Pregnancy #2 Update :: 30 Weeks

Top / Pants

How far along: 30 weeks
Size of Coffee Bean: 3 pounds and measuring about 15 3/4 inches
Fruit/vegetable comparison:  Large cabbage {According to Baby Center}

Gender:  Another Baby Boy!
Showing: YES

Maternity clothes:  Just about everything I wear is maternity these days.  I even had to run out to Motherhood Maternity last week with my mom to grab a few new pieces to get me through the next two months.  My mom is the best shopping partner ever and we were able to find a few things that I can wear to work/weekend/maternity pics...exactly what I needed! 

We also ran to DSW to buy a few pairs of flats since all of my shoes are too small for me now - and I'm pretty much done with heels. Why oh why must your feet get larger too?  I'm normally a size 8.  Last pregnancy, 8.5 felt better, but this time around I ended up buying 9's in all the flats.  Maybe this is due to the heat too, but a whole size seems significant.  My feet as so much happier now though!   My feet were super swollen post-partum last time too so I'm hoping these will all work great during that awkward recovery time when nothing fits right!
  
Unglamorous body changes: Belly button is starting to poke out a bit which it never did during my last pregnancy.  

Sleep:  Okay

Movement: TONS!

Food cravings: Started craving orange juice this week randomly.  
Anything making you queasy or sick:  No

Wedding rings on or off: Engagement ring is on, but my stack of other two rings is too tight when worn together.  

Mood: Pretty good
Best moment this week:  Jack starting school was the highlight.  I love that he loves it.  

Strange experiences:  None that I can think of

Milestones: We officially set the c-section date.  I will be 39 weeks along...so crazy we are just 9 weeks out.  Seems so fast some days and so far away others.
Looking forward to: Ultrasound this Thursday to see little man!

Read about my 29 and 30 Week update from my first pregnancy!

First Day of School 2015

 

 

Jack had a wonderful first day of school!  Hooray!!!

I was worried that he would cry, not sleep and not eat.  Two out of three ain't bad!  There weren't any tears, he napped...but didn't eat much.  I packed all of his faves so I'm just going to chalk it up to nerves and a new atmosphere. 

Jack walked right into the classroom, made himself at home and started doing puzzles with his friend from the playground right away.  He really seemed to have fun and even earned a special sticker for helping another kiddo on the playground.  Obvisouly Jason and I are super proud. 

I'm so happy I could have a light day at work and was able to drop him off and pick him up!  

The second day was just as good - he ate a little bit more, was happy the entire day and was even the example at Chapel on having a kind heart from being helpful on the first day.  He earned a special heart that they present each week at Chapel for his kindness. 

I'm a little bummed that we already have a homework assignment...I'm not creative and don't love arts and crafts assignments, but I know this is the first of MANY I will do with my kiddos so I'm going to suck it up, grab the glue and enjoy it!

Weekend Recap

Forgive me for not posting this weekend recap on Monday - I was totally consumed by Jack's first day of preschool.  I went to the office between dropoff and pickup, but I can't say it was the most productive day ever.  I'll post more about his first day later, but it was great!

This past weekend I wanted to stay home and prepare for school and nursery and just be.  Mission accomplished.  

Friday

Nothing exciting to report from Friday.  Jack had his last Little Gym class of the summer during the day.  We had delicious tamales for dinner and after putting Jack to sleep caught up on the first two episodes of Hard Knocks on HBO since this year the show is following the Houston Texans!

I don't actually enjoy watching football, but I still get excited for football season since it's means the coming of fall and cooler temps.  The show is awesome!  I love getting a behind the scenes look at training camp and learning more about the players.  Anyone else watching?

Saturday

Saturday morning I gave Jason a long "honey-do" list that was meant to be done over the course of several weekends.  Mr. Overachiever knocked out the majority of my list by the time Jack and I had breakfast!

Afterwards we took Jack to get a "back-to-school" haircut and he was a champ as always.

Saturday afternoon I learned that our new chair for Colin's nursery was ready for pickup so I ran up to Babies R Us to try and fit that and the ottoman in my Honda CRV.  I honestly thought this would involve two trips and people laughing at me for thinking I could fit a chair in my car, but to my surprise we got BOTH the chair and the ottoman in with room to spare!

Love the chair we finally chose.  It's super cozy and looks great in the room.  I'm very sure I'm crazy for choosing a white chair, but I'll take my chances.  I looked at approximately 1,713 chairs and was sick of shopping around! 

