Weeks 25 & 26.....What's on my mind these days!

Finally in the home stretch and I can't help but start to worry and think about all of the concerns that come with bringing a second child into the world.  I know things are going to change but I can't help but wonder to what extent....in fact now that I'm starting my third trimester it's on my mind more than ever.

I worry that Jack won't remember all of the time it was just the two of us :(  Right now we are a package deal for the most part, he goes with me EVERYWHERE.  I can't handle the reality that he won't remember all of the special moments we share together.  I worry that he will feel left out and in turn dislike his little sister.  I know this is just me worrying more than I probably need to, I also know deep down that Jack will be a wonderful big brother.  I know he will want to help with everything just like he does now, which is great and I will totally incorporate him in everything I can.  He loves other little babies, even if he sees a picture he seems infatuated.....still we tend to capitalize on our fears and these are a few that I think about often. 

On another note there's dear hubby that makes me worry on a whole other level!  I love my husband dearly and love the little family we've created together, and love that he's on board for expanding it.  I will however say that one of the most different and possibly difficult aspects of having kids is keeping in tune with each other as spouses AND parents.  I think It's important to be on the same page....but as we all know that doesn't always happen!  Adding a few more worries to the mix I think about ...what kind of effect will another child have on our family dynamic?  If we aren't on the same page now how on earth will we ever be once the baby comes?  How will we ever manage as a family of four vs. the family of three that we are STILL struggling to perfect?? Anyway, I blame my other half for a lot of these worries and concerns.  I think my husband is in for the biggest surprise of all when this baby comes!  Right now it's easy for him to "not notice" exactly how much work a toddler is....because I'm always able to manage.  So when I'm told that his first priority when getting home from work is to relax you can imagine how my blood boils immediately!! "Relax" is no longer even in my vocabulary!  I can't even remember the last time I actually had time to relax and do nothing by choice!!  I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped to the floor as if I'd been slapped in the face!  That's pretty much what that comment felt like....and yet it so freely came out of his mouth.  Needless to say I let that one go and will just enjoy watching him try to "relax" after work when he comes home to the "three" of us rather than just Jack and I in a few months.  We will see how much "words for friends" he has time to indulge in at that point :) Don't get me wrong, Johnny is great Dad and is still learning right along side me, we just don't always see things the same way 100% of the time.

We were at Five Guys the other day and we saw a young mom walk in with a toddler and a little baby and I was like holy crap "that's totally going to be me in a few months"!  YIKES.

Totally obsessed with his balloon from the grocery store!  Wouldn't let go all day including to take a nap or eat!

This Week's Top 5: 

1. Nursery is underway, the carpet has been ripped up, we finished painting this weekend.  Now just need to do the hardwood (which we bought this weekend as well), and put the molding on the accent wall which the crib will go against. 
2. I waddled!!!  Yep, caught myself waddling the other day and thinking how sore I was from being on my feet all day.  I can feel it in my joints....yikes!....It made me feel SUPER pregnant.
3. Baby girl is having dance parties all night long in my belly! 
4. Not baby related but Jack is feeling better from his cold finally, still has a sore little nose from all of the wiping, but healthy Jack definitely makes for a happier household :) Unfortunately Johnny has caught his cold and I'm just hoping I'm not next!
5. Took my glucose test and hopefully have drawn blood for the last time during this pregnancy!!  I HATE getting blood drawn!  This was the test where you pound an orange soda tasting drink and then wait for an hour for it to go through your system and then get your blood drawn.  Johnny was home sick one day this week so I took that as an opportunity to leave him with Jack and get this taken care of.  I couldn't imagine entertaining him for an hour in a Quest Diagnostics office.  Luckily it turned out to be rather relaxing for me because after drinking the orange soda they led me to a quiet room with comfy recliners, magazines to read, and a TV to watch!!!  I was the only one in the room and in my GLORY!!!!!  Oh and because we are having another episode of this "polar vortex" there was NO wait and I was taken care of right away.....lucky for me since I totally chanced it and didn't make an appointment :)
   

