Confession Number 110: The Countdown Has Begun

It is hard to believe in some ways, but the countdown to Baby Brother 2.0 is in full swing.  I was 31 weeks on Saturday, which means, if things go how we think the might, we only have 6-7 weeks or so until this little guy makes his appearance!  It is funny how different each and every pregnancy truly is.  I'm not talking only about the physical differences.  Cravings, aches and pains, etc, but also the emotional differences.

The path to get this little guy here has been tagged with stress.  Stress from having nose surgery right around the time he was conceived to stress of wondering if this pregnancy was going to go the same way as Cole's did.  Stress of balancing pregnancy, two kiddos, home and work.  I've really had to learn to give up the stress and just live in the moment.  I know I will need to remind myself of this many, many times as the next few weeks go by.

There are some BIG changes!  It's been awhile since I've posted a good belly shot.  Here is one from 27 weeks.  It is really dark and not very good.

Here is one now, at 31 weeks.

I've had a few people ask how much longer I have to go and when I tell them they are shocked, thinking I'm about ready to pop.  I'm kinda used to that.  I may just carry babies in my belly, but my belly gets BIG at the end.  I'm really hoping to take weekly pics from here on out so I remember this part of the journey. 

In other "new" news, Mr. Wyatt is measuring big, which is no surprise.  At my last appointment he averaged out to about 2-2 and a half weeks ahead of schedule, but his head was 4 and a half weeks ahead of schedule.  What does this momma have to say about that??  Ouch.  That's about it.  We'll keep an eye on him from here on out with non stress tests and ultrasounds to keep an eye on his growth.

And the nesting has started setting in, although it is a little different this time around.  On my mind are things surrounding work.  How do I stay ahead with testing just in case I have to start staying at home sooner than expected?  What can I do in short spurts on the computer at home?  A long, hard day last Thursday that sent me into more contractions than I was comfortable with and feeling exhausted has me rethinking my work game plan just a little.

Also, I'm wanting to spend time with Dustin and Kennedy and Cole each independently before we add another little human to the mix.  We had an amazing Easter weekend together and I had fun time with both of the kids by themselves.  Now, for a date night!  Hoping to fit that in this week. 

Then there is the normal nursery, cooking, cleaning, laundry nesting that comes with the end of each pregnancy.  The nursery isn't even started and I'm starting to get antsy, although it would help if I would make up my mind on what exactly I wanted.  :)  So, yeah, the countdown to family of five has begun!! 

 

Confession Number 109: I Forgot

I sat down this morning to work on some of the pictures from Little Man's 2nd birthday and realized I never shared my Big Girl's 5th birthday.  It was only 6 months ago, so I'm not THAT late.  A lot has been going on since then and it just slipped my mind.  Anyway, going back and looking through the pics from that day reminded me just how cute her party was and how much I love spoiling my kids on their special days.  :)

Miss Kennedy and I came up with the idea to have a Cake Boss birthday party, since, at that time, that was a show she and I would watch together while Cole was napping.  We both loved it!  I found a vintage type cake shop invitation from bnute.  Betsy does great work and was super easy to work with!  KJ decided she wanted everyone to have aprons, chef hats and cake stands with their own cakes to decorate.  I can't remember where I found the pink aprons and chef's hats online, but the price was right and they were the right color.  I found some fabric I fell in love with from fabricshoppe on Etsy.  I love Etsy, if you can't tell.  I used the fabric to add ruffles to the aprons and make a super cute bunting I hung on the window. 

 

 

I embroidered each girl's name on her hat.  Soooo cute!!

Stemmed glassware and vintage china plates were glued together to create cake plates to hold each girl's own cake creation.  I found these for pennies at various thrift and Goodwill stores.  I have to say, what an easy project!!!

 

The girls had so much fun decorating!  And I have to say, the adults helping had lots of fun, too!!

 

 

No birthday party is complete without a real birthday cake to blow out the candles on and eat!  Our cakes always come from Julie Smith from Tasty Creations here in Grove.  She is amazing and always impresses with her decorating skills and tasty cakes!

 

 

Looking back, we had so much fun!  I can't believe we are halfway through her year and she will be six before I know it.  That takes two hands to show people!!  How that is possible, I just don't know, but I know I am so excited to see what type of young lady she grows into.  Love ya Miss Kennedy!!

Confession Number 108: I Love the Holidays

I *love* bank holidays!  I know they must be a pain in the rear for some of you, but the somewhat random quality time with my man is sure fun!  Since being with Dustin I've learned to appreciate my President's more, heck, I'll even celebrate Columbus with vigor.  This week we loved celebrating MLK Jr. Day together.  Since KJ was also out of school it was a great excuse for us to spend some amazing family time together.

