Balancing Act

Time is not on my side

2012-02-09T19:58:00.002-05:00

Well, it's been a long time since I've blogged which is really not like me. But I guess I've never been busier in my entire life. Lots going on these days! Grammy went back to Chicago so Reese started daycare on Monday. That wasn't easy for me since it's difficult to let go & lose control. While I'm at work I'm wondering if she's napping long enough, if they're feeding her at the right times, if she's getting bombarded with germs... Don't get me wrong, even though I'm a total control freak, I tend to be a pretty laid back parent. We don't have an overly rigid eating schedule for Reese but it's more important that her last bottle fall at a good time so she's not having it too early or too late. Luckily Reese has been sleeping really well though so we're no longer feeding her in the middle of the night. She's in her own room since Grammy's gone back & I think she likes it! She still wakes up a time or two but we just put her paci back in her mouth & she goes right back to sleep.

Work has been insanely busy for me since we finally moved to our brand new hospital on Tuesday. It's been super exciting but also nuts. I'm putting in longer hours some days so it can feel like I barely get to see my babies during the week. That never makes a mommy feel good.

At school Reese doesn't nap nearly as long as she does at home, so she's pretty pooped by the end of the day. We've had to put her down for a nap shortly after coming home & then she wakes up to eat once more only to go right back to sleep.

We're all trying to get into a groove & all in all, we're handling it pretty well. For the most part, anyway. There have been some rough patches along the way but we'll make it in one piece!

Having hectic weeks means we soak up the weekend & savor every minute that we have with each other. And since this is our first weekend as a family of four in a long time, we're really looking forward to it! I've taught Cam to say every Saturday & Sunday morning, No work today! No school today! That means we get to be together! Things aren't always easy but at least we have each other!

My Babies!

2012-01-22T16:49:00.003-05:00

This morning both kids were as sweet & cute as can be so I decided to whip the camera out & take a few pictures.

I wanted to get some pics of Reese in just her diaper since I haven't seemed to have done that yet.

And this week I noticed just how meaty her little thighs have gotten so I definitely wanted to get a picture of that too! Love those chunker thighs! (And I love that you can see a tiny spot of blue on the line of her diaper showing she tinkled a bit!)

Cam wanted to get his blanket out after he saw I brought out Reese's!

Such a goofball!

I've been savoring the heck out of my family this weekend since it's back to work tomorrow!

I'm one lucky Mama!

We've been having a great weekend with Papa who is in town visiting from Chicago. It was his first time meeting Reese on Thursday night & he loves his first granddaughter!

Today we're relaxing with friends & family, eating some food & watching football! Happy weekend!!

Back in the Saddle

2012-01-21T14:40:00.003-05:00

My maternity leave came to a screeching halt on Monday morning as my alarm clock rang at 6am. Part of me felt excited about going back to work & another part of me was not at all ready & felt very sad that the one-on-0ne time I had with my kids was coming to an end.

The nine weeks went by incredibly fast. Way too fast.

Almost as fast as Cameron cruises in his Lightening McQueen!

I was very sad and anxious last Sunday. The idea of leaving my baby girl after being home with her 24 hours a day felt very overwhelming.

And I also had so much fun spending time with my first born. He is my best buddy & we have so much fun together. We really get each other!

I thought back to how I felt when I was working full-time with just Cameron. Many, many times I felt that there were never enough hours in the day to get things done or spend quality time with my child. If that was the case with Cam alone, what was it going to be like with another baby? Luckily my MIL is still here & I'm able to ease more gently into things. After she leaves, my little girl has to go to daycare & that will be another hurdle to jump.

My first week back went fairly well, but I definitely felt very overwhelmed at times. I'm not super woman & I cannot do it all. We're working through the obstacles & tweaking our schedule as things come up. I'm realizing that we need to plan our weekly dinner menu & grocery shop on Sundays because there is just no time after work. By the time I get home, wash & sterilize all of my pumping bottles, cook, clean, do baths & the million other things that need to be done, I have little left in me. I'm trying to take things one day & moment at a time & stop looking ahead because that makes things seem so much more overwhelming.

I know that things will get easier as we find a stronger routine, but I hope I can keep a positive attitude through it. I just want to feel like I'm doing a good job in each role I play. My first priority in everything is my family & keeping them number one is my biggest concern!

Two Months!

2012-01-12T15:40:00.005-05:00

Reese, you are officially two months old today! Time continues to fly by, but we're loving every minute of it! Well, maybe not the middle of the night wake-ups, but you're even ridiculously sweet & cute during those times too.

You usually sleep from around 8pm until about 3am & then again until 7:30am or so. You are such a little sweetheart & so incredibly kissable. I could literally kiss your bald little head all day long. I love it so much when the little hair that you do have gets all messy in the back after you've been laying down.

You smile so much, especially in the morning or after a good nap & a feeding. You're eating five ounces of breast milk every three to five hours & you take about five feedings per day.

The only times you cry are when you're very hungry or fighting sleep which you normally do after your evening meal. During the day you eat, lay around & kick, smile & charm all those around you & then you take another nap after you've been up for an hour & a half or two. During the late afternoon you usually stay up for a longer stretch of time.

You love your baths & get about two a week. You're obviously not getting into things yet so you stay a lot cleaner than your big brother. You rarely spit up either, but when it's time for a bath I say, "Lets go clean that stinky milk neck!" You wear a size one diaper but can still fit into a newborn size if you need to & you're wearing 0-3 month clothes.

We love it when you "talk" to us & enjoy every "story" you tell. I'll never get tired of hearing all those sweet little coos!

Your big brother loves you to bits & pieces & is such a helper for Mommy & Daddy. Cam's always grabbing us any little thing that we may need like a clean diaper or rash ointment. And speaking of diaper rashes, yours is finally better! After we used the Nystatin cream that the doctor prescribed, things started getting better & better & you're pretty much as good as new now.

Things aren't always easy around here since Mommy & Daddy are so busy & not getting as much sleep as we're used to, but we love you & your brother more than anything in the whole world & thank God for you both each day. I look so forward to experiencing all of your changes & watching you grow!

I've been told many times that Reese looks so much like Cameron... Check out their blog to see if you think they look alike!

Fun Times

2012-01-10T21:52:00.006-05:00

Saturday morning we headed to Busch Gardens on an absolutely beautiful day. We had such a great time just walking around, enjoying the beautiful park & soaking up the warm weather. Every time we go to Busch Gardens, we feel like we're on vacation. We're so lucky to live so close & to have yearly passes.

Reese was an absolute angel the entire day & either slept or just took in the sights.

We all love eating our sandwiches while overlooking the animals!

It isn't every day that you have this view on your lunch break! Hop over to Cam & Reese's blog to check out more pictures from the day!

I'm savoring the last moments of my maternity leave & we've kept Cam home both yesterday & today since I haven't wanted to be away from either of my babies. Today proved to be a very trying day since Cam not only skipped his nap, but was completely disrespectful in the process. As I tried to get him to sleep, he continued to get out of bed, jump around, run away from me & throw his toys around. I told him that I would take away every single toy of his for the rest of the day if he got out of bed one more time. Well, he got out of bed one more time so I literally took every toy & locked it in his bedroom until it was time for bed. Mike's been out both last night & tonight, so it's been a bit rough. But, I wasn't about to back down & I dealt with his crying & pleading & did not give in.

And though he can try my patience very often, Cameron is still my favorite boy in the entire world! I took my guy for a much needed makeover today. I cannot tell you just how much I disliked his bowl cut!!! He doesn't get all that many haircuts & I didn't take him for his past two, so this time I was able to take charge of what I wanted! He looks so cute with his new do!

Getting broken sleep each night with a newborn can be exhausting & even frustrating at times, but seeing this smile makes me forget all of that. This girl is such an absolute doll & I am beyond in love with her! I am so excited to experience all of her changes as she grows!

Tomorrow Mike has the day off so I'm hoping we'll do something fun for Uncle Nick's last day here. I know we'll be going for a nice dinner at Bonefish which I'm so looking forward to! Last time I was there Reese was in my belly so I couldn't get my usual martini or my beloved Ahi Tuna appetizer!!

Recent Happenings

2012-01-06T15:44:00.005-05:00

This week was very busy & has completely flown by! I cannot believe it's already Friday!

Monday was great because Mike was off of work with the New Year holiday. We went over to Matt & Kelly's to hang out & watch the OSU football game. Cam & Leah dressed up as princesses which was hilarious! It was so funny to see Cam walking around in heels & wearing earrings. Luckily Mike was a good sport about it!

Tuesday Kelly popped by with Reese's BFF, Samantha & we headed over to finally meet Cheryl's baby girl Sophie who is exactly 3 weeks younger than Reese & 3 weeks & one day younger than Sam!

On Wednesday Grammy flew in to meet her first granddaughter. I'm so glad that she's here... Cam's loving it since they're super close after all the visits she's paid us! In fact, right now they're on their typical Walmart date. Whenever we pass Walmart, Cam says, "Grammy takes me there!"

And this picture cracks me up every time I look at it for very obvious reasons. Lil Reese looks like a deer in headlights! Yesterday I had my 6-week OB check-up even though it's been 7 weeks & Reese & my MIL came along for the ride. I should've guessed the appointment would take forever since my doctor's office way overbooks. I ended up being there for an hour & a half! I can't complain too much though since one of my co-workers who also happened to be there ended up waiting two & a half hours! Complete BS. But Reese was a good girl & Grammy took her for a walk for part of the wait.

And then we headed to my work to show Reese off to my co-workers. It was weird going back to work after being off for nearly eight weeks. Everything seemed & looked different to me! I'm seriously getting nervous about going back & wondering how I'll manage everything after a long day. It feels like there are NEVER enough hours in the day when I'm working & I felt that way when I had only Cam. Throw another baby into the mix along with pumping at work since I'm still breastfeeding & it all seems overwhelming. I really need to just shut my brain off since worrying & wondering will get me nowhere. But I probably will need to clock out each time I pump which equates to nearly a half hour taken off each day. Does that mean I need to work an extra half hour each day?! I guess I'll have to work things out but the last thing I need is to make my long day even longer.

Reese is still waking up once a night, usually around 3am. After I fed her last night it took me a long time to fall asleep since I can never shut my mind off. As I finally dozed, the stinker kept grunting & losing her pacifier so I must have gotten out of bed about ten times to give it back to her. So, I've basically been up since 3am! Surprisingly I've had a ton of energy today & have been on a cleaning spree. I haven't vacuumed all week which is a long time when you have four furry animals walking around. I usually empty my Dyson before I vacuum just so I can see how much nastiness I'm actually living in. It's both satisfying & horrifying at the same time!

The weekend is going to be just as busy since my brother-in-law flies in tomorrow night to meet Reese. So much going on these days! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Random Thoughts

2012-01-04T08:05:00.004-05:00

I've had a lot on my mind lately with the holidays coming to an end, the new year now here & the fact that I'll be ending my maternity leave & heading back to work in less than two weeks. I've enjoyed my one-on-one time with Reese more than I could have ever imagined. Since I had such a rough postpartum road after Cam was born, I wasn't sure what to expect this time around. I'll never forget this time I've had with her. It's sad I'll never have it again since I work full-time. Sometimes I wonder whose job is harder, a working mom or a stay-at-home mom. Either job has it's ups & downs & can be argued either way; both jobs are hard & have their own challenges. In a perfect world I would work two to three days a week. That would be an ideal balance for me. Hopefully that could be possible in the future but right now it just isn't for many reasons. In the meantime, I'm trying to soak up my baby girl as much as I can before it's time to begin the rat race again. I'm telling myself that worrying about work now is useless & will only take my mind away from the present & enjoying the last of my time off with Reese. Obviously we'll have a million more wonderful moments to come, but it just won't be the same.

Luckily my mother-in-law flies in from Chicago today & finally gets to meet her first granddaughter! She'll be staying for a whole month which is great because I'll be able to ease back into work without needing to take Reese to daycare. She'll be going to the same daycare as Cam, the one he's been in since he was four months old. The first week of daycare is always the hardest since I'll need to get used to the routine & accept the fact that a lot of things will be out of my hands. Sometimes being a control freak can be hard! Just as we've gotten into a great routine, I have to leave to go back to work! Ugh. Such is life.

Leaving this precious angel with someone else isn't an easy thing!

New Years Rockin Eve

2012-01-03T18:24:00.005-05:00

New Years Eve has taken on a new meaning since most of my friends have little ones. No more care-free, wild outings like we used to have many years ago.. But, we stayed in at Matt & Kelly's house & ended up having an absolute blast!

While we were getting appetizers together, Reese had a little photo op as she watched us cook. We made our usual NYE dip which we call "Good Luck Dip." Since black-eyed peas are good luck at the new year, it's an absolute must in my book. And it helps that it's utterly delish as well & healthy to boot! Click here for the recipe.

We also made Pioneer Woman's bacon-wrapped crackers which are yummy as all get out! They take two hours to bake but they're worth it in my book. Can't go wrong with bacon! Click here for the recipe.

After the kids were asleep we just hung around the kitchen, listened to music & had so much fun just dancing & being silly. We were with such a fun group that it was impossible to not have a great time.

And I think I'm the one who suggested that we take pictures imitating our high school yearbook photos. It was so hilarious. Yes, we're thirty-somethings that need to act goofy every once in a while!

I have such a feeling that 2012 is going to be a great year!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-31T12:06:00.004-05:00

Holy cow have things been busy lately! It feels like I haven't had a moment of downtime in over a week.. I haven't logged onto the computer or touched my pictures until today so it feels like things are starting to calm down!

We had a really nice Christmas spent with my family. Of course we missed Mike's family a lot but we couldn't travel with Reese to Chicago this year as we planned since she's only a month old.

Christmas Eve was at our house & boy was it hectic! I was running around like a madwoman all day long & the festivities ended late so we were all wiped out. But it was great spending the day with family & the kids could not wait to open their presents! Maddy was literally counting down the hours until it was time!

Christmas morning the four of us opened our presents & enjoyed delicious homemade cinnamon rolls by Paula Deen. Click here for the recipe. We made them the night before & popped them into the oven in the morning when we were ready to eat.

Reese slept in on Christmas morning but she was very excited to open the present that her big brother picked for her!

After presents & breakfast we all piled into the car & headed to Mike & Melanie's house for Christmas dinner. Getting out of the house was super hectic since I'm still breastfeeding & we had to plan it around Reese's schedule. We left the house looking like a bomb had gone off so I was quite frazzled!

But on Monday I was an organizing fool & ended up pitching a ton of things so that we have plenty of room for all of the kids' new toys. It was a wonderful Christmas but I still cannot believe it's already over & that today is the last day of 2011!

2011 started out terribly after I lost both of my grandmas in the very first month. We also lost Mike's amazing Aunt Elaine so it's been a rather rough year. Thank God for Reese who is such an absolute blessing. Here's to hoping that 2012 is a wonderful, new year! Happy New Year, everyone!

It's the Holiday Season...

2011-12-19T08:44:00.008-05:00

Good gracious, it's only 4 days until Christmas Eve!! Ahhhh!!! I'm trying to wrap things up & get my act together because time is seriously running out! I've been trying to explain to Reese that it isn't exactly convenient for me to be holding her the bulk of the day, but she doesn't seem to care! The nerve of some babies... I tell ya.

We're hosting Christmas Eve as we normally do & we're doing our usual spread of appetizers instead of an actual meal. We'll do presents between my family & save Christmas morning to open presents between the four of us. Every Christmas I try to come up with something to make for breakfast & this year I think I'm going to do homemade cinnamon rolls. I saw a recipe on the Pioneer Woman's Christmas special that I may try. Click here to check it out.

Reese was a little fussy this weekend & we think it may have something to do with her stubborn diaper rash. The doctor wrote a prescription for Nystatin even though she didn't think it was a yeast infection. Her philosophy was that it couldn't hurt to try. So we started applying it on Sunday & her rash seems to be improving, thank goodness. She's been less fussy since yesterday, so maybe it had to do with discomfort associated with the rash. I feel so bad for her & it's been very stressful since we're doing everything we can & nothing has helped. So, we're crossing our fingers & toes that this clears it up.

I was very happy to spend the day with friends on Sunday since I've been feeling pretty isolated lately with staying inside most days with Reese. Initially Kelly text saying they might not be able to come over as planned because Leah was coughing & she didn't want to bring germs into the house. When I got her text, I was so disappointed that I started crying! Oh the joy of postpartum hormones! Luckily Leah started feeling better & they came after all. Samantha is 5 weeks old today & Reese turned 5 weeks yesterday. They're going to be the best of friends!

