I'm back

I'm back!!! 

A lot has happened since my last post {hospital stays, hubby came home, and we had a baby}

I'll keep the recaps short. 

Hospital stays......UGH

I started to develop preeclampsia again durning this pregnancy which caused for high blood pressure and an abnormal amount of pregnancy swelling. I also had the joy of getting gestational diabetes too, which included pricking myself 8x thought the day (blood sugar check and insulin). The good news is it has all went away since having the baby. In the last few weeks of my pregnancy I ended up in the hospital 4x, it was annoying to say the lease. 

I was lucky enough to be able to FaceTime with John durning every dr/hospital visit. I doubt he realized it but even though he was 6000 miles away he helped keep my sanity. Due to some of the issues I was having with this pregnancy, John was able to put in a packet (to return home early) thankfully it was approved and with in a few days he was on his way home. We decided not to tell anyone because you never know how the Army operates and we didn't want to get anyone's hopes up of john coming home. 

The day John came home was of course the day I got sent to the hospital for an overnight visit! I was so upset because that was not part of my plan. I was going to get graham and we were going to surprise him at the airport. Now I was going to be stuck in a hospital bed for 24hrs. Luckily my awesome friend Jackie stuck around hung out at the hospital with me then when his delayed flight actually came in she ran over to get him.  So sadly there was no grand airport greating...just me layed up in a hospital bed. But the hubby was the talk on the OB floor that night.

Hubby Came Home

This was probably the hardest secret that I had to keep...I knew roughly a week or so prior that John would be coming home early from his deployment but we chose not to tell anyone.  We weren't looking for a grand homecoming we both knew how the Army operates and until his plane landed at home...neither one of us would believe it.

John's first night back home was spent in the hospital with me while I was being monitored.  He came in my hospital room in uniform and bags in tow.  For whatever reason, I was so nervous to see him. This was the first time, durning this pregnancy that he would see me in person (9months pregnant...Sexy let me tell yea).  It worked out in our favor because my dr was the on call dr that day and they got us out of there pretty quickly and we were on our way home.

My mother & father-in law and the boys were all at the house and no one had a clue that John was with me.  John was driving as we pulled into the drive way...luckily my windows are tented so no one noticed who was driving the van.  I got out of the passenger side of the van as my MIL came outside and I think it took her a minute to realize what was going on.

We also waited until my stepson was away from all vehicles because I was pretty sure he was going to jump off of the lawnmower.


I was most concerned for Graham and Daddy's reunion...I wasn't sure how he would react to seeing daddy in person. I didn't want him to be scared or not want to go to him...when we got home Graham was sleeping and we decided to take a chance and wake him up.  Luckily, Graham picked up right where they left off.


We had a baby

A few days after John got home, I had my bi-weekly Dr visit.  The nurses loved that he was able to make it to every dr apt (via Facetime)  My one nurse was so excited she game him a huge hug lol.  On our final visit my vitals were of course enough to send us back to the hospital.  Here we were, 4 days before our delivery date and I'm back in the hospital. At this point we were ready for baby, but the dr decided to hold off until our delivery date the following week.

August 26, 2014....we meet with our birth photographer at the hospital a little before 1000, checked in, and started getting ready for baby.  I went in to surgery at 1200 and at 1234 we had a healthy baby boy (i'll do a birth store post later)

Five on Friday

Thank You Lord it's Friday!!!

I swear the last few weeks have been crazy and I look forward to the weekends more and more.

So I decided that since it is Friday, I’d post about some of my favorite things.

