#GirlMomBoxSwap17

When Lindsay asked if I had seen the posts about the #GirlMomBoxSwap, I was quick to jump on it! I love the idea of doing something small, thoughtful and special with Nat while she is still an only child, even though she will always be my only girl.  And I know these swaps will become even more special when baby brother gets here!  Nat and I were paired with Danielle and her sweet Annabelle from A Sprinkle of Joy.  Natalie and Annabelle have quite a bit in common so it was a fun pairing :)

Nat and I had so much fun shopping together for Annabelle. We made a little girls' morning of it and headed to the motherland. Of course Target had a little bit of everything to make the box swap a breeze.  Natalie loved picking out things and must have showed me everything in the store saying, "I think Annabelle would really love this!"

Yep, I was the mom with the kid in the Rapunzel wig...

Even more fun than shopping for Annabelle was getting our swap box! Natalie absolutely loved everything in the box. Her favorite item was easily the My Little Pony sticker book which she insisted on bringing to daycare to show her best friend, Savannah. She was also beyond thrilled at the inclusion of Reese's eggs. That girl is a self proclaimed "chocolate fiend" and has been super obsessed with peanut butter lately so these were an absolute hit. I may or may not have snagged one when Natalie wasn't looking :) 

Danielle, being the most thoughtful mama ever, even included a little something for me!

Thank you so much Dara, Danielle, Beth, Leslie, Lacey and Johanna for hosting this fun little link-up! Love being in this #girlmom group with y'all :) And a BIG thank you to Danielle and Annabelle for our new things :)

baby #2 | 22 weeks

How Far Along: 22 weeks!

Size of the Baby: Baby W is the size of a cheeseburger... which does not sound even the least bit appealing. However, a breakfast sandwich is about the same size and that sounds so good. Apparently at this point, baby should weigh just shy of a pound but I am going to go out on a limb and say this kid weighs at least a pound by now!

Symptoms/Sleep: I feel really good. Sleep has been great (minus Natalie waking up in the middle of the night).  I am still sleeping on my belly most of the time (insert all the praise hands) and it has been so easy to get comfortable. Here's to hoping that lasts at least a few more weeks! 

I re-read my 22 week post about my pregnancy with Natalie recently and it was a big reminder of how different these pregnancies have been. At 22 weeks with Natalie, I was in Florida visiting my parents.  I remember being so swollen on that trip. In fact, I had to take my wedding band off and wear it on my necklace. My wedding band is still very happily on and loose! And, so far (knock on wood), I have not had any swelling yet!

Bump/Belly Button/Weight Gain: I am officially itty bitty baby bumping and I am happy to report that my belly button is still inny! I am feeling really good in my skin this week which is always reassuring. In fact, I am down a pound this week from last which makes me thrilled. It means I was absolutely right about the water weight/bloat! So I am back to a steady 1.5-2lb/week gain which I totally expected and am comfortable with. I have been slathering on the cocoa butter but if anyone has any other stretch mark prevention methods, please pass them along! I didn't get any scary ones with Natalie so I am hoping that I will have the same luck this time around!

Cravings/Aversions: Breakfast is still my jam. It was this way when I was pregnant with Natalie too. It is easily the meal where I eat the most. I am still loving all the smoothies - with extra pineapple. I actually think they are really helping with my water weight and bloating. I feel more energetic on the mornings that I have one and I just feel better overall. It's funny, I almost crave the way they make me feel as much as the actual smoothie itself.  If I am not up for a meal or food doesn't sound appealing, I substitute a smoothie and use extra Greek yogurt for the protein.  It has seriously helped me to be consistent with my eating.  Pineapple has also really been a favorite this pregnancy and I cannot wait for Costco to have good pineapple out.

Big Sister: We have been working on getting Natalie back into her bed and getting a more solid bedtime routine. We had been doing really well with bedtime and then it just kind of stopped. So we're hoping this new routine sticks and we can stick with it too!  The transition has been rough and hysterical at the same time. Sunday night we fought bedtime until 10pm. Monday night she was (literally) howling until 9:30pm. Tuesday night she fell asleep on me while watching Tangled (but then woke up twice in the middle of the night to go potty). Wednesday night and last night she got out of bed and brought a library of books back to bed with her, but she fell asleep on her own and slept through the night. I am totally ok with this. Besides how stinking cute is that picture?!

