My 2 Year Old!

Well, Lexi has been officially two years old for a couple weeks now! We had a nice quiet day at home for her birthday. We did presents and cake and watched a little Daniel Tiger. We actually went to another little girls birthday party for a few hours in the afternoon (Don't get me started on that!! Lol), but she had a great day and that's what was most important. 

Lexi's birthday trikey!

Playing with her jewelry box

Lexi got the movie Frozen for her birthday and we've pretty much watched it every day since! She loves it and is totally obsessed! She calls the abominable snowman in it "big tiger", because clearly anything that says "roar" is a tiger :)  She likes to act out parts of the movie. She'll tell me "go to sleep mommy" so then she can shake me and say "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" like Anna does to Elsa in the beginning. She also likes to stand at the back door and knock, then she'll say words from the "Do you want to build a snowman" song. She'll say "build snowman?" And then turn around, throw her arms up in the air and say "why?!" It's really cute! 

Just chillaxin' on the couch

Trying on mommy's shoes

We've been doing some different activities this summer. Our local movie theater has been showing free kids movies, a different none every week. So every Thursday morning Lexi and I go to the movies and share a box of gummies. We've seen two the the Alvin and the Chipmunks sequels, which she loved. She still talks about seeing "the chipmunk movie" and how the "green chipmunk got scared!". We saw Turbo, which was a cute movie, but Lexi wasn't super into it. We've also seen two Ice Age sequels and she liked those. She still talks about how "the baby dinosaur cry!" and "the big dinosaur says ROAR!" and "baby catch a snowflake!". It's a fun time and she's done better sitting through a whole movie than I thought she would. I like that it's all kids and parents at the showings, so if she whimpers now and then it's not as big of a deal. I also love that it's completely free for both of us!! I pick up a 99 cent box of gummies at Walmart before hand, pack her sippy (no drink for me or else I'll have to pee 9 times!), and we have a great morning. 

Playing with playdough... an obsession lately!

A day at the beach

KJ and I took Lexi to Idlewild Park (south east of Pittsburgh) a couple weeks ago. It was her first amusement park. She did ok, but it wasn't a fantastic day. It was a two hour drive down that stretched into 2.5-3 hours because we had our first experience puking in the car. Fun fun!! She was watching Tangled on KJs tablet and I think she got car sick. So we had to stop and find a Walmart to get extra wipes, carpet cleaner to clean the car seat, paper towels, and an extra out fit. I had one back up outfit with us, but I was worried she would get sick again and then I'd have nothing to put her it. Luckily, that was the only throw up incident! 

Hand car with mommy

So we finally got to the park and it was 90 freaking degrees already. Omg it was a hot day! The big draw to the park for us was that they are remodeling part of it in order to put in a Daniel Tigers Neighborhood section. It previously was Mister Rodger's Neighborhood of Make-believe and now they are updating it for a new generation. But anyways, Lexi got to meet DT again, and of course, loved him. That and seeing trolly was the high light of the trip. KJ tried to take her on a couple rides, but she got scared. I couldn't go on a lot of them with her, so it was kind of hard. I was able to take her on the carousel, though, and she really liked that. She got to ride on a black pony, which she still talks about. 

We ventured into the water park, which wasn't as bad as I was expecting. Lexi actually did really well with the crowed kid's area and the water in general. She had a good time, but I honestly really did not. I hate those gross, over crowded changing rooms. And it was so insanely hot. And then I had to juggle Lexi, getting us both dressed, and our bag. Ugh. I hate water parks. 

All in all Lexi had a decent time, but I am not looking forward to taking a toddler to an amusement park again any time soon! As she gets older I think it will get better, but for now it's a huge pain in the butt. (Haha and I say this as we are tentatively planning a Disney trip for summer '16 when Lexi will be 4 and LO will be 18m! Oh fun times!!)

Samores by the "fire place"

Sol that's a recap on life with a 2 year old at the moment!