He decided it was best to wash Knuckles with his loofa HAHAHAHA!  And took his job VERY seriously :)

24 Weeks & More

As of yesterday I am 24 weeks along and super excited to be ending my second trimester.  Next week starts the beginning of the end and I can't wait!!  Even though this pregnancy seems to be flying by compared to my first, 9 months is still just way too long to wait!  Too long to wait and too long to have my body be all sorts of out of whack!
I go tomorrow for my 24 week doctor's appointment and then next week for a sonogram.  So far so good as far as I'm concerned.  She is moving around more than ever and I can see my stomach move and jump whenever she gets really rambunctious! Sleeping is definitely getting tough, more so just because my bed is so high and I sleep in my big fluffy pregnancy pillow which is just one more thing to have to crawl over when getting in and out half a dozen times a night to pee!

This week's TOP 5:

1. Heartburn has definitely started and I had to make myself purchase some Tums....yuk!!  they taste like chalk as far as I'm concerned, but I did discover the smoothie flavored ones aren't actually that bad.
2. She's moving around all day and all night!!  Very happy to know she's an active baby, always just a reassuring feeling to know she's bouncing around and doing well.
3. My eyesight always gets worse when I'm pregnant and I'm definitely feeling it right now.  I have to wear my glasses for most everything, not that I can't see without them, its just easier and I get less headaches with them on.
4. I'm in FULL DIY mode right now, and becoming more and more anxious to get the baby's room well on its way, AND to finish up some stuff in Jack's room.  I'm going to make my first attempt at upholstering a headboard for his new big boy bed.  If all goes well then I plan to make one for our room as well.  
5. Enjoying my last week before I officially start to freak out and realize that the count down is officially ON!!!

I put a hair clip in my hair so naturally Jack insisted on having one as well :)

 In other news, Jack is now sleeping in a big boy bed!  We made the transition about a week ago, and so far I'm really proud of him.  Sometimes he does wake up in the middle of the night and I have to go in and lay down with him, and sometimes he does still come in our bed early in the morning, but I'll take it!  This transition was something I was sort of dreading.  Happily he did great and really seems to like his new bed.  I think it helped that we had it in his room for a couple of weeks before we even tried making him sleep in it.  We just let him play on it and really get comfortable with it being in his room.  We made sure to lay on it a lot with him and read lots of stories, which I think that totally helped with the transition.  The first time he woke up and sat up in his sleep and softly said "Momma?" in his sleep, I absolutely melted and bolted to his side, we snuggled right down and he went right back to sleep.  I knew deep down that letting him cry it out wasn't going to work (and of course we all know it didnt), and in his own time he would be ready all on his own.  So we agreed to wait and just go straight for the bed and not the crib.  I wish I would have listened to my gut in the first place and not have ever put him or ourselves through letting him cry it out in the crib which he clearly hated! Momma's- listen to your gut! You know best!

    Shopping at Wegmans is WAY more       fun with a balloon

He's starting to really repeat words I ask him to say.  So far this week he has said "ball" and "more".  Still a work in progress but he is amazing me everyday.  He's also becoming more and more adamant about what he wants.  To the point where he screams/whines non stop until I give in.....which I for the most part don't.  I let him just scream and hope that ignoring him makes him realize he's not getting anywhere.   Trying  to distract him with something else usually works but there are times when I'm at my whits end and I totally just give in.... unless he wants goldfish or animal crackers for breakfast.  Although I guess it could be worse.

   This is the day he decided he was no longer afraid of the big Elmo

Jack is also now obsessed with doing and eating EVERYTHING I do, which I find adorable (usually)....putting on chapstick, deodorant, lotion, combing his hair, wanting to clean his ears and trim his toenails.....its amazing how observant he is and how fast he catches on.  Not so cute and adorable how he doesn't take "NO" for an answer when I don't let him clean his own ears and eat the chapstick or pump his own lotion all over the floor over and over again.  Kid's got a little temper!!

