Sneak Peek Baby Girl

We are slowly working on Baby girl’s room. I have a color scheme. I have ordered bedding. I have purchased decor and picked out paint colors. Michael will (hopefully) be spending the weekend painting the room so we can get everything put together. I received the curtains in the mail this week and fabric samples from the bedding to match trim colors.

Here is a before picture of the room. We have been preparing the room so you will notice about a million holes that have been filled. Not sure what the people who lived in our house before us did in that room, but seriously there are at least 100 holes. Their son must have played darts in his room or something. The walls are going to be gray, the color is called Repose Gray by Sherwin Williams. I am super excited to lighten up this room. I hate this tan/brown that is EVERYWHERE in my house. Currently at the top of the room is Red trim. Razorback Red. We are going to change that to pink. The pink will match her bedding.

The colors for the room are going to be Mint, Pink and Navy. Of course, with gray walls and a few other gray splashed. It took forever to pick out the color scheme. I had a hard time, because there are so many great combos out there right now. Pink/Gold and Coral/Mint are some of my favorites. I love blue and I saw some decor in a pink and navy. I went to Hobby Lobby one Saturday with a friend to look at the decor they have and got the idea to do mint, pink and navy together. I think it will really be different and fun.

Here is some of the decor I purchased. To help Mason learn when he can and cannot go into the baby’s room. I love to make things myself. I am going to make Addison her own bow board out of extra fabric from her bedding that the girl sent me. I made a sign for above her bed and I painted a S for one of the pieces I purchased above. I am also in the process of making her a mobile. The mobile will have elephants hanging down.

This picture is actually fairly large 12x36. It will be perfect above the bed. I am debating adding some elephants or something to either side of the Monroe. The S is pink with Mint trim to pull all the colors together, similar to the picture above.

Snow Days

Last week we got some snow. We had Mason home with us on Monday, and he got to play in the snow. He played in the snow last year, but the boy didn’t really get to play. At a year, he didn’t really know what to do. This year, he knew. He loved it. He would have stayed outside forever.

This outfit was from last year. It was a LOT small, but worked. Next year he will get a new snow pants outfit. We are going to take Mason skiing next year, so he will need them. But for this year it worked. Gabby loved the snow. She always does. I think she loves the snow as much as she loves the pool. All she does is run around like a crazy dog. Check out those red cheeks. He was eating the snow. Yum. He also kept taking off his gloves. He wanted to feel the snow, but he would then saying Hurt Mommy Hurt. I kept putting them back on and he kept taking them off. Silly boy. Daddy taught Mason how to make snow angels.    Daddy also taught Mason how to throw snow on Gabby. Both Gabby and Mason really enjoyed this game. 

Week 31 – Baby #2

 How far along? 31 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 18.5 lbs. according to home scale.

Maternity clothes? Yes, but even those are feeling uncomfortable.

Stretch marks? No-Thank goodness and applying lotion like it is going out of style.

Sleep: Guess who has a cold…again? Me. This means sleep sucks more than normal. Luckily I have been taking Benadryl to help the cold, which in turn knocks me out cold. I hate colds, as soon as I get over one I get another.

Best moment this week: Going to a baby shower for a friend. She doesn’t know what she is having and she is due a month before me. Our sons are best friends and a month apart from each other, so of course, I bought her all girl stuff!! So did a lot of other ladies at her shower. Now I really hope she has a girl!

Miss Anything? I want my body back!!! The first pregnancy, I enjoyed the entire time. I didn’t even care at 39 weeks how big and uncomfortable I was, but this little girl I am ready to meet.

Movement: Oh my goodness. This little girl is all up in my ribs! I can feel her in my left hip and my right ribs. Usually at the same time. I think she is going to be longer than her brother.

Food cravings: Cadbury Eggs. Don’t judge!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing new this week.

Feelings: I am feeling better from last week, meaning more energized. The iron must be working. The cold I have on the other hand is making me feel like crap. My back pain is increasing. Little girl must be hanging out in my back!

Gender: GIRL! Sweet Addison Monroe.

Belly Button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Looking forward to: I am going for my appointment this week! I get to hear baby girl’s heartbeat again. I love hearing that. It is crazy. I have this appointment and one more before I start going weekly!!! Yikes!

