a trip to Louisiana

Last weekend my mom, Grayson, and I made a long drive to Baton Rouge to see my family. I was so excited to take Grayson to Louisiana for the first time. I have SO many great childhood memories there & I wanted him to experience some of that. It was a successful trip! 

 My aunt & uncle live on a great piece of property full of everything little boys love: trees, sticks, dirt, dogs, tractors, and lots of equipment. Grayson was in heaven! Can we discuss how G is sporting some overalls and short sleeves? IN JANUARY?! It was between 75-80 degrees every day we were there. Crazy!

The satsuma and kumquat trees were ripe while we were there. Guess what picky eater loved picking AND eating fresh fruit?? Grayson ate way too many satsumas on our trip...he was obsessed. 

 Grayson got to spend time with his cousins, Hailey & Brooke, while we were in town. We haven't seen these cute girls since July!

Hailey was so sweet with Grayson. She was such a good little babysitter! She was always holding his hand when they went down a step and loved giving him hugs. I think G wants an older sister! 

 

 My aunt took us to the LSU baseball field to play on the playground. Of course I made Grayson wear lots of red. :) I can't get over how big he looks in this picture! Where did my baby go?!?

 

 The highlight of our trip may have been taking Grayson to see Mike the Tiger at LSU.

 He loved walking to each area of the fence to watch the tiger roam. This boy loves him some animals!

So, Mike decided to go swimming. Grayson got up really close and was enamored by the giant tiger...until they were face to face. Then? Well, the freak out occurred. He turned, screamed, and ran as fast as he could to his mama & I could not stop laughing. It was hysterical! Luckily, my aunt got a video of the whole episode. I may have watched it 3486 times. 

And? That funny video made the Baton Rouge news! Go watch my little celeb toddler! He's a natural on camera:)

13 weeks with Baby Dos

Let's discuss how this pregnancy is different from my first pregnancy, shall we? With Grayson I was consistently sick every morning and every night from week 6-week 10. This time? I knew I was pregnant before the pee stick even knew I was pregnant because I was SO sick for 3 days. SO SICK. Then I was fine. Up until about a week ago. Now I am having random sick/nauseous episodes. With Grayson my skin was perfect...seriously, best shape it has ever been in. This time? Baby Dos is ravaging my face. I feel like I'm 13. I didn't get heartburn until the very end last time. I already have it this time. no bueno.

 

*How far along?: 13 weeks 1 day

*Total weight gain?: 1 lb
*How big is baby?: the size of a lemon
*Sex: I have a feeling...I'll let you know if I'm right on March 8th! Ben says girl. He's positive.
*Maternity clothes: Rubberband trick is getting annoying because it doesn't look smooth...guess it's time for the legit maternity jeans.
*Stretch marks: Nope. I need to get my Mama Mio cream again!
*Sleep: I have been waking up in the middle of the night & I cannot go back to sleep. So frustrating.
*Symptoms: the random sickness, heartburn, nausea. It's all worth it, right?
*Best moment this week: It's just starting to feel more real all of a sudden. I can't wait to meet this baby!
*Movement: not yet
*Food cravings: fruity candy AND Baby Dos is really liking spicy food. However, I don't handle spice well and feel like my mouth is ON FIRE. Yet, can't. stop. eating. spicy. food.
*Labor signs: hopefully not anytime soon!
*Belly button in or out: in
*What I miss: just the occasional glass of wine!
*What I'm looking forward to: finding out the gender!

12 weeks with Baby Dos

**Please excuse the picture this week. The Toddler would not allow his mama to wash her hair this morning. typical.**
 

*How far along?: 12 weeks 4 days

*Total weight gain?: 1 lb
*How big is baby?: the size of a peach
*Sex: I have a feeling...I'll let you know if I'm right on March 8th!
*Maternity clothes: I'm still doing the rubberband trick. I may break down and buy a belly band. I have one pair of regular maternity jeans, but they don't fit great yet. I forgot how much I hate maternity pants because they have NO waist & never stay up.
*Stretch marks: Nope. I need to get my Mama Mio cream again!
*Sleep: Besides the middle of the night bathroom breaks, I have been sleeping pretty good!
*Symptoms: Other than throwing up in a plastic bag while sitting in a Chick-Fil-A parking lot 2 days ago? not much. I am confused by the random bouts of nausea I am getting since I had none early on.
*Best moment this week: Spending time with my family in Baton Rouge AND hearing that sweet heartbeat for the first time today!
*Movement: not yet...but we could hear the baby moving around today. So neat!
*Food cravings: fruity candy...skittles, swedish fish, starbursts. Seriously, I'm like a little kid!
*Labor signs: hopefully not anytime soon!
*Belly button in or out: in
*What I miss: just the occasional glass of wine!
*What I'm looking forward to: the 2nd trimester!

brain dumpity dump.