   Wants to sit at the table like a big boy

23 Weeks with Baby Girl

I've skipped a couple weeks, but as of yesterday I am officially 23 weeks pregnant.....and shocked to have come to the realization that I will be starting my third trimester in just a couple of weeks!!!  Where is this pregnancy going???!!!  I swear with my first it felt like I was pregnant forever, but this one is flying by......the benefit of having a toddler at home with me I suppose :)
Actually I felt a lot better when I did realize that I'm nearing the end of the 2nd trimester, and was somehow a little bit more OK with how I've been packing on the pounds lately.  I just feel as though since Christmas (actually the entire month of December) I've really started to get a lot bigger and I am feeling the difference in weight.  I can feel it in everything I do, and even catch myself waddling sometimes!   I've definitely gained more this time around and a lot sooner to!

    From last week when I forgot to post!

I'm feeling lots of kicking and movement, and every time I try to get Johnny to feel what I'm talking about she totally stops.  Its like she knows and is playing her own little game with is.  He finally was able to feel her last night!!! 

This weeks TOP 5:

1.  Like I said, feeling her kick and move ALL of the time now and to feel her that much more is so much fun!!  Also for the longest time she was very low every time she moved, but lately I've felt her higher up which is always a surprise to feel.
2. We've started the nursery!!  YAY, it took me long enough to get motivated but I finally really started to get into it.  Now its all I think about.  We are going with soft shades of purple, cream, and grey, with pops of pinks here and there.  I want to keep the walls more neutral so that I'm not having to paint again later on.  Johnny ripped up all of the carpet and has the space ready to start the hardwood floors.  I've picked out material to make curtains with and all of the paint colors.  Now we just need to find the time and energy to START!
3. Not really baby news but she is the reason I started thinking about this whole thing.  I'm moving the changing table/dresser from Jack's room into the new nursery but then Jack will need a new dresser.  I hemmed and hawed about what to do.....do I buy him a whole new matching bedroom set to have as he grows up?  Do I buy something on craigslist and refurbish it to be unique and his own?  Johnny and I talked and decided that since we have never had a matching bedroom set before, its always been a mix of different pieces that we've collected over the years.  So we are going to buy ourselves a nice set of dressers and give the kids ours.  One of them is the dresser I grew up with and used as a little girl.  We are going to paint and refurbish both to make them special for each kid and pass them along.  I figure they are only going to get dinged up and ruined over the years with kids anyway so why buy brand new stuff.  SO this means only one thing now.....MASTER BEDROOM MAKEOVER!!!!  I have so many ideas :)
4. We took Jack's crib down, set it aside for baby #2, and moved a big boy bed into his room.  He is not sleeping in it yet, I still need to get the rails for either side, but SOON, it will happen and I'm actually pretty excited about it since it is only getting more and more uncomfortable for me to move around in my sleep! 
5. Trying to eat healthier for two - like I said earlier, I feel like I've eaten a lot of crap over the holidays and really want to get back on track for both  baby and my growing self.  So I've been buying more fruit and eating more yogurt, cottage cheese, salads...etc...  I've also been making a point to cook more at home.  Somehow you just eat more wholesome and healthier when you cook at home.  AND This benefits the entire family!!  Also I'm all about joining the smoothie craze I see all over Instagram these days, Jack and I are always down for a good smoothie, and there are endless yummy combos to try.

   My little peanut all bundled up for our               brave outing in polar vortex!

Christmas 2013

So in typical Nicole fashion it's already January and I'm just getting around to writing about Christmas.  I've tried about 4 times and as usual gotten interrupted and had to stop.  Anyway.... I have to say, I totally understand now what my mother has been saying for years now when it comes to Christmas.  You plan and plan and do a crap load of running around, trying to make everything perfect for everyone.......and then it's all over within a few short hours.  And I also now understand the amount of pressure put on the Mom's shoulders to make Christmas happen for her family!!  I know this may not be the case in all households but my guess its Mom who 99% of the time makes Christmas as special as it is for her family.  Not to toot my own horn or anything but if it wasn't for me, nobody would have any presents to open, decorations to look at, cookies to eat, a Santa party to enjoy....honestly the list goes on.  Then to add to all of the stress its the one time of the year that you seem to be spending boat loads of money all at once!  That's where my husband usually chimes in.  He sees my incessant spending (for other people) and starts to all of a sudden want to input on what's going on.  So cheers to all moms out there who single-handedly make Christmas time the most fun and special time of the year for their families.  It's a butt load of work!!!

