She is With Me....a few honest feelings from the heart

Damn straight I am excited to meet our baby boy, I have been waiting a long time for this.  At the same time I am a ball of emotions as the last few days go by. I am nervous, anxious, excited..all wrapped into one. I'd say it is totally normal for anyone to be nervous for surgery. I am just keeping positive thoughts that everything is going to go great, our baby boy is going to be as healthy as can be and he will be placed in my arms shortly after birth. Waiting five hours to hold Stella felt like an eternity.

Going into surgery this time I know we have a tiny guardian angel looking down on us...and she is going to help bring us our miracle baby. I know she will be in the OR room welcoming little Ricky into this world with us.

There is one song that has always reminded me of Mabel. When I heard it for the first time after we said goodbye to her the words just jumped out at me as if she was singing them to me...

As we get closer to delivery day I feel like I hear this song every single time I turn on a radio whether it be in the kitchen or in the truck. to me it's a sign that she is with me....telling me everything is going to be okay come delivery day.

and this morning was no different. After breakfast, Stella and I turned on the speaker in the kitchen for a country dance party ;) and the song came on soon after we were twirling around each other...and Stella looked right up at me...those eyes just fill my heart..at that moment I felt like all of us were dancing together and she sang those words from the song to me...

sweet baby boy just a couple more days until we all welcome you into this world...

Bye Bye Bottles

As we began our bedtime routine on Tuesday night I filled Stella's bottle with her milk as Rick and I usually do. One of us usually changes her into a dry diaper for the night as the other prepares the milk. good team work :) Let me add that this nighttime bottle is the only bottle that she gets throughout the day; all other milk is drank from a cup. Anyway, earlier that day I took apart both of her bottles (each bottle consists of 5 actual parts to clean)  and gave them a thorough cleaning. Not sure if I punctured something or screwed something up with the bottles, but as Stella was drinking her milk she kept saying the bottle was leaking...in fact the problem wasn't that the bottle was leaking, the milk simply wasn't coming out when she sucked. I was baffled. I tried both bottles and mixed and matched all the pieces to see if we could find a combination that worked. She actually ended up not finishing all of her milk, I would guess because of the distraction from stopping every 30 seconds to say "it leaked" and walking like a big girl right up to her bed. The next morning I nearly fell over when she saw me washing her bottles again and began talking about how they leaked and were broke....my wheels started turning and a light bulb went off!

I told her she was right, that they did break! I stopped washing them and I began to explain to her that bottles are for babies anyway and that she is a big girl. I asked her to put the broken bottles in the garbage. I also told her that after she threw them in the garbage we would go to babies r' us so she could pick out her big girl cups for her milk at night night time. I kept reminding her all the way to the store where we were going, and what we were going for. We talked more about how she is a big girl now and Ricky is going to the the baby so he will drink from a bottle. 

The amount of sippy cups in the cup aisle at Babies r' Us is just insane. From the kinds of spouts, to handles or no handles, to designs and colors, to insulated or not insulated, leak proof or not leak proof...one could stand there all day comparing cups. We have tried so many different cups with her; some she has taken a liking too and others she simply refused. With her bottles already being in the garbage, I felt I had to choose the right cup. talk about pressure! Rick and I know that this is going to the the toughest bottle to break- when she gets tired she goes right to the spot we keep them in and asks for it. As we pour her milk and she watches us, Rick pointed out to me one night and I was hysterical when I saw what he was talking about, her mouth begins to move in a sort of sucking motion. This nighttime bottle is such a comfort thing for her and isn't so much about the milk. 

off to babies r' us for our big girl cups...

Well, here they stand the chosen ones....

Tonight is the true test....hopefully I am back here posting tomorrow about an enjoyed nightly milk cap by ours truly ;)

fingers crossed...

Life Lately...

I have put blogging on the back burner for now as we prepare for our little guy's arrival. There is so much that I have wanted to get done around the house before going into the hospital. I guess you can say I am nesting... ;) 

floors steamed and disinfected...check!

all drapes taken down and washed/rods dusted...check!

bathrooms scrubbed and disinfected...check!

Along with cleaning, I have been spending all my time doing fun things with Stella. I am soaking up these last days with just me and my girl. :) Walks on the towpath, donut dates, getting things ready together for little Ricky, i hop in her crib when he wakes up from her nap and we play in it :)

Lately in a few pics...

Stella and I have also been working a lot on identifying different shapes and pictures...

A few other happenings...

