My life with 3 under 3!

I feel like it's been FOREVER since I updated this blog. In reality, it's only been about a month but still, it seems like forever. I guess it doesn't really matter with my whopping 13 followers who I'm sure don't really keep up with my boring life.

Anyways, there are reasons I have been too busy to not update this darn thing. I have 3 kids under 3! AYE! I never thought I'd say that but I am. We had such a tough time getting pregnant with the twins (15 months worth which is nothing compared to struggles many other people have had but it seemed like eons for us) that I thought I would have a hard time the 2nd time around. I had my clomid prescription filled to start my 2nd month of trying since month 1 was a flop and I waited and waited and waited..................then SURPRISE!! I was pregnant month 2! W-O-W! I was so in shock that it took me a day or two to even tell K.

Nearly a year after finding out I was pregnant so quickly, here we are with TWO 2 1/2 year olds and a 3 month old. Crazy how life turns out, right?

My little peanut is growing up so fast and I'm trying to desperately cherish every moment since she is my last child...........per K! He is D-O-N-E! He does not want any more. I'm so happy and thankful he compromised on having 3 children since he only ever wanted 2. I wanted 4 so we met in the middle. He has an appointment next month for you know what! I'm so sad to know that my reproductive years are over and that I will never have anymore children at least in this lifetime.

This next chapter is all about raising our children and being the best parents we can be! And with a smiley, happy baby (see below), we will have no problem achieving this!

Diaper Giveaway

I'm not one to generally post about giveaways (nor does any company ever ask little ole' me to host a giveaway. I'm not even sure how to volunteer for that...anyways) but with 3 kids in diapers now, I'm all for this.

Stop over to Diaper Coupons 4 Moms and enter for their diaper giveaway. You can enter up to 31 times doing various tasks like posting on facebook, 'liking' a facebook page, tweeting about it, etc. What you'll win:

100 count of pampers diapers (you choose size and type of pampers diapers)

I chose to go a step further and get 25 entries for posting about the giveaway to tell all my whopping 13 followers about this. If you have kids in diapers and use Pampers, please enter now! :)

I know Pampers coupons are hard to come by that is why I am entering and giving it a go. If you like pampers as much as I do, you'll do the same!

My 1st week back.........

Let's just say, being away from work for 2 months, I was hoping things would have changed but they are still the same! It is nice to have that 'break' from the kids but I do miss them like crazy. I am surprised this transition is going better than it did after I went back to work after having the twins. Maybe because I'm an 'experienced' mom? Who knows?

Ain't it the truth that when you're with your kids 24/7, you can't wait to get away from them for 10 minutes and when you ARE away from them, you want to be with them? I know it's not just like that with kids, it's like that in life in general but my post is about them so we'll stick with that!

A quick recap of my week thus far: Monday morning, cappuccino, Tuesday morning, cappuccino, etc. I just have to say I'm SOOOOOO happy I can resume my coffee routine. When I was carrying KK, I was told by my doctor I could have a small cappuccino and not my normal large so I decided to not have it at all. Finally after 6 months of no coffee, I decided to have a small one and although it gave me some minor contractions, I continued to have it.

Now I can have my large cappuccino every morning and I.LOVE.IT!

That was really my week. This isn't an exciting post, nor did it have any structure. Just wanted to blog in between calls...........

Wordless Wednesday

Where my followers at?

When I started this blog, I started it for family to keep up with my 1st pregnancy that live out of state. I never thought I'd WANT some stranger reading about my life with kids let alone see disgusting pictures of me (okay some maybe not so disgusting) until now. I have started to follow many blogs that I enjoy keeping up a 'virtual' relationship with and I look at my whopping 11 followers and wonder, 'what am I doing wrong?'. Am I talking about my kids too much? Blogging about our boring excursions? Maybe I need to step it up?

