not done! Unfortunately, my hospital bag isn't even packed yet (blog post coming as soon as I do that) and I still don't have some of her essential things (another blog post to come). So we are going to do all of that hopefully this weekend. I'm just so ready and excited about my baby girl.
...After


I went to the doctor today and he said that she would weigh around 7 pounds when she is born and that I am more then likely to deliver at 38-39 weeks...which is in 2 weeks! I'm so ready! Soooo ready! Nervous just a little bit...but ready :)
Keep watching and reading as the weeks fast approach. And don't forget to vote in my baby naming poll! (Link Below) Vote for your favorite name on what I should name her :)
http://www.babycenter.com/403_khloe-or-gabriella_17498512_299.bc

Gotta go. My feet and hands are getting puffy =/ (That means its time to go to sleep) See ya!
-Kortney

"There are 10 ways to love: Listen, Speak, Give, Pray, Answer, Share, Enjoy, Trust, Forgive, Promise." ~Will Smith




Monday, November 26, 2012

Thanksgiving Break

Welcome back everyone! I hope you all had a very fun and blessed Thanksgiving. I know I did. I did plenty of fun things. I finally got my toes done with my best friend and god mother of my daughter, Alexis. We got the deluxe! It was sooo worth it!
Both of our feet have been tired out from dance and of course my problem, pregnancy feet. We deserved it. Afterwards we went out to eat at Ton's Mongolian Grill. It was delicious. But they give you so much food that you can't even eat it all. I felt bad giving my plate to the waitress because I was so sad that I was wasting food. But I got ice cream afterwards though :)
We were going to go see Twilight Breaking Dawn part 2 but I am not allowed to see it yet because I haven't watched Eclipse :-/ Oh well. Maybe next time. After she dropped me off at home I started packing for my last and final trip to Shreveport, Louisiana. My doctor said it would be okay for me to travel since it is only 3 hours away. He said, "Anything farther than that, I would have said no to." Since it is getting so close to my due date, the trip would be my last until after baby comes.



My aunt Monica came to pick me up the next morning for our trip. I am actually surprised that I only had to stop to pee twice in a 3 hour period. And that I actually stayed awake the entire time. As soon as we made it to my Granny's house I pulled out some food and sat back and watched TV. It was officially "Kortney's Lazy Time" from there on out. I was so happy to be there because not only did I deserve my lazy time, but because I was so afraid that I would not have gotten to go anywhere for Thanksgiving since my step-dad's side of the family all went to Miami and my mother's side all lives in Shreveport.
So Thanksgiving was great. The food (as always) was off the chain delicious and my family (for once) had no family feuds! Whew! Although there were too many kids in the house for my liking -__- They screamed too much to the point that I almost lost my mind a little bit. Also the Cowboys lost which was kind of sad :( Our Thanksgiving was also kind of cut short since it we were still getting ready for yet another big event... No not my baby coming... but BLACK FRIDAY!!! My family and I take Black Friday seriously! Unfortunately we didn't have as much fun as we usually do since I'm pregnant I had to stay home, my mother wasn't there to contribute, and my aunt Ashley works at JC Penny so she had to be there to check out the mad house. So it was only 2 people who went; My aunt Monica and my great aunt Baye. But I just kept thinking to myself that next year would be the year I would be waiting in line to buy stuff for my own baby :)
Saturday was the annual Bayou Classic football game against Grambling State University and Southern University. I started watching during the halftime show (which is the most entertaining anyway). The majority of my family went to Southern and only my Granny went to Grambling. So it was pretty interesting watching it with everyone. The next day was bittersweet. It was time for us to be heading back to Texas. Of course I never like leaving my hometown but I told my family that the next time you see me, I will have a little baby with me, and this time not in my stomach. :)
I am literally just waiting around and watching the days go by. My little angel could come at any minute now.
 Make sure you all follow me on twitter and instagram @kortneyofficial if you want more updates and keep checking back here :)

I love you guys and thanks for being someone I can talk to <3
-Kortney

"Do something today that your future self will thank you for."

Sunday, November 11, 2012

The Baby Shower!

It really has been a busy week for me. I have been so tired and so exhausted that every time I came home I crashed right into bed. So forgive me for making you all wait this long to hear about the baby shower.

All day Saturday, we cleaned and cleaned until we all eventually crashed out at about 11 pm. It was me, my 2 little sisters, my step dad and my mother (who didn't really help that much since she slept most of the time) cleaning up the entire house for the baby shower. My friend, and god-mother to the baby, Alexis, didn't come over until about 10:30 pm since she had to work. We still got a lot done though. She helped with the favors and the decorations which we didn't finish until 11 something at night.
The next morning, the day of the shower, thankfully I didn't wake up to chaos. I woke up in a very calm mood and did what I always do; make a mental list of things that needed to be done before 1 o'clock. My aunt Ashley form Shreveport called me at 9 am and said that they would get here around 10. Perfect! I still had some last minute stuff to get and having them all here would be a huge help. Alexis and I waited around for an hour for them to come. So we showered, made more lists, made sure everything was in place, and then my family finally came. I showed them what needed to be done and things we still needed to get, and we all set out in 3 separate cars because they each had a task. My step dads job was to go get the ice, trash bags, and anything else we called him about; Alexis went to get the cake and cupcakes, and things that she forgot; and my Aunt and I went to get balloons, more stuff for the favors and food for everyone since we were all hungry and couldn't wait until the baby shower to eat. We were all gone for a good 2 hours. When we came back home, the rest of my family had already set up everything which was perfect.