Rick and I got out for a dinner date last Friday night. We enjoyed some yummy Mexican, a nice walk around town and a damn good scoop of Nutella ice cream! 

Here are two tiny treasures I found on etsy for a tiny bundle...I fell in love with these soother holders; thought they were so cute and boyish, as well as these tiny mittens.

I also had my last OBGYN appointment. I actually brought Stella to this appointment, so she got to hear her little brother's heartbeat. what a special moment for me. It was cute because she was telling Rick when he got home from work that she came with me and heard Ree. :) She also walks around holding fingers up on her hand saying "days" like we only have x amount of days until Ree comes. 

At my appointment we listened to the little man's heartbeat which sounded nice and strong. He is still snug as a bug in there, and moving like crazy! Almost all of his movements now are pretty uncomfortable since space is running low in there! He continues to get the hiccups all the time and is head down :) He pokes his feet out all the time; and I love to tickle them because as soon as I do so, he pulls them back in. i used to do that to Stella too...

Everything is pretty much the same from my last pregnancy update. My total weight gain for this pregnancy was 21 lbs. I wonder how much of that is him?! Only difference from a few weeks ago are the amount of braxton hicks and actual contractions. Both extremely uncomfortable but not timing worthy. 

All in all, feeling good and can't wait to meet the little guy. <3

A Quick Toddler Tale

This is moment is totally worth a quick sit down in front of the lap top to jot down. Stella had me in stitches this morning....

so let me explain these goofy pictures...

I had to run a quick errand this morning for a few household items and wanted to get it done early so we could get back and play in the pool and water table. Humidity is gone...woohoo! Anyway, my make-up, hygiene items, all that good stuff is definitely not sacred anymore and is quite the community pile these days thanks to a few sticky fingers ;) Of course my really good things that I treasure and that are more expensive are kept out of reach. I figured we would both just quickly brush the teeth and hair, throw on some clothes and skip the shower since we were going to glop on some sunscreen as soon as we got home. I was giving my underarms a quick swipe of deodorant as Stella watched. Totally catching me off guard she goes "odorant in pits!" as she pointed to her armpits! I burst out in laughter. She wanted me to apply deodorant in her armpits before we left...yes! a 22 month old wanted friggin deodorant in her pits!  So I quickly dabbed the ladystick in each pit and she thought she was hot shit there on out. She kept pointing to her underarms saying "pits!" wanting me to smell them! 

It is now afternoon and she is still talking about her pits....

oh this girl....i love her to pieces.

and the reason her hands smelled of rosemary...

22 Months...

Our baby girl will be twenty two months this week. I really cannot believe she is going to be T-W-O years old soon.  So here are 22 facts for 22 months!

1. This girl is obsessed with rocks! She loves to collect them, play with them in her water and sand table and count them! Whether we are home or out and about and she spots a rock, it is a must that she stops to pick one or ten up! I can't even begin to explain how many rocks I found in my diaper bag when I was cleaning it out. And her carseat? Forget it. Rocks, rocks, everywhere!

2. Stella loves to sing songs! Sometimes with others and sometimes all by herself. Rick and I catch her singing all the time. In her crib and to her guys. Her favorite songs to sing are: ABC's, Row Row Your Boat, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Rain Rain Go Away, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. 

3. This little babe can count all the way up to 15, and can name all her colors. 

4. She loves playing in water. Whether it is her pool, water table or just the hose....if it has water she is a happy camper! She especially loves the mist setting on the hose. 

5. Rick and I talk all the time about how her vocabulary has exploded recently. It is incredible how we are able to communicate with her. She tells us what she wants and we are able to respond. She tells us if she is hungry and what she wants, if she wants to play and what she wants to play, if she peed or pooped and that she wants a new diaper, how many wipes we should use when changing her (she hates the wipes since she says they are cold!), the list goes on and on. 

6. Since I will be home recovering from a c-section very soon I began working on teaching her to walk up and down the stairs like a big girl so I don't have to lift and carry her. She is now obsessed with doing 'big girls!' She asks to do "big girl" all the time. She holds the railing spindles and steps one at a time. 

7. At the moment some of her favorite snacks are raisins, crushed ice which she calls 'baby ice', ice pops, Annie's bunny organic fruit snacks, fresh fruit smoothies, blueberries, and frozen yogurt dots.

