Being a grownup

Sometimes being a grownup really isn't fun. Bills, life decisions, jobs, etc = not fun. Today I had to be a grownup in a different way. I had to be practical instead of dreaming.

We were supposed to go to KC for my birthday. Yup, 27 years old on Sunday. But Miss Lyla is getting over a cough (and doing oh-so much better) and we have a lot of trips coming up so it wasn't practical to drive almost 5 hours away (hello, high gas prices), paying for hotels and then oh my the shopping I would be doing, plus activities, eating out, etc. Hays, KS has nothing so whenever I get to a bigger city I am in hog heaven and may go a bit crazy. Or a lotta crazy. Depends who you ask.

I'll also be making a trip to Wichita, hopefully here in the near future to meet my niece or nephew and then next weekend we are in Salina/Abilene for the weekend while Sean runs his 10K and then we get to hang out with some of my favorite people! Oh, and there will be shopping to be had. Get ready Kayla :)!

So, KC wasn't meant to be. (But I hope it is sometime...I need a getaway place where there are actually things to do!) I planned and researched and found a few new things to do and things for Lyla to experience. We were going to go to a children's farm and a water park. I'm itching to go swimming (hurry lake time). So I'm sad :(. I was really, really looking to some quality family time doing something we don't always get to do. I love my sweet family!

Pity party, anyone?

So, this is big for me people. I could have made this work, but I was responsible (gasp) and thought about everyone else in the picture and not just what I wanted. Even though I'm the birthday girl. However, Sean now tells me that I no longer get birthday weeks or weekends and that I'm not longer a birthday princess....gah. He obviously doesn't know much, does he?!? :)

21 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 20 Weeks
Size of baby: Baby Jay weighs about 10-11 oz and 10-11 inches long - about the size of a carrot.
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 19 lbs. I'm gaining so much more with this pregnancy then I did with Lyla. At this time, I had only gained 5 lbs with Lyla. I'm def. going to surpass the 33 lbs I gained with Lyla!
Maternity Clothes: Mostly jeans, but I'll wear a shirt here and there since they are longer.
Gender: Baby Jay is a BOY!
Movement:Regularly! Love it!
Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty good!
What I miss: I really want a margarita!
Cravings:Water, fruity stuff, Red Robin
Symptoms:Crying and peeing all the time. Otherwise, I'm doing really good!
Best Moment this week: Buying boy stuff and feeling the baby move a ton!

And I'm cheating on the picture! This is the one of the comparison between Kelci and I.

Sweet deal

I love amazon. Super fast shipping most of the time and they will have great sales if you can find them. If you have kiddos in diapers, you will love this.

Go to amazon.com and sign up for amazon mom. You'll get free 2-day shipping on all baby related stuff. I was in need of some disposables for when Ly is at her sitters and I got a box of Luv's for $25 bucks. This was for a 204 count. That made it like .12 cents a diaper. These will last me about 3-4 months so that's pretty cheap when you break it down.

What you need to do is pick whichever brand of diapers and then click on the subscribe and save which saves you an additional 30%. So originally my diapers were around 35 bucks and by doing the subscribe and save I saved 10 bucks with the free shipping. Now, I set my S&S up for every 6 months, but I'll be canceling it after I get the diapers delivered to me. Then you just start all over again. They'll also take some coupons so you can even get a better deal!

Moral of the story: If you use disposables, you'll want to do this.

You're welcome!

Nose wiper

Someone has gotten their first true sickness of the year! She's been pretty miserable at times, but her sweet personality still shines through. I feel so bad for her! She has a pretty bad cough mixed with a cold so I'm officially a snuggler and nose wiper today. We did an albuterol treatment on her yesterday and lordy, you would have thought I was killing her. Really. Ask the bromance as he thought I was hurting her. She just freaked out! But this evening when we did it she just barely cried. More of a whine. Sean got her attention with one of her toys and she did pretty good. That was until I moved the strap around her head and she freaked again! Hopefully she's getting used to them because we'll be doing them a few more times tomorrow!