We made Jeff Mauro's Chicago Italian beef recipe for Sunday's football meal. It was seriously to die for! Granted, I'm biased since I'm from Chicago & I'm the one who made it, but it really was delish! Click here for the recipe... it was super easy to throw together.

I'm going to try my best to get more presents wrapped today, but that will depend on how well Reese cooperates. My mom is here again this week, thank goodness, because Reese prefers to sleep while being held. As much as I adore snuggling with my munchkin, it's so hard to shower or brush my teeth, let alone get stuff done around the house! But it'll all get done some way or another.. it always does! And if it doesn't? Christmas will still go on & it won't be the end of the world. Maybe my New Year's resolution for 2012 should be to let some things go. Ha! Who am I kidding? Why make a resolution I likely cannot keep?! ;o)

Sick & Tired, Tired & Sick

2011-12-17T08:06:00.003-05:00

I went my entire pregnancy without getting sick & since having Reese I've been sick twice in the past two weeks!! It started with a throat thing that then moved to my chest. Then two days ago I started feeling sick yet again & now I'm dealing with a head cold... what gives?! Apparently having a baby has wiped my immune system! It would have been easier being sick while pregnant vs. handling a newborn all day & night. Luckily my hubby helps me out with a lot of the night shifts. Especially because during the past few nights Reese has gotten up at around 2:30 & then again at 5:30am. Then we're up with Cam at 7am. Though it's expected with a newborn, it isn't always easy... especially when you're sick!

Okay, stop the violins from playing... my complaining is done. For the moment anyway! In other news, my mother-in-law sent us monthly onesies for Reese! I love them! My friend Lauren also gave us monthly stickers to put on onesies which you'll see in my last post, so it'll be nice to have a couple of options.

Anyway, hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! One weekend from now, it's Christmas!! Are you ready? I have lots & lots to do so this sickness better be kicked to the curb sooner rather than later! Time to get my butt in gear!

One Month!

2011-12-14T20:40:00.005-05:00

Reese is officially one month old today & I honestly cannot believe it! In one way it feels like she's been in our lives forever & in another, I feel like we just brought her home from the hospital.

I'm absolutely loving my time with her & savoring every second I have before it's time to go back to work full-time next month. Having all day to experience her many changes has been something I am so thankful for. Reese has just started smiling as of a few days ago & it is utterly adorable. It melts my heart into a puddle of goo!

She cracks me up with all of her expressions & noises...

Look at that face in the picture above.. it looks like she's thinking, "Who the heck are you & what the heck do you want?! Idiot."

But she is as sweet as can be & such an awesome baby! So, Reese, here's what's happening with you right now at one month old:

You're eating about every 3-4 hours during the day.
You drink your last meal between 9 & 11 at night & sleep until about 4am & then you go back to sleep until about 7:30am which we think is pretty great.
You're still wearing newborn diapers & clothes although very soon you'll be moving up to 0-3 months.
You just started smiling this week & it mostly happens in the morning when you're bright-eyed & bushy tailed.
Unfortunately you have a diaper rash that started about 2 weeks ago. We're doing everything we can to get rid of it, but it just doesn't want to budge! The doctor looked at it today at your one month appointment so we're just going to keep doing what we're doing but we'll switch to a wet washcloth instead of wipes.
You fight sleep sometimes & make the most hilarious noises when you get pissed off. Although you're mad, we're cracking up.. sorry, kid!
Thank goodness for the pacifier because it keeps you content when you're sleepy & fighting it.
You're a very laid back girl & pretty much only cry when you're hungry.
You're a complete snuggle bug & just loved to be held & talked to.
Your big brother loves you to bits & always wants to love on you. Lately Cameron has been coughing so we're trying to keep him from touching you too much which has not been easy!

Here are your stats from your one-month check-up:

Height: 22 inches (83%)
Weight: 8#, 11oz (35%)
Head Circumference: 14.75" (62%)

Click here to check in on her 2 week appointment to see how's she's grown! Thankfully my mom came with me to her appointment today since the extra set of hands are so nice to have & I was nervous for her Hep B shot. Luckily my gal was such a tough cookie & barely even cried! What a girl.. we are so blessed!

Be Grateful

2011-12-12T07:12:00.007-05:00

This Christmas I've been thinking a lot about wanting to raise our kids to understand what we're truly celebrating on Christmas. Of course I still want Cameron & Reese to be excited for presents on Christmas morning like all kids are, but I also want them to see the bigger picture. As I write this, Cam is watching Mickey Saves Christmas where Santa is stranded on Mistletoe Mountain. Mrs. Claus comes rushing for Mickey's help, telling him that if Santa can't be rescued, Christmas will be cancelled. That just sounded so funny to me because it's basically telling kids that if the presents aren't delivered, Christmas isn't happening. Then on the Dora Christmas special, Swiper (who, by the way, I cannot stand & I think is a complete A-hole) is placed on the Naughty List for Swiping. The message to him is that if he doesn't swipe on Christmas, he'll be put back on the Nice List. So, basically the message is that if you're good on Christmas, you can get presents even if you're a jerk the rest of the year.

I didn't grow up in a very religious household. I was baptized & went to communion class at our Lutheran church but we really only went to church a few times a year. We never prayed in our house or discussed God. Mike was raised Catholic & though we got married in his church, I knew I didn't want to raise our children Catholic. After Cameron was born, we decided that it was time to join a church & raise Cam to understand God & religion. Seeing Cameron just made me feel so much closer to God since having a child is truly a miracle. So now we belong to Church of the Suncoast. It's so great to be part of a church where we've gotten close to a lot of people. I've even been part of a book club with a handful of women from the church & I really feel that made me a much stronger person as well. It's helped me to put a lot of things into perspective & to worry a lot less. I have a looooonnng way to go still, but I'm getting there! Baby steps...

Anyway, this Christmas I want to start the path of teaching my children more about God & to shift some of the excitement from just presents alone. My favorite part of Christmas is spending time with my family & being thankful for all that we have. I want Cameron & Reese to be generous & grateful for the things they have & want to give to those who don't. This year I'd like to have Cameron pick toys to give to kids who aren't otherwise able to have anything to open on Christmas morning. I want him to realize that he has so much while so many do not. I've seen so many spoiled, bratty & ungrateful kids so I want to try my best to raise Cam & Reese differently. I'm in no way a perfect parent but I'm trying my best!

Busy, Busy!

2011-12-10T09:28:00.008-05:00

Wow, having a newborn & a three-year old has made getting ready for Christmas quite interesting! I cannot believe that Christmas is only two weeks away & I'm feeling very unprepared! I'm trying to shop online any chance I get but a few of my presents have been pretty time consuming so it's going slower than I'd like! The good news is I got my Christmas cards out yesterday & finished the few presents that were taking so much time.

Luckily Mike has been off the past couple of days & my mom was here before that. Reese is still a complete doll, but newborns keep you hopping regardless! When she's tired, she prefers to be held, so I'm learning to do a lot one-handed! Sometimes she fights sleep in the morning & at night so that can take some time, getting her to finally submit to sleep!

You'll notice in the picture above that Cam was playing with Mike's gear for the Chicago Bears podcast he & his friend Jonesy have been doing. Click here to check it out... it's very entertaining, especially if you're a football fan!

Overall, things are still going very well around here. I'm pretty tired some mornings & have found myself to be more hormonal & short-tempered lately. I snapped at Mike yesterday when he didn't get up with Cameron & I felt horrible afterward. I've started to realize just how easy having one kid actually was. At the time we only had one, I felt that Cam kept me so busy, but now managing one child at a time seems so easy. One big difference between one vs. two kids is that the mornings when Reese is sleeping in until nearly 9 like today, I'm still getting up at 7 with Cam. But, I wouldn't change things for a second! I just need to work through these hormones & try to be more patient even when I'm exhausted. Not always easy though!

Reese loves, loves, loves to be talked to & listens intently... She mimics facial expressions when we open our mouths at her or stick out our tongues.

Cam is still such a loving big brother & such a helper! He truly loves his baby sister.

Tomorrow I'll be taking Cam to Busch Gardens to meet my family for my dad & brother's birthdays. Mike is staying home with Reese since we don't want to risk getting her sick. I got a manual breast pump to take along so I can be a mobile Bessie the Cow! Pumping has helped me stock up a lot of breast milk! Normally I use the Medela Pump in Style which is great but it's large, not at all discreet & needs to be plugged in. I stopped by Target yesterday & chose the Medela Harmony because it already goes with the parts I currently have & it had good reviews. I tried it out yesterday & pumped about four ounces in ten minutes. It took longer because you can only pump one side at a time. I'm hoping to breastfeed as long as I can & so far so good! But I'm looking forward to some much needed one-on-one time with my favorite son in the world!!

3 Weeks Old

2011-12-05T12:49:00.005-05:00

Reese is three weeks old already! Time is flying by for sure! We had a really nice weekend together as a family but it flew by too quickly as it always does. Reese is awake a lot more of the day but she's still such a laid back little gal. With her increased alertness things definitely are getting busier though. It seems I'm always partially doing everything & going back a million times before something gets completely done. In fact, as I type this, my makeup is still not fully applied even though I first started putting it on hours ago!

It would be helpful if I wasn't such a psycho about getting things done & constantly scrutinizing my house & seeing things that need to be cleaned or organized. I have SUCH a hard time just relaxing. I am letting some things slide so I have more time to focus on Reese & truly enjoy her at this amazingly sweet age. Her newborn clothes are already starting to get snug so I know she's growing way too quickly!

Yesterday I got my kiddos dressed in their Bears gear & they looked so cute snuggling together on the floor. Cam is an amazing big brother & absolutely loves his sister. When he first wakes up & she's still sleeping, he always asks where she is. It seems we're constantly washing his hands or putting on sanitizer since he always wants to touch her & kiss her. We're trying our best to keep her healthy but it's not easy when Cam touches EVERYTHING & also goes to daycare. And wouldn't you know, I'm now sick too! I was healthy my entire pregnancy & now I get a cold... what the heck?!

Reese was wearing Cam's Bears onesie & below you'll see a picture of my baby boy wearing it three years ago at about the same age.

I'm so incredibly blessed to have two beautiful kids!

Baby Legs

2011-12-02T09:45:00.002-05:00

I've always adored it when babies wear those cute leggings paired with a onesie. Now that I have a baby girl, I couldn't wait for her to sport them! Lauren sent me a link to the Baby Legs website since they're running a sale for 3-packs starting as low as $10.

I ended up getting 9 pairs for $34 which is a really good deal! 3 of the 9 are newborn size which is what Reese is wearing today.

As cute as they look on, they'll be convenient for diaper changes too.

I could just eat this little gal up, she's so cute!

Like a Weed...

2011-12-02T08:34:00.002-05:00

My mom & I took Reese for her 2 week weigh-in yesterday since she'd lost 7% of her body weight at her 3 day check-up. We all took guesses as to what she would weigh this time around & Mike & I were guessing 7#, 2oz since she'd gone down to 6#, 9oz at her 3 day check. I thought my mom was being a little unrealistic when she guessed 7#, 7oz so I was shocked when the scale registered 7#, 9oz!! My little gal gained a full pound in 2 short weeks! And she's grown an inch & a half since birth! All that eating & sleeping is helping Reese to grow like a weed!

I'm so glad today is Friday... looking forward to Mike being home & spending the weekend as a family. This week has absolutely flown by though! My time home with Reese seems to be going way too fast so I'm savoring it before I have to go back to work full-time in 6 short weeks. Boo. My mom has been an amazing help & I am beyond thankful to have her here so I can focus more of my attention on Reese vs. the day-to-day chores. I've barely done laundry in two weeks... I better not get to used to this though since I'm being so spoiled right now! I'll be in for a big wake-up call when I'm back on my own!!

My mom even watched both kids last night so we could go out on a date. We NEVER got to go out when Cam was a baby (and we're rarely able to go out in general since we have no actual babysitters nearby) so this was an absolute treat! We had Italian food & then got some margaritas after dinner. I think it's so important for a couple to try to stay connected even when things are so hectic with kids. Easier said than done sometimes, but when you have the opportunity to do a date night, do it! It can be hard for me to leave the kids or I can feel like I don't want to put someone out by babysitting, but it's so worth it!

Hello World!

2011-11-29T11:49:00.003-05:00

Reese was bright-eyed & bushy-tailed this morning so she spent some time on her Einstein's play mat. She's been hitting the little rattles that hang but I think she has no idea she's even doing that. Although maybe she's just really advanced for a two-week old?!

She also did some tummy time which she wasn't necessarily fond of but did a good job anyway.

And then after all that exercise & alert time it was time for her to settle into a long morning nap! Being a newborn sure is tiring!

Two Weeks Old!

2011-11-28T08:51:00.002-05:00

Reese is two weeks old today! We're still doing really, really well & enjoying the heck out of our girl.

My mom will be staying with me again this week which is great. So far I've had zero issues with postpartum anxiety (unlike my experience with Cam) but I'm just making sure all is well before I turn away the extra help. I never want to experience that kind of anxiety ever again so I'm playing it safe this time around. I'm someone who is not at all good at accepting help but for the sake of my sanity & for the good of my kids, I'm putting a bit of pride aside & taking it. Cam is back at daycare this week which is also a good thing since he keeps so active & structured there & is able to burn off some energy. We've definitely had some issues with him listening (or, I should say not listening) this week which has been very frustrating. His favorite word has been NO! & I've found myself short on patience. I'll pick him up early from daycare as my mom stays with Reese, but it'll be good for us to miss each other a bit!

Reese is doing great! Eating & sleeping lots & being a very content, calm girl. She even slept through the night last night... unbelievable. I truly believe that a newborn either sleeps well or doesn't. We've done nothing different with her than we did with Cam & he was up a ton during the night. Here's to hoping she keeps that up!! I'm loving staying home with my girl & having time off of work. And what a perfect time of year to be off!

Thankful

2011-11-26T15:21:00.003-05:00

I have so much to be thankful for this year! We had such a nice, low-key Thanksgiving & it was wonderful to spend the day with my family. Reese slept through much of her first Thanksgiving & she didn't even try the turkey! ;o)

This year I decided I was going to make the mashed potatoes & sweet potatoes the day before Thanksgiving so the day of would be a lot more relaxing. I wanted to try something new so I made the Pioneer Woman's recipes. They were really good! Click here for the sweet potatoes & here for the mashed potatoes if you're interested.

My mom was already staying with us this past week & my dad joined her Wednesday night which is our yearly tradition. We ordered Chinese food for dinner & just hung out which is also our yearly tradition.

We went lighter on the appetizers this year since most years we over-do it. I put out a simple cheese, meat & cracker platter. I rolled one log of goat cheese in dill & the other in paprika which I also stole from the Pioneer Woman. Click here to see how it's done.

My niece Maddy was so happy to hold Reese! When Reese was in my belly, Maddy loved to feel her kick & move so I knew she'd be excited to finally meet her.

Yesterday we took our yearly trip to the Christmas tree farm to pick a tree. Reese slept in the sling I wore most of the time we were there but Cam had a blast taking a walk through the "spooky forest" AKA, walking through all the Christmas trees that are actually grown here in Florida.

I had some snuggle time with my loves as we put our tree up last night. I am one lucky girl.

Reese supervised me & Cam as we decorated the tree. She didn't do a very good job of it if you ask me! Ha!

We had such a great Thanksgiving & we're very excited to be gearing up for Christmas. I considered skipping the outdoor lights this year, but we summoned the energy to get them strung as Reese napped this morning & I'm glad we did. Christmas & Thanksgiving is such a magical time of year! I am so thankful!

One Week Old

2011-11-22T07:49:00.004-05:00

Yesterday Reese hit the one week mark! I meant to blog but time got away from me... imagine that. Mike went back to work yesterday & today but my mom is staying with us through Thanksgiving. Mike will be home with us tomorrow through Friday which I'm really looking forward to since we're taking our annual trip to pick our Christmas tree on Friday.

We've had a really smooth week with Reese & it truly feels like she's been in our lives forever. She has been such an amazingly easy baby, never crying unless it's time to eat. Basically all she's doing is eating, sleeping, dirtying diapers & sleeping some more. She's even doing awesome at night which is something we're so not used to since Cam had been up every two hours for the first couple of months at least. We'll see if she keeps up the good work!

Reese was able to meet her two best friends on Saturday. Baby Taylor is six months old & Samantha was born a day after Reese! Kelly came to the hospital to visit us on the day Reese was born & ended up going into labor that very night! It is SO cool that our girls are only a day apart!

I'm loving my time off from work & just soaking up every moment with Reese. My little Cam has been home from daycare the past two weeks so I've been making sure he's getting plenty of love and attention. Having my mom here helps tons with that since I was able to take him outside yesterday to play & ride bikes. He's been adjusting really well & absolutely adores his sister. We've had some meltdowns for sure & I'm just keeping my patience since I know we're all adjusting. But so far we're adjusting better than I ever imagined!