You'll have to excuse me, but my brain is not working properly today. My mom and I were in Louisiana all weekend and left yesterday at 3:30 in the morning and drove 10 hours back to Tennessee. Yep. 3:30 in the morning. Understand why my brain is not really functioning? 

• I have been on a fruity candy eating spree lately. I've been begging Ben to bring home some goodies from work and he went over and above. He went to the mall candy store and stocked up on all my favorites! I'm in heaven...and currently eating swedish fish while writing this. 
• I am way behind on my 12 week post. It was supposed to be done on Sunday. I like schedules and the fact that it will be late is driving me crazy.
• My newest TV obsession is Hoarders. It's now on my dvr. I am SO fascinated by these people and can't for the life of me figure out why they can't just throw things away. I'm the opposite. I probably get rid of things too easily. Goodwill is my friend. 
• While we were in Louisiana it was almost 80 degrees. Grayson got to wear shorts and tshirts...in January!! We came back to cold, rainy weather in Tennessee. Body shock! 
• I'm going to try to get Grayson to drink smoothies. He hasn't had a vegetable since July. I'm hoping this may be the trick! Does anyone have any good websites with smoothie recipes?
• Grayson has gotten so much more attached to his froggy lovies over the past month or so. He has always slept with them, but he has just started asking for them when he is not napping/going to bed. As soon as he gets them in his arms, he snuggles them so tight in his arms. It is SO sweet. Call  me crazy, but I am happy that he finally has something he is attached to that can comfort him. My boy was never a thumb sucker & never really cared for pacifiers...I'm glad he loves his froggy! Remind me that I said this when we are fighting about bringing froggy to kindergarten.

16 months

Grayson is 16 months old today! 

The stats:

Weight: 22 pounds..he has weighed about the same for the past 3 1/2 months; we are finally packing on some pounds!

Height: about 31 1/2 inches

Diaper: size 4 during the day & size 5 at night

Clothes: all of his 12 month longalls are now too short :( He is wearing all 12-18 month pants, mostly 18 month shirts, & all 18/18-24 month longalls. He did some growing this month!

Shoe: 4 1/2

Grayson "talks" all day long, it's just hard to understand him. :) He is really starting to try & mimic words that we say recently. Here are the words he can say:

mama

dad

Ja (Jack)

ball

tee (tree)

down

dog

hi

bye

tuh-down (touchdown...ridiculous, I know)

moo 

woof

tee-tee 

no (he LOVES to shake his head and say no to e v e r y t h i n g)

We seemed to have turned a corner in the area of sleep...let's hope I am not jinxing myself! Grayson has always been an early riser until a few weeks ago. I'm talking, 6:30 was really sleeping in at our house. Mornings usually began between 5:45-6:00am. However, Grayson has discovered that sleeping later is a great thing! He's been sleeping from 7:30/8:00pm - 7:30/8:00am. Hallelujah!

Grayson is getting a lot more independent these days. He now likes to hold my hand & walk like a big boy. He looks so old when he does it! He loves being able to go into the pantry & pick out what he wants to eat for a snack...even if it's completely random. He thinks he's pretty cool in his MOPS class when they leave his drink in his cubby & he can get it whenever he wants it. Little G is growing up!

 Grayson is still the PICKIEST eater in the world and it is beginning to drive me crazy. Our pediatrician told us to start giving him Boost since he isn't eating any veggies & very little fruit. He loves it! I'm thanking the Boost for the pound gained since last month. We've been switching out whole chocolate milk & Boost to try to get him used to regular milk soon. The food situation? Well, honestly, it's so frustrating. He eats cinnamon raisin toast, applesauce, yogurt, cereal, chicken nuggets, fish sticks, veggie sticks, goldfish, & peanut butter crackers. That's it. He's getting sick of some of those things & I have no clue what else to try. Any tips? Mamas? Anyone?? 