Lots of Love, 

KJsbabe

16 Weeks - 4 Months!!

Well, I am officially in the second tri now (I count by 13w3d). I'm still tired all the time and I keep waiting for my energy to come back. I guess it has a little, but not like I'm used to. I really miss caffeine!! I'm still running every other day and walking on the off days. I'm running 4.5 miles when I'm on my own or 3.2 miles when I have Lexi in the stroller. A long way off from last summer, but I'm doing what I can! 

15w2d

So, just after 12w I started to have trouble peeing at night. I would get up in the middle of the night, sit down to go, and nothing would come out even though I had a full bladder. I had an app on July 14th (just a check up/ Doppler check) and my doctor told me that baby was sitting on my urethra and blocking things off. Super fun!! I had to do like a downward dog jiggle thing to get baby up higher so I could pee. But, at about 14.5w I noticed when I woke up one morning that I could feel my ute up above my pelvis and I haven't had the problem since. I'm so glad the issue didn't last long!!

Speaking of peeing, this baby loves to sit on my bladder and make me have to pee every 15 minuets. I know my bladder isn't full yet, but I still feel like I have to pee NOW! The other day it got really bad. Lexi and I were getting ready to go to story time. I peed right before I got us in the car, but as soon as sat down I felt like I had to pee again. I thought, "there's no way. I literally just peed, I'll be fine." It's a half hour drive to story time. Omg by the time we got there I was ready to explode! With Lexi this peeing all the time thing didn't set in until late third tri. 

How far along? 16 weeks

Total weight gain: 4 pounds. The running is really helping me to keep things under control.

Maternity clothes? I'm sticking with the belly button bands. They work for the most part. I like that they attach to the buttons of my pants. I can unbutton how ever far is comfortable and it's covered up. I have some problems with my pants sagging in the back, but I usually have that problem pregnant or not. I tried on my maturity pants the other day and they're still too big. With Lexi I started wearing them at 16w, but I had also gained 15lbs by that point. So I think the weight is really making a difference.

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: Sleeping ok. I wake up at least once a night to pee. Surprisingly I'm still ok laying on my back. With Lexi I started feeling sick every time I laid on my back around 16 weeks. I really missed it all though that pregnancy, so I'm excited it's not setting in as soon this time.

Best moment this month: Being able to pee again! Lol

Miss Anything? Caffeine. Seriously, it's a struggle to get though the day sometimes. I don't feel like I'm being a great mom to Lexi because I just don't have the energy to do a lot. And when I'm tired I get snippy and I just don't have a ton of patience. 

Movement: I keep thinking I feel little flutters, but then I convince myself it's just gas. I thought I felt a kick last week, but I was pretty high up and I really don't think my ute is that high yet. With Lexi I felt full on kicks at the end of 17w, and they say you're supposed to feel movement earlier with baby number two. But I'm still waiting for an undeniable kick.

Food cravings: Mexican. I'm really loving the combo of pineapple salsa, sour cream, and cheese. Love it!! And spaghetti! Yum!  

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Gender prediction: Still thinking boy. We will find out on Aug 11!

Labor Signs: none

Symptoms: Tired. Growing bump! 

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Tired, which makes me moody.

Looking forward to: Our anatomy scan is so close! I can't wait to find out the sex! 

Next app: August 11

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

 PS My sister finally had her baby!! She was 10 days over due and needed induced, but Hannah Joy was born this afternoon! 10lbs 6oz!! Yikes!

I Think We're Going to Have a Baby!

Today baby is 12 weeks! I'm 3 months pregnant! 28 more weeks to go!

I had my NT scan this morning and baby looked great! Such a relief! The NT measurement was .12, heart beat was 157, and baby even measured ahead at 12w4d. Lexi measured a few days ahead at her NT scan, too, so not super surprising. The tech said everything looks good. Yay! We'll get the full results with the blood work and everything in a couple weeks.

My doctor also gave me a lab order for a GTT. I was kind of surprised to have to do one so early in this pregnancy. I asked one of the nurses about it and she said it's standard now at their office to have all patience do one at the beginning and then another at the normal 28w. A little weird, but I guess if they think it's necessary I'll do it.