First Photo Shoot

2011-11-20T14:12:00.005-05:00

Friday my friend KC came to do our newborn/family photo shoot. I now know that I could never have the patience to photograph babies or children!

Here's a sneak peak of one of the photos KC took... I cannot wait to see the rest! It's perfect timing since we'll send out a sort of combined birth announcement/Christmas card this year. If you're looking for a photographer in the Tampa/Orlando area, I highly recommend KC. Check out her website here.

I was sweating my butt off as KC took Reese's pictures since it needed to be warm in the house with her being naked. And with all that nakedness, she peed on me & Cam & pooped on Mike! What a stinker!

All in all, the photo shoot went very well but my three year-old stinker wasn't in a cooperating mood since the shoot extended into his nap time. Luckily we had a few moments of cooperation & KC assured me that she definitely got some good family pics. I'm so excited to send out our Christmas cards this year. We are so blessed!

Our Hospital Stay...

2011-11-17T17:31:00.006-05:00

Well, we're settled at home with Reese now & everyone is doing great! I have to say that this overall experience has been night & day from the one I had with Cam. Sunday we checked into the hospital & rested until 4am when they started the induction process & the Pitocin. I slept maybe two broken hours, but all in all I felt pretty good Monday morning. I really wanted to get my epidural before things got too painful, but that really didn't end up happening. When the Pitocin was first started, the contractions were completely manageable. That all changed when the doctor came in at 6am & decided to break my water, just after the nurse increased the rate of my Pitocin. Things got pretty painful from there & the anesthesiologist seemed to be taking his sweet time!

After the epidural was in place at around 7:30am, it was a much more comfortable experience. We basically waited & tried to relax until I was 10cm which happened around 9am. I did a couple of practice pushes with the nurse & then when the doctor arrived, I pushed maybe twice & Reese was quickly born at 9:39am.

Seeing Reese for the first time was a very emotional experience for me as I heard her first cries, Mike cut the umbilical cord & they placed her on my chest. It was seriously love at first sight. I think with Cam, I was so overwhelmed with everything since it was my first time around, that I didn't feel nearly as bonded with him as quickly. Things just felt really right this time. Cam & I could not be closer now, but it did take time for me. I think that contributed to my postpartum anxiety since I felt like a bad mom who wasn't connecting to her child.

After Reese was born we moved rooms, she got her first bath from a group of nursing students & we settled into our very spacious room. She slept a lot of the day! It was awesome when Cam came with Grandma & met his baby sister for the first time!! He was wonderful with her immediately & just wanted to hold her. It was, however, very upsetting when he had to leave a couple of hours later. He just didn't want to go so my heart completely broke as I comforted him as he cried. The nurse brought me out into the hall to ask if I wanted to walk him out to the car & I completely lost it & cried hysterically. Luckily my friends were there to calm me down & Daddy walked a happier Cam to the car.

Since I came back Group B Strep positive, we had to stay for 48 hours after delivery. Tuesday was very low-key & relaxing & Mike & I spent a lot of the day just bonding with Reese. My co-workers visited (since I delivered at the hospital where I work) & Cam & Grandma came for a while too. We sent Reese to the nursery both nights so we could get some much needed sleep before heading home. We didn't do that with Cam & ended up getting VERY little sleep & coming home like walking zombies. I am so thankful we came home rested & ready to handle our three year old & newborn.

I'll post more about our first couple of days home, but thus far we are really doing great & it's been wonderful to be home as a family of four!! I am so blessed.

Happy Birthday, Reese Elizabeth!!

2011-11-14T16:25:00.003-05:00

We welcomed Reese Elizabeth Pernecky this morning at 9:39, weighing in at 7#, 1oz & 19.5" long!

We couldn't be more thankful & overjoyed about our healthy, beautiful baby girl!

40 Week Update

2011-11-13T16:00:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow I'll be considered 40 weeks pregnant but since we're checking into the hospital tonight in hopes of meeting our baby girl tomorrow, I'm posting a day early. I cannot believe the day is here & that Reese actually waited! What a good girl! I'm thankful that tonight we'll be calmly driving to the hospital while I know Cam is safe & sound, sleeping in his own bed with my mom staying at our house to take care of him. I've had a lot of anxiety leading to this day but I'm surprisingly calm today. I guess because I know the day is here & we're going in & everything is going to happen regardless of what I'm thinking or worrying about.

How am I feeling? All in all, I'm feeling really good. A lot of my hip/pelvic aches & pains have subsided & I really think it's because my hips are widening as Reese is dropping. I've been having insane charley-horse type cramps in my hips & butt lately. They literally stop me in my tracks & I feel like I'm going to just fall to the ground! I've been really, really tired lately which is weird because I've been sleeping great. I think it's just my brain knowing that the full nights of sleep are going to end as of tomorrow.

Any new changes this week? Just on & off contractions, some pretty strong. Today I've been feeling a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions too. Otherwise, no other changes going on. We have everything set for Reese & for our time away in the hospital for while my mom is staying with Cam. I'm not sure what to expect tonight, but I guess I'll find out when we get to the hospital at 10pm. I'm thinking they'll use that cervical gel tonight & then get things going tomorrow morning with Pitocin. Not sure if sleep is in the cards tonight?

Weight gain? 17.5 pounds total which is pretty much exactly what I gained with Cam. I lost some weight this week because of fluid imbalances. I was retaining some major fluid last week & since I've been home & more relaxed, my swelling has gone WAY down.

This has been the weekend of Cam. We've wanted to soak up our one-on-one time with him before his baby sister arrives. Check out his blog to see more pictures from our weekend together. I'm really going to miss my little guy while we're in the hospital! He's been an absolute joy lately & full of love & affection. I'm praying he reacts well to meeting his sister & I really think he will. I know we'll have an adjustment period with ups & downs but I do think he's going to be a fantastic big brother!

Well, my next blog post will be all about Reese so stay tuned!

Just Hanging Out!

2011-11-11T09:48:00.004-05:00

As we approach the weekend, Reese is still just hanging out in my belly which I'm totally fine with! Mike is hoping she's born today so she has the birthday of 11/11/11... You never do know! With Cameron, I was scheduled to be induced on Thursday morning & ended up going into labor Wednesday afternoon & having him shortly after my labor began. I'm still working on just relaxing & rolling with the punches & not being anxious or worrying. I decided to take today off to just relax & get small things done around the house which has been great. Yesterday was my last day at work for the next couple of months & I was excited to be heading out the doors, getting a break. When it was time for me to have Cam, I felt a little sad to be away from work, but not so much this time around!! I'm getting some laundry done today but mostly just lounging around, enjoying the Today show & the much cooler weather this morning has brought. It's 65 degrees in my house as I relax in my recliner with my hot cup of coffee, feeling my little gal squirm around my belly.

If Reese does decide to wait till the induction Sunday night, we're going to have a low-key weekend with Cam & take him to see Puss In Boots tomorrow. It will be our last weekend as a family of three!! I still can't believe it. I also cannot believe that Thanksgiving is now less than two weeks away! We'll be hosting as usual and I'll be welcoming a day with just my immediate family. Lots going on in these upcoming days & months!! Lots to be thankful for too!

39 Week Update

2011-11-08T18:12:00.004-05:00

Here I am at the end of my pregnancy & I really cannot believe it. It's really happening... Reese is almost here. This has been such a whirlwind year so my pregnancy is a blur & I just know soon after she's born, I won't even be able to truly remember being pregnant. So as uncomfortable as I continue to be, I'm savoring every kick & movement I feel.

How am I feeling? Very nervous, anxious, excited, ready, not at all ready... The emotions vary day to day & hour to hour. There are moments where I think, Oh yeah, I can do this! I'm ready for labor, I'm ready to have a new baby, I'm ready to be the mom of two kids! And other times I think, Oh my goodness, I can't even stand to think about getting through labor, how am I going to handle two kids when sometimes I feel so overwhelmed with my life already?! Don't get me wrong, I'm so thankful to be at the end of a healthy pregnancy & ready to meet my little girl, but it gets scary sometimes & I'm a worrier by nature anyway.

Any new changes this week? Oh yeah! I had my weekly OB check-up on Monday & I'm now 2 cm dilated (from basically nothing last week). My doctor decided that if I don't go into labor on my own this week, I'll be admitted to the hospital on Sunday night for induction. Wow, wow, wow! When he said that, my reply was, As in this Sunday?! With Cameron, I really didn't want to be induced but this time around I'm actually hoping for it since my labor with him so was fast & scary. But I guess none of it is up to me so we'll see if she hangs out in my belly until then. I'm still working this week & ready to be done with that too. It's not been easy, hauling my big pregnant self around for a full day of work & then heading home to take care of Cam & everything else that goes along with life. I'm trying to savor my sleep & soak up every single second of uninterrupted sleep while I can since that's coming to a screeching halt very soon. I'm also trying to enjoy the last bit of one on one time I have with Cam before his time is shared with his baby sister. I'm just very emotional this week & trying to deal with all the ups & downs I'm feeling. Tonight's been especially rough for some reason & I even had a big cry which sort of helped. I think I'm just overwhelmed with so many emotions right now.

Weight gain? 18.5 pounds

And here's my "push present!" I've had a necklace with Cam's name on it since he was born so I wanted to get one to include my little girl too!

Surprise!

2011-11-06T14:21:00.004-05:00

One of my best friends, Kelly is only one week behind me in pregnancy & she'll be having her second girl in the next couple of weeks. I really wanted to do something to celebrate the arrival of Baby Samantha, so Lauren & I put our heads together & planned a bit of a surprise baby shower!

We invited Kelly over for a girls night in with "just the three of us" this past Wednesday & she didn't suspect a thing.

All the girls met Lauren at the front of my subdivision & waited for the go-ahead from me when Kelly arrived. Luckily as soon as she got here, she took Leah to the bathroom & that's when everyone ushered in to hide in our kitchen & surprise her when she came out! And boy was she surprised!!

I had made & froze Pioneer Woman's lasagna the Saturday before & it ended up being a real hit! Luckily I made 2 pans so we have one in the freezer waiting for us after Reese arrives. Click here for the recipe; it's super good & easy! I used the no-boil noodles which made it that much easier.

We had such a great time eating, opening presents, hanging out & enjoying a delicious cake for dessert. Kelly got a bunch of wonderful things for Samantha & was so thankful for the surprise!

While we did our girly thing, Woody, I mean Cameron & Leah hung out & played. Yep, Cam's new thing is just hanging out in his Halloween costume... what a goofball! And Mike was an awesome helper/host to our girl's night as he made sure everyone had what they needed! He's such a good guy!

38 Week Update

2011-11-01T21:25:00.003-04:00

I'm in the midst of the waiting game as I sit here at 38 weeks pregnant, never sure if the little cramp or the Braxton Hicks contraction I'm feeling may just turn into labor. Reese is weighing in at around 6.8 pounds & is measuring 19.5 inches at the size of a leek.

How am I feeling? Trying to keep the anxiety at bay since I completely know that worrying will get me nowhere. Easier said than done, I must say! The anxiety is stemming from all the uncertainty that lies ahead of me. When will I go into labor, where will I be, will Cam be taken care of, will I make it to the hospital on time, will I get an epidural before it's too late, how painful will labor be, etc, etc, etc, etc.... I've changed a lot since having Cameron in the sense of handling my anxiety. Going to church has helped as was being part of a woman's book club & reading Calm My Anxious Heart.

After I had Cameron I suffered with severe postpartum anxiety. Never in a million years did I expect something like that to happen to me, but it did. Am I worried that it's going to happen again after Reese is born? Heck yes. But I guess worrying ahead isn't going to help, right?! I'm planning on having a stronger support system this time around with my mom coming over to help as needed & Mike having more time off from work.

Any new changes this week? I had my weekly OB check-up & the doctor said I am barely dilated. This is a big change from when I was pregnant with Cameron since I was 3 centimeters at 36 weeks. But, as the doctor said, every pregnancy is different! Other than that, not all that much is going on. I'm having a lot more Braxton-Hicks contractions that are much stronger though.

Weight gain? 17 pounds. I think I lost a pound because of a decrease in swelling at the time I happened to weigh myself.

Both Kelly & myself are eager to meet our little gals! Kelly is 37 weeks now & her doctor is thinking she just might be induced at 39 weeks so who knows which girl will arrive first?! I feel so blessed to have gone through this pregnancy with Kelly & the fact that our girls will be so incredibly close in age! If they're anything like Cameron & Leah, they'll be best of friends.

And since Halloween was yesterday, I had to show our beautifully carved pumpkins! I did the kitty bat on the left & Mike carved the ghoul on the right. Aren't we just so talented! Ha.

And here the pregos are again, this time on Halloween, displaying our shirts! Hop over to Cam's blog to see some adorable kids trick-or-treating!

37 Week Update

2011-10-27T21:05:00.005-04:00

I cannot wrap my head around the fact that I'm now 37 weeks pregnant & considered full term! How did this even happen?! When I think about my pregnancy it kind of all blurs together... Reese is now weighing 6 1/3 pounds & measures a little over 19 inches... Like a stalk of Swiss chard. What the hell is Swiss chard?! Come on Baby Center, use more well known fruits & vegetables!

How am I feeling? Pretty hormonal & tired. I've had more bouts of waking up during the middle of the night & being unable to fall back to sleep which has been incredibly rough. Otherwise my aches & pains have just been intensifying, especially my groin pain. Walking has been a major challenge these days! My leg swelling is also pretty bad & barely subsides at all so it's here to stay until our gal arrives. Reese's movements are super strong & I'm trying to savor them, knowing she'll be out before I know it. I've been getting shooting pains which I know are contractions since I felt the same thing with Cam at this point & my Braxton Hicks contractions are also intensifying. And again, even though I'm not sleeping well, I'm still savoring it & NOT looking so forward to being up many times a night with a crying baby!

The above picture is me with Reese now at 37 weeks & below was me with Cam at this same time! I think my belly was a bit pointier with Cam..

Any new changes this week? Not really. I'll be going to my weekly OB check-ups starting Monday we we'll see if I'm dilated. Otherwise, I'm just trying to finish up last minute baby preparation. I'm trying to get as much in order as possible before my gal arrives!

Weight gain? 18 pounds!

Here's Reese's room which is still a work in progress... I've kind of taken on a black & white theme which I'm pretty happy with. We already had our black & white Chicago pictures in that room so I grabbed onto that & went with it. I'll post more pictures as things get more organized.

And our helper Cameron is always standing close by!

Loving the Weekend!

2011-10-25T21:07:00.005-04:00

Since the weekdays can be so very busy & hectic, it's awesome to have the weekend to relax & have some fun family & friend time.

We headed to the pumpkin patch on Saturday morning & had such a great time enjoying the gorgeous day.

From the pumpkin patch we headed to Lauren's parent's house for a fall weenie roast which was so awesome! It was seriously my perfect evening... cool weather, good friends & food & just relaxing around a fire. It felt like a mini vacation & as we headed home, I had a very peaceful feeling inside. I would love to live a little off the beaten path some day.. not too far but just far enough to get away from the hustle & bustle.

Cam & Leah wanted to explore the "spooky forest"...

And take a ride around the property on the golf cart...

And we even visited the three little bears!

Cameron got to experience his first roasted marshmallow! We had a few issues with the metal skewer since Cameron kept waving it around & wanting to jump & run with it. Last thing I wanted was a skewered face or eyeball so I was a bit of a nervous nelly at times.

Sunday we met my parents at a German restaurant that we'd gone to just five days before Cameron was born. We thought it would be a little tradition to do right before our kiddos were born. Although the tradition will likely end here since we only plan on having 2!! The place is so warm & cozy though & the staff makes you feel right at home, so we definitely plan on going back. The owner was there again & she told us she remembered us from when I was busting at the seams with Cam in my belly. I really believe her too! She gave me a huge hug on our way out... what a doll. And next time we go, I'll even get to enjoy a German beer!

36 Week Update

2011-10-17T21:15:00.006-04:00

Holy moly, I'm officially 9 months pregnant! Ahh! Reese is gaining about an ounce a day & weighs nearly six pounds at the size of a crenshaw melon. What the heck is a crenshaw melon anyway?!

