It's Vegas

Eric and I are going to Vegas for a few days starting this weekend. He had the opportunity to go to a conference there, and my first reaction was "not without me you don't!" It's not that I don't trust him. It's quite the opposite actually. I don't trust that he'd have any fun. He HATES Vegas and everything about it. He hates crowds, loud noises, obnoxious people, gambling, shows, shopping, drinking, debauchery. Everything Vegas is, he isn't. But I love Vegas, so I figured one of us might as well have some fun! PLUS, my mother in law volunteered to come out here and stay with Jackson while we go. I've had lots of people look at me funny when I tell them I'm going. Some have even told me that they would never go to Vegas if they couldn't drink. I'll be the first to admit that I'm a girl that likes her drink. It can make fun times way funner, dinners way tastier, inhibitions less inhibited, and relaxing times way more relaxed. (BTW, the spell checker didn't underline the word "funner". What is the world coming to? Funner is an acceptable word now?! I digress....) But I'm also a girl that doesn't need to drink to have fun. I can make fun out of just about anything. And that's exactly what I intend to do. I mean, think about it. What do pregnant girls like? Relaxing by the pool? Check! Eating at buffets? Check! Time away from toddlers? Check! I mean, really. If you think about it, Vegas is perfect for me right now! It's even better than a beach vacation because there will be a lot less sand in my crack and crying kids ruining my dinner. And packing has been surprisingly easy. I went through all of my clothes, including pre-pregnancy, to see if I could squeeze into them, and although they might be a little short for everyday wear, they are totally perfect for Vegas. Is there really anything inappropriate for Vegas? Really? I'm pretty sure I could wear my bikini and 6 inch heels in the poker room and I'd be about on par. When asking myself "is this appropriate for this trip?" the answer was always "It's Vegas". Is this dress too short? It's Vegas. Is my bikini too revealing? It's Vegas. Does my boa match my pasties? Okay, maybe I'll leave those at home this time....

25 Weeks

Let the bitching and whining commence. I want to cry. I had my stupid gestational diabetes glucose test today and I didn't pass the stupid thing. It's all very very stupid, because I just barely didn't pass, and my doctor even said she'd be shocked if I end up having gestational diabetes. So I'm wondering why I have to go through all of this stupidity again. I fasted, just like she said, and the test came back at 140. Some doctors wouldn't even retest at a number like that, but she's going the "better safe than sorry" route. It might not be a big deal to some people, but I really feel like I'm about to start crying about it. Just doing the basic 1 hour test today I was breaking out into a cold sweat, and my stomach was cramping up, while I literally gagged every time I took a sip. Then, while waiting the one hour to test, I continued to feel really nauseous. I still don't feel great, even after eating lunch. Me, having lots and lots of sugar, on an empty stomach doesn't go over well. And now, for this more extensive test, I have to fast, get a blood draw, drink TWICE as much of the glucose drink as today and then get my blood drawn every three hours after. Meanwhile, not eating or drinking anything. And not being able to leave, or even get up and walk around, the entire three hours. I want to cry. I thought about waiting until after my Vegas trip to get the testing done, and my doctor said that was fine, but then I started thinking about it and I really don't want to have this hanging over my head the entire trip. It's not the result that worries me, I really doubt that I have it. It's the stupid test. I want to cry. Anyway, I'll continue with my 25 week update now, without pictures. I haven't showered today, and I don't feel like taking pictures. Besides, no one wants to see my "I'm about to cry" face anyway.

Baby's size: At a gestational age of 25 weeks, the baby is the size of a rutabaga, about 1 1/2 pounds and 13 1/2 inches from head to heel.

Belly size: Almost 38" around my belly. Not quite 38 though.

Cravings: It changes everyday. Some days it's chips. Other days it's candy or chocolate.

Mood: Fine. Until today. Now I'm having a pity party.

Symptoms: Lots of Braxton Hicks, back pain, tired all the time, acid reflux pretty much every night. Typical pregnancy stuff...

Go to clothing: I went through some of my non-maternity stuff the other day and tried on a bunch of stuff. I can actually fit into several tops that I got after Jackson was born, but before I lost the baby belly. That's good news!