(Love these PJ's but she is totally looking like a boy in these pictures! :) )
We have a busy weekend coming up so I'm hoping she gets better and the rest of us don't get a thing. I'm going to be neti-poting it tonight!

I had such a great weekend at home, but I'll admit I'm EXHAUSTED. Lyla never sleeps good there and we spent majority of early Sunday morning awake. If you were in the room with us, this is what you would have heard....

Hi Mommy!
GO TO BED.
Mommmmyyyyyy!
GO NIGHT NIGHT NOW Lyla. Then 10 minutes later...

HI MOMMYYYYYY!
GO TO FREAKN BED LYLA.

Crying.

Cue this OVER and OVER again for 4 1/2 hours. Oi vey. Then of course we were up at 8 and so I'm tired today. And yes, I know. She's preparing me for a newborn all over again!

But, on the positive side, I got to see lots of family! We even got to see Aunt Kelci and Lyla enjoyed some loving from her. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to some family that is moving back to Georgia... but I'm hoping to plan a trip there to see them!

Mom and I did a little shopping and got a few cute items for Baby Jay! And whenever I got home, 2 boxes full of clothes were awaiting me! I'm so excited to have some clothes for him!! He will be quite the stud! I also got a toy box/storage compartment/coffee table that I'm going to refinish from goodwill. Can you guess what color? :)

Oh, and Kelci and I took a belly comparison picture...we are exactly 17 weeks apart! We are anxiously awaiting to see if "Baby Max" will be a boy or girl!! :)

Ideas

Since we live in an old, tiny house with only 2 bedrooms, we have to do some thinking on how to save space, while being cute of course. And well, I'm in mad love with turquoise. I could paint everything turquoise...and if I purchase paint for this project I'm sure something else will also get a coat of it!

I decided instead of using the changing table we have, I'd rather have a dresser that had drawers and more room. Baby Jay and Lyla will have to share a closet and well my princess has a lot of clothes, and I'm pretty sure my little prince is on his way to being the same. So a dresser would add a lot more room for their clothes. So some googling today and I found this...

If you want the how-to and more pictures of the redo, go here.

I {heart} it. It'll be perfect! Now I just have to find something just like it. And the girl that redid hers got it for 1o bucks so I'm hoping for the same good deal! And I like that later on I can use it elsewhere in the house once Ly gets big girl bedroom furniture. I'm seriously in love and already imaging the changing pad on top, a hamper in the open space and drawers filled with boy clothes and cloth diapers! Now to only make this happen!

I've already checked out the goodwill and salvation army in GB but no such luck. I'm thinking a garage sale will be my best bet. Anyone have something that looks JUST like this??? :)

Day 4

I've known now for days that I'm having a boy and I think it's finally starting to sink in! I've been so excited the last few days with mental planning and a little shopping! :) It's been fun to say his name out loud when we pray at night and it's even more fun to talk to Lyla about it, even though she has no idea whatsoever.

I came back to the bend for the day (which now turned into days) to see family before they move, and now I've been talking my mom's head off. I have so many plans and lists and ideas. Of course, I want instant gratification and want it NOW where my mom is trying to keep me level-headed and remind me it doesn't have to be done today. Or even tomorrow (but I'd love it if it was!).

So, for now, I'm dreaming of things being done and just looking at my lists. I've started a few things (going through all of Lyla's clothes) to make room for baby jay! I can't wait! :)

20 weeks (couple days late)

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 20 Weeks
Size of baby: Baby Jay weighs about 9 ounces and9-10 inches long - about the size of a banana.
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 12 lbs.
Maternity Clothes: Mostly jeans, but I'll wear a shirt here and there since they fit better.
Gender: Baby Jay is a BOY! And yes, he has a name but it'll be saved until his birthDAY!
Movement: Getting very regular! And loving it!
Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty good!
What I miss: I really want a margarita!
Cravings:Water, fruity stuff
Symptoms:Crying and peeing all the time. Otherwise, I'm doing really good!
Best Moment this week: Finding out it's a BOY! And also, Sean got to feel the baby move for the first time.