How am I feeling? After my baby shower on Saturday, I was so full of energy that I organized all the gifts, washed & put everything away, painted the letters of Reese's name for her wall, applied the paisley decals to her wall, wrote my thank you cards & generally never stopped moving until 11pm. Well, I sure paid for that because Sunday I was dead prego walking & could barely muster up the strength to get out of the recliner for church. Unfortunately my post-church nap came to a screeching halt when we got the phone call letting us know we had a house showing. Time to haul myself out of the recliner to clean, clean, clean & clean some more! No rest for the weary! And speaking of rest, or lackthereof, I've been dealing with insomnia every so often, waking up completely wide awake & staying up for hours at a time. It makes for a very interesting work day when that happens! And as I get ready to publish this very post, it's 4:15 in the morning! Yay, me! Guess I'll be going into work early today... But I am trying to bask in my sleep, knowing it's going to come to a screeching halt when Reese is born. I'm also trying to enjoy the rest of this pregnancy despite the aches & pains, knowing it's likely my last. I'm so incredibly thankful to be blessed with a healthy pregnancy & every kick & squirm I feel, I am amazed by. Before you know it, Reese will be here & I won't even be able to truly remember what it feels like to be pregnant.

Any new changes this week? I had my routine OB appointment Monday & all looked good. My doctor discussed the fluid in my kidney & said it would indeed be the cause of me waking up in excruciating pain with a condition called renal colic. He said if it continues to be an issue, I could be referred to a urologist & have a ureter stent placed. Because it hasn't been an issue (knock on wood) since the night of Cam's birthday a few weeks ago, I'm thinking there would be no sense in going through that this close to the end of my pregnancy. Especially since delivery will solve the problem with Reese acting as my obstruction vs. a stone or something else. Every now in then I have a dull ache in my right kidney, but I can deal with that.

Weight gain? 16.5 pounds.

Showered with Love!

2011-10-17T18:08:00.004-04:00

When my mom broached the subject of hosting a baby shower for us, I hesitated since it didn't seem right to have one for baby #2. She insisted on throwing one though, and Saturday it was finally time to celebrate the arrival of Baby Reese with family & friends!

The shower turned out beautifully & I felt so special! It was so relaxed & low-key which was perfect! You'll see in the above left picture, there are three pregos! Kelly is one week behind me & Cheryl is 4 weeks behind me. And my friend Lauren B who was there is also pregnant so we had 4 pregnant girls all carrying girls!!

The decorations were wonderful & Lauren made me an amazingly beautiful diaper cake! I was majorly impressed with her skills & it's now proudly displayed in Reese's room. I'm not sure if I'll ever have the heart to disassemble it to use the diapers though!! Melanie designed the candles since she's working at a great candle company & I was thrilled when I saw & smelled them!

Opening presents for Reese was so exciting & I was extremely thankful for everyone's generosity & thought. We didn't want Cameron to feel left out so he got a Lightning McQueen car from his baby sister.

And he had a blast playing with his cousins as always.

I'm so incredibly thankful to have such wonderful friends & family to come & celebrate our baby girl!!

35 Week Update

2011-10-12T20:55:00.005-04:00

Here I am at 35 weeks & Reesey Piecey is over 18 inches long & weighs about 5 1/4 pounds! Although, I'm guessing she weighs less since she's measuring a week behind & Cam was a peanut while measuring on track. The majority of what's happening now is some fattening up since most of her basic physical development is now complete.

How am I feeling? Lots of energy this week which I think is related to the never ending to-do list that's constantly ticking off in my head. With D-Day quickly approaching, I'm trying to get as much done as possible! I have such a range of emotions lately... super excited & feeling ready one second to nervous & feeling utterly unprepared the next. I'm wondering how I'll handle having two kids & how my relationship with Cam will be affected. That's probably what scares me the most. Since we only know what it is to have one & give Cam our undivided attention, I can only guess how it will be with two! I know I have enough love for two but it still weighs on my mind since I do not want Cam to think he's loved any less.

My lower back has been super weak & sore & I have raging heartburn, but otherwise I can't complain. I had my ultrasound done last week for my gallbladder & it turns out that all looks good there. Apparently though I do have quite a bit of fluid buildup in my right kidney which is a condition called hydronephrosis. I guess it's pretty common in pregnancy since the baby puts pressure on the ureter, forcing urine back into the kidney. From what the nurse told me over the phone, my doctor doesn't plan to intervene in any way. So, I still have no idea why I've woken up twice in the middle of the night recently in excruciating pain with all the symptoms of a gallbladder attack?! I'll see my doctor on Monday though & possibly have a better clue. It could be related to the fluid in my kidney, but I'm not sure at this point.

Any new changes this week? Just getting bigger! Reese has been getting the hiccups more often over the past couple of days. I can tell she doesn't love them since she gets really squirmy during that time. Poor gal!

Weight gain? 14.5 pounds.

What's For Dinner?

2011-10-11T18:44:00.004-04:00

One of the most amazing sandwiches I've ever eaten was what was for dinner tonight!! I've been reading the Pioneer Woman's blog & browsing her recipes lately so when I realized she had a new show on the Food Network, I was super excited. This was one of the recipes she made on the show & it's her husband's favorite sandwich. I now think it's also my husband's favorite sandwich too!

This sandwich was so incredibly flavorful & easy to whip up on a work night. I guarantee if you try it, you'll love it. Unless you're a vegetarian, of course! Click here, make it, eat it & you will not regret it. You can thank me later!

Go Bears!

2011-10-10T19:58:00.003-04:00

Cam got ready for the Bears game tonight by wearing his jersey to school!

Hopefully they win tonight!!!

Working on the Nest!

2011-10-09T07:31:00.006-04:00

There's been a lot of nesting going on here this weekend! They say you're getting close to the baby arriving when you begin nesting, but I'm not so sure that could be accurate for me since it's rare that I sit & relax. But, I have been in gear to get as much organized & ready before my little girl arrives. Friday I was pitching out nastiness of mystery Tupperware containers that tend to make their way to the back of the fridge, only to be forgotten for several months when I decided to completely scour the entire fridge. I ended up having an impromptu scrub fest, emptying & scrubbing every drawer & shelf in the dang thing. Works out well though since I always clean the fridge before the holidays since we host Thanksgiving each year. Easier to do it with a baby growing quietly in my belly vs. crying & fussing on the outside!

I made my way through another bin of Cam's clothes that will work for Reese too... lots of Chicago Bears & White Sox gear. It'll be cute to see them wear the same clothes! I also washed a lot of the Velcro swaddlers we had from Cam. He didn't seem to enjoy being tightly swaddled but maybe she will? I've been reading The Happiest Baby on the Block which talks about the concept of the "4th trimester" & swaddling is a big part of calming your hysterical infant. But who knows, maybe Reese will be the perfect baby who just never fusses & cries?! Ha.

We even got the swing & bouncy seat washed & set up too. And we had to buy a new infant car seat since Cam's was a hand-me-down that we didn't want to use again. Luckily we had a 20% off coupon for Babies R Us that we took advantage of.

I'd still like to do some decorating of her room without going overboard since our house is for sale. Still thinking about what I could do... Maybe find some cute decals for the wall? I'm pretty sure we're going to put her name on the wall above her crib in wooden letters. We shall see! But I have to say, it does feel good to be getting things ready for our gal!

And I've also gotten our house spruced up for Fall! Granted, since moving to Florida, Fall is nothing spectacular since the trees don't change colors & a chilly breeze is 80 degrees, but I'll still take it! Better than the hellishly hot Summer!

34 Week Update

2011-10-05T06:13:00.004-04:00

I can't believe I'm already 34 weeks pregnant! Reese is weighing in at around 4 3/4 pounds at the size of a cantaloupe & she's nearly 18 inches long! Crazy. The best thing I read this week on Baby Center was that babies born at 34-37 weeks with no other health issues usually do just fine. Not that I'm ready or she's ready, but it's good to know & puts me at ease!!

How am I feeling? This has actually been a good week! Less discomfort & more energy which is nice. I had my OB check-up Monday & the doctor ended up checking to see if I was dilated after I told him about my persistent Braxton Hicks contractions last week. Not dilated! I'm also scheduled for an abdominal ultrasound for my gallbladder tomorrow so we'll see what happens there. So far no more gallbladder attacks but I've been careful about what I'm eating.

Any new changes this week? Not really! Reese is still moving like crazy & her movements are only getting stronger! I was on my laptop this week when she actually kicked it so hard that it tipped backwards. She's pretty cute! I can definitely see a pattern in her sleep & wake times. She loves the morning, around 8am, is quiet mid-morning, up after lunch & super active at night around 9pm.

Weight gain? 13.5 pounds.

Gorgeous Weekend

2011-10-02T21:31:00.004-04:00

I was absolutely thrilled with the weather this weekend since it was the first time we had a reprieve from the heat since winter. We decided to take advantage of the gorgeous day & hit Busch Gardens this morning since it's Grammy's last weekend before she heads back to Chicago.

After sweating for the past five months, I cannot tell you just how refreshing a cool breeze felt! Especially at eight & a half months pregnant...

We got to the park as it opened & just wandered around, admiring the different animals, taking the Sky Ride a couple of times & even hopping on the train.

Cam was so excited to see the hippos swimming around the water!

Until the hippo decided to have him for a late breakfast!! Only kidding, these are just fake hippos & Cameron was not harmed in any way...

We had such a fantastic time & enjoyed the heck out of the break from the heat!

33 Week Update

2011-09-28T19:14:00.004-04:00

I'm now 33 weeks pregnant & Reese weighs a little over 4 pounds, measuring at about 17 inches long. She's the size of a pineapple this week!

How am I feeling? Positively exhausted the past couple of days! I'm really uncomfortable & had a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions yesterday. Work was tiring & Cam wanted to go the park after I got home, so I was pretty worn out after our trek there & back. I started to get a little concerned when they woke me up at midnight & even considered going to the hospital, but they ended up subsiding & I fell back to sleep. I'm trying to slow down today which is not easy for me, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes to deliver a healthy full-term baby girl.

Any new changes this week? I got sick about a month ago in the middle of the night with horrific pain in my stomach, side & back with nausea & vomiting. I thought it was a fluke because of something I ate, but when it happened again this weekend, I realized I'm actually having gallbladder attacks. After a high fat meal on Saturday evening, I woke up at 1am with the exact same symptoms as a month ago. After waking Mike up, he went online & I was having every symptom of a gallbladder attack. It lasted almost 3 hours & was seriously as painful as labor at times! Normally I don't eat high fat meals, but there are those days or special occasions where it does happen. I'm going to talk to my OB at my appointment Monday, but I can tell you that I'm scared to eat these days in fear of going through that pain again. I'll be sticking to low-fat meals for now though.

Otherwise, Reese is doing good, moving TONS & growing like a weed! I'm so thankful to be having a healthy pregnancy so far & want to keep it that way.

Weight gain? 12.5 pounds. I lost a half pound between last week & this week... maybe because of the gallbladder thing? Maybe because I was running mad with Cam's birthday & party?

Cam's Birthday Weekend

2011-09-26T21:34:00.005-04:00

In the pictures above, you'll see my two year-old little boy & in the pictures below, you'll see my three year-old little boy! Doesn't he look so much more mature as a three year-old?! Granted, they were only taken about 14 hours apart, but still...

We had quite the whirlwind weekend celebrating the birth of my favorite son! You can hop over to Cam's blog to see more pictures from his fabulous birthday weekend! I still can't believe my little guy is three!

My Baby Boy is THREE!!

2011-09-20T21:15:00.007-04:00

I cannot believe that my Cameron Michael is three today!! We love every minute spent with our boy & thank God everyday for blessing our lives with such an amazing, sweet child.

Cameron's birthday is so much more special to me than my own since it was a day that changed my life forever. He was born at 6:54 pm after only a little more than three hours of extremely intense labor. This fits his personality to a T since he's not the most patient little guy! When reading my friend Lauren's blog earlier this year, I discovered the words of an incredibly touching book that brings tears to my eyes each time I read it. After the first time I read it, I knew I wanted to buy this book for Cam for his next birthday so that's exactly what we did.

On the Night You Were Born

By Nancy Tillman

On the night you were born,
The moon smiled with such wonder
That the stars peeked in to see you
And the night wind whispered,
"Life will never be the same."
Because there had never been anyone like you... ever in the world.
So enchanted with you were the wind & the rain
That they whispered the sound of your wonderful name.
It sailed through the farmland
High on the breeze... Over the ocean & through the trees...
Until everyone heard it & everyone knew
Of the one & only ever you.
Not once had there been such eyes,
Such a nose, such silly, wiggly, wonderful toes.
When the polar bears heard, they danced until dawn.
From faraway places, the geese flew home.
The moon stayed up until morning the next day.
And non of the ladybugs flew away.
So whenever you doubt just how special you are
And you wonder who loves you, how much & how far,
Listen for the geese honking high in the sky.
(They're singing a song to remember you by.)
Or notice the bears asleep a the zoo.
(It's because they've been dancing all night for you!)
Or drift off to sleep to the sound of the wind.
(Listen closely, it's whispering your name again!)
If the moon stays up until morning one day,
Or a ladybug lands & decides to stay,
Or a little bird sits at your window awhile,
It's because they're all hoping to see you smile...
For never before in story or rhyme
(Not even once upon a time)
Has the world ever known you, my friend,
And it never will, not ever again...
Heaven blew every trumpet
And played every horn
On the wonderful, marvelous
Night you were born.

So Cameron, it is my wish for you that you never forget how absolutely, positively special you are! Mommy & Daddy could not ever ask for a more loving, funny & unique son as you are. The book is so true when it says, "There had never been anyone like you.. ever in the world." Thank you so much for blessing our lives... we could not imagine life without you. Happy 3rd birthday, my beautiful, amazing baby boy! We love you more than you'll ever know.

32 Week Update

2011-09-20T20:53:00.003-04:00

Holy cow, I cannot believe I'm now eight months pregnant! Where has the time gone?! This week Reese weighs about 3.75 pounds & is 16.7 inches long. She's now gaining about a 1/2 pound a week & will gain a third to a half of her birth weight from now until then! Things are only getting tighter in that cramped belly of mine!

How am I feeling? Same discomfort of pelvic, back, rib & sternum pain. This week has been especially bad since I've been really stressed since we've had some bad news in our family. We were told a week & a half ago that Mike's Aunt Elaine was given only 6 months to live after discovering that her uterine cancer had spread. We were so devastated to hear that since we love & adore her so much & actually thought she was doing well. Unfortunately we didn't often get to see Aunt Elaine since she lived in Illinois. Well, at the end of last week we got the call that Aunt Elaine had passed. As heartbroken as we are, we're thankful that her suffering wasn't prolonged & she passed in her sleep in the comfort of her own home. Mike just got home from been out of town since Saturday for the funeral & then work so things have been pretty hectic around here. Not to mention that I made the long trek to Ft. Lauderdale for my Uncle Keith's wedding this weekend. The wedding was on the beach & absolutely gorgeous, but I felt a little low since Mike & Cam were supposed to be there with me. Thankfully Matt & Kelly volunteered to watch Cam so that I didn't have to drag him nearly ten hours in the car by myself & I was able to relax & enjoy the wedding. We are so incredibly blessed to have such amazing friends.

Any new changes this week? More leg swelling! BOO! This time it's been more consistent which makes me think it's probably here to stay. It seems that my body tries to get rid of the excess fluid at night which makes me run to the bathroom quite often. In addition to that, I've also been waking up a horrible sweaty mess in the middle of the night which is so gross! I also had quite a bit of Braxton Hicks contractions since last week from all the running I was doing but they seem to have lessened so far this week.

I had a routine OB check-up yesterday & all looks wonderful. My doctor said that Reese's growth is right on track. As he was trying to listen to her heartbeat, she was jumping all over the place which was funny. The doctor even commented, Holy cow, she's having a party in there! That's my active girl!

Weight gain? 13 pounds.

And here are some pictures from my uncle's wedding on Saturday...

I was finally able to meet my cousin Kristin's daughter, Maggie & catch up with her & her husband, Timmy. Maggie is 2 months old so there will be a 4 month difference between her & Reese.

The wedding location was perfect!

And after 21 years together, they finally tied the knot! So happy for Uncle Keith & Amy!

31 Week Update

2011-09-14T21:04:00.003-04:00

Here I am at 31 weeks & Reese is measuring at nearly 16 inches!! That is insane to me! She weighs about 3.3 pounds & will be getting bigger very quickly with a growth spurt on the way.

How am I feeling? Very uncomfortable. My lower back feels super weak & sore as does my pelvis. Work continues to be really busy & I'm spending a lot of time on my feet, rushing around like a nut. I seriously cannot imagine what I'm going to feel like in a month or so when I'm already this uncomfortable. Compared to my pregnancy with Cam, I'm feeling way more uncomfortable sooner! My ribs & sternum have been feeling bruised in the evening & my leg cramps are in full force during sleep. Last night would have been extremely amusing had there been a camera filming me attempt to leap out of bed from a dead sleep & find it very difficult to stand up. As I was struck with a horrid left calf cramp, my right ankle cramped & I seriously could not get out of bed! It was awful. Unbenounced to me, Mike noticed me struggling while he was in his sleep but later told me that he fell back to sleep before he could actually assist me. Nice! I've also been having Braxton Hicks contractions here & there, especially when I'm really stressed & busy.