Sleep: Sleep is sounding exceptional right now.

Baby movement: Lots and lots of movement. Sometimes the kicks are so hard, I swear Eric can feel them on the other side of the bed.

Good for something dog

This is our dog Bailey. Isn't he cute? Well, it's a good thing he's so cute, because he really is a pain in the ass. He barks. He jumps. He chews. He eats too fast and vomits. He is constantly trying to find food, and will often steal it right out of your hand if you are toddler height, or if you forget to push your chair in at the table. Seriously, if he weren't so damn cute, I might have given him away years ago. I typically see very little good in him. But lately, he's been coming around and showing that he really is good for something. He still barks and jumps and chews and vomits and steals food, but he's also done something for us that was proving to be too difficult for us to do ourselves. Something we've been dreading for the last two and a half years. Getting rid of Jackson's binky! I was determined to have the binky gone by his third birthday in June, and I had a very elaborate scheme for how we were going to do it. My plan consisted of a home made book about Jackson and his binky, a binky box that he voluntarily puts his binky in, and a binky fairy that comes when he's sleeping, takes the binky, and leaves him with a big boy gift. Now, I understand that such an elaborate plan isn't necessary for every child, but not every child is as attached to his binky like Jackson is. Jackson only had one binky left and was so attached to it. He had never, EVER slept a night or a nap without it, and we rarely even left the house without it. It was an old newborn size one that was green with dragon flies on it. He also had his bear that always ALWAYS accompanied the binky. In fact, the dynamic duo was lovingly referred to as binkybear. One word. So, just as I was getting pictures together and formulating the words to this magical book, Eric, Jackson and I came downstairs after getting ready to go to Olive Garden for dinner and found Bailey chewing on something. It was binky! OMG! BAILEY ATE BINKY!!!! Like, all that was left was a few chewed up pieces of green plastic! The next few moments were kind of a blur, but I remember Eric yelling and putting the dogs outside and me yelling at Eric to get all of the pieces picked up before Jackson figured out what was going on. It was too late though. Jackson ran over and saw the sad remains of beloved binky laying on the floor. "My binky?!" I had to think quick, and I didn't want Jackson hating Bailey forever so I responded with "Yes, your binky broke!" "Bailey ate it?" Damn. "Yes, honey. Bailey ate your binky." His eyes filled with tears (and mine did too a little), but surprisingly, he kept it together and didn't really cry. I told Eric that we would just stop at Walgreens on the way to Olive Garden and replace it, which I did. While we were at dinner though, Eric and I started talking in code and spelling, so Jackson couldn't understand, that maybe this was the perfect opportunity to lose the binky forever. So, we decided that after dinner, we'd go to the store and get Jackson a big boy present. We'd tell him that if he made it all night without his binky, there would be a big boy present waiting for him in the morning. We did exactly that, actually getting him two presents, a leap frog letter writing gadget and a hot wheels color changer car wash. At bed time that night, we told him again that if he made it all night without binky he'd get a present that only a big boy can have in the morning. We also told him that he still has bear, and if he gets sad, he can cuddle his bear. His only response was "but binky's broken". As if he had NO CHOICE but to go all night without it. (He didn't know that we bought new ones) He went to sleep, no problem. He woke up the next morning and hadn't even remembered about his big boy surprises, even though I had wrapped them and put them right outside his bedroom door. He walked right by them. We opened them up together and he had a great time playing with them that morning. The next hurdle was nap time. He had a moment where we had to remind him that his binky was broken, but he did eventually go down. This was several weeks ago, and he hasn't had a binky in his mouth ever since. He's actually rather unscathed by the whole incident. Even if he sees someone else with a binky, he just says "my binky's broken".

I don't know why, but I'm a little bit heart broken that he doesn't have it anymore. I want him to grow up. Really. But I guess that was the very last thing that was babyish about him. No more bottles, or cribs, or diapers, or binkies. Just my big boy, about to be three and a big brother.

So, thanks Bailey. I guess.

