The Chair

There's a story to this chair....

In 1981 when my mother was due to give birth to me, my father went out and bought her a rocking chair. Not just any chair but a chair he deemed "perfect" for her to rock their newborn baby girl to sleep in every night.

Fast forward 27 years and the end of the my pregnancy....

My parents decided to gift me "the chair" to carry on the tradition. I rocked my first son to sleep, soothed him when he got hurt and watched cartoons with him in this very chair. This chair was a mainstay in both of my apartments after Baby Boy was born. After 2 years of using this chair, it moved back to my parents attic for storage.

Fast forward 4 years later and my second pregnancy...

My dad, almost the sentimental type, decided the chair needed a facelift for the birth of his second grandson. He spent an entire weekend sanding it down, painting and it searching for the perfect cushions to replace it with. And here we are today with this chair of 33 years, sitting in my 2nd son's room.

There are some memories and items that never be replaced and this chair is one of them. I plan to hold on to it for many many years to come and more children.

Housekeeping

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I thought I would do a non-mom/parenting post while I pump. Hey, can't get away from that stuff entirely, folks.

Anyway, it's 7 days before Christmas and I thought I would do a little web housekeeping before New Years gets here. My process consists of clearing out my internet history, deleting some unused favorites and cleaning up my blog reading list. It seems my blog list is the most time consuming because I have so many that I read. Sure some I've been subscribed to for 4 years (Lawd!) and others just caught my eye and are on my "I'll read  later" list. Nonetheless, I do this about 3 times a year.

Cleaning up the list also gives me a chance to go back and read some oldies but goodies. Man, some of you have evolved LOL For example, I have watched one my blogger buddies go from a Sex and the City type lifestyle to now being married with kids. I've watched some bloggers marriages dissolve only to never believe in love again and ultimately find their soulmate. I've watched some people struggle with addictions, setbacks and hardships - some are victorious, others aren't.

Some bloggers are people I've actually had the pleasure of meeting in person and feel like family to me. I always credit Dave with being the reason I started blogging. His blog was the first one I ever discovered and I remained a loyal reader until he stopped about two years ago.

All this house keeping takes me back down my own memory lane with my blog. This blog has been deleted and restarted so many times I'm not sure where which version I'm on. What I am sure about is that I will be sticking around the Blogsphere for awhile. :)

Product Review: Graco Modes Click Connect Travel System Stroller

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The stroller for my first son was gifted to us by a girlfriend of mine. As a matter of fact, we didn't have to buy much of anything with our first son since everyone bought everything for us. This time I wanted to make sure I got the stroller I wanted so when I found this beauty at Babies R Us, I couldn't hesitate on it.

Allow me to introduce you to the Graco Modes Click Connect Travel System. This stroller has up to 10 different seating variations that is designed to grow with your child. Because I know we want more kids, I wanted a stroller I would be able to get some distance out of and use for the next kid.

This stroller is the stuff dreams are made of. If you follow me on Instagram, then you know my mom and I put it together and spent two hours trying to figure out how reconfigure it. I am confidently say I am an expert with this sucker now. I can modify it to fit my needs based on where I'm going.

To read more about the specs on the stroller, click HERE.

I highly recommend it as I do most of Graco's products.

*Disclaimer: These opinions are my own. I was not paid by Graco or anything other advertisers*

Repeat C-Section

With my first son, I labored a long time. Try 32 hours of laboring, 12 hours without an epidural. Yes, I'll wait while you pick up your jaw....

**checks my watch**

He was a term baby (translation: born at 39 weeks and 4 days), but the labor was anything but what I planned. I had this long detailed birth plan that I laminated (I'm an organizing junkie) with detailed instructions for everyone attending. Oh yes, I was serious about that delivery. Needless to say, my labor went nothing like it was planned and I had to quickly accept that I can't control everything.

With Baby #2, I threw the whole birth plan thing out of the window and decided to just roll with it. No plan, no expectations; just letting my body do what it does.

My gestational diabetes diagnosed confirmed that I was unlikely to make it to my due date and I was ok with that, as long as I was over 37 weeks. Welp, you guessed it: he came at 33 weeks. I'll provide my details about my labor and delivery but I had to admit I felt a little disappointed when the doctor explained that a vaginal delivery was unlikely due to my complications at that time.

My c-section went well and according to my OB/GYN, they may let me try a vaginal with #3. My recovery this time seemed shorter but my pain level was definitely up. With a week in the hospital before and after my delivery, the pain was awful but manageable with minimal meds. When I got home, I felt like myself  after about a week. I still had to walk slow and not laugh or cough but I made it through. I can sum it up to say that by week 3, I was moving like a normal person again.

With any delivery, there are risks for all sorts of complications and the recovery periods varied. What's most important is that you listen to your body and take the time to heal.

Body After Baby

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I am 6 weeks post delivery and I am ready to get back in the workout saddle. Just before I found out I was pregnant, I signed up for Weight Watchers. I was fully committed to losing 30 pounds and making fitness my focus before pregnancy. Well, I found Baby #2 was on the way and that pretty much put dieting on hold.

I gained about 17 total pounds with my pregnancy and lost most of it after delivery. Y'all, I was literally all baby. The weight fell off with the exception of 5 pounds. So couple my prior *ahem* few pounds that I never lost from my first pregnancy and tack on 5 pounds...yeah. See how the numbers add up?

Well, not anymore. I am ready to lose 30 pounds and keep it moving. Seriously. I really want to get back into running but with a repeat c-section, getting back into the workout routine is going to take some time. Last night I completed my first workout and it left me a little breathless and achy but I felt encouraged. I realize that I carried a baby for a 8 months and that I need to give myself that long to lose the weight.

I'm not going to put myself on some crazy strict diet where all I can eat is lettuce and drink water. Instead, I am going to focus on portion control, being active as much as possible (hard to do with breastfeeding and a newborn) and cutting myself some slack. Since we are planning for baby #3 in a year, I want to make sure I am physically fit.

Wish me luck and stay tuned for my progress.

Balancing it All: Mom of 2

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be a mother, let alone a mother of two boys. My husband and I were hoping for a girl (or twins:)) with this pregnancy but a healthy baby is what we wanted most. Since males are dominant in both our families, we weren't quite that surprised to learn that our little one was another boy.

*Cue male fist pump from the Husband*

After telling family and taking a little time to process the fact that there was going to be another boy in the house, I realized quickly that this was for real. This was life, folks, and I wasn't ready.

My fear wasn't having another boy (although with the stuff happening in the world, I feel some kind of way now); my fear was trying to figure out how to balance time and attention with both. Obviously the baby would need different and slightly more attention than my 6 year old, but how was I supposed to that without feel guilty?

I asked around to my friends who have more than one child and everyone came back with the same response: you will figure it out. And you know what? I think we slowly but surely are figuring it out. While the baby sleeps, I spend time with the 6 year old coloring, watching cartoons, etc. When grandma and grandpa come over, the 3 of us sneak out and go hang out for while. My husband is great about hanging out in the 6 year old's room with him each evening.

When you are a parent of multiples, don't beat yourself up if you don't get a chance to do every single thing with each child the way you want. Kids are forgiving and you should be too. After all, all we can do is our best. My advice to new parents of multiples is to take one day at a time. Find ways to incorporate everyone in an activity and designate child tag teaming so that they each get their quality time with each parent. Trust me, you will thank yourself and they will thank you.

So, I had a baby...

Hey there! Yes, it's me. Yes, I'm really blogging. Yes, I had a baby...7 weeks early.

One thing about pregnancy is that it isn't an exact science. You never know when and how things will shift at any given moment. I plan to do an entirely different post about my birth experience because my story is worth sharing. For now, I tell you that I am basking in the new mommy glow of having not one but two sons.