I knew we weren't going to have enough time to do that when we got back anyway. Besides, I still needed to get ready and we only had a couple of hours to do so. I went upstairs and got ready, then my friend Chelsea, who was in charge of the games, finally came and set up everything for the games and prizes. As she always does, Chelsea had everything under control from there on out. She went downstairs and greeted everyone while I was still getting my hair done by Alexis. I finally had a chance to bask in this moment of my baby shower. It seems like just the other day I revealed to everyone that I was pregnant. Now here I am having a baby shower for her with just one more month to go before she gets here. Before you know it, I will be dedicating her in church, spending my first summer with her, picking out her first Halloween costume, and planning her first birthday party. (Ugh i'm crying now). It's so unreal how life quickly passes you by...

When I finally came downstairs to the party, everyone was there. Of course me and baby had to make a late entrance. We're just fabulous like that. I was so happy to see everyone and I already saw how many gifts were on the gift table (which was a ton!). Everyone was eating, chatting and playing their first game which was the "How well do you know baby?" crossword puzzle that Chelsea made. It was so fun to watch them try to guess the answers. Then after everyone else showed up, we played another game. It was a matching game where you had to guess which word (which was in another language or a term for a baby animal) matched with the other. Again it was so funny to watch them try and guess which ones go with the other. Everyone Googled everything. As they got cake I went upstairs and hid so they wouldn't see what I was wearing. They then had to guess and remember what I had on to win a prize. As they ate their dessert we had room for one more game. The Celebrity Baby Scoop Game where they had to guess which baby belonged to which celebrity. It was hard to eliminate people because they knew so much about celebrities and their babies. 

Then it was gift opening time. OMG! She is already spoiled just like her mommy =). She has plenty of clothes and plenty of essential things for when she gets here, lots and lots of passies, 2 diaper bags and more blankets and bottles than I could ever imagine.


I had so much fun at my baby shower and I am so thankful for the people who came. It shows me the  people who really do care and I thank God for them. If you want to see more pictures from the baby shower, go to my Picasa Web page or click the "Baby Shower Album" link below.











Baby Shower Album

Love you all so much!
-Kortney

"When you have nothing left but God, then for the first time, you become aware that God is enough." ~ Maude Royden

Friday, November 2, 2012

My Birthday Weekend and Baby Update

So yea I know I am very late on writing like half of this post (my birthday was this past Sunday). But forgive me because I have been so busy with everything lately and on top of that, very tired and pregnant.
Well, my birthday was a pretty good day. I ended up going to Shreveport to visit my family which was great for me because I wasn't really sure when was the next time I would see them besides at the baby shower. It was pretty much just a chill and family oriented birthday. I woke up to a nice birthday breakfast and everyone singing happy birthday to me. Then we all just kind of chilled out and watched TV... and I ended up taking a nap. I woke up and they said come to the kitchen and it was a beautiful birthday cake and candles and cards waiting for me :) For gifts, I got a whole lot of money! We then ended up going to the State Fair of Louisiana and spent about an hour there because I couldn't stand just walking around so much and all the smells from different foods mixed in together. Overall I just had a really nice birthday spent with my family.

As soon as we got back to Texas, my busy week began and it sure was a very busy week. So busy that Monday and Tuesday, I ended up wearing my body out. I threw up, got overheated, dizzy and lightheaded. I spent all of the rest of Tuesday just sleeping. It really did help because for Wednesday, Halloween, I was back. Just in time. My costume was a Thing 1 and Thing 2 costume where of course baby was Thing 2 =D
I spent my Halloween watching Hocus Pocus and passing out candy since I can't really walk around too much.

Back to the busy part. So many people have not RSVP'd for the baby shower. So I tweeted and told everyone that they needed to do that ASAP because they will not be counted for a plate. This weekend, starting tomorrow, we are gonna go buy the last minute things we need and clean up the house and stuff. Whew! A lot has been put into this baby shower and I just hope it turns out great. Be looking for a blog post soon about how the baby shower went! Also remember to follow me on Twitter and Instagram @kortneyofficial for even more fun.

PS
Baby is 32 Weeks Now! I just keep getting closer and closer!


Love you all!
-Kortney

"The way I see it, you should live everyday like it's your birthday." ~Paris Hilton


Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Happy Birthday Scorpios!

I really meant to post this yesterday but it was so late by the time I got to a computer since my laptop was not yet fixed. But I just wanted to say, Happy Birthday to all my fellow Scorpios out there! We are some of the best people in the world (until you cross us of course). I am so proud to be a Scorpio and you all should too. And those of you who are not, go ahead and get jealous ;P

Happy Birthday Scorpios!
-Kortney

"Love is as much of an object as an obsession, everybody wants it, everybody seeks it, but few ever achieve it, those who do will cherish it, be lost in it, and among all, never...never forget it." ~ Curtis Judalet 

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Baby Shower Planning: The Invitations

Believe it or not, I have still been working very hard on the plans for the baby shower that is so quickly approaching. Even though I am just about a week behind on some things on my checklist, I am speedy with catching up. This past weekend I had my family from Shreveport, Louisiana come over. So it was a big distraction for me.But one thing I did manage to get was the invitations for my baby shower! Now I know that I said earlier in this blog that I wanted pink and chocolate brown as the theme/color but sadly I have had a change of mind. I just went ahead and decided to go with a generic theme and color scheme from Party City. But like everything I do, whether it be in the plans or not, everything will still be FABULOUS! (Come on, you should know this by now =D) There has been a lot of changes to this baby shower like the venue, of course the theme and the budget. But like I said, everything will be just perfect in the end. So the new theme I chose was a theme from Party City and it is called Pink Wild Safari. The colors are pink, black and white (see, not too far off from pink and brown), leopard and zebra print, and has the cutest little jungle animals on it.

