15 Weeks Pregnant

I am feeling H-U-G-E today.  I think I'm definitely giong to have a belly from here on out.  I wonder if I'm going to get an outie this time?  I hope not.  Not with my bellybutton thing...that would geek me out.  (Ever since I was little my Grandma told me if I played with my bellybutton my intestines would pop out.  Annnd ever since then I've had this "thing" about my bellybutton.  Nobody can touch it and just thinking of having an outie makes me a little light-headed...it's weird.  I know.)  Bye-bye "good" days  =)  That's ok!  At least that answers the question "Is she pregnant?  Or is she just getting fat in the middle?"  PREGNANT!!!  hehe.  I officially have one pair of jeans that are awesome and fitting great.  I have a feeling I might be washing them every 2 days until I break down and buy maternity pants!  Maternity pants aren't so bad though.  They're so darn comfy!  Perfect for the holidays.  I really want to find a super cute pair of maternity jeans this time around...

Jumping Bean

The baby must be really excited that I'm getting lots of homework done, because he / she is moving all around in there!  I'm loving it   =)  Maybe it will be more of a daily occurrence from here on out?

Pumpkin Fun

Today my little man and I are going to pick out our pumpkins and then turn them into jack-o-lanterns!  So excited to see how he does with it!  Last year he HATED carving pumpkins.  The pumpkin guts grossed him out so much!  He kept making the most disgusting faces!  The cutest picture from last year was of him sitting on his pumpkin.  I'm hoping we can do a Halloween photo-shoot this year, too  =) 

Our futue child?!???

This is sooo creepy yet fun at the same time!  I used the website www.morphthing.com to morph mine and Rob's faces together.  Apparently this is what our baby will look like!

Migraines

I've been having terrible problems with migraines.  They start as a dull ache and tightening in the back of my neck / head and usually around afternoon (often around 3 pm) the pain moves to the top of my head and it feels like my eyes are going to pop out.  When I move, my head throbs.  The only thing that gets rid of them are 1.) Icy hot on my neck / temples 2.) Bandana wrapped tightly around my eyes and head 3.) Rice sock 4.) Sleeping in a dark room away from noise and light  5.) Few sips to 1 can of Mt. Dew.  I think the caffeine in the Mt. Dew is what makes it work.  Usually (when I'm not pregnant) I take an excedrin and that makes the migraine go right away.  I've also been craving chocolate this week -- which is weird for me -- and having bad mood swings.  Maybe they go hand in hand with migraines?!   Other than migraines, the pregnancy is going well =)  When I lay on my back I get the cute little pregnancy bump and I can feel the baby move sometimes.  Can't wait until it's everyday!!!

Grandpa Scott & Grandma Mary coming to visit!

Today my dad and his fiance are coming to visit!  Yay =)  It's about a 10 1/2 hour drive without stopping.  But as soon as you turn off the interstate to make a bathroom break or fill up the tank it honestly adds 20 to 30 minutes every time.  So, essentially, it can take up to 14 hours if you're stopping alot and have a 1 1/2 year old!  They left at 8 a.m. so I'm assuming they'll be here around 7:30 pm.  My dad -- being the prankster he is -- texted me super early this morning saying "Iowa Sucks"... (Iowa is about the halfway point...  then I got another text from him at 8:55 a.m. saying "The day has come..."  (he's been texting me the countdown til he gets here for the past month) and then 10 seconds later the doorbell rings.  So natrually i'm assuming it's him at the door and he wasn't kidding about Iowa.  PSYCH!  It was a woman coming to pick up some of Christopher's old stuff, not dad.  I about had a heartattack because I want the house to be very clean when they get here and I still ahve to run to the store etc.  Anyways -- that's about it!  I'm going to tackle the nail polish stain in the carpet that my wonderful son left last night!  And then I'm going to try and remove the blue crayon from his bedroom walls with some goo gone.  That's about the only thing I haven't tried on it yet so I'm really hoping it will work!  We live in a pre-fab house and they have really cheap paint so everything else took the 1/2 inch layer of paint right off the walls. 