Let me just put myself out there..........I have 3 kids. TWO 2 1/2 year olds and a 2 month old. I stay in my pajamas most days and I'm lucky if I get to take a shower 2 or 3 times a week. And don't even ask if I leave the house (you're joking, right?)! If I do leave, it's to go to the park where I usually throw on 'mommy jeans' and put my hair in a ponytail. I look like crap but at least my kids look super cute. Isn't that the way it always is?

Here is what I look like right now:

Yup, no joke. I literally just got up, took a picture of myself and uploaded it! Don't you just LOVE my pajamas? (They are Victoria's Secret from 2 or 3 years ago in case you're wondering) I guess I have a thing for polka dots! Back to my post............I really was am fashionable. I read blogs like Chasing Twins  and think, why can't I be like Amanda EVERYDAY? Well, for 1, I work a full time AND part time job (at least for a little while longer) and the boys just DO.NOT.LISTEN these days. Ever since Kamdyn made her arrival, they flipped and do not listen what-so-ever. Ahhhh, terrible 2's. At least they are finally sleeping in their toddler beds (after much persuasion from my mom and hubby to switch to them from their cribs).



I do like to go out with the boys but WITH my husband or another adult to help round up these kids. When I do venture out myself, I have one kid going one way, the other one going the opposite way and a baby crying. That's when I want to break down and I think 'why did I have kids?'. But then you get those moments where they cuddle with you before bed and you have the baby sleeping on your chest and you think 'these are the moments I had kids for'. The moments where you are so in love with the life you made that you forget about all the naughty things they did that day or simply laugh them off (I could write a whole post or two just on what the boys have done since I've been on maternity leave).

But really, in a nut shell, this is me as a new Mommy for the 2nd time. I go back to work on the 27th and while I dread leaving my children and doing the whole 'working mom' thing, I am craving the adult interaction again. I don't plan on working my part time job for too much longer. I'm keeping my options open as to what I want to do about working full time. I'm to the point where I want to be with my kids but I want to work, too............when I sit down and really think about it, I think I want to stay with my kids MORE than I want adult interaction. We will see in the coming months how this will all unfold for me.

In the meantime, FOLLOW ME if you don't already and I promise I will be a little more exciting! :)

Early Morning Thoughts

*disclaimer - it is 2am and I am going on 2 hours of sleep so if this post sounds all 'woe is me' or 'selfish', that is not the way this is intended!

Miss K is now 6 weeks old! *sigh* I have been loving every minute with her and bonding with her like I never got to do with the boys when they were teeny, tiny. Having 2 colicky babies screaming at once, you don't really get that 'bonding time', especially when you have bad post partum!

What has been weighing on my mind, though, is that our family is complete, done, el fin! I am actually pretty sad knowing that I won't have any more babies. Knowing that my reproductive chapter in my life is coming to an end. My hubs only wanted 2 children and I wanted 4 or more. We compromised at 3 partly because we got the '2 for 1' deal the first time around and wanted to try for a girl. Miss K was 'made' sooner than we thought which means she was in our lives sooner than we planned but we don't love her any less. It just means that our life is pretty damn crazy right now with a newborn and 2 toddlers that are in their (really) terrible two's!

I am very happy I had all my kids young, that I was and will be able to still be active with them and young enough still when they are graduating high school and possibly entering college. I do feel that we are complete with Kamdyn but it still doesn't make me long for just one more.

I don't want to sound selfish. That isn't me..........while having 3 is proving to be quite difficult with the ages they are all at and I get VERY frustrated and complain, I still love all of them and just think having another to give all my love to would be a dream to me! Since that isn't going to happen, I am moving on, closing this chapter and focusing on raising my children the best I can. I am thankful that my husband gave me 3 precious lives to love and I love our little family so much I can hardly stand it!

Wordless Wednesday

A month already?

Between packing, moving and unpacking (oh, and having a baby!), this last month has flown by and has been so crazy! I finally had time to sit and breathe today and thought 'holy cow, my baby is a month old'. Time sure does fly and while we've been doing so much the last month, I have been enjoying my bonding time even if it is at 2am!