Well back to the main subject. The invitations! Whether you decide to make your own or use a general invitation from the store, there are some things that you must always think about and include.
The best time to send out invitations for a baby shower, or invitations in general, are 2-3 weeks before the date. It gives the guests plenty of time to check your registry or plan what gift they might buy for you. You can also send them just a little bit earlier if you have to mail some to out of town guests. Always buy or make just the right amount of invitations. If you have extras, that's better than not having enough. So always refer back to your guest list and make a good estimate of how many you need.

Some things should almost always be on an invitation, store bought or self/custom made. 
  • Name of the mommy to be and/or host(s).  If you are like me and don't really have a set host, just putting your name is fine too. this can help guests find your name on any registry list and write your name on cards. Believe it or not, some people you are closest too will forget your name or forget how to spell it.
  • Location.  Duh. 
  • Time and Date.  Duh. 
  • (optional) Directions.  If you know that your house or venue is tricky to find, its best to put the directions on how to get there. But most people these days have GPS on their phones and in their cars. If not, Map Quest has never failed. 
  • Phone Number/Email and RSVP. Just in case the guests have questions and the RSVP is to at least give you a heads up on who all will come or not. Even though not too many people RSVP anymore, its still common courtesy and will give you at least an estimate on "absolute" guests. But don't always rely on RSVP's. Since some won't call at all and just show up, its best to just plan for the estimated number of guests. You can also put on the invitation "RSVP Required" if you don't want any slip ups. 
  • Where the mommy to be is registered.  Very important. How else will the guests know what to get for you? If you haven't already started a registry by this point, GET ON IT! Baby registries can be found anywhere where baby stuff is sold. Target, Babies R Us, Walmart, anywhere you like to shop pretty much. 
Some other things to add to the invitation is totally up to you. If you want a dress code, put a dress code, if you have a game in mind and need the guest to bring something, tell them to bring it. Include whatever you think is necessary. 

Until next time my lovelies! 
-Kortney

"Life can either be accepted or changed. If it is not accepted, it must be changed. If it cannot be changed, it must be accepted." 




Thursday, October 18, 2012

Pregnancy Diary: Third Trimester

Just last week I made it to my last trimester of pregnancy. I am now in the home stretch! So far it has been everything that the pregnancy websites, apps, and books say. Usually in the third trimester aches and pains become worse, fatigue comes back from the first trimester, and new problems pop up as well. These are all true. My feet feel as if they are about to pop, my back is killing me and my poor tummy feels like it has reached its limit for stretching. Sometimes I even feel like baby doesn't have enough room at all to move around anymore. I keep thinking to myself, "Only 10 more weeks". Maybe even shorter/longer than that. Im ready but I'm not ready. I have nothing prepared yet, not even her room. But I just cannot wait until my little angel gets here. :)


Love you guys!
-Kortney 

"Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life." 

Monday, October 15, 2012

Gift Ideas for the Balanced Libra Woman (Happy Birthday Chelsea!)

Happy Birthday Libras!!! You all are so special and sexy in your own way ;) A few things about Libra women that I have personally experienced is that they are very social and very romantic. But one thing that everyone should know about Libras is that some are balanced and some are not.... Fortunately for me, I know and have became friends with only balanced ones and have only come across a few unbalanced ones. The balanced Libra woman is usually very social but not too social to the point where its annoying (like one other unbalanced Libra I have came across). Libra women in general love all things beauty and/or fashion. Venus rules them; most Libras are beautiful anyway; and their ruling body part is their ass. How much sexier can you get?? Therefore, buying a gift for a Libra woman is a great task. They tend to only want the finer things in life.

What a Libra Woman Might Like

Photo frames that look expensive or handmade
Perfume
Anything aromatherapy
Bath salts or any kind of bath time set
Interesting books
Romantic books
Exotic treasures

The Libra woman I know and have become best friends with is Chelsea Rayna. If she isn't the most balanced Libra there is then I don't know who is. She is always so calm and relaxed about everything and so very elegant (If you haven't noticed by now I have been inspired to use my elegant words/speech this entire blog by her). So for her birthday this past weekend, she did what any elegant and balanced Libra would do. She had a very very very fancy tea party. Feminine? Of course. The only male there was her sweet and caring Pisces boyfriend. What else would you expect of a Libra? A social gathering where people can talk and have fun but stay "balanced". I thank her mother and father for making the delicious sandwiches and tea. Oh. And also for making special tea for me that is safe for pregnant women. ;D Great Job!

The gift I got her was a wine glass with the word "SEXY" engraved on it. She of course loved it :D
I had the best time ever at her tea party. 
Happy Birthday to ALL Libras! 
And Happy Birthday Chelsea!