Movement!

I was laying on my back a little bit ago and I know I know  I KNOW I felt the baby move!  AHHHH!! It was crazy!  It's not like strong kicking or anything like that because the little guy / girl is only 3   1/2 inches long and tiny; it feels like something is doing the wave.  Kind of like when you go over a hill really fast in the car?  It's so hard to describe but unmistakable.  EXCITING!!!  Maybe that means I will be feeling it more and more now!  Definitely earlier than when I felt Christopher move (I think I was 18 1/2 weeks..and I also didn't know what it felt like).  But that happens with the 2nd baby!  =) 

BBQ and Baked Apples=Fall

MMMMmmmm I LOVE FALL!  WAHOOOOO!!  I wake up to the house at a brisk 56 degrees and I looove it.  There's nothing better than being able to snuggle up in the blankets and then be able to put slippers and a sweatshirt on.  It's awesome!  My hubby doesn't like it so much...but I can use the pregnancy as an excuse to get my way...right?  hahaha.  I made homemade BBQ sauce today and put it in the crockpot with a beef roast.  We're having some guys from Rob's company over for dinner (and they all like to eat...a lot) so, I figured we'd need A LOT of food!  Pulled BBQ beef sandwiches sound delicious!  In addition to all of the food they're going to be grilling!  I really don't like grilled food so much when I'm pregnant.  It was the same thing when I was pregnant with Christopher.  It makes me a tad bit nauseous!  So yeah.  And I'm baking some apples with butter and cinnamon (nummmmy).  Yesterday Christopher cracked me up -- once again!  He hid rocks from my zen garden and I absolutely couldn't find them anywhere.  Guess where his ingenious hiding spot was???? HIS DIAPER!!! Ohhh he cracks me up.  The kid took a nap with rocks in his diaper.  What a goofball.  I'm feeling more preggers!  My belly is firming up.  It's cute.  I am much more at ease with it this time than when I was pregnant with Christopher.  I know that as long as I exercise and walk and don't pig out on useless calories that I'm going to be just fine.  I'm doing much better with "embracing" the whole pregnancy thing.  I'm enjoying it very much!  Getting so excited to start feeling baby2 kick regularly.  Although that's going to mean problems getting comfortable and sleeping.  Oh well! 

Christopher enjoying the fall weather and the outdoors

Disastrous Day

Today is officially one of "those days".  I couldnt' wke up for anythign this morning and, even though I'd sworn off caffeine (coffee), it was a NECESSITY to have a cup.  Wasn't even a question.  I'm fairly sure I would've been quite content laying face-down on the couch snoozing all day if I hadn't had that cup of coffee to perk me up this morning.  We went to Wal*Mart which is sure to never improve one's mood.  Got home and I took a nap as long as Christopher was napping.  Woke up in a good mood!  Started making lasagna (3 cheese bubbling lasagna with fresh chopped parsley etc...)  Let me tell you lasagna is not something that's really easy to quick whip up if it's from scratch and you're doing it a certain way.  You have to prep the noodles and the filling and chop stuff up and make the sauce (homemade...).  Not to mention Christopher was super-duper hungry so he kept walking around whining "I HUNGGY!!".  And I wasn' tabout to feed him snacks right before dinner...so finally the lasagna was finished.  Ohhh it was perfecto.  Golden cheese on top bubbling.  MMMmmmm...and then?  I took a bite.  The ricotta cheese must've been spoiled and I hadn't realized it when I was mixing it in with the mozzarella, parmesan, and eggs.  So then that threw me into a fit of barfing.  Christopher was still hungry.  So here I have this delicious looking lasagna which I spent an hour making and then an hour baking!  and it's spoiled and I couldn't even eat it.   So I grab a cup out of the dishwasher only to find that our P.O.S. dishwasher DIDN'T WASH THE DISHES.  Now I have to handwash them anyways after rinsing them all off....UGH.  We had mac-n-cheese for dinner.  Well -- Christopher did.  I had a yogurt.  Now I'm going to sit here with my hormones and sulk and listen to Daniel Powter.  Cliche?  I don't care.  I need this today. 

