Let them be Little.

I love being a mom. I know, I hide it well... but I really do :)

Lately I've noticed how the opinions of others is overwhelming when it comes to parenting... whether they have children or not.

I have many opinions on my own personal parenting, but they stay between me and my husband. 

(And that's how I feel it should be for everyone...)

Opinions on discipline, on rewards, on breast feeding, on diapers, on clothing, on love.... it's all YOUR opinion, and I really wish that you would keep it that way. 

If I decide to do... whatever I want as a parent, as long as it does not harm them or those around us, and my spouse is okay with it....then you can keep your opinions, thoughts, and ideas to your own children.

I have been so blessed with now two wonderful children (waiting to see the second one... 11 weeks and counting :)) and I want the best for them, I want them to be young and innocent for as long as they can be. I want to them to love life as much as possible. I want them to have memories that make them dream bigger than they even knew possible. 

I feel like nowadays there is so much pressure on education, advancement, placement that we are loosing whimsy... 

We need to remember, let them be little. Let them be young. Let them be their age.... let them become who they need to be when they need to be, at their time and their pace. 

Rainy Days.

I love this morning... Not to sound cheesy but I do. Yesterday my hubby surprised me with my birthday gift :) He's been picky about getting a perfect one, and he did great.... he forfeited his desire for a MASSIVE dog for my dream of a little dog... by about 196 pounds (Great Pyrenees vs. a Pomeranian). Yesterday we added Miss Gisele to our family!

I expected that the first night or week would be rough... but then I remembered, we have a 6 1/2 year old :) My problem was solved (I am noting a genius mommy moment).

Summer Break+Slumber Party with you're new dog= Mommy gets a few hours of sleep, Mini thinks she is a big girl staying up watching Cinderella with her new best friend, and the dog was exhausted to sleep and there was no barking!

It lasted till about 5 am but it was so worth it. Mini slept in, I snuggled Gisele, and when Mini woke up finally Gisele acted beside herself with joy that her person was awake.... Now they are playing and goofing around and I love hearing Mini so happy. I love her excitement. BUT, I love it even more that she is old enough to let out the puppy love now too.

Now while they get to play, I get to be a grown up and lay on my back (bed rest fun stuff) and pay bills, and plan meals, and do boring grown up stuff.... Thank goodness for Pinterest.

So as I try to manage a 1.5 pound of sas... a 50 pound of sas... and my pregnant OCD, I will lust after meals  I don't know how to make and outfits I can't wear yet.

I can't believe I'm in my seventh month of pregnancy... it's still crazy to me. Every week I'm worried that it is going to slow down, but it hasn't and that is fine by me.  I cannot wait for him to get here, even though we are not as prepared as I would like to be at the moment.

Forgot to post this yesterday, oops!

28 Week Update. (+3 days)

Hey there! I can't believe that Mr. Man is going to be here in less than 12 weeks! It is hitting me harder and harder these days... in a good way! I am overly excited... and feeling very unprepared. This week I get my lovely Glucose test and I have my next appt. I will fill you in on how that goes Friday but for now I thought I would do a little update.

28 Weeks.

Weight Gain: 6 pounds, but it feels like 40 these days... this belly is heavy!
Cravings: Last Night I was NEEDING pickles which hasn't happened since my first trimester!
Eating: Everything....
Exercise: Has been slacking this week, exhaustion and braxton hicks have had the best of me the past few days... and I am missing it!
Symptoms: Blue Veins on my stomach.... lovely... Mr. has found mommy's ribs this week, and really loves kicking them, and obviously I have been feeling exhausted thanks to all of that movement :) I have had severe Braxton Hicks the past week on and off, more intense than I am used too, but I am hoping that lets up over the next week (fingers crossed).
Looking forward to: My next appointment (not the Glucose test but definitely hearing Mr.'s heartbeat) and I am looking forward to our 4D ultasound coming up next month!

In this next appointment I know that she is not wanting to set up our c-section date in stone yet, but by our next appointment (end of July) we should finally know! (not that I'm impatient to schedule it or anything). Thanks to our fabulous planning we have school starting around my due date and other important things and I have to be strategic in my planning over the next 12 weeks... and as most people know pregnancy brain makes that 10x harder! Get out the over sized calendar and sharpies! Mommy is going to be planning her butt off.