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What I learned on my fall vacation

Steam and Sweep

I've mentioned it before, but I really hate cleaning. I like to have a clean house though, so I do it. For the most part. Usually. But I'm always looking for ways to make it easier and simpler. I saw a commercial for the Bissell Steam and Sweep hard floor cleaner before Christmas and asked my mom for it for Christmas. Of course, she got it for me, cause she's just as much of a sucker for cleaning stuff as I am. It's essentially a vacuum and steam mop all in one device. The theory is that it cuts down your floor cleaning time by making a two step process (vacuuming then mopping) into a one step process. I read the reviews, and decided that it would be worth a try. My entire main floor is hard floor, some cherry wood and some tile, and it takes forever to clean. The main floor is the only floor the dogs are allowed on, as well as where the three entrances to our house are, so it gets extra super duper dirty, extra super duper fast. I've had the Steam and Sweep for about 4 months now and have used it a bunch of times so I feel like I can give a pretty fair review.

Pros:
*It really does cut back on cleaning time. I can do my entire main floor in less than 30 minutes.
*It only uses water, so you don't have to worry about leaving sticky residue or chemicals on the floor. I feel much better about cleaning my floors with steaming hot water than a cleaning solution that can cause my family harm and leaves a gross residue on the hard woods that only attracts more dirt.
*It does a decent job cleaning.
*It can sanitize the floor.
*It's lightweight and small so using it and storing it isn't a problem.
*I only have to fill the water tank at the beginning of cleaning. It lasts the whole floor, and I've never run out of water half way through the job.

Cons:
*The way that it's designed, the vacuum area is on the front of the machine and the mop is on the back, making it almost impossible to mop a corner. Even if you turn the machine around and mop backwards. I usually have to go back with a wet rag and clean the corners. Or I just let them go and have dirty corners. (Honestly, it's usually the latter)
*Sure, it sanitizes, if you hold it in one spot for 15 seconds. It would take me three days to sanitize my floor 4 inches and 15 seconds at a time. So I normally only sanitize spots that need it and do a general clean everywhere else.
*It's really only for maintenance. It's not so great if you let the floor get really dirty.
*Whenever you steam something smelly (like dog smell), it gets smellier for a while. So although my floors are much cleaner, it can take a couple hours to get that "steamed dog" aroma out of the house, which I don't love. I still think it's better than that masked "fake clean" smell of most household cleaners though, so I can live with it. I know that it's clean. It doesn't have to smell like pine trees to prove to me that it's clean. I read once that true clean doesn't have a smell, so I try to stick with that rule as much as possible.

Review: This is definitely worth the money, especially if you have as much hard floor as me. Is it the same as hands and knees mopping? No. Nothing compares to hands and knees mopping. And if there is something out there that does, let me know cause I'm SO buying it! It's a major time saver and does an good job for what I need it to do.

*Oh, BTW, although it probably sounds like it, this isn't some sort of paid advertisement for Bissell. Just an honest review of a product that my mom paid full price for.

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Space Bags

A new life to an old nursery

When I designed Jackson's nursery, I did it with the idea that I would use it for future babies as well. I chose all gender neutral colors and added a few personal touches just for Jackson. I had no idea that this bear that I designed his room around would become his very special bear that he takes everywhere and sleeps with every night. He has been out of his nursery and in his big boy camping room for several months now but has, of course, taken his bear with him to his new room. The nursery is pretty much ready for the new baby, but I want to make this room special and unique too, without breaking the bank. I'm keeping the crib and the crib sheets, dresser that I use for a changing table, changing pad and both of the pad covers, the shelf above the changing table, and this grid of pictures of family above the crib. (I need to add a picture of his cousin Lily, since she's new since Jackson was born)


I found this retro owl print that I'm going to use as the inspiration to add some different touches to the room. I'll make a bed skirt and blanket to replace the existing ones. (I'll be sure to post about that too, when I do it) And I'm hoping to paint a tree with an owl in this corner, and take off the decal. I don't want to go over the top with the owl theme. Less is more, right?

I really want to get a new rocker. I saw one at Babies-R-Us that is so comfortable, and the recliner that we used before has taken up permanent residence in our family room. (not to mention that it's really not that comfortable)

24 weeks

Let's play a little game. Here's a picture of me today, at 24 weeks: And here's a picture of me at 34 weeks with Jackson: Do you see much of a difference? I don't. Except in the second picture I was 8 months pregnant. 8 MONTHS PREGNANT! 10 weeks farther along than I am now. 70 days pregnanter. Not convinced? Here's a side by side picture: Still not seeing it? How about now?