1.     Oreck Steam Mop

I ran to Walmart the other day and they had their clearance stuff strategically placed in the front of the store. So you HAD to look at it as you walked in.  We’ve been wanting a steam mop for a while but I didn’t want to spend the $150 on one…yea I’m cheap like that. But to my  surprise there was an Oreck Steam Mop for $20!!!! SCORE…I checked online to see how much they typically sell for ($130-160) so there was no doubt that I bought it. and I LOVE IT!!! I wish we would of bought it sooner.  With a 12 yrs old, a 2 yr old and 3 dogs…I should be moping every morning, noon and night.  I haven’t used all the attachments yet, only to mop the hardwood floor…but it’s AMAZING!!!!!  It has a nice long cord, different steam levels, warms up really fast, its super quite and the floor isn’t left all wet from the water/steam. It’s definitely an item I would of paid full price for known that now.

2.    Red Vines and Country Time Lemonade

I’ve always liked Red Vines over Twizzlers but this pregnancy I could probably eat a one pound bag daily. It’s a sickness….I know L The same goes for Country Time lemonade, actually any lemonade really as long as it’s good.  The water down stuff….not so much.  I can’t wait for county fair time….Lemon shake ups!!! So if you haven’t notices….I like sugar.

3.    My iphone5

I know it sounds super techy and nerdy…but the iphone 5 is one of my FAVE things.  Why? Well for the time being it is my main source of communication with the hubs while he’s deployed.  I chose the 5 because I don’t have to be on a wireless network to facetime. As long as I/we have, good signal we are golden.

This morning the boys were able to talk to daddy before dropping them off with grandma and then we were able to talk while I was on my way into work.

4.     BareMinerals BAREskin

So last week when I was back at my parents…I totally forgot my makeup. I don’t wear makeup very often but from time to time I try to look like a girl and presentable.  Anyway, I ran into ulta to grab a few small things and came across the bareMinerals BAREskin and to my surprise,…I liked it. I wasn’t 100% sure if I would like it or not since it was a liquid foundation but it wasn’t that bad. I’ve used bareminerals for years now and love it. It’s so light and easy on the skin.  I was expecting the BAREskin to be the same but it wasn’t.  It went on very smooth and light and gave a nice full coverage. I would recommend doing a color match in the store just to make sure you get the right shade.  I wasn’t planning on spending $28 for the foundation and brush (which is highly recommended)…yes that’s $28 a piece. And that is probably my biggest complaint is the cost for the brush or that you can’t purchase them together.

5.     Hunter Rain Boots

I LOVE my hunter rain boots! I want my next pair to be PINK!!!!

I held out on buying them forever before I stumbled across a pretty good 24hr sale and decided to take the plunge and buy them.  Over the winter, I debated on buying the sock inserts but really didn’t need them. My toesies stayed pretty warm with just a good pair of socks. It’s been raining almost nonstop here for last few days so I’ve gotten some more wear out of them lately.  For a rainboot, they are cute and comfy. And yes, I am one of those people who use them as a multipurpose “work” outdoor boot too.  Hey I’m gonna get my money’s worth. 

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!!!

Nashville Country Music Marathon Recap

OH...what a fun weekend in Nashville.

I almost forgot what it was like to have an adult girls weekend away. 

It was just what I needed.

Friday I met up with Holly & Kelly, and we grabbed some Mexican for lunch and headed down south to Nashville for the Rock and Roll Country Music Marathon. 

This was my 12th 1/2. My times have not been the best lately. It could be because I hadn't trained or the fact that I'm 20 weeks pregnant.  

We got to the expo in time to run in and grab our packets and head to dinner.  The expo was a slight cluster but it all worked out in the end.  After the expo we headed over to Cabana's for drinks and dinner and meet some of my other fave bloggers, Aubrey Leigh , and Janessa.  It was a blast meeting eveyone. Aubrey's husband, Tommy was such a trooper, a table for of women chatting away.

After dinner, it was time to check into the hotel and get ready for bed.

Saturday, we gave ourselves enough time to get ready to get to the race on time...but traffic we were cutting it close. The race started and 0700 and about 6:57 we were still a few blocks away so Holly and I jumped out and made our way to the start line, to find 40 corrals and about 33,000 people.  It was 08:02 before we crossed the start line.  