Santa came to the Kong house

So our Christmas traditions start out Christmas Eve at my parent's house with dinner and gifts and fun for all.  It's the only time my parents, brother, and I get to get together and exchange gifts as just us so after dinner and dessert my grandmother and uncle (and anyone else who stops over) goes home and we can have that intimate time together which is nice.  So dinner went great, dessert started off great but was totally ruined when Jack decided to reach up and stick his fingers in the just fired creme brulee ramikan......OUCH....once I heard his screams I picked him up and thrust his hands under the cold running water (thankfully I was in the kitchen just had my back to him and didn't see what he was headed for when it happened).  Of course it blistered (on all three fingers) immediately and he was in such pain, I could tell it was just throbbing and there was nothing I could do to help him.  So as expected the tension grows between Johnny and I because we are both scared and don't know what to do but really wish the other would have an answer.  I kept his hand in a dish of cold water, and gave him some tylenol and told Johnny to call our friend who's step-father is a pediatrician.  Thankfully she picked up and had Dr. Mike nearby.  Unfortunately he only confirmed that there was nothing we could do and advised we give him Tylenol which we'd just done.  So for what felt like an eternity I just held my baby and tried to ease his pain as he kept waving his obviously hurt hand at me trying to tell me that it really hurt and needed Mommy to make it better.  All of the kisses in the world couldn't help that booboo.  Then out of nowhere it was like a light switch had been flipped the Tylenol had kicked in and my happy baby was back!!!  I can't tell you how relieved I was that he was feeling better, I was SHOCKED that it actually helped that much!  I couldn't believe it.  So Christmas Eve wasn't ruined after all and we were able to start opening presents.....which then totally took his mind off of his hurt little fingers.

A little Oshkosh from Arizona!

Just opened his first Christmas present from Aunt Betty & Uncle Dan....SO excited!!

decorating/un-decorating the tree constantly

  So as expected Jack made out like a bandit and got some pretty awesome presents from his uncle and grandparents.  He got a teepee which he loves!!  It's a great little hide-out for him and his toys, we like to read stories in there with his stuffed animals.  He got a home depot workbench that came with his own set of tools that really screw and unscrew things into place.  Puzzles, books, little people play sets, really he got a ton of great stuff!!

    Such the little man in his suspenders

So the next morning Santa came of course and brought him even more presents to unwrap.  We started with our stockings and he took everything out one by one.  It was really cute to watch him get excited over every little thing.  There were little boxes of holiday animal crackers so needless to say we had animal crackers for breakfast HA HA!  Daddy was super excited for him to open his basketball hoop....he said he really wanted one as a kid and his parents wouldn't buy it for him.  So he made one out of cardboard and a coat hanger....LOL, you really do live vicariously through your kids!!!  I still laugh every time I remember him telling me that :)  Later that afternoon we went to my grandmother's house for Christmas dinner and ate lots of good food and then opened more gifts.  It seems that as Jack gets bigger, so do all of his toys, so for the past week I've been finding places for all of his new toys and trying to get creative so that my house doesn't look like a Toys R US store!

     Knuckles breaking in the new chair :)

All in all I'm happy that the holiday is over and am ready to get 2014 started off on the right foot, but I am excited that next Christmas we will have another little Kong to add to the mix of holiday fun :)  And I vow to be a bit more prepared this year.  I'm going to start buying presents earlier and checking people/things off of my list so that I don't get slammed with a crap load of running around and last minute gift buying :)