Midweek Mindlessness

1. Today is my mommy's birthday. She really dreads celebrating her birthday as of the recent years because there is always some family tragedy to occurs in the month of October. Last night she got a call that her oldest sister was being taken to the hospital. :( My mom is the strongest person I know and I know she hates bad news.
2. My ankles and fingers are swollen so typing at this point in the day is painful for me.
3. All I want to do is sleep and eat watermelon. That's it.
4. My husband and I had our first real marriage decision talk last night about a huge financial thing we needed to take care of. I felt so...grown up. I have to say, premarital counseling was the best thing we ever did. It has helped us find a productive and positive way to have difficult convos. I can tell him anything.
5. My husband massages my feet and ankles every single evening without complaint or me asking. I guess he figures since I'm carrying his child and doing the really hardwork, its the least he can do. Can I get you clean the bathrooms though, bruh?
6. I think its time for us to do a weekend getaway before the baby comes but I'm afraid I would spend it sleeping :(

32 Weeks Pregnant

How I'm feeling:
Heavy and tired ALL THE TIME

What I'm craving:
Carbs and Sugar because I can't them in excess

How I'm sleeping:
Sleep? What's that? You mean that thing I used to do before being almost 8 months pregnant?

Thoughts:
I apologize for my 4 week hiatus but you can only imagine how I'm feeling at this point. My pregnancy is on the downhill slide and I forgot how rough the last few weeks can be. Not only am I dealing with gestational diabetes (which I still need to blog about) but I'm also dealing with being bigger, a baby that moves a lot more and life in general. I love being pregnant but I can't lie, the last 8 weeks are ALWAYS the hardest no matter what. Unless you're like me and your 8 weeks is really 6 weeks.

My baby shower is in about 2 weeks and I am so excited. I can't wait to see all of my close friends and family. The plans are pretty much finalized and everything is taken care of. My awesome friends and family have outdid themselves and I can't wait to see the end result.

28 weeks pregnant

How I'm feeling:
Heavy. This baby is picking up weight!

What I'm craving:
No real cravings. Just thirsty all of the time.

How I'm sleeping:
I'm now in the insomnia phase of my pregnancy. I find myself wide awake during the middle of the night watching tv or cleaning something because my baby is having a party in my tummy, or because I'm anxious thinking about all of the baby stuff we need to do.

Thoughts:
28 weeks is almost over and we are just about 10 weeks away from D Day. In the midst of all, the baby is doing great, weighing around 2-2.5 pounds. I, on the other hand, are suffering from a little bit of pregnancy acne and just found that I have gestational diabetes. I will admit I felt devastated when I found out but I've met with a dietician and my OB/GYN and we have a game plan. I'll be doing a separate post about this whole situation. Right now, I'm just trying to get my head together for all of the things I have going on this weekend.

Quality Time

I'm still fairly new to this marriage thing and listen, the learning never stops. I honestly learn something new about my husband each week, despite the fact that we have known each other for 7 years. Its crazy. Anyway, the focus of this post is not necessarily the new quirks I learn about him but more about quality time - specifically, how to get it in.

Being parents to a rambunctious 6 year old is not easy feat. Our son is our world and we absolutely love spending as much time as possible with him but...every now and then we want to do something with just the two of us. I love hearing about all the new Transformers and Power Ranger shows but I do enjoy cuddling and watching a romantic comedy occasionally with my better half.

With both our busy schedules and a child raise, plus another on the way, finding time together has become challenging but we manage to make it work. Primarily because I force it to work, but a girl has to do what a girl has to do. I recently implemented "Friday Family Movie Nights" as a way for the 3 of us to spend some time together. I confiscate all electronics, we put on pajamas and cuddle up on the couch for the movie of the night. Usually the little guy selects it and we suffer through yet another Disney movie but that's ok; this is family time. Sometimes we find ourselves at my parent's house having movie night with them too.

As for my husband and I, we find time alone wherever we can. Sometimes we lounge in bed a little longer than normal and just talk. Other times we spend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon catching up on our favorite tv shows. One thing we do make sure we do each day is eat dinner together as a family. Hubby and I tend to linger at the table longer and just talk about nothing in particular. It's times like those that I appreciate most. As annoying and messy as my husband can be, one of his greatest qualities that I love and attracted me to him is the fact that he is a great listener. He actually listens intently to every single thing you say. What man does that?!

My favorite time now are the foot and leg massages he gives me. My pregnancy has definitely made me slow down and my body is changing everyday. It helps to have a partner who understands that I may randomly go to bed at 8:30pm or that my feet hurt and will massage them for me without complaining.

With just over a year into this marriage thing, I never lose sight of the fact that it is work and that you must work to maintain it. With our family expanding (and planning to expand more next year), I know our relationship must always remain a priority.

27 weeks pregnant and catching up

Has it really been 4 weeks since my last pregnancy update? Sheesh! Well, Ive been busy. Correction: I've been in super nesting mode. Let's run down the list of things I've been doing:

• Purchased a new ceiling fan for the nursery
• The crib was delivered
• Hubby is almost done getting his stuff out of the baby's future room
• Purchased the travel system (carseat and stroller)
• Bought a wintersuit for the baby to wear home from the hospital
• Booked the hotel location for the baby shower
• Finalized the invitation design; one correction to go back to the designer
• Finalized my cupcake designs; placing order with the bakery tomorrow
• Reorganized dresser drawers and clothing for both kids
• Preregistered at the hospital

That's just the baby stuff. I have a whole list of other stuff that I've been doing as well but I won't get into that list. For now, I'm just going to take a moment to breath and reflect on the fact that I'm 89 days away from my estimated due date. Lawd!

My 6 year old baby lost his first teeth yesterday and last night the tooth fairy brought him 4 whole dollars.

Labor Day Weekend in Review

Hey there! I wish I had a super exciting, jam packed labor day weekend to blog about but I don't. Nope. This pregnant woman took it easy this year for Labor Day for the first time in years. No Hilton Head, no road trips, no shopping trips, no clubbing. Just me, my little family and swollen feet at home avoiding the Georgia humidity by all means necessary.

Friday
I really can't remember what I did Friday night but I believe it was...nothing!

Saturday
Woke up super early to get downtown for the DragonCon parade. Listen, this event is getting bigger and bigger each year. My brothers are avid participants in the festivities so we go to support them and check out all of the cool costumes. We were a little late getting there so our space for watching the parade sucked and let me tell you, attending this while pregnant is no fun. I was hot, irritable and RET TO GO! We didn't even get to check out the vendors and tour around because I having Braxton Hicks contractors and feeling nauseous. Since we rode with my parents, my dad was like, "Let's get the hell out of here before you go into labor."

Hubby had a video shoot that afternoon and I figured he wasn't going to get home until late (which I was right about) so I pretty much spent the rest of the day doing absolutely nothing around the house except reading and laying under the fan and a/c. Y'all, this heat while pregnant is no joke.

Sunday
Woke up and finished decorating my 6 year's old room. I've been meaning to get some of his stuff up on the walls and clean up the room so you can actually see the floor. Glad I finally got around to it because it looked fantastic. Of course it looks like I did absolutely nothing at this point but whatever. Hubby worked on some stuff in Baby #2's room so we are on track with that. We should be ready to paint and replace the ceiling fan in the next two weeks. I can't freaking wait. We did manage to get out the house and go to the movies with my parents to see Hercules with The Rock. It was a little slow and boring but the action scenes were good. Plus The Rock's body is ridiculous!