Due Date: We are scheduled for April 22nd for my c-section, so unless baby girl has another idea, she will arrive April 22nd or before.

Week 30-Baby #2

How far along? 30 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 17 lbs. according to home scale. No change from last week, even though at the doctor the scale was 3lbs different.

Maternity clothes? Yes, but even those are feeling uncomfortable. Don’t judge if my next bump shot is in yoga pants.

Stretch marks? No-Thank goodness and applying lotion like it is going out of style.

Sleep: It is needed. I am napping almost daily, especially on the weekends and I am sleeping 8-9 hours at night. Who knows, but I want sleep constantly.

Best moment this week: I got my glucose test results back and they were normal. Thank goodness for no 3 hour test. I heard baby girl’s heartbeat at the same appointment while she was hyped up on sugar. She was bouncing around making it hard to get a read, but we could feel her moving. When the doctor finally got your heartbeat check it was 150. Highest yet.

Miss Anything? I am officially missing normalcy or at least normal body! I want to wear whatever I want and bend over like normal. I want to walk upstairs carrying Mason without getting out of breath.

Movement: She like to stick arms and legs out. It hurts sometimes and other times it is just bothersome. She still kicks hard, but I can tell she is definitely running out of room. She stretches a lot and it is fun. She gets shy whenever Mason tries to feel.

Food cravings: Sweets. Sodas! Chocolate. All things bad for me.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing new this week.

Feelings: I am exhausted and apparently pretty anemic. I am taking 325mg 2x a day to help with the anemia. I am really hoping by the weekend I will feel better.

Gender: GIRL! Sweet Addison Monroe.

Belly Button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Looking forward to: Counting down the days. I am also looking forward to this weekend. Michael and I are going on a date night Friday night, and I cannot wait!

Due Date: We are scheduled for April 22nd for my c-section, so unless baby girl has another idea, she will arrive April 22nd or before.

Baby Wish List

When it comes to having a second baby, there are definitely items you don’t need. You probably already have the most important items. Now depending on the timing between babies, there are probably new items out there you might want and that is where I stand. I have a want/wish list forming in my head. I thought today I would share some of those items with you.

1. Belly Bandit/ 2. ErgoBaby 360 / 3. 4Moms Spout / 4. Timi and Leslie /

5. Freshly Picked / 6. Dropcam / 7. Gracious May / 8. Kickee Pants

1. The Belly Bandit. I want this for my post c-section recovering. I have heard wonderful things about it. Since, I know I will having a c-section this time I can plan for the recovery better. I did have it fairly easy the first time, but chasing a toddler around post surgery I am thinking I will need some extra help.

2. ErgoBaby 360. I have an ErgoBaby, the original. I love it. My husband’s biggest complaint with the original was that he could not put Mason forward facing. ErgoBaby has since fixed the problem with the ErgoBaby 360. Now, I need the 360.

3. 4Moms Spout cover. Have you heard of the MamaRoo? I have one and love it. The makers of the Mamaroo had this spout cover last time I had Mason, but it went with their tub. I kept saying, I just want the spout cover it is perfect. Now they sell just the spout cover. Love, never having to worry about the water temperature would be fabulous. Now that Mason is 2 I don’t worry with him but a newborn, I will worry.

4. Timi and Leslie Diaper Bag. I already have one but I would love another one that I can wear across my body. I feel like it will help to have both hands/arms free to carry a carrier and a toddler’s hand.

5. Freshly Picked. Aren’t THEY ADORABLE?!?! I love these and will definitely be getting Addison some.

6. DropCam. I need a new camera for Addison’s room. I have one in Mason’s room and I don’t really like it. We currently have the Nest, made by the same company and it is wonderful! I have read reviews on this and it will most likely be our next camera.

7. Gracious May. My cousin’s daughter has these and they are the most adorable shoes EVER made for girls. I cannot wait to get Addison a pair. I may wait until winter but she will get a pair (or two).

8. KickeePants. I mean, who doesn’t love KickeePants. Addison will be going home from the hospital in one of these outfits.

Happy Friday!!!!