We also meet with a doula last night! She is such a sweet girl and I'm looking forward to working with her while I'm birthing this babe!
Today I started cleaning out all of Lyla's clothes. I'm waiting to see if my SIL has a boy or a girl and if they have a boy, then I'll be selling majority of her clothes, except for my very favorites or anything that has significant memories that I just can't let go of yet. I've also started a little bin for what I do have for Baby Jay so far. We've also picked out the bedding and I'll be ordering that soon and I'll be ordering Lyla's toddler bed soon as well. I still haven't found bedding I love for her yet! I'm so indecisive with this. We've also started cleaning out our room and getting rid of things as we will be moving the crib into our room until we move....which is hopefully sooner rather than later!
And well, I think that catches us up. I've known for 3 days that I'm having a boy and I'm already planning! LOVE it! Still lots to do!

Lyla {19 months}

Happy 19 months, sweet girl!!!!

- Weighs 22 lbs and about 31 inches or so

-Wears 12-18 month clothes. I actually had her in a 9 month onesie and it fit perfect. She still fits in her 12 month jeans but they are now high waters on her.

- Size 3 diapers and now wearing cloth again more often.

- Great eater still! Loves everything and eats anything. Now uses a spoon and fork really well. She is going through a phase where she loves to dump her plate and make a huge mess!

- Still sleeps 12 hours at night with a 2- 2 1/2 hour nap! Bless her!

- Talking up a storm and repeats a ton of words. New words include beep beep, eyes, pops, and I'm sure more. I just can't think of them right now. Has started 2 words phrases but mostly just anything that has to do with a puppy, i.e. hi puppy, bye puppy, hi reese.

- Got her first "chore". She loves to feed the dogs and so we turned it into a chore and when she gets done she gets a quarter or whatever loose change we have and then we put it in her piggy bank.

- Has recently started to love stacking blocks, or anything for that matter.

- She's in this phase where she loves to put things on her head - hats/headbands!

- Loves, loves outdoors. She now knows exactly where the park is and we can't drive by or walk by without throwing a fit or pointing over and over again. Also loves her swing outside and her little car.

- Puppies are still her bff's and she gets more than excited when she sees one.

I'm going to need to update this as she's done a few things this month and for the life of me I can't remember what they are!

I can't believe only 5 more months until her 2nd birthday!!
I love you!

A blessing

"A favor or gift bestowed by god, thereby bringing happiness"

Pictures of our sweet baby jay! We easily got the "goods" shot very quick! It was actually the first picture she did! He's definitely not a shy boy! He was measuring around 9 oz with a heartbeat of 144. I was also measuring at about 18 weeks 5 days, with a date of 8/16/11. So who knows if the doctor will change my date or not!

We are *SO* excited! Pretty much everyone we asked said boy but Sean & my SIL Kelci thought girl. Well, let's say Sean was quite shocked. We are over the moon right now and I can't wait to get to planning and decorating and most importantly....shopping!!!! :)

This was us after finding out we were going to be blessed with a sweet boy! (I have such a cheesy grin! :)
And now, pictures of the baby!

This one is hard to tell but the white glob in the middle is it's nose and mouth.

There's absolutely no way this is a girl!

A video of the baby moving!

We love you sweet boy!

It's A......

?????????????????????????????????

We find out tomorrow and I am soooo excited! I can't wait to see some pictures of my baby again.

Oh, and I really stinkn' want to know what we are having! I keep going back and forth between boy and girl. I've thought girl most of the time, but the last few days I've been all boy. I've actually gotten quite excited for a boy these past few days too. I was looking at some boy clothes and got excited for a cute preppy little boy! So excited, I even bought some boy things on a whim! Good thing I can always return it if I need too! :) Or maybe I'll be getting a nephew who will need some clothes too!

