I Confess...

So excited to link up with one of my favorite bloggers today, Jessica from The Newly, for Confessional Thursday! I have a few very random things to get off my chest so here we go! ;) 

1. I am in desperate need of new hair tools. You guys. First, and I guess this is a confession in and of itself, you should know that I get my hair cut/styled about twice a year. I call it "getting groomed" because I literally go to the salon as much as my golden retriever does. So sad! BUT I have been using the same straightener and travel-sized, fold up blow dryer for over 10 years now and they are both broken and chipped. I think it's time I upgrade, but my problem is, if something still WORKS I have a really hard time buying a replacement. :( 

2. I'm feeling a little stressed because I feel like I won't be able to "nest" for this baby the same way I did for C -- i.e., preparing a nursery, buying a million things, etc. Since we are planning to move probably sometime in the late summer, this babe won't have a nursery until we do. I already have a ton of things picked out for her little room, just won't be able to execute quite yet.

3. This election so far is disappointing and discouraging. I won't get too much into politics, but I'm disheartened. I know who I will probably vote for, but I know many (in my generation at least) that feel that there is just no great choice.

4. I have almost eaten an entire bag of Starburst jellybeans in the last 4.5 days. I was thinking they might last til, you know, Easter. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

5. I can identify with this. ;) Can you?

Carrington Elle: 27 Months

To a non-parent, 27 months probably seems so random: why is an update needed at 27 months?! But if you've seen a child at this age, you know how much they've changed even since their second birthday, how much they're learning, how their physical and verbal skills are exploding every day. 

So, in honor of Carrie being a fourth of the way through her third year of life, here is an update on our sweet girl:

Social: We have been fairly busy, especially considering the winter weather! C is still fascinated by other kids, especially "big kids" and I can see her confidence grow as she watches them play. Just yesterday at the playground, she watched a couple of boys a little older than her going down the slide on her belly and decided that looked like a great idea! As she climbed the ladders, ran across the bridges, and slid down the slides by herself (not to mention swinging on the big girl swings - don't even get me started!), she literally said to me "don't worry mom. I got dis." Well, ok, then. *Insert silent sob*

We've had several play dates, played at the indoor play gym, gone to the local children's museum, visited the park on a few of the warmer days, done story times, and visited with friends and family. C seems to be like her mom: she's restless and loves to be busy!

Health: Mostly good for the past few months except for a gross 24 hour stomach bug that hit on President's Day. :( My poor sweetie slept a lot and was definitely not herself but at least got over it quickly! 

Learning & Language: This has been the area that has just exploded in the past few months. C has always been a talker, but she's speaking in full sentences now, using words to communicate what she wants: "mommy, come play dollhouse!", and picks up new words and phrases every day. She can identify almost everything with words, make animal noises, recite the alphabet, says her colors, says her family members' names, counts to 10, and has memorized most of her favorite books and recites them back to us. She is definitely the most polite person in our house, always saying "please," "thank you, mommy/daddy!," "excuse me," "excuse you!" (lol), "bless you!," etc. She calls all ice cream "ice cream cake," and just comes up with the funniest things.

Physical/Activity: Not too much new here, still running, walking, hopping, seemingly always moving. She is still daring, but careful as she executes her daring move. Ha!

Behavior: We have our good days and our not so good days (or even moments) when it comes to mood/tantrums/etc. She will get frustrated easily if she can't do something she wants to (like manipulate a toy a certain way, for instance), so we've been working with her on how to handle her frustration. She'll throw the occasional non-sensical meltdown (ie - I don't want to wear pants outside) but is mostly a well-behaved kid. The tantrums are challenging when they occur, but I know they're very normal for the age so we just try to work through them!

Favorites: Loves all fruit, Chipotle (quesadilla, brown rice, and black beans rock her world), pasta, raisins, chicken, and yogurt. Recently started eating broccoli and salad so I'll count that as a veggie win! Favorite shows are Princess Sophia, Mickey, and Angelina Ballerina. Favorite movies are still Frozen, and now we can add all three Toy Story's to that list. She loves to be outside and doesn't mind the dirt (loves collecting rocks, sticks, leaves, and other treasures) but is also quite the girly girl these days: can't get enough of tutus (requests one every day), me painting her nails with Piggie Paint, princesses, jewelry, dancing, etc. Her favorite toys to play with are currently her doll house, baby dolls, legos, and books.