Monday
It was too hot to do anything (again, pregnancy issues) so we lounged around the house before heading downtown to pick up my oldest brother from DragonCon. We scooped him up and headed back to the southside in record time. The rest of the day was spent being lazy and catching up on my reality tv (aka ratchet tv). Hubby and I did manage to finally see that movie Noah. It was good. My parents came by Monday evening and my mom and I had a quick meeting about my baby shower. Thank goodness we did because we were going in totally opposite directions. Plus I had to let her know that the guest list count is at 60 so far 0_0. Listen, I have a big family; we don't do anything small LOL

Product Review: Snoggle Body Pillow

One of the things I have struggled with during my pregnancy has been insomnia and comfortable positioning while sleeping. During the first trimester, sleep was a breeze because that’s all I could stand to do as this little person began to form. As I moved into my second trimester and my belly began to expand, it was apparent that my days of being a stomach-sleeper were coming to end.

Night after fitful night, I would rotate from side to side unable to get comfortable. Even while propped up on 8 pillows while my poor husband suffered with only 2
, I still could not rest comfortably. With several more months to go, a resolution did not seem near. However, my husband being the awesome person that he is, surprised me with a Snoggle body pillow.

photo by me

I’ve seen this pillow every time I’ve visited Babies R Us and vowed to get one but I just couldn’t bring myself to spend the money on it. Well, I guess my husband got tired of my restless nights and purchased one for me that changed my life. Not only do I now  sleep through the night but my body feels great. Goodbye sore hips and stiff arms!

It is essentially a body pillow with a curve. You can curl around it or it can curl around you. Need a pillow between your knees to keep everything aligned? No problem. The Snoggle fits easily between the knees without becoming detached at night. I also love the inner lining cover provides you with multiple positions and ways to use your Snoggle. How cool is that? 

I've pretty much tried each position and my favorites are the back-to-back, the swirl around and belly basics. I've each used the swirl while lounging in bed reading and it's fantastic. Let me run you down a list of a few other things I like about this pillow:

Likes:

• Machine-washable and easy to remove covering
• Breathable material; I didn't feel hot sleeping on it
• Stiff and flexible like a regular pillow
• Great support
• No weird plastic smell
• Organic

Dislikes

• It takes up a lot of space in the bed but the sleep is worth it
• It only comes in white and brown
• Pricey; retails for about 59.99 or higher depending on the store

Ladies, trust me when I say this pillow is totally worth the investment pre and post pregnancy. I have friends who swear by and it continue it use it to this day despite not being pregnant. I still have 3 more months to go and I've told my husband to make sure he brings this pillow to the hospital on delivery day. 

23 weeks pregnant

How I'm feeling:
A little more tired and heavy these days.

What I'm craving:
No real cravings this week except salads. I love salads. I could eat them all day.

How I'm sleeping:
My husband is the best husband in the world! He surprised me with a Snoggle pillow that has literally changed my life. I slept through the night for the first time in weeks. I'm planning to do a product review on this item. Ladies, make sure you get one of these during you pregnancy.

Thoughts:
23 weeks. Is it me or is this pregnancy flying by? Seems like just yesterday I was stressing about not being able to get pregnant and now I'm 16 weeks away from meeting this little person. Geez. My anatomy scan and quad screening results came back. Everything is normal and checks out. The next major test will be my glucose test, which they will probably schedule at my monthly check up on Thursday. I think I've gained another pound which brings my total weight gain to 2-3 pounds to date. Not bad. Especially considering I have about 3 more months to go.

Hubby and I have started taking evening walks which seem to really help me sleep at night. I've also been forcing myself to go to bed at 9:30 each night. Boy what a difference that makes. I'm starting to experience some slight swelling in my feet but I try to keep them elevated as much as possible and stretch as often as I can.

Overall I'm feeling good. Plans for my baby shower/baby celebration are underway and my team is on it! Invitation designs have been selected and the date has been confirmed. I'm still on the fence about my location since it seems the guest list is going to be 40-50 people so my current locale may not work. I need to talk it over with my mom again.

I plan to schedule my maternity photo shoot for October sometime so I need to start thinking about outfits for the family to wear. Hubby is almost done clearing his stuff out of the nursery so once he's finished with that, we will move forward with the painting and decorating. I'm having a baby!

Thoughts about a large family

via Google Images

When my husband and I were still friends, we both expressed our desires for a large family. When we had our son, we knew we would want to expand beyond one because who really wants just one kid in life? Lately though, I've been feeling some kind of way about the judgment people have when we tell them we want to have two more kids.

"If you knew better, you would get your tubes after this second one."

"Four?! Are you guys crazy?!"

"You're crazy to want more than two. Two is a great balance."

I've heard these statements not only from strangers but from family members as well. WE want more than one child. WE want to have as many kids as the good Lord will let us. So why all the judgment folks? Why all the pushing to get my tubes tied? I would think decisions about MY reproductive system are MY decision but seems I missed the memo on that.

It's a little frustrating to keep hearing this from people, especially from some people who have 3+ kids. Just because your situation is your situation doesn't mean it will be the same for me. I am married to a man who wants to have a whole basketball team of kids and says he's willing to live on farm if need be to raise them all.

I don't think it gets any better than that.

22 weeks pregnant

How I'm feeling:
Like my ol' self again!

What I'm craving:
Not real cravings but my appetite has definitely increased. All that concern about wanting nothing but fruit is out of the window. I'm pretty eating anything these days but making sure I opt for healthy choices with the occasional indulgence.

How I'm sleeping:
I've finally found the perfect ratio of pillows and positioning in bed to get a solid night's sleep. Bless my poor husband's heart for doing whatever it takes.

Thoughts:
22 weeks. Almost 6 months. Things are progressing great.  The results from the full anatomy scan are back and everything is normal. Whew! Not that I was worried but you know, there is always an inkling that something may be wrong. This morning I stopped by the lab to do my quad screening, which is a maternal blood test that looks for different markers with the hormones your body is producing. It's not a required test since I'm not considered advanced maternal age (35 and above) but it is nice to do just because. I should have my results by the time of my next appointment next week at 23 weeks.

Other than that, things are fine. There is a definite uptick my appetite these days. I could eat all day but I remind myself to at least try to make healthier choices with the occasional indulgence. As I'm typing this, I'm stuffed from a lunch of two small spring rolls, chicken larb (basically minced chicken with raw cabbage leaves that you roll it up in) and some basil chicken. The basil chicken was my late snack since I didn't eat breakfast this morning. Honestly, I just want to go home and sleep for about two hours.

The baby is doing lots of kicking and moving these days and they are certainly stronger. I believe he/she is positioned with the head at the top and the feet below towards my uterus because I feel tons of movement there. In the last ultrasound he/she was facing my back. I finally decided on a date for my baby shower and it will be on November 8 at 3pm. It's going to be busy day because my son's last soccer game and closing ceremony is that day. Good thing for me I don't have to do anything but show up for this shower :)

21 weeks pregnant/Gender Confirmation

Hey guys! I have been way too busy to even pause and do an update. We've hit the 21 week mark and boy what a difference it makes!

First off, here is a picture of me in my 20 weeks glory. By the way, I hate bathroom photos but I had t make this work:

The Bump has definitely made an appearance and I'm looking mighty pregnant these days. I'm also starting to feel like myself again. I suppose this is the "second trimester glow" when everything is honky dory before the "third trimester landslide". Either way, I'm feeling good and looking good. I've only gained a pound so far this pregnancy and that is just fine with me and my doctor. She don't anticipate me gaining much more since I was already a little "fluffy" to begin with.

I went back for my second anatomy scan and we were finally able to confirm the gender of this baby. I'm not going to reveal what we're having for a few weeks because hubby and I want to relish in this moment privately.