Love you sweeties!
-Kortney

"Beauty is only skin deep. I think what's really important is finding a balance of mind, body and spirit." ~ Jennifer Lopez


Friday, October 12, 2012

Pictures Pictures and Baby Update

Last week I took my maternity pics! I had so much fun! Even though some places had a little too much grass (it makes me itchy), bugs, and I stepped in an ant pile......It was a very amazing time. Baby was moving too! I think she knew that we were getting our picture taken so she wanted to pose also :) Thanks to my amazing photographer Jackie Marie Brown. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter @jbphotographer to see more of her amazing stuff. Keep in mind these are only a few.


Well yesterday I also had more pictures taken, but this time it was Senior Pictures. Very untraditional of course. :P Oh how I miss modeling so much. These photos were taken at One Last Marble in Uptown Dallas but Alexis was taking extra photos on the side ;)


BABY UPDATE!
I have finally made it to my 3rd trimester! I will be 29 weeks tomorrow. The baby shower is quickly approaching and I still have SOO much left to do. I have decided to probably change her name. Too many people mispronounce Nala. I have no idea why. But thats going to bother me so I am no longer revealing her name until she is born. Lately pregnancy stresses have gotten the best of me. I have found myself crying more than usual, can't get any sleep, and dealing with the single mom syndrome. But now I have finally made myself happy again and my focus is just my baby, me, and finishing school. Of course the worries will always come but sometimes you just have to go through them because there is always something special in the end.

Patiently Waiting,
-Kortney

"The moment you are ready to quit, is usually the moment right before the miracle happens. Don't give up." 


Friday, October 5, 2012

A Nice Long Bubble Bath!

AH! The things we do to our bodies as humans. We stress it out so much and most of the time don't even realize it. This past week has been extremely crazy for me. I've been so busy with school, baby shower stuff, making up work, doctors appointments, getting ready for baby, and doing things around the house. I have been absolutely tired.
Well this is probably the shortest blog I have ever written, but oh well. Haha. I'm tired. But as I have kept my promise I will continue blogging. I'm just on break. :P
I'm gonna go take a nice long hot (not too hot), bubble bath.

See ya!
-Kortney

" I restore myself when I'm alone." ~ Marilyn Monroe

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Pregnancy Diary: Making My Birth Plan!

I'm pretty sure you all know by now that I am an open book when it comes to letting you all know what goes on with my life. Sharing my pregnancy experiences are no different. Its kinda fun to share with you guys anyway. So today I made my birth plan. I go to the doctor on Monday and he wants me to at least talk about how I would like delivery to go. For help, I went to theBump.com and printed out their Birth Plan tool. It really does help. Well here is my plan... :)

The Hospital: Baylor Medical Center in Irving
My planned delivery: Through the hole! (Vaginal)
Only thing that might change this is if the baby has complications. I would love to try a natural water birth for my 3rd or 4th child....not right now though. Haha. Its my first time.
I'd like...to be present: Hospital staff only (no students), My mother, My great aunt, and my partner (if he shows up)
During labor I'd like: Music played; Music calms me down. I would like to use my trusty dusty Pandora radio if I feel like I need it. To wear my own clothes; .....come on now. Really need an explanation?
First stage of labor: Id like to do whatever my body is telling me to do. If I want a bath, gimme a bath. If I want to walk around, please let me walk around. If I want to sleep, do not wake me up. :)
For pain relief: Well here is something interesting that I'm doing. I really want to see how long I can go without meds. Sounds crazy I know but I just want to try it. If I'm 8cm dilated and it feels like I'm at 3cm and I'm okay and not screaming my head off and the breathing techniques are working, then I just might, MIGHT, go natural. But if I'm 3cm dilated and it feels like I should be at 8cm, then I want all the meds in the world! The reason I'm doing this is because I am not the type of girl who likes medication. My mother is the type of woman who depends on meds for anything and everything. Not my style. But we'll see :)
During delivery I'd like to: Push as directed (because I'm obviously not a doctor) and be laying down. I cant see how someone can stand up and push...
After delivery: I'd like to hold my baby immediately after, breastfeed as soon as I can, and my family to have unlimited visiting.
My baby's food: Breast milk! :D
Baby's stay: In my room unless an emergency.

Well of course this isn't all of the things on my birth plan papers. Some things were a little too open and I didn't want to scare you guys. But doing this, just makes me feel closer and closer to seeing my baby. I'm so excited. Every day I'm getting bigger and bigger. She's moving alot more and those kicks are getting stronger. The baby shower is a month away. AHHHH! Just alot of excitement and anxiousness going on. :D

Muah! Love you
-Kortney

"Trust that your soul has a plan, and even if you cant see it completely, know that everything will unfold as it is meant to." ~ Deepak Chopra
 

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Stretch Mark Miracle!!!