Anything new this week? I got my RhoGAM shot yesterday since I'm Rh negative. If Reese is Rh positive, I'll get another shot after she's born. BUT, since Mike is Rh negative like me, there's no way she'll be positive. And when he reads this, Mike will joke, That's if I'm the father. Ha ha, he he, ho ho!

Weight gain? Still 12 pounds.

Disney Vacation

2011-09-11T18:49:00.009-04:00

Recently we made the decision to take a mini Disney vacation to celebrate Cam's 3rd birthday instead of throwing him a big party. I figured it would be a great way to take our last trip as a family of three before Reese arrives in November. We've gone to Chicago a couple of times since Cam has been born, but I consider this our first true family vacation.

After checking into our hotel on Thursday afternoon, swimming & relaxing, we headed out for an evening at Downtown Disney. We had an absolute blast at the T-Rex Cafe which I would recommend to any family with kids. Granted, it's definitely not cheap, but worth it for a special occasion. Cam was in awe of everything around him as we ate. We took advantage of the cooler weather & strolled around Downtown Disney after dinner. It was so wonderful to feel an actual cool-ish breeze after months of constant heat & humidity. Hop over to Cam's Blog to see pictures from the T-Rex Cafe & our breakfast with the characters on Saturday morning.

Friday morning we excitedly headed out for the Magic Kingdom. I was almost as excited as Cameron since it's been so long that I've spent a full day there.... probably 15+ years.

Cam couldn't wait to see Cinderella's Castle so when he first spotted it, we were all super excited!

We planned this trip for when school would be back in session & crowds would be less & it could not have been more perfect. We basically had zero lines the entire day & walked onto any ride we wanted.

We even caught a cool 3D show! Reese wanted to try on my glasses & have a looksie too...

Cam even grabbed a 45 minute nap & it he was rearing to go afterwards.

We hit every single ride we wanted to go on! Cam's first ride ended up being the Haunted Mansion & I wasn't sure how he'd react to it. He seemed fine but I'm not so sure he loved it since Mike heard him say, I don't like rides! after we were off. Oops! But I rode everything as a kid & I'm hoping Cam will be the same & not be afraid of everything so I was trying not to make a big deal out of it. I think he'll end up being one of those kids who loves roller-coasters, but we'll see.

As we decided we were ready to leave the park, we posed for one last picture in front of Cinderella's Castle when the sky opened up & we were stuck in a horrific storm.

We got soaked as we made our way to the front of the park & had to finally take shelter when it was far too bad to make it back to the monorail. Luckily we did because I haven't seen lightning bolts like this in a long time!

I cannot tell you just how much fun we had on our mini vacation. Cam was an absolute angel & it was just so great to have a few days of solid family time. I seriously enjoyed every second of it & will never forget our first true family vacation.

30 Week Update

2011-09-07T20:14:00.004-04:00

I cannot believe I've hit the 30 week mark! That's always seemed like a big milestone to me in pregnancy.. the home stretch! Reese weighs almost 3 pounds & is 15.7 inches long at the size of a cabbage. She's my Cabbage Patch Kid!

Oh & I look like a worn down old lady in this week's picture because that exactly what I felt like! Mike took this while I was still in my scrubs & not yet showered. I've retired my scrub top since it no longer fits over my belly!

How am I feeling? At the moment? Exhausted! Work was super busy the past two days & I put in longer hours. I've been getting us packed for our Disney mini vacation since I got home today so I am wiped! I cannot wait to have our first real family vacation! We're taking Cam for his third birthday as a last hurrah before he has to share the limelight with his sister. The weather isn't supposed to be as hot as it normally is so hopefully I survive our long day at the Magic Kingdom on Friday. Cameron is going to be in awe of everything he sees!

Otherwise I felt great over the long weekend, but as soon as it was back to work on Tuesday, I felt like crap yet again. I am SO much more achy & in pain in my hips, pelvis & back on workdays & it has to be related to the stress, extra time on my feet & lack of relaxation.

Any new changes this week? I had a routine OB check-up yesterday which was thankfully uneventful. I'll be seeing the doctor every two weeks until I hit 36 weeks & begin my weekly visits. My swelling has been off & on & luckily off way more than on. But anytime I'm on my feet too much & not drinking enough water, I can feel the tightness in my legs & feet. Yuck!

Weight gain? 12 pounds.

What's For Dinner?

2011-09-06T19:08:00.005-04:00

Yesterday we had a nice, open afternoon so I decided to make an eggplant Parmesan recipe I had seen on the Food Network.

This would be a good recipe for anyone who is vegetarian.

It's not great as a weeknight meal since it does take some time (unless you make it ahead of time), especially if you follow the step of salting the eggplant slices for an hour to remove their bitter juices. But, it's perfect for a weekend meal to serve a crowd. If you don't plan on serving many, you could always freeze a good amount like we did. I've been wanting to make & freeze meals for when Reese is born, so this worked out very well. We used jarred sauce instead of making our own.

It was cheesy deliciousness! Click here for the recipe.

And trust me when I say you won't regret it!

Long Weekend

2011-09-04T08:14:00.004-04:00

It is so incredibly nice to be in the midst of a long, holiday weekend! Having that one extra day off of work makes all the difference in the world!

We're enjoying our time together as a family this weekend & have spent time with friends too. Before heading to Matt & Kelly's house yesterday, Cam was able to play in the bath. Mommy was able to multi-task by cleaning the bathroom as he played in the tub! That kid could seriously spend hours in the tub if I let him. Luckily now that he's older I'm able to get things done as he bathes. Many times I'll sit on the floor outside the bathroom & fold laundry as he plays. Or I'll tidy up his room which is right next to the bathroom, popping in & out to check on him. He's a good boy though & just uses his imagination to play with his toys & cars in the tub.

He loves to play the "dumping" game where we pretend we really don't want him to dump his toys but he does anyway. We say, Don't dump it! Don't dump it! And he gets a huge smile on his face & dumps the whole thing. Such a stinker.

Before church this morning we're heading to Panera since a certain chocolate croissant caught my eye when I was there Friday & has been calling to me since! We have absolutely no plans after church which I'm very excited about. Last weekend we were gone from early morning until Cam's bedtime both Saturday & Sunday so we had zero downtime & no time to get anything done around the house. It will be nice to get some things done & just relax.

Unfortunately on Friday as I was hanging out with Cam in his room, he bashed his chin on his bed & bit his lip. Luckily it wasn't his teeth that were affected but the poor guy was gushing blood from his mouth & screaming as we tried to ice his lip. He's a tough cookie though & hasn't been fazed by it since.

Tomorrow morning we'll be heading to Lauren & Josh's pool & then relaxing before it's back to work. But, we only have two days of work since we head to Disney on Thursday to celebrate Cam's 3rd birthday. I cannot wait to enjoy a weekend getaway with my family!

Hope everyone is having a nice, long weekend!!

29 Week Update

2011-09-01T21:46:00.004-04:00

I'm now 29 weeks pregnant & Reese weighs about 2.5 pounds at 15" long & is the size of a butternut squash!

How am I feeling? I haven't taken iron this entire pregnancy since I had such an intolerance to it when I was pregnant with Cameron & lately I've been suspecting that I could possibly be anemic. I've found that I'm short of breath a lot, have heart palpitations at times & just feel so worn down. A lot of these symptoms could just be related to the pregnancy in general, but I know I'm at a greater risk for anemia now that I'm in my 7th month of pregnancy & my little Reese is needing more & more from me. It's standard for doctors to test for anemia at the beginning of pregnancy & I was fine then, but it's rare to be anemic that early on. Once you hit about 20 weeks, you're at increased risk because of the rise in blood volume & the baby's additional needs. So, I've started taking a liquid iron supplement called Floradix that is more easily absorbed & kinder to the GI tract! I've also changed my prenatal to a whole foods vitamin containing iron which is also better tolerated & can even be taken on an empty stomach. And to top that off, I'm taking a probiotic supplement to help with digestion.

Since I'm a dietitian, I know what I should be eating each day but it's not always easy when things get hectic. I've started making a breakfast fruit smoothie each morning with a scoop of ground flax seed for a dose of omega-3s & a serving of Metamucil. I feel like a 90 year-old woman on the mission to keep things moving! And speaking of moving, I've also been wearing my new pregnancy "girdle" to help with the pelvic pain & pressure I've been dealing with. Nothing makes me feel sexier than when I strap that bad boy on each day! Getting ready for work has begun to feel like a science experiment with all my belts, straps & contraptions!

Any new changes this week? Besides my list from above? No, not really!

Weight gain? 10.5 pounds.

28 Week Update

2011-08-25T21:23:00.005-04:00

I'm now 28 weeks along & Reese weighs about two & a quarter pounds & is 14.8 inches long at the size of a Chinese cabbage.

How am I feeling? This has been a very uncomfortable week for me; sometimes mentally & sometimes physically. For one, I've been super short-tempered & impatient. Since Cameron was out of daycare last week with Grammy & Auntie Erika, he had a couple of issues transitioning back to his usual routine like he normally does when Grammy's visit ends. Nothing big, just putting up a fight with things that we ask of him & acting tired & cranky. And a cranky child & an impatient, hormonal Mommy does not make a very good combination!

Physically I've been having a lot of pelvic pain & pressure when I walk & it has not been fun. We ordered a belly brace that had good ratings & it'll be coming this week so we'll see if that helps. I'm keeping my fingers crossed though!

Any new changes this week? Just the fact that I'm getting bigger & very quickly! I cannot tell you just how many people have commented at work this week that I'm suddenly "popping out." Since I wear scrubs it's harder to tell, but I guess not any more!!

Weight gain? 9.5 pounds.

But through all the discomforts, I'm thankful everyday to have a healthy pregnancy thus far! I already love my baby girl so much & I feel absolutely blessed to be carrying her... it's such a miracle!

Weekend Happenings

2011-08-21T21:11:00.009-04:00

We had a jam-packed weekend since it was Cam's Grammy & Auntie Erika's last couple of days until they began their drive back to Chicago this morning.

Erika had never been to Busch Gardens so we decided to go yesterday morning since all of us, including Grammy, have a season's pass. We packed sandwiches, snacks & water so the only money that was spent was for Erika's ticket. In my opinion, Busch Gardens is very expensive at $85, if you're only going for the day. Granted, she'd be able to go an unlimited amount of times until the end of the year, but that's not exactly helpful when you live about 1,000 miles away. Mike & I have 2 year passes so it ends up being pretty inexpensive since we take advantage of it & go often. We used to be able to bring food in with no issues but out of the blue this time, they told us we were no longer able to bring our sandwiches in. Yeah, right. So, we put our sandwiches in Mike's cargo shorts until we got through the entrance & put them back in our cooler bag... we sure are rebels!

I wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of hitting Busch Gardens in the peak of the Florida heat at 7 months pregnant, but I went with the flow. It ended up being hotter than hell but we all managed & a shower never felt so good afterwards!

Mike & I ended up having a wonderful date night yesterday at one of our favorite tapas restaurants, Ceviche. The meal was excellent as usual, although a glass of red wine would have made it that much better... oh how I miss my delightfully delicious wine! But my baby girl is so worth it!

This morning as the dogs lounged in the sun, Grammy & Erika packed up the car for their long trek back to Chicago. In addition to lounging, Dempsey did her favorite & most annoying thing & barked at the TV. Whenever people are over & think this is cute, I quickly tell them just how un-cute it is when it happens all the time. She used to limit it to other animals on TV, but when she's bored, she barks at just about anything. Not cool!

I am a cooking lover, but for whatever reason, I have not cooked much during this pregnancy. During the week, I just have no desire to grocery shop, cook & clean after a long day, but I need to get my act together & start cooking more on the weekend. So that's just what I did tonight! It's good to be back! I decided to make a butternut squash risotto that I saw on the Barefoot Contessa. It was the second top-rated risotto recipe on Food Network's website so I figured I couldn't go wrong. This would be an awesome Fall meal since it ended up being very tasty, creamy & comforting with a deep golden color from the saffron. Click here for the recipe.

And now it's time to say goodbye to the beloved weekend & say hello to the tiring work-week! Hope everyone has a wonderful Monday tomorrow!

27 Week Update

2011-08-18T21:35:00.006-04:00

I'm now 27 weeks along & Reese weighs nearly two pounds & is fourteen & a half inches long at about the size of head of cauliflower!

How am I feeling? As Reese is getting higher in my belly, I'm starting to get a continuous knife-like pain in my upper, back ribcage just like I did with Cam. Luckily it's only bothering me at night vs. all day long. I know it's related to my rib cage beginning to expand & I'm sure it'll only get more persistent as she gets bigger. My torso is so dang short that my lil babies have only so much room to grow!

Any new changes this week? I had a routine OB appointment on Monday & all looked wonderful! Reese seems to be moving non-stop on some days & is actually doing flip-flops as I type this. I'm pretty sure I've felt her have the hiccups this week but I wasn't positive. Cam had hiccups all the time when I was pregnant with him & I always felt bad when that happened for some reason! I've been getting ankle & foot cramps at night which are not fun. I jumped out of bed in a major hurry this morning when my entire ankle contorted with a cramp.

I've been telling Cameron that I'm going to be Baby Reese's mommy but he's just not having it as he says, "No, you're my mommy!" So I'll then say, "Who is Baby Reese's mommy then?" and he always responds with "Auntie Lo Lo!" (who had Baby Taylor 3 and a half months ago). So, he's going to be in for quite a surprise when she arrives & he realizes she's here for good!

Weight gain? 8 pounds.

And my little munchkin Cameron has been having a wonderful visit with his Grammy & Auntie Erika this week who drove down from Chicago. Grammy bought Cam Toy Story 3 the other day & he's been watching it non-stop! There's a part in the movie where a little girl pretends one of her toys is a witch. So, he started using his imagination last night by pretending my book light is a "witchy wand" with magical powers. His vocabulary is expanding by leaps & bounds & it's so awesome to watch him grow & change. He is such an amazingly sweet & loving kid & I just cannot get enough of my little man!

26 Week Update & Cam's Accident

2011-08-10T13:49:00.009-04:00

I'm now 26 weeks pregnant & Reese is the size of an English hot-house cucumber! She weighs about a pound & two-thirds & is fourteen inches long.

How am I feeling? Unfortunately my heartburn has been terrible this week & I've been taking two Pepcids daily just to survive. Sometimes it burns so bad that tears sting at my eyes! Otherwise I'm fine, besides feeling tired from the long, busy weekdays & nights. I'm usually running non-stop from 6:45 in the morning until 9 at night Monday-Friday. I keep my plans to a minimum on Friday evenings because I'm seriously good for nothing but sleep. And I know I look pretty run-down in this week's picture, but you'll know why by the end of this post!

Any new changes this week? Yes! My mom & dad were nice enough to buy Reese her crib just as they got Cam his crib. We put it together Saturday afternoon & began to get her room in order. Unfortunately she has to start off by sharing the guest bedroom. We're actually selling our house & up-sizing since we just don't have nearly enough room right now. Moving with a baby will not be easy but it will be so worth it in the long run!

When we moved into our house we painted the guest room blue & put our Chicago pictures on the wall. I'm pretty sure we'll end up painting the wall that her crib sits on as well as the wall to the right since I cannot bear to have my little girl in a blue room (even if it is only temporary). I'll likely do tan accent walls, put her name in wooden letters above her crib & maybe hang some pretty paper lanterns in the corner to spruce it up for Reese. Getting her nursery in order makes things so much more real! When I was washing & folding her hand-me-down pink clothes that we were lucky enough to inherit from our friends Jill & Josh, it really started to hit me... I'm going to have a daughter!!!

Weight gain? 7 pounds.

And the reason I'm so worn down today is that Cameron had a freak injury last night. We were playing in his room before bed & he had gotten himself all wound up. I was brushing his teeth & holding onto his hand in the process since he wanted to flee the room & the brushing. Well, he ended up pulling himself free & falling down. It was such an insignificant fall & it happened so quickly that I didn't even think twice about it or truly note what happened. Mike & I immediately knew something was wrong when he started screaming & crying & wouldn't stop. Cam is probably one of the toughest kids around & completely unfazed when it comes to pain.