Since I'm in a good space right now, we are going to start moving full steam ahead on the nursery. There is much to do but since the room is completely empty, we have a blank slate to work with. My mom couldn't be more excited and loves projects so I am totally turning this over to her and just funding it LOL

Baby is kicking so I'm going to go take a walk and get to work. Have a great day!

Weekend in Review

It’s been a whirlwind of a week but in a great way. Let’s start from the beginning

Friday

I went into work for a few hours only to leave shortly after arriving to have a pizza party for my little guy’s birthday to kick off.  It went really well. Spiderman showed (and freaked out several of the kids) but it was good. We left there and headed out to run some last minute errands for his party that was taking place the next day. My in-laws also arrived early that afternoon and spent the day at their hotel resting. I managed to get the last of the things for the party before getting busy with everything else. Luckily we were able to do what we needed to do.

Saturday

The party was a success! We had about 16 kids show up in total and tons of family. I was glad they were all there. The food was good and so was the company. I highly recommend Dave and Busters if you need a place to have a birthday party. It’s going to cost a pretty penny (I cringe thinking about how much money we spent) but it was worth the convenience and the perks. We hung around there for a few hours before we left to meet up with family back at my house and the celebration continued until 11pm.

Sunday

The family (my parents and his) came back over and we had a morning celebration. The kids played the adults hung out. It was just good all around. Our parents are the best of the friends and let me tell you, it makes things GREAT! Shortly after my in-laws hit the road, my dad and husband went to the movies while my mom and  I took my son to Toys R Us/Babies R Us so he could get another gift with his birthday money and I could finish my baby registry. Later that afternoon, we all met back up for lunch and then went out to look at a couple of model homes (more on this later). Finally, we ended our day at my cousin’s city tennis championship (which he won!) and made it home late that night.

Monday

Monday was Baby Boy’s actual birthday and he had an entire list of things to do. First up was a birthday breakfast of pizza and bacon (don’t judge me; he asked for it) then we headed out to the movies. After the movies he wanted to go to Party City and the bookstore so we took him there. Finally, we picked up some lunch and went home to rest (really I needed a nap) before heading back out to Monkey Joe’s where the family met us to continue the celebration. My mom wanted to cook him a birthday dinner we had a cookout at my parent’s house and rolled into the bed about 11:30 that night.

 

All in all, it was a perfect weekend. My baby told me it was the best birthday ever and he couldn’t wait for his Transformers birthday party the next day ::pause:: Now that we’ve made it through this his birthday, its time to start getting things ready for Baby #2’s arrival in a few months.

Gender Reveal (Sorta)

Hubby and I attended my anatomy scan for the baby the other day. During this scan, the technician is basically taking pictures of baby's full anatomy for review by the OB. It's a normal procedure but it takes a while, especially if you have an active little one like mine.

For the most part, everything looks good. We told her we wanted to know gender immediately. About 20 minutes in she says its one sex and then a few minutes later says she wrong and that it was another sex. I asked her if she was sure and she said yes but since the baby was squirmy, I would have to come back to definitely confirm.

via Google Images

Lady, you have got to be kidding me. By this point, Hubby is frustrated because she had him expecting one sex and then she says she's wrong. He would have preferred until she was absolutely sure before saying something, which I agree, but I babies move so it can happen.

Anyway, I'm not really the gender just yet until we are absolutely sure what we are having. I've told some family and we even revealed the name but we are going to hold another week before moving forward with anything.

I tell you, these babies are something else...

19 weeks pregnant

How I'm feeling:
Anxious and relieved. Big day today! My boss is finally back from maternity leave and I couldn't be happier to turn everything back over to her.

What I'm craving:
Pasta. I cooked dinner at my parent's house last night and made a pasta dish that I love, including homemade alfredo sauce. Everyone loved it.

How I'm sleeping:
Still pretty uncomfortable with sleeping. I can't seem to find a good position no matter what.

Thoughts:
19 weeks has gotten here quick! It's still hard to believe we are pretty much at the halfway point. Today is my anatomy scan and the day we will finally find out of this baby is a girl or boy. I am too geeked to focus on anything right now. Hubby is taking off work and will meet me at the doctor's office. I have to drink about 32 oz of water before the scan and manage to not pee somehow. We'll see how that goes.

My in-laws will arrive in town on Friday so I am going to spend the next few days cleaning up my house. Baby boy's birthday party is Saturday so I have tons to do for that. Really, I'm just coasting. Since the family will all be together, I plan to do a family night at my house Saturday night. We haven't all been together since our wedding and our parents get along really great. Which reminds me that we may need to stock up on some beer. Either way, I am looking forward to a fabulous weekend!

Mr. Grey Will see you now

The official trailer for "Fifty Shades of Grey" was released yesterday and it took the internet by storm. I have to admit, I can't wait to see this movie and see if it does the book justice. And I'm loving Bey's remixed "Crazy in Love" on the soundtrack. How appropriate.

What do you think?

Pregnancy and Body Image

Pregnancy is one of the most precious gifts God could ever give us. The ability to grow a life inside of you and feed it from your body is simply amazing and not something we should take for granted. It is truly a beautiful and miraculous thing. For 9 months you watch your body change and evolve in ways you never thought possible.

I love being pregnant but like many other women, I suffer from body image issues while pregnant also. Before you go screaming, "but a pregnant body is beautiful", hear me out. I'm not saying it's not but for the pregnant woman, we too struggle with accepting our changing body.

via Google Images

My husband, God bless him, absolutely loves my pregnant body. He loves talking to my belly, rubbing it in his sleep as we spoon and massaging whatever is aching me. He is amazing! But sometimes I wonder if this big bump, stretch marks and spreading hips is a turn off to him. He will tell me by no means is it but of course my mind says otherwise.

Then I walk into my closet to attempt to find something to wear and nothing fits. Even the stretchy stuff isn't stretchy enough, and quite frankly, I'm not quite comfortable with my bump yet to just put it out there. I think part of it is fear of strangers wanting to rub my belly. It freaks me out! And Hubby DOES NOT like that at all.

Last night, as we were getting ready for bed, I got a little teary and said "I feel like a big whale." Oh, did I forget the mention the extra emotional sensitivity that comes with pregnancy? Lord, I feel like I cry about thing now and I am so not the crying/emotional type. Back to body image.....

I can't control the shape my body takes while pregnant; that is beyond me. What I can control are the things I put into to ensure a healthy pregnancy and baby. While I try not to get too hung on body image, I'm also human and understand that this is part of the process. To all you mommies-to-be out there, don't feel bad if you don't like how your body looks some days. It's perfectly normal and ok. Just know that this too shall...

18 weeks pregnant

I forgot to do my 18 week update. Whoops!

How I'm feeling:
Pretty good today although earlier this week was a little rough. I had to take Wednesday off due to nausea and exhaustion.

What I'm craving:
Salads! I went to Subway twice in 3 hours to get a chopped salad. It's ridiculous, I know.

How I'm sleeping:
This week has been horrible. I literally wanted to cry one night because I couldn't get comfortable and could not sleep. Bless my husband's heart, he's left with one pillow to sleep on since I use about 6 0_0

Thoughts:
Baby boy is fully moved into his new big bedroom. I can't remember if I mentioned it last week but we decided to move him into the guest room, which is huge, and the baby will take over his room. I think it's a great move but unfortunately for my husband, that leaves him without a room to play in. He will be moving his desk into the sunroom with mine, of course he isn't fond of this idea but we have to make do. I told him, you keep adding kids, the space gets smaller. And he wants a 3rd kid after this so I told him he needs to buy me another house before that one gets here LOL

Seriously, we were planning to buy another house in 4 years but it looks like our timetable will be shifting quickly. We are outgrowing this 3 bedroom plus a sunroom home really quick.