Monday morning we jumped in the car and headed to Tulsa.  I had an appointment with the amazing Dr. Dietz to check on Baby Brother 2.0, so we stopped there first.  Since both kids in a small exam room wasn't his idea of fun, Dustin waited in the car with the crazies and let them watch a movie while I ran in for my quick appointment.  Baby Brother 2.0 looked great and we are excited to head back in a couple of weeks to see him on the big screen of the "good" ultrasound room. 

Baby Brother 2.0 at 21 weeks

 

The pregnancy seems to be going well.  I seem to be getting bigger and bigger everyday.  He's becoming more active.  Why is it they practice their acrobatics at night???  The Braxton Hicks have started, much to my dismay.  They are no worry, just make Mommy a little uncomfortable.  Just hoping they stay random! 

 

After our appointment, we headed to try a new lunch place for us.  On the drive down I bought a Groupon for The Gnarley Dawg.  It is a hot dog place on Mingo.  Really a cool, family friendly place.  The kids got plain dogs.  I had a regular o' (delicious) chili cheese coney and Dustin ventured out to try a couple of their signature dogs.  He even had one with mac and cheese on top!  We loved it and will surely be returning!  I love being able to hear about new places on Groupon!  AND getting to try them out at a discount.  Bonus! 

 

The Gnarley Dawg was just a couple of blocks from our first shopping stop, Mathis Brothers.  The kids were troopers as Dustin and I picked out a new couch for the living room, then added a new mattress set for Cole.  Looks like he'll be moving to a big boy bed later this week!  Pray for us!!

 

A few other random shopping trips, including a fun trip to Toys R Us for the kiddies, and a night cap at Pei Wei and we were on our way back home.  I love our little shopping trips!  We had lots of fun, got some things marked off the "must do before Wyatt" list and relaxed.  Something we don't do often enough.  Yep.  Bank holidays are awesome!



Confession Number 107: I've Fallen Off the Wagon

I've written before about how one of my saving graces when life gets busy is meal planning.  It is so nice to not have to "think", at least about dinner.  In the past I have meal planned a week at a time with a big grocery shopping trip once a week.  Lately, I've totally and completely fallen off the wagon and that is so hard when I'm not able, or have the energy, to stop by the store at a moment's notice.  It results in lots of standing in the pantry and usually ultimately ends up in pizza or our favorite local Mexican joint.  After noticing that my freezer was actually over flowing with freezer meals and packages of meat I had picked up on sale, all buried under other stuff I had thrown in there on a whim, I knew it was time to do some planning and use it up before it was ruined. 

This spurred me to meal plan for two weeks.  I usually DREAD meal planning and often get stuck in an idea rut, but this actually went fast.  It has only taken me about 30 minutes to plan and make out a grocery list this morning.  Not too shabby.  I started by printing out a cute little calendar.  It makes me smile.  I found mine here.  And it's FREE.  Cause I'm cheap like that!  :)

I looked through my freezer and took into consideration meals I had already stashed and meats I had already purchased.  Sigh.  This makes me feel so.  much.  better.  This isn't written in stone.  It will switch around based on whatever trips our trigger and there will still be nights we go love on some queso at the Mexican joint, but overall this helps so much! 

Do you meal plan?  What's on your menu?

On the menu:
Crab cakes, asparagus, roasted potatoes
BBQ grilled chicken, corn on the cob, salad
Bistro chicken, masked potatoes, fried okra
Pasta e Fagoli Soup (from freezer stash)
Crock pot roast, potatoes and carrots
Lasagna, bread and salad (half will go into the freezer)
Chili (half will go into freezer)
Savory Pepper Steak with rice and salad (half will go into freezer)
Ruby's chicken, corn and green beans
Pasta half and half, salad and bread

Confession Number 106: Boys Are Harder

I know, I know.  All of you out there with a mix of boys and girls in your family will disagree with me.  You all say boys are hands down easier to raise.  That may be so, but in the beginning, I have to say, these boys have been harder.  Harder to name.  Harder to plan for.  Harder to chase. 

Boy names just don't have the cute little ring to them of girl names.  Boy nurseries are, well, basically boring.  There just aren't many new, fresh ideas with boys.  It makes these first few months of decision making hard on a momma.  With all of that being said, Dustin and I have recently made two BIG decisions in regards to Baby Brother 2.0.  That's what I've been calling him lately.  Cute, huh?? 

First is his name.  Going into the ultrasound we really didn't even have a boy name "short list".  I don't know if we couldn't come up with anything or if we were hedging our bets that we would be seeing a hamburger rather than a hot dog on that little black and white screen, but we had nuthin'.  There were several discussions with our families and one name kept coming up from Dustin.