-----------------------------

This weekend has gone by so fast! But it has been a great weekend! Saturday, Sean's uncle got married and we got to spend time with his family! It was great to see everyone and hang out! We hung out at the reception until 11 or so and Miss Lyla took a snooze under the table. I love that she is so versatile! A early morning with a photo session for me, church for Sean and Lyla followed by lunch today. Then.... we got to get our outdoors ready for spring! Oh, I love this time of year! 85 today! Loved it! We got all our patio furniture out and cleaned those up, burned off the grass in the backyard, hung laundry outside and arranged some of Lyla's outdoor toys. I even helped Sean pick up the dog poop which is something I have NEVER done since we've been married! :) I'm convinced it wasn't the worst job in the world and maybe I'll help him again. Maybe.

We bbq'd some chicken for dinner and was even able to eat outside tonight! Omigoodness, I love this time of year. Here's to praying that we don't get 1 last snow!

And here is to also praying we get to see pretty pictures of our healthy baby...boy or girl?!?! Please don't be stubborn baby! Your mom won't be able to stand it!

Spa Day...

Aka...Heaven.

Sean had gotten me a spa package at Rock Haven for Christmas 09. Yup, o9 and I just used it! Sean's mom came and watched Ly for the day while I had my own girl day.

Starting the day... very excited!

I really needed my nails filled so that was first on the list. (Ignore very dirty ring, when my fingers get fat this summer, it's going in for a silver dip and cleaning, stat!)

Followed by arriving at heaven. It was so pretty and they had this quaint little farm and old buildings.

The inside, when I first walked in.

Rockn' the robe.

Sean got me the anti-stress package and I must say the massage was the best part. I actually got quite bored during the whirlpool. I'm not a big bath person and don't have the patience to just lay there. All I thought about was things I needed to do. Then I headed for the massage and it was by far the greatest. I had been looking forward to it and it was well, great! I was able to relax and enjoyed it all. Next was the facial and honestly, I hated it. I got claustrophobic or something whenever they put the hot towels around my face and it freaked me out. I couldn't relax for that at all and really didn't enjoy it. But the massage made up for everything!!

She's a gangsta...

golfer, that is! She is obsessed with putting hats on and for some reason, this hat always seems to go on sideways. Oh, she cracks me up!

We had gotten her the golf clubs for Easter last year, and she is now getting in some practice. Sean's been working on her with golf swing. I think she's ready to go pro! :) But I'm biased!


She likes to use her car as a golf cart now too. She puts the bag and all the clubs in the car with her and loves to be pushed around in it! To cute!

19 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 19 Weeks
Size of baby: Baby Jay weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and 6 inches long - about the size of a heirloom tomato.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 11 lbs. Lost a lb or two since last week!

Maternity Clothes: Mostly jeans, but I'll wear a shirt here and there since they fit better.

Gender:We *hopefully* find out in 1 weeks exactly. I'm so excited!! Lately I've been thinking girl, but my mind changes so quick. Sean mentioned yesterday he wish he had tallied up all my changes from boy to girl or girl to boy.

Movement: Couple times a day.

Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty good!
What I miss: I really want a margarita!

Cravings:Water, fruity stuff

Symptoms:Crying and peeing all the time.

Best Moment this week: Feeling her/him from the outside a few times!

I'm getting my energy back and I love it! This is the part of pregnancy I enjoy!!

What are words...

I'm not a big Idol fan, but I know a lot of people are. I did watch a few episodes and one guy that caught my attention was Chris Medina. His story is just amazing and he is a true, selfless man with such a un-dying love for his wife. I came across a video he did and I just love it. I love the song and also the meaning behind the words. It is very much worth listening too. I've cried each time I've listened to it...dang hormones!