Kamdyn is just a gem! She is such a good baby and dare I say it, an angel! She surely has her moments but really, for the most part, she just cries when she is hungry or needs a diaper change. I guess after having 2 colicky babies, I needed the blessing and experience of what a 'normal' baby is like.

I feel so bad that I haven't taken many pictures of her like I did with the boys but I finally had some time yesterday. I plan to do monthly's again and then switch to every 6 months and then every year. We are due for another family picture as well. Hopefully I can get that done before going back to work. We'll see..............I don't even want to think about going back to work but it is bound to happen, unless I change my mind and decide to stay at home. Hmmm, we'll see!

Breastfeeding is going ok. I am happy I was able to keep my supply up longer than I did with the twins but at this point, I'm really just 'casually' doing it. I pump every now and then and really haven't been keeping my fluid intake up like I should. I am going to try to get my supply back up there to last a little longer. Hopefully it works! KK goes back to the doctor August 30th and I can't wait to see how much she weighs! She is already starting to fit into some 0-3 month clothes and is almost out of newborn diapers. I just can't believe she is getting so big already. It kind of makes me sad!

Here are some of the pictures I took yesterday of my peanut!



She is such a great subject to take pictures of. My next challenge is to get a 'good' picture of all 3 of the kids together. It's not so easy with two 2 1/2 year olds that don't sit still for 2 seconds! We will see what ideas I can come up with!!

Our Birth Story

Finally, after 2 weeks, I am getting around to updating this blog with Kamdyn's birth story. It's been very crazy here in our house with having a new baby in the house and packing to move in TWO days! Aye!
Anyways, everyone knew the last few weeks of my pregnancy that I was just completely done being pregnant. With the 100 degree heat and me measuring ahead, I was so completely uncomfortable that I just wanted her out!

June 30th, we had our rummage sale. For a few days before that I was starting to feeling a lot of downward pressure but never had any braxton hicks contractions at all.

July 1st, we decided since the day before didn't go so well that we weren't going to have the rummage sale again. We ended up playing at my parents house in the morning, came home and put the boys down for their nap. I took a nap as well and woke up with some lower back pain. I had all back contractions with the boys, albeit, not very strong or uncomfortable. With the boys they just felt like a dull lower back pain. This time though, they were strong and I felt them in my stomach, too.

I laid in bed for a good hour and then started calling friends asking questions since I never had 'real' labor or contractions with the boys. I started timing and I felt them every 5-8 minutes apart. I called my doctor and was told to drink water (which I have been doing) and rest (which I also have been doing). She apparently wasn't much help.

I waited another hour and at that point they were about 3-5 minutes apart. I was told if it was false labor that drinking water, rest and possibly walking would stop them so I decided to take a walk. Total bad idea..............I made it halfway around the block before I started to feel very light headed and nauseous. I managed to make it back home and was so hot that I stripped down and sat at the bottom of a cool shower. By this time I was in so much pain that I was screaming, etc. Basically all the fun things you see on t.v.

After about another 30 minutes, I felt a little gush and thought it was my water breaking (remember, I never went through this before with my 1st pregnancy). I told K to call my parents because we had to get to the hospital.

We arrived at about 7:30pm and when I was checked I was a whopping 1cm and 50% effaced. I was given a bag of fluid, pain meds and nausea medication (because I was puking all over myself. Fun times!).

My doctor finally came in at 9:30pm to check me again and I still had no change. My contractions were still off the charts and I was given the option to wait it out or go ahead with my c-section. Being 36 weeks, I felt kind of selfish wanting to just get it done because I worried that baby KK wouldn't be totally developed, etc. but I just knew since the pain meds and fluids didn't help my contractions one bit that I couldn't go on any longer in that much pain.