Can you imagine what I'm going to look like in three more months? I'm so screwed....

Baby's size: I'm going to go by baby's gestational age, 24 weeks, and not how he's measuring. It's too confusing to do both. He's about the length of an ear of corn, almost a foot, and 1 1/4 pounds

Belly size: About 37 1/2" around my belly.

Cravings: Sweet tart anything is super yummy.

Mood: Good. My patience is probably a little shorter, but that's really all.

Symptoms: Lots of Braxton Hicks, back pain, tired all the time, acid reflux pretty much every night. Typical pregnancy stuff...

Go to clothing: My baggie maternity jeans, and maternity tops. I got a bikini today for our trip to Vegas next week. I've tried on several maternity suits and none of them are doing it for me. So, I just went for the 2 piece. I have a couple bikinis that I can squeeze into still, but I'm kind of busting out of the bust, so I thought I'd get something that fits a little better. I also got a matching cover up to wear with it, that I'll probably spend most of my time in. Here's my thoughts on the bikini while pregnant. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea. If it's not yours, feel free to look away. I don't have any stretch marks or grotesque scars, and still haven't gotten that ugly brown line down the middle of my belly, like I did last time. I'm pretty much just me, with a big belly. And I'm most comfortable in a bikini, so that's what I'm gonna do. Vegas will just have to avert it's eyes.

Sleep: Good. I've been really tired lately, and have been trying to get to bed early most nights. Well, early for me. Before midnight.

Baby movement: An unusual amount of movement. It's constant and everywhere at once. I'm thinking he's doing jumping jacks in there?

Note to self:

When a cookie is really really stale, it takes a 2 year old a very long time to eat it.

Like, an hour.

Which means an hour of silence, and not begging for another cookie.

Note to self:
Only give Jackson stale cookies from now on....

Summer Wardrobe

Last weekend, there was a baby and kids consignment sale (they were consigning baby and kid items, not the actual babies themselves) put on by a local mother's group. It's where I got the clickety-clack bouncy seat. Some people might be turned off by used kids clothing. I have to admit that before I had Jackson, I thought I'd never buy used clothes for him either. That is until I packed away tubs filled with clothes he wore once or never when he grew out of his newborn clothes within the first few weeks he was born. What a waste of money. Ever since then, I've filled his wardrobe with about 75% consigned clothes. I still get him the occasional Old Navy outfit, because I really like the adjustable waistbands they offer for my skinny boy. But for the most part, I buy used. I also find that I get a better quality of clothing when I buy used, not to mention the price. I'm kind of picky about what consignment sales I go to and what I buy there. It has to be in good shape, and no stains or tears. This year, I spent $76.80 at the sale and this is what I bought.
Jackson got

13 short sleeved shirts

4 long sleeved shirts
4 sweaters/sweat shirts

11 pairs of shorts

4 pairs of PJs

The new baby got

3 rompers

3 pairs of pants

8 shirts

6 pairs of PJs

2 hats
1 bib

1 snow suit

And I got a couple maternity things for myself
3 shirts
2 pairs of shorts

I'm rather proud of myself for getting so much at such a reasonable price!

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Clickety-Clack Bouncer








Cloth Diapers

23 Weeks

Baby's size: If I go by the baby's gestational age, he is about the size of a large mango in weight, just over a pound and over 11 inches long. If I go by my *fundal height, he's the size of a rutabaga in weight, about 1 1/2 pounds and 13 1/2 inches in length, head to heel. I went to the doctor today and my fundal height is measuring about 25 weeks now. She told me that if I continue to measure this big, she will probably schedule me for another ultrasound around 30 weeks. She's a little concerned about me being able to give birth to an overly large baby, given my small pelvis. (not to mention the whole blown-out-who-ha factor) Around 13 weeks, he was measuring a few days big on ultrasound. By my 19 week ultrasound, he was measuring a week and a few days big. Now he is measuring about 2 weeks big. I have my glucose test in two weeks, so let's all cross our fingers that I don't have gestational diabetes. Big babies can be one of the symptoms.