Wyatt

 

If this were a girl, we had already decided that somewhere in her name would be "Claire" as a nod to my mom, Clarese.  That didn't seem to work for a boy much and after a day or so my sister made a great recommendation.  My mom's maiden name is Kreiger, and she suggested..

 

Kreig

 

We both liked it rather quickly and have drug it along with us since Christmas.  Holding on to it for the past couple of weeks, we have started calling him Wyatt and KJ even added Baby Wyatt to her nightly prayers.  We recently decided that we loved it and that it has stuck.  So, this spring we will welcome our little

Wyatt Kreig

 

After what seems like forever looking over, what I kept thinking, were somewhat girly boy nursery themes, I found one the other night I felt was worthy enough to take to Dustin.  He was immediately in love.  The inspiration came from, of course, a link I found on Pinterest.

 

 

 

We love the calm, neutral colors with a few, subtle vintage OSU and sports details.  It isn't obnoxiously orange.  It isn't the same as Cole's sports room, but since they will be connected by the Jack and Jill bath, they will compliment each other perfectly.  And what better way to celebrate a little boy named Wyatt than with a few cowboy details in his room?  You can find more pictures from our inspiration room here.  And follow me on Pinterest here.

Confession Number 105: I Don't Do Resolutions

New Year's Resolutions really aren't my thing.  Kind of strange when I think of it, considering I'm such a goal oriented person.  However, this year, I can't help but find myself considering a few new goals for the coming months.  In no particular order...drumroll please!

1- Work on my relationships.  Relationships with my kids, husband, friends, God.  The list goes on and on.  I particularly have let my friendships slide for the most part since going back to work.  When I would whine about it (as I often did) Dustin would remind me that friendship is something you have to work toward.  It doesn't just happen.  Sigh.  So, here I am, recommitting myself to calling or texting friends out of the blue, getting together for playdates and mommy dates and making MOPS a priority.  The relationships I made with women there are invaluable.  This goal also includes more quiet time with God and more meaningful time with my husband and children.  The time I have with them should be special and fun, not momma always spending her time marking things off on her to do list.  How to find all of this time?  Well, I'm still working on that, but at least I'm working on it, right??  The first step is half the battle.  At least that is what I'm telling myself.

2- Be flexible.  With "Baby Charli" on the way, I do believe this goal may be the key to my existence.  This means not getting my tail in a knot when things don't go how I think they should.  Embracing being late to church.  At least we are there.  Hugging on my children even when they don't get a bath every single night.  A little dirt under the nails makes them healthier.  Leaving the house with out make up.  Who am I kidding?  I do this frequently anyway!  Realizing that work is work and leaving it there.  Something I will *struggle* with as testing approaches this spring.  Going with the flow when the schedule changes unexpectedly.  This one sometimes throws me for a loop and can  turn a good mood sour. 

3- Pray for clarity.  It seems each year I struggle with realizing God's plan for my life.  This year is no different.  Yesterday in our small group at church, our leader, Lance, asked what our prayer for the year was.  So many went through my head.  A strong marriage.  A healthy Baby Charli.  Health for my family.  One kept standing out among all the others.  Clarity.  For God's plan.  For God's will.  For God to expose Himself to me in a way he never has before. 

So, yeah.  I guess I'm doing resolutions this year.  I hate it when I'm wrong.   

Confession Number 104: It's A Boy!!

We had such a fun time the day after Christmas.  We had an appointment with the great Dr. Dietz mid morning and we were so hoping that baby would cooperate so we could break the gender news to both families in person.  Dustin's parents had gone with us and were with Cole in the waiting room while KJ went in to see Baby Charli on the screen herself.  I was so excited for her to get to make this memory!  My family waited in Enid as we were heading there straight from the appointment. 

It took a little while to get Charli to cooperate.  He was literally sitting criss cross applesauce in my tummy, but after some coaxing, just like his older brother, he was more than happy to share the goods!

 

The first words out of Kennedy's mouth were, "well, maybe the next one will be a girl!".  I'm not so sure about that, but we'll see!  Dustin's parents, were, of course, ecstatic and we had fun sharing the news with my family.  I called my oldest sister Cindy and told her, she then made a cake and later that night we shared the news with everyone.  Weezie did the honors of cutting into the cake.  This will make grandbaby #11 for her! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have to say, Weezie called this one early on in my pregnancy.  She actually has predicted the gender of all of my kids within the first 8 weeks of each of the pregnancies.  Come to think of it, she always knows I'm pregnant before I tell her, too.  Creepy.  Mom intuition, I guess!

 

So, now we are on to room planning, name discussing and wondering how in the world we will manage two Cole's.  :)  I mean, really, he's a full time job as it is!!  But now he will have a buddy to play with!  Yay!!!