Kamdyn Kay was born at 11:47pm on July 1st and weighed 6lbs 15oz. She was just perfect! I felt this connection with her instantly. Maybe it was just that I had my baby girl or because she was happy and healthy. Either way, it was another great moment in my life!

The last 2 weeks home have been crazy. Kamdyn wasn't supposed to come until July 23rd since we are moving this weekend. She had other plans and that is fine. The boys have been ok with her. They are acting out a lot and being very naughty at home so we have really started to kick disciplining into high gear. They are doing good under the stressful circumstances. Just 2 more days and we'll be in our new house and getting settled will hopefully shut down the acting out a little bit.

We are just so happy to have our little girl home and enjoy her every minute we can. I will update as I have time. With 3 under 3, I am one busy woman at times but there IS always nap time! :)

Welcome to the world Kamdyn Kay!

My day on July 1st started out normal. Woke up, got the kids out of bed and planned out what to do that morning. A few days before, I started feeling a lot of pressure downward and wondered if it was KK starting to descend. I was feeling fine otherwise so I didn't think much of it. I was only 35 weeks and thought it was early. Apparently, she had other plans.........

That afternoon, I took a nap on the weekends like usual. I woke up with some lower back pain. About an hour later it started to get worse so I started to time when I would feel pain. It was about 5-8 minutes apart. I called the on call doctor when I started feeling it in my back and lower ab area and she said to drink water (which I had been doing) and take a walk. If that didn't help then I should go in. By the time I got up and refilled my water and got outside, I was feeling the contractions 3-5 minutes apart. I got almost around the block and started to feel really nauseous and light headed so I got home as fast as I could.

When I got upstairs, I was so hot so I stripped down and got in the cool shower. The pain got so bad so fast and I had Kevin call my parents to come over and said that we had to get to the hospital. It felt like forever for them to get to our house. I couldn't stand up because I was so light headed and felt like I was going to puke so I scooted my butt down the stairs and managed to get into the car.

Once we got to the hospital and I got into the bed, I started puking uncontrollably. I couldn't hold it in. I was checked and surprisingly I was only 1cm and 50% effaced. The doctor on call was in a surgery so I waited 2 hours for her to come check me again and I still had no change. I was given the option to wait it out or go ahead with my c-section which I had scheduled for July 23rd. My contractions were off the chart and I was in so much pain that I decided to go ahead with the c-section.

Kamdyn Kay came at 11:47pm on July 1st and weighed 6lbs 15oz. I was 36 weeks exactly!

We have been home for a few days and while it's been hard and chaotic (we are also in the midst of moving in 1 1/2 weeks), we are so happy she is here. We have had some bumps with the boys and having them act out but we are trying to work through it as best as we can.

Once I have more time, I will upload all of the gazillion pictures I have taken thus far! :)







Boy or Girl?

I’m still for some reason skeptical as to the gender of my unborn child but Dr. McDreamy has told me that their office has never been wrong. I did make him check 3 times so I’m quite certain he is right but just for fun, let’s go through the old wives tales to see what it predicts:



Sleep in left side (boy) or right side (girl) – Right side

Extreme nausea (girl) or a little/none (boy) – I had very bad nausea this pregnancy

Soft hands (girl) or dry hands (boy) – Soft hands

Craving citrus (girl) – Tie! I craved fruit with both pregnancies

Adult acne (girl) – Yup! I have had more blemishes this pregnancy than with the boys

Graceful (girl) or clumsy (boy) – I am always pretty clumsy so this one can’t count too much

Face weight gain (girl) – Tie! I did get a fuller face towards the end of my pregnancy with the boys and don’t have any face weight gain what-so-ever now

Craving salt (boy) or sweets (girl) – I crave both but more sweets than anything

Mood swings (girl) – Yes!

Carrying low (boy) or high (girl) – High

Baby weight all in front (boy) or space all around (girl) – Both pregnancies I was all belly. Tie!