After looking at his arm, it didn't appear to be broken. There was no swelling or bruising & it didn't look disfigured in any way. He just kept grabbing at his left forearm & saying, "hurts, hurts." When we got him to calm down & he relaxed & kept his arm still, he'd stop crying, but as soon as his arm shifted, he would scream bloody murder. We weren't sure if he just bruised it or what, so we decided to wait on the ER & see how he did through the night. We got him into bed & he quickly fell asleep as we rubbed his head & sat with him. He woke up crying at 11:00, 1:30 & 5:30 but went back to sleep after we again rubbed his head. We both called in to work since we knew he needed to be seen by a doctor. When he woke up for the day at 7:30 he was crying in pain but would again stop as long as he was still & didn't have to move his left arm. We even had to cut his pajama shirt off & dress him in a button-down shirt for our trip to the doctor.

After painfully getting him in the car in the pouring rain, we made it to the pediatrician. Our doctor, Dr Hartman, was off but we met with another doctor who was as equally wonderful. I am so thankful for Pediatric Healthcare Alliance because we've never once had anything but the best visit with them. Dr. Wilde was amazingly sweet & gentle with Cam & completely put him at ease. Cam kept pointing at his forearm & saying, "it hurts" so the doctor ordered x-rays at a radiology center down the road to rule-out a fracture. He thought it could be an elbow dislocation but wanted to be sure it wasn't broken before he started to manipulate it back into place. Cam was an absolute champ the entire time. I wasn't able to go into the x-ray room since I'm pregnant but I'm so thankful that Mike was with him. I love how you can see Mike's hand holding Cam's in the one picture! We headed back to the pediatrician with x-rays in hand & a radiology report that showed no apparent fractures. So it was back to considering a dislocated elbow since Cam could not rotate or lift his arm without excruciating pain. The doctor explained the process of getting his arm back in place, if it was actually dislocated. He told us that if it was, getting it back into place would immediately solve the problem. I held him in my lap, distracted him with his Toy Story DVD & the doctor manipulated his arm. We weren't sure at first & then Cam gave the doctor his first high-five using his hurt/left arm. We all screamed with excitement & joy since we realized that was the problem. The doctor even jumped up & down & gave Mike a high-five too!!

After getting Cam's elbow back in place, we were absolutely elated & it felt like a hundred pound weight had been lifted from our shoulders. Cam was a new man & 100% pain free & back to his happy self! Thankfully this was the first time Cam had ever gotten hurt enough to go to a doctor or consider making a trip to the ER. After going through it my heart goes out even more to parents who have truly sick kids. It's such a terrifyingly helpless feeling to see your child in pain & be unable to take it away. I am beyond thankful that he's okay, napping comfortably & that it was nothing serious!

25 Week Update

2011-08-04T21:53:00.003-04:00

I'm now 25 weeks along & Reese is 13 1/2 inches long & weighs about a pound & a half at the size of a rutabaga. Um yeah, must say I've never held a rutabaga in my life so I really can't relate!

How am I feeling? All in all I've felt pretty good this week. I've had more heartburn than usual but Pepcid has been helping. Luckily my energy level has been up because it has been a whirlwind of a week & work has been keeping me hopping! Reesey Piecey has been moving & grooving like crazy, especially at night & I can feel her kicks quickly getting higher & higher in my belly. Before I know it she'll be wedged under my ribs!

Any new changes this week? Monday was my one-hour glucose tolerance test which ended up being a pain in the butt. Luckily I was able to take it at my hospital so I stayed on the clock & sat & worked on a computer as I waited. I had to check in at 7:20 & didn't end up getting out of there until 10am. What a joke! And I had to go straight into a meeting afterwards so I ate nothing but a cereal bar until lunchtime... BOO! They took a tube of blood before & after I drank the tasty glucose solution & the nurse who took the first vial bruised the hell out of my arm. It hurt really bad as she did it & I couldn't straighten my arm without pain after. The bruise has only gotten uglier & uglier as the days have passed but at least it doesn't hurt anymore. The good news is that I passed the glucose test!

Here's my beautiful bruise! It's a lot uglier than it appears in this picture..

Weight gain? 6.5 pounds

Thankful

2011-07-30T14:15:00.008-04:00

I'm part of a woman's book club right now (which I'll blog more about later) & the latest chapter we read included a little bit of a project... We were asked to list five qualities that our husband holds & to then write a letter to our spouse describing those qualities that we appreciate.

When life gets hectic we sometimes forget to remind the people we love that they are appreciated. There are so many things I love & appreciate about Mike but the five that I listed were: Loyal, loving, funny, supportive & caring. I am so blessed to have met such an amazing husband & Daddy for my kids. It's not often that the first person you ever date ends up being your spouse! I'm so grateful that Mike loves me for EXACTLY who I am. I never have to keep my guard up or walk on eggshells around him. Even when I'm sick or crabby or not exactly in prime form, he still loves me unconditionally (though cringing on the inside, I'm sure!)

Here we are at prom in 1997

Our wedding day, May 24, 2002

He's also the funniest guy that I know & can lighten any mood & make just about anyone feel at ease. I could be in the midst of bawling my eyes out & he'll say something to instantly crack me up. He's also an awesome friend to my girlfriends which I adore. And my family would probably choose him as their own child over me if they had to!! Ha!

So Mike, thank you for always being there for me no matter what even when I'm acting like a cranky brat. Thank you for all the things you do for me, both big & small. You're always so willing to hop out of bed to grab me whatever it is that my pain in the butt self my be requesting. Especially now with pregnancy... Mike, I need Tums. Gee, some milk would really hit the spot right now. Could you grab me my contact case? Oh & my glasses... There are many times I really wish I could be as patient & level-headed as you! Thank goodness I didn't end up with an equally high-strung, nutty person like myself! So just know that you are so loved & appreciated, even when I forget to tell you!

24 Week Update

2011-07-28T21:48:00.004-04:00

I'm 24 weeks along & lil Reese has gained about 4 ounces since last week & now weighs just over one pound. She's about as long as an ear of corn & almost a foot long. And in case you were curious, my uterus is now the size of a soccer ball!!

How am I feeling? This week has sort of kicked my butt... At times the week has seemed to fly & at other times drag. There have been a couple of mornings where my alarm went off & I thought it was Friday when it wasn't even really close. That's always a bummer! Work has been super crazy busy & it's worn me out. I've also been pretty hormonal & emotional at times. Last night Cam asked that Daddy put him to bed instead of me & I felt like a knife had stabbed me in the chest. Normally it probably wouldn't have bothered me as much if my emotions weren't a mess but instead I came out to the living room & started to cry. I pulled it together by the time Mike joined me but as soon as he started talking to me, I burst into tears & ended up bawling my eyes out. I guess I just needed a good cry.

Any new changes this week? Besides feeling like an exhausted psycho at times, I just seem to be getting bigger by the day. Oh & my ankles swelled a little after walking outside in the heat for a bit tonight so that was awesome. But not really! I'm not exactly looking forward to having "elephantitis" of the ankles & feet again like I did with Cam!

Weight gain? 6 pounds. Yep, 2 pounds up since last week!

Children's Museum

2011-07-24T14:10:00.005-04:00

We've been meaning to check out the Glazer's Children's Museum since they opened last September & we finally made the trip yesterday.

We decided to go with the yearly pass which just made more sense money-wise. It'll be a good place to go when it's too hot to be outside (which is basically anytime in Florida during the summer). It's in a super pretty area in downtown Tampa right by the Hillsborough River & the University of Tampa & the outdoor area around the museum has a splash fountain & places for shaded picnics.

Cam & I took a moment to catch a couple of fish!

Cam wasn't exactly confident while climbing this contraption so he played it safe & stayed near us!

Captain Cameron!

We kept ourselves occupied with all the different exhibits until I was starving & we had to take a lunch break. After lunch we headed outside & Cam took an impromptu romp through the splash fountains. Next time I'll be sure to pack some swim trunks for him since he ended up going in his shorts & undies (luckily I keep a change of clothes in the car at all times).

We ended up having a really nice morning/afternoon & feel thankful for another place we can take Cam on a low-key weekend! When Reese is born the weather will be gorgeous so we'll head down to the museum for a bit & spend the rest of the afternoon enjoying the area outdoors.

23 Week Update

2011-07-21T21:21:00.002-04:00

I'm now 23 weeks pregnant & according to Baby Center, Reese weighs just over one pound & is 11 inches long at the size of a mango. Coincidentally it just so happens that I've been on a major mango kick this week & eating one nearly every night, thanks to Mike!

How am I feeling? This has been a bit of a tough week. My sinuses have felt like crap for some reason, I haven't been sleeping well & I'm starting to feel quite large. I've been feeling a lot of pressure on my stomach this week so I can definitely tell that Reese is growing (which is wonderful)! After taking a couple of bites of my meal, I feel pretty full. I know I still have a major ways to go so I'll stop my complaining now!

Any new changes this week? I had my monthly OB check-up on Monday which thankfully went well & was uneventful. Besides Reese getting more & more active with her gymnastics in my belly, things are pretty standard this week. Feeling my little one move & squirm is absolutely amazing & I'll never get tired of it! I put her ultrasound pictures up at my desk at work so when I feel her move & kick, I look over at her little profile & can't help but smile!

Weight gain? 4 pounds.

Weekend Happenings

2011-07-17T21:33:00.003-04:00

Friday evening we kicked off our weekend with a date night which is usually rare for us. We're so lucky that Cam's daycare has started a once a month Parent's Night Out that gives parents like us who really have no babysitter a chance to get out on the town. It was so nice to have a quiet, tasty dinner to sit & talk with no interruptions. Dining with a two year old isn't exactly relaxing! After dinner we got some ice cream & then headed to get Cam. His daycare keeps them up until midnight for $25; they're fed dinner & then they play like crazy. When we got there, a big group of them were playing duck duck goose but our guy was playing with cars & trains. He had an absolute blast & ended up sleeping until nearly 8:30 Saturday morning.

We've had an empty fish tank for a while now so Saturday afternoon we decided to take Cam to the pet store to pick his very own fish. He went in with a plan in mind, knowing that he wanted a red fish! Not only did he pick this little guy but he also chose the name entirely on his own. So, I'd like to introduce you to Cam's new fish, Pen!

After heading up the children's ministry at church this morning, I had absolutely zero energy this afternoon. I seriously felt like all of the life had been zapped out of my body. Perhaps Reese is going through a growth spurt??

Luckily Matt & Kelly text & invited us to a picnic dinner in the park or I'd have never left the recliner. After I finally got my lazy butt up, I felt much better.

We headed to a really neat park that's near a big lake with huge trees & nature paths. The rain stopped just as we got there so we thought we were in the clear for the rest of the evening...

Well, we surely thought wrong! After heading down a wooden boardwalk to a covered picnic table on the water, we distractedly ate & hung out. The kids loved looking at the ducks & listening to the frogs so we didn't even realize just how dark it was getting until we saw a huge flash of lightning & nearly jumped out of our seats after hearing the massive thunder clap. So our picnic came to a screeching halt as we quickly packed up & dashed to the safety of our cars!

And here I sit on Sunday night, knowing I should absolutely get my prego butt to bed since I have to get to work super early to compensate for my 8am doctor's appointment tomorrow. I want to get a good jump on my sleep so the early start & hectic morning doesn't get my week off on the wrong foot. Anyway, hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!!

Goldfish & Particle Man

2011-07-16T11:57:00.004-04:00

Before Cam goes to bed we always hang out in his room, snuggle & sing him songs. Months ago, Mike came up with this goldfish song & we've been singing it every single night since. The other song that we sing each night is Particle Man by They Might Be Giants. Cam absolutely loves it & so do we! Mike's been a They Might be Giants Fan since he discovered them on Tiny Toons singing this very song when he was a wee boy!

22 Week Update

2011-07-13T19:02:00.003-04:00

I'm 22 weeks along & Reese weighs nearly one pound & is 11 inches long -- about the length of a spaghetti squash!

How am I feeling? Pretty darn good although I sometimes stay up too late & pay for it the next day when I'm dragging at work! Otherwise, everything is great!

Any new changes this week? I finally had my ultrasound today with the high risk doctor for the clotting disorder I have. Everything looked perfect & Reese thankfully had a clean bill of health! I cannot tell you just how thankful we were to hear the doctor say that everything looks perfect. Since I had a healthy pregnancy with Cam, the doctor sees no reason to continue seeing me!! Yay! Praying that my pregnancy continues on a healthy path!!

Since we had to go down to St. Pete for our appointment, we decided to take half days at work & meet for lunch beforehand. Mike picked a restaurant & refused to tell me where he was taking me so that I would be surprised. He ended up choosing The Moon Under Water which is a British restaurant that we've always wanted to try. It was very delicious & a wonderful way to break up the week & celebrate our baby girl!

Weight gain? 3 pounds.

21 Week Update

2011-07-06T20:21:00.002-04:00

I'm now 21 weeks pregnant & Reese weighs three-quarters of a pound & is about 10.5 inches long or the length of a carrot. She's much cuter than a carrot though!

How am I feeling? I've been feeling really good this week with plenty of energy. Good thing because work has been utterly nuts this week & I've been moving non-stop other than my 30 minute lunch break when I force myself to sit down & eat. I've worked over ten hours both yesterday & today so unfortunately I haven't made it to the gym yet this week & things aren't looking good for tomorrow or Friday either. Boo!

Any new changes this week? Reese's movements have gotten a lot stronger & I'm feeling tons of kicks rather than just squirms. Mike's been able to feel her too which is always fun. I've been anxiously awaiting my U/S this coming Monday & I cringed when they called me today & told me they needed to reschedule it until Wednesday. Two days may not seem like much but since I've been waiting for weeks, the extra time seems like a lifetime. I was in such a bad mood after I hung up the phone with the office! They also said they wouldn't give me a disk of pictures even if I brought a blank CD since it's a diagnostic U/S. Um, what other kind of U/S does a doctor order?!

Weight gain? After celebrating the fourth all weekend, I'm now up two pounds total.

Happy Independance Day!

2011-07-05T21:36:00.003-04:00

We had a wonderful holiday weekend celebrating the 4th & loving our extra day off from work yesterday!

Sunday morning we whipped up a patriotic berry trifle to take to Jill & Josh's party & Cam enjoyed the heck out of licking the whipped cream off the beaters!

Kelly just found out that she's having a girl! I still cannot believe that we're only one week apart in our pregnancies... how crazy is that?! And Lauren just celebrated Taylor's 9th week on Sunday!

Monday we headed to Lauren & Josh's pool with the whole gang to celebrate the 4th.

Cam had a blast playing with his fellow two-year old friends! We feel so lucky to have wonderful friends with kids that are Cam's age. It's perfect for both the parents & the kiddos!

It was a fantastic way to celebrate our country & our freedom! We love you, America!!

20 Week Update

2011-06-29T19:22:00.002-04:00

I'm officially 20 weeks along & halfway there! According to Baby Center, Reese weighs about 10.5 ounces & is 6.5 inches from head to bottom & 10 inches from head to heel. Apparently through 20 weeks, babies are measured from head to bottom (crown to rump) since their legs are so curled against their torso & hard to measure. After 20 weeks they're measured from head to toe. Right now, Reese is the length of a banana from head to heel!

How am I feeling? I'm still feeling good though I seem to be more tired between 2 & 3pm which has been rough for the tail-end of work. I've been forcing myself to get to the gym regardless since my back is sore & working out seems to help. It's never easy to drag myself to the gym after a full day of work, but I'm always thankful I went & feel so much better after. I am so trying to soak up the second trimester break from discomfort too since I puke all through the first trimester & feel like I have the flu & then I feel uncomfortable & massive during the third trimester. At this point while I'm working or sleeping, I forget I'm even pregnant most days!

Any new changes this week? Reese's movements seem a lot stronger & I'm feeling her a lot more often which is great. I'm still anxious to have my big ultrasound & just praying & praying that all checks out normal.

Weight gain? I've officially gained one pound!

And this little stinker has been really challenging us this week & testing our patience. His favorite word seems to be no & he shrieks it in an demonic way which rings through my ears & down my spine. Yesterday I was so exhausted that I have to say it was a relief to get him to bed so I could finally get myself to bed too. I love him to bits, but raising a two-year old is not always easy. Any little thing can set him off & you never know what it's going to be. It doesn't help that he's had a cough all week which is making his sleep very restless. Luckily the cough is tapering away so hopefully the demonic NO! goes with it too!

My Boy

2011-06-26T08:25:00.006-04:00

I love blogging about the new tricks Cameron has up his sleeve which do seem to change on a weekly basis. I never want to forget the things that he's into at each stage of life. Lately Cameron's obsession has been band-aids. Yes, band-aids. Mike bought a pack of Toy Story band-aids months & months ago & that's when the obsession slowly began. Now that we have Cars band-aids, forget about it! Any little ding he might get warrants a band-aid in his mind. Funny enough, as I was typing this, I overheard him asking Mike for one & when Mike said, but you don't even have a boo-boo there. No, Cam, that's not a boo-boo, that's just peanut butter. See what I mean?!