8. She loves her play kitchen. She loves rummaging through her fridge and oven. She bakes her cake and cupcakes in the oven and uses her oven mitt to take them out when they are done. She also loves to make lemon tea for everyone to try. When she shares she says that it is hot and that she will fix it. She then puts it in her microwave, says 'DING!', it's ready!! And all of a sudden it is perfect. :) When she pretends to give it a try, she proceeds with 'Ohhh, it's sour!!'

9. I have mentioned before her group of guys. When we leave the house I usually ask her to choose one or two to bring along since we can't bring them all. More days than none, she chooses Baby and Goofy. Her baby was a gift from Santa last Christmas and she has taken to her very quickly. If I had to choose a favorite of hers from the entire group, I would say Baby is a top runner. My point with all this baby talk? Where do I begin...Her baby talk to her baby is hysterical...when Rick and I listen in...he literally has use rolling. Her conversations with her baby go something like this...

"ohh no! It's okay baby, it's okay baby, don't cry!"

"Shh, Shh, Shh!" As she rocks her and pats her on the back.

"Oh no, baby pooped! Pewy! Baby needs a new diapy" 

"Ok Baby...all dry! All clean!"

She wraps her in her blanky..."Ok Baby, go night night!"

"Oh no! Baby peed...all wet! Baby needs medicine (meaning Desitin) and a new diapy!"

"Good girl Baby."

10. She loves to help me bake. Sitting on the counter with me, baking cookies or cupcakes are times we both love to spend together. She loves getting her hands in there and making a mess ;) Cleaning it up---not so much! 

11. With lots of repetition and practice, this 22 month old can spell not only her name, but she can also spell Mom and Dad!!

12. She is a true Daddy's girl. Momma is chum when Daddy gets home from work ;) The smiles and the run to the back door when she sees him pull in after work is enough to melt a Momma's heart. 

13. Still loves to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Winnie the Pooh. She sings along with Mickey now too. M.I.C.K.E.YYYYY  M.O.U.S.E! 

14. She loves spending time in her room, and also asks to play in Ree's room. :)

15. She really is a good cleaner-upper! If I ask her to help me put away her toys and clean the play room- she does put the toys back where they belong and not in just any random spot or bin. 

16. This gal loves her pasta (in moderation of course) veggies, and fruits!

17. Stella will dig in the dirt and get covered in filth, but the minute she has food on her hands- the world is coming to an end!

18. She has developed quite an obsession with the garage. She asks to go play in the garage all the time. 

19. She is a dipper and loves to dip her food in ketchup! Girl after my own heart <3! 

20. She loves to be outside and do nature things! It could be down pouring and she will still ask to go outside. Nature walks for flowers on the tow path are the best.

21. Stella can seriously be sassy at times! Rick and I are in for it come the teenage years! 

22. She has brought so much love and joy to Rick and I's lives, it's insane! We love her so so much. 

Stella and I Are...

Happy Friday! 

making// well our grill took a shit! In the middle of grill season...i mean what the hell?! So, while waiting anxiously for our new one to be delivered I have been been doing most cooking inside...womp womp womp! Let's see we have had baked lemon herb crusted chicken, farmhouse hash with poached eggs, maybe some take out thrown in there this week ;) Not much baking going on over here since we have been munching on ice pops!
drinking//  lots of water and crushed ice. Stella has been enjoying a small cup of white grape juice here and there. Took her a while to really enjoy juice. And of course smoothies!! It's berry season which calls for endless fruit smoothies! Stella has been loving a fresh fruit smoothie for breakfast with a side of dry toasted oat Kashi cereal. Her favorite smoothie is strawberry banana. I usually make hers by buying fresh strawberries when I can and slice and freeze them on my own. Now is the time I buy them in bulk and freeze them. I add them to the blender, with a half of a banana, a splash of either pineapple juice or orange juice and I add two frozen cubes of coconut milk which I buy by the can and freeze in an ice cube tray. Blend it up and chug it down! The coconut milk cubes just add some extra full fat nutrition to her smoothie rather than using plain ice cubes. It also makes it a bit more creamy ;) And for the Kashi cereal- they are shaped in hearts and o's. We love to sit and make patterns during breakfast! 
reading// lists and lists that I have been writing lately. To do lists before baby comes, hospital bag list, food shopping list for Stella during the week will be in the hospital...etc.
wanting// more Summatime days with no humidity. And...that first frosty beverage in my hand soon! Momma wants to order a cold one ;)
watching// hmm..nothing on t.v worth mentioning. Just finished season 3 of Orange is the New Black. 
listening//  to Stella counting everything!!!
eating// lots and lots of berries- strawberries and blueberries mostly. Peaches too. Stella has been on a true raisin kick these days and my oatmeal in the morning has been replaced with the Kashi heart to heart toasted oat cinnamon cereal with blueberries and a half of banana. Was honestly getting tired of making it in the morning. 
smelling// i'll tell you what I am not smelling....dinner sizzling on the grill :( it's one of those you don't realize how much you enjoy it until it's gone. 
enjoying// spending as much quality time with Stella. and choosing my first frosty beverage that I will be indulging in very very soon ;)
loving// Stella's interest in Ricky and my belly lately. She points to him and asks about him and when he is going to come out and play all the time. Also, our last minute paint change in Ricky's nursery. Every time I would walk in I just felt like it needed a little something else....well I asked Rick to tape out a few chunky horizontal stripes to the window wall..and I painted it the same night that he taped them out...I love it soo much more!