Pendulum test – Have not done this one at all

If a toddler shows interest in your belly (girl) or no interest (boy) – Most kids have shown interest

Age and year of conception are even (girl) or one even, one odd (boy) – This says I would have a boy

Heartbeat more than 150 (girl) or less than 150 (boy) – The boys heartbeats were always over 150?



Boy = 1 Girl = 8 Tie = 4



Looks like the doctor is right! And according to the Chinese gender predictor chart, it says I am having a girl as well.

Now all we need is the next 45 days to zoom by so we can meet baby KK!

32 Weeks

How far along: 32 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 31lbs at my last appt. a week ago

Maternity clothes? Officially all maternity clothes

Sleep: I sleep pretty good these days

Best moment this week: Feeling more movement and stronger movement from KK. She is sure gonan be one strong little girl

Movement: I feel her all day, everyday..........for the most part! :) I can tell which foods she likes and doesn't like!

Food cravings: I still crave chinese every now and then although it is getting less and less. I also want pizza and this past week, I wanted plums REALLY bad. It sucks that I can't find them anywhere though. Wrong season..........

Gender: 100% girl according to my doctor. I keep asking him everytime I go for appointments if he is sure it's a girl and he said 'yes'

Labor Signs: None recently, thank god!

Belly Button: It looks really weird and hasn't popped yet. I thought it was going to but now I'm not so sure.

What I miss: CAPPUCCINO!!!!

What I am looking forward to: Looking at my precious baby girl for the first time!

Weekly Wisdom: Don't agree to work two 15 hour days in a row........you WILL be burnt out, pregnant or not!

Milestones: Grow baby grow!

 

Always nice...............

We had a great memorial day weekend. We shopped, spent time outdoors, swam and had a bbq!

What was really the highlight of my weekend, though, was an encounter I had with another mom at barnes and noble. She was by herself with her older daughter, maybe 4 or 5 years old, and her younger son, coincidentally named Jaxson as well (but spelt the 'normal way'), who was 19 months.

I was by myself with the boys playing at the lego table while K was looking for a book. She was chasing her little one all over as he ran and pulled stuff off shelves, etc. She finally came over and as most strangers do, inquired how old the boys were and then gave that 'OH' reaction when I say they are twins.

She made the same general comments, 'I don't know how you do it' and 'Are you having twins again?' when seeing my big belly. I politely responded and answered her questions and she actually turned out to be one of the 'nicer' strangers.

Her son finally sat down and there was a lego tower built so I crouched down and took apart some of the blocks that were together and showed him how to throw them inside the tower. It kept him busy for a good few minutes while his poor Mom could catch her breath.

She then said to me that I sure do know all the tricks and proceeded to comment on how well behaved my kids were and how it looks like I am doing a great job with them. Little did she know I was not a stay at home Mom that worked with my kids on a daily basis on manners and that I actually worked a full and part time job.

It's little things like this encounter that can brighten my day and make me feel good as a Mom. Not only am I a first time Mom, but I'm also a first time Mom of twins. Twins that were colicky and crabby as babies but have turned out to be quite the well behaved boys compared to some children out there. They don't always listen but hey, I'm working on that.

We are almost 1/2 way through the terrible two's (as they say) and aside from the word 'NO' that they moan back at us from time to time when asked to do something, they are pretty awesome kids and I think I (and K) are doing a pretty darn good job. There will be things we will tweak with little KK when she enters our lives and hopefully I will get the same compliments with her that I do now with the boys!

Wordless Wednesday

28 Weeks

How far along? 28 weeks



Total weight gain/loss: 30lb...........YIKES!


Maternity clothes? Pretty much all maternity clothes


Sleep: I have my good days and bad days. It is getting better though! :)


Best moment this week: Starting to distinguish KK's body parts when she kicks and flips.


Movement: She is pretty much active all day, every day!


Food cravings: Still chinese, pizza and sweets


Gender: GIRL!


Labor Signs: I was in the hospital at 26 weeks with consistent contractions. After 1 bag of fluid, they stopped. I have had 1 incident since then but no other contractions besides that.