Miss Anything: Nothing this week!

Best Moment: I ordered blankets from Audrey's Bear for baby brother (and big sister) and they came in the mail this week :) We shared the name with our parents last week and will probably share his name publicly in the next few weeks!

Another best (and worst) moment for the week: our oven died (ugh) but we ordered a new one (yay!). We had talked about replacing the oven this summer while I am on maternity leave (since we will be able to grill everything) but the universe had other plans for us. So B and I did a lot of homework regarding ovens and found one we love. Nothing can be easy though, Lowe's, Home Depot and Sear's all had delivery and installation dates into April. Lowe's installation date was April 10th! I am hosting a dinner on March 31st so not having an oven was not an option.  I went onto the Whirlpool website to see where else the oven was sold and Best Buy was listed. For shits and gigs, I clicked on the link. Not only was the price better, the protection plan was better AND they install at delivery! We will have a new oven by the end of next week. 

Can't Wait For: My oven to be installed.  And, more importantly, my parents visit next week. I haven't seen my parents since July when Nat and I went down to Florida to see them and that has been hard for me. It's been almost a year since they have been to our house so I am excited for them to see all of the home projects we have done (2 bathrooms, Nat's room, the nursery and the tv room... and my new oven). 

baby #2 | 21 weeks

How Far Along: 21 weeks, 5 days! We are officially closer to the end than the beginning. Eek!

Size of the Baby: Baby W is the size of a pomegranate! 

Symptoms/Sleep: Cue the emotional pregnant lady. This week I have been feeling all. of. the. feels. Snow hit Maryland early last week and while my office didn't close because fertility doesn't take a day off, I did. This was our last snow just the three of us and I wanted to take it all in and play with Natalie in the snow, bake some pumpkin bars, drink hot cocoa and make some memories, just the three of us. I know she is going to have a million and one memories of playing in the snow with her brother but I need these last ones of just us.

Sleep is still fairly decent. I am still able to sleep on my stomach which helps. If I sleep on one side for too long, my hip begins to hurt so I have been trying not to do that. My dreams are so freaking vivid and random and strange. It is one of my favorite and least favorite parts of pregnancy.

Bump/Weight Gain: Y'all, it is crazy how much my weight has jumped in the last week, we're talking like a whopping 4.5lbs. The scale is starting to make me a little anxious. I am still below my pre-pregnancy weight with Natalie (which is alarming to me given how round my belly is starting to get) but I am just feeling a bit overwhelmed. I am going to increase my water intake (which I should be doing anyways) in hopes that I can chalk some of this up to water weight and not baby brother. I am also going to make an effort to be more conscious about what I am eating. The Evel Knievel in me is making crazy leaps like what if the rapid weight gain and big measuring baby means gestational diabetes. Whomp whomp. 

Cravings/Aversions: This week I have been all over the place with my cravings. On Wednesday, I wanted enchiladas and spicy corn dip salsa and nachos. I stopped by Safeway and picked up Stouffer's enchiladas (and extra enchilada sauce) and made corn dip and it was ev.er.y.thing. Holy crap. There are few better feelings than when you satisfy a pregnancy craving. (And I wonder why my weight has jumped... insert monkey covering eyes emoji here.) I am also craving the entire BJ's Brewhouse menu. 

Gender: Still a boy :)

Big Sister: Oh my word, she is the best. Last week Ms. Cheryl said Nat put a baby doll under her shirt and said she was having a baby like mommy. That little stinker makes my heart melt. We had some big mama and mini plans this past weekend to run errands together and just spend time together which was good for both of us.  It is nice to fit in some quality one on one time with my girl.

Miss Anything: Oh you know, just my sanity. This blubbering crazy lady part of pregnancy is for the birds. 

Best Moment: I ordered the letters to get baby brother's name on the wall and they arrived in the mail last week :)  I cannot wait to get them hung up!

Can't Wait For: Baby brother's room to be complete! As I mentioned last week, we are waiting on pictures from B's family (his brother is struggling to get us a good picture and while we potentially have what we need from B's dad, I know Farge was still looking for a different picture) so we can order some custom artwork for baby brother's room but hopefully we'll have that soon and can get that ordered! I have big plans to pick up some things from Lowe's this weekend to complete a project in his room too which will also put us one step closer to a complete nursery!