Paci Update

About a month ago we decided to break Mason of his Pacifier habit. We were a bit nervous about the whole process. Mason was quite addicted to it. When we went on vacation back in September, my Mom was able to break him of his pacifier during the day. Whenever he got upset or asked for it he got it, but while at my Mom’s house she would only let him have it if he was in bed for naps or at night. We had school break him of his naptime pacifier at about 18 months. It was easy for them, and he didn’t care. So, all we had to do was break him at home. Easier said than done, right?

We waited until after his birthday and after Michael and I had a few work trips. We wanted both of us home for two weeks straight, just in case it was horrible. The first night went really well. Mason took forever to fall asleep without it and asked for it several times. We told him Gabby ate it and that a baby needed it. He didn’t like the answer but it was okay. The hard part came when he woke up in the middle of the night. He cried so hard and wanted it so bad. It made me very sad. I ended up reading him a few books and singing for about an hour before he fell back asleep. He stayed that way until the next morning.

Naptime was the hardest breaking point for him. I honestly thought naptime would go better, since 5 days a week he takes a nap without a pacifier at school. The good thing about doing it on a weekend and during naptime, if he won’t fall asleep I will just keep you up. He eventually killed over in exhaustion on a walk around the block. Since the first weekend, he has done great. He rarely asks questions about his paci and he normally answers them with Gabby ate my paci or the baby ate my paci. We are now a month out from taking it away and he does great. Sometimes it takes us longer to fall asleep, because he lays in bed and talks. He asks a million questions, where is daddy or where is mommy, where is gabby…etc. He talks to his bear and I love listening to him talk until he finally falls asleep.

It is possible to survive taking away a pacifier with a 2 year old. It really wasn’t as bad as I thought, but that might have been me preparing for the worst. I expected weeks of no sleep. I expected more crying. I expected lots of asking about where it was. I really didn’t think he would be able to comprehend the reasoning I gave him. Be careful what excuse you give…they remember everything. The good thing that Mason wasn’t mad at Gabby.

 

Week 29-Baby #2

How far along? 29 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 17 lbs. according to home scale. .
Maternity clothes? Yes, but even those are feeling uncomfortable. Don’t judge if my next bump shot is in yoga pants.
Stretch marks? No-Thank goodness and applying lotion like it is going out of style.
Sleep: It is getting bad…Sleep bad. I am tossing and turning all night. It is hard to find a comfortable position.
Best moment this week: I ordered baby girl’s bedding last week. I cannot wait to get it in. I found it on Etsy and she said it would take 6-8 weeks to make. This is okay with me, baby arrives in 10 weeks and not like she will be sleeping in the crib right away.
Miss Anything? A cocktail something yummy like Margaritas!
Movement: I finally felt hiccups this week. Her sweet little head bounces off my bladder during them and it is quite uncomfortable.
Food cravings: Sweets. Ice Cream with Chocolate syrup!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing new this week.
Feelings: Welcome to 3rd Trimester exhaustion. It doesn’t help that my belly is growing and chasing a toddler around the house. I had a moment last week, where Mason and I snuggled and watched a movie after dinner.              
Gender: GIRL! Sweet Addison Monroe.
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Looking forward to: I am NOT looking forward to my glucose test this week, but I am looking forward to hearing my sweet girl’s heartbeat. This will mark the beginning of my every 2 week appointments.

Due Date: We are scheduled for April 22nd for my c-section, so unless baby girl has another idea, she will arrive April 22nd or before.

Here is a lovely comparison. Mason on the right and Addison on the left.

Mason-isms

Mason is becoming such a talker or chatterbox as my Mom calls him. The sentences he is making kill me sometimes and I am quickly learning that he hears everything we say and if we don’t want it repeated wait to say it after he is asleep. I want to forever remember some of the things he says…the funny, the extra sweet, and the crazy. I think I will try to remember to write them down, because I have a feeling these are just starting and only going to get funnier.