The other semi-new thing Cam is able to do is take on the big, inflatable slide at church! He's been going down that slide for over a year & he was just never confident to take on the stairs to the slide without our help, but as of a few months ago, he is! It makes our lives easier since we can now just kick back, sip our coffee & watch him slide. We make sure to arrive to church at least fifteen minutes early so he has plenty of time to play before it's time for him to head to the Children's Ministry.

He's also the little ring-leader of the pets of the house. When the dogs are barking he'll shout, Quiet! If he's doing something while they're barking, he includes that... Quiet, I'm going potty! Quiet I'm going to bed! He also gives them their treats, makes sure Casper the cat stays in the house when we take the dogs out & keeps Dempsey from wandering into the neighbor's yard. We're so lucky to have such a big helper!!

Cameron also loves bringing me my slippers. Whenever he sees them laying around or in my closet, he brings them over to me & literally helps me put my feet in them. Am I spoiled or what? We are so blessed to have such a considerate & loving child!

Big Day!!

2011-06-25T20:51:00.003-04:00

When we first heard that Cars 2 was coming out, we knew it would be Cam's first movie in a theater since he's utterly obsessed with Cars & Lightning McQueen in general. Fast forward one year & today was finally the day! Never have we been more excited to go see a movie before!

My little guy is growing up so quickly! We were very confident that he would behave in the theater & we were absolutely right. He did a fantastic job & we even got there a half hour early. He kept himself occupied by munching on popcorn & taking in all of the sights before the movie actually started. The booster seats that are available for little ones came in very handy & helped Cam have the perfect view. Even though we were at an early movie (10:15 am), it was jam-packed with little ones. Luckily we snagged great aisle seats since we were early. It was too adorable to see all the boys wearing their Lightning shirts!

It's so exciting experiencing all of Cam's firsts. This was one of many & we enjoyed the heck out of it! It's an amazing feeling watching his face light up as he sees things for the first time. It's truly a joy watching him grow, learn & be able to do more & more fun activities with us!

Head over to Cam's blog & you'll see many more pictures from his first movie!

Father's Day Delights!

2011-06-23T19:18:00.005-04:00

I was a cooking & baking fool on Father's Day weekend!

It all started after work on Friday with these very interesting yet delicious cookies... I saw these in my Rachael Ray magazine in the Father's Day section & knew I wanted to make them for the fathers of the family. Sweet & savory.. what a perfect combo! Click here for the recipe.

Saturday morning I did a huge amount of cooking & prepping since we were hosting Father's Day. I made Mike the ham & cheese omelet he had a taste for & I was pretty darn impressed with the outcome if I do say so myself. And I do!

My two boys enjoying their Saturday morning breakfast!

Next it was time to bake Melanie's birthday cake! I made a blueberry crumble cake & it was an absolutely perfect summer cake!

Complete with a streusel topping!

Then I made Chipotle's spicy corn salsa recipe. I got the idea when I saw the copy cat recipe in my Food Network Magazine.

Finally I prepped all the ingredients for our special Father's Day club sandwiches. I saw these when watching Giada on the Food Network a couple of years ago. They're always a hit with my family & two sandwiches easily feed six people with room to spare. Click here for the recipe. Giada cuts them into appetizer size bites but I do wedges for entree-sized portions.

It's a prego sized bite just for me!

Since I did so much prepping on Saturday, Father's Day ended up being very low-key & relaxing. Melanie loved her birthday cake & so did the rest of the gang!

Especially this guy! Hope everyone had a wonderful Father's Day!!

Hop over to Cam's blog to see more pictures from the day!

19 Week Update

2011-06-21T20:13:00.005-04:00

I'm now 19 weeks pregnant & Reese is the size of a large heirloom tomato weighing about 8.5 oz with a length of 6 inches from head to bottom. Some research shows that she can now hear so when we read Cam his bedtime story last night, it was nice to think that both of our babies were hearing the story!

On a side note, I apologize about my get-up in the picture below! Since Monday through Friday you'll find me wearing nothing other than scrubs, gym clothes or PJs, I had no choice but to take my weekly picture after my shower tonight since I forgot to do it this past weekend.

How am I feeling? I've been feeling really great this week with lots of energy. Good thing too because I had a very busy weekend with lots & lots of cooking & time on my feet in general. By the end of the day on Sunday my lower abdomen was really achy. I was relieved to see that this is common at this point in pregnancy & it's called round ligament pain since the ligaments surrounding the uterus are stretching. Yes, I have been pregnant before but apparently I needed a refresher!

Any new changes this week? I had my monthly doctor's appointment yesterday & it was uneventful which is always great. The doctor had a really hard time getting Reese's heartbeat on the doppler since she was moving around like crazy. Maybe we'll have another super active baby on our hands just as Cam was? And since I have a clotting disorder called Factor V Leiden I have to see a high risk doctor on July 11th for a detailed ultrasound. I'm really looking forward to getting a close look at lil Reese & praying that all is well!

Weight gain? Nope but I am officially even with my starting pregnancy weight. The nausea & vomiting thankfully remain a thing of the past so I've been eating normally again!

Prunes, Prunes & More Prunes!

2011-06-16T18:43:00.004-04:00

Ever since this little boy has been potty trained, he's had issues with constipation. He never ever had an issue when he was in diapers but now that he actually has to stop what he's doing to go poop, he chooses to hold it instead, causing constipation. Never have I been more obsessed with poop or lack thereof as I am now! Last night was awful; it started when Cam sat on the potty for nearly a half hour and had no outcome. We resorted to using a Pedia-Lax glycerine suppository but even that did little good (and in the past it's worked wonders within minutes).

Cam insists on privacy during #2 and who can blame him, so after we gave him the suppository I hung outside the bathroom door until I heard him crying in pain. My heart broke & I felt totally helpless since other than hugging him, there was little else I could do. Finally we pushed both of his knees towards his chest since I had seen that there was a major something trying to come out & it finally passed after we did that. After seeing him in so much pain, we decided we really need to do something to prevent that from happening again. Since the kid will barely touch a fruit or vegetable, we're left with high fiber cereals which he will eat & we're trying prunes & prune juice as of today. Luckily he loves both so we're praying this helps him!

Why did I decide to dedicate a blog post to my child's BMs?? Because, like I said, this constipation issue is making me obsessed with poop!! Poop was on my brain so I decided to put it on paper! Any one else have experience with toddler constipation? Find anything that helps?? Any input would be appreciated!! Keep in mind, he adamantly refuses to eat most fruits & vegetables... And yep, we continue to try & try & try some more to no avail!

18 Week Update

2011-06-12T07:53:00.006-04:00

I'm 18 weeks & Reese is now the size of a bell pepper, weighing 7 ounces with a length of 5 1/2 inches!

How am I feeling? This has been a really rough week since Cam was sick with a cold, fever & cough. We called the doctor & they said a virus was going around & as long as he didn't have a fever for more than five days (his lasted 3-4 days) & his temp wasn't over 104 (his never went over 103), we didn't need to bring him in. Luckily he's feeling so much better after spending the week with my mom, getting tons of rest & TLC & staying out of daycare. Unfortunately, I now have his cold. I have no fever or cough, but my sinuses are a disaster & I feel like there's a brick on my face. I've also been WIPED out this weekend with absolutely no energy. I'm going to lay low again today in hopes that I'll have more pep for work tomorrow otherwise it's going to be another long week.

Any new changes this week? I feel Reese every now & then but nothing very strong yet. I'm still really comfortable with my sleep, working out & just moving about in general. I know that will majorly change by the end of my pregnancy since my torso is so dang short. With Cam, I felt like my ribs would bust open & I was so incredibly uncomfortable the last couple of months.

Weight gain? Nope, still a pound down. I looked back at my pregnancy with Cam since I had documented my weekly weights in my planner & I was the same way with him. Lately as long as I take my vitamin/DHA supplement on a full stomach, I haven't had any nausea or vomiting so that will help. Some days my appetite is just pitiful though, especially when I'm working & stressed, but I make sure to eat well on days I have a good appetite.

P.S. I cannot express just how thankful I am that Cam has such amazing grandparents. Having my mom here all week was such a blessing! Not only did she take awesome care of Cam but she washed all of our laundry, made our coffee, did our dishes, etc. It would have been a nightmare without her! Thanks, Mom, you are the best!!

Weekend Happenings

2011-06-06T19:35:00.006-04:00

We headed down to Venice (Florida, not Italy) for our niece's combined birthday party on Saturday & it was great to spend time with family.

Here we are as we spent time around the pool.

Cam had an absolute blast swimming with his daddy & his cousins. You can hop over to his blog to see more pictures of him & his cousins.

Even though Cam looks super happy in these pictures, we could tell he was coming down with something on Saturday morning when his voice was very hoarse. I'm thinking he may have croup after reading up on it. Luckily Mike stayed home with him today since there was no way he could have or should have gone to daycare.

I always feel so heartbroken & helpless when my little love is sick. Especially when I'm stuck at work & unable to be there for him. Mike took great care of him today & I gave him lots of TLC when I did get home. His fever has gotten as high 103 today so I'm praying he begins to feel better tomorrow. Motrin brings it down but it still freaks me out. My mom will be coming up in the morning to spend the day with him which I am very thankful for. He's been such a trooper today & not at all fussy or irritable. If he doesn't seem better tomorrow, we'll be taking him to the doctor.

I love this picture my dad took of Cam kissing his baby sister, Reese. He knows there is a baby in my belly but I don't think he fully understands. Saturday I showed him a picture of me VERY pregnant with him & asked him who was in mommy's belly. His answer? Baby Taylor, Lauren & Josh's baby who is 5 weeks old! But he'll surely get it once she's born & he needs to share the limelight! I just wonder how he'll feel once it truly sinks in that this baby is in our lives for good?

BIG UPDATE!!! 17 Weeks!

2011-06-04T20:30:00.005-04:00

I'm officially 17 weeks pregnant & Baby Perno is now the size of a turnip, weighing around 5oz with a length of 5 inches from head to bottom!

How am I feeling? Overall I've been feeling really good! Although once in a while I still have nausea right before bed which makes me throw up.. isn't that pleasant? Otherwise my energy is mostly good & I really cannot complain. I'm going to try & enjoy the second trimester honeymoon from discomfort!

Any new changes this week? Well, we had our elective ultrasound on Friday where we found out that Baby Perno is a girl!! When the ultrasound tech started, she said it might be difficult to tell at this point since the baby is still small so I was nervous that she was going to say she couldn't tell. Then at one point I thought I saw a boy part even though my gut instinct told me we were having a girl. But, eventually she told us that Baby Perno is a girl & we were both beside ourselves with joy. I haven't had an ultrasound since I was six weeks along & the baby was only a small blob on the screen at that time, so it was absolutely amazing to see a fully formed baby! Even though this is our second time around, it still blows my mind that there is a human being growing inside of me. Unreal. We feel so positively blessed & never take it for granted. We only pray that she continues to grow to be a strong, healthy girl!

We didn't want to put too much thought into names until we knew the gender, so after our ultrasound we had lunch & narrowed down a list of considerations. This afternoon, we decided for sure...

Meet Reese Elizabeth Pernecky!

Here's her hand waving hi!

And though this picture may look a little scary, it was absolutely adorable to watch her move & yawn! Growing into a human can be exhausting!

Seeing our baby girl & picking a name makes things so much more real. We are so thankful & excited!!

Savoring the Moments

2011-06-02T12:54:00.003-04:00

I am adoring the current stage Cam is in as a two & a half year-old! He is so sweet, loving, caring, hilarious & changing every single day. I am really trying to savor this time since I know it will pass so quickly; he is growing up too fast.

Every single night Cam & I lay together on the couch in his room & hands down, this is my favorite time of day. We snuggle, talk, sing, laugh & just enjoy each other with no distractions. Listening to him jabber on is awesome; I love hearing his sweet voice & am amazed by how well he's talking these days. I give his sweet head a million & one kisses & appreciate every second of it. I am going to miss it so much when he gets older & no longer wants to snuggle with mom.

Sure Cam has his moments & melt-downs but I'm so proud of the person he's becoming. The way he is so gentle with our pets, talking to them in a high-pitched, lovey voice while petting them. The way he reacts when one of us hurts ourselves; he comes over with such concern, puts his hand on my cheek & says, I'm sorry, Mommy, I'm sorry. And then he always kisses our boo-boos & tries to make them all better. He has such a good heart.

I'm also trying to soak up this one-on-one time we have before Baby Perno arrives in November. It's hard to imagine sharing my time with another baby since Cameron has always gotten 100% of our attention. I know this baby will only add joy & love to our lives but I'm savoring these last months of Cam as our one & only.

Tomorrow we go for our elective/gender reveal ultrasound & I'm just praying all looks well. Granted, this isn't a clinical visit, just one for fun, but I always get so nervous before my ultrasounds, especially since I haven't had one since I was six weeks pregnant. Seeing the baby will make everything so much more real. I have to say, I've been a little paranoid this pregnancy & fearful that something will go wrong. When I was pregnant with Cam, I wasn't involved with any blogs & had little exposure to the amount of people who have experienced loss during pregnancy. I never take things for granted though & am thankful for the many blessings we've been given. I will truly be thrilled no matter what gender Baby Perno happens to be, as long as he or she is healthy.

I know that Cameron is going to be an amazing big brother! I'm sure we'll all go through a big period of adjustment when Baby Perno arrives, but he or she will be given just as much love as Cameron has been given.

16 Week Update

2011-05-31T19:27:00.004-04:00

I'm now 16 weeks & Baby Perno is the size of an avocado this week! I read that the baby will go through a huge growth spurt & double in size over the next few weeks... pretty exciting!

How am I feeling? Pretty good! No major complaints other than more consistent heartburn. Some days I feel like there's battery acid bubbling in my throat!

Any new changes this week? I started feeling the baby move this week!!! Saturday (the first day of week 16) I was pretty sure I felt flutters & by the next day they were much stronger & I was sure it was the baby. I remember feeling Cam for the first time on my last day of week 16 so this little one was about six days sooner. I am beyond excited to finally be feeling Baby Perno... this is my favorite part of pregnancy! In other news, we'll be finding out Baby Perno's gender in an elective ultrasound we scheduled for this Friday!! I cannot wait! My gut tells me this is a girl, but does anyone else have any guesses or feelings?

Weight gain? I'm up one pound from last week but still down a pound or half pound from when I got pregnant.

Last Tuesday was my birthday so this weekend Mike completely surprised me by inviting our friends over for a birthday breakfast. Lets just say that I was not at all prepared seeing as it was a surprise & I happened to be sitting on the couch in my pajamas wearing no bra when everyone came in! I was so surprised but also embarrassed & quickly ran to change & make myself look less frightening. It was such a great morning & I'm extremely thankful for my friends & hubby!!

Our group is rapidly expanding! There were four two-year olds, two newborns & two babies on the way. Pretty soon there will be eight kids in our group!

Matt & Kelly were so incredibly sweet & baked me this gorgeous apple struesel cake. It tasted just as good as it looks!

Sunday my parents came up to celebrate my birthday & we had an awesome visit with them. Cam was so happy to see his grandma & grandpa!

I was telling my mom how awful the dollar store pregnancy tests were since I took them for five days when I just knew I was pregnant & got a negative each time. I finally went & got a drugstore test which was immediately positive. So my mom said, Wouldn't it be funny if you took one now & it was still negative? So we ran & got one but this time there was a bold pink second line right away. I pretended I just found out I was pregnant & everyone jumped around & congratulated me! Yes, we're lame!

It was then time for Cam's favorite activity.. birthday cake! And the candle thief was at it again & just had to blow out my candles before me!! Even after he did it once he was ticked off when they were re-lit & I blew them out.

Here's my cake hound! It was an absolutely fantastic long weekend spent with family & friends. We enjoyed the extra day off & the beautiful weather at Lauren & Josh's pool yesterday! It's amazing how much one extra day away from work can do for a person!

Rescue Pack!

2011-05-23T20:56:00.002-04:00

Ages ago I started to dance through the living room each time the Rescue Pack song came onto Go Diego Go. Before I knew it, Cam began joining in & it became our thing to dance together. Sometimes I'll be distracted when it comes on, but he always finds me immediately & says, "Come on, Mommy!" No matter how tired I am when that dang song comes on, I get up & dance my butt off with him & by the time we're done, I always feel so much better!