Holly and Janessa were shooting for 2:30...I just wanted to finish. I stuck with them for a few miles then decided to let them have it.  It was too hot for my pregnant self and the fact that it felt like I had to pee every mile didn't help.

The course was so hilly, but the crowd support was amazing. It was seriously probably the best crowd supported race I've ever been to.

I came up on Janessa around mile 10 and it was great to see someone I knew along the course. I think it gave me the motivation I needed to finish.  

I ended up finishing in 3:09, a minute faster than the Lincoln Presidential 1/2 I had done a few weeks before. I was surprised on how not sore I was after this race...Hey I'll take it.

Mandy from House of Rose also completed the Country Music Marathon too. I swear the videos and pics she post IDK how she does it. She always looks super cute, even 11 miles into a race in 75 degree heat. I looked like a hot mess. She's a rock star.

After the race, Holly and I took hooker showers and loaded on the deodorant, body spray and lotion and headed over to the Pharmacy for lunch. The beer garden was awesome and the burgers were yummy too.

 Amber from Crafty Healthy Mommy, was amazing and got there early to get us a table.  She was a doll. I seriously could of hung out with her all afternoon and chatted. Aubry and Tommy came and met us for lunch and we also met Alyse and Faye.  

After lunch Holly, Kelly and I made the trek back to IL/MO.  Kelly was AMAZING. She was our coach/driver/cheerleader for the weekend.

I had a great weekend and can't wait to do it again.

Baby #2

Baby #2 is a….

Boy!!!

(I figured since john was 6,000 miles away, I'd let him share the news)

Where you right? I wasn’t lol

Nope….I had a feeling (REALLY hoping) for a girl this time.  With Graham, I was never sick, queasy nothing.  This time around…I was never really sick just queasy here and there and not 100%.  With Graham I wanted sweats, cherry coke and a cheeseburger all the time…this time not so much…Fruit, water, buffalo chicken.

 

As much as I thought I would be having a girl, a part of me knew before I went in for the sonogram that it was going to be a boy. IDK if it was just dumb luck or it was meant for me to find out in the very beginning but as soon as the tech started the sono….there it was balls and wiener plan as day, with in the first 3 seconds. I suddenly felt gender disappointment and wanted her to stop the sono say thanks and have a nice day. But since I was face timing with Daddy…figured I’d stick it out and let him see his baby from 6k miles away.

When I found out Graham was a boy I cried and canceled out gender reveal party. Childish….Maybe but I wasn’t handling it well. John already had a son from before and I wanted a girl so if we decide on baby #2 it could be whatever. John gave me until the end of the day to pout then said I had to get over it.

 I realized that at this point there isn’t a damn thing I could do but accept that I am going to be in a house full of boys. A BOY MOM!!!! Dirty, stinky, messy boys.  Lord help me.  I actually thought to myself, how in the world does Mandy, from House of Rose do it?  3 boys under 7!!!! Bless her heart.

So I decided to make some gender reveal cupcakes and take them to work. Figured it was the least I could do since I shortchanged it the last time because I was pouting.

Am I thrilled to be having another boy? Honestly, no not really, but what can I do about it…nothing

Am I grateful and relieved he’s healthy? Without a doubt. That’s almost a stupid question.  

I have no doubt that Graham is going to be an awesome big brother.  He loves his bubba so much I know that he will love his younger brother too. I’m hoping that having a brother closer in age, they will become best buds.  There is 11yr difference between Graham and his older brother, so I think it’s safe to say that they will never be close or at least until they are much older.

As for me, I’m working on accepting a future of trucks, wheelers, broken bones, guns, hunting, snakes, and sporting events (which won’t be too bad) instead of dolls, dresses, bows, dances and makeup. I have to tell myself, that I think God knows that I don’t have the patience for the drama that girls can bring to the table.