Big Moments: Carrie found out she is going to have a little sister! She talks a lot about being the "best big sister ever" and I don't doubt that she will be for a second. She is so tuned into other people, sensitive, and caring. Next up - potty training! I wasn't in a big rush but she's shown me clear signs so we're diving in head first next week. Bye diapers!

Carrington, you are so, so special to all who know you -- especially your mommy and daddy. :) There is just this spark in your eyes that shows how much you love learning and life. Every day is an adventure with you, and I wouldn't trade one second of it. We adore you and even though we aren't afraid to show it, you'll still never know just how much. <3 All our love, always, baby girl.

Week & Weekend Happenings

Happy Sunday! I just got around to posting the latest pregnancy update, so apologies for two posts in one day (and no posts the other days - ha!). The toddler is napping so momma is getting stuff done!

It's an absolutely beautiful day today and we had such a productive morning: grocery shopping and another errand, cleaning the house (toy pick up, dining room table, coats, dishes, kitchen counters, laundry, taking out the trash...phew), playing and chocolate chip pancakes. When C wakes up from her nap (hallelujah as those are not very consistent these days!), we plan to take her to the park. :) I would say that Spring is on its way but I just saw a dreaded little snowflake symbol in the weather forecast for Friday -- praying that disappears as the week progresses!

Last week was a good one. It started off last Sunday with a trip to the park since I was feeling mostly recovered from whatever bug I had and needed to get out. C tried swinging on the "big girl swings" for the first time and was obsessed. I'm talking, would not dare move from that swing for 75% of our time there. 

On Monday we dropped C off at her best friend's house for a play date while we headed to our 20 week anatomy scan. All looked perfect with our littlest girl and we got to see her dancing for 45 minutes straight. :) I can't stop looking at her sweet little profile.

Later in the week we took a trip to the local children's museum (we seriously live in the best area for kids activities) with C's bestie and the two had a blast for a solid two hours. If anyone with littles is within driving distance to Garden State Discovery Museum, I highly recommend checking it out! We never get to finish doing everything because there's just so much!

You would think all of that play would've yielded a long nap, but nope. This was the scene from my monitor that afternoon -- my little monkey climbing up her crib walls trying to escape. I know my days of her staying in there are numbered. Pray for me.

We finished off the week with a trip to the mall to get some new makeup for myself (sadly, I had to buy a bottle at Bare Minerals literally 3 shades lighter than usual because I am so pale this winter - ha!), wander the Disney Store, and throw pennies in the fountain. Saturday morning was dance class, as usual, which C adores so much!

And this has turned into the longest, most photo dump post ever but one last picture because it warms my heart: Steve playing dollhouse with C this morning (don't mind the disaster that was the living room). This will probably end up to be a post in and of itself, but I absolutely love seeing this man play with his little girl and enjoy every second. He gives her baths and takes care to brush her hair just so, allows himself to be adorned with beaded bracelets and headbands, plays dollhouse daily, reads endless books about ballerinas, and has seen Frozen more times than you can imagine. This is someone who grew up with a brother, playing sports, getting dirty outdoors, etc. But he is the very best girl dad and to picture him with two little girls makes me so happy and proud. :)

See you later this week! XO

21 Weeks!

I can't believe we're already more than halfway through this pregnancy! I knew it would go fast with a toddler to chase, but I never dreamed it would go this fast. Despite its sometimes strange symptoms, occasional burst of hormones, etc. -- I actually really love pregnancy and hope the second half takes its time so I can soak it in. I'm sure, in the heat of late June/early July, I'll be singing a different tune. ;) 

Here's the update for 21 weeks!

How far along? 21 weeks + 1 day (exactly 21 weeks in the photo above)

Size of the baby? About 10.5 inches long and 12 oz. (the size of a carrot or banana)

Gender? GIRL :)

Showing? Sure am!

Maternity Clothes? Absolutely rocking the maternity pants. Still wearing almost all "regular" tops. I've decided that maternity leggings are just about the best invention ever.