I can't help myself but to do a blog about beauty. Come on. Its pretty much my life. I live for this s**t ;)
Since I've become pregnant, I have felt....well not so myself. I don't slack off when it comes to at least trying to look good and presentable. But just like everyone else, pregnant or not, I have my days where I'm just like "...eh. no makeup today. psssh and my hair that hasn't been brushed since yesterday looks fine." Pregnancy really does take alot out of you. That is something I quickly learned. I barely put on a full set of makeup anymore, I wear yoga pants or sweatpants at least 2-3 times a week, its just a completely different side of me. But of course me being the health and beauty guru that I am, I still kinda experiment with different things that help improve the human canvas (aka the sexy body). Pregnancy beauty problems somehow make "regular" beauty problems a piece of cake to fix. Its extremely harder to fix a situation during pregnancy because you have to be very careful of what you put on your skin and in your body because of the little person inside who is still developing is very very sensitive.
The scariest thing that has happened to my body during pregnancy? No, its not my constant growing stomach. Its STRETCH MARKS!!!!!! Ever since the 7th grade, I've been using cocoa butter to avoid future stretch marks and fade the very few ones I had on my hips. FAILED!It did a good job when I wasn't pregnant, but now...it only gets used on my arms, legs and feet. No use on my "sexy" areas anymore. I was terrified when I woke up one morning and it looked like Freddy Kruger tried to kill my ass and boobs. It was red and scary looking. I looked like I was carrying a disease. Thank God none showed up on my stomach (*knock on wood*...yet). I began to become very discouraged. Me being a model, dancer and someone who likes to show a good amount of skin, stretch marks are horrifying. So I researched and researched and researched until I came up with some solution of my own to treat stretch marks.
Every product that I looked up was either too damn expensive or not safe for pregnant or breastfeeding women. I then looked up "natural" ways to fade stretch marks. Some ways were kinda far out like African black soap (that they only sell at certain stores), Aztec powder clay (whatever the hell that is. sounds crazy but I just might try it for the fun of it one day), cooking everything in your kitchen that looks like it may work....yeah right.
So after my research I came up with my own solution. And I promise on my own grave when I say, IT WORKS!

This my friends is all you need. Promise. 
First things first is have some sort of body scrub. Preferably sea salt, but you can use coffee grains or any other body scrub that you like. Try to get something fine grain and gritty instead of the softy ones. But whatever feels comfortable to your skin is fine. My mother used to sell bath salts and make them for people, so that is why I have a whole heap load of scented sea salt sitting in my pantry. I take some of the scrub and mix it up with the soap that is already on my body in the shower, and scrub away! 
Secondly, whenever I get out and dry off, I use Reviva Labs Stretch Mark Prevention Lotion on my boobs, tummy and butt. The same places I used the scrub. This stuff is not hard to find at all. I found it at Kroger. Its only about $7. You can also buy it off Amazon if you are into that. I also use this by itself when I am getting dressed in the morning just for extra work. 
You can try both of these and/or use one buy itself without using both. When you use the scrub by itself, it may dry out your skin just a little bit. If you just use the lotion by itself, it will work but the process takes longer. 
THIS WILL NOT GET RID OF THEM! ONLY FADE THEM REALLY REALLY WELL!
I have been working on this experiment since July. I will never tell someone about something if it wasn't true or didn't work. Trust me. I'm very honest like that. I would have never posted this if it didn't work. I want all people, women and children especially to fulfill their fullest potential. Physically, this means that you have to look your best. Whether you agree with that or not, its the truth. Just saying. :)

Love you all.
-Kortney

"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a persons determination." ~ Tommy Lasorda





Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Pregnancy Diary: Searching for a Pediatrician

It seems like just yesterday that I was 13 weeks pregnant and nauseated out my mind. And now I look up and I only have 3 more months to go. Wow does time pass by fast. Well so far I still feel like a bloated whale, I feel as if I am getting bigger and bigger (which...I am) I am getting more and more tired, it hurts to move at times...just a mess. But hey only 3 more months to go. Lolz
On my pregnancy checklists and apps (yes I have more than 1), it says that now is the time to start looking for a dentist and a pediatrician. Its probably one of the more easier tasks. I would say that finding a dentist or pediatrician that accepts the insurance you have is the challenging part. There is one website that helps me though. Its HealthGrades.com. Trust me it helps. Plus it has a mobile site.
Speaking of mobile sites, I now have to type my blog posts through the blogger app because every time I try to log on to a computer, it does this stupid thing that kinda locks me out of typing anything or editing anything. So if my posts look a little different, bear with me please. Haha it frustrates me.

Love u babies!
-Kortney

"The world is a playground. We know that as kids. But somewhere down the road we forget that." ~Jim Carrey

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Gift Ideas for a Girly Virgo Woman! (Happy Birthday Breanna!)

Today was another birthday! My best friend Breanna Gurley celebrated her 18th birthday today. As we start to go into the sign of Libra, I just wanted to say Happy Birthday to all the Virgos out there. I hope you had a great birthday.
As usual, I used her sign as a way to figure out what I would get her for her birthday. She's a very education oriented, girly girl type Virgo. Soo...

What Virgo Women Like:
Any type of beauty products (she loves makeup)
Perfume that smells clean and fresh
Little trinkets that they can put in their house
Artistic jewelry
Anything from the heart (she always says "its the thought that counts")

What Girly Girls Like:
Any thing that's in their favorite color! (mostly Pink)

I put all these things together and I gave her....
Customized Bath Salt and a Handwritten Birthday Letter! She loves beauty products and she loves the color pink. I couldn't exactly give her pink bath salts because I was out. So i gave her the next best color. Purple. :) She loved it. We also decorated her locker with tissue paper, wrapping paper, balloons and ribbon and gave her a beautiful white feather boa to wear.