I am also seriously looking forward to a visit from my parents. I haven't seen them since July and I just miss them so much!

baby #2 | 20 weeks

How Far Along: 20 weeks! WHOA, we're halfway there :)

Size of the Baby: Baby W is the size of a banana chocolate bar! 

Symptoms/Sleep: I am feeling more movement which is fun. I am also feeling a BIG increase in my appetite, but this is mostly in the morning/early afternoon time frame. Dinner is generally hit or miss.  Sunday night I had a smoothie and a PB&J for dinner.  Thank heaven for smoothies. 

Nesting has started. Yep, halfway there and I am nesting. I am anxious to get his room done and be able to check that off the list. I did the first load of his laundry last week and have that put away. My new diaper bag came from Amazon and I have that in his room waiting to be put together. However, I don't even remember what I put in Nat's diaper bag [insert monkey covering eyes emoji here] so I have been looking this up on Pinterest haha

This kid is keeping us on our toes. This week at my anatomy scan appointment Dr. Kramer said he looks perfect but (there is always a but with this kid) it looks like I have a functional placenta previa. This means that the placenta is covering the cervix. We didn't see this previously because of the subchorionic bleed. Greeeeaaat.  While Dr. K doesn't think I need to be on bed rest (yet), he has me on pelvic rest, with no heavy lifting and limited activity (whomp whomp). I will go back in 5 weeks to check on things and see if there are any changes. Worst case scenario, this thing doesn't move and I will need to have a c-section. The planner in me is not too upset about this; however, the girl with body image issues isn't thrilled. But honestly, as long as baby brother keeps growing and doing his thing, I don't care how we get him out as long as he waits until the end of July.

Bump/Weight Gain: Just call me the queen of questionable bumps. This has been a much different pregnancy in terms of growth and bump. He sits much lower than Natalie did. I am steadily gaining weight (with a 2lb jump this week... eek!) but I am not sure where it is going besides my boobs. I definitely have great pregnancy boobs and I know a certain someone who is not upset about that.

And because this would not be complete without a side by side of 20 week pictures:

Cravings/Aversions: This week has been pretty tame. I have been happily consuming all the smoothies. Dinner has gotten tough again. I am far more interested in eating between the hours of 5AM-2PM. After that, food just doesn't hold any appeal. Not in a make me nauseous way but rather a I'm just not hungry way.

Gender Predictions: At the anatomy scan, baby brother made sure that we did not have a single doubt about his gender. He is all boy and proud of it.

Big Sister: Limited activity has been hard on the big sister. It's hard for her that I can't pick her up and play with her the same way I usually do. It is making her overly sensitive and she cries at the drop of a hat because it means I'll pull her into my lap for a snuggle. Bedtime is rough. Half the time we have let her sleep in our bed just because that's easier than the bedtime fight or, worse, moving her when she is asleep. 

The other night she had a terrible night terror. It was the longest one she has had to date and we could not get her to snap out of it. I can't get over the fact that she has no idea what has happened once she finally wakes up. She hasn't had one in so long that I had almost forgotten how downright scary they are as a parent.

Miss Anything: Nothing I can think of this week!

Best Moment: Seeing baby brother :) Y'all, he is going to be another big baby. Typically at 20 weeks, baby weighs in at around 10.2 ounces.  Baby brother is measuring 12 ounces.  Dr. Masiky said we'll keep an eye on this for possible early induction... you know, provided my placenta moves and I don't need a c-section!

Can't Wait For: I am looking forward to getting the final details of his room together and getting his room put together in the coming weeks. As I mentioned above, nesting has started already and I am in full on prepare for tiny human mode.  At least I hope we can get his room together. We are ordering custom artwork and are waiting on pictures from B's family so we can get that ordered. I am hoping it comes together as perfectly in real life as it does in my head!

Friday Five | #2s big ticket items

It's funny the clarity and (naive) confidence that comes with planning for baby #2. There were so many things that I thought I would need with Natalie (a changing table, a wipes warmer, the list goes on) that when I think about #2, I laugh. I was your stereotypical first time mom. If it was on a recommended baby registry, it was probably on mine. This time around, I know that we need far less stuff, BUT there are five "big ticket" items that I want this time around which will make up this weeks Friday Five!  So without further ado...