Right now Grayson is loving: his Little People toys, playing basketball with his new goal, taking off his shoes, playing with his dogs, climbing up the stairs at lightning fast speed, shaking his head & saying "no," playing outside, the church nursery & his MOPS class (yay!!), dancing to Jake & the Neverland Pirates, helping mama & daddy do things around the house (mop, throw things away, recycle), and reading his books. 

What does Grayson now hate? Restaurants. I think we are finished with those for awhile & I am pretty sure people in the Nashville area will be pleased to know that!

Grayson is the funniest & most spirited little boy! His expressions and BIG personality continue to keep us laughing! I feel like we were just celebrating his 1st birthday & 4 months have already flown by. 

Happy 16 months, G!

So What! Wednesday

It's Wednesday. Know what that means? It's time to get your SO WHAT on! This week I am saying SO WHAT if...

• I feel like a better mama when I get breaks during the week with MOPS & bible studies? I am pretty sure G enjoys those breaks too.
• I made a special trip to Publix 2 nights ago for a big bag of skittles? Baby Dos wanted them, not me. And? They were on sale for $2.99. I'm thinking that means it was meant to be, right?
• I am kind of obsessed with MTV's new showed, Caged? Trashy Lousiana cage fighting reality show? You had me at trashy. 
• it is driving me CRAZY not knowing what we are having yet? There are SO MANY great sales/consignments going on right now & I want some matching sibling clothes! 
• I did not watch the Golden Globes? B to the Oring. I just watch the morning shows to see the dresses. AND with that said, Reese Witherspoon was my favorite. 
• I am about 8 months behind on G's photobooks? oops. I will be caught up by the time Baby Dos arrives.

Go link up with Shannon for So What! Wednesday & join in the fun! 

the one where I talk about being a mom.

Last week I had to go to Lifeway to pick up a Beth Moore book for my bible study. Sounds like an easy enough trip, right? I thought so. After Grayson woke up from his long nap, I packed him a snack & we headed to the store. As soon as we walk in he begins flailing in my arms, arching his back, and trying to jump out of my arms. I put him down and he immediately goes to a stand of Christmas books on sale. He wants them all in typical toddler fashion. I grab one to keep him occupied & head to the back of the store. The screeching starts. {Cue mama panic mode...it's like a sixth sense knowing when our child is about to erupt in an epic meltdown.} I quickly find my book, put him back down, and he races over to the kid section with Veggietales stuff. What does he immediately want? Well, everything. They had xylophones, Little People Noah's Ark, books, stuffed animals...you name it, he was grabbing it. After a few minutes of him running around & me chasing him, I headed up to the register. The arching/flailing/kicking begins again and down he goes. While I paid, he dumped out a cup of highlighters, was taking tops off of pens, and generally wreaking havoc on this poor Christian bookstore.

By the time we left, my face was red and I was sweating. Those are the moments I never thought about when my sweet newborn was snuggling in my arms. I never imagined those moments of pure parenting frustration & chaos. But, they happen.

I was talking to my friend Jen a few nights ago & we were discussing this whole mama gig. She was saying that it drives her crazy that nobody every really says, in general, that being a mom is hard. She's right. There is always a discussion/debate it seems about being a stay at home mom or a working mom & which is harder. 

Y'all, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I am here to say that being a mom is hard. It's the most challenging, yet rewarding, thing I have ever done. It's not all rainbows & butterflies like I thought it would be when I was a little girl playing with my dolls. 

I've been on both sides of the fence; I've been a working mom & I'm currently a stay at home mom. Guess what? They are both hard. 

I went back to my 1st grade classroom when G was 12 weeks old.

Leaving him in a daycare when he was teeny? It sucked. The mama guilt I felt for leaving him? That was hard. Pouring myself into a class full of 6 year olds & then going home to my other job as wife/mama? That was hard. Spending time each night making sure a daycare bag was packed and ready to go? That got old. Dealing with that horrible 4 month sleep regression and then getting up to go to work? That was awful, hard, AND exhausting. Running around like a chicken with my head cut off every morning trying to get myself and a baby ready? That was hard. Feeling like I had to jam pack my weekends with family time since I didn't have much of that during the week? That made me sad.