Sleep? Better than it had been! No longer waking up to use the bathroom at night and ever since we turned on the fan in the bedroom I've been sleeping more soundly... I must have been getting overheated.

Movement? Yes, and this week Steve saw and felt the kicks for the first time. Love that!

Food Cravings? Apples, berries, cereal (and Starburst jellybeans but I don't think I can blame that on pregnancy ;)).

Anything making you sick? Nope

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood? Happy, excited

Best moment this week? Getting an A+ report card for our little bean at our anatomy scan last Monday and getting to see her in action for 45 minutes. :) Oh, and also going through C's old newborn - 3 month clothing to sort out what we can use for this little girl! My urge to nest is already strong.

Challenges/strange moments? I had to make an emergency eye doctor appointment after experiencing an ocular/silent migraine (which I had never experienced before) -- all of the sudden I started getting blurry spots and auras in my left eye. It went away after about a half an hour.

Looking forward to? Figuring out our plan for a house so I can start to really dream up a nursery. Like I said... all about the nesting. 

Life Lately

Oh boy... it's been a doozy around here for the past couple of weeks. After two stomach bugs, an emergency eye doctor visit, and an epic toddler meltdown (our first in public - that was interesting!) followed by an epic pregnant mommy meltdown, I think it's safe to say we have turned a corner. :) YAY!

I won't go back so far as to recap our Valentine's Day weekend since it seems so far behind us now, but I will share this picture. We have taken the same photo with Carrie and our pup every year since C was born on Valentine's Day and it's so. crazy. to see how much she's grown. Look how big she is on my lap! Layla, on the other hand, doesn't age. ;) 

On President's Day C came down with a fierce stomach bug just in time for us to be rushing to an emergency eye doctor appointment because I had suddenly lost most of my vision in my left eye. Steve and I were worried about physical eye problems, as well as potential pregnancy complications, so we made an emergency appointment and in the car on the way C began to lose her breakfast. And anything else she had in her stomach. Yikes. I felt so terrible for dragging her out when she clearly needed to be home! The good news is, my eyes are fine and so is the baby. The doctor thinks I experienced an Ocular aka "Silent" Migraine.

C was feeling like herself by Tuesday evening and the week was going along normally until I got hit with stomach bug symptoms Friday night. I was supposed to leave for one of my dear friend's bachelorette parties the next day, and after being up all night I had to call and cancel. :( Winter germs... you can go away! Thanks. 

By Sunday I felt so much better and the weather was unseasonably warm, so we were able to sneak C out to the park, which felt amazing! Does anyone else feel like they just become a better, happier version of themselves when it's warm out and you're able to get out in the world? I can't wait until this is our every day! 

Yesterday we had our 20 week ultrasound and doctor appointment for our sweet littlest, and she received an A+ report card -- everything looks perfect! As usual, she was moving like crazy and her little hands were balled up by her face. We love her so much already. I plan to post a 20 week pregnancy update this week... I can't believe we're more than halfway there! 

Five on Friday!

[one] it's a....  GIRL! 

We found out about a week and a half ago that we are expecting another sweet baby GIRL! Last weekend we did a low-key gender reveal for a small group of family and friends who were already gathered to celebrate Steve's 30th birthday. Did you guys know that Krispy Kreme makes gender reveal donuts?! Well, they do, and they were amazing! It was so much fun and I'm so glad the secret is out now so we can openly say "she" and "her!" Still working on a name. :)

[two] birthday celebrations

As mentioned above, also over the weekend, my husband turned THIRTY. We kicked the weekend celebrations off with a sudden broken refrigerator ;) but by Sunday we had a brand new one installed in its place. 

I didn't want to do anything too over the top for Steve because he's just not that guy -- I knew that he'd truly prefer to eat a good burger and spend time with his family (I love him). So, that's exactly what we did! On Saturday we had about 15 people join us for dinner at one of Steve's favorite restaurants and everyone came back to the house for cake, coffee, and gender reveal donuts afterward. On Sunday, his actual birthday, we did a lot of relaxing and Carrie gave her daddy a 3 hour nap as his gift (best gift ever!). We then headed out for another yummy dinner at Steve's absolute favorite burger place. All in all, a great weekend!