I can't believe that we are already almost at the end of June and I feel like summer break just started! I have had such a great time with Mini and I hope the rest of the summer is filled with fun, more sunshine than this rain we've been having, and lots of memories :)

I hope you all had a great weekend, Happy Sunday!

C-section Hospital Bag.

I am getting excited about Mr. Man coming but lately have had a few complications that have definitely made me worry... I want him to hold on for 8 more weeks... then if he needs too, he can come :)

Until then my doctor wants me to be prepared now that I am in my third trimester. Since I had complications with my first pregnancy they are going to schedule my c-section for me this time around. So I have gathered a list of must-haves for myself now that I know what I need to be prepared.... I may be over prepared but I hate hospitals and I want to be 'at home' as possible during my stay.

Must Have Packing List:

1. Slippers (Socks and also flip flops for the shower)

2. Robe (I went with a light cotton robe)

3. Toiletries (including makeup, lotion, hair care, tooth care, etc)

4. Night gowns, something that will fit you at 6/7 months (after your c-section you will still have a bump be prepared for that, and stay away from pj sets that have bottoms with elastic around your incision)

5. Maxi dress to go home in (a size larger than my pre-pregnancy size)

6. Magazines; you're going to be exhausted so reading a book is out of the question for me....

7. Snacks; you don't really want to rely on the hospital for quality food. I am bringing healthy items (Higher in fiber... trust me)

8. My own blankets and pillows, lots of pillows.... you are going to need them to be able to sleep comfortably, for your incision on the way home, and in case anyone makes you laugh while you are enjoying your stay.

9. Camera, Phone, chargers for both, an extra memory card, and laptop (and make sure you have Netflix ready to go just in case you can't sleep when you're angel is :))

10. Your ID and insurance for both you and your partner

11. A gift for the older sibling(s), something that is from both you and their new sibling.

12. A carseat (and make sure you have your base already set up in your 'going home' vehicle.

13. Post c-section belly binder, I am ordering a Squeem but I know that there are many options out there. I did my research and for me (and my long torso) the Squeem seemed like the best option for me.

14. I am bringing a 'well wishes' book for any/all of our visitors to leave a special message to Mr. after his delivery that he can read when he is older.

I also am packing my Diaper bag with all of Mr.'s starting items we will need during our stay and for our drive home:

1. Two outfits, I am bringing a sleeper and a gown

2. Mittens, socks, and a hat

3. receiving blankets and burp clothes

4. Toiletries of your choice (and wet wipes if you do not prefer the ones that the hospital supplies)

5. First aid kit, just in case someone is born with long nails :)

And you can't forget your partners... since they probably won't be thinking about packing until it's time to leave:

1. My husband is packing a fold out cot for himself along with blankets and pillows from home

2. Slippers and two changes of clothes (air on the side of comfort)

3. Toiletries

4. A new daddy gift (my version of a push present for daddy)

5. Moscato... okay that is more for me, but it's going in his bag

Happy packing fellow mama's to be!

Maxi Dresses have been a lifesaver these days!!

Reality Check.

So, if you know me you know that I on occasion love a good juicy reality TV show. I mean, some may call me a connoisseur... but to each their own. I was in the midst of watching one of these shows and I thought to myself... man I wish I had that 'problem'... which brings me to today's thought:

Issues I wouldn't mind having.... reality edition:

1. When my crystal ora isn't working right.

2. Someone gets my blowout wet.

3. My Bentley is in the shop and I have to drive the Mercedes.

4. I have to heal from my new nose job.

5. My husband forgot to pack my makeup case right.... for my two day trip.

6. I got my spray tan wet to soon afterwards (okay that is a problem forrealsies)

7. Someone showed up late to my hoedown

8. My makeup artist is two timing me by also applying makeup on my friendimie.... for the same event!!

9. While my house is built I have to live in a house that is ONLY 3000 sq ft.

10. I wore a fascinator to an event that I really should not have!!

These are problems are problems I would not mind having....

27 weeks + 3 days.... not that I'm counting.

I am officially in my third trimester, and I am feeling all sorts of wonderful swollen-ness, exhaustion, and hunger these days. 

The heat makes me forget to eat, and then the dizziness and kicking always remind me to stuff my face... food has been my vice... and my passion as of late.

I try to find outfits that don't make me feel huge but we are to the point where everything is making me feel huge... it really hasn't been that fun. I keep telling myself 13 more weeks... 13 more weeks (or less if I'm lucky) and then I will be back on track to my pre-pre-baby weight. 