Belly Button: Almost popped


What I miss: Still my cappuccino! I've had it a few times in the last few weeks and I notice that when I do is when I start to feel those contractions so I will have to stop until after KK's arrival.  :(


What I am looking forward to: Seeing what my little girl looks like!

Weekly Wisdom: I'm not full of wisdom this week.


Milestones: Grow baby grow!

24 Weeks

How far along? 24 weeks


Total weight gain/loss: A month ago I was up 14lbs. I go to the doctor on Monday but I anticipate at least 20lbs


Maternity clothes? All maternity clothes at this point. I do wear some cardigans open that are non maternity but for the most part, all maternity


Sleep: It is getting better. She is not so active at night anymore probably because she is growing by the minute. The last 2 nights I slept ALL night without even getting up to go to the bathroom. It was wonderful!

Best moment this week: Sleeping through the night


Movement: It is more consistent and I am starting to see the patterns of when she is sleeping and awake. Most mornings, she is REALLY active but that may just be from breakfast! :)

Food cravings: It is different by the day! It's either chinese, pizza or sandwiches


Gender: GIRL!


Labor Signs: None yet


Belly Button: It is pretty wide and I think it'll pop this pregnancy. It didn't pop with the boys but I am pretty sure it will this time.


What I miss: My cappuccino. I have my starbucks card loaded and ready to go!


What I am looking forward to: July 23rd when I will meet baby KK.

Weekly Wisdom: Don't eat a lot of ice cream before bed. Your tummy will grumble and make it hard to fall asleep!

Milestones: Grow baby grow!

20 Weeks

How far along? 20 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 14lbs

Maternity clothes? I am officially wearing all maternity clothes. I try to squeeze into my regular shirts but they are just too short and I look goofy.

Sleep: It is getting a little better. Baby chicken nugget is still pretty active at night and I have to get up to go to the bathroom a lot still.

Best moment this week: Finding out baby's gender

Movement: It is getting more consistent. I am starting to notice it's patterns and when it is most active. Usually mid-morning and at night when I am relaxing or trying to sleep.

Food cravings: Not craving anything too bad lately

Gender: It's a GIRL!

Labor Signs: Not yet

Belly Button in or out? It is widening some but still looks pretty normal

What I miss: Not really anything lately.

What I am looking forward to: My c-section date scheduled for July 23rd

Weekly Wisdom: It's hard to keep a secret! We were going to keep her gender a secret but it got out accidentally through a text I sent K. A co-worker was looking over his shoulder and saw and thus, the secret was out.

Milestones: Grow baby grow!



And so that date has arrived

for our anatomy scan, that is. It came and went and K and I are elated! We have chosen not to tell friends or family and so far that has not gone over too well but it is our decision. It is our child and we want to have some sort of surprise element in this whole deal.

The scan went great! Baby chicken nugget is looking good. All body parts are functioning and it is SURE a mover and a shaker which is so different from the boys. Being pregnant with one baby is very different from being pregnant with two. It has so much more room to move and wiggle.

We got a few great profile pictures and chicken nugget just wouldn't cooperate for any good 3d images. Oh well..........

Now if the next 4 months can fly by, I'll be one happy camper!

Feeling a little nervous

In just 5 short days, I will find out what is hiding inside my belly and that makes me nervous, scared and happy all at the same time. You see, K only ever wanted 2 children and I always wanted 3 or 4. When we got married I said 2 was fine because that's what we compromised on. Well that changed when we were having twins. I LOVED being pregnant and wanted to do it again, morning sickness and all. I didn't want to only be pregnant once in my lifetime.

Having twins also changed K's mind as well. When we found out we were having 2 boys, he decided he wanted to try again for a girl. He has 2 nieces and sees his brother with 'daddy's little girls' and he wants to experience that and all the 'boy' stuff like little league, etc. Let's just say, he wants the best of both worlds.