Now the hard part is trying to come up with a second boy name. We have a few names on our list but nothing we are falling in love with. So if you have any suggestions for boy names that are not super popular, and no nick names…like you can name him William and call him Bill…No I would name him Bill if I wanted to call him that.

Sorry pet peeve.  But seriously, if you have any boy names, I’d love to hear them

And if you have any tips on being a BOY MOM, I’m listening!

My Baby Must Have List

1.       Diapers....Since Graham was my 1st baby I had no idea what diapers I would like. So of course I went the name brand route to start with.  Huggies were terrible for him because he had such little legs that he had blow outs all the time.  One day I got completely feed up with Huggies diapers and took $200 worth of diapers back to Walmart.  I really liked the Pampers swaddlers, it was great for his little skinny legs. It wasn't until a friend recommended the Target Brand diapers that I decided to give them a try.  They worked great and WAY cheaper too.

2.       Wipes....Hands down Huggies One & Done!!! They are AMAZING! I use less wipes because it will only take one maybe two wipes to take care of a mess.  They are so much more durable than other wipes. I seriously by them in the bulk packages.

3.       Moby Wrap....Graham loved the Moby wrap and I loved how well he fit in there and how much I was able to get done with a sleeping baby wrapped up on me.  I can safely say that we used the Moby wrap at least once a day. 

4.       Ergo Baby Carrier...Once Graham was big enough we switched to  the Ergo Baby Carrier.  It's a staple in our house, the Ergo stays in the van and we still use it to this day. Graham will be 2 in June and he loves it. He'll pass right out in it and I'm still able to get stuff done.

5.       Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper<https://www.armsreach.com/shop/retired-products/the-mini-convertible-baby-bassinet>...this was great especially in the beginning with all the last night around the clock feedings.  I simple got him out of there, feed him, burped him and back down he went. It was too easy. We co-sleep with Graham until about 6 months and then transitioned him into his crib.  The transition was flawless.

6.       Bloom Fresco Highchair<http://www.amazon.com/Bloom-Fresco-Chrome-Contemporary-Chair/dp/B008PD2A9I>...ok...so these are a little pricey....but I LOVE our Bloom Fresco Highchair.  Its seriously one of the very few highchairs that allow a child from 0-6 months to fit into them.  Tilt that puppy back and strap them in and they are content.  If I was in the kitchen doing something and I wasn't wearing Graham he was in the Bloom Highchair.  In reality, we should never have to buy another highchair because it transitions to so many different phases, so the initial prices sucks, but it pays for its self in the long run.

7.       Speaking of running...BOB Strollers<http://www.bobgear.com/strollers> are a MUST if you like to get out and about and running/jogging/wogging whatever you want to call it.  I came across a killer deal on a Bugaboo stroll and bought it and never used it because we only use our BOB.  My husband loves it, so much we are looking at getting a double BOB for Graham and baby #2.  Again it's another one of those expensive ass baby items...but with us both being runners and such we got our money's worth out of it.

8.       Medela Breast Pump<http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/573/pump-in-style-advanced>...if you plan on breast-feeding this is a total must. As much as I enjoyed feeling like a milk cow...I loved my Medela pump.  After a few uses I went to Babies R Us and bought the Medela buster to hold the suction cones on to the boobies so I could pump two bottles at once and actually use my hands at the same time...if need be.

9.       Diaper Bags...My first diaper bag was a Timi & Leslie bag and I really liked it because it didn't look like a diaper bag at all. It was nice and big but the quality wasn't the best.  I've bounced around through a few different bags but haven't fallen in love with one yet. I did come across the Boken Diaper Bag<http://www.bokenessentials.com/> and I'm really debating on getting one.

10.   Video monitor...This came in handy when Graham was napping and we were in the other room, outside or at night once we moved him to his crib.  It was great because you could see if he was really away or just moving around and being restless.

11.   Diaper pail...this is another must for all the stinky diapers.  We went with the Diaper Genie and LOVE it. We have not had any issues and it keeps the smell contained