When Grayson was 8 months old, I quit my teaching job to stay home.

Having to be ON all day in order to entertain a busy boy? It is exhausting. Not having sick days? Well, that's no fun. Not having adult interaction at all until Ben gets home some days? It can make me crazy. The days that G tests me over & over & over again? They are so challenging. The nights that Ben works late and I literally don't get a break until 8pm? holy cow, that is exhausting. Guess what? Sometimes I still feel mama guilt, only this kind is different. Grayson was in a great daycare/preschool program. It had real teachers & a legit curriculum. Sometimes I feel guilty about taking him away from a place that I know he would learn from. It's hard to feel guilty when it is something having to do with your child.

Nobody ever told me that being a parent was going to be easy. I didn't expect it to be easy.  I just never imagined how challenging it really is to raise a child. I don't want this post to come across like I don't enjoy my newish role as a mama. I love it. It's the greatest thing that I have ever done. It is worth every single sleepless night, early morning, and temper tantrum. What is that quote? Nothing worthwhile is ever easy. Or something like that. So very true. I just wanted to throw it out there that being a mom can be hard & will challenge you in more ways than you thought possible & to hopefully realize that I am not alone in feeling this way. :)

11 weeks with Baby Dos

I can't believe I get to start these again! Here we go:)

and just for kicks & giggles...

I have a few things to say about this comparison:
1. It's so hard to believe that the first picture was taken almost exactly TWO years ago.
2. I looks about the same in both pictures...yet feel HUGE this time around.
3. The first picture makes me really miss my long hair. Thank God for prenatal vitamins that make my hair grow super fast!

*How far along?: 11 weeks

*Total weight gain?: no gain yet
*How big is baby?: the size of a lime!
*Sex: We don't find out until March...I'm 2 for 2 on guessing for blog friends; I have a guess...I wonder if I will be right?!
*Maternity clothes: Sadly, I've had a pair of maternity jeans since about 8 weeks. Womp, womp, womp. I am still wearing my regular skinnies but I have to do the rubberband trick! My belly is about the same as it was with G at 11 weeks...except I have looked like this since week 7. ha!
*Stretch marks: Nope. I need to get my Mama Mio cream again!
*Sleep: already tossing & turning, having CRAZY dreams, and taking frequent potty breaks. Not the best sleep ever.
*Symptoms: I haven't been sick in like 6 weeks, until this morning. Strange. Hoping it was a fluke! Other than being tired, I've been feeling completely normal!
*Best moment this week: I'm slowly getting my energy back. I was EXHAUSTED for the past 6ish weeks and wanting to go to bed at 8 every night. I'm not quite as tired & don't feel like a zombie in the morning!
*Movement: not yet, but at our ultrasound a little over a week ago, the baby was moving ALL around!
*Food cravings: fruity and sour candy. I've had more aversions this time around. Random things make me gag: greek food, preparing raw chicken, hamburgers. weird.
*Labor signs: hopefully not anytime soon!
*Belly button in or out: in
*What I miss: okay, fine. a glass of red wine. :)
*What I'm looking forward to: the 2nd trimester and getting out of this awkward belly stage!

reasons I love my kid #3

You can find #1 here and #2 here.

• He never meets a stranger, so unlike me as a child. He says "hiiiiii" to every single person he sees; he won't stop saying it until he gets a response. So friendly!
• He has an opinion now & it cracks me up. One thing he has a strong opinion about is food. Grayson now walks to the pantry, knocks on the door until we open it, & then picks what he wants to eat. What he grabs is always SO random; gatorade, a box of hot chocolate, fruit thins, a loaf of bread. Seriously, you never know. 
• When Grayson runs, he doesn't move his arms. It looks hysterical. 
• He thinks Llama Llama (from his books) looks like Jack. Lately, he has pointed to him yelling, "Jack! Jack!"
• He gives his dogs kisses & hugs all the time. 
• He has THE BEST "surprised" face. hands down.  

see? surprised face!

•  He walks around with my old iPhone, holds it up to his ear, and says "heyyyy." He then proceeds to have a long conversation with him whoever he is talking to. 
• He thinks it is SO funny to chase the dogs around our downstairs with his ball popper or lawn mower. He shrieks & belly laughs while they run around like crazy.