Saturday night we ordered pizza and settled in to watch the Texans preseason game.  I watched an entire football game...what?  Who am I? 

Sunday

Sunday morning we were up bright and early (I considered this my test run for preschool) for the early service at church since this service was doing it's annual "Blessing of the Backpacks" to get ready for school!  

We loaded up Jack with his backpack and it was precious watching him and all of the kiddos - both big and small - take their "packs" as Jack calls them to the altar for a special blessing.

After the service we were able to walk to Jack's classroom (our church is also where Jack attends Preschool) and meet the teacher and show him where he would eat lunch and put his backpack.  He had no idea what was coming the next day, but had fun regardless!

After lunch I ran to the grocery store while Jack was napping - I suspect Jason napped too, although he offered to go for me.   Although the store was CRAY I wanted to go since I would be packing Jack's lunches...I wanted to get lots of things I thought he would like - mama bear anxiety.

After Jack woke up and I unloaded the groceries, we hung out in the pool before dinnertime.  Our pool has this unique "spa/tub" thing at the top of the rocks that Jason showed to Jack for the first time.  He thought it was so cool to be high up.  We still haven't braved the water slide with him yet and don't think we will for a while with him!

That evening, we prayed, prepped and planned for Jack's first day of preschool the next morning!  More on that soon...

The Great Planner Debate

I'm over on Houston Moms Blog today sharing my top 6 planners to keep any mom {or anyone} organized!  

 I hope you'll jump over and check it out and either share here or there what planner camp you are in?

I'm currently a Day Designer convert switching from Camp Condren, but every now and then I get the itch to try something new! 

Thoughts for Thursday :: Getting Ready for Preschool

I truly can't believe that my little baby is starting Preschool on Monday!  He will only go two days a week, but it's for a good chunk of time {9am-2pm} on those days.  I know he is going to love the social interaction and learning new things, but I just can't wrap my head around it.

Will he eat his lunch?  Will he nap when he's supposed to?  Will he play nice with others?  Will he miss home or not want to leave in the afternoon?

I'm trying to prepare myself mentally for a rough few weeks during the transition period.  We are in a different situation since our nanny will drop him and pick him up most days {except the first...that's all me} - which leads me with a whole other ball of guilt and frustration since I'll want to be the one doing these things.  

Being the overanxious mother I am, I've done a good bit of "prep" to get him ready for school.  I mean really he doesn't need half this stuff, but it makes me feel good and prepared to do it all...

Clothes & Shoes

Jack's school does not require uniforms so for clothing I like him to look nice, but be comfortable of course.  We are still in the triple digits in Houston so it must be cool too.  I watched all of the back to school sales and purchased some $4 pocket tees at Old Navy that I had monogrammed by Two Magnolia Lane.

I was able to score shorts from Carter's and Gap both on sale along with a couple of other cute tees from both places.  I don't like spending too much on his clothes since he grows so quickly and could ruin something in a matter of seconds with his messy eating and playground trips!

For shoes, he lives in Natives most of the time, but for school needs to wear something with socks.  We love the "Made 2 Play" Stride Rite sneakers which you can find at Stride Rite or Nordstrom.   I bought two pairs of these during a BOGO sale + tax free weekend!  Again, I hate paying full price for toddler shoes since his feet grow so fast!

Backpack and Lunchbox

Two Magnolia Lane came through again with the cutest matching backpack and lunchbox combo with his name monogrammed on both.  We opted for the larger size backpack to ensure his papers, extra clothing and lunch + snacks would all fit.  He looks precious with it on!

Food Storage

As silly as it sounds to experienced moms, I've never had to pack a lunch for my kiddo before so this brings me a ton of anxiety!  I want to make sure he gets full and likes what I give him, but also that it's healthy enough {I've read horror stories of parents being reprimanded if the lunch isn't healthy enough}.  We also have to pack two snacks a day...so all in all, that's a whole lot of packing each day.

Some items I purchased include:

Spencer Bento Box - Sandwiches Cutters - Ice Packs - OXO Tot Straw Cups, 11 oz.

Teacher Gifts

Image via Jolie Delights

If you live in the Houston area then you need to check out Jolie Delights who created these adorable Mason Jars with Pencil Cookies!  This is what Jack will be treating his teachers to on the first day this year.