Lyrics

Anywhere you are, I am near
Anywhere you go, I'll be there
Anytime you whisper my name, you'll see
How every single promise I keep
Cuz what kind of guy would I be
If I was to leave when you need me most

What are words
If you really don't mean them
When you say them
What are words
If they're only for good times
Then it's on
When it's love
Yeah, you see them as lover's words
They never go away
They live on, even when we're gone

And I know an angel would say
Just from me and now know I'm meant
To be where I am and I'm gonna be
Standing right beside her tonight And I'm gonna be by your side
[From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/c/chris-medina-lyrics/what-are-words-lyrics.html ]
I would never leave when she needs me most

What are words
If you really don't mean them
When you say them
What are words
If they're only for good times
Then it's off
When it's love
Yeah, you see them as lover's words
They never go away
They live on, even when we're gone

Anywhere you are, I am near
Anywhere you go, I'll be there
And I'm gonna be here forever more
Every single promise I keep
Cuz what kind of guy would I be
If I was to leave when you need me most

I'm forever keeping my angel close

Baby Max

"Baby Max" will soon be here in a few weeks. I'm excited to know if I'm getting another niece or if I'll get a nephew to spoil.
To celebrate "Baby Max" I co-hosted a shower for my SIL along with a friend of hers.

Since Max's sex is unknown, we did black, white and lime green for the colors.

The hostess's with the momma-to-be.
Gifts! She was very much blessed and got a lot of the big ticket items and other great gifts. My mom and I got them their carseat and stroller. She also got the highchair, an umbrella stroller, swings, diaper bags, books, etc!

Belly picture - Kelci at 35 weeks and me at 18 weeks.

Lyla and I

Ly and her Aunt Kelci

Lyla ADORES her Uncle Kevin.

A few decorations... flowers with lime green and white feathers

The cupcakes...I wanted cute little toppers and came up with these. I will for sure be doing these again in the future.

Congrats to Kev and Kelci! Can't wait to meet "Max"!

-------

Dear Max, Pleae do not come on April 3rd. I'm a birthday brat and do not want to share... Thanks! :) But the 2nd or 4th is just fine!!

Love, Aunt Andrea

18 weeks

(This picture was taken WAY to early in the am!)

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 18 Weeks
Size of baby: Baby Jay is about the length of a green pepper!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 14 lbs. I'm a weight gaining machine. I've decided I must just embrace it because it doesn't seem to be slowing down.

Maternity Clothes: Mostly just pants and every once in a while a shirt.

Gender: Today I feel like it's a girl, but my appointment is set so only 2 more weeks!

Movement: Yes! I love it! I was feeling it every once in a while and now I can feel it a couple times a day. I'm sure I'll be able to feel it from the outside here soon too.

Sleep:If I don't nap, then I sleep really well.

What I miss:Margarita's, my skinny jeans

Cravings: Fruit, fruit and fruit. Everything else I crave in on a whim.

Symptoms:I should have added it a long time ago, but I have probably cried at least once just about everyday for probably that last 2-3 months.

Best Moment this week: Scheduling the sono and feel him/her move a lot more.

My appointment went well today. Heartbeat was 146 (Lyla's was around 136 at this time) and we had a very active baby on our hands today. I have to start taking iron early because I bleed a lot after having Lyla. We also scheduled our sono for the 21st and I CAN NOT wait! Oh, and I got the ok to start running again and I will be doing that soon as well! Hopefully as soon as this stupid weather stops!!

Great day, minus the weather! :)

Yay!

I'm very excited for tomorrow. Not only am I 18 weeks, but I have a doctor's appointment which means we will scheduled our sono!!! I'm so excited to see my baby again! Hopefully, still healthy, active and adorable. Ok, and I'm REALLY excited to know girl or boy. Today is another day of thinking it's a boy...but for a few hours, I thought girl! :) I just *need* to know!! Watch this baby be a little stink and keep it's legs crossed tight! Praying that doesn't happen!