Happy Birthday Gurley! and Happy Birthday to all the Virgos out there!
Love youuuuu!
-Kortney

"Pink isn't just a color, it's an attitude!" ~ Miley Cyrus 

Pregnancy Diary: Breastfeeding 101

Its only Wednesday! Ugh! I was supposed to publish this post last night but I was sooo tired. I didn't even do that much yesterday. I didn't even do some work I was supposed to do. But I'm here posting this morning about what I did do. I went to a breastfeeding class! I really wanted to take this class because I am pro breast milk! So when my baby comes, I'll be ready. What so many people don't know are the benefits of breastfeeding. Not only is it good for your baby but it does wonders for your body as well. It burns calories so you can get back into shape faster, it helps your boobs not to sag (something we all definitely do not want), and it creates a special bond with your baby.
I went into the lactation consultants classroom and it was surprisingly small.. 2 other women and myself. Maybe because it was an 8:30am class. But I had a great time learning at least the basics before she gets here. I will have another class later on. Dont worry. I'll tell you all about that one too with more details.
Proud to be a breastfeeding mommy! :D

Love you babies!
-Kortney
"Three things are needed for a good life, good friends, good food, and good song." ~ Jason Jebehazy

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Baby Shower Planning: Themes

Eeeek! Its only a month before my baby shower! :D September flew by so fast and I have been following everything step by step on my checklist trying to prepare. Its actually not at all alot of work, just so much fun. Alot more fun and less stressful than planning a wedding.
Next up on my checklist was choosing a theme. Choosing a theme is also one of those things that are not too hard. Well for one, if you know what u are having, then that should knock off a whole lot of options. If you decide u want a "surprise" or a "gender reveal" then its only just a little harder because you don't want things to be too girlish or boyish. One last factor you consider when choosing a theme is when you are going to have it. You wanna try to always stay in season. You don't want springtime butterflies in the middle of January, or dark colors in April. Ive truly learned my lesson by sticking to a theme by season. My birthday parties in the past were almost never in season. My 13th birthday was an at home Luau, my Quinceañera was the day before Halloween and red and diamond themed, and keep in mind my birthday is at the end of October! Hahaha
This time I've taken good advice and considered the season including my baby's gender. Im having a girl so of course me being a proud girl I want pink. My baby shower is November 4, so I didn't really want too much flowers and stuff. So the theme, or color scheme I am choosing is Pink and Chocolate brown. See. In season this time! Lol.
Here are a few "templates" ive picked out. Lemme know what you think.



Until next time my lovey doves!
-Kortney

"Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get...until you bite into it." ~Forrest Gump

Homecoming Weekend!

Before I became a student at a performing arts school, I was in a normal school district in Red Oak, TX. I was there from 6th grade until 8th grade. Now to most people that isn't a very long time but to me it because I consider that growing up there. Since, 9th grade Ive been going back every year for the homecoming games. I really do have fun because I see everybody again and its a great time to catch up with each other. Even though most of us have contact with each other by Twitter, its just even better to see everyone in person.


Alot of people were excited to see my new baby bump haha. My belly instantly became a hand magnet. Regarding the game (which no one really actually paid any attention to) Red Oak lost.....
At their own homecoming! How embarrassing! They were winning 24 to 7 by the end of the 3rd quarter, so me and my friend Samantha decided to go ahead and leave since we figured they were gonna win and we didn't want to get stuck in the traffic. So our entire group of friends ended up leaving and meeting up at Denny's for a late night meal (including some more Red Oak folk who went to the game and left early). We asked some people "Did Red Oak win?" and they said no!
Damn. Guess they got up and left at 4th quarter like the rest of us did. :P
Well I felt as if I had won because I saw everyone that I missed and I got a nice cup of hot chocolate from Denny's :D
I love you everybody!
-Kortney

"Whatever you give a woman, she will make it greater. Give her sperm, she will give you a baby. Give her a house, she will give you a home. Give her groceries, she will give you a meal. Give her a smile, she will give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what she is given. So if you give her crap, be ready to receive a ton of shit!" ~Unknown
 

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Pregnancy Diary: Looking for Child Care

Who would have ever thought that trying to find a good daycare center that fits your needs would be so hard? Its so many places to choose from and price ranges for a newborn are ridiculously high. All of the places I have contacted, the prices range from $270 to $1087 a week....
I'm trying to find one that is in my price range, not "dirty", and close by my school so I can be able to pick her up right away. Its unfortunate for me because I never wanted to send my baby to a daycare center. I would have loved to have a family member take care of her. But hey we cant have everything our way.
Just venting a little and letting everyone know that this is the not so luxe side of my life. :D I am human too.

Love you all!
-Kortney

"As long as there is someone in the sky to protect me, there is no one on Earth who could break me."

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Baby Shower Planning: The Basics

As I revealed to you all this past Thursday, I am expecting a baby girl in December. As with any other big life changing moment, there is a lot of planning going into things. I'm planning a baby budget, planning doctors visits and scheduling them around other things I have to do with work and school, planning when things need to be done by, and most of all planning a much needed baby shower.
For every parent I think a baby shower is necessary. Especially for a single parent like me. A baby shower gives some time for family members and friends to get together and celebrate the fact that you have a new addition coming soon. Whether its your first child or fifth child, you choose a baby shower that fits your needs.
This is my first baby. So there are many reasons behind my shower. As a single teen mom, I need all the help I can get. My family and my baby daddy's family need to get to know each other, and most of all I want to celebrate this new change I am about to experience. Traditionally, someone else plans and puts together the baby shower but...not in my case :) Only my friend, who is also the godmother of Nala, is going to be hosting.