1. A glider - I didn't have one with Natalie. I had a Cracker Barrel rocker. And while I love the rocking chair and it was so pretty in her room, it really was not comfortable for long nights. Plus the rocking chair looks much better in my dining room now :) This time around, I told B that I wanted a glider with an ottoman. I have heard that the seat cushion on this goes quickly but I have a very handy mama who can help me fix up a cushion if we needed it.

2. Joovy Balloon Stroller - So, I love my stroller (Britax B-Agile) but we have things to consider this time around that we didn't have to think about with Natalie. Baby brother will start daycare at 12 weeks (as opposed to Natalie's 9 months) and Ms. Cheryl takes the kiddos on outings (something I truly adore and worship her for). It would be super convenient for Cheryl to have an infant friendly stroller without B and I having to remember it every morning. The added bonus being the click connect feature with our current stroller/car seat combo.  So I will leave my Britax stroller with Cheryl and I will keep this super lightweight (12.7lbs) stroller with me :) I love the option of a bassinet and the storage basket on the Joovy is dreamy and roomy.

3. VTech Digital Baby Monitor - Don't get me wrong, we LOVE the monitor that we have been using with Natalie; however, the cost of a second camera is almost as much as a new monitor altogether. B and I weighed the pros and cons of the decision and opted to just get a new monitor. The battery life of the parent unit on the one we have is approximately 30 5 minutes after almost 4 years of use so a fresh start with a new babe isn't a terrible idea. This monitor comes with 2 cameras so we will be able to put one in Nat's room until we're ready to move on... in 10 years.

4. Baby Breeza Formula Pro One Step Food Maker - This thing was absolutely not around when we had Natalie or you can bet I would have considered purchasing it then! This thing totally cracks me up (it's basically a formula keurig) while simultaneously making me want it. B and I were concerned about the bottle temperature since Natalie only took a cold bottle, but this formula mixer allows you to control the bottle temp so it can brew a room temperature bottle (in approximately 10 seconds)!  #winning While I did put this on my wish list*, I am having a hard time justifying this for my last pregnancy... but I mean, shouldn't the last be the easiest :)

5. 4Moms RockaRoo - I have heard such great things about this from so many people and then some less than stellar reviews as well (but those are mostly of the first generation RockaRoo that had fewer features). While we have a traditional swing (which we love and plan to use), I wanted something smaller for the tv room/playroom. We spend a lot of time in the tv room/playroom and I wanted to make sure we have a safe space for #2. 

Brandon and I have planned for this tiny little human and have already purchased a couple of these things. That's the other thing that comes with #2 - more planning. We started looking into things and putting money aside for these "big ticket" things much earlier this time around since we were 100% sure that - one way or another - we were having a second baby. You know, that whole naive confidence thing :)

What were your big ticket baby must haves?

*Update: B's parents got us the Baby Breeza! B joked that it was fitting given that his parents bought us our first keurig that they would get the baby his first too :) We are so grateful and excited to use this come July!!

a little more pink | Nat's big girl room

We have been in our home about two years now and I have seriously taken my time in finishing Natalie's room (and the whole house for that matter). I wanted to really get a feel for the house before I made any major commitments. In fact, we changed the rooms around since we moved in. What was the play room is now baby brother's room. What was Natalie's room is now the play room/tv room. And what was the guest room is now Natalie's room. I am really happy with the change. B and I agreed the playroom (which had been Natalie's room) should be the biggest of the three rooms.

I bought a gray rug for the guest room (now baby brother's room) a few months ago and Natalie asked me if it could go in her room. This sparked my desire to finally really put her room together. I have finally decided to embrace the pink (three years later) and the fact that my daughter is all that is girl. So we started with a pink rug from Rugs USA (on Amazon) that matched the one in the guest room. Natalie was so excited when we showed her the rug in her room (and so was Mama). 