• The baby likes to kick hard and from time to time I will say ouch out loud. Mason will ask me if Baby Hurt, does the baby hurt? If I tell him she kicked me, he will come over and hug my belly and say I sorry Mommy. And then he kisses the baby.
• At night, we always lay in his bed and read stories. I will usually read a book and then turn off the light. Since we got rid of the pacifier, Mason lays there and talks until he falls asleep. One night, we were laying there and he grabbed my hand and said Mommy pick my boogers. I was trying to act like I was asleep, and he took my finger and tried to use it to pick his own nose.
• He loves to hold hands when snuggling. But he wants to hold both of our hands. He will search and search for our hands and say Mommy/Daddy hold hands please.
• My favorite thing to hear is him saying Thank you (without being asked). He asked me to go get his blanket the other night and when I gave it to him, he said Thank you Mommy. Made Michael and I both smile.
• We talk to my Mom and Dad usually on the way home from school. Mason usually tells them all about what he did at school that day. It usually consists of him telling them someone (he uses their name) Bite Mason. One day, he kept saying Nana come to Mason’s house and then he would say Mason go to Nana’s house. I think it made her day to know he wants to see them.
• Mason woke up in the middle of the night screaming. I went upstairs, he had had a nightmare (I think). When I asked him what happened? He kept asking, What happened to E? (E=Eric, my brother) I told him E is at his house asleep. He asked Is E okay? Poor baby and object permanence. I called E the next day and let Mason talk to him. Even on the way home from school he was asking about E. Must have been a pretty awful nightmare.
• Right now he loves to ask for something or a question…He will say Oooookaaay Mommy…Okay! I love that he is answering his own question with okay. I must do this too.
• Mason loves to mimic. If he sees something he wants it done to him. I got a picture from school the other day with a note that he insisted on having his hair done. And that he kept it in longer than any of the girls.  

Baby #2 will be called…

I could not be more excited about her name. I am dying to begin Monogramming EVERYTHING. Okay okay not everything, but lots of items. Blankets, Onesies…hats. We are southern ladies and we monogram! We will most likely call her Addie/Addy but it is super cute to hear Mason call her Addison. He loves her already. First thing on my list of must buys…a big brother/little sister outfit or shirt. It will be to make Mason feel extra special when he comes to see her at the hospital. It is wonderful to know we can refer to her as Addison and now really start talking to Mason about her using her name.

Check back tomorrow for some cute and funny Mason-isms we have heard in the last few weeks. Now that he is talking up a storm, I will probably keep track of the things sweet, funny, and ridiculous things he says for my own memories.

Week 28-Baby #2

How far along? 28 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 16 lbs. according to home scale. .
Maternity clothes? Maternity Maternity Maternity. Can I live in yoga pants for the next 79 days please!! I want to wear yoga pants and tennis shoes…and sweatshirts.
Stretch marks? No-Thank goodness and applying lotion like it is going out of style.
Sleep: The weekend of sleep was bad. Mason for some reason wanted to wake up and go downstairs at 5AM Saturday and Sunday, which I totally let him. He did let me sleep in until 8AM though. I really loved that.
Best moment this week: Finding out we are having a precious little girl. Enough Said.
Miss Anything? We had the best week, so I cannot think of anything that I am missing!
Movement: She is a kicker. Did you notice that there….SHE!!! No more IT! She is a kicker and I feel like she is sideways in my belly.
Food cravings: Sweets. LOTS of Sweets. Oreos are a good to this pregnant Mama.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing new this week.
Feelings: I am exhausted. Feeling excited. Feeling crazy happy, but I am still in shock over the whole we are actually having a girl.             
Gender: GIRL! Don’t have a name yet, but I am hoping to fixed that in the next week or so. Hopefully.
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Looking forward to: I am definitely looking forward to coming up with a name for our little girl. I have a million ideas, but nothing is sticking yet. I feel like I will find/hear a name and just know it is her name. Maybe I am crazy. Next week is glucose test and then we start going every 2 weeks. WOW. Lets get going on meeting this baby! She can bake for 11 more weeks though.

Baby #2 is…

Friday night was a blast and in lieu of my bump update today, I thought I would share the news!!

WE ARE HAVING A GIRL!!!!!

I hate when balloons pop, you can tell by my face here. These pictures definitely sum it up. Michael was SHOCKED and I was super excited. Mason was confused. High Fives for me!! People thought this was funny, but shows our relationship high fives then hugs. One of my friends FaceTiming into the event since she was sick, snapped this shot and I love it. Michael gave me a hug and Mason ran over and added to our hug. Everyone immediately change from cheering to awing. I am having problems embedded the video from youtube, so here is the link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGN32EAh7Nk