Let's get right to it! The Basics.
First and foremost when planning any party, you have to create the guest list. Some people do not see this step as important and usually hold it off until they decide to send out the invitations. Without making a guest list first, this can throw off a lot of things such as how many invitations you will actually need, and it also goes into play when picking out the venue by helping figure out what size space you need. And believe it or not, the number of guests you have do determine your budget. They determine how many plates, cups, favors, invitations, etc you will need. Don't forget to count your guests! Of course some people may not be able to come but its still a good idea to count them for now until they tell you that they will not be able to make it.
My guest list number for this baby shower: 65

After you have figured out the guest list, by now you have probably thought about in your head a number of things. The type of venue you need to have and the number of supplies you will need to buy. Then comes the budget. After I figured out that I would be needing at least 65 plates, cups, etc, then I looked at websites such as Party City and others to see what that would cost me. Added it all up and then there was my estimate. You can set your budget this way or you can just set an amount you would not like to spend over. Budget isn't really that hard as long as you stick to it and plan accordingly.
My budget for this baby shower: $500

Before you go searching for a venue, you have to decide on the date that you would like to have your event on. When thinking about the date, you have to see what day is convenient for you. For a baby shower date, you don't want to make it too late or too early for your due date. You also want to think about your guests that you know may have something to do. I chose my baby shower date to be on November 4, 2012. I took into consideration what I had to do that week and most importantly I thought about what day would be more comfortable for me and my due date. My birthday would be the week before and the week after deemed stress since I have college showcase at my school.
Another fun fact about baby shower dates, whatever day you choose for your baby shower to be on determines what type of baby shower you might have. Friday and Saturday showers are usually set out for big blowout baby showers. Sundays are of course the low key and short baby showers. I chose mines to be on a Sunday only because this time, I don't want too much and I only want my closest family and friends to get together and get to know each other.
My baby shower date: Sunday, November 4, 2012. :)
Be sure to keep following me on updates and more posts about my baby shower and more.

So that's it for the basics. I am now on my way to go check out my potential venue.

Love you all and take care!
-Kortney

"We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so we can have the life that is waiting for us."
~Joseph Campbell
 

Friday, September 7, 2012

My first ever riddle poem!

Okay so we had an assignment in my English class where we had to write our own poem but make it into a riddle all at the same time. Well since I'm absolutely terrible at rhyming and poetry I just said what the hell and tried my best anyways. So here is my cheesy poem :D Try to see if you can guess what it is before I tell you...

 
I am the symbol of glamour,
and only in the common mans world do I cause such clamour.
My shelter seems so simple yet so chic,
but only by the people in la la land do I get picked up at least twice a week.
Not only do I make a drunken princess' walkers stand out from the crowd,
my crimson underbelly speaks so loud.
-Kortney
 
 
Any good guesses? Haha Pretty good for an amateur right? (And yes, I know, It's sooo cheesy)
Well speaking of poetry, If you would like to read some decent and not so amature poetry, please go visit my friend Chelsea's poetry blog at myrandompoet.blogspot.com
 
Love you all! Be nice!
-Kortney
 
P.S. The answer to the riddle is "Christian L. Red Bottom Heels" ;D
 
 

 


 

Thursday, September 6, 2012

I'm Expecting a Baby!!!!!!

Been wondering where I've been? Well I've obviously been having too much sex :P (just joking)
If you have been following my blog then you have probably been wondering why I skip around on posting things a lot. Well the other times I have, I don't really know why myself. But after my last post, I have since then been dealing with being pregnant :D Yes I may only be 17 years old, but for a teen mom, I have been doing pretty damn good for myself and preparing for this baby. The stress of my senior year in high school sure does come but I am managing to get through all of it with all the help I can get. That is one thing I will say to everyone from now on; If you need help, ASK!

Well besides all that and back to the good news, yes I am expecting a baby by December 29, 2012. It's a Girl! Her name will be Nala Alexis Anderson. <3
I can already tell that she will be a big diva/princess just like mommy :) She only kicks for certain people, she likes to tell me when to stop dancing/moving by kicking her foot into my va jay jay, and she loves to dance with me but hates the sound of too noisy people. Yep. Mommy's little girl :)

Well look, I know I have said this at least 2-3 times already but I really do mean it this time. I promise I will try my best to stay blogging. I figured since I really have nothing else to do, I might as well be on here talking to all of you wonderful readers out there. Of course I will put more beauty blogs on here but I will also be telling you all about the things that are going on in my life such as my school stuff, career path, adventures, updates about the baby, good times and bad times of a single parent, anything you can think of I will pretty much put it all on this blog.