I am still trying to maintain my workouts, and even if I don't have the endurance like I used too, I try to get something in 5 times a week. 

Right now I am trying to curb my cravings with Special K pastry crisps and Fiber One lemon bars... It's working... for the moment.

It has been hitting me a lot more lately how soon this all is going to happen... I am excited and shocked all at the same time. This week I am working on my hospital bag... because of my blood pressure mr. man could be here anytime after August 15th.... (less than 9 weeks away now) and that is crazy to me! 

I'll be sharing my 'must haves' for my hospital bag (c-section version) later this month with all of you. 

Now that I have my bags out... It's just a matter of packing. Which in my sleepy state these days, is easier said than done!

Workout clothes are officially my best friends in this last wonderful trimester... I have a feeling that will probably be my wardrobe for the next few weeks, and in no way am I upset about it.

Hope you guys are having a great Monday, it's nap time for me!

It's my Party.

I've been mad. Mad at the universe. No, not God, no, not my brother. They both did what they had to do and I am at peace with that... but I am mad at the natural progression of things. 

Tomorrow is my birthday... my pregnant birthday and this is my first birthday without him.... and forever more it will be that way. I can't stop that. I don't have any control of that. This is the way it is.

But I am mad because I know how tomorrow would have been different if he was here still and that is what I can't stand....

I know that he would try to help me forget that I was super pregnant... I know he would get me something ridiculous that I didn't need but would love. He would introduce me to some band that I wouldn't like but eventually would find myself singing too and being in love with for the rest of my life. He would take me dancing to our favorite dance studio... he would definitely take me for sushi. We would eat too much because he would order too much, because 'I needed it.' He would probably take my phone away from me so he could have my undivided attention. After we danced and ate, it would probably past my point of exhaustion (usually anything after 9 pm, but with him it would be 3 am easy) we would get coffee.... because that was just something he would do. I would probably pass out a few times... and when I was awake enough we would tell stories about our lives... and we both would know about them because we both were there.... that's still a hard part for me. Knowing my funny stories aren't nearly as funny as they used to be... because he isn't telling them. And no one gets why they are so great. Not the way he did, not the way we did when we were together. 

So tomorrow I am older... but he will be forever young. And today is just another day that reminds me that I have lost a large part of my youth. I lost a big chunk of who I was till last Fall. And though I am still me, I'm not who I was and I never will be able to again.

Today I feel selfish, but that is okay to be.... it's my party, I can cry if I want too... Right?

I'll always know my place in his heart... but it doesn't make missing him any easier.

27.

I am stuffing my face with a chocolate sour cream cake filled with chocolate mousse covered in chocolate ganache. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it. Why am I doing this, you may ask?

I'm turning 27 tomorrow, I will also be 27 weeks pregnant and officially in my third trimester. So, I deserve the cake. The cake deserves me. The fact that it made me swell up so much I had to take my bra off to finish it means nothing to me at this time.

Pregnancy.... it's a lot of kicks.

Man this cake is good.

Things I've learned over my second trimester now that it finally is coming to a close:

1. Sodium is not my friend, but I have an unhealthy love for it all the same.

2. Sometimes getting dressed is just too much work.

3. I'm pretty much a super hero.... and I should get way more high fives than I have been getting....

4. The belly band is a sufficating life saver... you must choose: back relief without the ability to breathe or a low belly and back pain....

5. If you aren't nice to me during my pregnancy... you don't get to hold my baby... I don't care who you are.

6. Pregnancy is magical and all that crap but I swear I may cry the first night I don't feel something kicking me at night, even if it is only for an hour.

7. I love bikinis though it may be unsightly for those around me, it's the only thing that doesn't constrict me.... hence the kiddy pool I just bought. No one needs to see this in all it's glory.

8. After my first trimester the emotions have subsided. Thank God. Wanting to cry all the time was a little much. Now I just cry when people hurt my feelings or call me thick. Both logical things to cry about.

9. I have lost my passion... for shopping. It's really devistating (not for my husband, I'm sure) but my growing waste line has really limited my joy for clothes these days. I keep trying to remind myself I only have 13 weeks till I can start enjoying it again... but it seems so long from now!

10. Finally, I can't tie my shoes anymore without sitting down first. I am almost 27 and I can't bend over. I am now going finish this cake... because I can.

Yesterday was a better day food wise... tomorrow will be too. Some days you just need to embrace the bump... and indulge.

Enjoying out Summer Break so far :)