On the baby front all is well. I have had some pretty rough night's of sleep this week with lots of discomfort due to my expanding belly and round ligament pain. I know that these are just the growing pains of pregnancy but it hurts! Hubby has been very helpful and supportive with everything. Sometimes I feel like I treat  him so bad and that I'm being a horrible wife but he doesn't complain and loves me anyway :) I realized that I need to plan some time with just the two of us before the baby gets here. I'm hoping my parents will keep baby boy one night a month so that we can have some time to ourselves before the baby gets here.

Last Friday night he endured a technology-free night and watched Frozen with Baby Boy and I. I know he didn't want to but I make sure we spend that family time together. it's important.

Tuesday is the day! We do our anatomy scan and find out if this little bean is a boy or girl, if they cooperate. Please Lord let my child cooperate. I can't stand waiting any longer. I need to know who I will be meeting in December. Plus I need to know how to revise my registry - should it be pink or green. I'm so obsessed with finding out the sex that I bought was one of those gender reveal tests on Amazon. If it came up blue, it was a boy; pink, a girl. Look at my results:

PINK!

Of course my husband thinks its ridiculous but he wants a girl so bad so I'm sure he kinda believe its LOL Well, this kid is dancing in my belly so I guess that means its time to eat!

Random Thoughts

via Google Images

Story of my life right now...

Baby Names

Before we decided to have another baby, my husband and I had pretty much decided on baby names. Rather, I decided for us :) A few weeks ago we sat down and started going through a list of names to finalize. Since our son's name is similar to his and starts with a 'K', I wanted an 'M' name this time like mines.

Do you know how hard it is to find unisex M names? For my son I had two names in mind and boom, we were done. With this baby, I'm left scratching my head. If this baby is a girl, we have two options for first names and have agreed on a middle name. If this baby is a boy, we have agreed on the first and middle name.

I asked my husband the other night if he felt some kind of way about this kid not having a K name and he said he didn't although it would be pretty cool for all of them to have K names. 0_0 Narcissistic much, dear?

Anyway, we are planning a small gender reveal party with family next month. I'm debating if we are going to share the baby's name or wait. With my son we revealed his name at my baby shower and since my baby shower won't be until October, I don't think a few more months will hurt.

17 weeks pregnant

How I'm feeling:
Good. Not too tired, not too stressed. Just good.

What I'm craving:
Macaroni and cheese and potato salad. I'm also craving Chipotle so I know what I will be having for lunch.

How I'm sleeping:
Much better and soundly. Although, I do keep having crazy vivid dreams about one of my favorite musicians, Dwele.

Thoughts:
I am in fully early nesting mode. Hubby and I spent the better part of Friday and Saturday cleaning out the garage and starting to move things around in the house. We got a lot done but we still have much to do. Then I found out that my in-laws will be coming to visit in 3 weeks so I need to get my house back in order.

I can't believe I'm almost half way through this pregnancy. I finally decided that I'm going to do a gender reveal party but it will only be for family. Since I'm having a huge baby shower (totally my mom and BFF's doing), I wanted to keep this small to just my family. We will send out formal announcements but for now, I want to share that moment with my family. We are still finalizing the date but it will be soon.

I have a doctor's appointment in two weeks and Hubby can finally make it. I made sure he scheduled time off work so that he can be there. He hasn't made a single appointment yet and I really want him to see his baby. I think we will also take baby boy with us too so he can see his sibling. This is just a really exciting time for us and I couldn't be happier.

I'm definitely feeling much better these days but we still have quite a ways to go. Baby Bean is fluttering and moving around all the time. The movements are definitely getting stronger.

Fit While Pregnant

Prior to my pregnancy, I was a pretty active person. I did 5ks, worked out regularly and was in the midst of training for my first half marathon later this year. Of course morning sickness and fatigue completely sidetracked everything for me and now that I'm in my second trimester and my energy has returned, I am back to working out.

My midwife has told me that I'm a great candidate for a VBAC (that's a "vaginal birth after C-section"). After 32 hours of labor with my son, getting stuck at 6cm and him not descending enough, we had to do an emergency C-section. My OB who performed is a great and now I can opt for a vaginal delivery with my second (still on the fence about this).

via Google Images

I know from past experience the physical toll labor and delivery can take on your body so I want to prepare myself as best as possible with cardio and yoga. My trainer and good friend has graciously set me up with personal trainings sessions twice a week that encompasses strength and very light cardio. I do as much walking and deep squats (http://www.babymed.com/prenatal-yoga/prenatal-yoga-hip-opening-squat-malasana) as I can to prepare for my delivery. I am sleeping much better at night and my body isn't feeling as tight.

Did I also mention that because I don't have crazy cravings with this pregnancy, I have managed to not gain any weight? My diet is comprised of lots of fresh fruits and veggies and lots of water. I'm actually a little turned off from meat but I do try to get some in at least one meal a day. I encourage you to exercise and work out during your pregnancy. Even if its light, do it. Its great for you and baby.

Pregnancy in your 20s vs. 30s

I was 27 when I gave birth to my son and I am now 33 pregnant with my second child. Let me give it to you straight: pregnancy in your 30s is completely different from pregnancy in your 20s. Let's discuss...

via Google Images

Pregnancy in my 20s...

• Slow to hardly any weight gain
• Glowing skin
• Cute baby bump
• Stylish clothes
• No morning sickness
• Fatigue disappeared during the first trimester
• Physically active
• Manageable cravings
• No issues

Pregnancy in my 30s...

• Overwhelming fatigue!
• Non-stop morning sickness (I'm almost 20 weeks and still battle this)
• Adult acne (Proactiv has helped me clear it up)
• A baby slump (stomach  + bump = slump). Not quite round but not quite fat. Just...there...
• Cravings of nothing but fruit and fresh veggies
• Frumpy clothing because fatigue makes you not care about how you look
• I have had first trimester bleeding, a possible yeast infection (TMI!), diarrhea, and facial hair and crazy mood swings

Don't get me wrong, I am over the moon about this pregnancy and still plan to go for #3 but geez Louise is this pregnancy rough on my body. Despite all of the changes and craziness my body is undergoing, I am embracing and loving every moment of this pregnancy. Between hubby rubbing my belly during the night and my son talking to my belly, life is good.

Career Opportunities

When I started in the workforce some __ years ago, I had a very definitive picture of how my career climb would happen. I have to say, I have pretty much climbed the corporate ladder at the speed I wanted and in the industry I wanted, but most importantly, I have been extremely happy with it all to date.

When I left my last job for my current job, I was in a bad place. My boss was not doing what he

via Google images

needed to as a boss, my salary was decent but I really should have been making more and the stress of work landed me in the hospital having to evaluate if it was all worth it. In the end, I ended up walking away and huge weight was lifted.

In my current job, I had felt some of that stress come back. Granted most of it is due to the fact that my boss is out on maternity leave and I was basically handed her role to until her return. I love what I do - which is something you rarely hear people say. Nothing brings me more joy that knowing that what I do every day is helping to save the lives of readers like you. I won't go into details about my career industry but just know that someone is making sure you never have to worry about certain things.

Anyway, the point of this post isn't to rave about how much I love my job but to talk about an undercurrent feeling that I have that there is more. There is more that I should be doing but in my own terms, on my schedule, in my own way, making great money. In addition to my regular every day job, I'm also teaching two college course. Never in a million years did I think I would become a teacher but when I said I wanted it, God made a way.

Now I'm at the point where I'm wondering if my next career path is in teaching. I somehow keep getting pulled back to it and I'm wondering if I need to start to acknowledge what's right in front of me....