11 week update

11 weeks pregnant

Well all of baby's organs are formed and functioning, so the risk for birth defects significantly decreases after this weeks! woohoo! Baby is between 1 1/2 inches and 2 inches long (or about the length of a sugar packet) and weighs 1/3 of an ounce.  Awww...over the next 9 weeks the baby will increase in height and weight by 30 times...which means....I'm going to increase in weight.  Hopefully not by 30 times, though!  I'm actually excited to start having a baby belly.  Although there are lots of things I won't be able to do properly anymore.  Watch -- once I actually have a baby belly I am going to look back on this and say, "What the heck was I thinking?"  But that's ok.  That's why I have a blog =) 

Yesterday was not a good day.  I woke up at 6:30 with a headache and by 9 am it was a full-blown migraine.  I stayed up with Christopher until quarter to 10 and then had to go lay back down.  I even fell asleep with the dogs barking next door!  Shockingly!  Rob's such a sweetie.  He took Christopher shoe shopping and I woke up and freaked out because I hadn't heard them leave or anything!  Too cute. Anyways.  Then it was Christopher's naptime and I still had the mgiraine so I went back to bed, too.  I woke up and Rob had brought me a burrito (which I shared with Christopher) and some mt. dew for my migraine!  Since I can't take excedrin...and tylenol doesn't do much for me.  I think the caffeine in the dew really helps.  Anyways -- that's it for now!  Knock on wood allergies are actually starting to get a little better!  =)

Finally fall

Better late than never!  I love waking up to a nice, chilly house and actually being able to snuggle in my blankets before rolling out of bed.  Christopher and I are going to take a morning walk today in the beautiful sunshine weather.  I am definitely feeling more pregnant -- my "bloating" is starting to get pretty hard.  There's a discernible roundness to my belly -- maybe not visible to other people who don't know me well and may mistake it for some extra chub; but, I can tell!  Only 3 more days until our ultrasound!!!!  You can't tell that I'm excited or anything.  I absolutely can't wait to hear the heartbeat and see the cute little kiwi!  (It's the size of a kiwi, supposedly.)  2 inches long and 4.5 grams!  Awwww....

Christmas in September

Definitely listening to Christmas Classic Sing-Alongs for probably the 16th time.  It's Christopher's new favorite movie.  We're going to be especially ready when Christmastime comes because we'll have all of these songs memorized already!!  And when I say "classic" sing-alongs -- I'm talking about the old school Rudolph the Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman that were old when my parents were kids. haha =) 

10 weeks+1 Day

Ahhh....the time is flying by already!  Today I have a super bad pregnancy migraine (I know that's what it is because tylenol absolutely won't touch it).  And Christopher doesn't want to nap.  So it's a terrible afternoon.  Also I can't wait to get out of this neighborhood and KS in general.  It's not my thing.  I love being with my family and I really liked it at first because it was an adventure -- but the weather stays too humid and warm and the people here are slow and the medical facilities are way behind in technology. Well that was my rant.  I'm feeling the moodiness today. 

What is your problem?

Rob, Christopher, and I were sitting at the table eating dinner, and Christopher and Rob were being goofy, when all of a sudden Christopher blurts out, "What is your problem?" all at once.  Clear as a bell.  Both Rob and I heard it at the same time and were like -- "That sounded exactly like 'What is your problem!'"  It was hilarious.  Another new thing Christopher is doing: Whenever he's doing something naughty he covers his eyes --like I won't be able to see him anymore!  It's too cute.  He's my little stinker butt.

