Tuesday, June 30, 2015

taco 'bout a party!

an inside look at super cute
birthday party over the weekend.
 


since my family lives close,
but not s u p e r  close i wanted to make
things a little bit simpler for them
by having my baby sprinkle and
madeline's and brette's birthday parties all in one day.
that way they're not traveling 2 or 3 weekends in june
with back to back parties.
plus since madeline's and brette's birthdays are only
11 days apart, my brother and i decided to combine
them from here on out.
it's easier, its cheaper and its super cute.
(we plan on doing this with eden and baby #2 too.)
and we only invited family,
because that put the party count over 20 already.
whew.
 
this year's theme was a
fiesta!
 
i picked it because both girls eat
mexican food so well and a
taco/nacho bar sounded easy.
we hung balloons, streamers, a few
piñatas, i busted out my sombreros from
kassie's wedding and called it a day.
it was bright, colorful and really easy.
when we were in mexico last year
i bought brette a little dress and
my friend let me borrow one that she bought her daughter,
so both brette and madeline had dresses on from mexico.
so cute.



 
we set the time for later in the day to give me
some extra time in between my baby shower and the party,
plus i wanted to give the girls a chance to nap so
they wouldn't be grumpy.
it worked out really well from 4-8.
we served up our mexican feast,
opened gifts,
had dessert,
busted the piñata
and hung out with family.
 
 

 
 



 
 





 

 
for dessert i went back to what both girls eat the best which is
ice cream!
i had my dad make some of his famous homemade ice cream,
bought a bunch of toppings and brownies.
then i added a few boxes of popsicles, push-up pops,
ice cream sandwiches and drumsticks just
to make it extra hard to choose what to eat.
i think i went a little overboard,
but you really shouldn't send a pregnant lady
down the ice cream aisle to "pick up a few things."
 




 
 
 
both senoritas had so much fun
and i know they felt super special to
have so many people come help them celebrate turning
five and two.
 

 
 
i can't believe they're already
that old.

isn't cousin-love the sweetest?
 
 
 

sprinkled with love

my bff's threw me a sweet little baby sprinkle
over the weekend.
(haven't heard of a sprinkle?
its the mini version of a baby shower)
less people, less fuss and
way perfect for your second child.
especially since our new little lady
will mostly be using what we had for brette.
(don't tell her though, we don't want her getting
second child syndrome.)
 
i left b-money with ron-dog and hit
the road to miss dana's house.
she did an amazing job with so
many cute touches!





 

 
and most of my favorite people were under one roof,
just for me and this sweet baby on the way.
love.
 



ps- dana is NOT pregnant.  i'm just
jealous of her super skinny body.
 
 
 
we played a game of who knew me the best.
(my mom beat kass by a point)
ate lots of breakfast food... and cupcakes.
opened gifts where stuffed foxes were a big hit.
(the perfect finishing touch to the nursery.)
and just enjoyed the morning with my peeps.
couldn't ask for more.
 
thanks girlies!
 
 
that evening we celebrated birthdays at my house...
but that's a story for tomorrow.
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

update: 36 weeks

we're getting down to the nitty gritty
and thank god this is almost over.
i'll get to meet my newest addition in one month.
another little peanut that is the
cutest, sweetest, most darling darn thing that ever walked the earth.
attitude pending.
 
i'm thirty-six weeks.

weight? so last time i had only gained 14 lbs. at 30 weeks.  as of yesterday i have gained 25 lbs.  still on track to gain 30 lbs total.  that's what i gained with brette and i figured i'd carry about the same.  and for some ungodly reason i've got it in my head that it will just fall off after the baby is born.  i know the first 20 lbs did after i had brette.  it's going to be those pesky last 10 lbs that i'll have to work on.  i'm thinking the constant running around with a two year old and newborn will help me not stuff my face with whatever i please.

cravings?  my cravings don't change - - sweets, cereal, anything covered in gravy.  my mom made this killer cheesecake and i am bound and determined to get my hands on another one before i have to go back to being "healthy."  i'm pretty much the poster child for what not to do.

side effects? i'm in the phase of "shit is starting to move and that hurts."  so fun.  i remember it well from two years ago.  it's where my hips, my ribs, my back will get this sharp pain - like don't move, you have a knife in you somewhere. the hips are the worst just because it happens more. i'm also restricted from traveling now.  gotta stay close to home, just in case, but i'm pretty sure that this little lady doesn't have any plans to make an entrance anytime soon. 