I love you all so much <3 -Kortney

"Don’t hate me because I'm good, Hate me because I know it." ~ Aishwarya Rai

Sunday, April 29, 2012

New Beauty Products for Spring 2012! Part 2

So now that I have talked to you about problems of the hair, it's now time to move on to the beautiful (and sometimes problematic) skin! Some people think that you should take care of your face the same way you take care of the rest of the skin on your body....not exactly. Your face tends to be a bit more complex than the rest of the skin on your body. The bodily skin needs more moisture than anything.
Let's start with skin care of the face!
There are 6 face skin types that people have; Normal, Dry, Oily, Combination, Acne Prone, and Sensitive. It's important to know what type of skin you have. I have combination skin which means I have to exfoliate and moisturize. And since I am in the entertainment business, I wear alot of makeup so I have to really take care of my skin. But what works for me may not necessarily work for everyone.
Spring product that I am trying out:
L'Oreal Go 360 Anti-Acne Facial Wash
So far, I like this product, but I don't think that it is helping with the occasional breakouts that I have. Since it is a gel/liquid based wash, and I have combination skin, it does dry out my face after I wash it so I have to always put some kind of moisturizer on it. But the facial scrublet feels very good I must say. In all, this product is receiving not so good points for me so far.
For Normal Skin:
Well...you have normal skin. This means that there is a good balance of oil and dryness on your face and you may or may not breakout occasionally. If you have normal skin, you can pretty much use any kind of wash on your face but always moisturise afterwards.
For Dry Skin:
Your skin feels tight all the time. Especially after you wash it. Breakouts are rare but peeling and irritation are frequent. The best facial cleansers to use are those that are cream based. So if you come across any wash that you can see through, whether its colored or not, don't use it! These dry your skin even more. Always and always use light to medium moisturizer day and night.

For Oily Skin:
Exfoliate, Exfoliate, Exfoliate! You need to get the oil out of your skin pretty much or just simply maintain it. In my opinion, the best way to control oil is to exfoliate. Oily skin has the most breakouts and you tend to sweat alot. So during the cold months such as the winter and the fall, use a gel based cleanser that has "anti-Acne" labeled on it. And when it starts to get hot, exfoliate as much as you can. After you exfoliate, try to find a gel moisturizer that is extremely light and only use it at night after you wash your face. Stay away from creams.

For Combination Skin:
The same skin I have; Believe it or not, combo skin is pretty close to normal but our oil and our dry spots aren't controlled. Therefore we have to be alot more precise with what we use on our face. Acne may come here and there but mostly around "that time of the month". Combo skin must keep their faces clean. No skipping. During the cold months, exfoliate and moisturize, while during the warmer months, use anti-Acne cleanser and moisturize. Stay away from creams and only moisturize at night after you wash your face.

For Acne Skin:
Exfoliate and try not to moisturize too much. People with acne skin need to know that the more you exfoliate the less and less acne you will have. When you scrub away the pimples the less dead skin you will have and then there will be no more scars. Since you do not want to put any more oil on your skin, use a gel moisturizer on at night only. During the cold months use exfoliating wash. If you don't want to spend money on a gel moisturizer and a scrub wash, you can also use a cream exfoliating wash but only at night. During the hot months, use a gel, anti-acne wash and gel moisturizer at night.

For Sensitive Skin:
Sensitive skin should be treated just like dry skin. Stay away from any harsh products like gel products. Use unscented cream wash and DO NOT exfoliate. Your moisturizer should be in your cleanser. You do not need too much oil on your delicate face.

For everyones face, you need to wash your face in the morning and at night. Do not sleep in your makeup , always remove your makeup. If you do not have makeup remover, I suggest you get a bottle of Vaseline. This works wonders on eye makeup. if you have not yet found a product that works right for me, do what I am doing and keep searching for what product works for you.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

New Beauty Products for Spring 2012! Part 1

As we all know, as of March 21, it is now Spring! And thank you to the 3 Texas sized tornadoes that hit all of Dallas today to remind us that it IS that time of year. I hope everyone has already done their spring cleaning, shopped for new clothes and enjoyed their spring break to shake off winter. Now the only thing left to do is to shake off is those beauty products that were used in the winter.

Let's start with hair!

Hair care is the funnest thing to play around with because everyone wants something different and everyone lives in different areas. Me, for example, I am Puerto Rican mixed with Black, extra soft, naturally curly hair, long length but I also love to straighten it, I live in Dallas, TX where the weather is bi-polar and you never know what you are going to get. So yea, my hair goes through many problems.

New Product That I am Trying Out:
Mane N' Tail

The true reason I want to try this out is only because I want healthier hair. I am a dancer and a model which means my hair goes through a lot. It is prone to split ends and dry spots, chemicals and all sorts of mess. So I've been hearing for years that Mane N' Tail or any other horse hair care products does wonders for your hair.

Most of the time, where you live determines what problems your hair has.

If you live in: Dry areas

And your hair is: Straight
  • Give your hair a boost by using deep conditioner or leave in conditioner after you shampoo.
  • Before and after styling, use a drop of coconut oil or argon oil to give your hair shine and a healthy look

Or your hair is: Wavy/Curly

  • For those who live in a dry area, its perfectly fine to use gel. Just as long as you mix it in with a little coconut oil too
  • Try not to wash it too much or too often.

Or your hair is: Relaxed

  • Dry areas tend to have very dry winds that can damage your hair, so protect it as much as your can
  • Again, a drop of oil will do wonders

If you live in: Humid and Muggy areas

And your hair is: Straight

  • To prevent the big poof from happening, use a touch of hair spray and you should be fine

Or your hair is: Wavy/Curly

  • When styling your curls, use creme styling products. It holds better and gives your hair a more soft and touchable look. It also prevents poof.

Or your hair is: Relaxed

  • Keep some shine spray nearby. Don't drown your hair with it. But just a drop will do.

Part 2 coming up......