A friend of ours has a little girl about a year older than Natalie. Her room has always been the ultimate girl's room which cracks us up since Jon is a big tough corrections officer. Anyways, Lilly's room inspired me to get a princess canopy for Natalie's room. We are really pleased with the quality of the Best Choice Products canopy we ordered on (shocker) Amazon. It really added the princessy feel to her room :)

I found the ultimate frilly, girly bedding at Home Goods and snagged it. At that point, Natalie was still in a crib but I knew that if I didn't get it when I did, it was as good as gone. I also grabbed a couple ballerina pictures and some baskets with ballerina print liners to add some other girly touches to her room.  I picked up some cute, girly sheets at Target on clearance and really love them. Since Natalie sleeps under a comforter and she has a decorative pillow sham, I am more lenient on her sheets since they aren't seen when her bed is made and lately she has been obsessed with super tacky pink Paw Patrol sheets which I begrudgingly allow (especially since we got them for $6 on Target clearance).  We hung a shelf for her monitor and it had hooks so I added a couple princess dresses and a calendar from the Target $1 spot and love how that looks!

Her window valances have been in her room since birth. I found them online at Kohls and was really pleased with how simple they were.  I wanted a touch of pink in her nursery (before I was ready to embrace the fact that I am a girl mom) and I am really pleased with how they brighten up and break up the pink of her big girl room. Her letters came from Buy Buy Baby but I cannot seem to find them there anymore. 

Finally, as I posted about in a weekend recap, we painted Natalie's room and it turned out so dreamy.  I literally feel like it popped right out of a magazine. It's better than anything I could have pictured in my wildest dreams.

I am so excited that this project is done and Natalie finally has a room fit for a big sister!

baby #2 | 19 weeks

How Far Along: 19 weeks (+1 day)! Just shy of halfway! Woohoo!

Size of the Baby: Baby W is the size of a mango! 

Symptoms/Sleep: Holy round ligament pain. And the heartburn. Good gracious the heartburn. The other night it kept me up until 1AM.  Lucky for me there was a White Collar marathon on. Unlucky for me, Nat woke up at 1:28 and needed mama... and then the alarm went off at 5:08. It made for a rough Monday.

I am still having crazy vivid dreams. And I am starting to feel a little hormonal... you know, the borderline crazy kind. So far I have (mostly) relegated my insanity to at home with Brandon but I'm sure it's only a matter of time.

Bump/Weight Gain: I weighed myself at work again this week. I think it holds me to be a little bit more accountable about eating smart this pregnancy when I see the slow and steady weight gain. I am up another pound for a total of 14lbs since October 21st. 

I am still in the same boat as last week. I have a questionable little bump. Sometimes it's a real bump but sometimes I feel like we're still in that pudgy or pregnant stage. Here's to hoping that I actually pop soon. My pre-pregnancy clothes don't fit and my maternity clothes are basically laughing at me since they are still a tad big.  It's a tough in between to be in, but I have only had one meltdown in 19 weeks so that is a HUGE accomplishment compared to my last pregnancy. 

Cravings/Aversions: Still loving the smoothies. B has been making me one every morning and it is the absolute best :) I am also really loving Cracker Barrel pecan pancakes. I could eat them every morning for breakfast but I doubt the scale would appreciate that and neither would my post-baby recovery process. Regardless, I did buy some pecans so that I could make them at home and I am really excited to do that.

Gender Predictions: I am sure y'all are well aware it's a BOY at this point!

Big Sister: She amazes me every day. She is funny and smart. Her word use floors me all the time. Her new favorite words include genius, fantastic and disappointed. I love when I suggest something to her and she goes "MOM! You're a genius!" Or when Gemma peed just to the side of the puppy pad and Natalie told her how disappointed she was in her. This morning she told me her smoothie was fantastic and she wasn't wrong - they were particularly delicious this morning! 

She cracks me up. She and B had a dinner date this week and he asked if she was ready to be a big sister. She told B that she "hates babies". There is a preview for the Boss Baby on the Trolls DVD and now she thinks babies are all terrible creatures and baby brother is going to hit her. While she is probably not entirely wrong, this movie is really making baby brother preparation more difficult.

Miss Anything: I really want fresh pineapple and watermelon. I also really love the idea of a margarita but am not sure if I actually want one or not. 

Best Moment: B felt the baby kick on Wednesday night :) I cannot wait for Natalie to feel him move in the next few weeks!

Can't Wait For: My next appointment on Monday for the anatomy scan! I love getting to peak in on baby brother and see how he is doing :)