SSDD Syndrome

I don't know if the added hormones have anything to do with it; but, I am definitely suffering from SSDD -- same sh*t different day.  I feel like my entire life is comprised of waking up, making the bed, changing a diaper, getting a sippy cup full of milk for Christopher, making breakfast, cleaning up after breakfast, chasing Christopher around the house, re-making the bed because he tore the covers off, applying for jobs that I'll never get because I can only work certain hours because of daycare, making lunch, changing another diaper, putting him down for a nap, doing dishes, taking a nap myself because I'm so freaking exhausted all the time, waking up, making the bed (again), getting snacks, starting dinner (which usually sucks anyways because I'm too nauseous to cook), keeping Christopher occupied, eating dinner when Rob gets home, taking a walk, giving Christopher a bath, doing dinner dishes, putting stuff away.  OH YEAH AND SQUEEZE LAUNDRY IN THERE along with multiple other things and I feel like I accomplish everything and nothing at the same time.  Every day...same thing...same thing...same thing...DIFFERENT OUTFIT.  I have no idea. 

 Maybe I can blame the hormones but I feel like ... I don't know.  It's just getting to me.  I feel isolated.  I love being away from family because I get smothered...but on the flipside on days like this I would love to call up my brother and be like, "Hey...lets go fishing!" And I can't.  I'm bored. There's absolutely nothing I can do about it.  What am I going to do by myself with a 1 1/2 year old?  Sure I take him to the park...we go grocery shopping... I do the best I can, it's just getting to me.  I can't take him fishing by myself.  What am I going to do with 2 kids? I need a break.  I need a vacation from it all.  I'm stressed.  I can't find a job.  I'm worried about moving and what if I don't have enough money for the new baby?  I know things will work out...it'd just be nice to have some re-assurance.  I need a hug.  Or a pint of ice cream, box of kleenexes, and a chick flick.

The Scenery

Tonight Christopher and I went for a walk.  Here are a couple pictures I took on our excursion....

"What we see depends mainly on what we look for."

-- John Lubbock --

Potty Training Boot Camp: T - 1 day

it's OFFICIAL.

I've had it with diapers.

it's been 4 weeks of introducing the potty-chair

and......

it's time.

Tomorrow is Potty Training Boot Camp for Christopher. 

The Plan:
: Keep him downstairs
: Cover furniture and carpeting with old sheets
: Remove diaper and have him be naked from the waist down
: Lots of fluids -- gatorade, watermelon, popsicles, etc...
: Watch for signs to go to the bathroom
: Get him on potty chair ASAP

Rainy Day

Last night Rob and I got to go out on a date :)  For the first time in like 6 months!  Went to a place in Manhattan, KS called the "Purple Pig" (Purple is the color of K-State...).  We were the only people in there besides 2 drunk guys at the bar and the bartender!  It was fun, though.  I really enjoyed getting out.  But, it's been so long that I forgot what it's like NOT to be with Christopher!  Kind of weird.  I had to keep telling myself he was fine and to just enjoy the night out.  We had deep-fried pickles -- they were really good! 

Anywho.  Today is a blah day.  I woke up with a headache and it's raining still.  It was the first storm Christopher's ever been awake for, though.  Usually they're all at night and he never wakes up or hears them.  So at 5:15 this morning he wanted to watch the lightning!  hehe. It was cute.  Then he went back to sleep until 8 am.  I entered him in the Gerber PhotoSearch contest and we can start voting for his picture October 3rd!  I'm not actually expecting him to win but it would be SO neat if he did.  $25,000 college scholarship.  That would be nice considering tuition costs are just going to keep going up!

The photo I entered for the contest.

Lake Milford

Here are a couple of pictures from the other day when we took Christopher out ot the Lake.  He enjoys throwing rocks into the water and watching them splash! 

Can't believe it's still in the 90's down here..... being from WI I'm used to wearing long sleeved thermals, jeans & fleeces this time of year.  Not tank tops and capris...