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.

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

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.

remember those?

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 



brette: 2 years

holy cow.

two years already.

and this last year has been

so. much. fun.

 

the first year is a lot of change,

but the second year the changes

turn her into her own little person,

if that makes sense.

the things she says,

the faces she makes,

and the fact that this time last year

she was just sitting seems unreal.

especially now because most of the time,

she demands to walk.

but i think the best thing is ALL THE TALKING.

she doesn't stop.

and our conversations are pretty great.

 

 

growth:

brette weighs 28 lbs.

that's the 75th percentile according to our

dr appointment this morning.

she is 34.5 inches tall, also the 75th percentile.

she wears 2T clothing and at

night she's in a size 5 diaper,

but the rest of the time we're diaper free.

potty training is the worst,

but i'm happy to not spend the money on diapers anymore.

she has all her teeth but one molar.

we took her to the dentist last week

and they said that it looks all good.

her hair is pretty long and i refuse to cut it,

because i'm hoping that one day the front will catch up with the back.

i want to be able to braid her hair and do fun

stuff so a hair cut is not in our near future.

her gross motor skills are actually on target.

running, climbing, trying to jump.

its safe to say that the last six months she's made huge leaps.

 

sleeps:

she goes to be around 8:30,

gets up by 7:30 and

naps from 1:30 to 4:00.

(normally)

of course these are all flexible,

but if we're having a "normal" day,

this is pretty standard. 

  

 

eats:

the food fight is good and bad.

she still eats a variety of things,

which i appreciate,

but there are those days when i feel like

she barely ate anything.

or she just wants crackers.

she has quite the sweet tooth,

naturally,

so i try not to offer it to her too often.

it is hard though, not to use it as a negotiation tool.

"if you finish your peas, i'll give you a cookie."

probably not the best tactic,

but eat your damn vegetables already!

her favorite food is fruit, just like her daddy

and most days she snacks on lots of fruit.

   

talks:
 talking is brette's forte.

she can let you know pretty much exactly what she's

thinking or what she wants.

just some examples.

the other day she was with my friend shannon in her car

and she goes, "shannon, music!"

(she's a big fan of the radio.)

and last weekend ronnie was moving our modem upstairs

and the cords were getting tangles so ronnie sighed.

brette goes, "what happened, daddy? piece of junk?"

she picks up on all the little things we say

and can repeat them at just the right moment.

you definitely have to watch yourself around her.

our big goal recently has been manners:

please, thank you, excuse me, you're welcome, bless you.

she's pretty good at it but i'm constantly saying,

"what are your nice words?" or "what do you say?"

in fact, ronnie burped the other night and brette goes,

"excuse me, daddy" and kept repeating it until he said excuse me.

manners police over here.

    

plays:

she loves her play room,

any kind of swing,

bubbles,

play doh,

making cookies

or coloring.

we're working on the concept of sharing

which sometimes she's great at and other times we

just hear, MINE!

there is a lot of "stop it, i do it, no mommy" which is

frustrating for me but i know this is just the beginning

of her finding her independence and me honing my negotiating skills.

we'll see who survives. 

 

firsts:
 running

"jumping"

putting together sentences

walking up and down stairs (with me)

climbing

having an opinion  (about everything)

counts to 10
forward facing car seat

started daycare one day a week

 

lots of changes that turned my

baby into a little girl.

and what a special little girl she is.

 

 

 

 

 

our tribal/woodland nursery

i've been hard at work trying to

pick up pieces for the nursery when i find them.

it's pretty close to being done so

i went ahead and snapped a few photos to show our progress.

so far, almost everything was bought with our gift cards,

but with only $7 left, i'm afraid the rest is up to us.

 

if you remember, i wanted to do a tribal vibe.

lots of black, white, and gold with some color

thrown in through the accents.

 

and here's where i've ended up:

(ps- i totally bought gold decal triangles for the changing table

and somehow they've been misplaced.  i can't find them anywhere and

i'm super bummed about it. i'm thinking they got thrown away by accident.

i might cry.)

 



 

 

things get a little bare on the other side of the room

because i'm still looking for my side table and curtains.

i still have a stump table on the brain,

but the ones i've found are over $200

and that. is. not. happening.

i might have to give up on that dream.

 

 

the rug is a lot of my color and i wish it were double

in size but for $6, i'm not complaining.

 

i've been searching for the perfect curtains,

but i'm considering just buying fabric and having some made.

how cute are these options?

 

 

i found a gold bull's skull today and i'll

probably go back to buy it.

i wasn't sure if i needed it,

but after putting the room together

i think another gold accent piece would be nice.

 

and i found a second artificial cactus online that

i'd like to order to put by the lamp.

its only like $10 so i'm pretty sure it will be on

its way soon.

 

 

i really wanted a stuffed fox,

but so far, i haven't found any in stores and the

ones on etsy are kind of expensive.

i doubt this happens, but

i'll put it on my list for future gift ideas.

i think that will basically finish off the nursery.

i'm pretty excited to check this off my list

and add another room to our completed file in this house.

 

now we just need that baby...