Megan from Honey We're Home posted a great list of other cute Teacher Gift ideas - perfect for the first day or throughout the year!

What have you done to get ready for school?  

And what are your thoughts about first day teacher gifts - thoughtful or unnecessary?

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 I'm linking up today with Annie and Natalie today for Thoughts for Thursday. 

Pregnancy #2 Update :: 28 Weeks

How far along: 28 weeks
Size of Coffee Bean: 2 1/4 pounds and measuring about 15 inches
Fruit/vegetable comparison:  Large eggplant {According to Baby Center}

Gender:  Another Baby Boy!
Showing: Oh yes!
Maternity clothes:  100% Maternity pants and 90/10 in tops and dresses.  Everything is getting tighter and I'm starting to have to retire some of my "smaller" maternity pieces.  I'm at the point now that I don't want to buy more maternity items so I'm wearing a LOT of the same pieces over and over and trying to focus on buying non-maternity pieces that will be great for c-section recovery and nursing!
Unglamorous body changes: My belly button is looking crazy!

Sleep:  Okay

Movement: Whoa...Colin is a kicker!

Food cravings: Nothing specific
Anything making you queasy or sick:  No

Wedding rings on or off: Engagement ring is on, but my stack of other two rings is too tight when worn together.  

Mood: Getting a little cranky...the heat plus the huge belly make me a little short with people...sorry!
Best moment this week:  Putting the crib together, having the dresser delivered and putting away baby clothes in Colin's newly organized closet!

Strange experiences:  A fellow pregnant mom telling me it would "suck" {her words} to be pregnant with another boy while we were taking our glucose tests together.  She was having her second baby too: a girl and she already has a boy.  Thanks a lot stranger!  Why are people so fixated on having one boy and one girl.  I'm thrilled about my boys and have started calling people out when they make comments about trying for a girl next time, etc. 

Milestones: Hitting the third trimester officially! 
Looking forward to: I'm strangely looking forward to my next doctors visit later this week.  I love the reassurance that everything is looking good and I'm anxious to hear if we are ready to set a tentative c-section date yet.

Read about my 28 week update from my first pregnancy!

Weekend Recap :: Nesting Took Over

Hello Monday!  Hope you had a great weekend!  I'm in denial that Jack starts preschool a week from today and I've majorly caught the nesting bug.  

Friday

I was able to get a pedicure before getting Jack from the nanny on Friday afternoon which is the perfect way to start the weekend.  Pedicure and decaf iced coffee in hand = my pregnant happy hour!

Jason brought home Lupe Tortilla for dinner...another treat!  And we were in bed early.  Love it!

Saturday

Saturday was major "get sh*t done day."  I had the nesting bug big time!  I was on Jack duty the first part of they day while Jason had some things to do and he was on Jack duty that evening. 

Some things that we accomplished included getting Colin's closet organized, most of the newborn/0-3 months/3 months clothes washed and put away, put together crib, setup 2nd nursery camera, organize drawers in new changing table, order nursery chair!   It's really starting to come together which makes me feel great.  We had a Target and Lowe's trip...pretty standard weekend errands these days. 

I promise our walls don't look so bad in real life...they are a gray shade, but this image is horrible!

Now that the crib is up, I can't wait to get our bedding back!  It's been ordered but takes weeks to come in.  I also plan to do a gallery wall above the crib, but am still working on that project.  Also, our drawers/changing table were delivered on Thursday to make the nursery look even more complete!

Jack took a nap strike on Saturday, but was otherwise a super sweet boy, helping me and being sweet. 

Saturday evening I met some friends at Studio Movie Grill to see Train Wreck and celebrate Ashley's birthday.  It was nice to have some girl time and see a movie...something I haven't done in too long.

When I got home Saturday night, I had a FedEx delivery of Colin's Ruby Love baby book!  Jack's is also by Ruby Love so I was excited to get a coordinating one for Colin.  I was thrilled that they had a similar fabric that I'm using in his nursery.  Fate!  I'm so happy with how it turned out.  I'm sure my boys won't even give a hoot about these when they are grown up, but at least Jason and I will cherish them!

Sunday

Sunday morning was pretty standard.  We went to the grocery store midday together, came home and made a yummy lunch and then put Jack down for his nap.  Despite the items I still had on my to-do list I listened to my body and stopped for an hour.  Both Jason and I ended up getting naps in along with Jack! 