baby? the baby should be about 5.5 lbs by now - - technically, i've only gained 20 lbs.  so there.  she is about the size of a honeydew melon and all of her major organs should be complete.  she will gain about a 1/2 lb each week from here on out. i'm anxious to see another sonogram to get her actual measurements, but i don't have one scheduled as of yet.  should be soon though.

preparations? i go to the doctor on the 8th of july and then weekly after that, so i'll be in and out of their office a lot in the next month.  i also preregistered at the hospital, so they know i'm coming and it helps cut down on paperwork when we get there.  my OB and i decided on date to schedule an induction (just in case) - - the 29th.  if little miss doesn't show up by then, we're going to force her out. (my OB said that just because i was induced with brette doesn't mean i'll have to do it with her too, but i have a feeling that's what will happen.  i have my baby sprinkle this weekend, which i'm super excited for.  my friends/family are seriously the best. i haven't done the finishing touches to the nursery, but nothing i'm missing is a big deal. besides that, i'd say we're ready.  as ready as we can be.

the best thing? the best thing right now is how far along i am and that time is flying.  where did may and june go??! it means i'm almost done and it means that ronnie (or whoever is around me) has to give me lots of help with brette.  i literally can't carry her around for very long, i try to avoid taking her up the stairs or put her in her highchair.  it's not a "best" but its nice to have the help.

the worst thing? the worst thing right now besides the stabbing pains mention earlier, is i have horrible acid reflux.  its doesn't really matter what i eat, i get it.  its uncomfortable and there's not much i can do about it.  i heard it means that the baby will have lots of hair, so we shall see.
 
 
i think the next time i check in,
i'll either be preparing to get induced or i'll have had her.
wahoo!
let's get this family of four started.
 

 

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

the dark side

i wrote about b turning 2 last week
and i didn't want to make it seem all sunshine and roses over here.
is brette the cutest, sweetest, most darling darn thing that ever walked the earth?
well, of course.
just look at that face.

but if you think my kid is sitting around smiling
and playing quietly in the corner,
then you have another thing coming.
she's got swagger.
and attitude.
 
and a big mouth.
two weeks ago i had to put her in time-out for telling me to shut up.
oh that sweet child of mine.
she's not difficult per say
but she tests the limits.
and believe me when i say that i literally can't help her with anything.
"i do it"
i hear that constantly. 
it's fun to watch her become independent and
want to do things for herself,
but sometimes it would be so much easier if
she would just let me help.
or (gasp) just do it for her.
but i know that's not how this is going to go.
i've been reading up on different ways to
parent through all of this.
 
sharing...
empathy...
manners...
respect for adults...
i want her to master it all.
 
 
 
anyone have any brilliant suggestions?
something that worked for your kids?
heck. i'll even take less than brilliant.
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

weekend recap

friday was brette's birthday.
so when i got home from work we had
a quick dinner and then promptly celebrated
with a cupcake.
it was beautiful, but fell off the seat in my car and
was destroyed only 2 mins after buying it.
dang the luck.



brette didn't seem to mind the heinous way it looked.
however, i should have gotten three because
ronnie and i stood over her like vultures
waiting for our own bites.
 
how cute is she? a total icing hog.
and marge - your kids get a shout out at the beginning
because i made her stop watching the sweet birthday video they sent.
 
 
on saturday we got ourselves around
and out of the house by 9 so we could
make it to the air show down in warrensburg.
i'd never been but i guess its something ronnie
used to go to with his dad so we offered his dad
to come too and spend the day with B.
the line to get in was heinous, but
brette enjoyed the planes and especially the helicopter.
i enjoyed, well, not much.
i was hot and planes don't interest me
like they do ronald.
 


 
on sunday we went out for lunch with
brian, eden and madeline,
which is always fun.
especially when everyone gets an ice cream cone at the end.
i can't wait to add another little girl to this pack.
too. much. fun.
 
and that evening we headed to our
first ever neighborhood block party.
i made veggie squares.
 

 
we made it through the annual meeting
but when it was dinner time we got caught in a downpour.
i grabbed two hot dogs and two cookies and made a run for it.
brette and i sat in the truck while ronnie went back to gathered our chairs.
he was totally soaked.
i almost snapped a picture of him,
but i don't think he would have appreciated it.
hopefully next year we can actually sit down and
talk to our new neighbors.
 
it was a fun little birthday weekend.
her party is toward the end of the month
and we're co-hosting with my brother since madeline
and brette's bdays are only 10 days apart.
should be super cute and fun.