So What! Wednesday

Happy Hump Day, folks. It's my favorite time of the week when I get to say "so what" to all the things that are driving me batty. Go link up with Shannon @ Life After I Dew so you can join in, too! This week I am saying SO WHAT if...

• I have 35 spring & summer jon jons on my eBay watch list right now? So far this is a crazy mild winter & I feel like I need to thinking of warmer days! The Toddler must have cute clothes! 
• I went to my favorite children's boutique this week and really  wanted to buy the 65% off Christmas sibling sets?  Seriously, I would have been in BIG trouble if we knew what we were having. The cute smocked dresses? I die.
• I have to trick my mind into thinking our house is on the market to actually keep it clean? I'm crazy, I know. But it's working!! 
• I'm still drinking coffee? Caffeinated. Pregnant. Trust me, you don't want to see this girl without her morning cup of creamer & a splash of coffee.
• I haven't taken my "Don't knock, baby is sleeping" sign off our front door in over 24 hours? I guess I'm either a) a hermit, b) lazy, or c) both. 
• I still have 4 glass ornaments sitting on my dining room table? I ran out of room in all our ornament containers & it's driving me crazy not having a special place for them!

What are you saying SO WHAT to this week?!

resolutions shmesolutions

I know that it's over a week past January 1st, but I think it's time to talk about some goals for 2012. I don't do resolutions. New Year's resolutions have a bad reputation for getting forgotten about pretty quickly. I'm just going to make some goals...and perhaps I will even stick to them! (Please don't hold your breath on that)

Only go to the grocery once a week. I usually do pretty good each week budget-wise on my main shopping day. However, sometimes I just NEED a big bag of sour patch kids, salt & vinegar chips, and some new nail polish. Nothing good comes of those extra trips & my wallet hates me for them. 

Be more frugal. I really need to do better with saving money; especially since I am no longer making any real money. (I guess my eBates cash back doesn't count?!) 

Be better at keeping our house clean & tidy. I told Ben that I am going to pretend that our house is on the market and I HAVE to keep it clean & clutter-free. I've tackled 3 rooms this week. I'm slowly getting there & Laura's random piles of junk are finding new homes. 

Spend less time on my computer/iPad/iPhone, and more quality time with my family. 

Read more books. Have any suggestions? I have been sucked in to The Hunger Games and am about to start the 3rd book. I'm going to need some good ones soon! 

Grow up and stop watching trashy reality shows like Jersey Shore, Teen Mom, and 16 & Pregnant. psh.

Start sewing. I've kind of got down the basics, but I need to study that manual and actually use the machine!

REALLY learn how to use my camera. I would love to take a class that would show me how to use all the settings on my camera. Again, I need to really study the manual...something I hate doing. I would like to do this before Baby Dos arrives in 7 (!!!!!!!) months.

Jump back on the Weight Watchers bandwagon after Baby Dos arrives! I will have almost a year to get bathing suit ready; no excuses!

Okay, and seriously, any good book recommendations??

Baby May #2 - the details

Thank you all SO much for all the baby love! We are so excited about this sweet baby (girl? boy?) joining our family this summer! 

{Can I take a moment and say that I have said a gazillion times I WILL NEVER HAVE A SUMMER PREGNANCY AGAIN. ha! We see how that worked out.}

We found out the day after Thanksgiving...after 2 negative tests, I finally got a positive! We waited to tell our families on Christmas Day since they would all be here at once. The first present Grayson opened was his cute "big brother" shirt. I'm so glad we waited to tell everyone in person! We have the whole thing on film & the reaction is great!

look how excited big brother, G, was!!

Our official due date is August 5, 2012. BUT, I will have a scheduled c-section at the end of July. That means G and Baby Dos (yep, that is what I am currently calling this one) will be about 22 months apart! We will have our hands full! 

Thankfully, I have been feeling pretty good! I have been a little more nauseous this time around, but thankfully, that's about it. Well, other than the fact that I am SO INCREDIBLY TIRED. I can't tell if that's the whole growing-a-new-baby thing or the fact that I chase a very busy toddler around all day. Either way, I'm pooped and ready for bed around 8:00 every night. I will be doing my weekly updates with this baby...mostly for me to compare!

Blog world, meet Baby Dos. Baby Dos, meet blog world. Look at those little legs!!