We have looked forward to finding out what we were having since the day we surprisingly found out I was pregnant again and now that the day is almost here, I'm getting so very nervous and scared. What if it's another boy? Are we done like my husband insists on? If it's another boy, will I live the rest of my life wondering 'what if the next one would have been a girl'? I'm not sure I can live like that.

I may be getting ahead of myself here thinking about all this but that's what pregnancy hormones do, right? I guess I should be very happy that we got pregnant naturally when I was told I most likely wouldn't be able to. We tried for about 14 months for the boys before we turned to clomid and 50mg later, we had twins on the way. I really thought we'd have to do that again so after the 1st month of trying and no positive HPT, I went to the doctor and got my prescription to start taking. I waited and waited for my cycle to start so I could start clomid and SURPRISE, I was pregnant!

Maybe that was a sign of all the happiness to come. So far everything has been going ok set aside from the bleeding and clot I passed at 7 weeks. Maybe this pregnancy happening on it's own means we could have a girl even though somewhere deep down I was convinced K could only produce boys. Who knows what the future holds and why am I worrying about it?

In honor of Valentine's Day

Our Love Story 

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?

9 Years

2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}

We met at work. I was already working there for 2 or 3 years. I started when I was in high school at 16 because my Mom got me a job there. Coincidentally, HIS Mom worked there as well so I knew his Mom before I knew him. (weird, I know)

When he finally started working there, my Mom was the one who was training him. In the years prior that I have worked with my Mom, I never really talked to her at work but when I knew she was training K, I was over there ALL the time......'Mom, what are you having for lunch?............OH HI K!'............lol

He had a girlfriend and I had JUST gotten a new boyfriend who was easy to lose since we just started dating. After a few months, we were an item and the rest is history.

3. If married, how long have you been married? If not, is this the guy you hope to marry? {do tell}

We were just married for 5 years in September

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding? If not, where would you like to get married?

We were living in Louisiana when we got engaged (moved there for K's job, the one we met at but I quit). We planned on getting married there but when hurricane Katrina and Rita flew through in 2005, we moved back and got married in WI.

It was a medium sized wedding. About 150 people.

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another?

I used to call K 'lovebug' and I was 'kitkat'. After almost a decade together, you kind of stop all the cutesy stuff

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.

He is as faithful as they come

He is the best father to our children

He is funny and smart and driven

7. Tell us how he proposed? Or your ideal proposal?

Well, I kind of knew it was coming but not sure exactly when so it wasn't AS much of a surprise as I'd hoped. I was with him the morning he bought the ring and didn't think he'd do it soon after he bought it.

One afternoon he asked about going to drive around the lakes by LSU campus. We did, parked and took a walk. As we were getting back to the car, he was behind me and I turned around and he was, well, half down on one knee and said some mushy stuff and then asked me.

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?

Neither unless I drop hints like mad. K thinks it's just a Hallmark holiday and doesn't really like to give in to all that. He's not very romantic but once in a while he'll do a grand gesture, usually for our anniversary or something like that. It's hard for him to plan though because I hate being surprised and if I know he's planning something, I'll do what I can to find out what it is.

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?

Pop in a movie and relax on the couch. Since K isn't as romantic as I'd like, I doubt we'd ever do a sunset dinner. Maybe if he's reading this, one day I'll be surprised with that but for now, a movie on the couch is fine with me.

10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere? 

I'd love to go back to Jamaica where we honeymooned and I've ALWAYS wanted to go to Australia to the great barrier reef.

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine's Day.

We won't do anything on the actually day (today is Tuesday). We did go out last Friday night which was kind of like our celebration for it.

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day?

I got flowers and some chocolate covered strawberries and the best card ever!

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.

Communicate! If you want something, you can't expect the other person to read your mind and vice versa. You have to sometimes just say what you want. Ask and you shall receive!

14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.