You'll see by the end of our dance I'm struggling to swing him around... it's not as easy as it used to be when he was a lot smaller! Mike missed our high-five at the end which we always do!

15 Week Update

2011-05-22T14:16:00.004-04:00

Well, I'm officially 15 weeks along!

How am I feeling? I've been more tired this past week/weekend which kind of stinks! Since I have OCD about keeping my house in order, it's hard for me to relax without having a guilty conscience. But, I am taking it easy since sometimes I'm just too tired to fight it. I hit the gym three times last week so I'm grateful for that!

Any new changes this week? It seems that my heartburn has officially kicked in! Yay for me! Thankfully milk extinguishes some of the burn. Other than that, I really haven't noticed any new changes.

Weight gain? I believe I'm a pound up from last week but still a couple pounds down from when I got pregnant. My appetite has definitely picked up since the nausea has subsided so the weight gain will definitely keep coming. Obvious statement since there's a growing baby inside of me!

On to other events, as we watched Brunch at Bobby's on the Cooking Channel yesterday & I began to completely crave biscuits & gravy so that's what we whipped up for breakfast this morning. Who knew homemade gravy could be so very easy?

Cam seemed to enjoy his breakfast! It's all a facade though since he didn't touch his biscuit, we didn't bother even giving him gravy since it was really peppery & he'd say, Too spicy! and we tricked him into eating half of his eggs. Ah the joys of feeding a picky toddler! Many times we have to chant, Buzz bite! Buzz bite! in order to get him to eat. Yes, it's in honor of Buzz Lightyear who you can see on his pajamas. Who knew we would be reduced to this?

And as I came into the kitchen to have some lunch this afternoon, I found these two snuggle bugs taking a nap together!

14 Week Update

2011-05-17T20:49:00.005-04:00

I've been debating if I'll try to post weekly updates during my pregnancy & I decided I'd give it a go since this will likely be my last pregnancy. So here goes nothing!

How am I feeling? I'm finally starting to feel human again! Weeks 8-12 were extremely rough & I was nauseous/throwing up basically every day except Saturdays. I'm sure that was because my stress level is the lowest that day & I'm not forced to run around. With this pregnancy my vomiting was worse in the evenings; come 5pm, I had to be near a bathroom & I could barely eat dinner. With Cam, I vomited more in the mornings. My energy level has been ZERO so going to work all day & managing Cam in the evenings has been anything but easy. I'm so happy to be feeling more like myself these days! I've even gotten back to the gym which feels so great!

Any new changes this week? Other than hearing Baby Perno's heart beat yesterday, nothing new is going on except that I seem to be showing more lately. Most of the time I still look like I've just downed ten too many beers & burgers rather than truly looking pregnant.

Weight gain? I'm still a few pounds down from where I was when I got pregnant which was also the case with Cam. With Cam I lost about 8 pounds in my first trimester, this time I lost 5. I already seem to be gaining it back though since I can actually eat again.

Bolognese & Babies

2011-05-16T20:45:00.005-04:00

As I watched Secret's of a Restaurant Chef with Anne Burrell on the Food Network last year, I knew I would make her Pasta Bolognese recipe. When I did, probably the following weekend, it was completely delicious & full of flavor. I decided it was time to have this sauce again so I made it again yesterday.

This is definitely a weekend sauce since it takes about four hours. It's very easy to make though so don't be intimidated by the time! The sauce is all about the concentration of flavors which takes time; lots of reducing & simmering. Click here for the recipe, you won't regret it.

This recipe will easily feed eight adults. We brought it over to Lauren & Josh's with a loaf of French bread & enjoyed it with a salad Lauren whipped up.

Any excuse to spend time with little Taylor is fine by us!

Is she beautiful or what?

And check out these dainty little toes!!

Speaking of babies, I paid a visit to the doctor for my fourteen week check-up today. I was able to hear Baby Perno's heart beat which was music to my ears! His or her heart rate was 156 BPM & the doctor said it sounded strong & healthy. It's funny because Cam's heart rate was always right around 140 BPM so who knows, maybe the difference means that Baby Perno is a girl?! We'll see in about 5-7 weeks! Honestly though, and I know most everyone says this, but as long as this baby is healthy, I'll be thrilled with either a boy or a girl. We are already so blessed!

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-14T14:36:00.004-04:00

I'm just now editing Mother's Day pictures since I came down with an absolutely miserable stomach bug on Tuesday evening. I was violently ill for 12 hours, didn't sleep except for half hour fitful stretches until it was time to be sick yet again. I stayed home from work Wednesday & literally never left the recliner. Thank goodness for Bravo TV & for Mike who took care of Cam so I could rest. The bug hit me just as my pregnancy nausea seemed to be loosening its grip on me so I really haven't had a break from throwing up in about six weeks! Fun stuff!

Mother's Day morning we headed to my parent's condo for family time by the beach & pool. The weather was spectacular & it was such a relaxing, perfect day.

Cam had a wonderful time swimming with his cousins & lounging around the pool.

Look at our lil beach bum!

He was looking super cool as he munched on some popcorn!

He was also lucky enough to share his cousin's root beer float! This was Cam's very first taste of a root beer float.

After dinner we celebrated Maddy's birthday as well as my mom's (which happens to be tomorrow).

Cam enjoyed Maddy's Barbie doll far more that Mike would have liked!

Mikayla made her mommy a precious Mother's Day card.

And Cam helped blow out the candles! Notice the chocolate on his face? He helped himself to a bite off the side of the cake before we were even able to sing! Click here to see the video on Cam's blog.

And we all opened our Mother's Day presents.

But this is the best Mother's Day present I could ever imagine! LOVE MY BOY!

Cam ended the evening in a bath/water fight with his cousin! It was an absolutely wonderful Mother's Day!

EXTRA Special Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T20:53:00.003-04:00

This is my third Mother's Day with Cam (well, fourth if you count 2008 when I was pregnant) & though each one means the world to me, this one happened to be even more special than ever. Not only am I Cam's mommy but I'm also the mommy to Cameron's baby brother or sister who will be arriving this November!!

That's right, I'm 13 weeks pregnant with baby #2!!

And we couldn't be more excited about our newest blessing! Well, I guess Cam doesn't quite know that Mommy has a baby in her belly, but I'm sure if he did, he'd be excited!!

Happy Birthday, Maddy!

2011-05-07T07:49:00.004-04:00

Today is my niece's 8th birthday!! I seriously cannot get over the fact that Maddy is already eight; time is flying too quickly. When Madelyn was born, we still lived in Illinois, but I was lucky enough to fly down the day after she was born. She is a big reason why I really wanted to move down to Florida. Every time we would visit Florida, it would take Maddy time to warm up to us since she was small & didn't really know us. By the time our trip would be coming to an end though, she was getting close to us... just in time for us to leave again.

I'm so happy to live near my goddaughter & for Cam to know & love his cousins. Happy Birthday, Madelyn, we love you so!!

The Dreaded Big-Boy Bed

2011-05-02T18:50:00.006-04:00

Every so often Cam would fool us into believing that it was time to change his crib into a toddler bed when he'd decide to climb out. Just as we were about to make the transition though, he'd stay put & stop climbing out. He's probably gone through about three spurts of this, but he always went back to staying in bed. Until a couple of weeks ago, that is..

I've really dreaded the transition since I know Cam still needs true boundaries. I would have seriously kept him in his crib for another year if I could have. But, his safety comes first & we didn't want to chance him hurting himself on a stint of climbing out. So this Saturday before nap, we took the plunge. So far he's doing fantastic at bedtime but not so much with naps. Yesterday during nap time he managed to flip his mattress over a couple of times, knocking the guard off his bed. After Mike sat in there for a bit & made sure he simmered down, he ended up falling asleep.

With bedtime there is no difference between the crib & the toddler bed since he stays put & falls asleep wonderfully. The only change? He's now coming into our room at around 6:45 in the morning instead of sleeping until his usual 7:15-7:30. Yep, so this morning we were rudely awoken to our bedroom door slamming shut & our light being flipped on! Nice. But, if it gets any earlier than 6:45, we'll crack down & take him back to his bed. For now, we let him lay with us & watch cartoons.

Oh the days when I could keep my little monkey confined!! They were good while they lasted!!

In unrelated events, I was delighted to see that our hibiscus had bloomed while we were at work today! Each time we have a bloom, I can't help but admire it & smile!

Is that a weed growing near my hibiscus? Nope, it's just my little stinker butt! And he & his daddy make me smile the most of all!

Happy Birthday, Baby Taylor!!

2011-05-01T20:00:00.006-04:00

This morning as I finished my previous post, Mike showed me his cell phone where I saw a picture of a newborn baby. I immediately shouted, "Is that Taylor?!?!" The answer was yes & I burst into tears of happiness! Lauren & Josh have been waiting for the arrival of their miracle baby & she made her big debut two weeks early at about 6am this morning! Hop over to Lauren's blog to read their story.

We are absolutely thrilled that she is here & that everyone is happy & healthy! Taylor is as gorgeous as I had imagined & I just cannot believe she's finally here!! Tears sting at my eyes at the thought of all that Lauren & Josh have been through. Taylor has a big brother & three big sisters watching over her from Heaven. She is one lucky girl & so blessed to have such amazing parents!

She'll definitely be spoiled with plenty of love & attention & I look forward to getting to know my new little "niece"! I am so blessed to have such amazing friends in my life who are truly family to me!

Happy Easter!

2011-05-01T07:11:00.005-04:00

Yes, Easter was one week ago & I'm just now posting pictures! Lets just say it was a really busy week & I just didn't have the energy to get online or do anything for that matter after work. But, better late than never, eh?!

The Thursday before Easter Cam colored Easter eggs. He did a really good job with it, but sometimes he wasn't exactly gentle with the eggs.

Saturday we headed to my parent's beach condo to spend the weekend. Grammy was able to spend the day with us before she had to fly back to Chicago later that evening. The Gulf warmed up & we had an awesome time.

Cam's cousins & Auntie Mel & Uncle Mike joined us Saturday night & Cam was thrilled to see his cousins. The kids woke up Easter morning to three very cool Easter baskets which were beach buckets.

After we all ate the breakfast casserole I made, it was time to head down to the pool area for the egg hunt.

Cam's cousins still smoke him in the hunt, but he's getting better each year & someday they'll have to work at keeping up with him!!

After gathering eggs, we lounged by the beach & pool & ended the day with dinner before it was time to head home.

Unfortunately my sister & brother-in-law weren't able to join us, but it was great spending the weekend at the beach with family!

And to think next weekend we'll be back at the beach to celebrate Mother's Day!

P.S - Check out Cam's blog to see more pictures!

In Love!

2011-04-18T17:35:00.002-04:00

I am absolutely in love with our Confederate Jasmine that's been blooming for the past few weeks. The scent that wafts from the flowers is absolutely divine & it perks up my mood each time I see & smell the flowers!

Sometimes I'll pick a group of flowers to bring inside with me so I can continue to enjoy them.

How I'll miss those flowers when they're gone!

Birthday Boy!

2011-04-13T21:26:00.004-04:00

Today is Mike's 32nd birthday!

Every year for Mike's birthday I ask him what he wants for his special dinner.

This year he requested chicken Parmesan which I made with pasta & roasted asparagus. The dinner turned out great & Mike couldn't have been happier.

Grammy is in town & was wonderful enough to pick up the ingredients for me since I was stuck at work. She also got a delicious ice cream cake, yum!

We had a really nice evening celebrating the birth of my hilarious hubby & enjoying family time.

And Mike got the shoes he wanted! Granted, I don't exactly find Sanuks to be the most attractive shoes but he claims that they're extremely comfortable so who am I to deny his wishes?

And Cam was a little chatter box today since he was so incredibly excited to celebrate his Daddy's birthday. He helped me make Mike's card & even get his present together. But I think he was most excited for the cake!

Happy birthday, Mike! Thank you for cracking me up every single day!

Showered with Love!

2011-04-11T21:26:00.002-04:00

Last Saturday was Lauren's baby shower & I cannot believe lil Taylor is almost here!! Lauren is an amazing friend & I'm blessed to have her in my life. I cannot think of another person more deserving of a beautiful, healthy baby & a shower to celebrate both mom & baby!

The shower turned out wonderfully & everyone had an amazing time.

I was in charge of the games which I've never managed at a baby shower before. I ended up wracking my brains & came up with three low-key games that wouldn't burden the guests.

We guessed how many jelly beans were in the jar & luckily Mike counted the beans since I wouldn't have had the patience to sit & count over 900 jelly beans!

We also did a smell & guess baby food game which was harder than you'd have imagined! I prepared six jars of random foods & dyed them with food coloring to fool everyone. I thought the easiest guess would have been the bananas but after dying them orange, most everyone guessed an orange fruit like peaches or apricots. It's amazing how a color can trick your brain into smelling something different!

The last game we played was How Big is Mommy's Belly where the guests used a ribbon to guess the size of Lauren's belly. The game winners got a gift bag with a candle, a cute travel coffee mug & a biscotti.

I also made the favors which included chocolates wrapped in a bag monogrammed with a T for Taylor & tied with ribbons that held an It's a Girl charm. I was definitely nervous about this job since I'm not at all a crafty person! Luckily my friends came over to help me put the favors together & they turned out great!

In about a month Taylor will be here & I cannot wait to meet her!

Busch Gardens Fun

2011-03-27T09:42:00.003-04:00

Yesterday morning we decided to head to Busch Gardens for a couple of hours since we have two year passes & want to take advantage of them. Since it's Spring Break, we ended up leaving the park at noon which was right as it started to get really crowded.

Cam always has such a great time at Busch Gardens!

The bounce cloud was super empty so Cam could jump as he pleased. Although he never did stay in there for more than a couple of minutes at a time. Short attention span!

He'd hop out of the bounce cloud & hit the sand box. Back & forth, back & forth.

He rode a couple of rides...

Checked out some animals...

And climbed a few tree houses!

It was a fun, jam-packed Saturday morning!

We feel very lucky to live so close to Busch Gardens!

A Very Merry Half Birthday to Cam!

2011-03-24T19:47:00.004-04:00

I'll jump on any chance to celebrate a birthday, including my little guy's 1/2 birthday!

I can't believe that my munchkin is halfway to three! In honor of Cam's half birthday, I grabbed some balloons from the dollar store... who could beat 3 mylar balloons for under $3.50 with tax? My sister-in-law Melanie made me realize that the dollar store is the best place to pick up balloons. Thanks, Mel!

I also picked up cupcakes from a shop called Sugar Darlings that make THE absolute most delicious cupcakes I've ever had. Cupcakes never impress me, but these tasty bites definitely caught my attention when our friends Deborah & Josh introduced them to us.

This is the site that greets me every time Mike brings Cam home from daycare. I hear fumbling at the garage door, then Cam squealing, Mommy, Mommy! as he runs around the corner to say hello. Love this guy!

Mike usually gives Cam a job on his way into the house so that's why you can see him holding some junk mail. Such a helper! He was very excited when he caught site of his balloons!

Who knew balloons could be the cause of this much happiness?!

Cam was eager to open his present too!

He finally got The King from Cars & he couldn't have been more pleased!

Cam's two & a half birthday ended with a sweet treat! Happy 1/2 birthday, Cam!

Love this boy!!

2011-03-19T07:51:00.004-04:00

The amount of love I have for this child amazes me sometimes!

Cam, thank you for making me laugh, smile & for filling my heart with happiness every single day! You are the best!!

Renaissance Fair

2011-03-19T07:27:00.005-04:00

Last Saturday was absolutely gorgeous so I was more than happy to spend the entire day outside enjoying the Tampa Renaissance Fair. We'd never been to this fair before so it was interesting to see the different characters that came dressed in garb from this era. It was fun to people watch, that's for sure!

Cam looks like a mad scientist in this picture! Ha! His eyes are so light so they're very sensitive to the sun.

We were happy that Matt & Kelly invited us since we wouldn't have thought to go otherwise. It's nice to check out local events & enjoy the weather before it gets unbearable.

We had a great time on the horse swing but Cam was happiest when the swing was pushed at a reasonable pace... he wasn't thrilled when it got too high. Leah looked unsure for the most part & I really thought she was going to lose her breakfast at first!

Blessed with wonderful friends!

And yes, Cam is wearing pearls in this picture! I'm not even sure how he got them since I turned away for a second & the next thing I know, he's wearing them. Mike tells me some woman put them on his neck. Ooookaaayyy!

We met up with Kelly's co-worker & her husband who just happened to be a fire blower! Don't see that everyday!

The kids were able to run & play & get plenty of fresh air!

And I left with the garden mushroom that I had my eye on the entire afternoon!

Sorry Cam, you'll have to walk, the mushroom needs a ride!