hoping//  for a few really good nights worth of sleep in the next few days. and to begin planning Stella's second birthday party soon. What?!?! I can't believe I just typed that!
needing// more energy these days!  
wearing// well let's see...not much fits! been living in gym shorts, tanks, and flops or comfy Summer dresses :) Keepin' it comfy! 
bookmarking// hmm...honestly not much. 

and looking forward to// meeting our little man in just about 2 weeks!

I have really been thinking about how Stella is going to react when she meets her little brother for the very first time. I get all teary eyed thinking about it now; just wait...I am going to be a sobbing mess. It is going to be a very special moment for our little family of 4. Every opportunity I get lately I have been trying to do something special with Stella or work with her on her counting, ABC's or songs because she loves it so much! We have been stopping randomly at parks on the way to our destinations for some extra play time, having park time after dinner with Daddy, afternoon picnic's near the river in town, walking and running down the towpath along the river in search of different color flowers and big leaves! Somehow I always get stuck carrying them. :) My blog posts have been slacking lately, but my time spent with Stella has been simply the best. I enjoy our time spent together so so much. 

Cheers to a Happy Friday and kick ass weekend!

Nine Months Along...

Nine months pregnant. 

Three more weeks until we get to meet out sweet baby boy. 

Three more weeks until Rick and I have two littles to love on at home.

Twenty one more days until I am up throughout the night feeding the little babe.

Overall feeling good. Just the normal, tiredness and issues getting comfortable at night. At my last doctor appointment, the doctor was 85% certain that Ricky had flipped and was now head down. If I had to guess he flipped waiting in the doctors office because I didn't feel any jolting movements until that day. While waiting to see the doctor, he moved in such an awkward way that I thought something was going to bust through my belly button. Totally made me shoot up out of my sitting position. i could be completely wrong...just a guess. :) 

As of 36 weeks, I am up 20 lbs. No true cravings anymore, just eating small meals and snacks throughout the day. However, my first meal is always a small bowl of oatmeal with blueberries and a half of banana sprinkled with cinnamon and my last snack of the day is usually a popped 100 calorie bag of popcorn. Just seems to satisfy the night urge to snack. Yep...those damn Good and Plenty's are still haunting my pantry...haha

Little Ricky gets the hiccups all. the. time. Just like Stella did. Sometimes they wake me up out of a dead sleep and I can't fall back asleep until they are all gone. During the day, he is definitely an active baby; but I could also feel him running low on space these days. 

Sleep is really hit or miss. Rolling over or flipping sides is another story...and I often find myself laying awake deciding if I have to pee bad enough to get out of bed for. 

Other thoughts:

belly button popped out.

wedding rings still on.

no swelling.

pretty much living in my comfy clothes these days...gym short, tanks and flip flops.

at nine months pregnant, took Stella to Sesame Place and rode on all of the rides with my little girl...more firsts for Stella :)

planning on washing some newborn clothes and swaddles this week. 

wrote my list for the hospital bag--on the list are little gifts from Ricky to Stella, one for each day that Stella visits. Each gift is something that will keep her busy in the hospital room while she visits. a Minnie Mouse stamp and stationary set, an I Spy Minnie Mouse book, a Minnie Mouse matching card game etc.

Still enjoying my 30 minute walks on the treadmill 5 days a week...i think it is time for new sneakers.

Shaving the legs is quite the project lately and I may just have to make an appt. at Stella's nail salon for a piggy polish job since that is pretty hard these days also. 