Our 'growing' family

16 weeks

*please excuse my horrible morning face*

How far along? 16 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 8lbs

Maternity clothes? Pants are strictly maternity now and I'm starting to wear a few shirts here and there

Sleep: Some days are good and some days are bad

Best moment this week:  Hearing baby chicken nuggets heartbeat at the doctor and scheduling the anatomy scan!

Movement: I feel little flutters here and there but nothing consistent

Food cravings: Chinese and pizza

Gender: Only 3 1/2 more weeks until we find out!

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? Still normal

What I miss: Sleep

What I am looking forward to: The anatomy scan on March 5th!

Weekly Wisdom: Make sure to eat every 2-3 hours or else you'll feel REALLY sick!

Milestones: Grow baby grow!

Never say never

I always said I would never be THAT soccer mom who drives around in a minivan carting her kids to practice and movies and dances but alas, yesterday, I am now THAT mom.

After looking for almost a year for a car (yes, you read right, a year) and not finding the right SUV with enough cargo space for a humungo double stroller +1 that was in our price range, I have resorted to the only option left.......A V-A-N!

I have to admit, I kind of like it. It's a 2011 Kia Sedona. When I'm in it, I don't even feel like I'm in a van. We couldn't afford a spruced up model like we wanted. I mean, with another baby on the way and needing to move to a 3 bedroom as it is, we needed to be sensible with our money. We got just a mid model that has the awesome back up indicator, power windows, doors, etc. Most all the 'power' stuff and cd player is standard these days. We do have bluetooth, satellite radio, an i-pod usb port (which is one of the BEST things to me since I always listen to my i-pod in the car) and the option for sirius radio.

It's only be a mere 24 hours since owning the beauty and I already can't wait for my husband to wake up so we can go out on the town with it doing 'parent' type stuff.

So there you have it, I finally broke down and got a van. Since I'm pretty sure after this chicken nugget that we are done having kids, once I don't need ALL the room anymore, I WILL be getting my SUV with 3rd row seat, navigation and all those other perks!

Choices, choices, choices......

A blog is for letting out your feelings and/or chronicling your life, right? Well, I got some thoughts I need to put on paper and maybe you can help me sort them out..........all 10 followers of you!

I have been sick and home 3 days out of the last week. It really made me think about my decision of being a stay at home mom. I know there are pros and cons to that decision but I really think the pros may outweigh the cons.

My mom stayed at home with me and my siblings until we were all in school full time as did my mother in law with my husband and his siblings. I think it's good for mothers to do that and have that bond with their children if they can afford it financially.

At the point my husband and I are in our lives, I do believe we can make it work. I would still work part time for extra income and for me to get some adult interaction so I don't go crazy. But still, some part of me is hesitant to make the switch. I do admit, I love working. I love money and there are things my husband and I want to get in the next year or two, such as a house. If I decide to stay at home, that may put off that plan a little longer which may not be a bad thing.

I go back and forth on this and while I wouldn't make the switch until next year (yup, 11 months from now), I don't think it's too early to start thinking and planning for it if it's the right decision. I think with the new baby coming and the boys going to preschool in the fall, it would be great for me to stay at home and bond with our new chicken nugget!

Only time will tell............

12 Weeks!



How far along? 12 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 5lbs (but that may be less since I had the flu last weekend)

Maternity clothes? Just pants at this point and maybe a shirt or two
Sleep: Not so good lately. I'm just very uncomfortable.

Best moment this week: Having a repeat ultrasound and seeing that the SCH has cleared. I think that will be one of the best moments this pregnancy.

Movement: None that I am aware of. What I'm feeling is just gas, I'm sure! lol....

Food cravings: Every week, it's something different. Nothing really is consistent besides fruit.
Gender: Only 2 more months until I can find out!
Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? Still normal

What I miss: Sleeping all night without getting up to go to the bathroom
What I am looking forward to: Our gender ultrasound!

Weekly Wisdom: No wisdom this week! Just taking it one day at a time.

Milestones: Grow baby grow!