16 weeks pregnant

How I'm feeling:
Well-rested and a little achy due a stretching body and growing uterus

What I'm craving:
TACOS! Real authentic Mexican tacos; lots of fresh veggies and fruit

I keep these little trays in my purse or bag at all times. Perfect snack.

How I'm sleeping:
Pretty well

Thoughts:
We've made it to 16 weeks. I had my 15 week check-up on Thursday and baby bean is doing great. Heartrate was in the high 150s and s/he was moving around. I haven't gained any weight yet, which she was normal but that I should start to  pick up a few months a month now. I actuality, I shouldn't gain any more than 15 pounds this pregnancy so I think I'm ok there.

We didn't get a chance to do a gender scan so my doctor has me scheduled for that two weeks from now. I.CANT.WAIT! I need to know who I'm going to be dealing with. Plus I think everyone in my family is ready to start shopping. I have strong girl vibes but I had that with Baby Boy and he ended up being a boy. We'll just see this go-round.

Pretty much at this point, everyone knows I'm pregnant or rather I'm at the point where they aren't scared to ask LOL I have had to do some shopping to fit the bump and my spreading hips (Lawd my hips spread when I'm pregnant). I'm only comfort in dresses so I have tons of maxi dresses and shrugs to wear them with. Other than, we are looking ok. I still can't wait to meet this little person in December.

15 weeks pregnant

How I'm feeling:
Tired, achy but ok for the most part

What I'm craving:
Nothing in particular this week

How I'm sleeping:
Horrible. I have bad insomnia and can't seem to get the house as cold as I want.

Thoughts:
Week 15. In a few short weeks I will be blogging about how we're halfway there. Good grief. Still trying to wrap my head around that. I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday and if this little bean cooperates, we may get to a good picture that tells us if this is a boy or girl. I'm leaning towards girl but we will see. I think we are going to keep the sex of the baby a secret until my baby shower some time in the fall. I haven't quite decided. If I tell my mother, she and my aunts are going to go shopping crazy.

Baby Boy's 6th birthday party is next month and I can't believe my baby will be 6. Where did the time go? I swear that kid cracks me up and his smile will melts hearts like no other. He doesn't know it but we're going to surprise him by moving him into the bigger bedroom (aka the guest room) for his birthday. When he wakes up that morning, he will be in a new bedroom decked out in Superman décor (which he asked for). I'm so excited!

Hubby and I sat down this past weekend and wrote out a list of everything we need to get done around the house BB (Before Baby). Although the list is extensive we are going to use my little cousins and my youngest brother to help before they return to college in August, which gives us a good 30 days to get most of this stuff done. Sigh. I swear, there is never a dull moment in my house.

Random Thoughts about Bean #2

When they say each pregnancy is different, they were not kidding. This second pregnancy has been a whirlwind of activity starting from the day I finished my last pack of birth control pills two months before our wedding. And then I read this blog post today by Susan Sarandon's daughter who is expecting a baby girl in August and felt ok. I realized after reading that post that I need to cut myself some slack. I have been way too hard on myself about feeling great and looking great that I'm not allowing myself to enjoy every single moment.

My son's pregnancy was textbook. It was all rainbows and smiles with virtually no issues at all. I mean, I couldn't have asked for a more perfect pregnancy. I glowed, I gained weight slowly, I still played tennis until I was about 6 months pregnant. Literally, I was a poster child for pregnancy. I felt beautiful despite a spreading nose and swollen lips.

39 weeks and 3 days (2008). All belly!

This current pregnancy has been the total opposite. From the day we found out at 4 weeks, I have been plagued with nausea, vomiting, food aversions and crazy fatigue. I feel so bad for my poor husband because I fall asleep mid-conversation and don't even realize it. And the fatigue! Lord the fatigue! I've had to hire my brother while he's home from college for the summer to watch my son for about 2 hours each day so I can nap and rest when getting home from work. And don't even get me started on the cravings. I send my husband to the store every other day to stockpile fruit because that's all I want to eat. Which may explain why I'm going into my fourth month and have only gained 5 pounds.

Anyway, I say all of this to say, that we still have 5 more months to go and something tells me that this little peanut of mine is going to keep us on our feet. I'm already starting to feel little flutters daily (you tend to feel the baby sooner with second pregnancies) and if he/she is anything like his/her big brother, we better get ready.

Strange Dreams

One thing about being pregnant are the strange dreams you tend to have. For example, last night I had the CRAZIEST dream about Dwele. If you know anything about me and Dwele, you know that he is pretty much one of my favorite musicians and I am obsessed with him.

via Google Images

Seriously, how could you not love this beautiful man? Anyway, I dreamt that I going on tour with him to a show in Milwaukee and that some random man was going with us but apparently he was also dating my now-single mom (keep in mind in real-life my parents have been married 33 years). As I'm trying to spend some time with Dwele and give him pointers on which flight we should take up, mom's boyfriend decides to jump in the conversation and get all snippy. I can't remember what he said but I remember that my retort to him was that he was insulting my intelligence and I didn't give a damn who he was but he was not going to talk to me like that.

Dwele pretty much sat there dumbfounded and told the guy he was out of line. I told Dwele not to worry about it that I would take care of this so marched out of the room, straight to my mom and told her to get rid of his man. She, for whatever reason, told me I was being silly and that I needed to listen to ol' dude's advice since he's Milwaukee. I told her I didn't care who he was but he was not going to insult me like that and I'm a grown woman.

Needless to say mom and I went back and forth and finally she told him that it was over and he had to go. Dwele and I ended up taking a walk and talking about the situation. He said he was surprised by my show but totally understood. We ended up staying up all night and spending time together.

It was so weird to have that dream and then I wake up and look at my husband LOL Wait until I tell him about this LOL

14 week pregnant

How I'm feeling:
Tired and achy

What I'm craving:
Fruit, fruit and more fruit - particularly pineapples

How I'm sleeping:
Rough. I just can't get comfortable.

Thoughts:
It's been a few weeks since I blogged and that's because this baby has been wearing me out, not to mention work has been wearing me out. We had a little scare the other week where I had some bleeding but all is well. Hubby and I have decided both a boy and girl name, actually we had these picked out a long time ago, so once we know what we're having we plan to starting calling him or her by their name. We are definitely planning to keep the name and sex a secret from family until my baby shower in October. With our son, we didn't reveal his name until the baby shower. What is it about baby names that makes people so opinionated? Everyone has the BEST name and thinks you should name your kid after them. No sir, hence the reason we told everyone we don't need your input on anything. I will say this, there were some mad folks because I wouldn't tell them my son's name. Hahaha! I don't care.

Anyway, I'm struggling with clothing. Now that I'm progressing through this pregnancy and definitely showing, I have had to start shopping for maternity clothes. I refuse to spend a ton of money on maternity clothes so I've been buying plus-sized clothing instead. Besides, I need pieces that I can wear in the summer and transition into the fall with leggings and a cardigan. I won't be taking the baby out of the house much in the winter so I'm too worried about dressing him or her in anything besides onesies with the feet.

Geez, I'm really having another baby. This is mind-blowing!

10 weeks

How I'm feeling:
Nauseous, tired and bloated.

What I'm craving:
WATERMELON!!!

How I'm sleeping:
As soon as my eyes close, I'm out!

Thoughts:
Hubs and I are heading out of town on our Babymoon. It was supposed to be a honeymoon and then we found out we were expecting and it became a babymoon. I'm pretty excited about it and can't wait to get away and spend some alone time together. I'm going to miss our little guy while we're gone but he will be having a blast with his grandparents.