As soon as everyone was up we put our butts in gear and went to the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land.  This is a much smaller campus than the Houston location, but it's closer and so much easier to park!  I've been wanting to check this place out with Jack all summer.  We only had an hour to browse before they closed (thanks to our long naps) but that was the perfect amount of time for Jack.  Plus there was barely anyone there so Jack got full run of the place!  He loved seeing the dinosaurs, fish and frogs and playing in the Dig Pit. 

We drove through Bahama Bucks on the way home for some snow-cones.  I was curious if it was worth the hype and it was.  After hanging out in the backyard with our snow-cones and letting Jack go crazy with his water table, we prepped dinner and were beat....at least I was. 

While Jack was getting bathed I cleaned the kitchen, did some laundry and put away a few more nursery items that had taken up residence in our dining room.  Once Jack was asleep, Jason and I climbed into bed, beat from the weekend and watched Bachelor in Paradise (so mindless, yet entertaining) before crashing!

I'm so freaked out that my pregnancy is going to be cut short by either bed-rest or an early delivery (I think this because I feel so huge already) that I'm stressing myself out trying to get "everything" prepped and ready for Baby Colin.  I've got to slow it down a bit and trust that it will all get done...

Five New Items I'm Excited to Try with Baby #2

Happy Friday!  For this edition of Five on Friday I wanted to share my top five items I'm excited to try with Baby #2.  I either missed these items the first time around or they are brand new.

Any new items on the market that you are excited to try?  

ONE - Solly Baby Wrap

I love the idea of baby-wearing a did a fair amount with Jack.  My only issues with it was that it was really hot when I had Jack (summer in Houston).  This time around with a toddler to care for and the fact that it will be cooler temps, I plan to do much more baby wearing.  I've heard nothing but wonderful things about this wrap plus I'm a sucker for stripes! 

TWO - Covered Goods Multi-Use Nursing Cover

I learned of this product when I had Jack, but was already halfway into our nursing journey and didn't want to buy yet another product even though I really wanted it.  This is the first item I ordered when I learned I was expecting #2.  You can use this as a worry-free, no-slip nursing cover, infant seat cover and even shopping cart cover.  It comes in a ton of great patterns too, but hello: stripes!

THREE - Soothe Shirt

I discovered this product on Instagram and seems like a great way to baby wear for those of us who find a wrap complicated or daunting.  It's also a nursing tank!  Doesn't get much easier than this.  Let me know if you have had luck with this product.  I'd love to hear from a "real person" who has tried it before ordering.   

FOUR - Fisher Price Auto Rock 'n Play Sleeper

Yes there are a million and one gadgets out there that take up too much space in our homes - bouncers, rockers, Mamaroos, oh my, but when I saw this Rock 'n Play sleeper that is now automatic meaning it doesn't stop rocking until you turn it off, I was sold!

FIVE -Infanteenie Beenie

I don't know about you, but Jason and I quickly learned with Jack that the only hat that would stay on his newborn head was the hospital cap.  Luckily we were given a couple to take home.  Everything else looks so cute, but wouldn't stay on but for a few seconds.

Infanteenie Beenie solved that and use the hospital style caps, but make them cute!  I ordered two for Colin: one with his name embroidered and one with his monogram.  All of their styles are so cute, especially some of the sweet girlie ones.  I'm dying over this Mom one, but I resisted! 

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Linking up:

Pregnancy #2 Update :: 25, 26 & 27 Weeks

25 Weeks

26 Weeks

26 Weeks

How far along: 25, 26 and 27 weeks
Size of Coffee Bean: Almost 2 pounds and measuring about 14.5 inches (at 27 weeks)
Fruit/vegetable comparison:  Rutabaga (25), Scallion (26), Cauliflower (27) {All According to Baby Center}

Gender:  Another Baby Boy!
Showing: Oh yes!
Maternity clothes:  100% Maternity pants and 80/20 in tops and dresses  
Unglamorous body changes:  Nothing new.  My weight gain seems to have slowed down a bit.  I gained 3 pounds in 5 weeks according to my nurse at my 27 week appointment.  I've gotten bad and stopped weighing myself at home since it was too depressing.  Looking back at my pregnancy updates with Jack, around this time I was hitting the gym every weeknight and doing prenatal yoga.  Due to having a toddler to take care this time around, Jason's busy "after-hours" work schedule and the Houston HEAT I'm not doing anything this time around, except for chasing a toddler and trying to eat smaller meals.  Postpartum weight loss won't be pretty, but I'm trying to remain positive!