Already feeling anxious about being away from Stella for a few days while in the hospital. I have never spent a night away from her. I know Rick will head home during the day each day for a few hours and bring her back to visit which feels comforting. 

Family maternity photographs....check! Excited to see them :)

hey little guy...we all can't wait to meet you and kiss that sweet face and Stella promises to sing to you ;)

Sweet Sweet Summer

Stella and I have really been soaking up the Summer as much as we can. We all know how fast it fly's by. The Summers always feel so short compared to the other seasons. Maybe that comes from being a teacher and having the Summers off. They never failed to fly by at the blink of an eye. Except for one Summer---the Summer that I was preggo with Stella. Sitting around so excited for Summer to end so we could welcome our little baby girl and knowing that I didn't have to go right back to work made the Summer feel sooo long.  Many of our days this Summer are spent outside on the back deck. This Summer has been the best Summer yet; thanks to this little chickie. We are able to do so much together...laugh, be silly, hold hands, all that good stuff. These pictures just scream summer to me...

 

 

 

 

Sweet Sweet Summer, you can hang around as long as you'd like...

Throwback Thursday

Every time I add a video clip to my collection of Stella clips, I find myself watching a few oldies and tearing up. It really is hard to understand just how fast time goes by. It doesn't seem that long ago that she fit snuggled up in my arms. Some video clips are over a year ago... It truly has been amazing to watch her grow and blossom right before my eyes. Not only has she grown into this beautiful little girl from this adorable squishy baby, but her personality is shining through vividly these days. It doesn't take her long to learn new things; she catches on pretty quick. Like pulling weeds for example, as soon as she saw what Rick and I were doing and how we were pulling them out and putting them in a the large black leaf bag....she jumped right in on the fun! (you see how fun is in italics, right? ...weeding sucks!) She counts just about anything that she can these days and stops at 14 or 15 and sings her ABC's and loves to read herself books. When I bring up the laundry in the basket fresh out of the dryer and begin to fold it, she shakes each piece out (just like I do) before she folds it and adds it to my pile. 

She watches and listens closely to everything we do! When did this happen? Not long ago, you were immobile and would cry when you needed to eat! Now you head to the pantry or fridge and tell me exactly what you want! "Raisins or 'yoda' with berries, peeas!" 

So here is a throwback Thursday clip or two....

And this clip I can't help but add. This was just the other night before putting her jammies on and getting ready for bed. Nothing like some jumpin' around action in our bed before catching some zzz's. 

Baby Boy's Nursery

Rick and I didn't start the nursery until much later this time around. Shit, with Stella the new carpet was in and furniture was up by the fourth or fifth month if I remember correctly. This time around we took our time and were in no rush. After we found out that we were expecting a boy this time I felt a bit out of my element decorating a boy nursery because all I have ever looked at was baby girl decor. I began my search online just browsing different boy nurseries and boyish children books. As I said in an earlier post, the book This Moose Belongs to Me  was a big inspiration for Ricky's nursery. After searching and searching I decided that I wanted the nursery to have a rustic woodland theme with foxes and moose primarily. I wanted to go with mismatch furniture and begin with a gray base on the walls and carpet. From there, whatever treasures I found would decide the color palate for the nursery. The colors ended up being a rustic navy blue, gray and a burnt orange. I absolutely love the color combination. The wide dresser was Rick's dresser when he was a baby which makes it that much more special. I gave it a second make over with a coat of paint and added all mismatch knobs that go along with the woodland theme. I am so happy with the end result and think it adds so much to the nursery. Another special piece that hangs on the wall is the wooden Ricky's Room sign. That was made for Rick when he was a newbie and hung in his nursery. The collage that hangs above the wide dresser is a hodge podge of things that I have collected over the past few months. Some frames I bought and painted, others I left the way they were. All of the prints along with many of the treasures around the room I found on etsy. The rolled up orange quilt behind the glider will later be used when the crib is turned into a bed. I found that quilt at Potterybarn Kids and absolutely fell in love with the shade of orange; it is actually reversible with the other side being gray...added bonus! As for the glider, we just moved it from Stella's room to the new nursery. The room is not entirely complete. I still have a few odds and ends that need to find homes around the nursery as well as the end table that Rick is working on to go alongside the glider. I didn't want to just purchase an end table, and wanted something a bit more homemade. :)

So for now...here is a sneak peak...

And of course the nursery will not be complete until there is a new, ittybitty bundle wrapped up tightly, ready to be loved, and kissed laying in that crib!