I feel pretty good with the exception of feeling like I have absolutely no clothes that I fit. I had to breakdown and buy a bella band the other day because my tummy is poking out something serious. I mean, I'm 3 months, how do I look almost 5 months pregnant? SMH I hate having this extra weight but whatever. I go back to the doctor next week to do another check-in on the little bean in there.

9 weeks

I am at the end of my 9th week and feeling fine. I went in for my first appointment this week and boy do I have a story to tell about that!

How I'm feeling:
Nauseous, tired and bloated.

What I'm craving:
Spicy foods (particularly Indian) and fruit of any kind

How I'm sleeping:
As soon as my eyes close, I'm out!

Thoughts:
I had my first appointment this week and boy what an appointment it was. I was pretty anxious and antsy the entire day because I was so ready to see this little bean and just know that everything ok. Hubby found out that someone at work had leave early so he was stuck there and couldn't be with me. He was pretty pissed about it but I told that was ok. I'm not going to lie and say that my feelings weren't hurt because they were but I know he felt horrible as is so I didn't want to add to it.

Anyway, my midwife (the same one I had with my son) and I met to do my examination. She started out with the ultrasound before we got into the other stuff. While doing a vaginal ultrasound, she grew quiet and said that she couldn't find the baby or the sac. Of course my heart dropped by I remained optimistic. She tried abdominally with no luck that way either. So here I am on the exam table and this woman is telling me that we don't know what's going on but she wants to run more tests.

Long story short, I was sent to radiology and they did a formal ultrasound where the technician remained quiet the ENTIRE time no matter how much I kept trying to engage her. After 20 minutes of moving this wand around in me, she showed me this:

So yes, everything is ok and the baby is doing well. It has a very strong heartbeat and I couldn't be happier. I was so emotionally tore up during the wait and the exam; I couldn't even call my husband and tell him what was going on because I knew he would freak out. Needless to say our little bean is doing great and is scheduled to make an appearance on December 25th! Look at God!

My Fertility Journey

*sigh* Where do I begin with this?

5 years ago, the Lord blessed me and my husband (then boyfriend) with a bouncing baby boy. Long before he was born, there were people around me who had visions of his happy, giggly baby boy and he finally showed up. You would think after having one baby 5 years ago with no complications, things would be easy the second time around? Eh, not so much.

In April 2013, several months before our wedding, my husband and I decided to start working on expanding our family. I had spent the prior months working on my health and mentally preparing myself for motherhood again. We were both excited and eager for more kids immediately. Once I finished my last pack of birth control pills, it was on! I remember talking into the late nights about how awesome it would be to pregnant on our wedding day and sharing the news. Fast forward 3 months later, 6 months later, 9 months and every single test still showing a big fat negative.

There is nothing more discouraging and unsettling than giving something your all and feeling like it was for nothing. 9 months of trying and nothing. There was even a point where my period was 100 days late and I wasn't pregnant. After all of this, I decided it was time to see a doctor. Test after test revealed that everything was ok, except for one test. I can't recall what it was but it led my then-doctor to believe that I may be suffering from PCOS. My friend, Mr. Google, and I spent countless hours researching and talking to friends with this condition. Their stories of more than 7 years of trying to conceive were not encouraging at all to me. I truly hit a low point and wasn't sure if it was meant to be.

I hated tracked everything from when I slept to when we made love. When talks of semen analysis and surgery for me came up, I decided I had enough. I threw it all away. My husband and I sat down and said that we were done with all of this and that we would just let things go as they may. If that meant not having a baby for another year or two then so be it.

I found another doctor for second opinion, a specialist this time, who confirmed that the prior diagnosis was wrong and that I did not have PCOS. Instead, I was suffering from "trying too hard". One year to the day that we started trying, I discovered that I was pregnant and about 4 weeks along. I could not believe it!It was so surreal. I took test after test and each was positive.

And here we are today, I'm going into my 8th week and can't wait to share the news with everyone. This baby has been the baby we prayed for. During this journey, I reached out to Adrienne to let her know what was going on. I needed someone to talk to who could remind me that things don't happen in my time but in HIS time. She immediately sent me back scriptures which I recited every single and believed. I knew that when it was time, we would be blessed with the child we prayed for: I Samuel 1:27

6 weeks

I am officially 6 weeks pregnant. We still haven't told anyone yet and its killing me to keep this a secret for another 6 weeks. I'm ready to share our big news.

How I'm feeling:
Nauseous, tired, and suffering from allergies

What I'm craving:
Nothing in particular besides salad

How I'm sleeping:
Ok; same is usual

Thoughts:
Right now the baby's heart is beating and my firsst appointment is scheduled at 10 weeks. I am SO excited to see and meet this bean. Of course we are anxious because we don't know if we're having one or two at this point. I won't really go into the details of our TTC journey, but I will say that the likelihood of multiples is high due to the medicine I was on. Either way, I'm exicted and happy. Baby Boy is so excited too. He keeps rubbing my telling and asking if his brother or sister is ok.
*awwww* I can't wait for them to meet and grow up together.

Other than that, I'm feeling fine and just taking care of myself as I should.

Easter Surprise

I've been holding this for a long time and can finally share the news! The Easter Bunny arrived on my birthday and left behind a little egg....



I'm pregnant! I've been waiting to finally say it until I was out of the first trimester but yes, I am pregnant with my second child. My husband, son and I are over the moon. How cool is it that we are pregnant on our first anniversary? Anyway, stay tuned for many pregnancy posts and updates during this journey. I am due in December so we are having a Christmas baby!

Things that make you go hmmmm......

And that's all I have to say about that....:)

One Year Anniversary

It's our one year anniversary! I can't believe it's been a year since I experienced the second most wonderful day of my life (my first was the day my son was born). I have pictures to share but let me tell you what we did first.

Hubby and I are avid music lovers, particularly live music. Initially we had plans for a tropical romantic getaway for our anniversary but we are such non-traditionalists in some aspects that we said screw it and flew up to Philadelphia for The Roots music festival. OMG Amazing! Janelle Monae! Snoop Dogg! Dougie Fresh! Biz Markie! The Roots! It was literally all the people we love as musicians backed by the world's last real band. We had a blast.  For 3 days we barhopped, partied and ate our way through Philly. The city was so amazing that we want to go back and take the little guy with us.

Our actual anniversary was a little bit more mellow. We lounged, we went to the movies, we ate, we shopped and just spent time together. We aren't big showy people so we preferred to do the low-key thing and spend the day with each other. I actually wasn't feeling too well that (all the Philly fun wore me out) so dinner was picked up and enjoyed at home. Before bed we cut the top tier of our cake, said I love you and ate away.

A whole year later...wow. It has been amazing, trying, eye-opening year but I wouldn't change it for the world. I love that man like no other and know that he feels the same way about me. We haven't exchanged gifts yet (we'll do that this weekend) but I did give him an early anniversary gift so I'll give him the actual next week. Anyway, happy anniversary to us!

To my love,
One year later and I still like you, despite the fact that I break up with you once a week because you leave the sink full of dishes. But I never have to ask you for anything, you make me laugh, you rub my feet when you know I need it, you pick up my favorite things without me asking and you love to cuddle just because. You don't even mind me playing with your ears in my sleep. I couldn't have asked for a better friend, husband and love. Who would have known that day I saw you sitting at lunch by yourself and introduced myself that I would be your wife? I knew! haha! Love you!

Honeymoon Time!

The time has finally arrived! Hubby and I are take off tomorrow to head to Philadelphia to celebrate our one year anniversary in style at The Roots picnic. So our honeymoon is a little bit on the non-traditional style but that's us; we don't do traditional LOL. Anyway, we are so looking forward to this trip. This will be our first solo vacation in 5 years. Yes, 5 years. Can you say TURN UP?!