There's nothing I can do to jinks a pregnancy, so I'm going to go ahead and say it... I'm feeling really good about this baby!!! I'm really excited!! I feel like this is my second (or fourth) chance at an enjoyable pregnancy. Everything has been going so well, no actual scares (just PgAL brain). I feel naive again. I know in my head that there is no safe place in pregnancy, that there are no guarantees, but I feel like we are going to get to meet this LO in January. I feel like this LO will complete our family. Here's hoping!

How far along? 12 weeks

Total weight gain: 1/2 a pound. I gain back what I lost, so I'm about even now.

Maternity clothes? I'm trying out some new belly bands "The Belly Button Band". Last time I had one from Target that I really hated. I was just way too tight and constricting. I like the Belly Button much better! It buttons on to the button of your pants and then hold everything up pretty nicely. My jeans and shorts still fit well in the legs and but, so I think this will work well for the next couple weeks.

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep:  Pretty good except for a couple nights. There was one night that I woke up about 3am and was so antsy I couldn't fall back asleep until almost 6.

Best moment this week:  Seeing LO wiggle and turn over on the u/s today!

Miss Anything? Wine. Omg I would LOVE a glass of sweet red wine.... 

Movement: Not yet.

Food cravings: Lately it's been veggie cream cheese, Nutella, Alfredo, and pickles.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Water on an empty stomach. 

Gender prediction:  KJ and I are both thinking boy

Labor Signs: no!

Symptoms: Fatigue!! Omg I'm still sooo tired!

Belly Button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or Moody most of the time: A mix. Feeling good most of the time, but. I get annoyed easily.

Looking forward to: My bump turning into a real unmistakeable baby bump. I kind of look like I've just gained some weight...

Next app:  July 21 for a check up and Doppler check.

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

A Daniel Tiger Birthday Party

We had Lexi's 2nd birthday party yesterday, the weekend before her actual birthday. It went pretty well! Lexi had a great time, and that's the most important thing. We did a Daniel Tiger theme, of corse! Last year I tried to make all the decorations and invitations myself. They turned out well, but we're really time consuming. So this year, I still make them myself, but took a short cut... Printables!!! Best thing ever! I found a great invite on Etsy that came with a bunch of other personalized printables, like the banner. PBS also had a lot of free printables and activity ideas on their web site. And Pintrest, of corse, had some great DIY decorations. Printables saved me so much time and they looked great! I'm really happy with how they turned out.

For kid favors I did sand buckets, bubbles, play dough, sidewalk chalk, gummies, and chocolate covered "tiger tail" pretzels. I makes a bunch of the pretzels for adult favors, too. 

One of the Pintrest ideas I really liked were different activity stations. With two year olds I wasn't even going to attempt an organized game. So I set up different play areas so the kids could just run and play and do what they wanted. I labeled our play set as the "Clock Factory Park" and the sand box as "Jungle Beach" to keep in the DT theme. Then we had Lexi's play house, bubble mower, water table, and car out to play with, too. My SIL got her a play grill for her birthday, so KJ put that together for the kids to play with, also. I think everyone had fun! 

Lexi is finally starting to come out of her shell a bit. She's not so shy around new people any more and she's starting to interact pretty well with other kids. She's still a watcher, but she's interacting a lot more. We had a couple little kids at her party and think she really enjoyed playing with them. 

All in all it was a great party! It was kind of nice doing it early and not on her actual birthday. I was running around like a crazy person most of the morning and wasn't really able to spend a lot of time with Lexi, so it was nice to get the crazy put of the way and we'll be able to spend her birthday focusing on her. 

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

We have a Nugget!!

I went it for my second u/s this morning and it went great!! Baby looked awesome and measured a day ahead at 9w1d (right on with my O day) and had a HB of 177. This puts me past my loss milestones and I feel great! I'm so, so happy!!!

Yay!!!

We got to see our LO wiggling around which was really cool. I know we're not completely out of the woods yet... but maybe 90% out of the woods :) 

The first thing I did when I got home was order this shirt from Etsy for Lexi. We won't be spilling the beans until around the 4th of July, but it takes a couple weeks to ship and we want to be prepared :) My next app is June 26 for the NT scan.