*For those of you that don't know, fundal height is the measurement of the uterus from the pubic bone to the top of the uterus. Doctors just use a good ol' measuring tape and feel for the top of the uterus from the outside to get this measurement.

Belly size: About 37" around my belly.

Cravings: Meh, not really. I've had several of those peanut butter chocolate wafer bar things. I don't know if that's pregnancy related or if they are just really good.

Mood: Fine. Other than the occasional freak out about laboring again. The first time around, I wasn't worried about laboring at all. I was blissfully stupid. Now I know better.....

Symptoms: Same as last week. My back hurts. I get acid reflux almost every night. Braxton hicks are still very active.

Go to clothing: My baggie maternity jeans, maternity tops. That will probably be my answer most weeks.

Sleep: Good. When I can get to bed at a reasonable hour.

Baby movement: He especially likes to drum on my bladder.

Clickety-Clack Bouncer

Before Jackson was born, I registered for an adorable little bouncy seat. It matched his bedding set, was gender neutral so it could be used for any future child and was understated looking, which is something that I looked for in things that went in my house. One of the first times I put him in it, the bar with the adorable little bears hanging from it fell on his face. It didn't hurt him or anything, but was a very bad design and really not appropriate for little ones. I avoided putting him in it. He didn't even act like he liked it anyway. When he was a couple months old, we went to a friend's house and they had this bouncy seat. I put Jackson in it and he laid there for over an hour, mesmerized by that waterfall. I refused to buy him another bouncy seat and just dealt with our boring and borderline unsafe one until he outgrew it. But this time around, I really wanted that waterfall bouncer. They go for a cool $64.99 at Babies-R-Us. That's a crazy amount of money to spend on something I already have. Well, this weekend a local mother's group was having a HUGE baby and children's items consignment sale. I went on Saturday to pick up some summer clothes for Jackson and new baby (more on that later) but I asked a friend, who is part of the mother's group, and got to go to the preview sale the day before, to see if she could find the bouncer for me. She found one for $12! When she delivered it to me, I immediately put the batteries in it and turned it on. Only to see this happening:

That obnoxious clicking sound the frog is making not soothing for a baby and is certain to drive this mama nuts! So, in the spirit of DIYing and money saving, I decided to try to fix it. Even if it meant ripping the frog off completely. I was mostly interested in the lights and waterfall anyway. So I took the bar off, took all of the screws out and opened it up. This is what it looked like.
It wasn't abundantly clear what was making the frog clickety-clack so I put it back together, without the screws in it, and put it back in the seat and turned it on. (It has to be in the seat to work....that's it's power source) I then managed to pry it open, just enough to see inside and identify the clickety-clack source.
All I'd have to do is take those three screws and the arm connected to the roundy round thing off and that should stop the frog.

So I did. And I put it back together. I put it back on the seat and turned it on. It worked! The frog no longer clickety-clacked, but this was happening instead:

I have no idea how that happened. I don't even see how the monkey is connected to the frog. But at least I knew where the clickety-clack was coming from on this side

and how to stop it from going clickety-clack
After losing the arm on the monkey side, I put it back together, put it on the seat and turned it on. Now we have this:

So, it's not perfect. The monkey doesn't swing and the frog doesn't bounce. But really, it's SO much better. And for $12, I'm totally happy!