My mom also had a birthday mid-week this week and we will be celebrating her tomorrow with more cake and more family time -- two things I happen to enjoy immensely. My mom is truly so much of my heart and I always look forward to spending time together.

[three] TV binges

We got Netflix about 2 months ago now and I have already gone through all three seasons of Orange is the New Black (season 4 coming in June!) AND just finished season one of Parenthood. I know I am so behind the times on both shows but they are both so good (and SO different, ha). I've enjoyed diving into something other than reality TV - it's kind of like having a good book in the winter. :) Can't wait for Fuller House -- I definitely teared up during the promo. Any other good shows I should add to my "to watch" list?

[four] potty training

I think I mentioned this before but we are - I think - ready to potty train C. Well, she's more ready than I am if I'm being honest. ;) She's been showing so many signs lately, the latest of which is stripping off her clothing and diaper in her crib during naptime. Yesterday when I went to get her, her little nakey self pointed to her diaper and said "no more diaper, big girl underwear." Well, ok then. If you have tips, experiences, recommendations - PLEASE SHARE. I am pretty much clueless in this department! 

[five] happy valentine's day!

To be honest, we have just about zero plans for Valentine's Day... and I don't mind! I got Steve some chocolate and might have dropped some hints about a candy or two that I've been craving. ;) Ahhh, being pregnant over Valentine's Day. I plan to make heart shaped pancakes and then we'll all spend the day together. Do you have fun plans this weekend?

TGIF! xo

BOY or GIRL?

A couple of days ago, at 17 weeks and 4 days, we found out the gender of our second child! We went to the same 3D ultrasound place that we had gone to with Carrington since we had such a wonderful experience the first time around. If you're not familiar with these types of places, they're non-medical ultrasound "boutiques" (I'll call it that for lack of a better word!) that offer a variety of packages for all stages of pregnancy. One of their packages is called the Jack and Jill and is for women who are 17+ weeks pregnant and want to find out the gender of their babe! Steve and I knew we wanted to find out again this time, and we choose to do it this way instead of at the 20 week anatomy scan because the atmosphere is so intimate and relaxed. Seriously... there are candles burning, soft music playing, soft lighting and comfy seating, and you get 15-20 minutes of nothing but gazing at your sweet baby in 2d, 3d, and 4d. We got to see this little one moving all around (seriously - this one is wild!), hiccuping, and of course find out whether we have a HE or a SHE on the way! :)

This picture is from 17 weeks on the dot, and I'll be 18 weeks tomorrow. It's flying by SO fast this time around! I documented with pictures and chalkboard updates WEEKLY with C, and this time around I've taken just a handful of pictures and have only shared this one so far. I like to think that it just reflects the fullness of the life that we will be welcoming our littlest into -- an active, busy older sister, lots of friends and family to visit and have fun with. 

So, here's the update as of 17 (almost 18) weeks! What do you think - boy or girl? We'll be announcing this weekend!

How far along? 17 weeks 6 days (17 weeks exactly in the picture above)

Size of the baby? About 5.5 inches long and the size of a bell pepper.

Gender? We know... and can't wait to announce this weekend! :) 

Showing? Yep! And have been since, oh, 7 weeks. Ha!

Maternity Clothes? I switched over to maternity jeans and leggings really early on because, well, why not? They are so much more comfortable! I'm still wearing mostly regular tops with a few maternity tanks thrown in.

Sleep? I had been waking up at least once a night to use the bathroom, but I'm back to sleeping pretty normally now... with my beloved boppy pillow, of course.

Movement? Yes! I started feeling little movements so early this time... 14.5 weeks! This one's a mover and a shaker.

Food Cravings? Fruit! And still very thirsty and downing ice water regularly.

Anything making you sick? No, thankfully!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood? Happy, if a little tired... and so excited to know the gender and to start really planning.

Best moment this week? Definitely seeing our baby in action (those hiccups were seriously adorable) and finding out the sex!

Challenges/strange moments? C has been a bit of a challenge this week -- typical 2 year old stuff like a few tantrums, lots of emotions and moods... so that's been tiring, especially being a little extra drained to begin with.

Looking forward to? Celebrating Steve's 30th birthday this weekend!!! Seeing our friends and family and revealing the gender of baby #2! 

Happy, happy Friday!