We are dropping the little guy off with my parents tonight and will see them all when we return on Sunday. Monday is our actually anniversary so we have taken the day off so we will spend it doing what people made it through their first year of marriage without killing each other do LOL

I guess I see you guys when I return from up top! Holla!

I am tired

I am tired.

There is other way to put it. My boss is due to go into labor at any moment now and I am stressing about the fact that I am will have to manage a team about 25, do their mid-year reviews and also balance my project work. I mean, I have ALOT on my plate. She will be on maternity leave for two months and there is no way I can balance everything. Thank goodness my semester is over and I am not teaching this summer. Sigh.

I guess to whom much is given, much is expected.

I'm just tired. The hubs and I are going on a trip at the end of the month and I literally feel like all I'm going do is sleep. Which reminds me that I need to call the airline and select our seats.

Anyway, I wish I had more energy to blog but I'm between meetings and thinking abou tthe fifty million other things I need to get done in the next few hours before I leave for the day.

10 in 10

1. I haven't been in much of a blogging mood lately. Whenever something is going on in my life, I either pour myself into writing or completely withdraw. I have done the latter.
2. I just had a Whopper for lunch, which I probably shouldn't have eaten, but it was so freaking good!
3. I tore a bowl of watermelon up this morning! There's something about hot weather and a big bowl of watermelon that just make life perfect...
4. Next month I have to attend two weddings and a baby shower. Lord help me and my wallet!
5. Mother's Day is this weekend and I have not gotten my mom and aunt anything yet. I need to get my godmother something too.
6. Why can't US workplaces implement a siesta from Noon-1:30 each day? Can you imagine how productive people might be if they can nap in the middle of the day?
7. Speaking of napping, I had a great lunch last week that brought me back to my office, closing the door and passing out for 15 minutes.
8. I have a hair blog I have neglected for far too long. I need to decide what I'm going to do with it.
9. Just read the more adorable blog about a mom that had twins. Bless her heart!
10. My boss is going out on materity leave any day now and I'll stuck managing our entire staff by myself. Heaven help us.

7 weeks

I am officially 7 weeks pregnant. We still haven't told anyone yet and its killing me to keep this a secret for another 4-5 weeks. I'm ready to share our big news.

How I'm feeling:
Nauseous, tired, and more tired

What I'm craving:
red grapefruit, apples, chili slaw hot dogs, scrambled eggs and sleep

How I'm sleeping:
Rough. I'm trying to get used to not sleeping on my stomach again. Ugh.

Thoughts:
I am tired. I forgot how rough the first trimester can be. I don't remember being nauseous all the time time with Baby Boy the way I am with this Little Bean. Everything makes me sick, which makes me wonder if this is a girl or more than on baby *gulp* My boss is about to go out on her maternity leave in about two weeks which will leave me here pregnant and managing the staff. I just hope the stress of work doesn't get to me.

I'm ready to start exercising but I'm trying to wait until I've talked to my doctor before doing anything besides walking.

10 in 10

1. I hate pollen. That is all.

2. I am hosting a baby shower for  a friend in May and her mother-in-law is quite something LOL

3. I can't wait for our trip in May. This will be mini-honeymoon #3 for us. I can't believe we've been married almost a year. Wow.

4. I think I ate too much salad at lunch.

5. Prayer works. I've been praying like something for a long time and almost thought God had forgot about me. Then I remembered that He never does and what did He do? He blessed me.

6. I may or may not be suffering from adult acne or something. Either way, I bought me some Proactiv+ and will give it a try.

7. I'm trying to convince my husband that we NEED to go to the Jay and Bey concert but when he saw the ticket prices for where I want to sit, he was all:

And then I was all:

8. I think I'm going to cook lasagne tonight. I'm feeling like some Italian.

9. What comes on tv tonight? I usually don't watch tv until Thursdays and Sundays.

10. I need to do this more often. This is a great way to do a brain dump.

Happy Easter

I hope and everyone one of you had a happy and wonderful Easter. My birthday (4-20) fell on Easter this year and it was absolutely fantastic!

Weekend in Review

Movies



SOURCE

 

Birthday Parties

Photos by Me

 

 

Game Trucks

Photos by Me

Be Still

Have you ever woke and had one of those days when things feel...strange? Not strange bad, but strange like something is going to happen?

I have days like this occassionally and it has taken me a long time to realize that this strangeness I feel is not anything of my doing, but something of a higher power. I understand that some people aren't religious but my relationship with God is strong so I'm going to speak on that for a moment.

SOURCE

When the Holy Spirit is speaking to me, it isn't in the form of a "burning bush" or "some overjoyous moment"'; no, it is a very subtle "strange" feeling I get. It's a stillness that is placed on me. When this happens, I tend to withdraw and wait on the Lord.

My office door remains open all the time but on the days that "the stillness" has come over me, my door is closed and rarely opened. It's in these moments that I know God is trying to tell me to "be still and listen"; listen to what He is trying to tell me.

This morning that "stillness" came over me.

Here I was happily driving to work and about halfway there, I felt it. It was like a warm blanket being pulled over me. I knew instantly what I was supposed to be doing. I came into the office and closed my door. My coworker across the hall (a wonderful older gentleman named Rick) asked if I was ok because he could sense some stress on my Spirit. I told him that I was fine but I needed to "be still". He said, "Angel, that is wisdom that only comes with time and that is wonderful." (sidenote: he calls me 'Angel' LOL)

Anyway, today is the day I am going to "be still". I know there is a message I meant to receive and He will get it to me; He always does.

Weight Watchers

SOURCE

I am unhappy about my weight - plain and simple. I am a pretty active person but even I fall victim to emotional eating and some jaded belief that I can eat what I want. Something happens to our bodies when we hit 30. Things don't snap back the way they used to, things stay achy longer, and we start to slow down in more ways than one.

I have never struggled with my weight more than I have since I gave birth to my son. The sheer exhaustion (and joy!) that comes with motherhood can make you take advantage of every free moment you have which usually ends up with you eating whatever you want and passing out.

I did Weight Watchers after having my son and quickly got rid of it because I just didn't have the time (and I was breastfeeding). After my training session last night, I told my trainer that I took a "personal inventory" and decided to get back on the Weight Watchers train. Choo-choo! I know this road won't be easy but it will be well worth it. I am committed to it like I am my marriage and my family.

This blog will help me not only keep myself accountable but also serve as a journal on this journey. We have to start somewhere, right?

Monday Morning Mind Dump

How awesome is it that I found THE most appropriate picture for this post?

I'm just going to do a quick mind dump since its Monday and I've been up working since 5:20 am.  Here goes:

• ITS PAYDAY!!!! Nothing better than waking up and seeing some money in the bank.
• I found out my son's babysitter is going to be closed on Friday. Dang it. Now I have to decide if I'm going to work from home or find another sitter for the day.
• The Guy is going out of town on Wednesday and doesn't get back until practically Friday morning.
• Spring Break = no soccer practice this week!
• I really need to go grocery shopping there's a monsoon going on outside and I doubt I will get anything done today.
• Two formal dresses I ordered arrived over the weekend. I have yet to take them out of the bag and try them on.
• I have an online shopping addiction. I really do.
• I don't care how bad its raining but I'm going to JCP today to pick up a pair of shoes I've been wanting for a month. I need them.
• My birthday is in two weeks and I'm not that excited. I honestly don't think I'm going to do anything for my birthday this year.
• I'm attending a bridal shower this upcoming weekend and bought all kinds of adult toys for the bride. I hope there aren't any elderly people there LOL
• I need some good books to read.
• I need some sneakers....
• Oh, one more month and then The Guy and are off to the North. I.CANT.WAIT!

That's my mind dump for the day. Let me get back to work.