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Baby's First Gift

I'm ready

Perhaps it's the nesting instinct you get when you are pregnant, or maybe it's because I have the mother I do, but for the past several months I've had an insatiable urge to simplify our house. I'm mostly referring to the stuff in our house, but also the way our house is run. I've always been a rather simple girl. My wardrobe, although abundant, is simple. My sense of humor, although dirty, is simple. My decorating style is simple. My approach to motherhood is simple. Yet, WE HAVE SO MUCH CRAP! Do you know how many sets of mixing bowls we have? Four. Four SETS. Not four bowls. And stored in those four sets of mixing bowls? I have two sets of measuring cups. You know how many bathing suits I have in my closet? Yeah, I don't know either. But I can promise you it's more than I need and more than I can ever wear. I seriously have my swim team suit from middle school stashed away in there! We have a coat closet for the leftover coats in our coat closet. I have three bedding sets for our one bed. Not three sets of sheets, but three entire SETS. Like duvet cover, shams, bed skirt. The whole package. I've used the same set for over three years now, while the other two have sat in the linen closet because they no longer match the room, now that we've painted it. For Christmas/Hanukkah, my in-laws got us a new set of everyday plates. I already had two sets (one from our first house that matched that decor, and one from this house, that matched this decor, but the plates were very chipped and cracked). Those old plates are sitting, packed away in the garage, ready to be sold. You know the last time I even thought about those plates? The day I packed them away and put them in the garage. I completely forgot about them! That's how important they are to me! At first glance, walking into our house, you'd never know how much unnecessary crap we have. It's kept rather clean and simple. But one look into our closets or our garage will tell you the truth. It's like Monica's secret closet on Friends. Through the years we have collected more than we've gotten rid of. We've inherited items from parents and grandparents. We've gotten wedding gifts. We've spoiled ourselves with meaningless kitchen appliances. (I'm looking at YOU Dairy Queen Blizzard maker!)

I think you get the point. We have too much crap. So, I'm getting rid of it! I'm ready for my closets to match the rest of the house. And I'm going to tell you about it as I go. So hang on. This could get interesting........

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22 Weeks

The past couple of weeks have been pretty crazy around here. Eric and Jackson went back home (to Ohio) to see Eric's grandfather. He wasn't doing very well, and ending up passing away while they were there. I joined them for the funeral last week, and that's why I missed the 21 week update. I promise, you didn't miss anything though.

Baby's size: A spaghetti squash. About 11 inches long and almost a pound.

Belly size: About 36 1/2" around my belly.

Cravings: Not many cravings. I woke up on Sunday morning really wanting a doughnut, which I normally hate, but it was really tasty!

Mood: Pretty good. I've been slightly obsessing about the baby's name lately. I still have no idea. I'm totally open to suggestions, too, as long as you are open to me shooting them down.

Symptoms: Ugh. I'm definitely starting to feel really pregnant. My back and feet hurt immensely if I stand or walk for too long. I've been getting more painful contractions lately too. I don't really know how much weight I've gained, and I try not to obsess over it too much. Last time around I didn't obsess over my weight at all, and I didn't really gain that much, but it was still just as hard to lose afterward. I think I've probably gained less this time around (even though I'm bigger in the belly) but that's just because I'm chasing a two year old around all the time, and not because I'm purposefully trying not to gain. With Jackson, I really thought that the weight would just magically come off once I had the baby, and now I know that it will be hard work to get it off. It makes me think twice before eating that bowl of ice cream. (that I always decide on eating anyway) I'm much bigger in the belly this time around. Like, way bigger. Like, people ask me all the time if I'm having twins or if my due date is right. Awesome.

Go to clothing: I've lived in my new pair of Old Navy maternity jeans. I'm either in those, yoga pants, or a skirt or dress everyday now. There is NO flip flopping between regular and maternity anymore. Same with the shirts. Sometimes I can wear a non-maternity shirt under a maternity shirt for layering purposes. I'm big though, and really need to wear maternity full time now.

Sleep: I've been sleeping good. As long as I can go to bed at a reasonable time. I end up on my back most of the time. That's how I'm most comfortable. But you aren't supposed to sleep on your back when you are as pregnant as I am, so I try to roll to my side. I've even managed to wake up kind of on my belly sometimes. I have no idea how I get in that position.

Baby movement: Lots of movement. Sometimes you can even see them from the outside which is cool and creepy at the same time.

A Love Note

Dear Baby Boy Best,
Feeling your little kicks is one of the best feelings that an expecting mom can feel. It tells me that you are doing well, and that you, in fact, have feet, knees and elbows, which are super important parts to have. And while I appreciate your night-owled nature, given that I am a night-owl myself, I really should be sleeping. Laying here, getting repeatedly kicked in the bladder isn't helping Mommy sleep. Let's finish this discussion in the morning and go to sleep now.

Love,
Mommy

P.S. I hope you enjoyed the ice cream I had about 45 minutes ago.