As for the weekend, I co-hosted a shower for my SIL and got some family time. Next time I'll see them, they will have a baby of their own and I'll have another niece or nephew (I vote nephew). Today was spent photographing the best little baby I have had to date and then watching Sean play basketball. Seany boy had his bromance up and they shared a sweet nerdfest of a weekend. 2 guys + dvr'd history shows + Call of Duty= nerdfest. (They even drove around Victoria to look at the historical sites...told you they were nerds).

I'm off to bed. I have a busy, EARLY morning tomorrow. Happy Weekend!

Love

It was another beautiful day today!!! Also, a semi-busy day! Lyla had her 18 month appointment this morning! The child finally weighs 22 lbs!! :) She's also 31 inches and still has a big noggin at 39 inches I think! Doc says she's right on track and doing well!! After that we hurried to our Mom's Club meeting as we were already about an 1/2 hour late. Afterwards we ran a few errands and then headed home. Funny story: I normally don't let her eat in the car but I knew she's probably fall asleep on the way home, so I was hoping by eating, she'd stay awake. Well, mid-bite she fell asleep. Literally 1 minute after I had looked at her eating a nugget, she was a sleep!! And then proceeded to sleep for 2 more hours...that's my girl! :) During nap time, I cleaned and caught up on laundry and then we headed outside! Lyla loves, loves being outside!

Remember the car I tried putting together...here it is! Looks quite ghetto, but at least she can roll around in it until Sean finishes putting it together! She loves it and pretty much played with it the whole time.

We also threw some golf balls (her fav), played with the puppies, and decorated our sidewalk with some chalk!

And another fabulous day! I'm sooo glad it is beginning to be nicer out! This weekend Lyla and I are headed to GB for Kelci's shower while Sean has a man weekend geeking it out to the history channel.

Happy Day

Yesterday was a beautiful day! I am so ready for spring!!!!

Lyla and I had a great day, too! I love being home with my sweet girl! One thing she has been doing lately is just randomly coming up to me on the couch, wrapping her arms around my neck and giving me hugs and kisses. I love, love, love this time with her! Oh, goodness I love her.

Lunchtime was quite the mess today. Hamburger, mac and cheese, other noodles, & yogurt. She isn't a pro yet with eating with her fork or spoon, but she did a good job today, even considering she got it everywhere!

Please ignore the highchair. I have yet to get a replacement cushion. I really need to add that to my list. That thing also needs to go through the car wash a time or two!

After nap time, we headed outside. I always feel bored when we play in our back yard, so I decided I should put together her little cozy coupe car. Oh my this was hard. And honestly, it's 3/4th's done, but at least Lyla can still play in it. She hasn't figured out how to walk with it since she's still a bit short, but she's still had fun. She absolutely LOVES being outside.

I feel so, so blessed!!!

Big girl room

It will soon be time. My little girl is growing up, tear. She will be moving up to a toddler bed here shortly and with that comes new bedding.

I know I want to do something different than the pinkish brown thing we have going on now.

Pink, red, and turquoise. Yes, all together. I know some people don't think pink and red should go together, but I love it. And I heart turquoise more than most people I know, and so of course I want to incorporate that as well. I also want something for her that isn't matchy matchy. Speaking of, have you visited this website? She's amazing and I love her style. So I'm going slightly with her love for mixing fabrics up and doing a few of her DIY projects.

Here is the bed I want so far. I love that it doesn't have a foot board! Now, if I happen to find out I'm having a boy, we will just be converting her crib now into a toddler bed. (Only 2 or 3 weeks!! Eeek!)

As for bedding, I've looked at quite a few places and so far, pottery barn kids understands what I want or, uhem, need. Normally I love target, but haven't found anything that didn't seem cheesy or overdone. So these are my favs as of right now. (Click the links)

Option 1: My favorite so far.

Option 2: I really love the sham on this one, but not crazy about the white.

Option 3: Loving the red and pink together. But not loving all the white.

I also want to throw in a few owls and birds because I love those for little girls. But just a little, I don't want it to scream forest or anything.

Oh, and if I have another little girl, this is the winning bedding right now.

So many decisions.... but I love it! Love, love planning!