Sleep:  Decent...just not enough of it!

Movement:  Tons and much harder this past week.  

Food cravings: No major cravings.  Trying to eat smaller meals.  I get full fast these days!
Anything making you queasy or sick:  No

Wedding rings on or off: Engagement ring is on, but my stack of other two rings is too tight when worn together.  

Mood: Great
Best moment this week:  Getting Jack moved into his "big boy" room!  He loves it and now I can really work on the nursery.  Jason promises he will put the crib together this weekend.  

Strange experiences:  None that I can think of other than starting to get the weird "alien" positions and movements from Colin on my belly. 

Milestones: We did a family roadtrip at 26 weeks to visit family (our last one until Colin is born) and are just continuing to make progress on the nursery!  At 27 weeks I had my glucose test, received a Rhogam shot, pre-registered at the the hospital and ordered Colin's Baby Book.  Trying to check many things off the growing to-do list.  The doctor visits are now every 2 weeks rather than once a month. 
Looking forward to: Getting my results from the Glucose test I took last week.  Putting together Colin's crib, finishing a closet organization project in the nursery and decorating! 

Read about my 25, 26 and 27 week updates from my first pregnancy!

Watermelon Summer Session :: Jack at 27 Months

A few weeks ago I took Jack for a "Watermelon Mini-Session" with Momma's Gonna Snap Photography through Houston Moms Blog.  I wanted to capture a few professional images of him at two years old since I didn't do a formal two-year session for him.  I love how they turned out and really captured his silly and sweet personality, skinned-knees and all! 

And since I'm carrying around my own watermelon right now, I jumped in a few shots too even though it was hot and muggy as heck and my hair wasn't dealing well.  Vanity goes out the window when your little model is just so sweet and handsome. 

Hope you have a great day!

Weekend Recap

Hello Monday.  I'm ready for ya!

We had a super productive weekend so although I'm exhuasted this Monday, I'm also feeling great about what we accomplished.  For some reason I've had a lot of stress over moving Jack's room and this was the weekend to do it.    

Friday

Nothing exciting on Friday as both Jason and I had normal work days.  Jack had the only excitement of the day when he was awarded a "Leadership" and "Most Improved" award at Little Gym, given to only two kids in his class by his instructor {pictured below}.  

Saturday

Half work, half play!  The first half of the day we did some normal errands: trying to find a chair for the nursery and striking out, Lowe's and lunch.  I did a quick run to the grocery store while Jack took a nap and then we all hung out by the pool and ended the day by grilling. 

Last weekend Jack discovered corn on the cob.  All week he's been asking us for corn (off the cob and he's not interested).  So Saturday night we grilled some corn for him and boy did he love it! 

Sunday

Sunday was the big move day so Jason was on the move as soon as Jack woke up moving furniture and hanging pictures.  You see, while most people may make a transition to a "big boy room" with furniture we actually needed to MOVE Jack's room to a different side of the house.  His current nursery is placed in the perfect spot for just that - a nursery - making it a better spot for Colin.  We didn't want to wait and switch him when the baby came, not wanting to rock his world all at once.  I don't know why I had guilt and anxiety about moving him, but I did. 

He is the best sleeper in his crib still so we decided to keep him in his comfort zone with all of the same furniture to make the move.  We just added a few new toys to get him excited - the kid loves his animals!

Everything turned out great and Jack was so excited for his new room or "surprise" as he kept calling it.  He slept great the first night and I am relieved.  Now I can start really working on Colin's nursery too! 

My dad and stepmom came over Sunday afternoon to help us move furniture, but Jason already had it done by the time they arrived {show-off} so we were able to just have a good visit and play with Jack.  We went to dinner at Lupe Tortilla to end the weekend. 

We had a great dinner, but also had a parental rite of passage when Jack threw up all over himself (and us) at the table at the restaurant and of course I didn't bring a change of clothes!  He just had a piece of food go down the wrong way and freaked out.  He was great within five minutes after getting him cleaned up in the bathroom.  We all survived! 

Sorry to end the weekend recap with a throw-up sorry!

This week I'm looking forward to getting more little nursery projects completed, checking the dentist off of my August Goals and hopefully learning that I passed my glucose test!

Hope you have a wonderful Monday and week.