I'm jumping in with two feet!! Today I am pregnant and I love my baby!!

Lots of Love, 

KJsbabe

Diaper Cakes and Outdoor Play

My sister's baby shower was yesterday and it turned out really nice. She got lot of great stuff... Including a cloth diaper cake that I made for her! I have to say, I'm super jealous of this cake!! I would have head-over-heals LOVED to get a cake like this at my shower. As it was, I didn't get any CDs at my shower and had to buy all of them myself. But anyways, I'm super happy with how this came together. I found some good stuff on eBay, hit some great Earth day sales, and added a couple things from my own stash. 

Here's what in it:

12 infant prefolds

5 BG NB

1 Kissa 0

2 small Thirsties covers

8 BG 4.0

1 Thirsties OS

3 Flips

2 random prefolds 

3 CJ samples

1 CJ stick

1 small wet bag

1 pail liner

1 BG wipe solution 

1 BG odder spray 

1 jar coconut oil

2 snappies

5 BG detergent samples

1 Grovia liners

16 bum wipes

Bottom tier

Middle tier

Top tier

I spend around $220, give or take a dollar. I feel like I really got a lot for my money and it was fun putting it together. My sister loved it, so that's a plus, too! 

In other news, KJ has been busy acquiring outdoor toys for Lexi to play with. There was an old cozy coupe sitting behind our neighbor's shed that he had been eying up all spring. They're an older retired couple, so one day he went over and asked if they were using it. They gave it to him there on the spot! 

He cleaned it up and painted it to match my VW Beetle. So now Lexi and I have matching cars :) She loves playing with it!

Mommy's Beetle

Lexi's Beetle

We have a swing set and slide set out back that Lexi loves playing on. The only way to get up on the platform and slide was a ladder and that was a little too advanced for Lexi to climb. So KJ got creative and built a ramp that she can climb up herself. She does great with it! She can climb up and slide down all she wants now.

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

23 Months Old!

One more month until my little Lexi turns 2! Yikes! How can she be this old already?! This month she has turned into a little parrot, repeating everything I say. Or what anybody else says, for that matter! She says things like, "lemme check", "be right back", "I get black pen", "no likey", "lemme help", "oh honey", She's even starting to say full sentences like "Jenny push baby swing". A while back on Easter KJ's sister Jenny came over. She was playing with Lexi outside and pushed her for a while on the swing. That apparently made a huge impression on Lexi because she hasn't stopped talking about it! Every time she swings in the baby swing she says it at least 10 times. "Jenny push baby swing!" 

Another thing that made a big impression was meeting Daniel Tiger a month or so ago. I put a picture of her and Daniel on the fridge and she points to it and says, "Big Daniel! Big Daniel!" I'm not sure when long term memory kicks in, but she can definitely remember back to things a few months ago now. Pretty cool!

 
 

The "tabby" continues to be her absolute favorite toy. A month or so ago I bought an older iPad mini off a friend of ours. I got a nice kid friendly case for it and Lexi and I share it. Her favorite apps are Endless Numbers, Elmo Calls, Goldilocks, the Daniel Tiger apps, and the PBS app. 

Lexi can count to 10! She got 1-5 down last month and has added 6-10 this month. I'm so proud of how she's starting to pick things up like that! Some times she gets the numbers mixed up or forgets some "1, 3, 5, 6, 8-9-10!"

One thing Lexi has been struggling with this month is a persistent cough. She caught a bad cold at the beginning of the month and she's had this cough ever since. I took her to the doctor twice for it because it was pretty bad and they seem to think it's allergies. We tried children's Claritin and did see much difference. So then they put her on a children's Singular. I honestly haven't seen a difference with it either. The cough has gotten better, but she still gets it bad when she naps and sleeps at night. I'm hoping it will clear up soon!

Favorite books this month have been "Snow White and Rose Red", "Clifford the Champion", "Clifford the Big Red Dog", "Daniel Tiger Welcome to the Neighborhood", and "May I Bring a Friend".

She's such a goof ball sometimes!

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe